Those days, Fluttershy always felt alone. In the span of five years, all of her friends had gone their separate ways, all with promises to stay in contact. Twilight Sparkle had gone to Canterlot to aid young fillies as a teacher at the academy based there. Her extensive letters she sent made it sound like she was enjoying herself -to say the least. Applejack had left to go expand her family's apple business, and last she'd heard she'd found a nice plot of land, set up shop somewhere further out in the country and business was booming. Rarity's clothing line finally took off, like she'd hoped, catching the eye of top fashion designers, beginning the process that eventually whisked her away elsewhere. She hardly wrote -it could only be assumed she was always up to her ears in fabric- but her designs were everywhere, so it was to be assumed she was doing just fine by the looks of the vibrant, flashy outfits everypony would wear. With all their friends moving away, Pinkie Pie simply wandered off to greener pastures, as it were, in search of places where the parties she loved and craved were in higher demand and supply.
Fluttershy, who had yet to find a calling that would lead her on a path outside of Ponyville, missed all of them dearly. It made her heart heavy to think she only got to know what her friends were up to through letters and the occasional short visit. She felt trapped inside the town that had once seemed to vast to her before, but at the same time she couldn't bring herself to leave. Her timidity had become almost like a ball and chain, and she knew for a fact she hadn't the strength to break free and follow after her friends. No, all she could do was look after her animals and, occasionally, the animals of other ponies living in Ponyville, telling her furry and feathered friends her troubles. It was all maddening and saddening at the same time, and if she had the voice to scream out loud for everyone to hear, golly, she'd be screaming day and night in hopes that someone would hear her.
Oh, but the pony she missed the most -the pony who had been the first to leave Ponyville to seek out her dream- was a certain blue, winged pegasus with a vividly colored mane. Maybe it was because she'd been gone the longest out of all her friends, but whenever she thought of her, Fluttershy's heart ached so much she feared it would grind to a halt and cease to beat in her chest. And now the entire town was covered in posters, that certain pony gracing them along with the other members of the Wonderbolts. She'd finally achieved her dream, and Fluttershy was happy for her, but a part of her wished she never found it -it was a cruel thought to think, though, and the shy pony was quick to put it out of her mind. Look at how happy she is, grinning like the happiest pony in all of Equestria, how could she even make such a wish!? She's happy now, just like everyone else...
"Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy muttered to herself, simply saying the pony's name causing a warm, painful lump to grow in her throat. Sad to say, Rainbow Dash had stopped by from time to time to visit, usually while on tour, but whenever she did, she'd just be mobbed by fans, and just like always, Fluttershy would end up never getting the courage to fight her way through the crowds to see her. It had been so long since she heard her voice she had forgotten what it sounded like, and since leaving Ponyville, she had yet to send a single letter... it caused a dark, depressing thought to enter Fluttershy's brain. A familiar thought that always graced her on the subject of Rainbow Dash. "You've probably forgotten all about me, haven't you?"
She hoofed longingly at the poster on the wall before her, feeling nothing but the cold, gravelly texture of the brick wall the poster had been plastered to instead of the soft warmth of her friend's cheek. Her and the Wonderbolts were coming to Ponyville, and it was all anypony could talk about. From what she heard, it was substantially larger and more fantastical than their usual shows, which only meant even less of a chance she'd be able to see her friend -if you could get any less than no chance at all. Lowering her head she heaved a tiny shy, mixed with a defeated whinny as she turned away from the poster (not that it mattered, the posters were everywhere). It was best she didn't hang around with that pony's face grinning at her wildly at every turn. It was better if she simply went home, took care of her animals and went to bed -the usual. The usual that would take her mind off the fact her friend was coming to town again and that she wasn't thinking of Fluttershy as much as Fluttershy was thinking of her.
"Ohmygosh, Fluttershy!" A squeaky, high-pitched squeal interrupted Fluttershy from her darkened thoughts, and as she whipped her head around to see who had called her, her vision was obscured by her mane flying wildly in her face. But it didn't matter if she didn't see them right away, she knew that chipper tone of voice anywhere.
"P-Pinkie!" Fluttershy quietly exclaimed, trying to put on a smile for her old friend. It wasn't like it wasn't genuine, she WAS happy to see her, it was just that the bitter thoughts still polluting her mind were almost keeping her from smiling. "Whatever could you be doing here? I mean... last time you came around you laughed at how dull Ponyville was... after all."
