Where Your Heart Is

Sitting along a bench, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy spent a whole hour in awkward silence. After that moment to take a breather, enough time to assess their thoughts, Rainbow Dash helped her friend up and walked beside her. Fluttershy kept close but kept her head down the whole time. Eventually, they stop at an ice cream stand, Rainbow Dash ordering some ice cream and handed one to Fluttershy.

“Feeling better?” Rainbow Dash, asked.

While Fluttershy did appreciate the ice cream cone, she remained silent except for one sound:

“Hmm…”

The duo walked over to their picnic, enjoying their soft serve under the sun’s bask. Rainbow Dash was close to finished, but Fluttershy could hardly bring herself to eat her treat. It pained Rainbow Dash as she watched it melt under the sun. She knew Fluttershy had a deep love for ice cream and it was during this moment Rainbow Dash realized: She really messed up. If only she wasn’t so blind to how much Fluttershy loved her.

Fluttershy gazed at the ground in a forlorn manner, feeling Rainbow Dash’s gaze toward her. But she didn’t reward it by sharing the look. All she could inside was shame, embarrassment, and selfishness. The storm inside her mind brewed childhood memories, though she already dried away the tears long ago.

On the contrary, Rainbow Dash knew what she was thinking. They’ve known each other since kindergarten, right from the get-go. But this was the second time Rainbow Dash underestimated her. Whenever Fluttershy was picked on, Dash would at least pick up on the situation and rush to her aid. But now she sees she shattered her friend’s heart, a thousand times over.

“Why couldn’t I love who deserved it?” Rainbow Dash asked, to herself. "Why do I keep pretending to be someone I'm not?"

No matter how many times she repeated the question in her mind, she never found the answer nor came close to understanding it.

Rainbow Dash stood up from her side of the seat and sat next to Fluttershy. Moving close to her, the former wraps an arm around the latter, sitting in awkward silence. While Fluttershy held no objection towards the gesture, she didn’t acknowledge Rainbow Dash.

“You know I’m not angry, right?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You should know you did nothing wrong? And I’m staying with you?”

Though Fluttershy remained silent, she did shift her eyes a bit at least showing she heard her.

“…Y-Yea…” Fluttershy finally spoke.

“Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash swallowed. “I know it’s not easy; you have every right to hate me. But please… Please look at me.”

Reluctantly obliging her request, Fluttershy turned to Rainbow Dash with a dejected frown. The same one Fluttershy carried whenever she was bullied. Rainbow Dash would do anything to see her true smile again.

Fluttershy did nothing but look into Rainbow Dash’s eyes. Every minute she took to find an answer, it only harkened back to her early outburst. The closest thing a monster can get to hurting the ones they love. She saw the mark she gave Rainbow Dash, cringing the more she looked. Fluttershy turned the other way, knowing her friend deserved better. There was no other person in the world as selfish as her, even by her own standards.

“How could she ever forgive me…?”

<>

The early afternoon soon hit the park. Though the t-shirt was a tad dirty, it was safely tucked in the bag. Fluttershy had no need for it, though. It only served as a reminder of her cowardice. Had Fluttershy been honest from the very beginning, none of this would come to pass.

“I-I’m sorry,” Fluttershy whimpered again. “I’m so… So sorry…”

Rainbow Dash moved closer, hugging Fluttershy in the tightest embrace she could muster, rocking her as comfortably as she could, a move that slightly worked.

“Shh… It’s alright. It’s not your fault—”

“But it’s true,” Fluttershy whimpered, with a high-pitched voice. “Today was your day; I took that away from you.”

Gently holding her chin up, Rainbow Dash held Fluttershy’s face so she could see her. To look softly into those melancholy eyes. Fluttershy did all she could to avert those eyes, but she couldn’t turn away from her friend.

“I’m sorry,” She meekly whispered. “For being such a failure…”

SMACK!

Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy a slight peck on the lips, the latter’s eyes widen in surprise. Her mouth gaped, as pure joy filled her heart. What little sadness there was left, her emotions felt like the sun breaking through a cloudy veil and all the rain clouds dissipate. Her whole life built up to this one moment, never giving a thought it would ever occur. And yet, it did happen… Unlike anything Fluttershy ever experienced till today. It filled her with the most wonderful joy she desired to last.

“I am, too,” Rainbow Dash whispered. “I was foolish to ignore your feelings; I’m the one who was terrible towards you.”

“N-No! It’s not your fault, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy screamed, in her thoughts. “Today is your day! This is a joyous occasion!”

