“ALL RIGHT! This is going to be so AWESOME! I can't believe I have a new flying buddy! Now that you FINALLY mastered how to fly, it's time we put it all to the test!” Exclaimed a very excited Rainbow Dash.
Princess Twilight Sparkle giggled, giving her wings a few test flaps, “Okay Rainbow, you can calm down now. I'm ready for our first flying buddy session.”
“I know, I'm just so excited! I never thought that this could happen! A new flying buddy, out of all my best friends! This is amazing!” Rainbow did a few loops, laughing before she landed back next to the alicorn.
“But what about Fluttershy? Don't you guys go flying together all the time?” Twilight pointed out.
Snorting, the cyan pegasus waved it off, “Sure we do, but that's all slow romantic flying, the way she likes it. Since you're up to going fast, now I can FINALLY have somepony to race! I still need a challenge, after all!”
Although unsure about what to make of that statement, Twilight decided not to dwell on it for now. She was ready, ready to really put her flying to the test. Not to mention sharing it with one of her best friends, which she knew was going to be a lot of fun. She flapped her wings, lifting up off the ground effortlessly, feeling a whole new sense of freedom within herself.
She rose up toward the clouds, with Rainbow following alongside her, going slow at first. Twilight smiled, landing on a cloud. She still felt strange about being able to walk on clouds without any aid of magic, but she really liked the feeling. So soft and fluffy, as if it could burst at any moment. Yet, as if she were merely walking on solid ground. It still was very fascinating in how pegasi and alicorns could easily walk upon and manipulate clouds, especially now that she could easily do that herself.
Having wings after having been a unicorn all of her life was a whole new step. Twilight was still used to walking everywhere, and even occasionally using teleportation spells if she needed a quicker route. Now she had one whole new method of transportation, flying. It was far better than when she first started out, to be sure. Her very first flight was adrenaline-rushed, as well as instinct, she hadn't thought it through. It was no wonder she had nearly crashed into a column on her first flight.
Now, she was ready. Ready to fly and soar through the clouds, as a whole new experience just waiting to be explored. And who better to share it with than her flying enthusiast friend?
“You ready, Twilight?” Rainbow stood on a cloud next to hers, flexing her wings and stretching her limbs.
Twilight nodded, spreading her majestic wings, “I'm ready, Rainbow! Let's do this!”
“All right! Prepare for liftoff! In three...two...one!” Rainbow shot up into the air, leaving a rainbow streak in her wake.
“Hey, wait for me!” Twilight laughed, flying up into the air and chasing after her her. Her wings flapped as quick as they could, propelling her forward as she flew along.
Rainbow Dash grinned as her new flying buddy pulled up not far off from her, glad to see that this was working out. With a few more sessions like this, Twilight would surely become a potential candidate to be able to best her in flying. At least now she would have a fair opponent to fly against, somepony she could trust and was closer to than with others on the weather team. She couldn't wait to keep up with this! A whole new activity to share with Twilight felt awesome, especially in something she adored so much, being able to fly!
A brief image of a distraught-looking Fluttershy flashed in her mind.
Blinking, Rainbow shook it off and continued flying. 'Come on, that's stupid! Fluttershy's not going to care! If anything, she'll be happy that I have a new flying buddy. WE have a new flying buddy! Twilight and I can fly fast, and then she and Twilight can fly slow together! She has the best of both worlds with us! That's the beauty of it! She's not gonna get upset just because I have a new flying buddy!'
Her mind seemed to stare at her with a deadpan “Are you serious?” look before images of Gilda popped up in her memory.
'Oh...that's right. Gilda... Fluttershy was my only friend at the time, and when she was able to finally fly with me, we were able to do it together! Then Gilda came along, and because she was fascinating to me...all cool and awesome, a griffin... She was someone I could fly with, race with, and... Oh...horsefeathers!'
“Rainbow, are you all right?” Twilight now pulled up a few feet away from her, looking concerned, “You're beginning to slow down, and you almost hit a tree. Is something wrong?”
“What what what! Huh? What?” Rainbow stopped flying, hovering in midair, “I...what?”
Having gone a bit further, Twilight came flying back, hovering beside her, “Are you okay? Is something on your mind?”