"Normally that would be true," Pinkie Pie assured her without a second thought that she could possibly hurt her friend's feelings with the statement. "But with Rainbow Dash coming to town, this quiet little place is throwing itself into a frenzy. I mean, aside from Cloudsdale, Ponyville is where Rainbow Dash grew up after all, and man, I bet the parties celebrating her return at Cloudsdale were even wilder! I totally would have given my left hoof to go to one of those, but since I'm an earth pony I'll have to settle for the parties down here!" As usual, Pinkie was speaking at a hundred words a second, and it had been so long since Fluttershy had been exposed to such a flurry of words it made her dizzy just trying to keep up.
"Of course, you're here for the parties, I shouldn't have even asked." Fluttershy chuckled weakly, trying to seem upbeat. But Pinkie Pie caught on with frightening speed, as if she sensed the disheartening feelings flowing through Fluttershy in the air around them, and felt it harsh her party-girl nature. She gave Fluttershy a close, quizzical look, narrowing her eyes.
"What's wrong, you aren't SAD are you?!" She asked, seeming aghast at the thought of anyone being anything but bright and cheerful. "I didn't expect much, but I expected you to be at least a little happy to see me!"
"N-No, it isn't that at all... it's just..."
"Or maybe it's over Rainbow Dash, hmmm?" Pinkie Pie questioned, grinning to herself. "Getting all blue and gloomy thinking of heeeeer?"
"W-What! No, I...I..." Fluttershy averted Pinkie Pie's gaze, turning her head to the ground as she whined in frustration and embarrassment. She could feel her cheeks grow warm. "It's just... been so long since we even spoke."
"Well what do you expect, she's famous now! There's no way she'd have enough time to spare around us normal people!" Pinkie Pie joked, but it only managed to get Fluttery even more downtrodden.
"Yeah... she's probably met a lot more interesting people..." She sighed, admitting defeat. "There's no way she'd remember someone as forgettable as me..." Her voice cracked just a bit, giving away she was on the brink of shedding tears to go along with her gloomy exterior. "There's now way... that she would..."
"Hey, hey, hey, no crying! That's against the party rules, you know?" Pinkie Pie suddenly came into view, lowering her head and twisting her neck around so that she was looking up at Fluttershy's impossibly sad expression. "Especially when you're about to get a preseeeent!"
"A... Present?"
"Of course!" Pinkie Pie grinned widely before offering Fluttershy a small scrap of paper she had on her. It was blue, adorned with silver lettering and glitter that shimmered in the reddish glow of the sun setting in the sky above them. It took a while for Fluttershy to grasp at what she'd been given until she finally began to read the text written on the small scrap of paper. It was a ticket, a familiar logo shimmering silver at the very top, time, place and seat number written in smaller silver letters below. Her heart skipped a beat and sank all at the same time as she turned back to the poster behind her.
Pinkie Pie had just handed her a ticket to the Wonderbolts' show.
"Are you happy now, huh, aren't you?" Pinkie Pie intrusively asked, peering over the yellow Pegasus' shoulder with a smile on her face. "Now you can actually go see Rainbow Dash and tell her!"
"Huh? T-Tell her what?" Fluttershy questioned, turning her head and almost knocking heads with the other pony standing behind her. "What could I possibly...?"
"That you love her, of coooourse!" Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes, like the answer was obvious and didn't even bother her at all. It certainly bothered Fluttershy, though, as she clopped around to face Pinkie Pie in a distraught manner, almost tripping herself up as she did so. Her words were simply a rush of nervous stammers at first, and Pinkie Pie only looked on pridefully, Fluttershy's inability to make a comment in response seeming to prove what she said even more true.
"I-I don't- It isn't like..." Fluttershy felt her cheeks flare up, and she could tell by how increasingly warm they were that they had to be a very bright, eye-catching shade of red by then. She honestly didn't know what to make of her own feelings for Rainbow Dash. All she knew was that whenever she thought of her, she felt anxious and her heart would swell and become heavy. She'd become overwhelmingly depressed when faced with the fact the two of them hadn't seen one another or spoken for years more than anyone else who had left Ponyville, and exceedingly happy when thinking back to when they hardly lived a short trot away from one another. She loved her animals, and she loved her friends most of all, but this was a different sort of love Pinkie Pie was bringing up. Was that how she felt about Rainbow Dash? No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't seem to produce a single, straight answer.
"Hey, you can deny it all you want, it's clear as day to me." Pinkie Pie told her baffled friend with a playful wink. "And don't worry, my lips are sealed." She closed her mouth and ran one of her front hooves along her lips as if she were zipping her mouth shut.
