Author's Note
Hello folks! :D Well, I wasn't even sure if we could get a story for the contest out in time. But, it managed to work out very well! I hope you all enjoy it overall.
The Enigma
Ponyville College was a place of learning, academics, and physical fitness. It was also fairly well known for having some of the wildest parties in the province, but that was due to mixture of different, and oddly pink, reasons.
This of course had the college grounds all abuzz with intrigue considering the time of the year, more so the date. Exactly one week away from Nightmare Night. That meant six days to find a date for Nightmares and Fairy tales party, hosted by one of the residents of the campus who had built up a rather famous reputation as a party master and party animal, going as far as renting out an old mansion on the east side of the town for this year’s party. Aside from the many students asking out others or bragging about their dates, a few would rather be studying or simply somewhere else rather than going to a ‘supposedly haunted’ mansion for five to seven hours, depending on when it ended.
Still, there were always those who would take this time capitalize on the party to ask out that someone special, whether or not they realized it. She could not have known that today was about to take one of the most chaotic turns of her young life...
While on her way to practice, Rainbow Dash stopped in the hallway as she partook in her latest daily activity. Or so it seemed, anyway. Right at one of the student lockers, indicating that this student didn’t live on campus, was a strange boy.
Rainbow Dash tensed, berating herself. She felt like a stalker, despite that she didn’t follow him on a daily basis. But whenever she had the chance to see him, it was impossible to look away. There was something so captivating about this boy, to say the least.
‘Darn it, Dash, why don’t you just go talk to him?! Since when are you afraid of someone else?! He’s just a guy! Sure, he looks kinda different, but he still looks really cool! Come on, just do it! He’s not gonna bite! He’s shy and quiet! Then again, it is always the quiet ones. But seriously, why do I keep doing this? I find him, I stare at him, try to go say hi, but then I chicken out. What am I, a mouse?’
The young man in question was someone that, to her, stood out in way she could never properly describe. He was tall and wore mostly dark or simply back clothes and was trimmed with either yellow or pink. He even had long black hair with faint pink highlights that always seemed to hide one side of his face. The most striking thing about him though was his teal eyes that showed such mystery. They spoke in volumes while he himself, Rainbow Dash was not even sure she even knew what he sounded like. Then again, that seemed to be true from most people as well since very few spoke to him.
Still, with that, entire he intrigued Rainbow is way very few people did. He almost seemed he had no idea how many noticed him, let alone herself and that was just impossible. Whoever he was, the word enigma seemed to fit him wonderfully.
‘I keep asking myself this, who IS this guy? I don’t know why I find him so hot, though. Dark and mysterious? Come on! It’s like he’s trying out for one of Tim Burton’s movies. Still, there’s something about him. I just can’t explain it, but, I feel like there’s some kind of weird… thing about him that I like. But what is it?’
Rainbow was about to take a step forward, only for the mystery boy’s gaze to turn right to her. Freaked, she turned around, making it look like she was occupied with looking at the public phone situated near her.
“Darn, he almost saw me…”
“Who almost saw you, Dashie?” a third voice called out just as wild, pink haired woman popped out in front of her as if from thin air. She was just slightly taller than Rainbow Dash and wore bright, loud colors that made her stand out like beacon of energy. There was no doubt who this was.
“Jeez!” Rainbow exclaimed, jumping a bit, “Pinks, would ya please quit sneaking up on me?! I mean seriously, who does that?!”
Pinkie Pie thought about this for a moment before giggling, “I do, obviously! Besides, you’re the one sneaking around right now! So, who are you hiding from?” She asked with a grin, “Did you cut Professor Discord class again and he’s threatening to turn you into monkey? Oh wait, I know! Your evil twin sister, Dashing Rainbows as returned from what you thought was fatal car crash from three years ago and now is hunting you down in order to take your life because she thinks you tried killed her, but you really tried to save her life before the car exploded into ball of fire!”
Rainbow Dash just stared at her friend and rolled her eyes, “Pinkie, you’re so random. Not to mention you have weird ideas that I think are better placed in a story. Anyway…”
She let out a resigned sigh, looking down the hallway. Mystery Boy was walking down toward the library, now.
“I was almost seen by that weird guy. Ya know, that guy with the hair?”
“Ooooh, you mean the one with black and pink hair who has all those nice clothes from Hot Topic, right? Or do mean the one that has the pale white hair that takes interpretive dance and sings in the hallway?” Pinkie asked her with smile, pointing down the hall. “Or do you mean the redhead that-”
Rainbow cut her off, “The first one, Pinks.”
Clapping her hands together, Pinkie started to laugh girlishly, “Oh, I know him, kinda! I just call him Mister Enigma! He goes to Sugarcube Corner all the time for bake goodies! He’s kinda cute too!”
“Wait, what?!” The prismatic woman turned to her with wide eyes, “Seriously? Does he say anything? You gotta give me the details, Pinks!”
“I’m never working the register when comes in though,” Pinkie merely grinned, tilting her head slightly, “I do know he likes chocolate cheesecake and strawberries! Why do ask though, Dashie?”
'Chocolate cheesecake and strawberries? That used to be Fluttershy’s favourite...’ Dash thought then shook her head, “I don’t know, Pinks. I just… It’s weird. I never even met the guy, and yet, when I look at him… I just, I don’t know. There’s this weird feeling in my chest.”
