Too Shy for a Rainbow

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Epilogue

Chapter 1

“Hey, are you down here?” Came the cracking voice of a developing Pegasus as she flew down from the cloud city of Cloudsdale.

Fluttershy’s ear perked up as she looked up at the sky from the ground, the animal friends that had gathered around her beginning to move away, returning to their lives before she had arrived.

“There you are.” The rainbow haired Pegasus said landing on the ground next to the skinny-legged yellow Pegasus, “What’re you doing down here? You missed the whole race! Which I won, of course!” The Rainbow Pegasus back flipped in the air before landing on the ground next to her.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not a very good flyer so when I fell I panicked and wasn’t able to stop myself…but the animals down here stopped my fall. I helped them out for their kindness, and look,” Fluttershy stood up and turned her body so the rainbow haired Pegasus could see, “I just got my Cutie Mark for it.” she showed off the three butterflies that adorned her flank.

“Really? I just got my Cutie Mark too!” The rainbow pegasus said showing off the awesome lightning bolt, “That race showed me my serious need for speed!” Rainbow quickly zipped around the trees in the area, rustling leaves off of trees as she moved quickly. She stopped before Fluttershy again, smiling proudly.

“So how come you’re not a good flyer? The whole point of the Summer Flight Camp is to get better, have you not been practicing?” The rainbow Pegasus asked curiously.

“W-Well…I…didn’t practice at home…” Fluttershy squeaked softly, “And…I’m not doing too well in my classes…” She shuffled her hoof against the ground. “I’ve been trying…but I was told if I don’t pick up my grades I’ll be kicked out…” she mumbled shyly.

“Well, how about I teach you then?” The eager Pegasus grinned.

“W-What? You’d…do that for me?” Fluttershy said, shocked at the kindness this filly offered.

“Sure! I love flying so much that I’d love to share the feeling with others!” The Pegasus let out a laugh, “It sounds like fun! My name’s Rainbow Dash, by the way.”

“O-Oh…I-I’m Fluttershy…” Fluttershy replied quietly.

“Nice to meet you Fluttershy, now come on, we should get back to the camp before one of the councilors starts wondering where we are.” Rainbow said quickly pointing to the cloud city above them.

“Oh…right.” Fluttershy having forgotten all about their supervision, she turned to her animal friends and waved to them, “Bye friends, I’ll come and visit, I promise.” She smiled softly. She then unfurled her wings and began to flap, picking herself up slowly.

“…Wow, you really are struggling, aren’t you?” Rainbow said inspecting Fluttershy’s technique.

“I-I’m sorry…” Fluttershy apologized as she did her best to fly next to Rainbow Dash.

“Are you sure you can make it back to the camp on your own?”

“I should be able to…” Fluttershy mumbled quietly.

“Well alright, come on then.” Rainbow said, dashing off, almost instantly out of sight. Fluttershy began her slow flight behind her. Rainbow quickly flew back next to Fluttershy, looking a little annoyed.

“You can’t fly any faster than that?” Rainbow asked impatiently.

“I-I’m sorry…” Fluttershy apologized again.

“Ugh.” Rainbow put a hoof to her face, “Alright, we’ll go at your pace…as boring as it is.” The two of them slowly made their way back to the clouds.

“It’s been a while since I last saw your cottage.” Rainbow Dash said walking through the living room of Fluttershy’s house, “I still think clouds make a comfier home though.” She noted the wood flooring.

“Well, maybe, but then my animals wouldn’t be able to stay inside.” Fluttershy said, peeking her head around from the door to her kitchen, “Besides, I like being close to the ground. It’s comforting.” She chuckled softly before heading back to her boiling pots. She inhaled the aroma of what she was cooking, gauging where it was in its development.

She stirred one casually with a spoon, while another she poured in a tad bit of seasoning. She then carefully opened the oven door to check on how the things inside were baking.

‘Everything looking delicious!’ Fluttershy thought with a bit of glee, ‘I just need to finish preparing the appetizers~’ she closed the oven door and walked over to her counter, as she carefully prepared the salads. She had paid the extra expense for the freshest greens and flowers she could find, and then topped off with the fresh apples from Applejack, these would be the best salads she ever made. ‘I hope Rainbow dash will like them.’

“Hey Fluttershy…why is this rabbit looking at me angrily?” Rainbow’s voice came from the living room.

Fluttershy’s attention was instantly diverted, as she quickly looked around the corner again. There was indeed the familiar white rabbit, standing on a table looking at Rainbow Dash with a glare, his arms crossed.

“Angel bunny!” Fluttershy quickly walked over to the angry bunny, who proceeded to look at her with an eyebrow raised, “You know better than to be rude to our guest.” Angel simply huffed and turned his head away from Fluttershy. “Now now Angel, be nice. I promise, I have a special treat for you for dinner as well, so promise me you’ll be good?”

Angel let out an exasperated sigh as he smacked his forehead. He then hopped off the table, heading for his bed.

“Heh, you sure do have a way with animals.” Rainbow said watching the bunny hop off, “But what’s with the attitude on that one?”

“Oh, he’s just always kind of been that way. He’s certainly the most opinionated of all the animals here, but he’s also been the most helpful.” Fluttershy smiled as she spoke, “He helps me take care of the other animals, helps me keep track of my schedule when I forget important events, he even helps me speak up when I don’t have the confidence to speak up for myself.”

“That little guy does all that?” Rainbow Dash said surprised.

“Oh yes. Angel’s a very big help, I don’t know what I’d do without him.” Fluttershy was smiling happily. However, her thoughts were interrupted as a pillow flew by, hitting her in the face.

“Uh well…your little helper just threw a pillow at you.” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“Uh…” Fluttershy said, looking at Angel. He was pointing behind her to the kitchen. “Oh! That’s right! The food!” Fluttershy quickly ran back into the kitchen. She quickly went to the stove and turned down the heat, her soup was about to boil over and make a huge mess in the kitchen. It quickly settled down as she sighed in relief.

“The food smells great by-the-way.” Dash complimented as she walked into the kitchen, smelling the air, “I can’t cook very well, so the most I eat usually ends up just being quickly thrown together sandwiches.”

“Oh, well I don’t mind cooking for you at all.” Fluttershy said honestly, “You should vary up your diet more; it’s good for you.” Fluttershy smiled before carefully picking up a cloth in her mouth and opening the oven door. She reached in and gingerly pulled out the hot tray, on top of it were the fully cooked desserts of her own design, a special cherry-apple turnover with the pastry sweetened with a cooked sugar coating. It was a simple recipe, but one she came up with herself and she was proud of it. She placed the hot tray down on the counter.

“Oh wow, those look awesome.” Rainbow Dash licking her lips at the dessert Fluttershy had just pulled out.

“Now now Dash, the desserts are for after dinner.” Fluttershy chuckled as she walked over to the salads, “It’ll all be ready in just a few more minutes.” She finished slicing up the apples to place on top of the salads.

“Yea yea, just hurry it up, I’m starving!” Rainbow said eagerly as she walked back into the living room.

Fluttershy carefully placed the apple slices on the salads, arranging them neatly. She couldn’t help but smile at her work, she had made sure to decorate them just for this occasion.

‘Okay, appetizers are done, Soup is done, and Dessert is done.’ Fluttershy said making a mental note of everything she had finished, ‘And the main course…’ she said looking over at the last pot on the stove. She pulled out a small portion of the pasta, tasting it. ‘Main course cooked to perfection.’ She smiled happily, turning the heat off and carefully pouring the contents of the pot into a strainer in the sink. She put the drained pasta into a bowl and began to carefully season the main dish.

‘Everything is coming together wonderfully!’ Fluttershy said cheerfully in her mind, ‘Oh, I hope she likes everything. She said it smelled good, but I hope she’ll actually like the taste. It’s been ever-so-long since I got Rainbow Dash alone to myself, I hope she’s enjoying herself…’

Fluttershy blushed at her own thoughts; she’d hadn’t realized how forward her thoughts felt. She lightly shook her head and finished preparing the pasta. She’d have plenty of time to think about everything once she’d finished having a pleasant time with Rainbow Dash.

She moved quickly to set up the table for the two of them, placing two plates, followed by the proper utensils needed, then placing the salads first next to the plates. She pulled out two bowls and quickly ladled the soup into each, before placing them next to the soup. She then grabbed the big bowl of pasta and placed it in the center of the table.

Fluttershy scrutinized the table; she wanted everything to be absolutely perfect.

‘Am I missing anything here? Is there something I could add to make it better?’ She asked herself contemplating the table. She’d draped it with her favorite white table cloth, which was embroidered with a simple flower pattern. She knew it was likely to get a few stains on it tonight, with how messy an eater Rainbow could be, but she didn’t mind, she’d gladly wash out any stains.

‘Would candles be too much? Would she get the wrong idea…or would that be a good thing, but how would she feel about them?’ She rubbed her hooves together a little torn about setting up lit candles, it evoked images of a romantic candlelit dinner in her mind, but she still wasn’t sure if Rainbow Dash even felt anything similar to how she did…

‘O-Oh…I could set them up and say they’re for better lighting if she asks!’ The idea quickly popped into her head. She went into her pantry and pulled out two long-white candles and their stands, setting them up on either side of the table. She carefully lit them with the matches, the candles giving off a soft glow different from the light of the lanterns around the house.

‘Okay…I think that’s everything.’ Fluttershy inspected the table one last time, before finally being satisfied enough to invite the rainbow-haired Pegasus to join her for dinner.

“Alright, Dinner is read-” she stopped herself as she looked into the living room, surprised at what was happening.

“Oh, I’m going to get you, you pesky rabbit!” Rainbow laughed as she gripped a pillow in her mouth, chasing after the white rabbit, trying to smack Angel with it.

Angel was equally guilty, hopping away from Rainbow at top speed with a pillow in his forelegs. The two of them had caused pillow feathers to start flying about the room; the two rough-housing critters were making a mess.

In a quick leap, Angel jumped into the air, bouncing off of the cottage walls and straight at Rainbow Dash. The two of them crashed, falling to the cottage floor sending a pile of feathers into the air. Rainbow Dash laughed as the feathers fell around her, the bunny lying on her back.

“Alright, you’re pretty fun, I admit.” Rainbow said standing up, the bunny sliding off of Rainbow’s back. The rabbit landed and turned its head away from Rainbow, dusting its hands before hopping off.

“What was that all about?” Fluttershy asked, frowning a little at the mess that had piled up in her living room.

“Oh, your rabbit threw a pillow at me after I came back out, so I had to show him who was boss.” Rainbow gloated while smiling, “Though it really worked up my appetite, is the food ready?” she asked eagerly.

“Actually it is, I was coming to get you.” Fluttershy smiled, ‘I’ll clean up this mess after dinner.’ The pile of feathers bothered her, but she had just prepared a fine dinner for Rainbow Dash, she wasn’t about to let that go to waste.