"But-" Fluttershy began to try and protest, but before she could, the pink pony was already on the move, spinning around excitedly as she took a few steps backward.
"Like to stay and chat, but there's a special party being held for the Wonderbolts before their performance tomorrow and there's no way I'm going to miss a second of it! No party is a party until I get there, after all, and who wants to go to a party that isn't actually a party, I mean REALLY?" Pinkie Pie told her happily, the very mention of parties impossibly putting more spring into her step. "You knoooow, Rainbow Dash will probably be there, it would be a perfect time to confess!"
"I-I'm not..." Fluttershy mumbled, eyes focused on the ground she was nervously hoofing at. The thought of finally seeing Rainbow Dash after so long- oh, it made her heart soar, but... there was no way. The party would be overrun by crowds and every second of Rainbow Dash's time would be spent mingling with fans and signing autographs. She'd be so busy she was sure she wouldn't have time to even notice Fluttershy -that is, if she even remembered her at all. She wasn't smart like Twilight, wild like Pinkie Pie, radiant like Rarity or sporty like Apple Jack. She was simply shy, timid and utterly forgettable. If there was anyone who Rainbow Dash would forget amidst her fame and popularity, it would be her. She shook her head, her flowing, pink mane falling in her face as she did.
"You go ahead, Pinkie Pie, I think I'll wait this one out." She sighed bitterly, feeling her lip begin to quiver.
"What, you aren't coming!?" Pinkie Pie gasped, seeming to be slightly brought down a notch by the fact her friend was refusing to go to the party. "But Rainbow Dash might-"
"Rainbow Dash might what?" Fluttershy asked in a surprisingly stronger voice, or maybe she'd grown so loud to keep herself from breaking down. She turned away from her friend, refusing to let her see the tears now building in her eyes. "If she's there, then there's no chance I'll ever get to even see her! And if she's not, then it will all be a waste, either way I'm... I'm just wasting my time!" Before Pinkie Pie could say otherwise, Fluttershy broke into a gallop, rushing away from her friend as fast as her hooves could carry her.
That's right, she'd just be wasting her time trying to meet up with Rainbow Dash. She'd never be able to speak with her, both from the crowds of ponies probably mobbing her and from her own timid nervousness. What would she say anyway, after five whole, long years of not saying a single word to one another, without hardly as much as meeting the others gaze? The very thought of coming face to face with Rainbow Dash only left her mind blank and panicked. Not a single word came to her head as to how she'd even begin, only a flurry of pent-up emotions that left her completely lost for anything to say. Even the thought had her loosing herself to panic.
Finally she stopped right at the front gates of her home, breathing heavily with her vision clouded by tears. Stumbling through the front door of her house, the animals she looked after there all came out of the small nooks and crannies they had nested in, watching their shy friend weakly drag her hooves up the stairs with looks of worry. Normally she'd greet them all with a smile and ask each and every one of them how they were doing, but today she didn't say a single word and didn't even lift her gaze from off the floor as she made her way to her bedroom. Something was clearly wrong, and all of them gathered at her door she had closed behind her, hoping she would come out her usual, friendly self.
But Fluttershy didn't want to come out as she slumped onto the ground, the ticket Pinkie Pie had given her fluttering like a leaf onto the floor at her hooves.
"Love..." Fluttershy whispered to herself, trying to make sense of that one, single word that Pinkie Pie had said to her. Love was supposed to make her heart feel light, her knees grow weak, make her tail twitch in excitment and her wings flutter rapidly. If this was really love, then why did she feel so... awful?
A tiny sob escaped her throat -a small, pitiful sound- as tears rolled down her cheeks and spilled to the floor. The big, salty drops splashed against the ground and the small, shimmering ticket as well.
If this was what love felt like, then she didn't want to be in love at all!
"Fluttershy! Fluttershyyyyyy!" A shrill voice awoke Fluttershy from her slumber. Her entire body felt heavy and her eyes stung as she opened them, forced to welcome the morning sun that was leaking in through the window as someone pulled back the curtain, bathing the room in light. Mumbling sleepily and groggily, she sad up, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes as she squinted against the light. She could just barely make out the silhouette of a familiar poofy head of hair attached to a pony's body as the pony invading her room spoke again. "What are you doing sleeping on the floor like that, silly? Did you sleep walk or something?"
"P-Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy yawned, following the happily bouncing pony with her eyes as she trotted merrily around her. "Why are you here?"
