~Five~
Fluttershy wasn’t really all that scared, per say; she just didn’t really want to be where she was at the moment.
It was a difficult choice that she faced currently: if she started running, then the group of kids that seemed intent on following her every footstep would surely give chase, like a group of predators seeking out a threatened meal. But they were gaining on her right now, and she was moving at the briskest pace her toddling walk would carry her. Fluttershy’s eyes continued to scan the surroundings of the large park, looking for wherever her mother had gotten to; maybe if she found her they’d no longer keep on her trail.
The sound of footsteps gaining speed met her ears and Fluttershy held tight to the toy rabbit in her arms as she saw the first darting movement out of the corner of her eye. Before she could do anything to prevent it, the timid child found herself surrounded by antagonists; a four-to-one ratio, and she two years their junior. It was not good odds to have, especially when she looked so much smaller than they did.
“Hey! Why’d you keep running away?” the leader of the group said, a rather heavyset girl possessing features more similar to a brick than a person; she smiled with what felt more like a leer than anything friendly. “We weren’t gonna do anything to ya, we just wanted to ask you something!”
“Yeah, what’d you run away for?” echoed one of her cronies, a wiry cuss of a boy whose hair was covered by bits of leaves and grass. “You’re not afraid, are you?”
Fluttershy looked about at the group that surrounded her, sizing them up in comparison to her own self and knowing she was lacking. Even the smallest of them had a good few inches upon her, and all their challenges carried hostile tone. As she squeezed her stuffy all the more tightly, the bright-eyed little girl struggled to find words to say. Was she even supposed to speak at all, or was silence her best weapon?
“That’s a really nice doll you’ve got there,” said the girl, eliciting sniggers from her compatriots for some unknown reason. “Or does the doll have you? It’s bigger than you are!”
“Look at its ears! I bet she trips over them all the time. Your best friend makes you fall over!”
“Best friend? Look at her, she can’t speak! I bet that stupid doll’s her only friend!”
The words were, unbeknownst to them, accurate; the dart hit home and Fluttershy could feel their poison dilute her heart, trying not to let tears form in her eyes. If she showed more weakness, they’d surely go into a frenzy. Yet try as she might, the young girl’s vision turned cloudy, a dampness beginning to form in her gaze.
The jeers came almost instantly, the wisp of a child hiding behind her overlarge stuffy. “Aw, why you gotta cry like that, huh?” the group of kids called, acting as sharks upon the scent of blood. “We’re just teasing! You big baby, you gonna cry?” The words continued to fall upon her like a torrential downpour, loud and raucous to her sensitive spirit. Surrounded and no aid in sight, Fluttershy didn’t know how to escape it.
“You need to grow up. How are you supposed to get strong and tough when you’re always hiding behind that stupid rabbit?” the elder girl challenged. “He’s too big to be hanging around such a crybaby, anyway!”
“Yeah, he’s tired of looking after you. He wants some real friends!” called another. “I bet he’d rather play with us than a little dweeb like you!”
Fluttershy clutched her stuffy with all her might, big eyes left wide as she recognized their intent. It would have been nice to protest, or even just call for help- but she couldn’t say a word to prevent it, her voice stolen from her by this gang of unknown bullies. Oh, what was she to do?
“Come on, hand it over!” the stone-faced girl demanded, coming towards her prey with hands outstretched. “We’re only trying to help you out, you need to stop hanging around that stupid thing!”
Fluttershy tried backing away, several steps at last coming to her aid as she retreated- only to bump into a much more solid object behind her and finding the leaf-covered boy just behind, ready to grab for both her and her stuffy.
“I got her!” he called triumphantly, a grip like iron as he tried to pull plush away from flesh. “Come on, grab her and I’ll grab the toy!”
Fluttershy couldn’t speak, desperately holding to her toy with all her might. They were trying to take her only friend she had in the whole wide world, she was desperate to hold on-!
“Hey! Leave her alone!” The boisterous call rang loud across the park and brought the struggle to an immediate halt, both parties freezing mid-action as they looked for the source.
“Who said-”
The rush of running feet came from somewhere behind her and Fluttershy was suddenly tugged back with a great amount of force, out of her antagonist’s grasp and well behind the form of someone else entirely. Her initial thought was that one of the bullies had grabbed hold of her, but her senses soon suggested otherwise; the four kids that were intent on theft now found themselves facing off with a new face, one Fluttershy didn’t recognize at all.
“Hey! This isn’t your problem, go away!” the heavyset girl barked, taking Fluttershy’s stuffy out of the leaf-haired kid’s grasp and holding to it tightly. “We’re just messing around, it’s not a big deal!”
This newcomer, however, didn’t appear to buy it in the slightest. Hardly taller than Fluttershy yet bristling with energy, the young girl with hair the color of rainbows stood between them and the target of their abuse. “Give it back,” she said.
The stone-faced girl was left affronted. “What?”
“I said give it back!” the rainbow-haired girl snarled. “I saw you, you were trying to steal it from her.”
The larger girl stuck out her tongue in defiance. “It’s mine now,” she said smugly. “It’s not my fault she needs to grow up. Stupid prissypants wouldn’t even talk to us.”
“Give it back or else!”
“Nyah! Make me, you little midget!”
Then a bunch of things happened all at once. The rainbow girl stood tall and was positively crackling as she yelled, “Midget?!” Without a second’s hesitation she leapt forward towards the unprepared bully and delivered one incredible haymaker to the girl’s awaiting face, clobbering her so badly that she fell straight to the ground in a heap. As the rest of her compatriots began to realize what had just transpired, Fluttershy’s defender grabbed hold of the stuffed rabbit and thrust it into the horrified girl’s limp arms.
The leaf-haired kid stood there with mouth agape, perhaps not yet believing what he’d just seen. “Holy cow!” he cried, gaze darting between his friend and her attacker. “Hey, what was that for?!”
“Get out of here or I’ll get you next!” the fiery girl proclaimed, still standing between Fluttershy and the now-shocked pack of predators. “If I ever see you again, I’m gonna chase you all the way home!”
The stone-faced girl was slow to rise from her place on the ground, red-faced from both pain and shame as tears started to flow. She was staring at her attacker with no small degree of hatred yet made no effort to fight back. “Stupid little jerk,” she said through her sniffles, failing to hide that she was crying. “I’ll tell my parents about this!”
