Droplets of water raced down a nearby window, they were sped up and pushed down further by the ever-increasing amount of rain hitting the window. Before long the soft patter of the rain would turn into a torrential downpour, anyone observing the clouds could see that.
Fluttershy did not like the look of the incoming deluge. In fact, she just plain hated storms. Where there were heavy gray clouds disgorging water, thunder and lightning were sure to follow. Where there was thunder and lightning, there was a large helping of fear and fright for the yellow teen.
For now she would be perfectly content to stay inside and wait out the storm. There was homework to be done, there were adoptions plans to help finalize for the shelter, there was still-
De-Dee-De-Do
Fluttershy jumped as her phone chimed and vibrated against her wooden desk across the room. She felt slightly embarrassed that her own phone could scare her like that, but she pushed that thought aside and got off of her bed to see who had decided to light up her phone.
She picked up the small device. Cartoonish depictions of cats decorated the hardened plastic case that protected it. She turned it over to see a name displayed prominently on the illuminated screen: Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy had no qualms about Dash texting her, but she wondered what she wanted this late at night. After unlocking the phone, a message was displayed in a blue box on the screen.
I’m coming over get ready to go
Fluttershy shot a text back to her friend, asking for clarification on the matter. After several minutes of no response, she decided that there was no hope for getting a response. She could call Rainbow, but what if she was driving? She couldn’t just answer the phone, especially with the ever-increasing amount of rain. No, Fluttershy would just wait for Rainbow to get here and then ask her what was going on.
Again her phone flashed, though this time it was not a message from Rainbow. Instead, a notification appeared at the top of her screen and informed her of a new message from Sunset Shimmer.
“Guess I’m popular today,” Fluttershy said to herself in a nervous tone, a giggle punctuating her statement. It wasn’t often that she got multiple texts from different people in a short amount of time. Just that small act sent a rush of adrenaline through Fluttershy’s system.
Shy, do you remember the assignment Mr.Cranky gave us the other day?
Oh, nothing but a question. Fluttershy sent Sunset the answer and smiled at the little coincidence. It was silly that something that small could excite her to the degree that it did. It was just her easily ‘excitable’ temperament. That was the source of a lot of her habits, both good and bad.
“Heya Rainy, missed me so much you decided to come and visit?” Zephyr’s voice cut through the silence of Fluttershy’s room. Fluttershy shot up and was ready to intercept her brother, as he was always on Rainbow’s metaphorical tail when the rainbow-haired teen was within flirting distance. Before she could stop Zephyr, she had to get changed into something more public. If Rainbow saw her in pajamas, there would be endless ribbing.
Quickly, Fluttershy changed from her bunny patterned PJ’s and into a pair of gray sweatpants and a white tank top. She exited her room and nearly raced down the hall to see what Zephyr was doing to Rainbow or vice versa.
The scene in the livingroom was about what Fluttershy expected. Zephyr was standing in the doorway, his arm against the frame, blocking Rainbow from entering the house. Rainbow was standing on the porch, a bored and slightly angry expression on her face. Fluttershy didn’t listen to what flirtatious drivel her brother was spouting, instead she pushed him to the side.
“Whoa there, Flutters. You can wait your turn. Rainy and I were having a moment.” The wink that Zephyr shot at Rainbow was returned with a disgusted eyeroll. “Why, I would say we were close to a breakthrough in our relationship.”
“You wish, numbskull,” Rainbow responded as she finally entered the house proper and removed the hood from her head. “Now beat it, me and Fluttershy have stuff to do.” Zephyr shot Rainbow a wry smile and blew a kiss her way.
“Only because you asked, Rainy.” With those final words, Zephyr went to the couch and laid across it, never letting his eyes leave the girls at the door.
“Sorry…about him,” Fluttershy muttered weakly. She always felt the need to apologize for her brother’s behavior towards Rainbow. Sure, she wasn’t personally responsible for his actions, but she felt there was always more she could do to alleviate the annoyance. “So what are you doing here…exactly…?” As usual, Fluttershy trailed off at the end of her sentence. She didn’t want to offend Rainbow in any way.
“Remember a few weeks ago when we were talking and you said you wanted to try and get in better shape?” Fluttershy felt her face heat up to a significant level. Yes, she had maybe espoused the idea of getting into a bit better shape after their group’s multiple equestrian encounters. She had never thought that Rainbow would capitalize on the sentiment, though.
“Y-yeah. But right now? I-it’s sort of raining right now.” Fluttershy glimpsed out of one of the front windows of her home, seeing the rain coming down harder than ever. She couldn’t see fifteen feet out from the window. It was practically a monsoon out there!
“Implying that’s not the best time to do exercise.” Rainbow waved away Fluttershy’s concern. “Go get your gym shorts on and we’ll get going.” Fluttershy opened her mouth to object, but the look that Dash leveled at her was enough to make the shy girl close her mouth.
“O-okay,” Fluttershy conceded as she scrambled back to her room and got a pair of her gym shorts on. While in her room she also threw on a yellow hoodie, determining that it was going to be needed where they were going.