"To wake you up, duh, sleepyhead!" Pinkie Pie explained. "If you sleep any longer we'll be late, so get up, get up, get uuuuup!"
"Late? Late for... what?" Fluttershy asked with a confused tilt of her head.
"The Wonderbolts show, of course!" Pinkie Pie said with a grin, waving Fluttershy's ticket she'd left on the floor in front of her face.
"Pinkie Pie... I can't possibly..." Fluttershy muttered, only to have Pinkie Pie shove a hoof into her face, pressing it against her lips to stop her from talking. "M-Mmmph!"
"Uh-uh-uh!" Pinky Pie chuckled with a smirk. "You aren't allowed to say anything unless it's about coming with me to the show!"
"But-!"
"Noooo buts!" Pinkie Pie playfully scolded. "All I could think about last night was that you weren't at the party with me, and you missed out on such a great time I could hardly enjoy myself -well actually, I did, but still, I was thinking of you! So you're coming, and that's that!" Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but looking up at Pinky Pie's eager smile forced her to shut it, taking back the unspoken words she would have said. Rainbow Dash wasn't the only one she hardly got to see, and turning down the opportunity to spend time with another one of her friends would be an awful shame -tear inducing thoughts about Rainbow Dash or not. What would be the harm in going to the performance, at least? Fluttershy sighed, giving her friend a slight smile.
"Alright, I guess I have no choice." She spoke softly, keeping her kind smile. "I do have a ticket after all, it would be a shame to waste it, I guess."
"That's the spirit, now hop to it! We can't be late, last I checked that stadium was jammed packed!" Pinky Pie cheered, hurrying to the door. "Maybe if we get their early enough we might be able to see Rainbow Dash!"
"Heh... I doubt it." Fluttershy replied dryly as she followed her cheerful friend out of her room and bid her animal friends goodbye as she left, putting on a smile for all of them -no doubt all of them were worried after the show that she'd put on the night before. But the closer they got to the stadium, the more that smile faltered.
'Oh dear, what if I DO run into Rainbow Dash? What in the world would I do?' She thought to herself worriedly as the stadium came into view.
As to be expected, the grounds were choked with crowds, everyone waiting in line to get tickets and get into the stadium to find their air surrounding the stadium was suffocating to Fluttershy once they were engulfed in the mob. Moving inch-by-inch into the stadium, that was packed to the gills, they finally found their seats. She tried to lift her head a bit more and try and let herself get lost in the excited atmosphere like Pinkie Pie was doing (even now, before the show had even started, the energetic pony was already whooping and hollering) but all she could think of now were the awful storming emotions brewing in her heart. The din of the crowd only added to her panic, and she caught herself beginning to breath heavily and shuffle around in her seat. She wanted to get up, she wanted to leave! Already she was conjuring up an excuse to give Pinkie Pie, even though it would sting to lie to her friend and abandon her.
But then time seemed to slow as the crowd's cheering grew into a thunderous uproar and Fluttershy reared her head towards the skies where everyone else was looking and pointing with excitement. The deafening roar that rang in her ears suddenly seemed to grow distant as her eyes grew wide. And when Pinkie Pie hugged her in excitement and shook her, the contact felt like nothing at all. Fluttershy felt like she was somewhere else, somewhere outside of her body as she watched the skies wide-eyed and open-mouthed. The only thing she could hear clearly that wasn't muffled in her head was her own heart, frantically beating against her chest. She felt light-headed. She felt nervous and excited, sad and overjoyed.
"Rainbow...Dash..." she whispered to herself, her words going unheard by everyone else. There, flying down in a V-formation were the Wonderbolts, the striking blue pony up in front and grinning down at her cheering fans below as they flew through the air. For a moment, while time was still moving slow for her, Fluttershy could have sworn their eyes met, but it was probably only her. And as Rainbow Dash and the other Wonderbolts zipped past, things began to speed up and the cheering around her grew to it's normal, ear-piercing loudness. Fluttershy flinched at the noise, squeezing her eyes shut before snapping them open, looking up once again to the skies above.
The show was hoof-stompingly spectacular, to say the least. The tricks and stunts the Wonderbolts pulled off whilst zipping through the air left Fluttershy slack-jawed as she watched them, her gaze never leaving the blue pony who stood out amongst the group. She felt her wings fluttering excitedly, as if a part of her wanted to fly up and join them -of rather join Rainbow Dash in particular- but she stayed rooted to her seat as she watched. There she was, majestically flying through the air right before her eyes, the closest they'd ever been to one another in five years -just barely out of reach at moments- and yet... the distance between them felt horribly wide to Fluttershy. She was probably exactly the same from when they had last spoke to one another at her going away party five years ago, and Rainbow Dash had become so much more...
