The rain poured down the drops fat and heavy, lightning flashed violently showing flashes of the world outside bright as the day and thunder crashed louder than Rainbow Dash thought possible. It was pitch black outside and it made Rainbow's cloud house seem like the only place in an empty black nothingness. The wind howled loud and high pitched like a demon screaming.
She told herself it did not scare her and she forced herself to believe it.
‘Nothing scares Rainbow Dash’ she thought sharply.
Rainbow would have liked to look out her window and seen the stars and maybe go for a night flight.
‘That would help me sleep’ she thought sullenly.
She wished it was clear and calm so she could just stop thinking and fall into a deep unthinking sleep like always but the land needed the rain and it was better now in the dead of night for a storm like this then during the day.
At least, that is what Rainbow thought as she set up the storm earlier that evening.
Now sitting in her soft cloud bed hugging her tortoise, Tank, close she just wished sleep would wash over her and take her thoughts from her.
This night reminded her of another storm long ago. It was much softer and nowhere near as violent a storm as this one so Dash wondered why she was reminded of that day but, the memories came unbidden to her mind.
That day ended in her leaving Cloudsdale, in leaving school and her childhood behind. The memory of it tore at her fiercely and she wept bitterly, tears streaming down like the rain outside, at the memory of what she did that day.
The day that Dash left it all behind because of her stubborn nature and the mocking words of bullies.
The day she broke her best friend’s heart and she realized much later, too late to save their friendship let alone what might have been, her own.
“I’m the fastest pony alive!” Dash stated loudly to her empty room.
“I can do a sonic rainboom on command, and clear the clouds in 10 seconds flat but the one time I needed to be fast I failed!” She yelled louder, berating herself.
“I failed her...” Rainbow’s voice trailed off as she stared out the window seeing nothing in the blackness.
Rainbow Dash hated failing.
When she was younger they told her she was just a failure, an orphan that couldn’t even fly right, always crashing into things. ‘Rainbow Crash!’ they teased and taunted her but she just worked harder, flew faster and that day protecting Fluttershy she learned what being someone’s friend meant. It felt good to defend her shy, timid, and quiet friend. It made her feel wanted the way Fluttershy smiled whenever she saw Dash after that day. They spent all the time they could together in those days. All they had was each other really and they were all the other needed. Dash hated the orphanage she lived at with its rules and Fluttershy was just glad to get away from home with all its yelling and anger. Dash remembered when she came home from Junior Speedster’s Flight Camp and the smile and hug from her timid friend. She remembered the soft words of encouragement Fluttershy always had for her those days.
“I’m so stupid.” Dash whispered to herself remembering that fateful day in flight school.
In those days leading up to that fateful day many of the other students gossiped as young fillies and colts will do. The students all talked about the brash filly with the rainbow colored mane and her little Marefriend the shy, timid, ground loving freak Fluttershy.
Heart’s and Hooves Day came and Rainbow was dashing to her locker around mid-day when a colt called out.
“Hey Rainbow Fag!” He laughed at his little joke.
Dash just grit her teeth thinking of Fluttershy’s words, after Rainbow had ranted about how mean everyone was to the two friends, that very morning telling her to not let the teasing get to her that only made it worse or so she thought, that is, maybe. Dash grinned thinking of her stuttering friend’s words of encouragement.
“Hey I’m talking to you fillyfooler!” The colt shouted again.
“I don’t think she can hear you bro she is too busy thinking about her freaky little marefriend!” shouted his friend.
Dash whipped around, “She is not a freak!” she shouted winging flaring in anger.
“Oh no bro Rainbow Fag is mad!” The first colt said laughing.
“I’m not a fillyfooler and neither is Fluttershy!” Dash yelled in their laughing faces.
“Oh, really?” The colt said reaching into his saddle bag, “Then what’s this?” he asked throwing a heart shaped card at Rainbow’s hooves.
Dash looked down at the heart and picked it up in her hooves.
It was a beautiful card, obviously hoof made, and perfect in every way. The card had her name on it, in delicate and perfect cursive mouth writing. Rainbow had never gotten a Heart’s and Hooves Day card; she always secretly wanted to but never told anyone. She flipped it open and in the perfect writing it read “I love you Rainbow Dash” it had no name but Dash recognized the writing the moment she picked it up. Her eyes pricked and stung and her heart jumped in her chest beating so fast. She never felt like this before it was like flying but better somehow.
