Just After The Storm Breaks
It was mid-evening at the marketplace, and that meant one thing: chaos.
Not the sort of chaos that Discord usually brought, with tea tables that walked on their suddenly-bendy legs and sugar cubes that twisted and malformed into 5th-dimensional shapes, but the regular, less fun sort of chaos. The kind filled with customers rushing to get in their last few purchases before dinner. The kind that usually left Fluttershy stressed and tense. It was no wonder that she usually tried to avoid the market at that time of day.
Still, she had things she needed to pick up, and she told herself it couldn’t wait. The night was perfect, everything was planned just enough that it’d be inconvenient to re-plan, and, most importantly, she might lose her nerve if she waited any longer.
It’d been a week since a sodden pegasus limped her way to Fluttershy’s porch. One whole week since Rainbow Dash had stayed the night, and spent the next day helping Fluttershy with her various duties. Seven days since Rainbow had left again, and seven long, heart-wrenching days where Fluttershy wished she’d asked her to stay longer.
It wasn’t like they hadn’t seen each other since. Not quite. They’d said hello to each other in Twilight’s castle, but all the girls had been there at the time, so it wasn’t quite the same. Fluttershy quite preferred the quiet moments where everything fell away and it was just them two. Alone. Together.
It had hit her, a few days after she’d waved goodbye to Rainbow, then stared bleakly at the contrails she’d left behind, her lips forming unspoken wishes, unacknowledged feelings. Of course Rainbow hadn’t noticed her subtle hints. She wasn’t a subtle pony. That was okay, of course. Fluttershy liked her for who she was, and, in retrospect, letting Rainbow curl up with the blanket adorned with all the colors of her mane was probably not strong enough a cue for her to pick up on.
Neither was the quiet morning playing guitar, where she tried her best to infuse the music with how she felt, like Octavia had mentioned she’d done when she confessed her love to Vinyl. That was something Octavia would appreciate, and Vinyl would pick up on. That was their special language. Fluttershy just needed to try to speak in Rainbow’s. Not Octavia’s, or even Fluttershy’s. Which meant she would most likely have to do something terrifyingly bold.
It’d be out of her comfort zone, sure, but if it meant that Rainbow understood how much she loved her, then it would be all worth it. She just had to get everything perfect beforehoof. It was all planned out: she’d set up a picnic with Rainbow Dash’s favorite foods, and they’d stargaze together, and then Fluttershy would take the first step to confess her feelings, and…
And hopefully, Rainbow Dash would feel the same way. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if Rainbow said no. Sure, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, probably, and she would still be happy if they were just friends. Rainbow’s happiness was what was most important to her, even above her own feelings. She still hoped Rainbow would say yes, though.
Her preparations felt so short-notice, but at Sugarcube Corner that morning she’d run into Rainbow. She’d mentioned she had the evening off as they stood in line together, giving Fluttershy just the faintest whiff of ozone and juniper. She had, of course, jumped at the opportunity. She’d invited her to spend the night, and Rainbow had agreed before flying off to Wonderbolts practice.
The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, too! There was a meteor shower expected that night, and the newspaper predicted it’d be one to remember. Maybe the stars would help make things easier to say, but Fluttershy wasn’t too worried about how she’d say it. She’d been rehearsing it in her mind for years, and she was as ready as she’d ever be.
But first, she had to get the food for the picnic, which meant that she had to brave the marketplace without being trampled, or smashed into a vendor’s stall, or harassed by a merchant (they were usually very good about being patient with her, but every once in a while tempers wore thin). Fluttershy took a deep breath and mentally ran through her shopping list before stepping foot into the market.
She could do this. Be bold, for Rainbow Dash. Expressing her love for Rainbow in a way that Rainbow would understand and appreciate was, really, the least she could do.
Nursing a sore hoof, Fluttershy made her way up the hillside, picnic basket in tow. She’d had her hoof stepped on, but that was the only thing that hadn’t gone according to plan, so she could let it slide. She’d let her hoof be stepped on many more times if it meant that the evening would go perfectly! Humming to herself, she set down the picnic basket and double-checked everything was there.
