Light(n)ing Her Heart Aflutter

It wasn't long before they reached Rainbow Dash's house, a fantastical structure made out of clouds and rainbows. Once inside, Rainbow Dash went to her kitchen to make a pair of hay sandwiches for dinner. Lightning Bolt watched from the edge of the fluffy white counter (actually, almost every piece of furniture was fluffy and white), still bewildered from her comment earlier.

"A date? Rainbow, you've got to be kidding. Fluttershy is a good friend, one of the kindest ponies I've ever known, but I don't think she wants to... be in a relationship with me, you know? She's just happy to see me again, that's all," said Lightning Bolt, attempting to explain the situation. At his words, Rainbow Dash face-hoofed and let out and exasperated sigh.

"Really, Lightning? Sweet Celestia, you stallions are all the same..." finishing the plate of sandwiches, she brought them over to the table and set them down.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Lightning Bolt said, growing agitated.

"It means you're all clueless when it comes to mares and what they want." Rainbow Dash trotted over to him. "She. Likes. You." She firmly poked him with each word for emphasis. "Always has, always will."

"Are you sure? I think I would have noticed," said Lightning, in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm sure! She's told me herself several times. Even if she hadn't, I'd still be sure. It's obvious! Think back to Cloudsdale. When we hung out, who was always around?" Rainbow Dash gave him a questioning look, waiting for his response.

"Well, I mean, she didn't have many friends," Lightning said, "so it makes sense that she would stick with us most of the-" Rainbow cut him off, shushing him with her hoof

"And what about when we raced each other, huh? Who was always in last?"

"Fluttershy was, yeah, but I figured she just wanted to improve her flying skills-"

"Fluttershy hated flying! More than almost anything. It terrified her!" Rainbow Dash dug her hoof into his front side, staring into his eyes. "But she flew with us because it meant she got to spend time with you, Lightning. She was too shy to admit it, but she had a huge crush on you!" Her tone of voice turned from frustrated to scathing. "And you never even bothered to notice."

Lightning Bolt stepped back. "Sis, where is this coming from? Have you been this mad at me the whole time?" Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head.

"No, not really," Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane. "I'm glad you're back. We all are. But you have to understand how your actions hurt Fluttershy, even if you didn't mean to." She stood silent for a few seconds, before speaking again. "Lightning, why did you leave us to go to the zebra lands?"

"I... it was on short notice, yeah. But they needed more pegasi. The pay was good, I guess, and they were doing something good for the zebras. I wanted to help them, you know?" Lightning Bolt explained, unconvincingly. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why did you really go, Lightning?"

"I guess I..." He shook his head. "I wanted to see the world. Meet new people. Find adventure. And I really did want to help, I promise. I was younger then, I didn't realize-"

"-How we would feel," Rainbow Dash finished. "Fluttershy had discovered her cutie mark. With that alone, she almost worked up the courage to tell you how she felt. And then you just... left." Rainbow rested a hoof on his shoulder, trying to make him understand. "That broke her heart. If she hadn't had her animals and me to comfort her, I don't know what would have happened. While you went off and played hero overseas, she waited for you. For years, Lightning, she made friends, got over the worst of her shyness, and became confident in herself. But, in all those years, she never once even looked at a stallion the way she looks at you, nor did they ever have the kind of affect on her you do. That shyness you saw today? For her, that's not normal, not anymore. But, then again, neither is the stallion she crushed on for years trotting back into her life without any warning.

"Her asking to come over after dinner? That means she's ready. Ready to tell you how she feels. I know how long she's been waiting and preparing for this, and how important it is for her. So, I swear to Luna and Celestia, if you break her heart again... I will end you. Got that?" Her gaze turned steely again, and her hoof tightened around his shoulder.

"W-wouldn't dream of it, Sis," Lightning Bolt said, trembling slightly. Rainbow Dash's grip slackened, and she smiled widely.

"Heh, I knew you wouldn't, Bro. I just wanted to make sure you understood Fluttershy's feelings, and didn't ignore all her signals with your dumb stallion brain. Now, I have to get going soon."

"About that," Lightning Bolt said, "didn't you say earlier that Pinkie's sleepover was tonight? I thought it wasn't for a few days." Rainbow Dash grinned again.

"It isn't, but Fluttershy doesn't need to know that. I just needed an excuse to duck out for the night and give you two some alone-time. She's hardly going to reveal her personal feelings to you while I'm standing right there, duh." Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, although it was quite muffled since the door was made out of soft clouds. "Aaand, that's my cue- seeya Bro!" Rainbow Dash quickly waved goodbye with a hoof before leaping out a nearby window, leaving Lightning Bolt to answer the door.

He gulped. This is it...