“Awesome! I’m starved.” Rainbow said quickly heading for the table.

“I just have to give Angel his dinner and then I’ll be ready to eat too.” Fluttershy smiled. She quickly walked over to where she had prepared a special dish for Angel tonight, so that he would be on his best behavior during the dinner. A special carrot and flower casserole, his favorite.

She quickly walked back over to Angel, who had found his way to his bed, kicking back with a proud grin on his face. Fluttershy placed the bowl down next to his bed.

“Now Angel,” Fluttershy said quietly so only Angel could hear, he looked up at her curiously, “I made you your favorite dinner, so will you please be on your best behavior tonight, for me?” Fluttershy smiled sweetly as she blinked her eyes, trying to get the bunny to cooperate.

Angel looked at her almost as if he was bored. He tapped his hands together, wiped his forehead, and then pointed at Fluttershy.

“I know you have the best of intentions for me…uhm, most of the time, but pretty please, just for tonight, let me handle it on my own?” She pleaded with her bunny.

Angel swept his arm over his chest, patted his back and pointed at Fluttershy.

“Alright, thank you Angel.” She smiled happily before heading back into the kitchen.

Rainbow Dash was already half-way through her salad by the time Fluttershy sat back at her end of the table.

“Wow Fluttershy, you really are a good cook.” Rainbow licked her lips as the last of the salad disappeared into her mouth. Fluttershy had slowly started to make a dent into her salad.

“Thanks, that means a lot.” Fluttershy blushed softly, looking off to the side, hoping Rainbow Dash wouldn’t see her red face.

“Hey, how come the pasta doesn’t have any sauce?” Rainbow said curiously, pulling a large glob of it onto her plate.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you want sauce? I don’t really prefer them myself so I usually just give them extra seasonings and cover them in cheese. I-I can quickly make you some though.” Fluttershy almost panicked, ready to get up and cook again.

“Oh, no there’s no need Fluttershy.” Rainbow slurped up one of the noodles, “It’s different, but it’s good. I’ve just never had sauce-less pasta before is all.” Rainbow took a large glob of pasta into her mouth, chewing and swallowing along the way. She really was a messy eater, but she seemed to be enjoying herself. “How’d you get the noodles to taste so good? Usually their awfully bland.” Rainbow complimented.

“O-Oh, that’s easy, just add salt to the water you’re going to boil the noodles in, if you make the water about the same consistency as salt water the salt will cook to the noodles. It not only adds flavor, but it makes it easier for seasonings, cheese and sauce to actually stick to the noodles rather than just slide off.” Fluttershy explained with her knowledge of cooking.

“Huh, salt? I never would’ve guessed! You sure do know a lot about cooking.” Rainbow Dash put the pasta down for a moment to begin sampling Fluttershy’s soup.

“Oh, it’s nothing really.” Fluttershy blushed again, “I just learned over time. A lot of the animals eat different types of food, so I just felt I should figure out what’s best.”

“It pays off.” Rainbow Dash said, picking up the bowl of soup and gulping it down, finishing it one big swig. “I’d love some more of this soup!” She grinned a sloppy grin at Fluttershy.

“Certainly.” Fluttershy chuckled happily as she grabbed Rainbow’s bowl and flew over to the stove. She was almost giggling internally, ‘She’s really loving my dinner~’ she thought as she felt like she was glowing. She quickly refilled Rainbow’s bowl with the soup, flying back. Fluttershy went to place the bowl down next to Rainbow Dash.

Suddenly, a ballistic carrot soared through the air crashing into the edge of the bowl, the dish falling forward and landing on Rainbow’s head. Rainbow let out a cry as in a panic she opened her wings and flew backwards, flailing her limbs. Her leg kicked the empty salad bowl, sending it launching across the room as her back hit hard against the wall. A shelf holding various knick-knacks fell down, sending more items hurling towards the wall. One of the knick-knacks struck the table, knocking one of the candles over onto the table. A loud crash echoed as the spices on the spice rack fell and began to roll on the ground, the little mice that had been living in their holes scurrying out in fright.

Fluttershy tried her best to help Rainbow, but was hit by flying spices, sending plumes of debris into the air.

“Ah-ah-ACHOO” She sneezed beyond her control, as she tried to land and stabilize herself, only to find her foot on a round cylinder, sending her careening backwards and latching onto her fridge door. The door swung open, sending the contents spilling out. The unstable fridge door swung itself fully open, dragging Fluttershy along with it as she hit her pantry door. The door let out an audible crack as it fell inward; a large bag of flower that had been sitting at the top was jarred loose and fell on top of the frightened Pegasus.

Rainbow coughed loudly as she lifted the bowl from her eyes to see what had happened. From where she sat on the ground she could see a haze of a white slowly clearing as the sound of frantic animals scattered from the kitchen. She could make out the sounds of mice and birds, though there were a few cries she was unfamiliar with.

In moments the kitchen settled down and the dust faded. Fluttershy groaned as she sat up from near the fridge, covered in splotches of white all over her mane and coat.

“Ugh…Fluttershy, you okay?” Rainbow asked shaking her mane, trying to get most of the soup off of her.

Rainbow only heard a terrified squeak reply. She wasn’t sure if that was good or not. She removed the bowl from her head and carefully navigated the wreckage that covered the kitchen floor over to Fluttershy’s side. She carefully closed the fridge as she looked at the shaking yellow Pegasus.

“Fluttershy? Are you hurt?” Rainbow asked, gently placing a hoof on her shoulder.

Fluttershy slowly shook her head. She wasn’t hurt physically. But there felt like there was a clamp on her heart. Tears were burning at the edge of her eyes as she felt the weight of her whole dinner ruined right before her.

“Oh, good, I was worried you were hurt.” Rainbow sighed as she began to dust Fluttershy off a little, “This is uh…quite a mess huh.” Rainbow chuckled, trying to make it not seem as serious.

“I-I’m…s-sor…ry…” Fluttershy mumbled quietly, almost inaudibly.

“What was that?” Rainbow asked, “I didn’t catch that.”

“I’m…sorry…” Fluttershy mumbled a little louder, but her voice trailed.

“Come on Fluttershy, I’ve told you before to speak louder. Now what’re you trying to say?” Rainbow said nudging her shoulder, trying to get her to speak up.

“I’m sorry, okay!?” Fluttershy cried out as she turned her head away from Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was a little shocked to hear the outcry from her timid friend, “I’m…sorry…” Fluttershy said more calmly this time, “The…The whole dinner is ruined now…” her voice shook as she tried to hold herself back from crying, “I just wanted you to enjoy a good meal…a-and now it’s all over the floor.” She pointed to the pot that had been on the stove that had been knocked over in the chaos, soup covering the floor.

“Aw, come on Fluttershy, it’s okay, really.” Rainbow laughed as he tried to cheer up her friend, “I got most of it in me before the whole mess. I got plenty to eat, and what I did was delicious.”

“…R-Really?” Fluttershy asked wiping on of her eyes with her hoof.

“Absolutely! Best meal I’ve had in ages! I can’t even remember when I had a meal so awesome.” Rainbow laughed excitedly.

A small smile appeared on Fluttershy as she heard those words. Despite the mess, she’d enjoyed herself. The clamp that had been tight on her heart seemed to loosen.

“…Well…I-I’m glad you enjoyed it…” Fluttershy said as she shifted to stand up, moving the flower bag from leaning against her. “But you’re covered in my soup now…would you like a bath?” Fluttershy offered.

“A bath sounds great.” Rainbow said wanting to shake herself, but didn’t want to get more soup everywhere, “But what about you? You’re a mess too.”

“Uh…w-well I have to start cleaning first…I’ll be a mess anyway, so you take a bath first and I’ll start cleaning.” Fluttershy said smiling.

“Well…alright, if you say so.” Rainbow said nodding, flapping her wings and heading for the bathroom so she wouldn’t leave too big of a messy trail behind her.

Once Rainbow Dash was out of sight she let out a big sigh as she looked around the messy kitchen. She then looked over at the table, seeing the remnants of the dinner. Her poor favorite table cloth, she had used it for such a special occasion, but not it was barely recognizable. She slowly walked over to it, noticing that the candle that had fallen over was still lit, burning her precious table cloth. She quickly smothered the flame with one of the wet napkins on the table.

“Oooh…the stains might have come out, but this never will.” She sulked as she looked at the burnt, black portion of her table cloth. “Well…at least she had a good meal.” Fluttershy said trying to look at things on the bright side. She had just wanted a quiet night together with Rainbow Dash, even if it was just as friends. She was glad for any time she got to spend with the rainbow-haired pegasus.

Fluttershy began to stack up the plates on the table as her thoughts ran through her head, ‘I doubt Rainbow will want to have dinner with me again after tonight…she already doesn’t hang out with me often because of quietness, being too shy to want to pull pranks, not being a strong flyer to fly together, hardly able to stand up for myself…’

Fluttershy stopped her stacking as she mentally kicked herself over every flaw. She sat down on the ground as she felt the depression setting back in, ‘But…I like her because she’s everything I’m not…’ she felt a twinge of pain, ‘But that’s also why she won’t like me back…isn’t it…’

Suddenly, a white blur appeared before her. Fluttershy was knocked out of her thoughts as she looked up, seeing a proud looking white bunny holding a hand up to his puffed out chest.

“…Huh?” Fluttershy said, almost shocked to see Angel standing there. “Angel? …You…You didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?” Fluttershy asked in almost disbelief. Her question was answered by a rather proud nod from the little white rabbit.

Fluttershy felt her eye twitch as she stared at her little friend.

“Angel Bunny! What have you done!?” Fluttershy asked angry. She was truly angry. It was a feeling she was unused to, one she’d seldom felt before. “You ruined my dinner! You ruined my kitchen! You ruined my night with Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cried out at her little rabbit friend, as she felt the tears threatening to come back.

Angel looked uncaring back at the angry Fluttershy. He crossed his arms, before moving one of his hands in a circle next to his head before pointing at her again.

“I am NOT crazy! You’ve been a bad bunny Angel!” Fluttershy stomped her hoof. “Angel…I hate to do this, but you leave me no choice now!” Fluttershy moved forward and grabbed the rabbit by the back of the neck with her mouth. Angel squirmed and struggled against Fluttershy’s grip. She walked over to an empty bird cage she had set up in the living room that she would normally use to help her sleeping birds. She opened the cage door and dropped Angel inside and closed the door locking it.

“I’m sorry Angel, but you’re in time out!” Fluttershy said turning away from the cage and heading back to the kitchen as she could hear Angel rattling the cage in his attempts to escape.

Chapter 2

Fluttershy panted heavily as she lay on the cloud. Her wings were sore and her energy was low. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep this up, it was exhausting her.

“Are you finished already? We’ve barely gotten any flying in today!” Rainbow sighed, hovering over the tired Fluttershy.

“I’m sorry…” Fluttershy squeaked as she shakily got up onto all four hooves again.

