Rainbow Dash sat on the leather couch in her den. Cartoons were playing on the TV, which would normally act as a good distraction for a ten-year-old girl, but not this time. Instead, the rainbow-haired child just stared at her feet as she swung them back and forth. Her outfit was dirty and she was covered in bruises, which was usually a sign that the day had been a good one, but not this time.
Rainbow Dash was so moppy that she didn't realize that someone was there with her until she felt someone sit down next to her. She already knew who it was, so she didn't bother looking at him.
A man with lavender skin and a mop of rainbow hair sat beside her, staying silent for a moment to see if Rainbow wanted to speak first. When she remained silent, he spoke. "What's wrong, Dashie?"
Rainbow Dash didn't answer immediantly, but did after a few seconds passed. "I-I just had a bad day. That's all."
"Hmm. Can you tell me why it's been a bad day?" Bow Hothoof asked.
"Well... I don't know how to put it. It-It's just been bad. I'm fine, daddy. Really."
Bow simply nodded in response. Then he leaned over to grab her shoulder and gently pulled her down.
Rainbow Dash rested her head on his lap and curled her legs up onto the couch, allowing her daddy to put his hand on her head and run his fingers through her rainbow hair. They stayed like that for a good long while and by the time they were done, Rainbow Dash was feeling much better.
Rainbow Dash kicked her soccer ball through the grassy meadows of the park, quickly running after it to cut it off and kick it in another direction. She nailed it and did it again. The park had been empty for quite a while now. Rainbow couldn't imagine why, seeing as it was a very nice day, but she didn't really care. After all, no people meant she could practice in peace.
She gave the ball another good kick and chased after it when something caught her eye. Once she caught up with the ball, she stopped it in it's tracks and looked over to her left.
A few yards away, there was someone sitting on a bench. The person on the bench was faced away from Rainbow, but she could tell by the pink hair and the fact that they were surrounded by animals that it could only be Fluttershy.
Rainbow smiled and picked up her ball before walking over to her friend. She felt like she should have been at least a little surprised by the crowd of birds and small mammals that surrounded Fluttershy, but when you've hung out with Fluttershy as long as Rainbow has, you get used to such things. Once Rainbow was close, the animals dispatched. Strangely, Fluttershy didn't seem to notice. Rainbow stepped around so that her friend could see her, but Fluttershy seemed preoccupied with looking at her hands, which were folded on her lap. "Hey, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy jumped in surprise, but sigh in relief when she saw it was just Rainbow. "Oh, Rainbow Dash. You startled me."
"Sorry. I just wanted to see what you were up to."
Fluttershy returned to looking at her hands. "...I'm not really up to anything."
Rainbow's smile faded. Fluttershy seemed sad. Depressed even. "You okay, 'Shy?"
Fluttershy didn't answer or even look up at her.
Rainbow took a seat next to Flutterhsy and sat her ball to the side. "What's wrong, 'Shy?" She narrowed her eyes. "Has someone been picking on you? Does Dash need to whoop someone's butt?"
"N-No, it's not that," Fluttershy answered. "...I just... Had a bad day. That's all."
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. And can you tell why it's been a bad day?"
Fluttershy thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I-I'm sorry. I-I don't know how to put it. It's... just been a bad day. I-I'm fine, Rainbow Dash. Really."
Rainbow could tell that Fluttershy was not fine, but she didn't want to press the issue. She sat in silence, thinking about what to do. She couldn't just leave her friend like this, but how was she supposed to make her feel better? That was more Pinkie's forte. But as she thought about it, she got an idea. She looked around to make sure that she and Fluttershy were still the only ones in the park. Once she had confirmed that they were alone, she put her hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Put your head on my lap."
Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash with surprise. "Huh?"
"Just trust me." Rainbow gave her a reassuring smile.
Fluttershy hesitated before resting her head on Rainbow's lap, curling her legs up onto the bench.
Rainbow put her hand on her best friend's head and ran her fingers through her pink hair. "Whenever I was upset about something, my dad would do this with me. It always made me feel better."
Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you."
"Don't sweat it." Rainbow Dash took another look around to be absolutely certain no one was watching. "As long as you don't tell anyone about this, I'm all for it. Remember, I have a reputation to keep."
Fluttershy chuckled. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."
"Thanks." The two stayed silent for a moment. Rainbow continued to rub Fluttershy's head just like her dad did for her. It actually made Dash happy, not only because she was helping her best friend, but she could imagine what her dad would say if she saw her right now. She would never hear the end of it of course, which is why she wasn't gonna tell him, but he would proud. Rainbow couldn't help her smile growing at the thought.
Fluttershy smiled as the woes of the day started fading away from her. She knew that Dash could be mean and egotistical at times, but Fluttershy always knew that Dash was a sweetheart on the inside.
"...I kinda wanna give you a wet willy though."
"Please don't."
Rainbow chuckled. "Nah, I'm not gonna do that. I'll save it for Scootaloo."
Both girls laughed.
Author's Note
Well, what can I say? This has been in my head for days, haunting me at night. I had to write it down.
Hope you like fluff. 