Trusted Scales

Rainbow had been sat down on a couch in Fluttershy's dining room, accompanied by a few birds calmly observing the scene and a curious Angel lazily munching on a carrot that had an impossible shade of orange. Every so often the white rabbit would catch Rainbow's gaze, to which he simply stared at her for a moment before slowly swiveling his view onward and out along the walls of the room.

In terms of decor, it was just what anypony might expect to be decorating a house that was carved into a tree. Various flowers of different species were hanging off of, growing out of, and brightening up otherwise unassuming flowerpots and pseudo-containers for plants. The plants themselves made the room into an organism all its own, and Rainbow couldn't deny that that may be one of the coolest ways to design a room. A living room.

Rainbow chuckled at her own pun, and it was only then that the voice of her companion tore her from her daydreaming. "What?" Fluttershy called, peeking around the corner to see what Rainbow Dash was laughing at.

"Oh, I was just-" Rainbow began, considering in her head just how she would explain the joke. After coming to the conclusion that it'd simply be way too complicated and drawn-out, she finished her statement with a wave of the hoof and, "Nah, nevermind. Just entertaining myself while I wait."

"Oh, I hope I'm not making you wait too long," Fluttershy said, voicing her pressing worries of boring Rainbow Dash. Her expression had suddenly changed from one of a gentle curiosity to that of fretting guilt.

"Not at all," Rainbow said, her wings tensing slightly at having made the yellow mare stress so easily. She was used to such things, of course, but it still wasn't pleasant to be reminded of just how fragile the pegasus' nerves could be. She was a pony-pleaser, no doubt about it - but that sometimes became problematic.

Regardless of that, however, Fluttershy returned - much to Rainbow's relief - to her usually mellow self. Her head disappeared behind the wall concealing the kitchen and called back with, "It will only be a minute more. I promise!"

And a minute more it was. As if she had timed it perfectly, Fluttershy emerged from behind the wall carrying two platters of food, one on each wing, and a pitcher of steaming tea placed daintily upon a saucer atop her head. She moved with the expertise of a cat, and not so much as a drop or a crumb was spilled.

"You know, if I were to do that, we'd be eating off of the floor and licking the furniture for drinks," Rainbow said with her eyebrows raised in amazement. This elicited a laugh out of Fluttershy, and Rainbow went on to say, "I'm serious! Where'd you learn to do that kinda stuff, anyway?"

Fluttershy looked bashful and kicked at the ground gently as she explained, "Well, when you spend so much time on the ground, you have to find creative uses for your wings. After taking care of animals for so long, I just learned to multitask. I'm sure you could do it if you tried."

"Thanks but no thanks, Shy. I'm not looking to break any of that fancy dinnerware of yours," Rainbow jested in all seriousness. While she was quite awesome at what she did, she knew better than to try and be awesome at everything. Some things were better left to the pros.

But they weren't here to discuss Fluttershy's amazing skills when handling dinnerware. There were more pressing issues at hand, and Dash's mind was bouncing thoughts back and forth with the numerous possibilities of what this could be. It seemed she would not have to keep up the guesswork for very long, however, as Fluttershy seemed ready and willing to speak her mind.

"I suppose I should start?" Fluttershy asked, taking her seat across from Dash. It was then that Angel took it upon himself to get into a more comfortable position - namely one that was away from the rising noise level that was two mares speaking.

"Whenever you're ready," Rainbow said, taking a bite of one of the pastries her friend had prepared for her. She noted just how great of a cook Fluttershy was and made a mental note to thank her later, if she remembered.

"Well let me start off by saying I'm not in any danger," Fluttershy began, and this served to make Dash grin with anticipation. "But I am struggling with a more.. Delicate problem."

It was then that Dash's grin began to fade. She didn't exactly do well with delicate problems, so this could actually be a bit of a challenge for her, depending on just how delicate the situation was. Regardless, she nodded and gestured for Fluttershy to continue.

"I.. Um," Fluttershy said, a faintly red hue seeping into her calm yellow fur. "I sort of.. Like somepony. Romantically."

This took Rainbow aback, slightly. She had overheard her speaking of 'liking' somepony, but she figured Fluttershy was referring to an animal or a new friend she was trying to make. Her surprise quickly turned to excitement, however, and she was just as quick to voice her opinion.

"That's awesome! Who is he? Do I know 'em?" The questions came out in a flurry of words rather than a calm, orderly string of them. She stopped for a moment to consider the fact that she could be overloading the pegasus, and let out a nervous chuckle and said, "Sorry 'bout that. But really - who are they?"

"Um.. Well, you do know them. And before I tell you, you should know he isn't a stallion," Fluttershy admitted, speaking slowly and obviously choosing her words very carefully. It put Rainbow on edge, for some reason. Like she didn't know what to expect next.

"Oh, really? Well that's cool, I guess. What is he?" Rainbow asked, but she could feel her brain going to work at the puzzle that was being laid before her. It felt like the answer was right in front of her, but she just couldn't place the final pieces just yet.