“You’re never going to keep your grades up if you don’t get into better shape.” Rainbow said flying down and forcing her on to her feet, spreading her wings and getting her into a flight stance, much to Fluttershy’s dismay. “Okay, give me another speed lap around the loops. And GO.” Rainbow yelled out before blowing on a whistle.

Fluttershy let out a soft cry before flying forward as quickly as he wings could carry her. Her wings had developed early and grown larger, but they weren’t very strong despite that. Rainbow could only groan at Fluttershy’s top speed, not even being a third of what she could pull off in the air.

Fluttershy grunted as she flew through the floating loops, trying to beat her old time, her body aching and screaming at her with every beat of her wings. She felt herself slowing down as her body forced its actions. She panted through the last hoop, before finally landing and collapsing at the start line, gasping for breath.

“Ugh, alright, I can see you’re tired.” Rainbow rubbed her face a little annoyed, “You’re really out of shape Fluttershy, take five minutes to rest then we’ll do some lighter exercises. You won’t be able to graduate if you stay so out of shape though.”

“I-I-I’m…s-sorry…” Fluttershy panted between gasps of air. Her body wanted nothing more than to rest, this much physical exertion was beyond her.

“And that’s another thing, stop apologizing for every little thing.” Rainbow said rolling her eyes. “I’m going to go fetch you some water, you just relax.” Rainbow quickly flew off, at a speed that if Fluttershy had blinked she would’ve missed where she went.

“W-Wow…” she muttered softly to herself as she watched Dash fly off. Nothing ever seemed to slow her down, she could fly anywhere at any speed at any time. Her mind constantly told her it was impossible for her to ever reach any level like Dash, but she wanted to, even if it was just once…

“Huh?” Something gently landed on the cloud in front of Fluttershy. It was a letter that had fallen from the sky. Fluttershy looked up, trying to see if she could spot who dropped it, but the sky was clear for the moment, with the occasional pegasus passing by. She carefully picked up the letter, examining it.

“It’s addressed to me…” She said surprised, seeing her name written on the front of it. She carefully opened the letter, before pulling out the folded paper inside. She opened the letter and began to read:

Dear Fluttershy,

I have admired you from afar for some time now, but I’m too shy to admit my feelings to you in person. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the courage to face you directly about these feelings, but I had to at least let you know. Ever since I saw your sleek, beautiful yellow coat and glorious pink mane, you’ve inspired a confidence inside of me. Your grace and beauty are second to none, your eyes show such deep love and compassion that I could get lost if I were to look into them.

Your voice is that of an Angel, your tenderness makes me shiver and your being fills me with glee. I know this might seem confusing to you, but my heart throbs in your very presence. I don’t think you’ve ever noticed me and that’s okay, I can live happily just knowing you’re there. So please continue to live happily and hopefully one day I’ll be able to at least say hello to you.

Your Secret Admirer

Fluttershy read the letter twice. She didn’t know who sent the letter or that anypony felt that way about her. It was a new experience.

One that made her…angry.

She folded the letter back into its original shape and tore it into two pieces. She then tore the letter in half again.

As she went to tear it for a third time she stopped herself, realizing what she was doing. She stared at the torn letter in her hooves, shocked at her own actions. A pony had tried to tell her that they cared about her…and her initial reaction was to destroy it?

“Why did I…” she asked confused. She had no idea what had compelled her to tear the letter. She felt guilt riddle her at what she had done. She tender folded the remaining pieces of the paper and carefully tucked it into her mane. She would hold onto it, it was something precious someone had given her, even if she had destroyed it…

“Alright, here.” A bottle of water was suddenly thrust into Fluttershy’s face, much to her surprise as she fell backwards onto her back. “Yeesh, it’s just water you scaredy cat.” Rainbow rolled her eyes a little.

“O-Oh…thank you…” Fluttershy said gently taking the water and drinking it slowly.

“Okay, we’re going to continue in a few minutes, so make sure you’re ready.” Rainbow said flying around in thought about what to do for Fluttershy.

‘I wonder who sent me the letter…’ Fluttershy sat there in confusion as she relaxed, trying to prepare for more training.

“Ah, that was refreshing.” Rainbow Dash said, stretching as she walked back into the living room. Her coat sparkled from her fresh cleaning, as she checked on how Fluttershy was doing. To her surprise, the kitchen was already starting to look normal again.

“Wow, you work fast Fluttershy.” Rainbow said walking up to the pegasus that was busy scrubbing away at the leftover soup on the floor.

“Oh, thank you.” Fluttershy smiled looking over her shoulder at Rainbow. “And sorry again about this whole mess, I hope you still had a good time.” Fluttershy meekly stated with a smile as her brush finished cleaning the last of the soup, before putting the brush back into her bucket of soapy water.

“Oh sure, it was a fun visit.” Rainbow Dash waved her hoof, “Good food and a good laugh, it was worth the trip.” Rainbow chuckled.

“Well I’m happy, if you had a good time then it was a good evening.” Fluttershy smiled as she brushed her hooves off on a towel by her sink before turning to Rainbow, “Thanks for having dinner with me.”

“Ah, no problem. We should do it again sometime, though perhaps with less projectile foods.” Rainbow chuckled.

“I’d like that very much.” Fluttershy smiled happily.

“Well hey, before it gets too late I’m gonna head home. You seem to have things wrapped up here, and I need to get to planning the weather forecast for next week, as much as I hate boring stuff, this was fun enough to make up for it.” Rainbow explained, “Was nice hanging out, we should do it again soon.”

“Yes we should.” Fluttershy smiled happily, “Oh, before you go!” Fluttershy said remembering, walking over to the counter and picking up a brown bag, before bringing it over to Rainbow, “My desserts managed to escape the destruction. I’d really like you to take them home.”

“Oh Awesome!” Rainbow said taking the bag smiling, “I’m sure they’ll be delicious.” Rainbow chuckled, before turning and walking towards the door, “Seeya later Fluttershy.” Rainbow said turning while waving.

“Bye Rainbow dash.” Fluttershy waved back smiling happily. She heard the door close as she let out a happy sigh. “Good, she had a good time. And I’m almost finished cleaning.” Fluttershy said walking back into the living room. She looked at the bird cage, sitting there in a huff with his arms crossed sat Angel Bunny.

“Alright Angel, have you learned your lesson?” Fluttershy asked walking up the cage. Angel looked over his shoulder, looking annoyed at Fluttershy, his arms still crossed. “Alright, you can come out now.” She opened the cage, the rabbit instantly hopping out and running up the stairs.

“I wonder what he’s off in a hurry about.” Fluttershy asked herself curiously. She just shrugged it off though, walking over to her couch and laying down on it letting out a quick sigh of relaxation. She wished the night had gone better, but it had turned out well enough to feel happy with it. She relaxed on her couch, letting the pillows comfort her.

A loud, throat clearing cough came from in front of her, opening her eyes to look down at the source. Angel stood there, holding out torn paper up to Fluttershy.

“Huh? What’s this Angel?” Fluttershy asked curiously, taking the paper from Angel. She examined the paper carefully. It was old, the paper had been crumpled several times, the color was fading from age, and the writing was starting to fade. But it was an old letter that she had read many times throughout her life.

“…Angel…you went through my private drawers again.” Fluttershy groaned as she looked at her bunny friend. The bunny hopped onto the couch next to her, uncaring for her groaning. He tapped the paper in her hooves repeatedly. “…What about this letter Angel? It’s a memory of my foalhood, but it’s not really important…”

Angel just tapped the paper again and then pointed at Fluttershy. He then imitated two people sitting at a table, before imitating an explosion.

“Huh? Are you trying to say…things would end badly between me and Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy said, doing her best to interpret her bunny friend. Angel nodded his head. “But you don’t know that…Rainbow Dash could like me…maybe…one day…in my dreams…” Fluttershy looked up at the ceiling.

Angel put a paw to his face in frustration. He tapped his foot against her, causing her to look at him again. Angel pointed at Fluttershy, then to the torn up note, then to his head and twirled his hand.

“Angel…a-are you trying to say…that I don’t know what I want?” Angel nodded his head. “But…I’ve grown up a lot from when I got this letter Angel.” She said looking at the torn up letter, “I understand a lot more about…emotions and…a-and love…” Fluttershy still seemed hesitant to say the word, “B-Besides…that doesn’t excuse you from making a mess of my kitchen mister.”

Angel just sighed as he hopped off the couch. He was done trying to help for the day, hopping off to his bed once more.

“…Oh…well…I should probably take a bath before it’s too late.” She said looking at her mane. She’d gotten most of the flour off, but she still needed to properly clean the rest of herself. “Alright, a good soak, and then its bedtime.” Fluttershy got up from the couch, heading for her bathroom

Fluttershy bolted awake by the sudden loud knocking on her door. It sounded like somepony was trying to break her door down.

“H-Hold on! I-I’m coming!” Fluttershy called out as loudly as she could, quickly hopping out of her bed and going over to her dresser; she grabbed her brush and quickly did up her mane. The knocking continued without stopping the entire time. Fluttershy quickly made her way to the door, opening it quickly. Several knocks hit her head as she collapsed to the floor.

“Oh, Ah’m so sorry sugar cube.” Applejack’s voice said as the earth pony helped pick Fluttershy up.

“I-It’s okay Applejack…” Fluttershy shook her head lightly, then looked up at her orange friend, “What’s the matter Applejack?”

“Oh, no problem, but exciting news!” Applejack grinned, “It’s Pinkie Pie! She’s back from her trip! And she’s hostin’ a big party over at Sugar Cube Corner!”

“W-Wait, Pinkie’s back!?” Fluttershy said in surprise, “She’s been gone a month though.”

“Right! So we’re celebrating her return! Come on, the party’s already started!” Applejack said before rushing back into town.

“O-Oh! W-Wait for me!” Fluttershy cried out, quickly following after Applejack.

“WAHOO! Cupcakes and Streamers and Friends oh my!” Pinkie Pie cried out, bouncing around the entire party. “Ohmygosh I missed you! And you! And you! Oh my gosh I missed everypony!” She bounced from Pony to Pony, giving each a big hug.

“FLUTTERSHY!” She pounced the yellow pegasus, knocking her to the ground, “Oh I missed you and the other girls the most! I’m sooooooooo glad you came to my welcome back party!” The excited pink pony rubbed her face against Fluttershy like crazy.

“I-Its…N-nice to s-see you…t-too Pinkie!” Fluttershy gasped against Pinkie’s hug, “B-But…I need..aaaaaaair…” Fluttershy gasped as best she could.

“Oh! My bad!” Pinkie laughed, letting go of Fluttershy, letting her stand back up, “How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in what seems like forever! You have to tell me everything that’s been happening since I’ve been gone!” Pinkie talked a mile a minute as she normally did.

“O-Oh…N-Nothing much really…” Fluttershy rubbed her hoof over her leg, “It’s been really quiet without around. How about you? Did you have a good trip?”