'Oh no... This is exactly like before! Here I am, fascinated by Twilight's wings, she can fly fast with me, and Fluttershy is slow and boring in comparison. What if I neglect her again? What if it's even worse? What if I break up with her? What if she breaks up with me? What if this puts a wedge between us?!' Rainbow thought in horror, feeling as if her wings were going to give out and let her fall at any second.
“Rainbow? Hello? Are you okay?” Twilight pressed, waving a hoof in her face.
Taking a deep breath, the cyan pegasus looked all around her for a few moments, trying to calm herself down, 'Okay, I gotta settle down! It's not going to happen again. Twilight is actually Fluttershy's friend too! She's not going to be possessive of me and she's also not going to push Fluttershy around behind my back, and she's not going to tell me who I can or can't hang out with. This is Twilight Sparkle...she's nothing like Gilda! She'd never do that to me or to Fluttershy! So what's the problem? Nothing! Nothing's wrong! This is just going to take getting used to!' “I'm fine, Twilight! Guess I just got a little lost in thought!”
Looking relieved, Twilight smiled, “Okay. I understand, Rainbow. I guess this is a bit of an adjustment for you too, isn't it?”
“Yeah...I never thought I'd be able to fly with any of my friends except Fluttershy, and now here's you! With wings!” Rainbow chuckled, “It's pretty awesome!”
“That's fine, but I'm not about to replace Fluttershy, either!” Twilight playfully warned, “I'm still a unicorn at heart, so I'm not gonna let these wings take me over completely! Let's keep going, shall we?”
Nodding, Rainbow grinned, “Yeah! Let's go!”
The two flew off again, with Rainbow pulling ahead and Twilight in pursuit. It wasn't exactly a race at this point, just flying around together above the landscape in, around and beyond Ponyville. Neither spoke all too much except to make occasional small talk or pointing out something in the scenery. Other than that, it was a great day for flying, which the two were taking full advantage of.
Twilight felt free. The wind blew in her mane, her wings propelled her body with strength and grace, and the landscape wizzed by her at quite a speed. There really was a certain appeal to flying, it just made you feel so free and majestic, as if you could do anything. She understood why Rainbow seemed to enjoy it so much. It was perfect for free-spirited ponies to experience. She wondered how in the world she went along not envying pegasi and the Princesses all her life! Flying was truly amazing, a feat she never thought possible to do without magic or mode of flying transportation technology.
Doing a couple of dips, flips and twirls, Twilight was getting the hang of flying all the more. Pretty soon, it was going to be second nature to her. While certainly not to the levels of going extremely fast like Rainbow Dash would, she felt confident that once she got used to being able to fly without a second thought, she could be pretty fast. It was still a ways off, but for now, she was just having fun testing her limits in small doses.
She flew a bit faster, still in pursuit of her prismatic friend. Rainbow looked over at her over her shoulder, giving a grin before she pulled further ahead. Rolling her eyes playfully, she wondered if this was how Fluttershy felt when they'd play their fun flight games.
'That's true, isn't it? Fluttershy used to be the only one in our group who could fly alongside Rainbow Dash. Now I can fly, too! Then again, they've been pegasi all their life, and I only just got my wings some time ago. So it's really not the same thing in the long run. Still, it was great that they could help me adjust to it like this,' Twilight thought, feeling herself smile more, 'I really am lucky to have good friends!'
“So, how are you liking it, Twilight?” Rainbow had slowed down to allow the alicorn to catch up, “Feels pretty good, doesn't it?”
“Yeah!” Twilight called back, nodding, “I can't believe what I was missing! And I didn't even realize it until now!”
“Like they say, you never know you have until you had to compare it!” Rainbow remarked.
Twilight pondered that, “Yeah, you're right. I never actually had anything to compare it to. So while I was missing out on some things since I couldn't fly, I guess I can't say I was bothered about it, either.”
“You said it!” Agreed the cyan pegasus, doing a few flips, “And now look! You'll be able to perform some pretty neat tricks! And with magic, too! But I suggest you don't use magic for now! You have to get the hang of flying before you do that!”
Twilight giggled, nodding, “I know, Rainbow. Don't worry, I'm going to make sure I'm able to fly with no problem before I apply any magic to certain things I do with it.”