“What kind of weird?” Pinkie Pie inquired sounding more serious, “Weird like you’re sicky-icky or weird like there’s a little fairy in your tummy yelling at you and bouncing all around and making feel like it doing loop de loops?”
“I don’t know! I just, I feel weird when I see him! Kinda like my heart’s speeding or falls to my stomach. I want to go say hi, but I keep chickening out! Then I find it hard to breathe, hard to think, and I just don’t get it! I’ve never even met this guy before! I don’t know his name, or what classes he takes, where he lives or even what he’s like! So I don’t get it, Pinks!” Rainbow ranted, running a hand along her bangs.
“Oh, you just have a little crushie!” Pinkie giggled, bouncing up into her friend’s face. “Do you like him, Dashie?”
The words struck Rainbow Dash as she all but whirled around to face her. “A crush?! But, how?! How can I be crushing on someone I never met?”
“Well, it’s like how you get a crush on a famous movie actor,” Pinkie tried to explain in her own way, “You get adsorb in their presence and wanna know more about them! Plus, he’s really mysterious… that makes him seem unapproachable and unattainable and that just makes him more interesting! You’re so caught up in your own pace; you haven’t realized you’re actually caught up in his.”
“But I’m not into guys like that!” Rainbow protested, blushing a bit, “I like guys or girls who are open and all cool! Like they’d want you to come see them and say hello! This guy’s about as approachable as a black widow spider! But it’s not that. It’s like, every time I look at him, it’s like I know him. But I don’t! I don’t get that.”
Gasping, Pinkie hopped backwards, “Denial! That’s sign seven out of eight that someone is crushing on someone really bad! This is serious! We need to get you to a professional, ASAP!” Pinkie grabbed Rainbow by her shoulders, pushing her down the hall.
“Professional?! The heck-hey, leggo!-do you mean?! Pinks, what do you mean professional?!” Rainbow yelled, squirming.
“Well, I would just push to Mister Enigma himself, but you’ll just make something up and destroy any progress that we made, so I’m gonna send you to the most professional love expert I know! My friend Twilight has a friend who has really good love advice and knows lots about this stuff. So, I figure we’ll ask her about it!” Pinkie explained, pushing her rather quickly before letting her go and directing her towards the fashion design portion of the campus, “I think you might know her, kinda. Her name’s Rarity!”
“Yeah, I know Rarity a little bit. She’s dating my buddy, Applejack,” Rainbow said, still squirming, “Now let go of me!”
Giggling, Pinkie stepped back, “Sorry! Anyway, we can go ask her about we should do about this little problem you’re having and help you find your one true love!
”One true- oh come on.” Rainbow sighed, straightening herself, “Whatever. I guess if Rare can help me figure out what to do, that’d be a start.”
“Let us be off, youngling! To the mistress of unbound romance knowledge! And bound too,” Pinkie added with a wink before grabbing Rainbow’s hand and almost dragging to their destination, “Come on, slowpoke! This’ll be fun!”
“Slowpoke?! If there’s one thing I’m not, it’s slow!” Rainbow stated.
With a gleaming, somewhat mischievous smile, Pinkie picked up her pace, “Then I challenge you to a race! And if I win, you have wear a pretty yellow and pink polka dotted dress to school tomorrow!”
“What?! Oh, heck no! You’re on, Pinks!” Rainbow smirked, easily pulling ahead of her as she broke into a brisk jog.
“Whoo! Yeah! I won! Gotcha there, Pinks!” Rainbow Dash grinned, looking behind her as Pinkie breezed into the studio.
“Yay! I knew you’d win, Dashie!” Pinkie skipped around, laughing.
They both looked across the room to see Applejack and Rarity interlocked in an embrace. The latter of the two looked surprised and was blushing immensely. It was pretty obvious what they were doing beforehand. As much as Rainbow liked to tease them about it, she decided against it for now. Before she could speak up, it was Applejack who broke the silence.
“Well well, RD, same as ever,” Applejack smirked a bit, releasing Rarity, “What brings ya both here?”
Rarity looked mildly disappointed by the intrusion, but managed to push it aside, “I doubt you’re here to request a dress, are you?”
“If I need one, yeah,” Rainbow said, waving it off, “But Pinks here says you’re good with relationship advice.”
“Well, I certainly can be when the time comes for it, but no one is perfect,” Rarity brushed it off for a moment before full effect of what was said sunk in. “Wait a moment, why would you be here to ask about relationship advice? I thought you didn’t date.”
This got Pinkie to start bouncing up and down once more, “Go on, tell her!”
Exhaling, Rainbow rubbed the bridge of her nose, “Look, I’ll just come out with it. There’s this guy. I don’t know his name, what classes he takes or nothing. They call him Mister Enigma.”
“Mister Enigma?” Rarity repeated giving her a questioning look, “Can you be a bit more specific with me? I’m not able to work with such a silly little name and… hold on. Did you just say you have no idea who he even is?”
“Wait a sec,” Applejack spoke up, “Ah think Ah know who ya mean! That there fellow buys apples from mah family’s farm! He dresses in black, has that black hair with the pink highlights?”
