10 happy years later

Cloudsdale

The years had drifted peacefully by, as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy grew into young mares. It had been a bit of a trying time for the pair these past years, but together, they made it through as best as they could. Not everything turned out as it was hoped, what with Rainbow Dash leaving flight school before she graduated. Fluttershy continued in her studies, while Rainbow performed little odd jobs to make some money. Thankfully Rainbow Dash's mother had helped her find a place on the Ponyville weather team so that she could move with her friend to the ground below to move onto the next chapter in their lives.

"You all packed, Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked as she entered the shy mare's bedroom.

Fluttershy nodded as she zipped up her saddlebags, "Yes, I'm all packed, Rainbow. Are you?"

The cyan pegasus nodded, gesturing to her saddlebags on her back, "I am! The rest of the boxes finally arrived at the cottage today and I've got the last of the stuff from my place here. So we can get going when you're ready!"

"All right," Fluttershy placed her saddlebags onto her back, and then trotted over to her best friend, "Rainbow... I have to thank you for this. I'm glad we could do it together."

"Hey, no need to thank me, pal!" Rainbow nuzzled the pretty pink maned young mare affectionately, "I knew that cottage was right up your alley."

With a small giggle, Fluttershy smiled, "I know. I'm just grateful. It's just going to be weird moving out of my parent's house after all these years."

"Hey, I'll be right there beside you the whole way." Dash smiled brightly.

"You're right," Fluttershy said softly, "I'm very anxious to live there, though. Right on the ground, near the animals."

Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself and shook her head. She knew Fluttershy liked that idea all too well, indeed.

As the pair exited Fluttershy's family home, Rainbow Dash dropped some of her stuff in surprise. "Dad!? What are you doing here?"

With a light-hearted chuckle, the purple stallion with a spiky rainbow mane stepped forward to greet his daughter. "Well I couldn't let my girl go without saying goodbye now, could I?"

"You never can get enough of my awesomeness, can you dad?" Rainbow Dash bragged with a smile as she stepped forward to greet her father.

"A dad will never tire of seeing his children... or their awesomeness." Came the sure reply as the older pegasus's yellow eyes twinkled in the daylight with happiness.

"Daaaad..." Dash fended off her father's winged hug. "I'm not your little filly anymore. No hugs."

The stallion smirked at his daughter, "too cool for your ol' stallion now huh?"

"Dad, you know your cool too. It's just- ugh..."

"Alright. Everypony else is working. Soarin wanted to come see his little sister, but his fillyfriend has him working too hard. Still, You girls are lucky. At least you have me to send you on your way." He strode over, picked up his daughter's fallen pack and threw it onto his own back. "Ready?"

"Of course." Replied Rainbow Dash with equal vigour.

"Yes." Quietly added Fluttershy as she took her place by her friend's side.

"Right! Off we go then! I'll take you to ponyville." The stallion took off at a leisurely pace, at home in the sky.

"You're on it, dad! Come on Fluttershy! This is going to be fun!" The eager young pegasus took to the air after her father without a single glance back.

Fluttershy took a moment to gaze one last time at her family home before she took too off after the vibrant pair.

Ponyville, the outskirts.

"This is it! Our new home!" Rainbow Dash declared as she dumped her saddlebags on the floor.

"It's as wonderful as when we first saw it!" Fluttershy gushed happily.

Even though the cottage was filled with boxes and scattered furniture, it was still a wonderful sight to behold. Their new home, an actual house, was all ready for them to arrange and live in. The cottage was located on the border near the Everfree Forest, a very strange and scary place where monsters and creatures roamed... But within its lesser evil places, it still housed woodland creatures. Perfect for Fluttershy, to be sure.

The cottage had a fireplace, a living room, a kitchen area, a downstairs bathroom, a basement, and an upstairs. There was only one bedroom at the top of the stairs, but it didn't matter. Both their beds fit perfectly alongside one another, and it wasn't the first time they shared a room, either. Their days back in Flight School were spent sharing a dorm together, and occasionally even the same bed. More so, although they had their own rooms back at the apartment, it wasn't a big deal to step back into their old arrangement from fillyhood.

"Well, we do have a lot of unpacking and arranging to do, Rainbow..." Fluttershy said as she gazed around the room. "Shall we?"

"You bet! Start unpacking, I'll move stuff around!" Rainbow grinned as she nudged her friend lightly with a hoof.

Fluttershy nodded, "Right! Let's begin!"

The bold mare began to move the various household items roughly into place. Fluttershy turned around to see her friend engaged, slowly shifting the couch along toward the back window. She turned, with a grin upon her muzzle to face her friend. Fluttershy glanced around the room then back to the strong cyan pegasus.

She shook her head. "Um. How about... over there." She pointed with a delicate yellow hoof to a spot on the opposite side of the room, right between the door the kitchen and the stairs to their bedroom.

"Okay." The athletic mare complied, moving the couch over toward the other end of the room.

Fluttershy studied it for a moment, considering, and then shook her head, "No no... try moving it to that end of the room."

"Sure," Rainbow shunted it to where Fluttershy had indicated.

"No no... over there."

"Here?"

"Actually, no. Try back where we started it-no! The other side."

"Fluttershy! Make up your mind!" Rainbow Dash ceased her task of couch pushing. She couldn't help but verbally lash out, annoyed by her best friend's indecision.