Rainbow nodded in response before pulling ahead once more. The lavender alicorn chuckled, then continued to fly along after her, taking in the scenery as she did so.
'This is definitely an interesting development, being able to fly with Rainbow! It'll be fun, for sure. I just hope Fluttershy won't mind.' Twilight thought, then shook her head, 'No, I don't think she will. She's really understanding, and I know she'd be happy that we could do this. Besides, it's not as if the three of us couldn't go flying together! I'd even like going flying with Fluttershy, since she'd take it slow. I think that's a great idea, to have the best of both worlds! Maybe sometimes I'll be in the mood to race and go fast...maybe sometimes I'll want to just go slow and take everything in. This is great!'
The two continued to fly, occasionally slowing down and turning in different directions, but otherwise going pretty fast. Twilight found herself really enjoying this, and Rainbow Dash did too. It was great that they could spend time together in a whole new way, while still teaching Twilight something.
A couple of days later, Rainbow Dash sat on the grass near Fluttershy's cottage, watching her fillyfriend as she worked with the animals. She'd gotten off work and decided to drop in to hang out with her for a little bit, especially since the past couple of weeks since Twilight's coronation had died down in the excitement. Especially in regaining her rightful cutie mark and rediscovering her true talent, communicating with animals.
“Oh...come now, prick up! Won't you smile for me?” Fluttershy coaxed a little baby bird, holding it in her hooves tenderly, “Aww, that's better! Where's your mommy and daddy? Where's their nest?” She paused, listening to the baby bird chirping a little, “Oh! There they are! I'll get you back up there in no time.”
Fluttershy flew up to a branch in a nearby tree, placing the little baby bird in the nest situated there. Rainbow continued to watch, a warm feeling coursing over her heart as she watched her best friend with a tender smile. As boring as this was, she just didn't care. There was something so heartwarming and fascinating about Fluttershy working with animals. And Rainbow just enjoyed every second of it without complaint.
'She may not feel she can fly fast, but I know she can when she gives it her all. But even when she does it, there's just something so graceful about it. So slow and deliberate, I guess. No wonder she was a model.' Rainbow thought, unable to help but remember the photos and magazine spreads she still kept from Fluttershy's modeling days.
When the creamy yellow pegasus touched back down to the ground, she sat on her haunches, looking all around her at her animal friends. Rainbow took this as an opportunity to approach. The cyan mare did so, going slowly, before hugging her beloved from behind and giggling.
“Gotcha, Flutters!”
Fluttershy giggled, leaning back into her, “Oh, Rainbow. You silly. Are you bored?”
“Not at all,” Rainbow nuzzled her and kissed her cheek, “How can I be when I'm watching my favourite pony in the world doing her thing?”
It didn't take seeing her face to know that Fluttershy was blushing now, especially with her bashful giggling.
“You're so sweet. So....I was thinking, if you wanted...we could go for a sunset flight together? The weather is supposed to be really nice and breezy this evening, so I was wondering if you'd be up to that,” Fluttershy said, her voice hopeful.
All at once, Rainbow felt herself deflate. After having had a fun-filled flight with Twilight just two days earlier, she strangely just didn't feel in the mood to go slow right now. Not that she didn't enjoy their romantic flights, but there was an itching feeling inside that told her she really could have gone for something faster. More exciting.
“Eh...maybe another time, Flutters... I don't feel much up to that,” Rainbow let her go.
Fluttershy turned to face her, looking disappointed, “...Oh...okay. I understand. Maybe next time?”
“Y-Yeah, sure! Next time. Yeah,” Rainbow nodded, feeling guilty the moment she saw the sad look, “So, I'm gonna head off now. Got some things to do.”
“You don't want to stay for dinner?” Fluttershy asked, still looking disappointed.
Rainbow once more felt like a louse, but pushed it off, “Not this time, no. I'm kinda tired. I think I'll just head home early tonight. Sorry, Flutters.”
“Oh...it's okay. Don't worry about it,” The creamy yellow pegasus smiled a bit in understanding, “I understand. Well, um, I have a few things to do during the day tomorrow. But if you want, we can do something in the evening if you're free.”