“YES! That’s the guy! You’ve seen him?!” Rainbow Dash said eagerly, all but rushing over to her friend and grabbing her shoulders.
Laughing, Applejack pulled away, “Ah sure have, then there ya go. That’s yer guy. Haven’t ya tried lookin’ him up on the student roster?”
“... Darn, you’re right,” the prismatic-haired girl realized. “But I think he’s a transfer. So he really didn’t give his name, either?”
“Nnnope,” Applejack shook her head, “He just asks fer some apples, he pays, that’s it. All Ah can say is that he’s quiet, speaks softly, but he’s real polite. But let me get this straight. Ya like this guy? Really?”
“I don’t know! I-I think I do, I just… haven’t gotten the nerve to talk to him!” Dash said, shaking her head.
After hearing all this, Rarity just could not help but to laugh a bit, “My my, it sounds like you have yourself a little crush on this mystery man.”
Pinkie started to giggle wildly, “See! I told you, Dashie! You got a crushie~!”
“Okay, so I have a crush! And I don’t know what to do!” Dash complained, running her hands along her hair.
Rarity walked over to Rainbow Dash with a smile, placing a hand on her shoulder, “The simplest thing to do is talk to him, Rainbow. Create a situation in which you can talk to him freely. Or… is there something that’s preventing you from doing that?”
“I don’t know! It’s like, every time I tried to go talk to him, I’d freeze up and feel like I can’t,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “It’s been like that for the past three m-erm!-days.”
Pondering this, Rarity paced back to her desk, “Well, it seems like to me that you might have something more than your thoughts holding you back. Tell me, have you ever had a crush on anyone else before him?”
“...Not really, just little ones here and there, plus crushes on the Wonderbolts. But even I’d rather fly with them, not kiss them,” Dash said, making a face. “Why?”
“I see.” Rarity mused quietly, “I want you to think back as far as you can to see if you can recall anything at all about a crush or someone you liked in any way that did not go well or something happened. Can you do that?”
For a few moments, Rainbow went quiet. She felt uncertain whether or not to reveal this information. It had been so long ago, but was still clear and fresh in her mind. Biting her lip, she merely nodded.
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense, darling, who was it and what happened?” Rarity asked her calmly, retaining her friendly tone.
“If ya tell us, it might really help,” Applejack encouraged.
“Come on, Dashie! This might be really important,” Pinkie agreed, grinning happily.
Rainbow Dash exhaled, looking down at her hands, “It was a long time ago with my best friend. Her name was Fluttershy. We were inseparable pals! We went to the same nursery school, and then we were in the same classes in elementary school. She didn’t care if I was cool or daring; she just wanted me to be myself. I never realized how much I liked that at the time. But I did.
“Eventually, as I got older, I decided to leave our hometown, Cloudsdale. I was ready to just spread my wings and get outta there. I told Fluttershy, and she was pretty sad about it. But she supported me and I said I’d try to keep in touch. We did for a while, but we kinda grew apart after about a year or so. Anyway, I had a crush on her for a while, but I didn’t act on it at the time.”
“Oooooh,” Pinkie gawked for a moment, “So that’s who you’re always talking about in your sleep!”
“What?!” Dash recoiled, her eyes wide, “What are you talking about?!”
Realizing what she’d just said was out loud, Pinkie bounced backwards with blush and a grin, “Um, nothing! I’ll just go and tell Twilight about this and see if she knows who this guy is!” Without waiting to a response, she took off out of the room and out of sight.
Rarity, however, paid this no mind as she continued, “Then that might very well be what’s holding you back, Rainbow Dash. Those feelings of regret and sorrow still linger with you and if you want to have any type of healthy relationship, you should find this Fluttershy and make peace with her. Hmm, that name sounds familiar to me though… Regardless, you need to find type of resolution to that and move on.”
“You think I don’t know that?! How can I?! I don’t even know where she is!” Rainbow cried, pounding her fist onto the table, “I’d been trying to find her however I could for ages! But I can’t! I can't’ find her! If I was able to, I’d see her in a heartbeat! I know she’d hate me, but I’d still try!”
“Oh my…” Rarity stepped back somewhat fearful by this outburst, “I hadn’t realized this was such a touchy subject for you. My apologies for that, but I don’t mean to be imposing. If you can’t find her to resolve this, maybe just talking about this would help?”
“Sorry,” Rainbow muttered, not quite looking at her, “It’s just that I have no idea where she is. I can’t resolve it even if I wanted to. Besides, I may never see her again, anyway. She wouldn’t want to see me. We haven’t talked in years now.”
“You can’t be sure of that,” Rarity sighed, shaking her head, “but I won’t try to change your mind. If nothing else, maybe you should simply try talking to this Mister Enigma, it might save you some regret. Just try to approach him as a friend and not as an emotional transfer. Just smile, take a seat beside him and introduce yourself.”
Exhaling, Rainbow nodded, “I… guess that’d be better than nothing.”
With a faint smile, Rarity nodded, “You’ll never know until try. After all, for anything to happen one of you must make the effort and he seems to be very timid, so you’ll just have to show him you’re sweet young woman who would like to be his friend. And possibly more… assuming he’s not dating someone already.”
“Kinda like I did for Flutters…” Rainbow mused quietly. “Okay, I’ll do that. I’m gonna go and see where he is.”