Just then, the blue pony broke away from the rest of the Wonderbolts, flying higher and higher above the stadium until she was almost nothing but a speck in the sky. That was when Fluttershy felt her heart pound the hardest -so much so she felt compelled to rest a hoof on her chest in fear her heart would burst through it. Something told her exactly what Rainbow Dash had in mind, a trick that would bring the show to a close with an explosive finale. She stood abruptly from her seat, her eyes not straying away from Rainbow Dash as she made her way back down to the ground, a gasp jumping from her throat and out her lips. This was... this was...!
A massive boom suddenly filled the air, followed by a blast of air that sent the audience screaming with surprise. The skies above were died the colors of the rainbow for a moment, showering down on the audience, a still wide-eyed Fluttershy among them. Unlike everyone else, she dared not look away, not even for a second as she watched the vivid rainbow light up the sky. The sight took her breath away as she watched the pony who had caused the explosion in the air fly back up into the sky, a trail of many colors in her wake as she danced through the air above the stadium.
"Oh wow! That was amazing, way too crazy for WORDS! Wasn't it Fluttershy!?" Pinkie Pie yelled over the cheering crowd to her friend who was still looking skyward, hoof still over her heart. "Hey, Fluttershy?"
"Yeah!" Fluttershy nodded, her tone breathless as a small smile spread across her lips. "...Amazing."
The show ended shortly after -no way the show would continue after Rainbow Dash's signature Sonic Rainboom. The cheering, however, lasted long after the show was over and the rainbow tint had long since vanished from the sky. The amount of ponies packed into the stadium paired with their rowdiness made it nearly impossible to get out, but at that point, Fluttershy was too star struck to even notice them now. The show she'd just seen and how wonderful Rainbow Dash's final stunt was, was still playing over and over again in her mind. Even as they left, that quiet smile was still plastered on her face.
"Now there's a smile of a pony in love!" Pinkie Pie laughed in a teasing tone once it was quiet enough around them to speak without having to shout. Fluttershy gasped, breaking free from her trance as she looked over at her friend who was giving her an almost mischievous smile.
"L-Love!? Pinkie Pie, I-" Fluttershy stammered, the smile never fading from her friend's face as she stumbled and tried to find the right words to say.
"Well, that does it, you're coming with me to the after party!" The pink pony cheered, to which Fluttershy responded with a look of stressed shock as she shook her head vigorously.
"Oh no, no, no, I couldn't! I... I have to go feed my animals! Mr. Squirrel didn't look all that well today anyway, I really should be getting back home..." Fluttershy tried to make a subtle break for it, but Pinkie Pie was quick to stop her, dragging her back to where she'd been standing before she tried to sneak away.
"Didn't I tell you, Fluttershy, I'm NOT taking no for an answer." She chuckled. "I can't imagine how someone can say no to a party, especially if the pony they love will be there!"
"Pinky Pie, stop it! I...I don't..." Fluttershy's assertiveness was quick to wain as she began to try and deny that the feelings she had to Rainbow Dash were those of love. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't muster up the will to say it: That she wasn't in love with Rainbow Dash.
"Heee, I thought so!" Pinkie Pie giggled as she began to pull her friend in the direction of where the party was being held, Fluttershy stammering and trying to find the words to convince her friend to let her go all the way there. And once they were there it was much too late to run.
The party was held in the heart of Ponyville under the stars that were just now beginning to show themselves as the sun began to vanish below the horizon. The streets were clogged with ponies gabbing about the show that they had just seen, and Flutteshy was only released when she and Pinkie Pie were deep inside the crowd and it would be almost impossible to make an escape. Music and chatter filled the air, the clip-clop of hooves all around them going in time to the beat of the music.
"Ooh, I love this song!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, and before Fluttershy could stop her, she had already gone off to dance, leaving her shy, fragile friend all alone in the crowd.
"P-Pinkie Pie!" Fluttershy called, trying to navigate her way through the sea of multicolored bodies. How Pinkie Pie was so able to easily move about in such a place she would never know.