“Oh, uh, sure! I'll check my calendar!” By now, Rainbow was getting wracked in her thoughts and needed to go and sort them out. But considering her two refusals to some simple requests to spend time together, she felt she could at least give Fluttershy a nice little parting. She walked over to her mare and kissed her lightly on the lips, managing a smile, “Love you. You know that, right?”
Fluttershy smiled, nuzzling her, “I know. I love you, too. See you later, Rainbow.”
“See you, Fluttershy!” Without another word, Rainbow Dash took off.
'What the hay is wrong with me?!'
The next day, onsidering that she wasn't in the mood for a slow flight, she figured a fun and quick flight would work better instead. So upon running into Twilight, Rainbow proposed that they go for a quick fun flight. Since Twilight was taking a break from her studies, she agreed to it.
Rejuvenated, Rainbow tore freely through the air and raced the wind! Twilight was a ways off, flying fast and managing to put up a good fight without lagging behind all willy nilly. She felt relieved, as if nothing could stop her, and just took it all in. What a perfect idea this was, to just let loose and fly with someone who was at least willing to try to race her. It was awesome! She hadn't felt this way since-
Rainbow Dash felt as if she were punched in the gut.
“Yeah, I don't really feel like it now, Fluttershy. I think I'll just go for now.”
“...Okay, Rainbow...see you later, then.”
Rainbow slowly flew off from her best friend, feeling a stab of guilt. But that guilt was short-lived the moment she could see Gilda on a cloud nearby. Grinning, she dashed over to her, excited.
“Heya, Dash!” Gilda greeted, smirking, “Up for a race?”
“You bet I am! I have a lot of energy now, and flying slow won't cut it! I need some speed!”
“Haha, then you came to the right griffin! What say you, half a lap around Cloudsdale, first one to make it back to the flag pole wins?”
“You're on, G!” Rainbow grinned, getting into a preparation stance, “You are SO on!”
Gilda smirked and prepared to take off as well, spreading her majestic eagle wings, “Then we're off, Dash! GO!”
Laughing with glee, Rainbow took off in the air, flying at breakneck speed alongside her best flying buddy. All that anxiety about having originally been asked to fly slow to go home were just gone. What replaced it was raw energy, ready to be released with invigorating flying. This was just what she needed. A good fast flight race!
The major sense of deja-vu overtook Rainbow Dash, to the point where she had to sit on a cloud to try to gather herself. She felt a mixture of ashamed and horrified, as if she'd committed a terrible crime and was now going to have to pay for it. Twilight zipped past, still going fast, but then stopped some ways off. She came around, looking at her curiously as she joined the cyan mare on the cloud.
“Rainbow, what's wrong? Why did you stop?” Twilight asked with concern.
“Twilight...don't you see? It's happening all over again!!” Rainbow cried, her form trembling.
Twilight blinked, confused now. What in the world was Rainbow talking about? Whatever it was, it definitely shook her up quite a bit. The current circumstances were beginning to worry her quite a bit.
“Rainbow, what are you talking about? What's wrong? What's happening all over again?”
The cyan pegasus exhaled, holding her head in her hooves, “I'm doing it again! I'm ditching flights with Fluttershy so I can go fly fast with my new flying buddy! I...I did that back when we were younger, with Gilda! Before I met her, Fluttershy was my only friend. Then Gilda came along, and I thought she was so fascinating and awesome! Not to mention, she was a great flying partner because she liked to fly fast, just like I did! I hung out with her a lot after that, especially to go flying. Then I neglected Fluttershy in the process, to the point that I didn't even want to fly with her anymore. I just wanted to fly fast and race with someone, not just cruise along! But don't you see? I'm doing that again! I...I ditched her earlier on to come flying with you because I didn't feel like flying slow! I'm doing this all over again! Ditching her for a better flying buddy!”
Twilight gaped, wide-eyed. Not only was Rainbow Dash opening up to her, but was also visibly upset, as if she could burst into tears at any given second. She could see the connection Rainbow was making, with the current events practically matching up to events in the past. Past events she obviously wasn't proud of.
“Oh... I think I understand now,” Twilight said, placing a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "You feel that you are doing the same thing to Fluttershy with me that you did with Gilda so long ago."