“Yeah, go ahead and try it!” the prismatic girl jeered, shaking her fists at the departing group of children. “I’ll beat up your parents if I have to!” As she watched them disappear in the distance, she sat her hands on her hips and gave a little sound of triumph before turning about. “Well, that takes care of that. You OK?”
Fluttershy stared wide-eyed at the girl, trembling from head to toe as she clutched tightly to her stuffed rabbit. This individual had a rather wild look about her, so energized and volatile. An unknown element to be sure, and perhaps not to be trusted; she had just punched a bigger kid in the face, after all.
Perhaps sensing that her presence was discomforting, the other girl dropped to her knees and began to crawl over to her terrified companion. “Hey,” the girl said softly, her features losing their energized edge and softening somewhat. “I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise. I just chased off those bullies for you, didn’t I?”
By punching one of them in the face, and with a fair amount of force to boot. Fluttershy remained silent.
“My name’s Rainbow Dash,” said the girl, giving a smile that she hoped was encouraging. “Umm… what’s your name?”
She stared at that smile, debating whether or not it was genuine. Rainbow was so bright-eyed and charged, it was difficult not to feel a little stronger and braver in her presence. “F-Fluttershy,” the poor girl whispered at last. “I want my Mommy…” And without further ado, she burst into tears.
Rainbow seemed initially taken aback by the sudden bout of crying, but slowly crept a little closer and offered an outstretched hand for Fluttershy to hold to, waiting patiently for the flood of tears to begin subsiding. “That’s OK,” she said. “I’ll help you find your Mom, if you want.”
“Really?” Fluttershy asked through her tears, voice little more than a soaked mess.
Rainbow nodded quickly. “Yeah! Don’t worry about it, we’ll find her and then you’ll feel better. And we can go over to the swings after that.”
It wasn’t that bad an offer. With a smile stained by salt, Fluttershy took Rainbow’s outstretched hand and the two girls walked away from the scene in search of that one elusive parent, the vastness of the park now not feeling quite so great and insurmountable with this determined girl at her side.
“It’s nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said weakly.
“You know it!” Rainbow replied. “Hey, I bet if we go to the swings first, your Mom would see that you’re there. It’s right next to the playground and everything.” It didn’t take much guessing to know she was eager for a flight, ready to feel the sky come a little closer to the earth.
“I dunno,” Fluttershy said, hesitant in taking up such an offer. She really did want to find her mother, but the idea of being in one place did sort of make sense.
Rainbow waited for her newfound friend to mull the idea over, her eager smile not once fading from her face. “So?” she asked after a fashion. “Where are you going?”
Fluttershy looked around at the park in which she stood, and then at the bright expression of the girl who had come to protect her. “With you,” she said at last.
And for the first time in her short life, Fluttershy had made a friend.
~Nine~
She knew Rainbow was doing her best to be patient, but that wasn’t saying much since she’d never possessed much patience in the first place.
“Come on, Fluttershy! The line’s getting longer by the second!” Rainbow protested, stamping her feet in anger. “If we wait much more then it’ll be ages before we can get on!”
They’d been traveling through the theme park together for about an hour now, a school trip to celebrate the last days of a rather pleasant autumn. It hadn’t been Fluttershy’s idea to actually go on the trip, but Rainbow had been insistent that she come along- at least as company.
Now she was dealing with the real reason behind her friend’s persistent pestering: she wanted Fluttershy to actually go on some of the rides.
“I’ll just wait for you right here at the exit,” Fluttershy replied, giving the roller coaster a swift lookover and shuddering in fright. It was tall, and brilliantly fast! She could feel it rush by on wooden slats every time a new train screamed along, the power and force of velocity something to marvel at. It was all well and good that Rainbow wanted to go on the ride; she was a thrill junkie, always looking for the next great challenge. Fluttershy was perfectly content with keeping her legs on the ground.
“But we can’t, remember?” Rainbow pressed. “We have to stick with our partners, and if you won’t go on it then I can’t either! Please, Fluttershy, I promise it’s a lot of fun!”
“But it’s so big!” Fluttershy said- another cursory glance up at that great drop somehow made it feel even worse. “Rainbow, do you really have to go on-”
“Yes! It’s brand new and super fast, it’ll be so much fun!” Rainbow interjected, looking over her shoulder at the still-growing line. “Come on, I made us come over here to this ride first because I don’t wanna wait forever to ride it! Please, Fluttershy, please?”
She desperately, desperately wanted to say no. That hill was tall, that drop was sharp, and the rest of it went by in a speedy blur. But Rainbow Dash was obviously desperate, and so eagerly wanted to get onboard. “Rainbow…”
The prismatic girl sighed, preparing herself for the inevitable disappointment. “So, where are you going?” she asked.
Fluttershy knew she was going to regret any decision she made, so she went for the lesser of the two evils. “With you,” she admitted at last, sidling up to her friend and preparing for the worst.
The wait was unbearable, and the ride itself was somehow going to be even worse. Fluttershy didn’t like the sight of the track just above her head, or hearing the clattering roar of wood under pressure. Surrounded by people that made up the growing line and offered no escape from its clutches, all the poor girl could do was wait for the hammer to fall and endure the agonizing moments of sheer terror. She hated theme parks, why had she even come in the first place? She regretted stepping foot into this loud, thunderous place and wished for nothing else than to be curled up in a blanket and reading a good book; this was horrendous.
And Rainbow wasn’t helping. Everything that made the roller coaster a thing to fear for Fluttershy was what transported the far more daring girl into raptures; endlessly listing the ride’s features, speeds, and drops was all she could manage. Each new tidbit was doing its best to make the timid girl’s knees weak, and she could hardly force herself to stand by the time the trains truly came into sight.
They’d been in line for thirty minutes by the time they were waiting for the next car to appear, Rainbow at last surfacing from her anticipatory daydreams to notice that her friend was suffering. “Hey, you alright?” she asked.