"First of all, you can't tell him. I want to tell him I like him face-to-face," Fluttershy said, mustering up a surprising amount of assertiveness. Rainbow promised, and Fluttershy continued, "He's.. He's a dragon."

"A dragon? You know, I wouldn't take you for the dragon-loving kind. Don't you fear dragons?" Rainbow asked, one eyebrow perched up in confusion. Fluttershy suddenly overcoming one of her greatest fears, while a pleasant fantasy, was just that - a fantasy. It would take nothing short of a miracle for that to happen. So either she was under a spell, or this was one very special dragon.

"Yes, but he's different," Fluttershy explained, confirming that it was indeed the latter of Rainbow's suspicions. Well, at least she wouldn't have to call upon Twilight to remove a spell.

Fluttershy began describing the mystery dragon with a mixture of bliss and admiration upon her face. "He's kind, knows what to say even when it's obvious he has no clue about something, he's considerate at all times, he's.." she paused for a moment, looking away from Rainbow to mumble what may have been "handsome".

She shook her head and took a sip of tea, continuing after a few moment's hesitation, "And on top of all that - he's a gentledragon that is very nice to animals. Oh, Rainbow, he's simply perfect."

"He certainly sounds pretty great. Kind, good with animals, and handsome?" Rainbow let out a long whistle and said, "Yep. Sounds like a winner to me! But you mentioned I know him?"

It was at that moment that she gathered up the final pieces of the puzzle. Whether or not she was prepared for the coup de grace that was about to be placed upon her previous notions, she couldn't have known. But as it slowly sank in as to what the identity of this mystery dragon was, Rainbow took a step back mentally to consider it.

"You couldn't possibly mean.." Rainbow began, leaning closer to perhaps comprehend better what was about to be said. "You mean to say that you..?"

"..ve sp.." Fluttershy mumbled, hiding behind her mane. Even from the few strands that were separated, Rainbow Dash could see that Fluttershy's face was more red than one of the apples in Applejack's orchard.

It was obvious to Rainbow what Fluttershy was trying to say, but she still didn't want to jump to conclusions. If she was right - and she believed she was - then this situation was about to get much more complicated than Rainbow had bargained for. But even if that was the case, it was Rainbow's duty as a friend to help. Just who she would be helping was a confusing notion, but she'd help regardless.

"What's that?" Rainbow asked, wanting to make absolutely sure that she was right about this. She didn't want to chance anything being left up to assumption and then turn out to be wrong.

Fluttershy spoke extremely slowly. Pausing after each word, it was as if she wanted to be extra clear in her intentions. "I.. Lo.. Love."

Rainbow prodded her along one last time, saying, "You love..? Who? Who do you love?" Rainbow couldn't help but smile at how adorable Fluttershy could be sometimes. Her innocence was both peculiar and refreshing.

Fluttershy took a very deep breath and then exhaled it all at once. She repeated this multiple times until Angel gave her strange glances between bites of his carrot, and until the blush upon her face dispersed. Once again she spoke slowly as she said, "I love.. Spike."

So she was right. Well, at least that much was clear. But now this had become a matter way beyond Rainbow's level of expertise, and she had already dug in too deep. Walking away was not an option, however, so she'd just have to pull through until the end.

"That's.." Rainbow stammered, looking for the right words to say, "Wow." She decided that this was the perfect word to describe what she thought about it all, but understood that wasn't quite enough of a reaction to the news. "I mean, it's great that you.. Love Spike. It is, really," Rainbow said, beginning to go into a cycle of confusion with her thoughts. "I'm just wondering. When did this start?"

"Well he's always been interesting to me," Fluttershy said, twirling her hooves over one another. "It's just that eventually, as he grew up, I began to realize he wasn't only interesting. Remember that one time Twilight was levitating my animals?"

"Yeah?" Rainbow replied, not quite sure where she was going with this.

"Well everyone was probably too distracted to notice, but Spike didn't hesitate to hold me when I got scared," Fluttershy said with a warm smile on her face. "He kept telling me it'd be okay, and after it was all over he made sure to stay with me until I had calmed down."

"Yeah, Spike certainly has that going for him; he's charming," Rainbow said, Fluttershy's smile starting to grow on her. She began to grow a grin all of her own, and then got curious. "But if you like him, why haven't you said anything? It's not like he's dating somepony."

"Oh, I know but I feel like I wouldn't be up to his.. Standards," Fluttershy admitted sadly, her smile drooping into a small frown. "He liked Rarity so very much, and Rarity and I are so very different. I don't know if he'd feel the same."

"Well he came to check on you, didn't he?" Rainbow asked, having a sudden stroke of brilliance come across her mind. Now she just had to get it out into the playing field. "It seems pretty obvious to me that he cares about you. Why not give it a shot?"