“Yes,” Rainbow murmured, looking at her sadly.
“And because Gilda treated Fluttershy badly, it just made this situation feel a lot worse because you saw what happened when you did that.”
“Yeah...”
Nodding, Twilight looked her in the eye, “Rainbow, you don't have to worry about that. Sometimes in life, we face similar events that we did in the past. But that doesn't mean it's going to turn out the same way. I'm sure you've learned a lot since then, haven't you?”
“Of course I have!” Rainbow said, and looked downward, “Things are different now, and I'm not sure what to do. I didn't even get the chance to really fix it. Gilda left after we argued too much, and then we agreed to make up if we ever saw each other again. ...You know how that went. But now I know you're nothing like her, and I don't want to ditch you OR Fluttershy! But I don't know what to do!”
“You don't have to ditch either of us, Rainbow,” the alicorn chided, “You know what I realized? Now that I can fly and am getting better at it, I love the idea of flying with both of you. Maybe at the same time or separately. When I want to race and have some fun, I'd go flying with you. When I just want to relax while flying, I'd go flying with Fluttershy. Neither one is better than the other, it just depends on what you want to do at the moment. So, if I can have the best of both worlds...why can't you?”
Considering her words, Rainbow smiled a little bit, “You really think so?”
“Of course I do! You'll just have to get used to balancing your time between both of us. That won't be a problem or any different than what you already do. Balancing spending time with all of us, with Fluttershy, and your job,” Twilight assured her, “I think I see the problem here. Gilda didn't give you much chance, and you were swept up with having a new friend to fly with. Now, it's different. I would never try to stop you from spending time with Fluttershy or any of our friends. You know that.”
“Okay... Thanks, Twilight,” Rainbow smiled gratefully and hugged her, “You were right. I was just overreacting.”
Hugging her back, the lavender alicorn patted her friend and then released her, “A little, but I can understand why. You were just worried about making the same mistake again. Fluttershy is your best friend and you love her, you just didn't want to hurt her again. That's really sweet of you. But just because you don't want to fly slow doesn't mean you're neglecting her. You just don't feel like it. I mean, it'll be no different than any other day you're not up to it. You must have had times of saying no back before I had wings, right?”
“Well, yeah,” Rainbow shrugged.
“You see? Nothing different about it.”
“Okay, okay, you're right.”
Twilight smiled, patting her friend's shoulder, “Good, now don't worry yourself about it. Everything will be fine. You're not going to neglect Fluttershy, and I don't think she'll be threatened by me being able to fly. I think she understands a bit more than you think.”
All at once, Rainbow felt like an idiot, “Man... I really gotta stop worrying so much. You're right, Twilight. Fluttershy's a lot more understanding than that! And you're nothing like Gilda, so I don't think she's even going to care!”
“That's the spirit, now don't worry! Come on, let's fly a around a bit more. I want to stretch my wings before I head back to do my studying,” Twilight spread her wings again, looking at her pointedly.
Rainbow nodded and smiled, “Sure thing, Twilight! You go get a head start. I'll catch up!”
Laughing a bit, the alicorn nodded and flew off. Moments later, Rainbow zipped up and flew after her.
'Twilight's right. I was right all along. This isn't gonna be like it was with Gilda, it's gonna be different! Nothing to worry about!' Rainbow thought.
Later on, as it was getting darker, Rainbow Dash arrived back at Fluttershy's cottage. On some days, she normally just walked in without knocking, since she visited so often. But right now, she just didn't feel right about doing that. So instead, she went to the front door and knocked.
A few moments passed, and Fluttershy opened the door. Her eyes went wide, but she smiled brightly, “Oh, Rainbow! Hello there. Did you forget something?”
“A-Actually, Fluttershy...I came to apologize,” Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her neck with her hoof.
“...For what?” Fluttershy looked puzzled, “Do you want to come in?”
“Are you sure? Even after today?”
“Of course, Rainbow. Come on in, if you'd like.”
Feeling a smile coming on, the cyan pegasus came inside when Fluttershy let in, and the door was closed behind her. She followed the creamy yellow mare into the living room, where they sat on the couch. Rainbow took a sniff, smelling some cooking going on in the kitchen.
