Best Friends? Dude, we are sisters!
The city of Canterlot was enjoying a warm evening beneath the low, blue sky, which was sinking into a light crimson hue. There wasn't a single cloud to obscure the sight of the golden sun setting below the horizon.
Fluttershy managed to catch one more glimpse over her shoulder, before continuing to skip down the sidewalk, humming a soft tune under her breath. A lone breeze whipped by the bustling street, catching her rose-colored hair up in the air. She giggled softly to herself.
"What the heck are you laughing at, Shy?" a raspy, female voice asked.
Fluttershy bit her lip, tilting her head up at the rainbow-haired girl beside her. Yet the girl's face held no annoyance, only a playful smirk.
Fluttershy shrugged, matching the taller girl's pace with each step. "I guess I'm just excited, Rainbow," she replied after a moment, smiling warmly.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "About what? You just can't wait any longer to hang out with me?" she grinned teasingly, jabbing her friend lightly in the shoulder.
Rainbow Dash wore a dark blue tank top with a rainbow lightning bolt in the center, rainbow wristbands on each arm, black sweatpants with a green stripe down the side, and white sneakers.
Fluttershy adjusted her one-shoulder strap green dress with her hand, rubbing over her three pink butterflies etched on the side.
"Of course," she said, although not without rolling her aqua eyes at Rainbow. "Aren't you?"
Rainbow stopped for a moment as if considering. "Probably about 20% more excited than you, Flutters," she responded, waving her hand dismissively, much to Fluttershy's bemusement.
Fluttershy’s amused expression slid back into her usual, kind smile. "Well, that's great, Rainbow! I know we're just going to have the best time!" If her voice had risen at all, Rainbow Dash would have been the only one to notice.
"Aw, yeah, we are! That is, if you man up and watch the best movie in the whole universe!" she exclaimed with a wink, coming to a rest at the crosswalk.
Fluttershy twisted her hands together. "You wouldn't perhaps be referring to... um... that one about the zombies?" she squeaked, daring a nervous glance to Rainbow.
Rainbow looked at her like if she was crazy. "What!? Heck no! That was the worst!"
Fluttershy sighed in relief.
"It's the movie with the super cool man-eater ghosts!" Rainbow said with a beaming smile.
Fluttershy went pale, and buried her face beneath her hair.
Being as reserved and timid as she was, Fluttershy preferred movies of a calm and cute nature, perhaps about furry animals. Rainbow Dash, however, liked just the opposite--the type of film that got her out of breath. And, well, that was alright with the pink haired girl, as long as she had a shoulder to lean on.
As the credits flashed down on the screen, Fluttershy reached her hand over and grabbed a bunch of popcorn. Chewing it thoughtfully, she turned to Rainbow.
"What do you think of the movie?" Dash asked, her eyes shining in excitement.
Fluttershy grinned placidly. "Oh, umm... it was nice, I suppose. Although it wasn't very kind of that guy to... umm, not let that other guy live."
"Well, he deserved it! What the already dead guy did, it wasn’t very loyal of him. I mean, what kind of person does that to his friends!?" she exclaimed, glaring at the screen as if she could see the so called "unloyal" man. She then leaned back casually. "But the rest of the movie was pretty awesome, right?"
Fluttershy nodded. "Oh, yes. Er... very." Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the darkened windows. "Oh, my, it's getting late! I'd better—"
Rainbow cut her off with a warm smile. "Hey, Shy, no worries. What do you think about having a sleepover tonight?" she inquired, giving her a wink.
Fluttershy clapped her hands together, blushing slightly when she realized her enthusiasm. "That sounds really wonderful, Rainbow," she said, playing with her hair. "You always are such a sweetheart, as much as you try to hide it."
Rainbow looked away in embarrassment, a blushing smile crept across her face. "Well, I may be not like that in public, but when I’m with you…" she said, scratching the back of her head.
Fluttershy gave her a soft smile. "I understand. Remember how you were when we first met?"
Rainbow Dash placed her arm across her friend's shoulder, a look of nostalgia creeping across her face. "Yeah. I’d be a jerk if I said I don’t remember it."
Eight years earlier...
A young pink-haired girl, her hands held up to her face, stood pressed against a locker with tears glistening in her eyes. Before her towered two older boys, muttering words to the smaller student.
A few meters away, a girl with radiant, rainbow hair peered around the corner, noticing the other student.
"What are they doing?" she whispered to herself, glancing around her locker door. Whatever it was, it definitely didn't look good.
She stiffened when a long clang rang out in the hallway, and the shy girl tumbled to the floor, her books falling beside her. The older boys laughed as she struggled to pick herself up.
The girl with the rainbow hair couldn’t help but glare at the boys in disgust, slamming her locker door shut and marching over to them.
"Hey!" she shouted, attracting their attention as she folded her arms.
She watched as the tallest, and presumably the leader, looked at her in annoyance. "Yeah, what?"
"What’s your problem with her!?" she exclaimed again, her face contorting in anger. "She didn’t do anything to you!"
The boy flinched. "What? This is none of your business! We're just teaching this klutz here a lesson. Do you want to get involved, shortie?" His followers chortled, as if he had told the funniest joke.
The rainbow-haired girl narrowed her eyes, a smirk crawling across her face. "Actually, I do," she challenged, her gaze falling on the blushing student huddled beneath her hair.
