As bad as flight school was, on some days regular school was even worse. This was one of those days.
Perhaps it actually wasn’t just today. Perhaps today’s terribleness was a only a result of the days leading up to today. The entire month, in fact.
October: a month of tricks or treats, ghouls and goblins, candy and corn, and costumes of everything in between. October: Fluttershy’s least favorite month of the year.
The problem started on the second day of October. It was, of course, a Monday; it was a great way start a terrible month. The exclusive reason why:
“Class! Settle down, now,” Mr. Gentle Breeze said calmly. “I know it’s Monday but we need to get started now. First thing’s first, we’re going to be starting a group project.”
To a shy, antisocial, hide-in-the-corner filly like Fluttershy, group projects were The. Worst. Possible. Thing!
To make matters worse, her class was an odd number of fillies and colts. There would’ve been exactly 30 students, one of the most satisfying numbers for a class to have, if it weren’t for number 31. If you couldn’t guess, that one was Fluttershy.
The class split into pairs in the time it took Fluttershy to process the words that had come out of her teacher’s mouth. Glancing around the room for an unpaired foal, she realized she’d have to be assigned to a group. She’d be awkwardly attached to a group of fillies she barely even knew and forced to work with them for… how long?
“This assignment will last all week and we’ll present in front of the entire class next Monday.”
Ah. A week. And presenting the project, the cherry on top of the group project sundae. How exhilarating (a word Fluttershy had found in the dictionary while the other fillies and colts were busy socializing).
The following week was filled with awkward interactions and half-hearted suggestions for the project, all of which were more than half-heartedly dismissed.
The day after presentations, another nightmare group project was assigned. Fluttershy found herself in a situation quite similar to the first, this time paired with Thunderhead and Cumulo, the only twins in Cloudsdale Elementary School’s class of 984 A.B. (After Banishment).
After her second presentation of the month, Fluttershy was prepared to take it easy on the social interactions. In the previous grade, she’d only done two back-to-back group projects once and afterwards she’d had an entire month of group projectless bliss.
Today, however, was one of many firsts.
The firsts:
1. Her third-in-a-row group project was assigned.
2. Fluttershy didn’t work in an awkward group of three.
3. Fluttershy made a friend that would last longer than a week.
<><><><><>
After presenting, Fluttershy breathed deeply as she returned to her seat. The past two weeks had been a total nightmare! Two group projects, one assigned right after the other. At least it was over.
“Great work! Your use of clouds was remarkable!” Mr. Breeze praised. “Now, I believe that was our last group, yes?”
The class nodded in agreement.
“Excellent! Now, last week we learned about cloud formation, didn’t we? So who can tell me the differences between the clouds we use to make rain for the earth ponies and unicorns and the ones we use to build or streets and houses?”
One of the colts near the front raised a hoof and gave a mediocre explanation. Fluttershy could’ve done better, her father working in the weather factory ever since she could remember, but she kept her lips sealed.
“Good, good,” Mr. Breeze nodded approvingly. “Okay, since you have such a good explanation, I’m going to give you guys a choice on our next group project.”
The yellow pegasus groaned inwardly and her ears wilted. Another group project?
“You can either work on cloud models to show the differences you just named…”
Fluttershy’s ears perked up a bit. Clouds were something she knew. She was good with clouds and maybe, just maybe, she’d actually be an asset to her group!
“Or you could work with a partner to make costumes for the Cloudsdale Nightmare Night Festival!”
Aaaannd Fluttershy’s ears dropped again. No sane filly or colt would choose a boring cloud project over Nightmare Night activities. It was an unspoken rule.
Mr. Gentle Breeze was now explaining the costume project since the clear consensus had been pro-costume and anti-cloud. Fluttershy just tuned it out. Her suggestions would just be ignored anyway.
Instead, she focused her attention on the subject of many of her daydreaming fantasies. The pony she focused on during many of her duller classes.
Rainbow Dash sat across the room in rapt attention as Mr. Breezle detailed the grand prize of the Nightmare Night Costume Contest they were all being entered in: 10 pounds of candy corn.
The wistful pegasus sighed to herself. Ever since the encounter during flight school, everything had been rainbows. Her room decorations, her folders, even her mane ribbons. Sometimes she thought Rainbow Dash noticed her newfound rainbow obsession but that was ridiculous.
Rainbow Dash was, by far, the most popular filly in the class. Fluttershy was, by far, the least popular filly in the class.
And thus, the friendships crafted between the two over years and years of bonding existed only in Fluttershy’s imagination. At least until a flicker of movement pulled her out of her thoughts.
A blur of motion on the other side of the room caught her attention and Fluttershy’s eyes found Rainbow’s. Cyan and magenta gazes met in midair, Mr. Breeze’s long-winded explanation continuing in the background. But none of that mattered to Fluttershy anymore. Only the eyes.
In any other situation, Fluttershy would’ve insisted it was a trick of the light, the simple result of a lack of sleep. But their eyes met, unmistakably.
And Rainbow Dash mouthed something at her. Something Fluttershy couldn’t understand, due to her many years of inexperience with ponies mouthing things to her.
The phrase was repeated, this time with gestures to Mr. Breeze. Was she telling Fluttershy to stop looking at her and pay attention?
Fluttershy frowned but turned to face the front of the room, where her teacher was finishing his explanation.
Then the room burst into activity, each goal scrambling to find their partner.
Fluttershy sighed and looked down at her desk. She didn’t even bother moving to find somepony; she knew she wouldn’t find anyone.
They found her.
A sky blue wing draped over her back assured she knew her partner.
<><><><><>
Many years later, Fluttershy would look back fondly on that Nightmare Night. It was one of the few she had good memories of.
They were memories of a blue and a yellow pegasus piecing together their blue and yellow Wonderbolt costumes.
Memories of a bold and a shy pegasus proudly displaying their costumes of a bold and a shy pony to their classmates.
Memories of a certain Wind Rider and Fairy Flight waiting on a makeshift stage for the awards to be announced.
Memories of a candy corn loving pegasus and her partner devouring the 10 pound prize.
Memories of countless afternoons afterward spent together.
Memories of the second Nightmare Night they won the costume contest, this time not as a school assignment, as friends.
Memories of the sleepover after the festival.
Memories of a first kiss.
Memories
Of
Rainbow’s
Embrace.