“No,” Fluttershy said hoarsely, eyes held painfully wide and staring into nothingness as she stood on the precipice of the endless abyss. She could hear the previous train of people begin to scream- Oh heaven help me, why are they screaming? Are they getting thrown out of their seats? They’re trying to hold on for their lives! “Rainbow Dash, I can’t do this!” She really was on the verge of panic, her body preparing to go into meltdown and do whatever it took to keep herself safe. This was an awful, horrible idea-
“Hey…” Rainbow’s hand fell on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, stopping her panicked mind in its tracks and forcing it back into reality. The prismatic girl looked at her friend and gave a small smile, sympathetic and warm in its understanding. “I promise you’re alright, Fluttershy. I wouldn’t let anything hurt you, right?”
She had been Fluttershy’s biggest protector for a few years now; Rainbow Dash was reckless, fearless, and most definitely brash- but she was always right there whenever Fluttershy had needed a helping hand, or was finding herself frightened. “I… no, you- you wouldn’t.”
“I know it looks scary, but this’ll be a lot of fun,” Rainbow said. “Thanks so much for coming with me, I know nobody else in class is brave enough to ride this yet- or tall enough yet!”
The two of them had grown faster than their peers, something Fluttershy hadn’t given much thought to. Nor had she thought that Rainbow would be grateful for her simply being there. “You promise it’ll be alright?”
Rainbow nodded vigorously, her grin threatening to split from excitement as the incoming train slid into view. “You’re going to think it’s the coolest thing ever.”
The train rode into the station and emptied, the fearless and the fearful taking their seats in the rear car. She was trembling from head to toe, but keeping her hand tight with Rainbow’s seemed to help her mind stay settled and not continue its forays into panic. Fluttershy watched as the staff attended to each individual seat, pressing down on the safety bars to ensure they held their place. Being so thin helped Fluttershy’s stay relatively tight, and it was a rather snug fit for her when they checked her bar- a perfect hold, too.
And- oh jeez, the train was moving! Out of the station, and a small dip that accelerated their pace towards the massive hill they were destined to climb. Fluttershy could feel her heart pounding as the train took to the chain beneath it, that metallic clatter ringing in her ears and sounding more akin to gunfire. Maybe this wasn’t-
“Yeah! Here we go, here we go!” Rainbow was almost beside herself, looking all around as she watched their height increase, eagerly awaiting the beginning of this miniature adventure. “This is gonna be so awesome! Come on, already!” The smile she shared with Fluttershy was the brightest her friend had ever seen, already delighted by the anticipation of the event alone, an infectious feeling that radiated. And she thanked me for coming with her. For being part of it.
The clacking of the chain came to an end and the train took a tiny dip, bending towards the hill that would send them diving down-
Fluttershy looked over the edge, and then all around as the world beneath her revealed itself; so high up, this bird’s eye view unlike anything she’d seen before in her young life. The sky was almost there at her fingertips, she could feel the wind whisper past her face- and in the moment before they dropped, she almost believed that she was flying.
And then she was racing. Screaming down the wooden track at a speed reaching delirium, she felt the world rush past her in such a blur that her eyes could barely stand to stay open against the fierce wind that rushed against her. Every feeling of terror and exhilaration coursed through her in a mad frenzy of emotion, leaving her unsure of whether or not to be joyous or terrified. It was fast, it was terrifying, and it was great! She could hear Rainbow screaming out her joy beside her, absolutely transported by the ride’s force of power; whether it was by Rainbow’s efforts or her own instinctual feelings, Fluttershy was struggling to keep a smile off her face. This was somehow the worst and best thing she’d ever done in her whole life!
Around the helix they went, Fluttershy feeling the force of the G’s keeping her pressed against the seat; though it hurt her head, she somehow felt safer for it. How was she supposed to fall out of her seat if she couldn’t move? They were still moving oh so fast, racing around the corner and up a small hill-
Oh! And then they came to an abrupt halt, the station just up ahead as the brakes beneath them stopped the train in its tracks. A small pause empty of movement before release, then a slow return to the station that saw the ride come at last to an end. The lap bar that had held her so fast to her seat flew upwards and Fluttershy leapt from her seat, heading to the exit with Rainbow bounding along behind her.
“Oh man! That was awesome!” Rainbow cried, her wild voice carrying across the park in a joyous squeal. “It was so fast and- and man! That was the coolest thing ever!” She was absolutely beside herself, unable to restrain the delight that coursed through her youthful frame. “Fluttershy- oh, yeah. Umm… Fluttershy, what did you think?”
What did she think? It was a million-dollar question that she wasn’t at all sure how to answer. She’d been terrified throughout, yet Fluttershy didn’t know she could say that she hadn’t enjoyed it. Was there a word to describe such a strange conflict of feeling? “It was…” she continued to struggle to find the words, looking about at the world; her eyes fell on Rainbow’s hand and saw red marks across it. Fingernails had dug into flesh and that had been from-
“Oh, your hand!” Fluttershy cried, coming over to her friend and examining the injured part, guilt flooding her bones. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize I’d been grabbing it!”
Rainbow only laughed, waving away her wounded hand as though she hadn’t even noticed; judging by her high levels of exhilaration, the idea wasn’t impossible. “I’m fine- did you have fun? Come on, wasn’t it cool when we went down that drop?”
Fluttershy wanted to say a steely ‘no’ but found herself smiling. “It was really scary,” she giggled. “But it was…”
“Cool? Exciting? Awesome? Amazing?!”
“… Neat,” Fluttershy said. “It was very neat. I’ve never been so high up before.”
Rainbow grinned in triumph, appearing more delighted with her friend’s positive reception than she had been by the ride. “See? I told you!” she cried. “Look, the line still isn’t super long yet, you wanna go and ride again?”
“No!” Fluttershy said in the closest voice she had to a shout. “I- I mean… no, thank you. I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow pouted, but soon gave herself a shrug and smiled. “Well, at least I rode it once,” she said. “Thanks for coming with me, Fluttershy. It was way more fun with you than riding it alone.”
~Twelve~
There were more than a few times that Fluttershy thought school was so dreadfully unfair. She’d never minded the work aspect of it; writing papers was easy, so were the assignments and homework. Her quiet demeanor had always paired well with a dutiful work ethic, keeping her as a model student. But now that she was being asked to speak in front of a whole class-
Well, it was difficult for her not to feel a little angry about that. They knew she hated speaking in front of others, much less having to give a formal speech- and a graded one at that! How was she supposed to accomplish this when she didn’t even like to raise her hand to ask a question during normal classes?