There were sour candied pears dusted with sugar, apple cider straight from Applejack’s stall, dandelion salad with slivers of almond and cloudberries, and delicate honey-filled tarts that Mrs. Cake had spent quite a while on. It was a delicious, if indulgent, feast for the two of them. The stars would be the main event, though. At least, until Fluttershy told Rainbow how she felt.
Honestly, she felt like she should be a little more nervous about how she’d word it, and how Rainbow would feel, but they’d known each other since they were fillies. They’d been practically inseparable for as long as she could remember, and had very few misunderstandings between them. If anypony were to be understanding about her feelings towards them, it would be Rainbow Dash.
And the wonderful day they’d spent together a week ago had only confirmed that. Rainbow had looked so peaceful, so at home in her cottage and in her presence. If she was mistaken, and Rainbow was just “chillaxing” like she did with everypony else (which she wasn’t, Fluttershy was certain)... well, she’d deal with that when she got there.
A flicker of shadow crossed the hilltop, and Fluttershy squinted, raising a wing to shield her eyes from the sun. A few clouds lazily made their way across the sky, blocking sections of the sunset. Fluttershy frowned at them. They’d probably go away by the time the meteor shower started, right? Why would anypony want cloud cover on the night of shooting stars? She shook her head and laughed to herself. She was getting worked up over nothing. It would sort itself out.
A few distant pitter-pats made her cheeks lift in delight. She knew those pawsteps. “Hello, Angel,” she purred, moving the open basket into the shade of a thick oak tree to keep the cider cool. “Did you need anything? You know I’m spending the evening with Rainbow Dash.”
The small rabbit panted, resting its tiny white paws on its knees. Fluttershy waited for Angel to catch his breath, her mind wandering. The animals would be alright for one night. She’d made sure everycreature had been taken care of, and they should be all tucked in by then. Angel said that he’d make sure everything stayed calm for the evening, and encouraged (and, well, demanded) that she leave everything to him.
His head perked up and he looked into her eyes, frowning. Pressing his front paws together, he opened them like he was unfolding something.
“Cloth? Do you need a blanket?”
He shook his head then pointed at her, then at the ground.
“I need one, here?” She bit her lip, before realization struck her. “Oh, no! The picnic blanket! Wait right here and guard the treats, okay? I’ll be right back.”
She bolted towards her cottage without another word. How could she have forgotten the blanket? Sure, she hadn’t had the time to crochet one like her original plan had been, but one of her older ones would have to do. She could make one at a later date, when they had all the time in the world together.
Nearly crashing through her door, she scanned the kitchen. Picnic blanket, picnic blanket… under the sink, of course! She snatched the one on top before wheeling around, pausing at the door frame. Should she take her guitar? Rainbow had loved her music… no, best not to make things too complicated. The food and the stars would be plenty. They could come back to her house afterwards if Rainbow wanted.
A part of her wished her wings could carry her faster, like Rainbow Dash’s. She clutched the blanket to her chest as she flew past. Oh, what if Rainbow had gotten there early? She hadn’t had the time to set everything up perfectly yet! Though, Rainbow probably wouldn’t be too upset about it. She wasn’t fussy, like Rarity, or a perfectionist like Twilight. Still, it didn’t mean she couldn’t set it up as quickly as possible so that it’d be perfectly on time, right?
The first sign that something had gone wrong was the utter lack of Angel Bunny. She couldn’t even see his cottony tail poking out from behind the tree. Then her eyes fell on the toppled picnic basket, and the bottles of cider draining their last dregs into the soil below.
She dropped the blanket and rushed over to the basket. No, no, no! This was not how anything was supposed to go! Where was Angel? Had he done this, somehow? No, that didn’t make sense, he’d promised to watch over everything. He’d encouraged her to plan for this in the first place. He wouldn’t have sabotaged it.
One of her ears flicked slightly. There was a faint buzzing coming from the overturned basket. Gingerly, she peeked inside, squinting at the faint flicker of tiny movement. Wasps, swarming on the honey tarts. She didn’t even think, she just felt herself overcome with a cold rage.
“What do you think you’re doing? Get out of there, all of you!”
A few wasps hummed drunkenly as they rose out of the basket.
“Those weren’t for you. They were for Rainbow Dash, and you had to go and eat some of them, without even asking nicely. Did you bother to ask Angel, or- or did you just threaten to sting him?”