“Well, do have anywhere to start from?” Rarity inquired, “Or do you plan to just run about the campus hoping he hasn’t left yet?”
“Alls I know is that he likes going to the library, the cafe, or sitting under a tree. Beyond that, yeah, I’m just gonna look around,” Rainbow said.
Rarity nodded, turning back towards Applejack, “Darling, do you know anything else about our Mister Enigma?”
Applejack shook her head, “Afraid not, Rare. He’s a quiet fellow, kinda keeps to himself. Everyone spreads rumours about him, but Ah have no idea what’s true or not.”
“Well, care to share some of these rumours with us? Perhaps there’s something to some of them. After all, even in an ocean of lies, a grain of truth can be found,” Rarity suggested with smile. “It should be an easy task to tell which ones are true or not.”
“Well… Some say he’s a recluse, livin’ all by himself. Others say he’s inta witchcraft an’ voodoo. Some are sayin’ he’s a serial killer-no idea how that one started! Some think he’s an undercover detective. Some just say he’s just a goth fellow. Heh, some are even sayin’ he’s a vampire! Let’s see… Ah think there’s even been rumours about him bein’ a girl,” Applejack said thoughtfully, “There’s also some sayin’ that he’s a real flirt an’ player.”
“Hmm… Out of all those things, the only one can see being true would be him being a recluse,” Rarity sighed, “Although, there is something rather charming about the idea of him being a creature of the night… Either way, most of these sound horribly contrite. What about any thoughts on where he might live?”
Applejack shrugged, “All we know fer sure is that he lives off campus, since he has a locker.”
“I guess that means he has his own place nearby or his family lives here,” Rainbow speculated.
“Possibly, but to know for sure, we’d need to talk to someone who actually knows him,” Rarity stated calmly. “Rainbow Dash, have you seen him talk to anyone at all?”
Rainbow Dash scrunched up her face, “Aside from teachers, not really. I mean, I might’ve seen some people talk to him, but I can’t remember. I mostly see him alone. If he did talk to people, it must’ve been when I didn’t see him.”
With mild shrug, Rarity began thinking out loud, “Well, let’s think. What kind of person would want to talk to him?”
“Heck if I know,” Rainbow shrugged, “Someone who’s an introvert but still has balls to make conversation, I guess?”
“Perhaps. So, do we know of anyone who’s like that?” Rarity questioned once more.
All three of them contemplated for a few moments. It was so quiet in the room; you could’ve sworn you heard crickets chirping. They glanced around, shifting on their feet, neither saying a word.
“I got nothin’,” Dash admitted.
“It’s on tha tip o’ mah tongue, but Ah don’t know,” Applejack sighed. “Rare?”
“I could swear we knew someone like that,” Rarity mused to herself.
Just as the group began to ponder this once more was when the door once more slammed open, albeit by a very different presence this time. The normally joyful party loving woman known only as Pinkie Pie re-entered the door with something off about her. It was not until she was just a few feet away that anyone noticed. Her hair was flat, limp, lifeless. And her expression was not a happy one.
Practically grabbing Rainbow Dash’s arm, she tugged her away, “I’m not waiting for you talk to him anymore… You’re doing it now! Now! I don’t care how cute or sweet he really is, he can’t have my Twi-Twi!”
“W-Wait, what? What are you talking about?!” Rainbow said, frowning.
“Twilight Sparkle is mine! I was gonna ask her out to my party this weekend,” Pinkie started to dragged her along, leading her out of the room, “He might a super-duper nice guy, but I’ve been planning this for almost a month and I don’t wanna see her go with anyone else! So, you’re gonna ask him out now so he can’t ask her!”
That was when Rarity capped her hands together, “That’s right! Twilight is a bit socially awkward, but is daring enough to strike up conversations with people she finds interesting!”
“Oh, crap!” Rainbow realized. “Come on, Pinks! Hurry! We gotta stop them! Enigma guy’s mine!”
“Then quit dragging your butt and let’s go!”
Sure enough, outside under a tree along the quad, their mutual friend Twilight Sparkle was sitting with the mysterious boy. They seemed to be engaged in conversation as they read their own books together.
Rainbow Dash tensed, feeling her heart sink, “Darn, I hope we’re not too late.”
Pinkie, who was already well past her normal limit, was pushing her friend to make her move once again, “Of course we’re not too late! Seduce him if you have to! Just get him away from my Twi-Twi!”
“H-Hey! Let go of me!” Rainbow squirmed, but was still being pushed. By now, they were really close to the two in question.
‘Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! Finally! I can talk to him! I just have to get him away from Twilight! He’s mine! I saw him first! Okay, I just gotta be cool. I’m Rainbow Dash and I can do this! I can win him over! I can go over and ask him-’
“Go out with me!” Rainbow blurted upon reaching earshot of Mystery boy and Twilight.
The two in people in question both looked up at her with wide eyes of confusion, but the most was from the mystery boy who looked like he had just seen a severed head. Just like how anyone would have expected, he looked like he was about to freak out or even possibly run away altogether. His hair fell over his face hiding most of it while he hide the rest in his overly large scarf as he sulked down.
“...Say what?” Twilight finally said, looking over at Pinkie questioningly.