“Oh of course! It wasn’t the best trip ever, but it was so nice hanging out with my sister and parents again! They really helped me feel like me again, and once I was ready to come back I just HAD to come back and throw a big party for all my wonderful friends!” Pinkie bounced in place, “I’m just so…so…SO HAPPY!” Pinkie cheered.

“Well, I’m so glad to hear that Pink-“

“Pinks! You’re back!” Fluttershy was interrupted by the cry of Rainbow Dash, who quickly flew over to the two of them.

“RAINBOW DASH!” Pinkie cried out, jumping up and hugging her dear friend, “I missed you and the other girls so much!” Pinkie swung on the flying pegasus, who struggled to hold them both up, before the two girls crashed to the ground, laughing together.

“It’s great to see you again Pinkie!” Rainbow said standing up, while still chuckling, “You wouldn’t believe how boring it’s been around here without you! I didn’t realize how much you liven the place up.” Rainbow waved her hoof in exaggeration.

“Awwww, I’m sorry Rainbow. I promise that I won’t be going anywhere for a long time now!” Pinkie giggled, smiling with a big grin.

“You better not.” Rainbow chuckled, bouncing the end of Pinkie’s mane with her hoof, “After all you still have that ribbon in your hair, so you better not forget how much you appreciate us.”

“Oh, I’ll never forget it ever again!” Pinkie smiled happily.

Fluttershy watched the two close friends chat away so naturally. She smiled as best she could if either of them looked at her, but she couldn’t help but notice how naturally they were able to strike up a conversation. Rainbow Dash looked so natural talking to Pinkie and Pinkie matched her energy so easily.

She struggled to bring up a conversation with Rainbow, often too shy to think of something to talk about, she struggled enough inviting her to dinner last night. Plus Rainbow was always spending time with Pinkie since they always seemed to have fun goofing off together. Then if it wasn’t Pinkie Pie, she’d be spending time with Applejack, always competing about one thing or another.

In fact, the last time she remembered Rainbow Dash coming to her to hang out was when she needed her to cheer for her at the best young flyer’s competition.

‘I guess she only comes to me when she needs me…’ Fluttershy felt a little dejected. But this was still a happy occasion, Pinkie Pie was back. She walked over to the refreshments table, filling up a glass of punch for herself.

“Oh hey Fluttershy,” Twilight’s familiar voice came, as she walked next to the table, “It’s nice to see you could make it on such short notice.”

“Oh, of course, it’s…nice to see Pinkie Pie again.” It wasn’t a lie, but she had to hide her jealousy. “I forgot how much fun her parties are.”

“I’m relieved that she’s okay, she left so suddenly. I was worried about her.” Twilight explained to Fluttershy.

“…I was too.” Again, it was true. ‘But…I forgot how much time she spent with Rainbow Dash.’ “I’m glad she made it home safe. The town will be more fun again.” Fluttershy smiled happily at Twilight.

“It certainly will be hard to keep things quiet again.” Twilight chuckled, “But I’m just happy everything worked out. I’m going to go play some games, want to join me?” Twilight asked.

“Uhm…sure, that sounds fun.” Fluttershy smiled back at her friend.

‘What am I going to do…’ Fluttershy asked herself, watching Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash sharing a huge laugh as she walked with Twilight.

Chapter 3

“Hey Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy flew over to her friend who was sitting on the cloud edge of the Flight School, “Aren’t we going to have a training session soon? We haven’t had one in a long time now…”

Rainbow Dash, who had been lying with her hooves crossed and head resting on her legs, lifted her head up and turned to look at Fluttershy. Rainbow had a dull, bored look on her face, before looking back out from the edge of the cloud, looking out into the blue sky and green land far beneath the clouds.

“What’s the point? You’ve pretty much reached how good you’re going to get.” Rainbow sighed, laying her head back against her hooves.

“O-Oh…” Fluttershy rubbed her leg awkwardly, “But…the sessions helped me so much back during our first Flight Camp together…and they’ve been helping me keep up with my grades since we’ve been in school…I don’t know how well I’d fair without them…”

“Well…if they’re that important, why don’t you just do them by yourself?” Rainbow groaned a little, “You don’t need ME to help you practice; you can do it by yourself!”

“O-Oh…I-I’m sorry…I-I didn’t mean to offend you…” Fluttershy backed up a little, shying away from Rainbow, “I-I just…thought we c-could do them…together…” Fluttershy tried to hide her face behind her mane.

“Ugh.” Rainbow put a hoof to her face as she groaned in annoyance. “Fluttershy…what would you do if I wasn’t around?”

“H-Huh?” Fluttershy blinked confused, “What would…I do?”

“Yea, what would you do?” Rainbow Dash stood up, looking out into the sky, “Say I was just gone tomorrow, and you never saw me again. What would you do?”

“…I…I’ve never thought about it…” Fluttershy wasn’t sure what to say, “I…just figured you’d always be here…”

“Well I can’t be here forever Fluttershy!” Rainbow stomped a hoof on the cloud, “You’re going to have to grow up and take care of yourself one day! I can’t hold your hoof forever! You’re older than me for Celestia’s sake!” Rainbow practically growled.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry Rainbow!” Fluttershy squeaked as she felt herself curling up into a ball, not wanting to anger the person closest to her anymore, just wanting all this anger to stop.

“And STOP apologizing!” Rainbow turned around and walked up to Fluttershy. Fluttershy squeaked as she felt herself curl up tighter, as Rainbow’s angry face met hers, “You apologize for every insignificant thing! If you really ARE sorry about what you’re doing, stop using your words and DO something about it!”

Fluttershy was shaking on the cloud, unable to speak. Tears burned at the edges of her eyes as her dearest friend yelled at her.

“…Ugh!” Rainbow turned her head away from Fluttershy, walking back to the edge of the cloud. “Fluttershy…I can’t take it anymore.” Her voice was full of frustration, her wings wiggled as if in anticipation, “I want to fly! And not just based on the rules and regulations they’ve set up for us! I don’t want to be graded by letters or peers who think they’re better than me when they’re not!” Rainbow grunted in frustration.

“Can THEY fly faster than me!? No! Can they out maneuver me? No! Can THEY do a Sonic Rainboom?! Of course not!” Rainbow growled as she stomped a hoof repeatedly against the ground. She glared at the sky, almost panting from the anger she felt at being held back.

It was silent for a few moments. Fluttershy couldn’t get up or bring herself to say anything. She just shook, curled up where she was. She didn’t want Rainbow to be angry anymore, she didn’t like it when she was angry…

Rainbow let a sigh out as she turned her head to look at her quivering friend.

“Fluttershy…I’m getting out of here.” She then turned back to the sky.

“W-What…?” Was all she could squeak out.

“I can’t stand being here anymore. I’m too restricted, too confined, too belittled.” She flapped her wings, “So I’m leaving this school! I’m dropping out and I don’t care what happens because of it! I’m too good for this school! Maybe I’ll go find a weather job in a town or something, but I’ll be free to do whatever I want! Sleep, fly, do amazing stunts! And one day, when I can prove my stuff to everyone, I’ll join the Wonderbolts!” A fierce fire burned in her eyes.

“B-B-B-But…” Fluttershy stuttered too quietly for Rainbow to hear.

“Seeya Fluttershy. I don’t know where I’ll end up, but I hope we meet again someday.” Rainbow Dash spread her wings and flew off in a burst of speed.

“RAINBOW DASH!” Fluttershy cried out, bolting up from her curled position and running to the edge of the cloud. She stopped as she stared out into the distance, unable to see even a hint of where she had flown off too.

“R-Rainbow Dash…” Fluttershy whimpered as she fell to her knees, unable to believe her eyes. Rainbow Dash had really run off, not telling her anything of where she was going, leaving her there all by herself.

Her tears began to soak the cloud she sat on.

“Oooh, this bath is simply divine.” Rarity sat back relaxing in the spa’s giant tub. “It feels so good to relax after a day of partying.” Her hair was wrapped up in a pink towel as she let the warm waters sooth her entire being.

Fluttershy let out a soft sigh as she tried to relax on the other side of the bath. Her mind was still racing about Rainbow Dash. Dash had spent the rest of the party hanging out with Pinkie; she hadn’t had much opportunity to hang out with her. She played a few games, had some sweets, but she had felt lonely at the party despite being surrounded by her friends.

“Fluttershy, darling, what’s the matter? You haven’t been able to relax this whole trip.” Rarity asked, eyeing her Pegasus friend curiously.

“I-It’s nothing Rarity, don’t worry about it.” Fluttershy said forcing a smile on her face, trying not to show her insecurities to her friend.

“Now come dear, I’ve known you long enough to know when there is something troubling you. What’s on your mind?” Rarity asked, wanting to know what was on her friends mind.

“…I-I…” Fluttershy turned her head, not sure how to say this, or how much she wanted to tell Rarity. She had no idea how she would react if she told her she had a romantic interest in Rainbow Dash, so what would be the best action to take here?

“…I-I’m not…really sure how to say what’s bothering me…” Fluttershy admitted.

“Well, put it into as few words as you can. Simplicity is best in these situations.” Rarity waved her hoof gently, making the water swirl a little in front of her.

“…I…guess I can say something like that then…” Fluttershy browsed her mind for the proper words without giving away too much, “…Do you promise you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you?”

“Oh of course Fluttershy, I only want to help out my dearest friend; sadness does not suit you well dear.” Rarity said with her hint of sophistication as she was known for doing.

“…A-Alright…I…” Fluttershy gulped her words, “I…have feelings…for somepony.” She admitted. ‘Keep it ambiguous, don’t let her know its Rainbow Dash…’ Fluttershy thought to herself.

“Oh Fluttershy! How romantic! You simply MUST tell me who it is! Who is this debonair pony that has caught your heart?” Rarity said, leaning in to get a good listen. Rarity certainly was always a buzz for gossip like this.

“O-Oh…no, I-I couldn’t say…” Fluttershy tried to hide behind her hair, “B-Besides…I’m pretty sure they don’t even notice me…not that I’m noticeable…I’m certain nopony could really have feelings for me back…” her words became more and more mumbled as she lowered herself slowly into the tub, trying to shut herself up.

“Oh Fluttershy, of course you’re noticeable darling!” Rarity quickly moved closer to her friend, lifting her up out of the water, “All you need is some advice on how to attract this glorious stallion of your dreams!” Rarity chuckled.

“…M-Maybe…” Fluttershy blushed a little, looking away from her friend, ‘B-But it’s not a stallion…’ she thought to herself.

“Come now Fluttershy, no need to be shy. I, Rarity, shall give you all the advice you’ll ever need for attracting the eye of that special someone.” Rarity chuckled to herself as she prepared to get out of the spa tub.

‘…I hope this ends well.’ Fluttershy thought to herself, not sure what to expect.