Fluttershy did her best to convey this message, but something different came out entirely.

“Don’t beat yourself up, Rainbow Dash!” She ordered, in a dominant voice. “You helped me so much… And I love you for it. Just like… Back then…

<>

“Fluttershy! Could you come here?”

Three years old and barely moving, Fluttershy walked into the room in her usual shy manner, only to stand face-to-face with a strange woman at the front door. This was the first time she ever met a grown-up who wasn’t her parents and even with that friendly smile, Fluttershy bashfully hid in the safety of her mother’s embrace.

“No need to be scared, Fluttershy,” Her mother cooed, holding her hand. “This is our new neighbor. Would you please say ‘hi’?”

Fluttershy barely looked at the stranger, slowly walking forward.

“It’s okay,” The woman assured. “I won’t bite.”

The little girl reached her hand out, touching her shin out of innocent curiosity. She lifts her head up, seeing that the woman was laughing with the brightest smile imaginable.

“H-Hi…” Fluttershy spoke, quietly.

“It’s nice to meet you, Fluttershy,” The woman responded, patting her little head.

The woman then reached into her coat pocket, revealing a small chocolate bar.

“Would you like some?”

Fluttershy slowly nodded, gently taking the candy bar. She carefully unwraps the corner of the tinfoil and takes a tiny bite of the chocolate. It was smooth, rich, and creamy, making her taste buds jump.

“T-Thank you,” Fluttershy smiled.

“You’re welcome,” The woman giggled.

The woman soon turned toward the yard, as the sun glared before her.

“Rainbow Dash! You can come out now!”

On command, a little toddler approached with a bright smile. She was as small as Fluttershy, who never met anyone like her. The girl before her was dressed in a thunderbolt t-shirt with a pair of blue overalls.

“Hewwo!” The little toddler exclaimed, reaching out. “I’m Rainbow Dush!”

But even with the little girl’s friendly gesture, Fluttershy was terrified. She kept close to her mother, hiding behind her leg. Rainbow Dash was confused, for every step she took Fluttershy stepped further away. Fluttershy’s mother only gave Rainbow Dash a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, she’s just a teensy bit shy,” Fluttershy’s mother said, turning to her daughter. “And don’t you worry, sweetie. Rainbow Dash is a friend; she just wants to play with you.”

Fluttershy glanced at her mother, then Rainbow Dash, back-and-forth multiple times. Walking cautiously forward, with her mother’s encouragement, Fluttershy stood face-to-face with Rainbow Dash. Though she still kept her head down, while twirling her fingers anxiously.

“H-h-hi,” She squeaked. “I’m F-Fluttershy. Are y-you really a-a fweind?”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash shouted, hugging her tightly. “We are best fweinds now, Fluttershy!”

The mothers happily laughed, while their daughters became well-acquainted with one another.

“Y-Yay!” Fluttershy replied, happily. “L-Let’s pway together!”

<>

“Ow!”

Immediately, Rainbow Dash came to a screeching halt. Some years later, while they were playing tag one day, Fluttershy was it as Rainbow Dash ran.. But as she tried to catch her friend, Fluttershy fell down and scraped her knee along the pavement of the sidewalk. Rainbow Dash turned and rushed to her, quietly wincing while her friend’s knee bled. Tears swelled in her eyes, as she sucked the air through her teeth and cradled her knee while sitting down.

“Owwwwww!”

“Fluttershy!”

Bending down, Rainbow Dash examined her friend’s scraped knee. It wasn’t major or serious, but it would require a few days to heal. Fluttershy did all she could to wipe away her tears, but she the crying never stopped. It was one trait she loathed about herself, wishing to do something to make it end but it never came to pass.

“Fluttershy, are you okay?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy didn’t speak, she just shook her head with her eyes closed. She thought Rainbow Dash would belittle her for crying, yet no mockery came. Instead, Rainbow Dash looked at her as if trying to figure out what to do for her. It was her sympathy that took Fluttershy by surprise. She expected her friend to insult her, tell her to suck it up, or leave altogether. But not Rainbow Dash, she was genuinely concerned for her.

Rainbow Dash carried her back to the house, which was slow due to Fluttershy’s injury. In the bathroom, Fluttershy sat on the toilet seat while Rainbow Dash checked the medicine cabinet. She took out a clean washcloth, lathered it in warm water, and gently scrubbed the spot where the scrape was.

“Ow!” Fluttershy cried.