Pinkie exhaled harshly, “Not you, him! Mister Enigma!” She pointed at timid young man.
“I figured you meant-hey! Wait a second, this is-” Twilight said.
Pinkie shook her head and cut her off swiftly.
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, was frozen, “I-I mean…. hello! I, oh screw it, cat’s out of the bag! Look, dude, whatever your name is… Yes! I like you! I want to hang out with you! I’m Rainbow Dash and I like you!”
He did not respond at first or at all in any way other any staring up at her. There was, however, no fear in his eyes. There was a sense of amazement and something else. Being this close to him though, was when Rainbow was able to notice how pale he was and the strangely long eyelashes he had. Even the structure of his face seemed a very feminine, including his posture for sitting and even way his hands looked.
But it wasn’t helping. All she felt was the anxiety of the silence. Clearly, Mystery Boy wasn’t interested. He was trying not to say anything to hurt her feelings and was shocked. Heck, she even guessed he might’ve gotten this quite a bit from girls who liked his type. Girls he didn’t even know, asking him out, with no consideration of his feelings.
‘Exactly what I just did...’
Crushed, guilty, and embarrassed, Rainbow Dash turned away. The sinking feeling in her stomach was only getting worse. “No, forget it. I’m sorry. Just forget it.”
“Rainbow?” Twilight spoke up then, “There’s something you should-”
Rainbow shook her head and then dashed off without looking back.
Pinkie stared after her, as did the other two, and sighed. “Shy Guyyyyy, why didn’t you say something? She felt all embarrassed and saddy-waddy!”
Once more, timid young man backed down, stepping back in a mixture of different emotions. It looked like he tried to say something to defend him in some way, but no sound seemed to have come.
“Well, to be fair, it did take her by surprise…” Twilight said, chuckling a bit nervously. She turned to the mystery person, patting his-her shoulder, “But you did let her just stand there for three minutes.”
Suddenly with bit of shock, Pinkie turned to face Twilight, “She?! As in Shy Guy is not a guy at all?”
“No! That’s what I was trying to tell you two!” Twilight frowned, shaking her head, “Her name’s Fluttershy. She’s a girl.”
As if some for this single moment in time, Pinkie Pie’s mind went into overdrive, “Then, that’s means… and you’re… and the reason why you didn’t say anything… Oh. My. Gosh! And that means that- wow, this is super confusing. It means Rainbow’s problem thingie can be solved because it’s not a problem at all and just a misunderstanding!” Her hair springing back to life, she grabbed the tall girl’s hand and started to lead her to their next destination and shouting back at Twilight. “I’m sorry, Twi-Twi, but in order to fix Rainbow Dash I’m gonna have to borrow your new friend and lock the two in a room until everything is okey-dokey again! I’ll make it up to you by taking you as my date the Nightmare Night party this weekend, okay?”
Twilight just sat there, still confused, but shrugged “Okay!”
“Okay Miss Enigma, Shy Guy, Shy Gal, whatever! Now we’re gonna help Rainbow feel better even if she has no idea what’s wrong in the first place because you’re the missing piece in her heart’s puzzle!”
Doing her best to keep up with suddenly wild haired woman leading her deeper into the college campus then she had ever gone before, Fluttershy silently choked on repeating those last few words.
“Missing piece... to her heart?”
“Uh-huh! You two need to chat so you can feel better!” Pinkie grinned. “Especially since she has no idea who you really are!”
Not able place another word, Fluttershy stopped trying to pull away from Pinkie’s grasp and began to do her best to keep up. The only thought on her mind was one that she felt changed so much how she had been led to believe. ‘She really… didn’t know who I was?’
“Darn it… when did I become such a coward?”
There was no response as Rainbow Dash asked herself this tough question. She sighed, palming her face.
“Now he’s going to think I’m a freak…” Rainbow lamented with a groan.
There she sat, on the couch in her dorm room, alone. She could not remember the last time she did this, despite how often it had been happening as of late. It did not feel right to her, the way she acted back there at her first real time talking to boy she had been crushing on for three long months. It felt sickening to think her own stupidity was the reason why he most likely would never want to speak to her again.
So there she sat, alone, moping, eating chips, and cursing her own name.
“Darn it…” Rainbow moaned, the heaviness weighing on her shoulders. “What am I gonna do?”
She thought for a few moments, finally having gotten a good close look at him. Ever since the first time she’d seen him, there was something about his eyes. Rainbow Dash knew that they weren’t just beautiful eyes, but they had a strangle hold on her. Now, she knew why.
“He has eyes like Fluttershy… Even the pink in his hair reminds me of her.” Rainbow murmured to herself. “Maybe… Maybe that’s why I liked him. He reminds me of her. I just don’t know why I can’t just let go off the past!”
Even in the darkest recesses of her mind, the answer was elusive to Rainbow. She knew she had to stop dwelling on the past at one point if she ever wanted to have any kind of relationship, but something just would not leave her be. Perhaps it was because of how she left that left an impression on her or the fact that she had been her closest and quite possibly first, real friend. Whatever it was, it haunted her.
With a remorseful sigh, Dash hung her head low, “I should probably apologize to him for what I did… Maybe there’s still a chance we could be friends, I guess.”
Before she could resolve any further on this, let alone think, a thunderous crash seemed to have hit the door. It was then followed by rapid knocking.