When she returned to the living room she found Rainbow stretching and Zephyr leering at her with a grin on his face. Fluttershy shot him an evil look and advanced to her friend’s side. She squeezed Rainbow’s pale blue arm lightly, signalling that she was ready to go. Rainbow stood up straight and nodded, opening the front door and holding it open for her friend.
The girls bolted from the door and made their way as quick as they could to Rainbow’s waiting blue jalopy. Fluttershy flung open the door, which squeaked loudly on its hinges, and jumped into the passenger seat. Less than a second later Rainbow made her way into the car, removing her hood and shaking herself free of any errant water droplets.
“Whew! Man, I love the rain. Don’t you?” Rainbow’s erratic magenta eyes were alive with energy and passion. It scared Fluttershy a little bit, this shift in energy and temperament that Dash displayed.
“Not really…” Fluttershy responded. She had always preferred the nicer weather, in fact she didn’t know anyone besides Dash that liked this kind of violent atmosphere. “I’m really sorry about Zephyr, Rainbow. You know how he is…” A change in subject was needed, at least Fluttershy felt so.
“Yeah,” Rainbow responded as she turned the key in the ignition. The engine sputtered and then roared to life. “Don’t worry about it, I can handle him. I eat little punks like him for breakfast.” The car was shifted into reverse and made its way out of the driveway and onto the roads of Canterlot.
“H-he’s not a punk, Rainbow.” Fluttershy felt a need to defend her brother, no matter how annoying he could be. He was still family. “He just has a different way of showing his affection.” A more annoying way, but a different way nonetheless. “M-maybe if you just gave him a chance and try to talk to him a little more personally…”
“I know he’s not a punk, Flutters.” Rainbow’s hand reached over and squeezed Fluttershy’s arm. Rainbow’s voice was a lot more sympathetic than she would usually let slip around their other friends. “I wish he was a little less forward, y’know. He just makes me feel uncomfortable when he goes full tilt scummy.” A shiver, trailed by goosebumps along her arms punctuated Rainbow’s statement.
“I’ll try to talk to him.” Fluttershy murmured ashamedly. She didn’t condone Zephyr’s actions in any way, and didn’t even know where he had picked up that attitude. She just wanted him to suppress it, or at least change it in some way, especially around Rainbow. Even Fluttershy always felt a twinge of anger when Zephyr spoke to Rainbow like he did.
“Let’s change the subject, huh?” Rainbow turned her head for a split-second to flash a winning smile to Fluttershy. “How about this whole exercising thing? It’ll be fun, I promise.” Fluttershy was having a hard time believing that, exercising was never really fun. It was tiresome, grueling work. Never fun.
“B-but why in the rain?” That was still the baffling part this situation. Why did Rainbow insist on doing it in this weather? It was dangerous with the lightning flashing in the distance, a clear warning sign from mother nature if there ever was one.
“You’ll see, Flutters.” A sly smile crossed Rainbow’s face. It did not send any good signals to Fluttershy. In fact, it instilled fear and trepidation. “It’s how I got into exercising, so you’ll just have to trust me and keep an open mind.” Fluttershy simply nodded, her sense of trust taking over her fear. She would give Rainbow the benefit of the doubt for now.
The car slowed down and pulled into the parking lot of Canterlot High. Fluttershy waited as the car pulled in under an awning by the football field. Rainbow killed the engine and opened her door. She threw her hood and turned towards Fluttershy.
“We’re going to make a break for the benches by the field, alright? They have roofs over them, so we can take cover from the storm there.” Fluttershy nodded and put up her own hood, making sure her long pink locks were securely within its confines.
Rainbow and Fluttershy got out of the car and sped towards the covered benches. As soon as they made it under the metal awnings, they removed their hoods. Fluttershy closed her eyes, rested her hands on her knees and took deep breaths. Even that short of a sprint was taxing, and that was the main reason she needed to exercise. There needed to be a change if she was going to be of any help in a real emergency.
“Okay…” Rainbow began to stretch her legs again. “Now we wait for the right moment. C’mon.” Rainbow threw off her hoodie, revealing a sky blue tank top underneath. She strutted across the track that encircled the football field, the rain soaking her as she walked, and took her place at the designated starting line.
Fluttershy held her hand out of the shelter, letting the heavy rain hit. She flinched with nearly every drop that impacted. She sincerely did not want to go out there.
“The rain’s not going to hurt you, Fluttershy.” Rainbow’s tone, which Fluttershy was expecting to be demanding, was instead encouraging. “You just gotta embrace it, let it hit you.” Rainbow held her hands out and closed her eyes. Wet strands of multi-hued hair draped across her face, along with a content smile. “Let it wash over you, like a shower.”
Fluttershy took off her hoodie and stepped out into the rain. At first she closed her eyes, fear coursing through her. She didn’t want to be out in the storm, storms were scary. They knocked over trees and sent lightning bolts flying across the sky. The booms that the thunder produced scared animals, making them scurry into their homes. That’s exactly what Fluttershy was wanting to do at the moment.