She’d been trying not to think about the assignment for several weeks now: give a small speech on something you’re passionate about. She’d pushed it aside, tried to ignore it, and was only now having to actually focus on the blasted thing. With only a few days away before she would have to do something, Fluttershy had forced herself to put pen to paper. That had been the easy part; practicing the speech itself was a whole other matter. And as if to make it all the worse, Rainbow had discovered she was struggling- and decided to try helping.
Fluttershy bit her lip as she watched her friend take a seat, her constantly confident friend having pulled her into an empty classroom so as to practice. According to Rainbow, she’d need to get used to such an austere environment and not practice alone in the bedroom. “Rainbow, you don’t need to do this-”
“Oh yes I do. You’ve got to give this speech on Friday!” Rainbow protested, settling in behind a desk and getting comfortable. “Come on, you can’t just not do it and think you’re gonna pass. We both know if you don’t get comfortable then you’re just gonna stand up there and freeze like you always do!”
“Thank you very much, Rainbow Dash. That was very nice of you.”
Rainbow scowled. “Look, how else are you gonna get over your stage fright unless you try? What do you think you’re gonna do?”
Fluttershy knew Rainbow had a fair point, but she didn’t want to admit such things when thrown at her so bluntly. “Rainbow Dash, I’ll just- I’ll do something.”
“That’s not good enough. Come on, I’m wanting to help! Can’t I help you practice, even for just a little? Like I’m gonna let Lily beat you out for the best grade in the class- she’s such a turd!”
She hated this. Fluttershy just wanted to ignore this awful assignment and fail it, she really did. But Rainbow was here and trying to support her, pushing for her to continue excelling; as much as she wished otherwise, to simply say no and refuse such voluntary aid wasn’t a wise decision- or a kind one. “I… alright.”
“Yeah! Now let’s try it!” Rainbow said, snuggling in her seat and motioning for her friend to begin. She was a rapt audience, wanting to her what Fluttershy had to say; eyes wide, expecting her to speak, and she would be one of nearly thirty kids that would be staring at her. And some of those kids were constantly trying to bully her, poking and prodding Fluttershy in any way they could. They’d be waiting for her to fail, making faces and waving themselves about in the hopes of distracting her and they’d start laughing and snickering at her and pointing fingers and they’d be so happy to see her mess up and just fail!
“Whoa- Hey, Fluttershy! It’s alright, I swear!” Rainbow leapt from her seat as she saw her friend begin to shiver, clearly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. “Come on, look at me! Just at me, alright? Don’t think about anything else, just look at me.” She held Fluttershy’s wrists in her hands, firmly but not painfully as she tried to force the terrified girl’s heartbeat back down to normal levels.
Fluttershy wanted to cry; this was so stupid, she couldn’t even give a simple three-minute speech in front of people she’d known pretty much all her life- she couldn’t even practice! She was such a failure. “Sorry,” she whispered tightly.
“Don’t be sorry for anything! Loads of people get stage fright, right?” Rainbow replied. “Now come on… look. Where are you right now?”
Fluttershy’s gaze darted about before settling on the girl in front of her. “With you,” she said.
“OK. And where will you be when you give that speech on Friday?”
“With you.”
“Yeah! So don’t even think about anyone else in the crowd, OK?” Rainbow insisted. “Look right at me for the entire time. Give the speech like you’re only talking to me- just like how we’re gonna practice, alright? Can you do that?”
“I- I don’t know, Rainbow…”
Rainbow walked back and took a seat on the front row, returning to the form of a rapt audience. “We’ll try it. Just like right now, OK?”
It was a start. “OK.”
Rainbow smiled. “Now that’s it! So what are you passionate about?”
That part was easy. “I’m… here talking about an- animal welfare,” Fluttershy said. “I want to volunteer at the local shelter when I’m a bit older, so… so here I am.” It wasn’t a great start, but still- it was something.
Rainbow, however, took it in wonderful stride. “Awesome! I really wanna hear it all! Go for it!”
Fluttershy knew she likely did a horrid job; every other word felt like a tremor on her lips, a constant stammer across her speech that surfaced at such unpleasant moments. Too many times throughout, she found herself looking down at her paper rather than up at where the audience would be, fear of the moment forcing the words to fly from her mind. There were so many instances she wanted to freeze up and go quiet, to do nothing but stand there or just run away, but Rainbow’s face kept taking her attention and the smile she bore more than just a little encouraging. Slowly, perhaps even painfully, the timid young girl at last reached the end of her speech and set the paper down at her side. Over at last, even if it was just practice.
“Yeah! Way to go, Fluttershy!” Rainbow said, grinning from ear to ear at her friend. “You did a great job, I promise!”
“Rainbow, I really didn’t-”
A hug that put a silence on such negative talk. “No, you really did a good job!” Rainbow insisted. “You tried really hard, I can tell! You’ve definitely got this, you have to know that!”
Fluttershy knew she had to be wrong, but the confidence that so easily exuded from her friend was infectious and she couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you for helping, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “It’ll be much easier with you to help me.”
“Like I’d want to do anything else,” Rainbow replied. “Think you’ve got it down?”
She wanted to say yes; anything to not have to do this again. But Fluttershy was fully aware of the room for improvement… “Could you help me go over it again?”
And so Rainbow did.
~Fourteen~
She’d heard the news far too late, by her standards. At first it had been little more than a rumor to hear ears; surely no one would do such a thing so callous. But the longer the day went on, the more Fluttershy knew it to likely be the truth. She found her blood boiling in response to the mere thought of it- how could someone just out a person in front of an entire crowd? But before she gave any emotion to the matter, she was eager to have the truth in hand first. And knowing their friends, she knew exactly who to ask.
A flash of blonde hair, unmistakable to her eyes. “Applejack!” Fluttershy called, her voice barely filtering through the crowd’s chatter in the slightest. “Applejack, wait!” Realizing there was no other way to get around it, Fluttershy gave a sigh and began to force herself through the hallway clamor, slithering and sliding her way in between the stationary and the moving as she tried to reach her friend and learn what she could. “Applejack, please wait!”