“Why do you want to apologize? You didn't do anything wrong,” Fluttershy said.
“I kinda did. You remember, when I ditched you earlier? Because I didn't feel like flying with you? It's because.... I wanted to go flying with Twilight. Because she's my new flying buddy, and she likes to go fast! I thought it was so awesome, and when I first went flying with her a couple days ago, it was awesome. To be able to fly with a close friend like that, and go fast? It was amazing!” Rainbow grinned at this, but faltered momentarily after, “And I just...remembered that I did that when I became friends with Gilda. You know, having just you to fly with, and then having a friend who liked to fly fast like me?”
Fluttershy tilted her head, “Rainbow...just where are you going with this?”
“I didn't want to neglect you, Flutters! I was afraid of it happening again! I know Twilight's not like Gilda, so I wasn't worried about that. I just didn't want to get so caught up in having someone fast to fly with and practically leave you in the dust just because you're not into flying fast!” Rainbow placed her hooves on her shoulders, feeling a sense of desperation.
“Oh...” Fluttershy was wide-eyed at this point, “Rainbow, I...I...oh... I never really thought of that. I'll admit, maybe I was a little bit...envious of Twilight at first...since she seemed to be up to flying fast...and I knew you'd love that... But I realized...that it's okay. Just because you have a new friend to fly with...doesn't mean you don't love me or don't want to fly with me. You just have somepony you can fly fast with. It doesn't change anything.”
Overwhelmed, but feeling a wave of relief, Rainbow smiled. She then and kissed her sweetly, holding her fillyfriend closer. Savouring her. Pulling back, she lay their foreheads together and smiled all the more, “Aw, Fluttershy... I'm just glad you're not feeling neglected, since that's the last thing I want to do. But I'm sorry I just left you like that.”
“It's okay. I didn't feel neglected. I was just disappointed and a bit worried you didn't want to spend time with me today, especially since you were acting a bit weird. Like you were trying to hide something but didn't tell me so you would spare my feelings...” Fluttershy admitted, blushing a bit as she curled her forelegs around her neck.
“Aww, I'm sorry. I was just worried and didn't want to hurt you, so I decided to go off so I could think and do some fast flying with Twilight. Let's just say she helped knock some sense into me,” the cyan mare chuckled, running a hoof through the blossom-pink mane.
“That's good, I'm glad this is sorted out,” Fluttershy nuzzled their noses, “And if you want to go fly with Twilight, that's okay. I don't mind at all.”
Rainbow nodded, kissing her nose, “Got it. But you know you're still my number one flyer, Flutters.”
“Hee...oh, Rainbow, stop it...” Fluttershy giggled, blushing a bit more.
“Why would I? You're so cute!” Rainbow cooed, kissing her nose again, “You're the best, Fluttershy. I love you so much.”
“Awww...I love you too, Rainbow,” Fluttershy snuggled closer, “I'm glad we had this talk.”
“So am I, Flutters. I feel a lot better! And hungry. Say...is that invitation to stay for dinner still open?”
“Of course it is. You know you're always welcome here.”
Dear Princess Celestia,
I thought the past was coming back to haunt me. I was afraid of making the same mistake I did all those years ago, and didn't want to hurt Fluttershy again.
Twilight told me that just because I can share something special with more than one friend, doesn't mean I can't enjoy both of them. It's all about enjoying the best of both worlds.
Fluttershy was always the only pony in my life who I could fly with. Now that Twilight can fly; I can enjoy flying with her in a different way. Maybe I love to fly fast, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy slowing down when I go flying with Fluttershy. I've got two great friends I can fly with, and it's awesome!
Your awesome and loyal subject,
Rainbow Dash
Author's Note
This idea just came to me...obviously after the finale, "Magical Mystery Cure". This is just one of the ideas I had in relation to it. Originally, I was going to make it about Fluttershy feeling a little bit neglected and sad that Rainbow seems to enjoy flying with Twilight than with her. But then as I wrote it, this came to mind. Having Rainbow being nervous about neglecting Fluttershy, when really, she had nothing to worry about all along!
So it's complete for now. If there is more I can add to it, I might, but for now, it's all good.