“Welcome to Rarity’s ‘Attracting a Debonair Gentlecolt’ 101.” A floating piece of chalk wrote the words in big, cursive letters on a chalkboard behind Rartiy. They had returned to the Carousel Boutique for her lesson. She had adorned herself in a rather well-designed business suit, striped with white and a slightly frilled skirt that hung over her flank. Her hair was tied up in a bun, matched by a pair of black glasses that adorned her face.

“O-Oh my…” Fluttershy said sitting at a desk that had been set up for her. This was all very elaborate on Rarity’s part.

“Now, in today’s class we shall be talking about proper Gentlecolt courting etiquette.” Rarity walked graciously across the board as her chalk wrote, “Now, can anyone tell me, what is the first thing you do when you see a proper Gentlecolt?” She turned and looked at Fluttershy.

“Oh! Uhm…” Fluttershy fidgeted in thought, “Wait for them to notice you?” She asked quietly.

“Wrong!” A loud smack rose from her desk as a ruler was smacked down hard on it. Fluttershy let out a yelp as she jumped in her seat.

“While it is true that a proper Gentlecolt should ALWAYS make the first move, they cannot make a move on that which they cannot see.” Rarity explained as her chalk began to write once more, “The Approach is the first step in proper courtship. You must present yourself elegantly before the eyes of the one you wish to attract. He must know your presence has been made, and then he will approach. A proper Gentlecolt will always raise his hoof to you first.” Rarity mimed her words, turning her head as she lifted her hoof up, blinking her eyes flirtatiously at the air.

“…B-But…what if he doesn’t?” Fluttershy asked sheepishly.

“Hmm, well honestly I would never wish to attract such a stallion that was not a Gentlecolt, but I suppose if he did not see such an opportunity before him that you could initiate conversation yourself.” Rarity spoke while gently tapping her mane, “Never show yourself to be too eager. You want your Gentlecolt to always think he has to earn your heart, never just give it away.” Rarity smiled as she wrote a few more notes on the chalkboard.

“Now, let’s talk about the actual act of gaining your Gentlecolt’s attention.” Rarity gave her hair a good flip to show off her features, while fluttering her eyes some more, “Presenting yourself so that he can approach you is all about form, physique and attitude. You must present yourself at your most magnifique. Dress up in proper style, give your hair a wondrous makeover, and make yourself look as beautiful as possible. You simply must make yourself stand out.”

‘Looking…beautiful?’ Fluttershy contemplated this advice, ‘Would Rainbow Dash really care about how I looked?’ She focused on her thoughts.

Fluttershy’s attention was grabbed once more by the smack of the ruler on her desk.

“Pay attention dear.” Rarity said striding over once more. “Now tell me dear, what should be done about the actual time spent together with your affection?”

“…Uhm…do something…you both enjoy?” Fluttershy did her best to answer.

“Mmm…yes and no dear, good try though.” Rarity said pushing her glasses up on her face, “Doing something you both enjoy will certainly be something to come later. However, you must first get to know your Gentlecolt, make sure he shows you his true colors. You must make sure that he is truly the Gentlecolt you desire.” Rarity adjusted her glasses as if remembering a previous date that she would wish to forget.

“…Well, what do you suggest then?” Fluttershy asked after a moment of seeing Rarity lost in thought.

“Oh of course, excuse me.” Rarity cleared her throat. Her chalk floated up and wrote more notes, “For a first date you should simply get to know each other. Do so through conversation, perhaps go to a delightfully elegant soiree, getting in some close and romantic dancing always helps with this. A romantic dinner is also a wonderful idea, perhaps over some candlelight at a five-star restaurant, though on a budget I suppose a four-star could work as well.” She chuckled at herself.

‘…She didn’t react too much to the dinner I made her myself, besides liking the food…’ Fluttershy thought about the dinner idea.

“You can also set up a wonderful night for star gazing, or wandering a beautiful garden of flowers. Set up a night that’s about the two of you and let the magic spark!” Rarity chuckled to herself as she thought about such a wonderful night.

“All of this really works?” Fluttershy asked, a little confused on all the small details.

“Oh but of course dear. I’ve had several Gentlecolts ask me out to several wonderful nights.” Rarity complimented herself, “But of course I was mostly practicing with them. I’m still waiting for a true, proper prince that will sweep me off of my hooves. Being married into royalty is truly my life-long dream.” Rarity said as she softly bobbed her mane in her hoof again.

“Oh…I-I see…” Fluttershy thought about this advice.

“And of course, this is all an introductory course.” Rarity continued, “I have lots more advice, but it all gets much more advanced from here. I wouldn’t want to overwhelm you with too much before you’ve had a chance to let it sink in.”

“I see…thank you Rarity, I’ve never had dating advice before…well, and I’ve never really been on a date before either.” Fluttershy said thinking about that.

“Exactly. Now, we simply MUST make you a brilliant outfit to attract your affections attention!” Rarity said pushing her chalk-board aside and walking over to her work desk, pulling out paper and markers, beginning to sketch away.

“Uhm…a-are you making me a…new dress?” Fluttershy stood up from the desk she had been sitting at, walking towards Rarity.

“Oh but of course!” Rarity laughed as she sketched, “We can’t use any pre-made dresses for this! This is a special occasion Fluttershy. We shall make your affection say ‘Wow, what a beautiful mare, I simply must know you better’!” She happily sketched away as she amused herself.

“A-Are you sure something like my Gala dress wouldn’t work?” Fluttershy said, admitting to having become partial to the dress, even though at first she hadn’t liked it. It was still the dress that had helped her enjoy a bad night with all of her friends.

“Absolutely dear, I will make you look more magnificent then you have before!” Rarity chuckled, “Not an easy task, all of my previous outfits made you look simply amazing! And I’m planning to out-do myself once more!” Rarity had a big smile on her face as she worked.

‘Oh…I hope Rainbow Dash will notice all this…’ Fluttershy worried as Rarity began to work on stitching cloth together. She rubbed her hoof over her leg, ‘…I’m going to have to ask her out though, Rainbow would never come to me and ask.’ She felt frustrated at the thought, but she could handle it.

Fluttershy began to trot back and forth in the shop in contemplation as she heard the sound of the sewing machine hum.

‘But what kind of a date should I take her on? Should I let her know it’s a date? No, no if I let her know she probably won’t want to go out on it. So what should I do?’ Fluttershy walked over to the window of Rarity’s bedroom and looked out of it, ‘Perhaps a night star gazing? Would Rainbow find that boring? There’s no star-showers planned so she might get bored…if she gets bored she won’t want to be on the date anymore.’

Fluttershy sat down as her mind began to whirl a mile a minute.

‘I should do something special, but what can I do that’s special? I already know the kind of things Rainbow Dash likes, but I’m no good at all those things. Can I get her to like me? Should I even be trying? Would she hate me for what I’m doing? Is trying to understand my feelings really worth the possibility of ruining our friendship?’

Fluttershy closed her eyes as she lowered her head for a moment. She desperately wanted this to work, but she had a bad feeling in her gut.

“Now Fluttershy, don’t look so down, everything shall be alright.” Rarity walked over and patted her on the back, “Everything will work out just wonderfully, I know they will.”

“…Thank you Rarity.” Fluttershy smiled at her friend.

“Now come, I need to re-get your measurements; I can’t seem to find where I kept them from the last time.” Rarity said walking over to her desk and pulling out her measuring tape.

‘I hope she’s right, I hope everything will work out.’ Fluttershy sighed softly.

Chapter 4

The crowd cheered as the final words were spoken. With a quick movement of the hooves a sea of hats flew into the air. Music played loudly through the entire auditorium as hugs and cheers were spread far and wide. Some were crying, some were laughing, and some could only just smile broadly.

Fluttershy’s hat sat, still adorned to her head. She let out a soft sigh. It was graduation day from Flight School. She had barely passed, her flying skills were nothing impressive, but they were enough that the school deemed her ready to face the world. But despite that, she couldn’t feel happy.

The one pony she had hoped would be there cheering her on, that would be in the stands praising her for how much she had accomplished wasn’t there. She hadn’t heard a single word from Rainbow in over a year and she had given up hope that she would hear from the hero that had saved her from failing a long time ago.

The crowd around her began to fan out, heading into the stands to meet with family and friends. Fluttershy looked around as she stood there, everypony seeming to walk away from her. She imagined all the celebrations most of them would be having, having ‘Congratulation’ parties, spending late nights playing games or enjoying food, looking forward to the futures they had coming.

There was none of that for her. Her marks had barely allowed her to pass; her flying ability was too weak to help out with most of the jobs Cloudsdale had to offer. She didn’t want to return home and she hadn’t really made any friends in the clouds. Instead of spending time with other ponies in the clouds, she had often spent any free time she had either on the ground tending to animals or practicing her flying ability by herself; though her motivation to practice flying had almost faded out completely with Rainbow leaving.

With another sigh she began to leave the auditorium. There wasn’t anything more for her there; all the happy faces were only making her sadder.

“Hey, Fluttershy, hold on a moment.” Came a voice from behind her. Fluttershy turned around, not having expected to be stopped. One of the graduating colts flew down before her with a light tan coat and a red mane; his green eyes looked like they tried to offer comfort, but for some reason they scared her.

“O-Oh…h-hello?” Fluttershy mumbled quietly as she backed up a little, she didn’t know who this colt was, and she didn’t want to look foolish before him.

“You’re leaving already? You don’t want to stay for any of the festivities?” He asked curiously.

“N-No…that’s alright…t-thank you though…” Fluttershy was barely audible, even over the massive amount of talking happening all around them.

“Oh…well alright, I understand. You have things you need to do.” The young colt tried to smile, though it looked forced. Fluttershy just turned her head away, trying to hide a wince on her face, “Well hey, I just wanted to talk to you before you left. And, I wanted to give you this.” He reached into his graduation gown and pulled out a piece of paper, holding it out for her.

“W-What’s this?” She asked quietly, taking it from his mouth and unfolding it. It was a map that showed a route from Cloudsdale to a small town called Ponyville that stood beneath the mountain city of Canterlot.

“I’ve been asking around for you, and what I heard from a very reliable source is that a certain blue rainbow-haired pegasus has been seen working a weather job at that town.” He said casually.

“W-What?” Fluttershy’s eyes went wide as she looked at the colt before her, then back down to the map.

“I figured you’d like to know where she was before we all left. I didn’t think I’d get another chance to talk to you, so I figured I’d go for it now.” He nodded with a small smile on his face.

“…B-But…h-how did you know…I was looking for her?” Fluttershy looked up at the colt with large, pleading eyes.

“Well…”The colt said turning away from Fluttershy, “Let’s just say I gave you a letter once.” He let out a quick chuckle, “Goodbye Fluttershy, I hope I see you again someday.” And with that he flew off into the crowd of ponies, likely to join his friends and family.