“Dashie! I left my dorm key in there and you locked the door!” Pinkie’s voice rang through the door, “Open up, please?”
Now snapped out of her reverie, Rainbow Dash stood up. She didn’t really want to see anyone, but also wasn’t about to keep Pinkie out of the dorm they shared.
“Yeah, I’m coming, Pinks. Hold on.”
Wiping her eyes then fixing the arrangement on the coffee table, she went to the door. Unlocking it, Dash opened the door, about to step aside to let Pinkie get in.
Only to then see Pinkie and Mister Enigma standing there.
Rainbow tensed, frozen in place.
Grinning from ear to ear, Pinkie pushed in the tall, nearly nameless person into the dorm, “I brought you your present, Rainbow Dash! Happy really early Hearth’s Warming Day or really really late Birthday!” Reaching over, she took the keys from the still frozen Rainbow Dash, “Yay, my keys! I’ll be back in few hours. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, you crazies!”
Before either could reply to this, she quickly exited the dorm and slammed the door shut, leaving the two alone.
Taking a step back, Rainbow Dash swallowed hard. Already this was a lot more awkward than it had to be. Not only was she now alone with the mystery boy, but it was in her dorm! She blushed heavily, uncertain of what to do or say next.
Try as she may, it was then that her mouth was ahead of her brain again. Whether out of nervousness or not, Rainbow didn’t know.
“L-Look, I’m sorry! I’m sorry she dragged you over here and had to-darn it! I’m sorry about what happened! Just forget me, okay? It was too much and I get that. I won’t bother you again…!” Rainbow turned away, trembling. “I’m sorry. You deserve better than an idiot like me. You’re not some object or a prize to be won. I just-I’m sorry!”
There was silence once more in the dorm as the shy, mistaken boy, tried to form a sentence of some kind. She stammered, shaking slightly, even almost reaching for Rainbow, but nothing seemed to come out. Finally, after few tears fell to the floor covered carpet, she spoke.
“Do you… really not know me, Dashie?”
Rainbow Dash stiffened, her eyes widening. That voice. The nickname. The very sentence he-no, she had spoken.
Whirling around, Rainbow faced the other girl, her heart pounding. ‘No way… it can’t be her… Those eyes… her hair… that voice… Everything… no way… it’s her… It can’t be… But it is!’
In a soft, broken voice, she said, “Fluttershy?”
With faint, but clearly visible blush, the person she had called Mister Enigma, slowly nodded her head, hiding her face in the scarf once more. Again, she tried to say something, anything, but she was still stricken with so many emotions. She wasn’t even sure how she had managed to keep up with Pinkie Pie in her emotional state, and yet here she was. Right as she might though, the tears fell even as she tried to hide and wipe them away.
“...Fluttershy!”
Before even knowing what she was doing, Rainbow Dash all but lunged forward and enveloped the taller woman into a hug. She held her tight, as if making sure that she was real. It was actually happening; something she’d only imagined for so long, but never thought would come to be.
Now here she was, so many years later, holding her tight. Rainbow sniffled, unable to keep the tears from falling down her face. It was too much, but not something she was about to pass up.
Fluttershy smelled so nice, like flowers, and her hair was soft, despite its darker nature. She missed the original pink hue it had been.
“F-Fluttershy…” Dash spoke up, her voice breaking with emotion, “Fluttershy, it’s really you…! I finally found you! And I didn’t even know it… Flutters, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry…!”
Trembling, Fluttershy slowly found herself trying to return the hug, “Rainbow, I… I thought you didn’t- didn’t want to see me ever again.” She managed through her sobbing.
Shaking her head, Rainbow held her closer, “Of course I wanted to see you, Fluttershy. I-I’m just sorry about leaving you. I’m sorry I lost touch with you! I was too caught up in everything. I’m so sorry, Flutters! I’d been trying to find you ever since, but you were gone from Cloudsdale by then. I didn’t even think you ever wanted to see me again.”
“Rainbow…” Fluttershy sniffled, nearly collapsing onto her, “I only stayed in Cloudsdale for a couple of years before my family and I moved to Ponyville. I still had your letters, but you hadn’t written me in a long time, I didn’t know if you wanted to talk to me anymore. Then I think you changed your email.” Her voice gave out before she could finish, giving in to her tears.
All the more heartbroken, Rainbow began to quietly sob as more tears fell down her cheeks. She stroked Fluttershy’s hair in a comforting manner, trying to hold herself together. “I’m so sorry, Flutters… I’m sorry I left… I broke a promise I made to you. I’ve hated myself for it ever since… All the years went by, I never stopped thinking about you.”
Trying to speak again, Fluttershy had but one one real question on her mind, “Then… Then why did you always turn away o-or leave whenever I would try to talk to you? Ever since I started here… I’ve been trying to talk to you, but… but you would always just… leave…”
Sniffling, Rainbow pulled her head back to look at her, “W-Wait… what? You actually saw me all those times? And I-oh, crap! Actually, Flutters… I thought you were a guy. But even in that, something about you made me think of you! ...Not that that makes sense, but I realize it now. And uh, well, I wasn’t actually ignoring you. I was trying to talk to you, but I always chickened out! I didn’t mean to, I just… wow. I had no idea you even knew I existed!”