At last her thin voice came through, the blonde farmgirl looking about to see the sweet-faced girl pushing towards her. “Fluttershy! Sorry, I didn’t hear you coming-”
It was likely the rudest thing she’d ever done in her life; cutting through her friend’s greeting without a thought, Fluttershy demanded, “Is it true about Rainbow Dash?”
The instant change to her expression was all the answer she needed. Applejack’s normally friendly demeanor turned cloudy and grim, eyes misting over as recollection began. “She… yeah,” she admitted wryly. “It’s true.”
Fluttershy felt her heart sink. She’d known for about a year now, Rainbow Dash first admitting the deeply buried secret right when they’d begun high school; never once had she pushed her friend to be open about it, perfectly at ease letting Rainbow take the lead in such a sensitive matter. Of all things to put such a secret into the limelight, how had it been the Friendship Games? It was the greatest irony she could imagine. “Well… what happened?”
Applejack looked about the world in the hopes someone else would deign to answer, finding it empty of all takers. “She’d… well, Rainbow beat Crystal Prep in the event- you know, a shootout. And then when she’d won, she got a little loud. I guess that girl from Prep didn’t like that much, and…” Applejack faltered for a moment. “There’s no way she really knew. I guess she just got lucky.”
Fluttershy could easily imagine how such a thing had transpired; she’d never felt so bad for her friend before. “And she realized she was right?”
Applejack sighed in a sound that was more a great, heaving groan. “And then called Rainbow a- well, she called her gay, but it wasn’t- well. And then I guess everyone just took to it.”
Rainbow Dash had always been a polarizing personality, in all the years Fluttershy had known her; you either loved the girl with all your heart or despised her with a burning passion. Considering what such a secret had come out into the open, it wasn’t surprising to hear that people from both schools had decided to take their chance. Fluttershy knew she could believe it. But to say she didn’t feel a sickened anger would have been a lie. “So… what happened after?”
“Well, Principal Celestia got on about it- I know some of the folks here got in trouble. But Crystal Prep?” Applejack gave a bitter laugh at even the thought. “You know nothing’s gonna happen to them.”
“Where is she?”
Applejack bit her lip. “I… I don’t know, Shy,” she admitted. “Last I saw Rainbow, she’d been running off somewhere. I’m guessing she just went home.”
Not good enough. “I’m going to find her,” Fluttershy said, waving goodbye to her friend before turning to race towards the athletic fields.
“Wait, Shy- hey, it’s gonna start storming soon!”
Fluttershy pushed through the crowd of students and tried not to feel that great heaping disgust as she did so; they’d turned on her best friend in the world without a thought, all because they’d had an opportunity to hurt her. She tried her best to remember that most probably weren’t being malicious, they’d just gone along with the crowd because it was fun and the peer pressure was there. She wanted to forgive them and just let it go, but couldn’t quite convince herself of such things just yet. For now, Fluttershy simply settled her emotions on Rainbow Dash: her deepest, most personal secret out in the open, and unable to ever be hidden again.
The weather outside that greeted her was certainly unfriendly, a perfect match for the awfulness of the world below it; grey clouds that turned shades deeper as they flew by, rumblings from within threatening to release their noise and rain. Fluttershy had never liked storms, hating the noise. But Rainbow Dash was out here somewhere, and she wanted to find her. The soccer field was empty, and the few bleachers that surrounded the baseball diamond were very much the same. Maybe Applejack was right in her assumption that Rainbow had simply run home and away from school?
She passed the football field and saw a lone figure up in the rafters- that prismatic hair? Unmistakable. “Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy ran as she’d never run before, racing up the thin metal stairs to where her dearest friend sat, expression blank and eyes unseeing of the world around her. “Rainbow Dash, are you OK?”
Rainbow said nothing, still sitting there motionless. It wasn’t until Fluttershy took a place beside her and set a gentle hand upon her knee that she gave any recognition to the fact she was no longer alone; a small twitch as though a statue breaking its stone frame, the prismatic girl looked over at her friend and gave no real sign of recognition at all. “Hey.”
Fluttershy’s heart twisted at the sound of so defeated a noise. Rainbow was indomitable, insurmountable. How could she have been reduced to this? “Rainbow… I heard what happened.”
Silence. Then- “Oh. Yeah.” Rainbow returned to gazing out across the field. “It doesn’t matter.”
Fluttershy was appalled. “Yes it does matter!” She protested, clutching her friend’s hand and holding it tight. “Rainbow, I am so sorry this happened to you. It was such an awful thing for her to say, and nobody else should have tried to make fun of you. No one should have been so horrible to you, not ever.”
Rainbow didn’t react for a time, simply letting the silence pass uninterrupted. The world about them was so gloomy and cold, the temperature dropping all the more freely as the storms overhead continued to pass by; rain would be here soon, there to soak them and seal this moment of misery in its permanence.
Fluttershy had never felt so totally helpless. This was her oldest, dearest friend- now suffering, and she unable to help her. How was she supposed to just sit idly and do nothing? But she couldn’t think of anything to do.
“Am I a bad person, Fluttershy?”
It had come out of the blue. “What?”
Rainbow turned back to face her. “For liking girls. Am I a bad person?”
Fluttershy couldn’t actually believe she’d heard such a thing. “You are absolutely not a bad person, Rainbow Dash,” she said softly. “You are not perfect, but you are a very good person. I wouldn’t be friends with you if you were a bad person and you know it.”
Rainbow Dash stared at her for a little while longer before returning to the great emptiness of the field before them, continuing to stare off into space without a sight to see in the world. “It really feels like it,” she choked out; face tightened and eyes bleary, a pair of salty droplets fell from eyes squeezed fiercely shut as she tried and failed to hold to that last shred of control that kept the hurt away.
Fluttershy put her arms about her friend and did not let go; she was grateful that the rains finally came along to hide them.
~Seventeen~
“Fluttershy- come on!”
“I said no.”
“It’s not a big deal!”
“Stop it, Rainbow.”