"E-Excuse me... pardon me, I... I'd like to get through here... I'm sorry, but could you..." Fluttershy muttered as she pushed passed ponies slowly, trying to either find a way out or Pinkie Pie again. Tears were slowly building in her eyes as she found herself coming across neither. She lowered her head in defeat, only to run headfirst into someone a moment later, knocking herself to the ground. The pony she ran into, however, hardly budged -only grunted in surprise as Fluttershy squeaked in surprise and fell to the ground.
"I-I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going I-I..." Fluttershy looked up only to have the frantic apology she could have continued on saying sputter out and die. That rainbow mane, those intense, violet eyes... it couldn't be! There was no way... but it was! There, standing before her looking back at her with an equal amount of shock, was Rainbow Dash. Her mane had grown out a bit longer, and she now wore a pair of goggles that were pushed up to her forehead, but otherwise she'd hardly changed.
"...Fluttershy?" Oh, she said her name! She hadn't forgotten her, she remembered her name! Her voice was husky and boyish, just like it had been when she left, and it sent Fluttershy's mind reeling. There she was, right there in front of her, looking only at her... and just as she feared, she was lost for words. Even worse, everypony seemed to take notice to what was going on, turning excitedly to Rainbow Dash and calling out to her. It was only a matter of time before they all began to move in closer. Just as she feared, Rainbow Dash had become so much more radiant, so much more wonderful. Just the thought of daring to speak to her, someone so far out of her reach...
'You're so close... and yet you're still so far.'
"I-I have to go!" Fluttershy gasped, scrambling up and quickly turning her tail and trotting off. She didn't care if she had to shove a pony or two to escape now, she just wanted out. Pushing her way through the thick crowd, she finally found her way out, tripping and falling onto the cold ground as she did. She looked over her shoulder, coming to find not a single pony had noticed her crash landing. The realization that Rainbow Dash was somewhere in the crowd had spread like a wave and was now reaching the outskirts of the party where Fluttershy found herself. Everypony was too busy pushing and shoving one another to get to where the great Rainbow Dash was first before the other to notice the rather plane pony rudely push herself through the crowd and fall flat on her face.
With an ashamed blush on her cheeks and a lump in her throat, Fluttershy picked herself up from off the ground, giving one last wayward glance to the crowd.
'You can still go back, you know?' A voice inside her head seemed to whisper. 'She's your friend, after all, you should have stayed. Not to mention that you-' Fluttershy shook her head vigorously as if she were trying to shake the very thought from her head. This feeling couldn't be love, it just couldn't, there had to be some other sort of explanation. And even if it was, what was the chance her feelings would be returned anyway? Rainbow Dash loved flying, she loved excitement and fame. There was hardly a sliver of a chance that she had room enough in her heart to love someone like her -someone so unlike all the other things she probably loved.
Sighing sadly she lowered her head as she turned back around, trudging back home, all the while trying to push out of her head the possibility that the feelings brewing in her heart were "love". All the while her hooves felt heavy, and she could hardly pick them off the ground as she dragged them along. Every part of her body felt as if it were being weighed down by something, as a matter of fact, and the farther she got from the party, the heavier she felt. By the time she arrived back home, she hardly had the strength to lift her hoof to push the front gate open. She merely sighed again and rested her head against the gate, looking down at her hooves that were now refusing to move.
"Fluttershy! Fluttershy, there you are!" An all too familiar voice called out, and it sent a panicked shiver up her spine as it reached Fluttershy's ears. She didn't want to even turn around to face them, but suddenly it was as if the weight she'd been carrying had been lifted and her legs moved on their own, forcing her to turn around and look back at the pony who had followed after her, touching down on the ground as her beautiful blue wings gave a few more, final flaps.
"Rainbow... Dash." she managed for force out passed the lump in her throat that was growing larger. Her face felt hot and her mind was sent reeling out of control. It took her a while to even convince herself that what was in front of her was real, and she felt the need to rub at her eyes, as if the vision of Rainbow Dash standing before her was all just a trick her eyes were playing. "W-Why did you follow me? The party..."
"I don't care about the party! The better question would be why did you run off like that!?" Rainbow Dash shouted, sounding winded and frustrated all at once.
"I... I just felt like..." Fluttershy mumbled, trying to find the words. But while she did, Rainbow Dash went right on talking.
"I've come back to Ponyville a bunch of times, and never once did I see head or tail of you! And suddenly you just show up out of nowhere and immediately run away!?" She barked, her voice suddenly sounding a bit more scratchy and dry, an obvious strain in it. "You must really hate me, huh?" Fluttershy looked back at Rainbow Dash in shock as she said those words and lowered her head as she spoke, her ears lowering themselves as well in a sad way. Fluttershy tried to speak, but all that she was able to pass through her lips was a choked off squeak as she looked back at the blue pony with wide eyes.