More wasps joined their friends, fixing their faceted eyes on the yellow pegasus. She gave them a furious Stare, barely able to contain her words.
“Mrs. Cake spent a long time on those for me, making sure they all turned out perfectly, and you had to go and sit on them and the rest of the food. Did you even wash your little wasp legs beforehoof? I can’t give her any of that now! What do you have to say for yourselves?”
One wasp droned back, but was silenced by a sharp buzz from another. One by one, they flew away as fast as their tiny wings could carry them, bobbing in a slight breeze that’d picked up. It chilled the corners of her eyes, and she wiped at them. Was she crying? No, she had to keep it together.
Sighing, Fluttershy picked up the empty bottles and set them into the picnic basket. It wouldn’t be exactly as she’d planned, then, but maybe she could explain to Rainbow Dash and they could go eat somewhere else, after the meteor shower. Not perfect, but hopefully good enough. She slowly spread out the blanket and tucked the basket next to the tree, out of sight.
Or, she tried to. The wind kept picking up the corners of the blanket and shifting them, wrinkling the fabric against the grass. She flopped down on top of it, spread-eagled, trying to hold it down before groaning into its warm softness. That wasn’t going to work. What if Rainbow Dash saw her like that? It wasn’t dignified, but she’d probably have a good laugh about it, and that’d make it all better. There were more practical solutions, though. She should look around for some rocks to weigh it down. Hopefully, they wouldn’t roll onto them while lying down to watch the shooting stars.
Rainbow Dash was due to arrive any minute, so she couldn’t look far, but she circled the hilltop, picking up a few stones that she’d hoped would do the trick. She could barely see them in the dim light, but she spread out the blanket - hopefully for the last time that night - and set them on the corners, towards the edges.
How had it gotten dark so fast? Hadn’t the sun just been setting? She looked up, but the sky was dark, a deep grey with faint streaks of peach where the sky beyond the clouds was just barely visible.
“No,” she murmured, squinting at the cloud cover, hardly believing her eyes. The sky rumbled back at her. It couldn’t be overcast. They wouldn’t be able to see the shooting stars! It would be dark, too, so it wasn’t as though they could look for shapes in the clouds or anything. She sniffled. Maybe… maybe this was a sign from Celestia or the cosmos or something. Maybe she should reschedule, or something. She’d tell Rainbow… something. She wasn’t sure what.
She couldn’t just say to try again another night, though, right? Rainbow would be disappointed! Fluttershy could picture it in her mind: Rainbow would be tired from Wonderbolts practice, and just as she was finally able to relax with the one pony she could feel at peace around, Fluttershy would turn her away. She couldn’t do that to her friend. She just couldn’t! She’d think of something fun for them to do, on the blanket. In the dark. With no food.
She scanned the horizon. Where was Rainbow, anyway? She squinted towards the lights flickering on in Ponyville. Nothing. Had she gotten lost? No, no, Rainbow had been here before. It wasn’t far from her cottage. Maybe she’d forgotten the time, but no, she remembered Rainbow confirming that she’d be there by around sunset. It was past sunset. Where was she?
The lights continued to spark to life in the houses of Ponyville as evening turned to night. A few crickets gave a couple of experimental chirps, but kept quiet, as though they too were waiting with bated breath.
So focused was she on squinting at the dimming horizon, she didn’t hear the sound of hesitant hops until Angel brushed a paw against her hoof. Fluttershy looked down at the rabbit. She didn’t need him to mime anything out; she recognized the look of understanding in his expression. Of pity.
“She’s not coming, is she?”
Silence.
“She didn’t want to come.”
Angel wrapped his paws around her hoof, resting his head against her leg.
“I can’t believe-” she cut herself off, choking back words and tears alike, just as the first drops of rain hit her back.
Fine. She’d leave the blanket, then, and get it in the morning. Maybe it hadn’t meant what she’d thought it meant, a week ago. Maybe she had just imagined they’d connected, that Rainbow had wanted to be in her company. They were bitter thoughts, as the drizzle matted down her mane, but they were all she could think.
Maybe Rainbow didn’t actually love her back. Not like that.
She shielded Angel with a wing and made her way back to her cottage, letting the rain soak into her fur. It was her turn to be chilled by the storm.