Managing a faint smile, Fluttershy gently brushed her hand though Dash’s hair, “How could anyone not notice you, Dashie? You’re beautiful, funny, and your hair stands out as one of a kind… I just wish… I wish I had just walked up to you sooner.”
“Sure wish I did, too,” Dash admitted, a soft blush tinting her cheeks.
“But, um…” Fluttershy pulled back slowly as well, “Why did you try to ask me out? And why did you think I was a guy?”
Rainbow blushed all the more, looking downward. “It’s real complicated, Fluttershy.” She confessed.
Tilting her head slightly, Fluttershy quickly apologized, “Oh, I’m sorry… I was just… it was very sudden and really surprised me. Even more so considering that I… I thought you didn’t want to even be friends anymore…”
“No, I just…” Rainbow took her hand, leading her to the couch where they could sit down, “I’ll try to tell ya. But you’ll have to bear with me, I’m not that good at this stuff.”
Sitting down on the couch, Fluttershy gave her friend a concerned look, “O-Okay, Rainbow…”
Sitting back, Rainbow Dash tried all she could to gather the right words. It was not going to be easy, to say the least. She bit her lip, looking toward the very girl she’d once assumed to be someone else. Holding her knees, she sighed, looking at the wall instead.
“I thought you were...y’know, that nameless guy everyone calls Mister Enigma. Everyone kept saying you were a guy and the clothes you had on made you look less girly. I first saw you when you transferred, three months ago. I uh… at the time, I thought you were cute, but I had no idea who the heck you were. No name, identity, nothing. But back then, I thought there was something about you. I couldn’t place it at the time, but now I think I know what it was,” Rainbow murmured.
“...What was it?” Fluttershy asked, confused.
Looking back at her, Rainbow exhaled, “The guy I thought you were… reminded me of you. All along, I connected all of that to you, and I didn’t realize it. Then Rarity says I have unfinished business with you, so that was partly why I was held back from trying to talk to ya.”
“So… you couldn’t come talk to me because you didn’t know it was me and that you had unfinished business with me that was holding you back?” Fluttershy tried to sum it up best she could, trying to make sense of it.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Rainbow sighed, looking away again, “But I know that’s a lousy excuse. I’m sorry, Fluttershy… I’m really sorry. I know you’re probably not gonna forgive me. I’ll understand that. But you gotta know I really mean it when I say it.”
Fluttershy was slight again for a moment, thinking all this over. “Rainbow… I’ll forgive you… if you answer one more question.”
Perking a bit, Rainbow looked over at her, “Y-Yeah? What is it?”
“Did you… Did you still want to go out with me?” Fluttershy asked in a hushed voice, blushing brightly.
The blush all but returned to Rainbow’s cheeks, “That...uh… definitely wasn’t what I meant to say earlier. I was trying to just talk to you. Besides, Pinkie was jealous, since she has a crush on Twilight. That’s kinda why we were there. Um, anyway! Uh… yeah. Yeah, I do… I really do.”
“Are you sure?” Fluttershy replied sheepishly, even though it was perfectly clear that this definitely sparked something in her. “After all… it’s been a really long time since we’ve just been around one another and I don’t want you think you have to just so we can be friends again, e-especially since you thought I was boy. If you’re not interested now, I-I would understand.”
“Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash stood up then, not quite looking at her. “I can’t explain it, okay? I just know I was interested. And now that I know it’s you, I want it even more! I’m just gonna come out with it.”
Or so she thought. For a few moments, Rainbow couldn’t even come close to finding the words to say. Despite having the knowledge of everything now, she couldn’t help feeling like earlier. But there was no reason to hold back now, especially since Fluttershy seemed receptive to the idea.
“I’ve had a crush on you! For as long as I can remember! After what I did, I felt terrible, and I missed you. Now that you’re here, I figure we can start all over and just have fun together again! Even if, you know, you don’t feel the same way, we can at least be friends!”
There was silence from Fluttershy for a few moments, but it was becoming deafening after a while. Rainbow turned to her, about to speak, but was cut off.
“Rainbow…” Fluttershy stood up, shaking a bit. Looking to her old friend, that was when Pinkie’s words came back to her. It all made sense. Before she could control her own impulses, she came forward and enveloped Rainbow Dash into a hug from behind.
“I forgive you… I just… I never knew you felt like that… that strongly,” her voice broke ever so slightly, “I spent all this time thinking you just didn’t want to see me again. I just didn’t know you… you really cared that much. I’m sorry…”
Sniffing a bit, Rainbow didn’t move. All she could do was place her hands over Fluttershy’s, closing her eyes.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Fluttershy,” she whispered softly.
Fluttershy shook her head, nuzzling Rainbow Dash as she did so, “Yes I do… I spent all this time thinking you didn’t care when-when you did… I sorry I didn’t have more faith in you.”
“I didn’t exactly give you a reason,” Rainbow murmured, nuzzling her back, “I’m the one who should be sorry.”
Fluttershy was taken aback by this somewhat, unsure of how she should react, but she did not let go of Dash. “Rainbow… You wanted freedom and I… I can understand that. We just drifted apart. After you explained it to me, I can’t hold you against anything that’s happened. I’m just…” She felt a few tears fall down her cheek again, “I’m just so happy to know you still care about me.”