Fluttershy blinked confused. She didn’t understand what he meant by that. She looked at the map again, almost unable to believe what it meant.

‘So…if I go to Ponyville…I’ll be able to meet up with Rainbow Dash again? Will she really be there?’ Fluttershy asked herself, not sure what to make of the map. She didn’t know of any reason the colt had to lie to her, but in all her time at flight school only a few ponies had ever approached her, and most did it to make fun of her. She had been teased so much about her poor flying she had just given up on the idea that she’d make any good friends since Rainbow had left.

‘…What do I have to lose?’ She thought to herself as she headed out of the auditorium. The fresh air hit her, giving her a sense of refreshment. The auditorium had gotten stuffy from how many ponies had been inside. She quickly began to walk her way across the clouds, looking around the buildings that sat atop the clouds, accentuating the sky.

She looked around at the school she had flown in for the past few years and what it had all meant to her. She had put the challenge out to herself to graduate from the flight school; she had done it because she wanted somepony to be proud of her, somepony like Rainbow Dash.

It didn’t take her long to leave campus, continuing past the rest of the buildings in Cloudsdale and walking to the edge of the city. She looked out over the edge at the ground far below. She checked the map once more, figuring which direction she would have to fly to reach Ponyville.

“…I guess this is goodbye then Cloudsdale.” She said turning to look at the cloud city that had been her home since she was born, “Thanks for everything.” She bowed courtesly to the city, as if it was a living thing that had feelings. She gently placed her graduation hat on the cloud edge, before slipping out of the graduation gown and folding it gently and placing it next to the hat. She picked the map up before stretching her wings out.

She jumped, taking flight, heading for the pony she wanted to be closest to.

Fluttershy tapped her hooves awkwardly. She had been waiting outside of the restaurant for half an hour now waiting for Rainbow Dash. She had gotten there early because her nerves had gotten to her, even though Rarity’s advice was to be fashionably late, she couldn’t bear the thought of having to keep Rainbow waiting.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the quickly approaching blue pegasus. She tried to gulp down the tensions that had been building up, it was now or never to give Rainbow her best impression. She had to make tonight the night she found out if Rainbow would like her the same way she did, or if they were meant to be just friends.

“…Oh!” Rainbow Dash said stopping, almost having passed Fluttershy. She stopped and landed before her, “I…almost didn’t recognize you…what’s with the gettup?” Rainbow eyed Fluttershy curiously, pointing to her dress.

“Oh…Rarity made it for me. I-I wanted to show it off b-because of how well it looked.” Fluttershy said her white-lie. The dress was rather elegant, the center piece was a red rose, elegantly wrapped around her neck and circling around her wings. Light pink cloth clung to her body yet flowed loosely over her legs, the skirt light in the air over her flank. The dress accentuated the pattern of petals and leaves, colors that blended with her hair and eyes while showing making her coat stand out. Her shoes complimented the dress with a mixture of red, with green wrapping up her legs. Her hair was adorned with red, pink and green flowers, a red rose hung from her ear. All the colors blended subtly, yet strikingly bold to view, Rarity had worked her heart out on making it work just right to accentuate her beauty.

“Huh…well it uh…it looks good on you.” Rainbow Dash said trying to compliment her friends fashion.

“Really?” Fluttershy perked up hearing this.

“Yea, but uh, how about we get to eating? I’m starved from all the flying I’ve been doing.” Rainbow said while looking at the restaurant they stood before, “Though I’ve never heard of this place before. How come we’re eating here?”

“Oh, Rarity gave me a pass so we could eat here, apparently they owed her a favor and she gave it to me.” It wasn’t a complete lie.

“Now darling, you simply must start the night out right. Before you do anything else you must make sure you’ve set the atmosphere for the night. Here, this is a 5-star restaurant that is almost always booked but they gave me a free pass to eat there any night I wished. They’ll make room for your date.” Rarity’s words echoed in Fluttershy’s mind.

Fluttershy walked over to the doorcolt as she carefully pulled out a ticket and presenting it to him; he took it and read it over carefully.

“I see, follow me please.” The doorcolt nodded at them as he walked inside the restaurant. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash quickly followed after him. The restaurant was very formal indeed, all of the patrons were dressed in their best, making Rainbow stand out being so informally undressed. The carpet was a beautiful deep velvet red; the tables were magnificently decorated with white clothes surrounded by red chairs. The silverware and plates were of the highest quality and the lights were dimmed above with candles alight on every table. Soft classical music played live throughout the restaurant from several ponies.

“…This place seems kind of…high class.” Rainbow said feeling a little awkward about the atmosphere.

“Well, it is a restaurant recommended by Rarity…” Fluttershy smiled softly, “She wouldn’t recommend any place that didn’t have a certain amount of class to it.”

The two of them were lead to a balcony just outside the restaurant; it faced the setting sun that lit the sky a glorious orange. Most of it was already filled with properly dressed ponies dining, but there was a recently set up table as if made special for them. The idea made Fluttershy happy, a table made specifically for the two of them.

“Here is your table.” The doorcolt placed two menus on the table as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash sat down, “Your waiter will be with you momentarily.” With that he walked off.

“…I can’t read what’s on this menu.” Rainbow Dash said looking through the list, practically flipping it upside down. Fluttershy looked at the menu herself and instantly understood Dash’s problem. Most of the names of the food were in a different language, the descriptions described them in no clear detail. Even the pricing of the food wasn’t made perfectly clear.

“Ugh…they can’t have something simple like vegetable buns or hay fries?” Rainbow dropped the menu onto the table and looked at it dully.

“I-It’s alright Rainbow…I can order for the both of us.” Fluttershy said quietly, “I’m sure you’ll like the food.”

“Yea yea, I’m sure it’ll taste better than it sounds.” Rainbow sighed as she closed the menu, “How come we had to come here to eat anyway? I don’t really like all this atmosphere.” She groaned.

“…I’m sorry; I choose this place because of Rarity.” Fluttershy blushed turning her head away.

“Well, I guess I can’t blame you for that.” Rainbow played with her spoon bored, “Though I would have just preferred another meal like you had cooked. That dessert you made was amazing, I’ve been meaning to ask you to make me some more.”

“You really like them that much?” A big smile came to Fluttershy’s face, “Of course I’ll make you some more, anything for you.”

“Hey, what’re ya’ll doin here?” Fluttershy and Rainbow turned their heads, seeing Applejack with an empty cart standing next to the balcony looking at them.

‘Oh no’ Fluttershy thought seeing their earth pony friend there.

“Hey Applejack, apparently Rarity suggested we should have dinner here, but it’s too upscale for my taste. What about you? Why’re you here?” Rainbow asked curiously.

“I was just finishin’ mah delivery of apples to this place. They order twelve barrels of our finest apples.” Applejack explained.

“Well hey, how’d you like to have dinner with us? This place is a bit of a drag anyway.” Rainbow invited.

“Well shucks, that sounds mighty fine. Don’t mind if ah do.” Applejack slipped the cart off and hopped onto the balcony.

‘…B-But!’ Fluttershy felt her heart sink as Applejack sat down next to them, ‘M-My d-date with…Rainbow Dash…’

“Hey Fluttershy, how come you’re all gussied up?” Applejack asked tilting her head at Fluttershy. Fluttershy’s hoof met her face.

“-And then Big Macintosh said ‘Well that ain’t no barn that ah’ve ever seen.’” Applejack’s story erupted a chorus of laughter from her and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy didn’t feel much like laughing though. She slowly ate the meal that had been brought out for her, mostly playing with tidbits of her food. She was grateful it was free thanks to Rarity; otherwise she would feel like she was wasting her money.

“Ah, we laughed for a long time once they left.” Applejack chuckled before turning to look at the sky. The sun had set a while ago; the night was beginning to wrap the town. “Oh shoot, ah’ve stayed a bit too long, ah still got some work left to do before the night is over.” Applejack lowered her head and quickly finished her food in her usual manner.

“Mmm, that is some good eats.” Applejack licked her lips, before looking at Fluttershy, “You said this was on the house right?”

“Y-Yea…” Fluttershy meekly answered.

“Well alright then, I’ll see you girls later then.” Applejack nodded before hopping off of the balcony. She quickly reattached her cart and headed off.

“Well, that certainly was fun.” Rainbow chuckled as she finished her own food. Fluttershy didn’t respond to this, just letting out a sigh.

“Something wrong Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked as she quickly wiped her mouth with the cloth that had wrapped her utensils.

“Oh uh…n-no, nothing’s wrong.” Fluttershy quickly thought about the situation, “H-Hey…I uhm…would you like to go for a walk? It’s a beautiful night out after all.” Fluttershy said, wanting to move on from the wrecked dinner, hoping the rest of the night she had planned would fare better.

“…A walk? Are you sure?” Rainbow looked curiously at Fluttershy, “That doesn’t sound like it’d be all that fun.”

“Uh…w-well…I have a surprise waiting at the end of it. It won’t be ready till a little later, so I figured it’d help pass the time.”

“A surprise?” Rainbow said thinking about it, “Well alright, I don’t have anything else to do.” Rainbow said getting up from the table, “Lead the way Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and brought a smile to her face. She hoped her surprise would impress Rainbow.

The park was lit up by torches and the moonlight. All the flowers seemed to glow in the gentle light they bathed in, the trees and the shrubbery gave off a gentle glow. Fluttershy loved the look of nature in the night lights, the gentle coolness of the night air, and the subtle chirpings of a summer’s night. It all seemed so beautiful to her.

“So what’s my surprise anyway? Is it some rad gift? Or perhaps its plans for a new trick? Oh! Maybe you’ve set up a party.” Rainbow Dash flew around in the air as she was trying to figure out what Fluttershy had planned.

“You’ll just have to wait and see.” Fluttershy explained with a smile as she continued to walk. She kind of wished Rainbow would just enjoy the scenery like she was, but she already knew that wasn’t Rainbow Dash’s style.

“If you ever need to just spend some quality time with your date, a romantic gesture is always a simple walk through the park. It’s beautiful, romantic and sure to inspire awe in their eyes.” Rarity’s words echoed in her mind once more.

‘I don’t know if the dating advice Rarity gave me is work for Rainbow Dash…’ Fluttershy thought, looking at the pegasus doing loops in the sky out of anticipation and boredom. However, the antics still made her smile, ‘But…it’s still that about her that makes me like her.’

PWANG. Fluttershy felt something soft, yet hard hit her head, sending her crashing to the ground. She coughed at the dust that flew into her face, as she turned her head, seeing a red bouncing rubber ball bouncing away from her.

As she tried to stand up a can fell in front of her face that proceeded to burst open, spewing snakes at her.

“KYAAAAA” she screamed rushing backwards, ending up crashing into something that proceeded to collapse on top of her.

“Whoa, you alright Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked, swooping down to the pile of stuff that had fallen on top of her.

Fluttershy groaned as she sat up, looking at everything that had fallen on top of her. There were toys, decorations, pranks and games all within the pile. She turned her head and saw the wagon she had run into.