"I'm right, aren't I? Ever since I left Ponyville you've hated me..." Fluttershy took a surprised step backward, which triggered a distressed chuckle from Rainbow Dash, her eyes filled to the brim with emotion she was much too strong to let slip out so easily. "I knew it. All this time you've avoided me, it only makes sense you can't stand the sight of me now. I... I should get back to the party, everypony is probably wondering where I am."
Watching Rainbow Dash turn her back to her with her head still hung low was the most depressing thing Fluttershy had ever seen, and it broke her heart to watch. In her mind she begged her not to go, but that certainly wouldn't do any good. She had to say something, she had to! Seeing the first few flaps of Rainbow Dash's wings, signalling her readying to leave, finally drove words out of Fluttershy's mouth -loud, desperate, but heartfelt words as something inside her that had kept her from accepting her own feelings melted away.
"I don't hate you!" She cried, feeling her eyes begin to sting as tears built up in her eyes. As Rainbow Dash turned back around in surprise, Fluttershy could feel her tears run down in warm streams down her cheeks. "I'd never hate you, never ever, ever!" She paused, sobbing as she shook her head back and fourth, her tears flying wildly into the air as she did so. "Rainbow Dash...I...I... I love you!" The shy pony flinched, tightly squeezing her tear-filled eyes shut, like she was expecting some sort of attack from the other pony. "I love you... so much..."
"If that's the case, when why haven't you come to see me when I was here before, or when I was in Cloudsdale!?" Rainbow Dash asked harshly. "Where... Where have you been all this time?"
"I was afraid!" Fluttershy cried, eyes still squeezed shut and still bracing herself. "You'd become so famous and you had so many fans... I was afraid to approach you. You've become so vibrant and wonderful, and I feel... I feel I've only managed to become more dull since you left. I couldn't imagine you wanting to see me, I even believed you'd forgotten all about me." A fresh flood of tears were allowed to flow as she spoke, laughing bitterly at herself. "And, I mean, who wouldn't forget about the shy pony who always stood in the background?"
"That isn't true!" Rainbow Dash said in a scolding tone, but there was something strange about her voice Fluttershy couldn't put her hoof on. Finally, she dared to look up, opening one teary eye, and then the other. Much to her surprise, there was Rainbow Dash, tears streaming down her face.
"W-What?"
"I'd never forget about you, Fluttershy, you idiot!" Rainbow Dash shouted over her tears. "You were my closest friend, we've known each other since we were little and... and... How could I possibly forget about the pony that I love most of all!"
"That you... love?" Fluttershy could hardly believe it. Had she heard her wrong, maybe? There was no way she'd just said that! But Rainbow Dash didn't correct her, only walked over to her and rested her head gently on Fluttershy's shoulder.
"Yes... love..." Rainbow Dash muttered, sounding almost embarrassed about it as she kept her head rested against Fluttershy. She couldn't see her face, but Fluttershy could feel the warmth most likely radiating from her friend's cheeks. "What, do you have a problem with that?"
"No, not at all!" Fluttershy shook her head before a smile crept across her face, the tears she was shedding now ones of a different kind. Now she felt so overwhelmingly happy she couldn't help but cry. She lifted her front legs, embracing Rainbow Dash in a loving hug. She restrained herself from giggling as she felt the blue pony snuggle against her, exposing a softer side of herself she was sure she would rather not show to others.
"I missed you." She heard Rainbow Dash whisper, her warm breath caressing her skin. "I've traveled all over Equestria and... I never came across a pony like you. I was always surrounded by friends and fans but... realizing you weren't there I... I guess I felt... lonely." Fluttershy could hear the extremely audible quiver in her friends voice, and hearing it managed to make her feel heartbroken. All that time, she'd been just as lonely, she'd missed her just as much. And here she'd been, thinking that Rainbow Dash had forgotten her completely.
"It's alright, Rainbow Dash, I'm here now." She assured her friend, nuzzling her neck affectionately. "And... I missed you, too. Welcome home."
