The wind was blowing rather steady, and Rainbow Dash squinted out from the cover they were under.
“Sheesh,” she rasped, releasing the branches that formed a barrier around the alcove she and her friend were in. “Sorry about this, Shy,” she said, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “I thought the schedule for the wind storm was tomorrow. I must have gotten the dates mixed up somehow.”
Fluttershy looked up from preening her wings. “Oh, Rainbow,” she said. “It’s ok. We found this sanctuary pine and were able to take cover before the winds got too bad.” She pulled a badly stripped feather from her wing with a wince, spitting it out and letting it drift to the ground.
“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “Still, though, this is shaping up to be a lousy first date.” She ruffled her wings and settled down next to the yellow Pegasus.
Fluttershy only smiled, her ears still standing upright despite the howling of the wind.
“I think this could be fun,” she said. “It’ll be like a little slumber party, just the two of us.” She spied some misaligned feathers in Rainbow’s wing. “Come on, I’ll help you preen.”
“Come on, Fluttershy,” Rainbow protested. “I’m not some foal that needs help preening her wings.”
Fluttershy glanced down. “I didn’t mean that,” she whispered.
Rainbow realized what she was thinking and facehooved. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered. “I’m sorry. Shy. I’m still getting used to the whole marefriend idea.” She scooted over towards the quiet mare and spread a wing out towards her.
Fluttershy reached out and nosed a few feathers out of the way, seeing the order and part of her friends cyan pinions. She gasped in shock.
“Rainbow Danger Dash,” she said in the same tone she addressed her chickens in when they misbehaved. “When was the last time you preened your wings?”
Rainbow ducked her head slightly. “A few days ago?” she squeaked.
Fluttershy flicked an unbroken keratin sheath on one of her friend's secondary coverts. “Try a week,” she said. “Honestly, Dashie, You’re a Wonderbolt. You need to take better care of your wings.” She leaned forward and started to bite down on the sheath to release the feather within.
“I’m on leave, and besides, it hasn’t affected my speed or anything,” She sighed. “Plus, I’ve been preoccupied.”
Fluttershy spat part of the keratin out, leaning forward to coax the short feather out. “That’s still no excuse, Dashie,” she said. “Some of these feathers should have molted or been plucked already.” She nosed her muzzle in again, pulling a broken feather free and adjusting one that was slightly out of place.
Rainbow offered no resistance. It was, oddly enough, soothing. It was like when her mom would preen them when she was too little to do them herself, or when she would stroke her mane as she fell asleep. She felt her eyes start to droop.
A sharp pinch of a feather being plucked woke her up. “Hey!” she protested, drawing the wing in slightly in reflex. “Careful there, Shy!”
“Sorry,” the butter-yellow Pegasus said, ducking her head slightly. “I’m almost done with this wing, though. Just a few more coverts and your alula and this one is done.”
Rainbow sighed in a mixture of frustration and relaxation as her friend continued to care for her wing.
“I feel like I should do something in return, Shy,” she whispered as she felt her friend adjust her feathers along the alular crest just above her primary feathers. “But you already preened yours.”
Fluttershy stood after finishing her ministrations and moving to in front of the blue mare.
Looking her in the eye, Fluttershy shook her head. “Sometimes, Dashie,” she said, leaning in. “You just need to be quiet. I don't mind doing this for a friend.”
"Just a friend, huh?" Rainbow smiled. "Guess this means I blew the first date, huh?"
Fluttershy smiled and tilted her head.
"I know I have problems with confidence," she said softly. "And sometimes I'm scared of things that I know won't hurt me. Those are parts of who I am, and I'm working on those. You are a wonderful, beautiful mare who has never once let me down when I needed you. And I know that you never will, despite all my little quirks."
And she leaned in and kissed the boastful athlete gently, the contact sending tingles through Rainbow’s body and her wings to spread slightly in surprise.
Fluttershy drew back, smiling gently. Despite her calm demeanor, the slight backward tilt of her ears and a nervous rustling of her wings belied her emotional state.
Dash blinked as the sparks in her sight died away, her wings still slightly spread. She saw the other mare there and she moved forward, kissing her and shifting her wings up and over the two of them, symbolically providing protection.
Fluttershy’s eyes stayed open for a second after Rainbow made contact, and her internal worries melted. As her eyes slid closed, she slid her wings out to complete the circular posing, her primaries sliding between Dash’s.
A multi-hued head popped out of the tightly spaced boughs of the sanctuary pine.
“Come on,” she said. “Winds died down.”
As the two Pegasi trotted down the road, Rainbow looked up. “It’s a lovely day,” she mentioned.
Fluttershy nodded, sliding a wingtip along Dash’s side. “Perfect for a little flying,” she said.
Rainbow turned to her marefriend. “Thought you didn’t care for flying?”
“I have to have a good reason,” the kind mare said.
“Oh?" Dash said. “Like what?”
“Helping critters,” she said. “Catching friends falling from cliffsides.” She eyed the blue Pegasus. “Winning bets,” she said slyly.
“Bets, huh?” Rainbow repeated. “What kind of bets?”
“Well,” Fluttershy said, still trailing a feather along the other mare's side. “I bet I can win a race against Derpy.”
“No bet,” Rainbow said. “Scoots could probably beat her.”
“Oh, well, then,” the Element of Kindness said, her wingtip brushing over Rainbow’s cutie mark, causing a small tremor to course through her body. “I suppose you want a proper bet then.”
“Seems fair,” the athlete said.
Fluttershy leaned in, her eyes half-lidded and Rainbow fully expected a kiss and closed her eyes in anticipation.
When instead of Fluttershy’s lips she felt the downdraft of wings, she opened her eyes to see her marefriend hovering just above her. It smelled of wildflowers and rich loam.
“Want that kiss?” she said, a mischievous smile on her face. “Race you for it.”
The mare shot off at a surprising clip for her.
Raiinbow grinned widely.
“Oh,” she crowed. “You are so going to get it.”
She took off after the beautiful filly she loved. She knew she could outfly the other Pegasus, but she wanted to have the fun of chasing her.
After all, a bet was a bet.
