Fear and Doubt Clip Wings

Note From Author: I had an idea today about adding a new character we all know and love, but I'll save that for a future chapter. Just a bit of a warning though. :D

Meanwhile, while Flutter and Mac were... ya know...

Twilight was sitting across from Colorstrike and Rainbow Dash, listening to them argue witt an amused smirk. The other seemed to be enjoying it as well.

"Mom, that is not even close to how it happened! Fluttershy was-"

"No, Dash! The huge Ursa Major was about to eat your father, and-"

"And Fluttershy stood in a saved him!"

"I know!"

"Oh my stars, Mom. That. Is. What. I've. Been. Saying."

Rarity was snorting trying to hold in her laughter, and AJ leaned over to Twilight. "Have you noticed how much alike them two are?"

Twilight scoffed. "Alike? Look at Colrstrike! She's as bright pink as Pinkie with a dark blue mane! Rainbow is blue with, well. A rainbow mane. The only thing alike is their eyes."

The farm pony rolled her emerald gaze. "No, Twi. Ah mean their personality. They're both stubborn as mules, they both love to argue."

With another glance, Twilight made sense of what her friend was saying. When they looked at each other, their eyes were reflections, as if they were thinking the exact same thing. They're laughs were the same, and their voice cracked simultaneously almost every time.

"Ooh! Ooh! Tell another Fluttershy story!" Pinkie squealed, hopping up and down, her blue eyes dancing with excitement.

Rainbow Dash sat down and crossed her front hooves. "Shy's saved us from animals hundreds of times. Bears, Manticores, Ursa Minors and Majors..."

Colorstrike's eyes softened. "Remember at Flight Camp," she turned her head to look at her daughter. "When you got stage fright and she had to talk you into performing?"

While Dash cringed, Rarity piped up. "Rainbow Dash with stage fright? I don't believe it."

Strike nodded. "It was their final test, and Rainbow was terrified."

"I wasn't that nervous."

"Shy, I don't know If I can go through with this."

Fluttershy looked up from where she was looking at the ground, trying her best to see any of her animal friends. The sun beamed off of her new cutiemark, making it stand out against her pale coat. "Dash, I'm sure you'll make it." she offered an encouraging smile, but it was shot down by her friend's reply.

"Oh, yeah! You can say that! But not me! Nooohoho, not me! Your cutiemark has nothing to do with flying! Do you know what pressure I'm under right now?!" The blue teenage Pegasus began flying around in a panic. "If I fail this test, Everypony will look down on me! Then I won't have friends! What if I'm asked to do a Sonic Rainboom?! That last one was just an accident! I'll never be able to perform another one in span of just two weeks! What if-" her zooming around was put to an abrupt halt as her face collided with a hoof.

Fluttershy hovered in front of her friend with her hoof extended with a frown on her face. Her blue/green gaze was concerned as she put her hoof back at her side. "Dash. You listen to me, and you listen good." she said. Dash straightened up. Shy didn't "raise" her voice often, but when she did, you need to listen. "You are the best flier I have ever seen. You, Rainbow Marianna Dash," Hearing her full name made Dash cringe on the inside, yet she kept a straight face as she listened. "Rainbow, you performed a Sonic Rainboom which hundreds of other ponies saw! You will pass this test. You won't just pass you're going to... Well, you're gonna pass the hell out of it!"

Dash smiled hearing her friend swear. She'd never sworn before, and she was amused by the shocked look on her friend's face. "Rainbow? Rainbow Marianna Dash?" She perked up when the announcer outside the curtain called her.

The blue mare looked over her shoulder as she pushed open the curtain. "Thanks, Flutters."

"Fluttershy SWORE?!"

"I'm guessing you passed, darling?"

"YOUR MIDDLE NAME IS 'MARIANNA'"?

Strike laughed as her daughter stared at her hooves. "Don't worry, Dash. Ya know, that cute little stallion you were dating in college seemed to like your middle name!"

Rarity's eyes lit up. "Stallion? Oh, dear! You must tell us!"

Dash laughed nervously. "T-that's for another time. I don't exactly feel comfortable aboutt alking about boyfriend's in front of the M-O-T-H-E-R."

Strike scoffed behind her and rolled her eyes. "He was a perfectly fine young man, it's a shame you didn't stay with him. He seemed loving enough. Although..." her eyes narrowed. "From what I sometimes heard at night, he wasn't always sweet."

"MOM, OH MY STARS!" Dash screamed before zooming out of Twilight's window.

The others were rolling on the floor by this time, their eyes wet from crying. Pinkie Pie was holding her stomach. "Ah, aha oh- my stomach!" she cried, clamping her eyes shut.