“Shh… Just give me a second,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

She scrubbed away the blood, cleaning the wound without risking infection. Then she finished it off with a band-aid along the scrape, just big enough to cover the whole wound.

“There,” Rainbow Dash sighed, placing a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “All better?”

After she finished sniffing, Fluttershy stopped crying and felt herself lit up. Which led to hugging Rainbow Dash so tightly, her eyes nearly popped out

“T-Thank you, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy giggled. “You’re the best friend in the whole world!”

“F-Fluttershy!” Rainbow stammered, gasping. “You-re c-c-c-crushing my spine!”

But Fluttershy still held on for about a minute or so before she eventually released, to Rainbow Dash’s relief. She took a few deep breathes, grateful her friend didn’t break any bones. The girl can be pretty strong without realizing it.

“You are the greatest friend I could ever have,” Fluttershy smiled.

“Yeah, maybe,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Say, how about we watch some T.V. or something? Don’t want my best friend getting hurt again, do we?”

“W-We can play some more,” Fluttershy argued. “I promise to be extra special careful next time."

Rainbow Dash thought about it and she hated to disappoint Fluttershy. But considering Fluttershy would be ‘it’ the entire time and given she’s slow enough even without injury, there’d be no satisfaction if it were just Rainbow Dash having fun. Reluctantly, she shook her head.

“Nah, I’m pretty beat anyway. How’s about we grab some snacks? I’ll even let you pick.:

“Oh… Okay!” Fluttershy nodded.

They walked down to the kitchen, Rainbow Dash in the lead and Fluttershy following behind. Briefly, Fluttershy slowly moved her hand towards Rainbow Dash’s, all the while trying to keep calm around her friend. She had felt weird around her friend for who knows how long. It was a good sort of weird, but nothing changed Fluttershy’s demeanor about her feelings toward her best friend.

She questioned these feelings all the same, but never found an answer… And she would continue to wonder for years to come.

<>

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash shook her shoulder. “Fluttershy? You okay?”

Immediately, Fluttershy shifted away from her childhood memories, regaining her will to smile. But to say she was happy is a severe understatement; her face lit with such joy her cheeks almost touched her eyes.

“I-I’m fine, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy nodded. “Y… You’re not doing all this to cheer me up… Are you?”

Instead of uttering a word, Rainbow Dash responds with another kiss. Only this time, this was a more passionate kiss, a deep one. Fluttershy was surprised, but she found solace. Succumbing to her friend’s embrace, her arms wrapped around her, they silently held onto each other. Blissfully rocking back-and-forth, Fluttershy passionately moaned as she caressed Rainbow Dash’s tongue with her own. True, the aftertaste of Rainbow’s burger remained, but Fluttershy didn’t care. Eventually, their lips parted, and Rainbow Dash’s smile was bigger than even Fluttershy’s.

“W-Wow!”

The only word Fluttershy could utter, while she giggled like a schoolgirl.

“That was… Paradise.”

“Pretty good for your first time, right?” Rainbow Dash chuckled.

“Well, I’ve seen it and… Well…” Fluttershy joked.

“Hey, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy stopped for a moment, as Rainbow Dash stared forlornly into the ground, her fingers in her pants pockets. Then she slowly looks up.

“I owe you a really big apology, for going with Soarin’, I mean… I can’t imagine what you went through. For years, I’ve been over your place and come to you for advice, never realizing you were suffering more than me. I wish I knew about it sooner…”

“O-Oh, let’s just forget about it!” Fluttershy exclaimed, her smile softens. “All I ever want is to see you smile, I know it wasn’t your fault what happened. I should have told you in the first place.”

As they talked, Fluttershy gazed at the night sky, as the stars began to appear.

“The important thing is we have no secrets anymore. Right?”

Rainbow Dash gripped Fluttershy’s hand even tighter, but not to the point it could break.

“No more secrets, I promise,” Rainbow Dash assured. “I love you, Fluttershy. I mean it. I was a moron not to realize these feelings sooner.”

“That makes two of us,” Fluttershy giggled. “Two outcasts against the world.”

“So true… So, should I be happy he’s single now?”

“Would you hate my guts if I said yes?”

At that moment, Rainbow Dash fell over laughing, pulling Fluttershy along and turning it into a loving embrace. If there was one thing about Fluttershy, she had a way of being funny without trying.

“Come on, there’s still some rides we didn’t go on. And we still have the whole afternoon together, right?”

Fluttershy nodded. For the rest of the afternoon, that’s exactly what they did. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash… Together…