The Friday night had been intended for a long evening together; the girls had agreed to meet up at Rarity’s house to celebrate the beginning of the weekend, homecoming the best excuse to celebrate they’d had since the semester had begun. What had once been a cemented plan had quickly fallen apart with a promise to meet up before the night had ended, each individual bound to a different task than the other and cast in separate directions. With Rainbow’s game keeping her till the evening, Fluttershy had promised to be her ride once the match had come to an end; they’d almost always carpooled, whether it be her or Rainbow behind the wheel.
She’d been doing her best to be supportive; Fluttershy wasn’t the loudest person in the stands by a good mile, but she always made sure to look for Rainbow and cheer her on directly. And when the match had ended, she’d even gone back to wait outside the locker rooms and be the first to greet her when it was time to leave. She’d waited patiently, made sure to say hello to Coach Spitfire when she’d left, found herself waiting an unusually long time for Rainbow leave and had decided to take a look and make sure everything was OK-
And then things had gone promptly downhill from there.
Fluttershy had probably never walked this fast before in her life, a hurried stride that was well-buoyed by a genuine anger. Rainbow, tired from exertion and trying to catch up, was having excess difficulty thanks to the Jack Daniels the team had been passing around. More or less limping behind her friend as best she could manage, the two had somehow become the most unexpected of role reversals.
“Flutter- hey, slow down!” Rainbow said, hobbling on the one foot that still bore a cleat, the other sock-bound and finding every splotch of mud that marked the grasses. “Come on, it’s not a big deal!”
“Yes it is, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said flatly, still not deigning to look back at her friend. “You knew what you were doing was wrong and you did it anyway.”
“Fluttershy- just wait for one SECOND!” Rainbow suddenly took on a burst of speed and grasped the taller girl’s arm in a wearied vicegrip, finding it immediately cast aside. Fluttershy stood apart from the exhausted athlete and kept her distance, those gentle eyes now set aflame by her anger. Try as she might, Rainbow had not yet been forgiven, nor the situation put to rest; she would have to see this one through to the end. “Why are you so mad?” she demanded, hands on her hips as though she were the accuser. “It’s not like it’s anything big.”
“Then why did you wait for Coach Spitfire to leave?” Fluttershy fired back. “You made sure the team was alone, didn’t you?”
Rainbow scowled at the remark, knowing she couldn’t fight back against it. “So what if we did? It’s just one time.”
“Do you think even I’d believe that?” Fluttershy asked. “Rainbow Dash, college teams have been looking at you and you’re not even a senior yet! Please don’t ruin that chance by getting in trouble!”
Rainbow was getting angrier with every passing second, frustrated and tired from both athletics and exasperation. “Fluttershy, we’ll be in college in just a couple of years. How big of a deal do you think drinking’s gonna be there? For god’s sake, we’ll be getting drunk all the time.”
Fluttershy had once been given a small taste of wine by her mother while on vacation and had found the taste unpalatable. “That doesn’t sound very fun,” she said mildly, hoping she could defuse her friend’s desire.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Only because you’re no fun, you coward,” she growled- and then that red face turned pale in the span of a heartbeat, wishing more than anything that she could take such a thing back.
Fluttershy at first acted as though she didn’t actually believe she’d heard it, but soon found herself crushed under their weight. The effect was instantaneous, a convulsion across her fair form as the words pierced her heart and prompted tears to spring to life. A gasp of air through wet, weakened breath and eyes so full of hurt that she didn’t know how to even respond at all.
Rainbow’s horror was of a different kind, seemingly sickened by the impulsive spite that had prompted their release. “Flutter- oh my gosh. I am- I didn’t mean it-”
“Is that what you really think of me?” Fluttershy asked, all fire and fight drowned by the subduing words of her most cherished companion. She was trying hard to fight back a choking lump in her throat, forcing herself to maintain composure against the desire to cry- even the small hug she gave to herself was not enough of an aid. “Really?”
“No. I don’t, I swear I don’t,” Rainbow said, utterly at a loss of words that could defend or even explain her callousness. “Fluttershy, you are literally the nicest person ever, please don’t cry! I didn’t mean to-”
“I just tried to be like you,” Fluttershy murmured thickly, the tears dribbling down her face and salting her lips as they fell to earth. “You’d always try to do what’s best for me, and I- I just wanted to try and do the same. Rainbow, please…”
“Fluttershy, please. I promise it’s not true, I swear it isn’t,” Rainbow said in a hurried rush. “You’re my best friend, I would never- I couldn’t-”
The light of the locker rooms beyond that filtered outwards became obscured, a silhouette of a person standing on the threshold and seemingly observing the scene. Whether or not they had heard the argument from such a distance was unknown, but after waiting the mystery figure cried out, “Come on, Rainbow! Forget about that fraidy-cat, Soarin’s got a party at his house tonight! Don’t you wanna go?”
“Hey! Shut up!” Rainbow roared, absolutely revving to life and becoming incensed. “Don’t you ever call her that again, do you hear me?!”
A chorus of boo’s came in response, but Rainbow held her ground, a fixed position that didn’t falter until she saw her antagonizing teammate disappear from out of sight. When she whipped about, her eyes fell upon a Fluttershy that had utterly dissolved, little more than a mess of trembling tears. “Fluttershy-”
“Please leave me alone,” Fluttershy choked out. She’d known those words had been in the heart of so many people, even people she knew well and liked. It had always been her deepest fear that everyone truly thought them- even her best friend. But to hear it said aloud, knowing that Rainbow had really meant it…
“Fluttershy, I am so sorry,” Rainbow said softly, standing before her friend and trying to take her into a hug. “That was an awful thing for me to say, I am so sorry. Will you-” an abrupt end to her words as though blocked in her throat, later appearing in the form of a rasp. “It’s alright if you can’t forgive me.”
Fluttershy had wanted to resist; anger and hurt still coursed through her blood, Rainbow’s clothes were soiled by stains and sweat and had made her smell positively wretched, and she just wanted to be alone. But whenever she’d been hurt, by anything or anyone, the first person she’d always run to was Rainbow Dash. The only sensible thing her heart knew to do was fall into her friend’s arms, the two girls standing there in the dark for a time that was neither short nor long but instead simply was.
“You smell horrible,” Fluttershy hiccuped, promptly laughing at the brash remark. She hadn’t meant to say it!