“Oh my gosh, you’re not hurt are you?” Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared in front of Fluttershy’s vision, “I couldn’t see anything in front of me so I was hoping I wouldn’t run into any pony.”

“Y-Yea…I’m okay Pinkie Pie…” Fluttershy said as Pinkie Pie helped Fluttershy stand up. Fluttershy felt something tug on her dress, as if caught by something in the pile. She pulled a little trying to get it loose, when she heard it rip. She looked over and saw the rather long rip down the skirt of her dress, showing more of her back leg through the fabric. Fluttershy let out a sigh as she looked at it.

“Hey Pinkie Pie, what’s with all the stuff?” Rainbow asked picking up a jack-in-the-box from the pile and looking at it curiously.

“Oh! I’m setting up this park for a super-big party tomorrow! I was gone for a while so I’m trying to catch up on all the partying opportunities I missed.” Pinkie bounced in explanation, “What’re you girls doing out here though?”

“Oh, well Fluttershy said she has a surprise for me.” Rainbow explained proudly as jack burst from his box before putting him back in the pile.

“Ooooh! A surprise? I love surprises! Is it candy? Or some kind of gift? Oh! Maybe its some kind of midnight party!” Pinkie said excitedly, “Can I come? Can I can I?”

“Sure, I don’t see why no-” Rainbow Dash was interrupted by a blur of wind as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie seemed to disappear.

“Pinkie Pie! Y-You can’t come with us.” Fluttershy said in a hurriedly quiet breath behind a tree she had drug Pinkie behind.

“Huh? Why not?” Pinkie pouted.

“It’s just…its…” Fluttershy stumbled on her words, “This is…it’s a very important surprise for me, a-and its supposed to be only for Rainbow Dash.”

“Awww…you couldn’t make a surprise that fits in more of your friends?” Pinkie asked tilting her head.

“I-I could…b-but…t-tonight’s special to me…” Fluttershy turned her head blushing, “I-I want things to be…perfect…but they don’t seem to be going that way…” she shook her head lightly, “I-It’s not that I don’t want to hang with you…j-just tonight I want it to be just…m-me and Rainbow Dash.”

Pinkie Pie looked at Fluttershy carefully. Fluttershy felt herself wanting to back up and curl away from Pinkie Pie’s stare, as if she was seeing through her.

“W-Well I-“ Fluttershy started, but was stopped when Pinkie raised her hoof.

“Look me in the eyes Fluttershy.” Pinkie said with a smile. Fluttershy blinked in confusion as she did as Pinkie asked. Pinkie seemed to be staring at her intently, as if trying to look into her mind. Fluttershy felt uncomfortable by the staring.

“…I see.” Pinkie closed her eyes smiling.

“Y-You do?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“Don’t worry Fluttershy, I understand.” Pinkie said walking next to Fluttershy and wrapping her hoof around her shoulder, “I can see how important this is to you. So I’ll make sure to stay out of your way, just make sure you make it special. After all, your Auntie Pinkie Pie has your back!” Pinkie chuckled before bouncing out of the trees.

“I-I’m still a year older then you…” Fluttershy mumbled as she slowly followed after Pinkie.

“Sorry Dashie, I’d love to come and see the surprise but I just realized I’m too busy setting up for the party. Enjoy it though!” Pinkie told Rainbow as she started picking up the fallen objects and putting them back in the wagon.

“Oh, well that’s alright then.” Rainbow smiled, “Looking forward to your party though. You know I’ll be there.”

“Oh it’ll be a great party!” Pinkie cheered once she had everything stacked back up. She began to pull the cart deeper into the park.

“Pinkie Pie is always so random.” Rainbow chuckled looking at Fluttershy.

“Y-Yea she is.” Fluttershy awkwardly smiled back, “B-But come on…the surprise isn’t too much farther.” Fluttershy said waving at Dash to continue walking with her.

“Awesome, I can’t wait.” Rainbow grinned.

The park gave way to a large, open grassy field. There was a small hill raised towards the center that was often used for star gazing and picnics, though tonight the field was mostly empty. There were a few random ponies enjoying the night, but what seemed the most unusual was a small gathering of uniformed unicorns near the hill.

“This is the place.” Fluttershy smiled.

“…Here? This is my surprise?” Rainbow asked confused.

“Well, no, THIS isn’t the surprise. But it’ll happen here.” Fluttershy smiled, “I promise you won’t be disappointed.” Fluttershy said as she trotted towards the hill. Rainbow Dash shrugged as she followed behind Fluttershy.

“Excuse me sirs, but we’re here now, will you be ready to begin soon?” Fluttershy asked the uniformed group of unicorns. They quickly turned to each other; spoke quickly amongst each other, before their leader turned to her.

“Give us five minutes and we can start the show.” He nodded.

“Excellent.” Fluttershy smiled before heading up the hill.

“So what exactly is this?” Rainbow asked, floating over the hill.

“You’ll see.” Fluttershy smiled, “But it’ll be about five minutes before it starts.”

“Five minutes? Alright, I’ll practice one of my tricks then to pass the time.” Rainbow said quickly dashing high into the sky. Fluttershy watched her fly in amazement. She always enjoyed watching Rainbow Dash practice, though she rarely had the opportunity to, since she often practiced during the day.

Rainbow was flying fast through the sky, looping around and barrel rolling her way through the night sky. Fluttershy sat in awe as Dash went into a barreling backflip, before racing straight for the ground. She sped at the ground, before the last moment turning sharply, her hooves skidding against the ground as she came to a sudden stop before the unicorns.

“Oh, heh, sorry.” She apologized for kicking dirt around them. They just huffed at her, but seemed to be ready to start their show. The leader turned to his group and instructed them, as the horns on their heads began to glow.

“Oh! Rainbow Dash, it’s starting!” Fluttershy called over to her, patting the ground next to her.

“Excellent.” Rainbow Dash said sitting down next to Fluttershy, “Let’s see what this is all about.”

The horns of the unicorns flared up, before one of them launched an orb of light quickly into the sky. It went high up before exploding in an eruption of lights, spewing the multi-colored embers into multiple directions. Another bolt of light quickly fired into the sky as well, erupting into another burst of colored light.

“Whoa! Fireworks!” Rainbow said amazed at the site. Fluttershy couldn’t help but grin at Rainbow’s reaction. It had cost her quite a few bits to get the firework ponies to do a special show for her, but seeing Rainbow Dash enthralled by the spectacle made every bit worth it.

The fireworks continued to burst in the sky, enthralling all the ponies that had just happened to be visiting the park that night. The fireworks lit up the night sky and the ground bellow in a beautiful flash of color, the booms of the exploding magic echoed throughout their bodies giving a majestic feel.

“How do you like it?” Fluttershy asked, looking over at Rainbow quickly.

“…Incredible.” Rainbow said with a grin on her face, completely enthralled by the fireworks.

‘Success!’ Fluttershy thought while grinning as she pumped her hooves a little to herself. This night was going to end well, despite all the screw ups till that point; this was going to make up for it!

“LOOK OUT.” Came a frantic yell.

“Huh?” Fluttershy was knocked out of her thoughts as she saw a bright orb of magic appear right in front of her face. A bright flash of light filled her vision as the firework exploded merely a foot away from her, the hill becoming the center of a bright star-like object for just a moment. The entire park was lit up by the beautiful light for a moment, before it faded away.

“What was that!?” The leader unicorn yelled at the unicorn that had stumbled, sending a stray firework into the crowd.

“S-Sorry sir, my hoof slipped on this.” He pointed down to the tracks in the ground that had been dug up when Rainbow Dash had landed before them.

“Ugh, what have I told you about stepping forward when you’re working?” The lead unicorn groaned putting a hoof to his face.

“Hey, Fluttershy, you alright?” Rainbow Dash asked flying back to the top of the scorched hill, having been able to dodge the firework, thinking Fluttershy was going to do the same.

Fluttershy sat there, her face black and her dress a charred mess. Her hair was frizzled and the flowers in her hair had disappeared. She certainly looked like she’d been hit with a firework.

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow stepped closer to her pegasus friend.

Fluttershy’s eye twitched, before she suddenly stood up. She lowered her head as her teeth began to clench. She took a deep breath, before screaming into her mane.

“Whoa, Fluttershy, are you hurt?” Rainbow asked, trying to get close to her friend.

Rainbow didn’t get a response though. Fluttershy turned on her heels and began to run in no particular direction.

“H-Hey! Fluttershy! Wait up!” Rainbow said opening her wings and going after her. Fluttershy made it to the edge of the field before Rainbow stopped in front of her, “Hold up there, why are you running away?”

Rainbow finally got to see Fluttershy’s face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“This…This whole night was ruined!” Fluttershy shook her head as she cried.

“Ruined?” Rainbow asked confused.

“What was the point of getting dressed up? It didn’t make a difference!” Fluttershy threw her head up, “Dinner was a fiasco, the walk was nothing special, the show was supposed to go off without a hitch!” Fluttershy didn’t care anymore; she just had to say everything on her mind.

“But no! At every turn the whole night something had to step in and make my plans go wrong! Nothing can ever go right!” Fluttershy collapsed to a sitting position on the ground as she sobbed.

“…Whoa…I think I missed something.” Rainbow said looking at her friend in confusion, “Fluttershy, what’s going on here? Why was all of this so important?”

Fluttershy grit her teeth as the tears kept flowing. ‘I guess it’s now or never…’ her mind told her.

“Because…because I…I-I…I…lobgh…” her words were quiet and muffled.

“Because what? You went quiet.” Rainbow said, turning an ear towards Fluttershy.

“…I…I luhb…hyu” Fluttershy was barely understandable.

“Speak up, I can’t hear you.” Rainbow demanded.

“I LOVE YOU, OKAY!?” Fluttershy threw her head up as she finally said it. Rainbow’s head instinctively snapped backwards a little, not having expected that. “Tonight was supposed to be the night I figured out where we stood, if we’d just stay friends or if we could have something deeper, but no, I can’t be granted that.”

“…You…love me?” Rainbow repeated the first words as if lost in thought. Fluttershy wiped her face with her hoof, trying to get rid of some of the tears as she sniffed.

“I-I’m sorry…” Fluttershy hiccupped, “I s-shouldn’t have said that…y-you probably don’t feel that way about me…” she said as she turned her head away from Rainbow Dash. “I-I even understand…i-if you don’t want to be friends anymore…” She closed her eyes, as she already jumped to the worst conclusion.

There was a soft silence between the two of them. It was Rainbow Dash that eventually broke the silence.

“…Fluttershy…I’m going to have to be honest with you…” Rainbow spoke, hesitation in her voice, as if unsure of what she was about to say.

‘Oh no…here comes the rejection.’ Fluttershy squeezed her eyes close as she tried to brace for the emotional impact.

“…I don’t know how to feel about this.”