When she opened her eyes again, a pair of magenta orbs were peering right at her, not even a foot from her face. Rainbow took Fluttershy’s hands into her own and squeezed tightly. A sense of calm washed over the yellow teen, one that she had not felt for a long time.
“Like a shower, Flutters.” Rainbow repeated once more. “It’s not here to hurt you, it’s here to cleanse you, to relax you.” This was the most zen and sensible that Rainbow had ever been around Fluttershy, it was impressive, it was inspiring. “Don’t focus on the drops hitting you, focus on the ones that are trailing down your skin. Feel each little drop work its way down, taking all of that fear and anxiety and all of the other bad stuff with them.”
Fluttershy closed her eyes and did as she was instructed. She focused on the little drops as they fell down her skin, as they soaked her clothes and body from her head to her toes. She tried to think of each little drop as a little carrier pigeon, taking with them the message of weakness. They were all fleeing her body, taking the messages away from her to somewhere else. She didn’t care where, it was gone.
“I love seeing that smile.” Fluttershy opened her eyes again, unaware that a smile had spread across her face. She couldn’t help but to feel good about herself, about the thought of being cleansed of everything. “Now come on, let’s get ready to run.”
A streak of lightning lit up the sky, it drew Fluttershy’s attention and ruined her sense of calm. Her breathing sped up and heart rate increased. The fear, the bad stuff, it was back. Less than ten seconds later and the sound of thunder echoed across the sky, ruining the soft pattering of rain that had been the only sound.
“Whoa, whoa. It’s alright.” Rainbow’s hands steadied Fluttershy’s shoulders from shaking. “It’s just lightning, just thunder.” Rainbow took a deep breath, as if she was trying to collect her thoughts. “That…that’s just the thing they sent to test you, alright? It wants to bring back all of that bad stuff, it wants to make you afraid and make you weak again.” Rainbow’s grip on her shoulders tightened. “That’s your enemy you can never beat, because they never stop. You can’t beat it, you can’t destroy it. It’s always there to remind you that you’re human.” Another flash of lightning arced from one cloud to another, lighting up Rainbow’s face and showing the gaze of a determined fighter. A warrior. Something that Fluttershy desperately aspired to be but feared she could never become. “You have to show it that you’re more than human! Show it that you can’t be stopped or slowed down! Show it that you will always keep going no matter what!”
BOOM
Mother Nature sent out the challenge to rival Rainbow’s statement. Fluttershy did not flinch this time, she couldn’t after the rallying cry that Rainbow had given. She would not shake, not anymore.
“Are you ready?” The question was simple, and it was answered with a simple gesture. A nod. Fluttershy was ready. “Good.”
Rainbow went back to the starting line and took her runner’s stance. Each muscle in the athlete’s body was tensed and ready to strike like the storm clouds above. Fluttershy attempted to mimic her friend’s stance but could only produce a cheap imitation. It would have to do for now.
“When the challenge comes, we answer.” Rainbow spoke softly over the rain, just loud enough for Fluttershy to hear. She understood what it meant, and she knew what she had to do, what the answer was.
A streak of lightning went across the sky, arcing from the angry sky above to the somewhere close by. The boom that it produced was loud enough to be considered deafening, it was the challenge.
The next boom was not from the sky, but from the earth. Heels striking the wet track and answering the challenge of the angry clouds. The girls ran as fast as they could, they ran from every weakness they left at the starting line. They ran headfirst into the cleansing torrent and turbulent conditions.
For the first time, Fluttershy felt like running. Not in fear, but instead in defiance of all of those who would dare think of her as weak, for those who would come and try to hurt her friends. It was for the strength that Dash had imparted unto her for this short amount of time.
Instead of being leagues ahead, speeding along at full tilt, Rainbow was slowing down to keep pace with Fluttershy’s max speed. It was a sign, that there was strength in their friendship. There was strength in their numbers beyond what they could muster alone.
Together, they could face the storm and overcome.
Together they could change their lot, no matter how bad, and be stronger.
In too short of time, one lap around the track had been completed. Fluttershy was ready to collapse from the amount of exertion she had put her body through. She staggered over to the covered bench, Rainbow Dash in tow.
“That was good, Flutters. Really good.” Rainbow sat on the bench, putting her hands on the back of her head and taking deep breaths. Fluttershy sat beside her friend and laid her soaking wet head against Rainbow’s equally wet shoulder. “Got anything you’d like to say?”
“I-I want to do this again,” Fluttershy said between shallow breaths. She focused on the breathing of Rainbow and tried to match it, trying to relax. “I want to do it again…with you.” That was the important part. “I-I’ve always felt stronger around you, because I know you’re always there for me.” A blush was threatening to cross her features, but she suppressed it the best she could. “I know you want me to be strong, and I-I don’t want to let you down anymore.”
Rainbow took Fluttershy’s hand in her own and intertwined their fingers. Both of their hearts skipped a beat.
“We’ll get there,” Rainbow responded. “We just need to get there together.”