Rainbow, thankfully, joined in with her own humor. “Sorry for that, too,” she said. “Fluttershy, I am… I won’t do it again, I promise. You were just trying to help.”
Of all the words that could be said, that was what mattered to her the most. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash,” she whispered. “And I do forgive you.”
“For the smell or for what I said?”
Fluttershy let herself giggle. “Both. But Rarity might not like it if you showed up like this.”
“Yeah. You’re probably right,” Rainbow admitted. “Could… do you still feel like driving? I kinda need to go by home and shower first.”
Fluttershy nodded, reaching for her purse so as to grab her keys. “I can do it,” she said. “Do you need to back and get your things?”
“Another time.”
And so off they went.
~Eighteen~
Fluttershy couldn’t think of a time she’d felt more beautiful. The soft colors of emerald that streamed down through the fabric of this exquisite ballgown were silken to the touch and gave the aura of a priceless jewel. No, not the aura; she had become a jewel, a pristine treasure of beauty and value that couldn’t be measured. She couldn’t think of a time she’d felt like this in all her life. Even if it was only for this one night, she adored the sensation!
“Oh, this is lovely,” she said happily, twirling about so as to let the hemline fly freely about her like grass under wind. “We’ll have to make sure to thank Rarity very much for these, they’re so beautiful.”
“Uh… sure.”
The less-than enthusiastic response wasn’t the one she’d expected; Fluttershy paused in her self-admiration at Rainbow’s words and turned to the wall that spanned between their fitting rooms. “Is something wrong with yours?” she asked.
“I feel like an idiot,” Rainbow replied.
“What? No, what for?” Fluttershy asked.
“I don’t wear dresses, that’s why!” Rainbow said hotly. “I mean, they look great on you, but I really feel like a fool! I don’t do fancy stuff like this.”
“You’re fine, Rainbow Dash, I promise,” Fluttershy said, calm as ever in the face of her friend’s rising embarrassment. “Rarity made all of these with each one of us in mind, I know she’ll have thought about how you wanna feel in your dress.”
“Do I have to wear it, though?” The question was almost like a whine.
“Yes you do. And make sure to thank Grandma Rarity for it, too!” Fluttershy said, mimicking her mother’s chiding voice before succumbing to her giggles. “I’m sure you look just as pretty as always, even if you don’t feel like it.”
“Can I be cool instead?”
Fluttershy gave a quick laugh. “Yes, you can be cool.”
“Cool. There was silence for a time, with small interjections of rustling fabric. “Uh… Fluttershy?”
“Mhm?”
“You think I’m pretty?” the question was actually a little incredulous.
Fluttershy pondered the question for a time, not realizing she’d actually said the word. But after a little thinking, she said, “Yes, I think you’re pretty, Rainbow.”
Silence. “Oh… thanks.”
“You’re welcome… do- do you really think I look nice in a dress?”
“Huh? Oh yeah, of course I do,” Rainbow said. “Since when did you not look nice?”
Fluttershy didn’t really have an answer to that question and so she simply stood in the mirror for a little while longer. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Rainbow said, still sounding reluctant as she opened the door to her fitting room. Her sweet-faced companion soon followed and was promptly met by a glowing smile, Rainbow rushing over to give her a fierce hug. “I knew it! I knew you’d look great, probably better than any of us tonight!”
Fluttershy flushed at the remark, but couldn’t resist the smile that came at its appearance. “Thank you, Rainbow. You look very nice, too.”
She did indeed, adorned in a dark blue A-line dress that fell across her sandaled feet, a comfortable neckline that was fastened about as though a necklace, patterned by sparkling sequins that flashed like diamonds. Despite Rainbow’s reluctance to appear in it, Fluttershy could only think her dearest companion was lovely.
“It’s not- you know,” Rainbow began hesitantly, “girly? Too silly and fancy?”
“Well, it is fancy,” Fluttershy mused aloud, “but it isn’t silly. You look very pretty- and cool.”
“Close enough, I guess.” Rainbow smiled all the same, her arms still about her companion’s waist and seemingly comfortable there. Fluttershy took notice of their presence, feeling them against her back but not at all out of place. She instead chose to mirror her friend’s actions and let her own embrace fall upon Rainbow, the two holding each other fast in a little moment that was entirely their own.
She wondered whether or not saying anything at all was the right thing to do. “I like being like this,” Fluttershy said quietly.
“Yeah… I do, too,” Rainbow replied, she relinquished the fastness of her grip about her friend but keeping her bound even still, staring into her friend’s soft eyes with a gaze of noticeable warmth. “Umm… hey, so there’s- there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. Soon.”
A momentary stoppage of the heart. “OK,” Fluttershy said. “What was it?”
Rainbow gave a sheepish grin. “Well, it’s not really with me right now,” she admitted. “And it might take me a bit, and I just- how about we talk after tonight’s over?”
“That sounds fine,” Fluttershy replied, freeing herself from Rainbow’s grasp but not Rainbow from her own; hands that had slid about fit form separated, one falling to find an unsuspecting mate that did not hesitate to match the pressure. “Something else to look forward to.”
“Yeah. Sure,” Rainbow said weakly. “We’ll- let’s just have fun tonight, I guess.”
“Of course we will,” Fluttershy assured her. “It’s going to be a lovely night. And we’ll be with our friends, too!”
“Oh, yeah. Umm, so, quick question,” Rainbow said, looking about at everything that wasn’t Fluttershy, the demure girl left amused by her friend’s sudden hesitancy. “So, I know we’re all just going as friends and everything.”
“Uh-huh…”
“Well, I just- you know, making sure and all that.” Rainbow screwed herself up with an inhale of sharp breath. “Umm- were you planning on- you know, dancing tonight or anything? Stuff like that?”
Fluttershy laughed aloud, the sound as sweet and soft as a spring rain. “With you, of course!” she answered. “Rainbow, were you scared to ask me?”
“I- a little.”
The night went by quickly, and all so wonderfully. Their small party together saw the group of seven enjoying their company with laughter and more than a few flashes of a camera. A dinner saw fit to fill their stomachs, elegant fare that looked delectable to the eye and tasted even better. Before they’d even made it to the museum that would house their senior prom, more than once did they proclaim that the night had already been a joy to behold.