Her cottage was warm. Too warm. Far too comforting for her current mood. Angel shook himself off and hopped away towards the kitchen. A part of her distantly thought that she ought to apologize for not making sure he was alright after she’d found the wasps. He didn’t look hurt, but it still wouldn’t hurt to ask. She’d ask later, then. He’d understand that she didn’t want to talk now.
She curled up on a rug in front of the fireplace and let herself cry.
It was nice, not biting back the tears, letting them flow. It wasn’t like Rainbow, to bail out on a friend, and a part of her felt guilty for even feeling sad. Maybe Rainbow had a good reason for missing, and maybe it was really important to everypony else that she did… whatever she had planned to do.
But Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to care. Wasn’t she important, too? All of this, being perfect, being bold and taking the first step, this was important to her. It just… wasn’t very important to Rainbow, apparently. Rainbow Dash had her priorities, and Fluttershy… Fluttershy wasn’t one of them.
At some point, Angel curled up on top of her shoulder. She could feel the warmth of his fur against hers. It was a steady and calming presence, a reassuring feeling of solidarity. He didn’t make a move to try to stop her tears, he just rested there as she cried until her eyes hurt and she couldn’t cry anymore.
Somepony gently knocked on the door. She lifted her head, but didn’t go to check it. They didn’t knock again, and she rested her head back down on her hooves. If it was important, they’d come back later.
She must’ve dozed off, because the next thing she felt was somecreature- no, somepony, those were hooves - gently rubbing her back. She didn’t want to turn around. She didn’t want to guess who it was. She wasn’t certain if it’d hurt more if it were Rainbow, or somepony else. The whiff of juniper and ozone she caught could’ve been anypony, she told herself.
Rainbow didn’t give her a choice to remain in ignorance. She gingerly scooped Angel off Fluttershy’s back before rolling her onto her belly. “Hey,” she whispered, and then stopped, hesitating. Waiting, maybe.
Fluttershy knew Rainbow, well enough to know that Rainbow wouldn’t just leave her alone if she said nothing. She didn’t want to hurt her, not really. There just wasn’t much she could bring herself to say. What was the right response to possibly not being wanted?
“Hey,” she finally answered back, not looking up.
Rainbow cleared her throat. “So, uh, some weather we’re having, right? We got this order for a great big storm, really last-minute. It had something to do with the carrot farms, I think, but I didn’t have the time to get many of the details.”
“Oh.” Fluttershy didn’t know what else to say.
“And as a Wonderbolt and a volunteer member of Ponyville’s weather team, I had to make sure everything was all set to go before I could leave, and by the time I made it to the hilltop…” She trailed off, her hoof pausing mid-backrub.
When Fluttershy didn’t offer a response, Rainbow continued, in a voice more genuine, more gentle than Fluttershy had ever heard from her. “I’m sorry, is what I mean. I’m sorry I was late, I’m sorry about the rain, I’m sorry it ruined the evening you’d planned.” Rainbow’s hoof withdrew, and she held it out to Fluttershy. “Our relationship is important to me, and I want to make it right. I’ve got something to show you. Do you feel up to flying? The storm’s let up a little.”
Fluttershy stared at the proffered hoof. It was more of an apology than she’d ever heard Rainbow to give, and she sounded genuinely sorry. Besides, it wasn’t like she could stay upset forever. Numbly, she nodded, and let Rainbow help her to her hooves.
“Come on, then.” Rainbow opened Fluttershy’s front door, before shaking out her wings and taking off into the rain. Fluttershy looked back into her cottage, back where it was cozy and dry and safe from unacknowledged feelings. Angel waved her onward, curling up in the warm patch she’d left behind.
Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy threw herself headlong into a bracing gust of wind and rain. Rainbow was easy enough to see, circling above the cottage, waiting for her to catch up, and after the initial chilling shock of rain, she’d found the storm decently bearable. Tame, by the weather team’s standards. She rose to trail behind Rainbow Dash as she dipped and soared into the cloud.
It was cold and damp, between the clouds. This was a place she enjoyed the least, especially during a thunderstorm. It muffled everything but the discontent growl of thunder, and made her feathers tingle with static. Every once in a while, she could see a flash of blue as Rainbow wove between the storm clouds, guiding her up through the darkness.