The warm morning sun warmed Fluttershy and roused her from her slumber. She was comfortably resting on her bed, the sheets messily pushed down to the foot of the bed. Yawning and moaning sleepily she rolled over on her back, looking up at the ceiling. Everything that had happened the other night seemed like a dream -at least, it all seemed much too wonderful to have been reality. That being said, even now she could still taste something sweet left behind on her lips, something familiar that sent a shiver through her body. She reached up, pressing a hoof to her lips as she recalled the night before. It had all been one big, happy blur once she welcomed Rainbow Dash into her home, tears in both their eyes. She remembered laughing over tea and listening to Rainbow Dash's stories about her trips across Equestria with the Wonderbolts. She remembered crying, so much she was sure every tear inside of her had run completely dry. And she remembered...
She blushed hard, whimpering shyly at the thought. The tea tasted best when it was mingling with the taste of Rainbow Dash's lips.
"Well, it's about time you woke up." A familiar face came into her field of vision, a rainbow-colored mane hanging down and tickling her nose. "Any longer and I would have had to tried to wake you up with a kiss, like that one princess." Rainbow Dash grinned mischievously as Fluttershy blushed heavily.
"O-Oh..." Was all she could say in response as she finally got up the courage to look her friend looking down at her in the eyes. "Thank you... for last night."
"I should be thanking you, I haven't had that much fun in years." Rainbow Dash laughed, leaning down and nuzzling Fluttershy's cheek. Fluttershy was reluctant at first, shyly drawing away before warming up to the contact and returning Rainbow Dash's loving gesture with her own. A part of her never wanted this to end. She wanted to stay like this forever, just her and Rainbow Dash alone, exchanging words, glances and touches that they had been unable to share for years. There was still so much she wanted to say, so much she still wanted to do, but...
"Rainbow Dash... what about the Wonderbolts? Won't you be leaving soon?" Both of them looked back at one another gloomily, the fact that Rainbow Dash would eventually have to leave finally presenting itself. A pregnant silence fell between the two of them, neither of them wanting to speak on the subject, but it was impossible to just continue to keep on ignoring it.
"Fluttershy, please... come with me." Rainbow Dash whispered in her friends ear. "I mean...you'll really love it, traveling with us. You'll get to see the world, and think of all the kinds of animals you could meet and... you... we'd never be apart." By the end of it all, she'd drawn back and was looking down at Fluttershy with a desperate, longing look on her face. And at first, Fluttershy almost nodded- almost gave in immediately and agreed with Rainbow Dash's proposition. Being like this all the time, never being apart from her- a part of her wanted that sort of life more than anything. But, with a sad sigh she shook her head, feeling a twinge of guilt as she watched the hopeful look on Rainbow Dash's face falter.
"My place is here, Rainbow Dash. Here... with all my animals, and... if I stay here, then all of our friends will always have someone to come to whenever they come back home. If I left, I'm sure if any of them came back to visit, they'd be awfully lonely." She explained, feeling herself grow sad despite the fact that staying behind was her decision. "I mean, how would you feel if you came back to Ponyville only to find that not a single old friend of yours was there waiting for you? I guess... you could say I'm like an anchor for everyone- an escape from their hectic lives their living now..." She strained herself and leaned up, her face dangerously close to Rainbow Dash's. "Especially for you."
"Leave it to you to think about everyone else." Rainbow Dash chuckled in defeat. "I was really hoping to whisk you away from this place. I want you to be with me wherever I go! I can't just... I can't just leave you here!"
"But I will be with you." Fluttershy corrected her with a kind smile as she reached out and rested a hoof against the distraught pony's chest. "I'll be in your heart. After last night I'm positive I'll always be there, no matter how much time we spend apart, and even something as small as that makes me happy."
"Fluttershy..."
"I'll leave Ponyville with you when the time is right." Fluttershy assured her with a positive nod of her head. "I promise you, one day I'll fly away from this place with you."
"You... you'd better keep that promise, or I'll never forgive you!" Rainbow Dash warned her, a tough exterior obviously coated over someone who was close to tears. "You understand, if you break your promise, I'll be really mad!"
"You don't need to worry, I'll keep my promise." Fluttershy chuckled softly. "Just... could you do one last thing for me?"
"Oh, and what's that?" Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, the both of them seeming to have the same idea as they leaned in, their lips a slight shift forward away from touching.
"Tell me you love me one more time before you leave."
In that moment, Fluttershy was sure of two things: One, that the sound of Rainbow Dash whispering a sensual 'I love you' would echo in her mind until the day that she would eventually return to Ponyville. And the second thing was to take note that Rainbow Dash's lips tasted the best with a hint of one of her favorite teas-
Well, no, maybe it was three things she was sure of, the third thing being she was certain she'd never feel lonely again.