And, just as she’d promised, Fluttershy found herself in a dance with Rainbow. Whether it be the wild and raucous themes of the early night that saw more fitting to her prismatic friend’s energy, or the slow and tranquil calms of the deepened dark that befitted her soft spirit- not an ounce of it mattered. They laughed together, relaxed together, and let the night pass joyously together. Even for an early bird such as Fluttershy, there was that small desire to not see the experience come to an end.
“What time is it?” Fluttershy asked several hours later, trying to stifle a yawn as she sat beside Rainbow Dash. The two had taken to a table in the back, watching the last few of their schoolmates and friends that still remained dance the last seconds of the night away.
“About one,” Rainbow said, looking over to check the clock on her phone. “You wanna go home?”
“Please.”
“Alright, then.” Rainbow rose from her place and offered an outstretched hand that was instantly taken, the two girls waving goodbye to the few that gave notice and departing, the depths of the night a softened thing as they drove through it and to destinations beyond.
“Rainbow?”
“Yeah?”
“What… what was it you wanted to ask me?” Fluttershy inquired. She knew full well there was a weight to the question, a potency to the topic that was now at hand; it wasn’t hard to tell that the matter was of great concern to her friend.
Rainbow’s countenance fell, shifting from relaxed to taut and tense in the span of a second. “Umm… hey, how about we pull off here for a second?” her hand reached out and pointed to the sign of a nearby park, just a bit further ahead on the road.
“Oh- alright, then.”
She waited patiently for the drive to come to a halt, remaining silent as she watched the impending circumstance chew away at her friend’s steely resolve. Just what was it that had pushed Rainbow Dash of all people to be this nervous? It just didn’t make any sense. Her heart twisting in sympathy, she was glad when the car came to a halt just at the edge of darkened grass, the artificial lights dying and becoming replaced by the pale glow of moonlight.
“Umm…” Rainbow shifted in her seat, actually wiping away the wrinkles on her skirt as she tried to compose herself. “Sorry- for this, by the way.”
“It’s alright, Rainbow. I don’t mind.” Fluttershy’s smile remained warm, leaning in a little closer as she made to listen. “What did you want to tell me?”
Rainbow looked out onto the horizon, and then at her friend before settling somewhere along the dashboard. “My scholarship went through the other day,” she said quietly. “You know, my soccer scholarship?”
Fluttershy gasped. “It did? Rainbow, that’s wonderful!” She was genuinely happy for her friend, amazed that such a thought could put her beloved companion to anguish. “Goodness, you had me worried that this was something-”
“It’s for Coastal.”
Fluttershy’s words came to a halt as she immediately realized the issue. “Oh.”
“And… and I know you’ve been accepted to CSU. So I just…” Rainbow sighed, clearly stricken by their strange change in fate; for the first time since the day they’d met, they wouldn’t be in the same school together- or even the same state. “I was trying to convince myself to ask you to come with me to Coastal instead.”
A catch of her breath. “Rainbow-”
“But that’s a horrible idea, right?” Rainbow said bitterly. “I mean, most relationships don’t even make it out of high school, and it’s not like you and I ever dated. And even if you went to Coastal instead for my sake, we’d probably- you’d hate me for taking you away, I know you really like CSU’s medical program. And if we broke up at some point, you’d hate me even more. So I just-” she forced herself to quit her rambling, eyes scrunched close as the indomitable Rainbow Dash tried to prevent the escape of her tears. “I really love you, Fluttershy. I’m sorry.” Unable to speak any further, the prismatic young woman left her seat and departed from the vehicle, taking a spot before the front of the car and burying her face in her hands. She’d given voice to her feelings at last, and likely ruined her own life along with it. She’d been selfish all her days, always thinking for herself; now at the end of her time beside this sweet princess, Rainbow knew she couldn’t ask for such a self-centered decision in her favor. The only choice that was right was to simply let it be- confessed, killed, and buried. Those feelings couldn’t matter anymore.
A sensation of soft skin against her flesh and Rainbow gave a start- yet found herself ensnared as hands held gently upon her face, Fluttershy suddenly there before her and seeing the empty space between them made full with the presence of a kiss. So unbelievably soft, a motion so tender and peaceful that Rainbow’s grieving heart was allowed to pause and rest in the tranquil bliss of the moment.
They came apart slowly, Fluttershy in command of the moment as she continued to keep Rainbow in her embrace. “Silly. Of course I love you, too,” she whispered through a rapturous smile. “I thought you were going to ask me to marry you or something else really brave.”
It was such a brash statement that the prismatic girl could only laugh. “I’m not that brave!” she said. “I mean- well, not yet- wait, do you want me to marry you?”
Fluttershy nodded, another kiss of Rainbow’s lips to bring the point home. “When the time’s right,” she said gently. “You and I need to graduate high school first- and then college, too. But I’d like to marry you someday soon.”
It was the greatest goal she’d ever been given; Rainbow Dash found herself transformed, an arrow nocked and given proper aim. She wanted to charge forward and work, to do nothing more than to get started right away and see all hindrances put aside. She had a prize to win, more meaningful and precious than any trophy or accolade could hope to match. It all felt like a long ways away, far too great a span for her to withstand. But she knew, at least, that it would be something worth waiting for. “I’ll keep in touch- every day, if you want me to,” she said.
“And you behave yourself when I’m not there,” Fluttershy replied. “Please don’t get yourself into trouble and lose the scholarship, you worked so hard for it.”
“I promise. I’ll be done before you know it!” Rainbow declared, happier than she could express to have this beloved companion in her arms- and hopefully for the rest of her life. “Fluttershy, I… don’t forget about me when you’re gone, OK? I’ll be right there at every break, or just whenever you need me.”
“As if I could ever hope to forget the amazing Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said. “So… do you know where you’ll be when you graduate?”
Of course she did. It would be all she’d think about for all the years it would take, for all the moments they spent apart; spurring her on and keeping her focused on the one thing she cherished most. “With you,” Rainbow replied, knowing there could be no better answer.
Author's Note
I wanted to try and do something soft and quiet. I know it's nothing special, but I feel I did alright.
Enjoy, I guess.