Rainbow began to cry all over again, touched by her once-best friends words. “Flutters… I’m sorry I made you think I didn’t care. I was just an idiot and I’m sorry. There was no one I wanted by my side but you. I’m just…” She couldn’t take it, and turned around to hug her completely, “I’m so glad you’re here. I missed you like crazy…”
“I missed you too, Dashie… I really have.” Fluttershy replied back, tightening her embrace even more.
Looking back up at her, Rainbow managed a small but genuine smile as she reached up gently brush some of Fluttershy’s hair out of her face. “Not that your dark hair look isn’t cool… but I miss your pink hair, Flutters. It was always so pretty.”
Blushing, Fluttershy head looked away bashfully, “You really thought so? I was just… I wanted to dye it a few years ago when a friend suggested it. I liked the look, so I kept it awhile.”
“Ya don’t have to on my account,” Dash said, shaking her head, “I just liked it better when it was pink. I never thought of it until now. But uh, call me a sap… you’re still beautiful, you know. If not more so.”
Despite the blush, Fluttershy looked at her again, “You really… think I’m beautiful?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow murmured, nodding, “The years sure have been good to you.”
“They must not have if you thought I was a boy…” Fluttershy timidly pointed out, “Then again, that’s partly my fault too. I never liked dressing to show any skin… and it’s been kind of cold lately.”
“Hey, even when I thought you were a guy, I thought you were cute,” Rainbow pouted playfully. “But I can understand that. The weather’s been real cold, all right.”
“You thought I was… cute?” Fluttershy asked, smiling faintly.
“Didn’t I kinda make that clear before? Yes, I thought you were cute.” Rainbow muttered, blushing again.
Nodding, Fluttershy backed down a bit, “Oh, right… I’m sorry. I’ve just never had anyone tell me that before…”
Rainbow Dash grinned, “Well, now you have. If we’re gonna be honest here, may as well start with that.”
They shared a little laugh, before the room got silent once more. “Um, Rainbow,” Fluttershy broke the silence shyly, “Earlier, I never… I never did give you my answer, did I?”
“Huh? About what?” Dash asked.
“When you, um… when you asked me out…” Fluttershy reminded her, “I was never able to answer.”
Realizing this, Rainbow blushed, taking a step back, “Y-You don’t have to.”
“But it’s only right that I give an answer, Rainbow,” Fluttershy stated calmly, “I really shouldn’t have just frozen up like that earlier… I’m sorry about that. It just really shocked me. But, can I give it to you now?”
“Yeah…” Rainbow turned away, shaking a bit. She knew this was going to be a rejection, but felt that Fluttershy at least deserved to have her say in the matter.
Fluttershy exhaled, trying to find the right words to say, “Rainbow Dash, you know it’s been a long time since we… were just able to spend time together and I would like to do that. If you want to, we could try… but can start off a little slow first? We have a lot of catching up to do, first.”
Perking a bit, Rainbow Dash turned around, wide-eyed, “You mean… you really want to?”
“If you still want to, that is…” Fluttershy smiled warmly to her friend, confirming it in her own way.
“Well, yeah!” Rainbow grinned, coming over and hugging her again, “Uh, Fluttershy? I know we’re gonna take this slow, but I was wondering something.”
Tilting her head, Fluttershy nodded, “Yes, Rainbow?”
Much like in trying to approach her all this time, Rainbow felt a sense of dread. She wanted to do this, for more than just the fact that Fluttershy agreed to go out with her. It was an aching, burning desire she had once screwed herself over for and missed. But now that they were here, it was time.
She couldn’t back down now, not like this. While taking a breath to regain her senses, the prismatic girl made eye contact with her oldest friend.
“Fluttershy, would it be okay if I kissed you?” Dash finally managed to say.
This seemed to come as a surprised Fluttershy enough to make her almost reel back and turn her face completely red. It was not so much the act of kissing that made her nervous, but who it would be with. This was Rainbow Dash, her first friend, the person she looked up to as a child and after all these years of thinking she hated her, that she was left behind, and the truth being finally told… this was all too breath taking.
It took as much as much of her willpower to speak, “I-If you… really want to…”
“I do want to,” Rainbow said, blushing more, “I was asking if you wanted to.”
Again, Fluttershy was stumbling over her words as she bit her lip, “I-I, um… yes.”
Nodding slowly, Rainbow slowly approached Fluttershy, ready to make her move. Even with that, she resolved to take this slowly. Just as they were going to do with rekindling their friendship and becoming something more. She took a deep breath, making eye contact with her childhood friend.
Heart pounding, Rainbow Dash reached up and gently cupped Fluttershy’s cheeks in her hands.
“I’ve wanted to do this for ages,” she whispered.
Hesitating for a moment, Rainbow leaned in, closer. It felt as if the fear melted away the moment she brought Fluttershy’s plump pink lips into a sweet kiss. Within a few moments, Fluttershy was tentatively but genuinely kissing her back. They remained this way for some time, just simply embracing each other and this moment. The future for them felt brighter than ever, even with the questions of what it was all going to bring. But that didn’t matter. All Rainbow cared about was the very present moment in which she finally had a sense of closure with her best friend. It was everything she could have hoped for.