And then, with an anticlimactic poof, they were above the storm. Fluttershy sneezed, shaking a few damp strands of her mane out of her face. The rain had washed away most of the ghosts of tears from her cheeks, leaving her feeling chilly but somehow refreshed. She flapped over to where Rainbow Dash was hovering, bearing a carefree grin.
“I know you’ll never like storms as much as I do,” Rainbow called out, taking the lead. “But I know they’ve gotta make you feel at least a little as alive as they make me. It’s just a bit further now.”
Fluttershy nodded mutely and took in the view as she followed. The top of thunderstorms peaked and ebbed like ocean foam. They didn’t look nearly as terrifying as they did from below. And above them, above the horizon… the stars were out, brighter and more vast than anything that could be seen from the ground near Ponyville. Her heart leapt for a moment as she scanned the sky, but no shooting stars were to be seen. Spectacular as it must have been, the meteor shower really was over.
She barely registered when Rainbow landed, and came to a cloud-muffled stop next to her. It took a few moments before she noticed that Rainbow hadn’t said anything. She was just staring at Fluttershy, an unreadable look in her eyes. Affection, maybe? Fluttershy’s heart leapt, and she felt the first flickers of hope begin to rekindle in her.
“I know it isn’t anything like what you probably had planned, but… I didn’t want the evening to go to waste. I… I really do value our time together, and I hope this makes up for it, a little.” Rainbow gave her a little smile before gesturing at her hooves.
It was, in the loosest sense, a sort of picnic.
Instead of a blanket, it was a rug that Fluttershy vaguely remembered decorating Rainbow’s bedroom floor. It was already damp with cloud condensation, but still dry enough to sit on comfortably.
Instead of cider, there were a few cheap sodas. She squinted at one of the labels. Grape flavored, with no natural sugars. Probably came from Rainbow’s “going-to-a-party-and-forgot-to-bring-something-for-the-potluck” stash.
Instead of a salad, or honey tarts, or candied pears there were a couple of packages of fruit snacks and a half-finished sleeve of crackers. It looked like Rainbow had just ran to her pantry and grabbed the first few things that one could conceivably call edible on their own.
It wasn’t what she had planned at all.
It was perfect.
And then Rainbow Dash was rambling, words tumbling over each other as she babbled. “I know it isn’t what you had in mind, but you had a picnic all set up, and I don’t actually have any picnic blankets unless you count my bedding and my dryer doesn’t really like my bedsheets so I’ve been using Twilight’s so that was out of the question, sorry, and I know it isn’t a feast by any means but-”
Fluttershy sniffled, smiling up at Rainbow Dash, meeting her gaze with a teary one of her own. “You’re trying to talk to me, in my special language, aren’t you? You saw what I’d been trying to do, and you tried to reach out in a way I’d understand.”
“What-” Rainbow managed to get out before Fluttershy pulled her into a tight hug.
“It’s perfect. You’re perfect, and I’m sorry, and…” She pulled back, looking Rainbow in the eyes. She knew what to say. She’d known for a long time, after all. The words were there, and the moment felt right. “I love you, Rainbow Dash.”
“You- wait, you do?” Rainbow’s muzzle split into a wide grin, and then she was off, flipping in the air. “Sweet! I can’t believe it! She loves me! I- ah, right, sorry.” She chuckled sheepishly before resting a hoof against Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I love you too, Fluttershy. I’ve loved you for a long time, ever since we first met. Well, we were friends then, but it turned into something more. Is it something more? I’ve never actually, you know, gotten this far.”
Fluttershy snorted. Then she giggled, and that turned into a full-belly laugh until she could hardly breathe. It was okay. Rainbow loved her back. It would be okay. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just so… I don’t know, relieved you feel the same way. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to be your marefriend. Is… is that alright?”
Rainbow’s grin matched her own as she wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy in a gentler hug, though she wasn’t quite fast enough to keep Fluttershy from noticing the tears brimming in her eyes. “Yeah. I’d like that. If you do, then I do, too.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, the smell of ozone and juniper filling her lungs. She looked up to the sky, and for a moment she could’ve sworn that she saw a pair of stars racing across the horizon, finally together at last.