Fluttershy fidgeted in her seat, but the smile returned all the same. "I guess so. But I wouldn't know how to be direct like that." She suddenly gave Rainbow Dash a look that could shatter the soul of the most hardened of criminals. It was a mixture of sadness, affection, and confusion that made Rainbow's head hurt with care for her friend. "What should I do?" she asked simply.

"Well, uh.." Rainbow began, not quite sure of what to do next. She had hoped she could motivate Fluttershy into asking Spike about his feelings, or something along those lines, but that was obviously not going to happen. "I promised not to tell him for you. But.. What if I got him to come here again?"

"Do you think that would work?" Fluttershy said, hope seeping into her voice. "Oh, but what would I say? What would I do?" she was sinking deeper into worry when Rainbow Dash interrupted her.

"Relax, Shy. You just have to.. Be you. You're the nicest pony I know, after all. Why wouldn't he love that? Or love you?" Rainbow said, hoping she wasn't laying it on too thick with her motivation. "Tell you what. I'll go talk to Spike now. I won't say what is up, but I'll tell him you have to talk to him about some important stuff. But you have to promise me something."

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes wide with anticipation of what Rainbow could possibly be planning. Her expression reminded Rainbow Dash of their time in Flight Camp. She'd make that face every time Rainbow devised a new stunt or a new game, and it was always a pleasant sight to see.

"You have to tell him. Or at least show him that you like him. This is sort of a one-shot thing, so we can't afford to keep him running around. You think you can do that?" Rainbow laid out her one condition for the plan to work, and it seemed like Fluttershy was okay despite her contemplative gaze and slight fidgeting of the hooves.

"Yes. I'll do it," Fluttershy stated with a nod of finality.

"Alright, then. I'm off to talk to Spike. We'll talk later on to see how it went, alright?" Rainbow asked, standing from her sitting position on the couch. She noticed that the pastries had hardly been touched, and it seemed Fluttershy picked up on her worried gaze.

"Angel and the other animals like them. It's okay," Fluttershy reassured her. Rainbow Dash smiled and gave a nod of her own. "Good luck Rainbow Dash. And thank you!"

"No problem, Shy. Catch you later!" With that, she trotted out of the cottage and onto the pathway leading from Fluttershy's house. With a careful-yet-powerful leap, Rainbow took to the air and spread her wings, darting off in the direction of Golden Oaks Library.

She took the time to gather her thoughts on all of this as she flew, but knew it wouldn't be long. This wasn't a bad situation, but it certainly was a peculiar one. She hadn't expected it, at least. But now that she was in the middle of it, she saw it as something of a pleasant challenge. Why not help if she can?

Her judgement of distance was spot on, because it didn't take her more than a few minutes to reach the library. Doing a corkscrew for flair, Rainbow began her descent towards the entrance and opened her wings to reduce speed.

Looking around to see if anypony saw her trick, she found herself slightly disappointed that the streets were mostly empty. "Oh well," she said simply, and gave the entrance to the library a quick three knocks with her hoof.

As a pleasant surprise, Spike was indeed home. The tall dragon opened the door and gave a friendly smile as he greeted Rainbow with, "Oh hey, Dash. What's up? Talk to Fluttershy yet?"

"Yep," Rainbow replied proudly, sticking out her chest slightly. "But, uh.. I think you oughta head over and talk with her, too. Apparently there's something important she's got to tell you, so you should probably go soon." She hoped she wasn't being awkward, because that was totally uncool, but she figured it'd be alright once this was settled.

"Oh. Is she okay?" Spike asked with a look of worry upon his face. Rainbow took note of how quick he was to care for Fluttershy's well-being, and it made her smile slightly.

"Yeah, she's fine. Just needs to talk to you," Rainbow replied with a wave of her hoof. "But it's important, I think. Urgent."

"Well, alright. I'll head over now, if that's okay," Spike said, stepping out of the library and shutting the door behind him.

"Yeah, that's cool. Imma head home and catch up on some Daring Do," Rainbow said, but in reality she figured she might actually spend the day worrying over Fluttershy rather than casually reading. It wasn't exactly her style, but Fluttershy was an exception when it came to her stress.

"Oh, nice. I'll see you later, then. Bye Rainbow!" Spike said as he went on his way down the road, giving a goodbye wave.

Rainbow returned the wave and called back with, "Yeah! Catch ya later! And good luck!" Then, with only enough volume for herself to hear, she mumbled, "And good luck, Fluttershy."

"She'll be fine," Pinkie Pie said, causing Rainbow to jump into the air and let out a yell. Pinkie giggled and then ran off to what looked like Sugarcube Corner.

"How did she.." Rainbow said, now panting from shock. With a shake of her head, Rainbow flew off towards her home to prepare for later. She'd have to be prepared for the worst, even if she did hope for the best. Twilight had told her to do that, once, and it was some good advice.

So with the wheels in motion, Rainbow was simply left to wait.