"What, are you the president of this school, or something?" he mocked, drawing closer. "Cause I don't think you get to make decisions around here. Just get away, or you'll regret it," he emphasized his point by shooting his foot into the pink-haired girl's stomach. She moaned in pain, holding her books up as protection. "You think you’re stronger than me?"
The rainbow girl had enough. She balled her hand into a fist and slammed it right into the face of the boy. He cried out, stumbling backwards into the students behind him. When he looked up, a bright red mark shone on his cheek.
"Why you..." he jumped forward, punching the rainbow haired girl in the chest. She gasped, feeling adrenaline already coursing through her veins at the prospect of a fight.
“It’s ON!!” the girl shouted before rushing towards the boy who just punched her.
She pinned him against the locker, squinting her eyes. "Do you really think you can go around and pick on a girl!?" she threatened, her eyes burning with anger.
She shoved him again, leaning close to his face. The girl pulled back her fist in the air, relishing the bully's terrified expression—before dropping it down by her side. "Just get out of here, or else," she spat.
The bully seemed as if he was going to say something in response, but he snapped his mouth shut at the look on her face. His followers nodded, completely terrified of the girl. They motioned for the boy to follow.
"This isn't over, shortie," he muttered, turning away down the hallway. Although, she could tell from the way he almost tripped as he ran, that he was beginning to understand what the girl was capable of.
Her expression suddenly softened as she turned to face the soft-spoken victim. She knelt down next to her. "Hey, are you alright?" she quietly asked, reaching out a helping hand.
The girl stood up carefully, wiping away her tears, and holding her stomach. "T-Thank you.." she stammered, smoothing down her dress. Her voice trembled as she gave a weak, grateful nod. "I— my name's Fluttershy," she whispered, her cheeks flushed. Her aqua eyes avoided the girl's gaze.
"That’s a cool name. The name's Rainbow Dash," Rainbow shook her hand with a friendly smirk. She bent down and handed her books to the shuddering girl. "Listen, 'Shy. Stick with me, and those idiots won't give you anymore trouble!" She placed a hand on her shoulder, as Fluttershy smiled warmly.
"That would be nice," she said. For whatever reason, Rainbow just seemed to give off a comforting glow, one that made Fluttershy feel protected. "We can be friends, of course, if you want," she whispered, wanting desperately to stay with this quirky, rainbow-haired girl.
Rainbow chuckled and wrapped an arm around her. "Yeah, why not? We can be buds, Miss Flutters. You've got something about you."
And from that day onwards, the two became best friends. Even when a certain bacon-haired girl appeared and seemingly destroyed their friendship with the girls, they never separated and Rainbow always stuck with her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The present…
A pale beam of moonlight trickled through the dark window, landing directly on Fluttershy's face. She stirred, cracking open an eye to the surrounding and silent darkness. She sat up within her sleeping bag, grabbing her knees within the crinkling material. She was not a little kid anymore, despite Rainbow's constant teasing. Yet, within the black grip of the night, she felt a spark of fear light up in her chest.
Fluttershy bit her lip, and turned to the pile of blankets beside her on the carpeted floor. She caught sight by the weak moonlight, a rainbow head poking out from under the pillow.
"Rainbow?" she whispered, her voice tight and high. Oh, goddess, she sounded helpless. She lifted her friend's blanket up just an inch, and was greeted—surprisingly— with a pair of bright, magenta eyes.
"What's up, 'Shy?" Rainbow slurred, rubbing her face with a yawn.
Fluttershy hid beneath her hair, already feeling an embarrassed blush coming in. "I'm sorry," she squeaked. "You looked so... um sleepy, but I didn't mean to wake you up."
Rainbow pulled herself up, bringing back Fluttershy's curtain of hair. "Well, now I'm up. So, what's the matter?"
Fluttershy took a deep breath. "Oh, well... when I was younger, I used to be scared of the dark, and everything that hid in it. And... I guess I still am," she mumbled, looking down.
Rainbow Dash, however, smiled warmly at Fluttershy and she slided up next to her.
"Hey. Don't ever tell anyone, but the dark isn't exactly my friend either, Fluttershy. I still get creeped out from time to time, when I'm alone in my house," she replied kindly.
Fluttershy smiled lopsidedly. "But you're not alone right now."
Rainbow winked. "Exactly," she said. She moved over until she was laying against the side of the butter-yellow girl. "And neither are you. To be honest, I never looked at you as a friend."
Fluttershy looked at her confusedly. "Huh? What do you mean, Rainbow?"
Rainbow Dash wrapped her arm around her with that same warm smile. "I rather see you as a sister. My little sis to be exact. Just like Scootaloo," Rainbow softly said.
Tears flooded Fluttershy’s eyes at this, but those tears were of joy and happiness. "You really think of me as a sister?" she stammered.
Rainbow nodded and in the dark her hand found Fluttershy's. "Just close your eyes, sister. I'll always be here."
"Well, in that case, Rainbow; yay," Fluttershy smiled beatifically at her.
Rainbow brushed away her tears with her hand, her grin never leaving her face. "I love you, little sis."
"I love you too, big sis," Fluttershy breathed.
And in the dark, two sisters—but not by blood—slept side by side.