“Oh look at that! She’s blushing and oh haha! Rainbow Fag is going to cry over her marefriend’s little card! How sweet!” The colt said laughing and pointing a hoof at Dash.
“Big bad Rainbow Dash, Fastest Pegasus in all of Equestria is going to cry! What a baby!” the second colt said.
Anger surged though Rainbow Dash, she tore the card savagely, angry at Fluttershy for doing this to her. For making the beautiful card and making her heart jump and pound in her chest like that. Making her feel things like this; making her want things that could never be. She hated Fluttershy in that moment. That moment that ruined everything.
“I’m not dating Fluttershy and I never will. I’M. NOT. A. FILLYFOOLER!” She screamed so loud her voice cracked.
She ranted on, “I could never love a timid little scaredy pony like Fluttershy she can barely fly! Who could love a pegasus like her?!”
“Eeep!”
Dash spun around to see the tears welling up in Fluttershy’s eyes the fear and sadness in them they cut Rainbow so deep she thought she was dying. Fluttershy had seen and heard everything they said Dash could tell by the look on Fluttershy’s crying face.
“Fluttershy I-“ Dash started but Fluttershy was already running away her crying the only sound in the filled hall.
Dash looked down at the torn heart and suddenly she gathered the pieces in her hooves and flew. She was flying as though death itself was following her, as she flew tears filled her eyes her own heart breaking as she flew off. She never looked back as the rain slowly started to fall around her.
The memories hurt her so much.
She remembered the look on Fluttershy’s sweet face from that day so vividly it was like she was still there. Seeing the tears and fear and sadness even in her mind made Rainbow cry all the harder.
She realized later after she painstakingly put the card back together looking at Fluttershy’s words of love for her.
“I love you Rainbow Dash” The card said mocking her on the little cloud she stopped on far from Cloudsdale.
Rainbow Dash realized that moment, looking at the card from her best friend, that she loved Fluttershy back. That was the feeling she felt when she read the beautiful card back in the school and she had ruined it all in a fit of anger at the colt’s words. She cried herself to sleep that night in the cloud far from her home; she could never go back not after what she said and did. It hurt too much to think about even now after all these years.
Then Fluttershy showed up one day out of the blue in Ponyville years after the beautiful card and the tears. Rainbow was filled with fear because her heart jumped and a blush filled her face as she saw that beautiful pink mane and butter yellow body of her former friend. Dash never thought she would see her first love again and had thought the love was gone but it surged in Rainbow’s heart as she seen Fluttershy moving into her little cottage by the Everfree Forest.
Rainbow remembered meeting Fluttershy again in such a long time at the party Pinkie Pie threw the yellow pegasus.
“Hi.” Rainbow had said timidly.
“Hi.” Fluttershy said back shock evident in her eyes.
That party was so awkward Dash thought then and now but, slowly things got better and the friendship that ended and Rainbow thought lost forever started again.
Rainbow suddenly reached into her nightstand by her bed and pulled out the tattered and repaired card from its spot in her drawer and looked at the perfect words of her friend.
She felt her heart race and her face flush at what could have been.
“I still love her Tank.” She said quietly.
“I still love her…” Dash said again trailing off her face screwed up in thought.
She set Tank on the bed and covered him in her Wonderbolts blanket knowing in her heart what she must do. A look a pure determination crossed her face and she smiled. With a flash of wings she was gone the beautiful card clutched to her chest tightly. She was soaked to the bone almost instantly but she felt none of the cold that the rain brought. She flew like a mare possessed as she fought her way through the sky to her destination. She touched down hard in front of the little cottage and hammered on the door hard and fast. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to burst but Dash just grinned like a maniac.
The door swung open and Fluttershy gasped at her friend in the doorway.
“Rainbow Dash!” She cried “Come in quickly!”
Dash flew in helping Fluttershy close the door against the wind.
“Rainbow Dash what are you doing here so late? Oh no! You’re soaking wet.” Fluttershy said softly flying to the bathroom grabbing towels to dry her friend.