“…Huh?” The words escaped Fluttershy’s mouth as she felt herself stumble out of bracing for impact, looking up at Rainbow Dash.

“I’ve…never thought about ANYPONY romantically. Not a filly or a colt, not a mare or a stallion.” Rainbow explained, as she seemed to be looking into her own past.

“Huh?” Fluttershy repeated.

“But…you’re also a very close, dear friend of mine Fluttershy; one that forgave me for running away, who is always willing to help me when I need it and even will feed me when I can’t feed myself. You put up with a lot of my selfishness without a word of complaint…And I can’t just turn you down if I don’t know for sure how I feel about this.”

“…Huh?” Fluttershy’s brain was stuck on loop.

“Stop saying ‘Huh’ for a moment and hear me out.” Rainbow said putting a hoof to Fluttershy’s mouth. Fluttershy simply nodded, looking dumbfounded. Rainbow removed her hoof and continued talking.

“I care about you, like a friend. Right now I don’t have any feelings for you beyond that.” Rainbow explained as Fluttershy clung to her every word.

“But…for you Fluttershy, after everything we’ve been through together…I’m willing to give being with together a shot.”

Fluttershy’s mouth opened to say something, but proceeded to be filled with a blue hoof again.

“However, this is still new to me. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel the same way, or even if I’ll be head over hooves for you. Now…if you can accept that, then I’ll give dating you a try. Deal?” Rainbow lowered her hoof from Fluttershy’s mouth.

Fluttershy stood there staring at Rainbow Dash, not sure what to think. This was a situation she never thought she’d be in. She desperately tried to gather herself and speak back up.

“…W-Well…” Fluttershy said, after taking a deep breath and trying to calm her beating heart, “…If this…doesn’t work out…w-will we still be…friends?” Fluttershy asked meekly.

“Of course, I could never lose you as a friend.” Rainbow grinned at her.

“…T-Then…” Fluttershy turned her head away from Rainbow, before looking at her from behind her mane, “W-will…Will you take my feelings…seriously…in t-this experiment?”

Rainbow let out a soft chuckle and stepped closer to Fluttershy. Fluttershy wasn’t sure what to expect, but Rainbow put a hoof to her cheek and made her turn to put them face to face. Fluttershy’s eyes went wide as she felt Rainbow’s lips press against her own, her face flushing a bright red.

“What do you think?” Rainbow asked with a grin after separating. Fluttershy’s lips quivered for a moment, before she showed a small smile, small, but one that was so very big in her heart.

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cried happily as she hugged Rainbow.

“Hey, it’s the least I could do.” Rainbow hugged her dear friend…no, she hugged her marefriend in return.

Epilogue

“Okay, so what’re some things we both like doing?” Rainbow asked looking at a blank sheet of paper.

“W-Well…I really like watching you practice.” Fluttershy thought.

“And I always like showing off.” Rainbow said writing down ‘Flight practice’ on the paper.

“You really like my cooking…so dinners are always an option.” Fluttershy said while thinking about possible new recipes to try for Rainbow Dash.

“Full bellies, check.” Rainbow said writing down ‘Dinner’ on the paper.

“Uhm…we both like hanging out with our friends, going to Pinkie Pie’s parties and getting a good sleep.” Fluttershy listed off the most obvious things first.

“Check, check and check.” Rainbow said listing off ‘Hanging out’, ‘Parties’ and ‘Napping’.

“Uhm…” Fluttershy said tapping her chin thoughts, “How do you feel about the weather you make for Ponyville?”

“Well, I love having a good thunderstorm! Flying past lightning as it strikes is one of the most intense things ever! The wind and rain in your mane is just incredible!” Rainbow grinned thinking about it.

“O-Oh…I just kind of prefer it when there’s a light summer shower of sorts. Watching the calm rain is rather soothing.” Fluttershy said thinking about it.

“Eh…close enough.” Rainbow said writing down ‘Weather fun’ on the paper. “What about pranks?” Rainbow asked looking up at Fluttershy.

“Oh…uhm…well I guess as long as it’s in good fun and no one is offended that they’re okay…I-I’m just not good at coming up with ones.” Fluttershy admitted.

“I’m counting it. You could join me and Pinkie in doing some awesome prank fests.” Rainbow chuckled as she wrote down ‘Pranks’.

“Well…I know you’re not too interested in taking care of animals like I do…how are you about swimming?” Fluttershy remembered enjoying a good swim every so often.

“Swimming? Well…it’s not as fun as flying, but I suppose its fun, can’t say I have anything against it.” Rainbow wrote down ‘Swimming’. “I know you’re not much for competitions like me and Applejack tend to have, but is there anything physical you enjoy?”

Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush at the way Rainbow worded that, “Oh uhm…W-Well…” Fluttershy rubbed a hoof over her leg as she thought, “P-Physical…I-I like h-hugging and cuddling…being close b-but…I’m not very strong or anything. I-I’ll mostly be a cheerleader for you…a-as best I can though.”

“Mmm…” Rainbow chewed the pencil in thought, “I’ve never been too big on stuff like that…” she tilted her head while crossing her hooves, “But, we are together now. I’ll have to try some of that with you, see if I like it.” Rainbow wrote down ‘Hugging?’ on the paper.

Fluttershy blushed again, thinking happily at the thought of cuddling with Rainbow Dash. She was really sticking to her word and giving this a serious try, it really made her happy.

Suddenly there were several knocks on Fluttershy’s door.

“Oh, I’ll get it.” Fluttershy quickly got up, heading for the door. Just as she was about to open the door, it flew open suddenly.

“Oh, there you are Fluttershy-dear. It took me forever but I was finally able to get your new dress looking as good as new. I even spruced up some of the finer edges, so it should shine ever more now.” Rarity said walking into Fluttershy’s house with a white box.

“O-Oh. Thank you Rarity, I appreciate it.” Fluttershy smiled.

“Now, you didn’t give me any of the details about what happened that night, so you simply MUST tell me now. How’d it go? I can’t imagine it going too well with the state your dress was in.” Rarity said before turning to see Rainbow Dash looking at Rarity with a pencil in her mouth, “Oh, good evening Rainbow Dash, I wasn’t expecting to see you in Fluttershy’s house.”

“Well I’m here.” Rainbow grinned before putting the pencil down.

“Oh…well uhm…about that night…” Fluttershy said, not sure what to say. She looked nervously at Rainbow Dash. “You see…I…” Rainbow could see Fluttershy’s invisible question of ‘What do I do?’

“Hey, go ahead and tell her Fluttershy, she is our friend, I’m sure she’ll understand.” Rainbow Dash with a grin, not really wanting to hide anything.

“What? You’ve already told Rainbow Dash?” Rarity said amazed, “Oh you simply MUST tell me now!”

“W-Well…I didn’t really tell her…s-see, it’s like this…” Fluttershy said nervously beginning her story.

“-And then she kissed me saying ‘What do you think?’ And we just kind of went from there.” Fluttershy finished her story, scrapping her hoof against the ground.

“Yea, it was shortly after that the Unicorn team came up and gave Fluttershy a full refund for the show. Man, those guys had egg on their faces.” Rainbow laughed nonchalantly.

“O-Oh…you mean…the pony you were trying to impress was…Rainbow Dash?” Rarity said still trying to process everything.

“Well…yea…I-I’m sorry I wasn’t forthcoming about it…” Fluttershy apologized softly.

“Good Heaven’s Fluttershy.” Rarity said shaking her head, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Hey, what’s with that tone?” Rainbow asked not liking the way Rarity said that.

“I-I’m sorry Rarity…I was just nervous.” Fluttershy rubbed her leg gently.

“Oh my, no WONDER your night was terrible.” Rarity sighed, “I gave you dating advice on how to attract a Gentlecolt, not Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash is far from a good Gentlecolt.” Rarity said in her usual sophisticated matter.

“Hey! I can be fancy when I need to, I just don’t feel like it.” Rainbow Dash huffed.

“Never the less, I gave the wrong advice for the suitor Fluttershy was trying to attract.” Rarity addressed Rainbow Dash before turning to Fluttershy with a smile, “And something simple would’ve been much better for attracting Rainbow Dash. Perhaps something with a rainbow flare to it, something that would visualize to her ‘I’m thinking of you’. Yes, it truly would make a gorgeous piece.” Rarity said smiling as she thought about it.

“S-so wait…you’re okay with Rainbow Dash and I…dating?” Fluttershy said a little surprised.

“But of course dear, whatever made you think I wouldn’t?” Rarity smiled at her dear friend, with a warming smile.

“Oh…I guess I was just nervous that you or the others wouldn’t like the idea…” Fluttershy admitted.

“Oh darling, you shouldn’t ever feel that way. We are your friends! We love you for who you are, and if you like mares then that’s fine by us. If it’s what makes you happy, then of course we support you!” Rarity said happily, “Though I must admit, I was hoping you’d fall for someone with a touch more grace, but not everypony is me I suppose.” Rarity chuckled.

“Oh haha, very funny.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes before walking up to Fluttershy, before showing Rarity a big grin, “But if you wouldn’t mind, Fluttershy and I were in the middle of some important ‘relationship’ business.” This comment elicited a large blush from Fluttershy as she tried to hide her face in her mane.

“Oh, but of course. How rude of me, I’ll go ahead and escort myself out.” Rarity smiled before heading back for the door. “Oh, and one more thing Rainbow Dash.”

“Yea, what is it?” Dash asked raising an eyebrow.

“You better treat Fluttershy right. She’s my dearest friend and I would hate to see anything sadden her.” Rarity glanced at Rainbow from the corner of her eye.

“You kiddin’ me? I’d rather lose my wings then do anything to hurt Fluttershy.” Rainbow grinned at Rarity.

“Very good. I leave her to you then.” Rarity nodded before her horn lit up, closing the door behind her.

“T-Thank you…Rainbow…t-that means a lot to me.” Fluttershy blushed as she spoke quietly.

“Hey, what’s a marefriend for?” Rainbow grinned before nuzzling up against Fluttershy. “Now come on, we need to finish this list before I figure out a good date to take you on.” Rainbow quickly walked back to where she had placed the paper before sitting down.

“Y-You? T-Taking me…on a date?” Fluttershy sounded surprised.

“Well yea. I’m taking this seriously, so it’s only fair that I take you out sometimes.” Rainbow picked up the pencil before scribbling on the paper again, “Besides, I may not know a whole lot about being mushy and romantic, but it requires effort on both parts right? You put the effort in, so it’s my turn now.”

Fluttershy blushed as a smile came to her face. “I guess you’re right.” Fluttershy happily headed towards Rainbow again. However, this time she sat down next to Rainbow, nuzzling up against her. A soft blush appeared on Rainbow’s face.

“H-Hey, that tickles.” Rainbow chuckled as Fluttershy nuzzled in close.

‘I have the best marefriend ever.’ Fluttershy thought to herself happily.