“you know better than flying in a storm like this.” Futtershy scolded handing the towel over to her friend.
“I know I’m sorry for worrying you Fluttershy.” Rainbow said softly grabbing the towel and rubbing her mane.
"Sorry for waking you but, well, I wanted to talk to you.” Dash said looking away landing softly on the floor with a clack of hooves slightly off balance from landing on three hooves.
“Oh, ok Rainbow Dash, you know you can talk to me whenever you want.” Fluttershy said smiling softly wondering what her oldest friend wanted at such a late hour.
“I know.” Rainbow said blushing glancing down at the card at her chest.
“I wanted to talk about this.” She said holding out the card to Fluttershy.
The yellow pegusus gasped at the card in Rainbow’s hooves. She remembered that day so clearly and the pain of that day hit her again. She started to cry softly.
“Why?” Fluttershy said in a sad pleading voice one word with so much meaning and questions behind it.
Dash dropped the card and stepped closer to Fluttershy and said in a soft melancholy voice. “I was so stupid that day. I ruined your gift and broke your heart and our friendship because I let them get to me. I am so sorry Fluttershy. I didn’t mean what I said, you know? I just wanted them to leave us alone and look what I did.” Dash put a hoof on Fluttershy’s cheek, holding it tenderly, and tears in her eyes to match Fluttershy’s.
“You hurt me so much that day Dash.” Fluttershy said softly looking away from her friend.
“I know I could see it in your eyes. It killed me to see you like that and knowing I did it.” Rainbow whispered stepping closer to her friend. “I felt like I was dying that night, holding your card to my chest, thinking I would never see you again.”
“I thought you left because of me.” Fluttershy said sniffling quietly. “I’m so sorry Rainbow.”
“Never apologize for this!” Dash yelled picking up the card holding it tightly. “Please don’t.” she said softly.
“Why not?” Fluttershy said “I forced my only friend to run away because I was being stupid and told you about my crush.” She looked away blushing.
Dash pulled Fluttershy back by her chin to look at her in those beautiful blue eyes. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I was the one who ran away. I was the coward that ran from the first love I was ever given.”
“You’re not a coward Rainbow you fought for me that first day we met. Remember?” Fluttershy said smiling slightly.
“Yeah I remember but I failed you when you truly needed me.” Rainbow said looking down dropping her hooves and her wings drooped.
“It’s okay Rainbow really we were just fillies.” Fluttershy said hugging Rainbow suddenly.
Rainbow just stood there feeling her friend, no the pony she loved hug her, and she quickly hugged her back tightly. Then they broke apart blushes on both of their faces.
“I love you.” Rainbow blurted out.
Fluttershy was shocked and her face said as much.
“I realized it that very day you know? On that cloud as I read your card over and over seeing your words I loved reading them. I felt so stupid and felt I had screwed our friendship up so bad that you hated me now and I just…”
Rainbow’s fumbling words made Fluttershy giggle slightly she had never seen Dash so flustered. She wrapped her hooves around Rainbow and held her softly.
“I love you too Dash.” she said, “I never stopped loving you that day I was hurt so much by what you said but I still loved you. I searched for you after school you know? I finally found you here in Ponyville and I just well the moment I saw you soaring through the clouds that day so happy and free, flying so fast, I knew that I still loved you after all that time.”
“Really?” Dash said thickly tears pricking her eyes as she pulled back and searched Fluttershy’s eyes disbelief evident in her voice. She thought Fluttershy had hated her for what she did that day.
“Really.” Fluttershy said nodding and smiling at Dash.
“I am sorry.” Dash said softly leaning her head on Fluttershy’s pulling her close.
“I know.” Fluttershy said tightening her grip on Dash closing her eyes feeling her love tighten her grip in response.
“Fluttershy?” Dash said softly.
“Yes?” Fluttershy said pulling back and looking into Dash’s magenta eyes tiny smile still on her lips.
Dash lowed her lips to Fluttershy’s kissing her softly, pressing her lips to Fluttershy’s with as much caring as she felt for her love.
They pulled back and said together, “I love you.” and kissed again.
The End