A soft "meep" escaped the yellow pony as she realized what had occurred. Her ears drooped as she looked down at the floor in shame, unable to believe she had actually been bossing her around. It was just like when they first moved into their apartment, wasn't it? When she practically ordered the stronger mare around, quick to forget her place, all because of the positioning of furniture. And it happened again, this time to the point of annoying her.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Rainbow. I didn't mean to get so... bossy."

Rainbow's annoyed countenance immediately melted into guilt as she trotted over to her companion. She brought her forelegs around her in a hug, "Hey... hey, come on. It's okay. I didn't mean to yell, okay?"

"No no, you were right to me in my place. ...Um...you can put the couch wherever you like," Fluttershy murmured as she hugged her strong mare back.

With a grin upon her muzzle, Rainbow nodded, quick to recover. "I liked the first place you picked!"

"You know what? I did, too," Fluttershy smiled.

They spent the rest of the day unpacking boxes and arranging the few pieces of furniture they had. As the sun sank low, all that was left to do was to unpack the rest of the boxes and put those items away. For the time being, they did unpack the necessities needed, such as a few clothes, food, dishes and utensils, and other little items such as writing increments and paper.

As the sun began to drift low on the horizon, Rainbow Dash found her tummy asking for food.

The adorable giggles that escaped from the pink-maned pony near her, let her know her request hadn't gone unnoticed. "I think somepony needs their dinner."

"Yeah..." Dash trailed off.

"Well, it is our first night in our new home," Fluttershy said thoughtfully. "Why don't we go out for dinner? I still have to unpack our cooking stuff, anyway."

The cyan mare's face lit up at the suggestion. "All right, but I'm paying."

She took off out the door before Fluttershy could protest, forcing her slower friend to sprint after her.

The two newcomers headed out into town, scoping out a place to eat at. Rainbow Dash opted for a diner near the town border, but Fluttershy suggested a closer place they were passing, which was a bakery known as Sugarcube Corner.

The two mares headed toward the door, anticipating a good meal ahead. Dash reached for the handle only to have the entrance burst open, revealing a pink earth pony with a fluffy mane.

"Helloooooooo! Nice to meet you! My name's Pinkie Pie!" Streamers exploded into the air and the party pony held her forehooves up in the air, quick to celebrate her first meeting with the two new ponies.

Fluttershy 'eeped' and hid behind her bold friend. Pinkie Pie noticed her effect upon the shy pony and softened.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't supposed to scare you two! There's a party to go on here soon! You two cuties must be new around here! I know everypony in Ponyville and since I don't know you that must mean you're new! You're now invited to the party that's going to start soon! It's going to be awesome! Oh, and what are your names?" The speed rambling mare paused, eager for an answer before she continued her speed talk.

A stunned silence hung in the air for a moment. Rainbow Dash was the first to recover from the verbal assault upon her senses. She blinked a few times to clear her stunned mind before she struck a cool pose as if to indicate herself.

"I'm Rainbow Dash, of course! Fastest flyer in Equestria! And this is my best friend, Fluttershy!"

A yellow hoof waved a shy greeting as its owner continued to hide behind the living wall of multi-coloured ego.

"Well! Hello Dashie and Flutters! Awesome to meet you! I'm off now! Got a party to plan for. See you two girls in half an hour! Bye!" The door slammed shut in the two stunned ponies faces.

"Well. I guess this means we need to find another place to eat." Rainbow shrugged.

"Okay..." Fluttershy trailed off, still unsure over the motives of their soon to be host. "Lead on, Rainbow."

The two pegasi wandered around town, enjoying each others company as they explored the new environment. The speedster occasionally took to the sky to stretch her wings while Fluttershy provided her with a constant spectator, something she was well versed in doing for her friend. She enjoyed the thrill of watching her bold cyan friend have fun in the late day sun. It was also nice to be able to sit back and admire her friend for how beautiful she really was without the chance of being noticed.

After a little while, with their rumbling tummies, the two pegasi decided to continue their search for a place to eat. They eventually settled upon the little diner Dash had spotted earlier, the Sweet Briar Rose diner. Apparently, it had quite a good reputation around town, so they decided to try it out. Sure enough, the food was delicious! It was all they needed to hit the spot.

Sometime a little later with time to spare before the impromptu invite to the party, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy wandered first around town, before they adventured beyond into the open fields that surrounded Ponyville too. When the cyan pegasus had done a once-over of the area, she had seen all the rural aspects of it and found it to be a combination of boring and yet awesome, since wide open fields meant a perfect place to practice her stunts on and above the ground.

An amazing view of the sun dipping into the horizon was all that Fluttershy needed for an idea of what to do next.

"Rainbow, why don't we watch the sunset? We used to do that sometimes... When we were fillies."

"C'mon, really?" Rainbow groaned, shaking her head, "That's just a boring pastime! C'mon Fluttershy, let's do something awesome!"

"Please?" Fluttershy pleaded as her gorgeous aquamarine eyes began to water.

No matter what, Rainbow Dash could never say no to that face or those eyes. She trembled, then sighed, relenting.

"All right, fine. We'll watch the sunset until the party. Happy?"

With a soft giggle, Fluttershy nodded and nuzzled their noses. "Yes!"

They sat down on a little hilltop and drank in the view of Celestia's sun as it gently dipped into the vast horizon far ahead. It certainly was a bit different than in the past when they observed the sunsets up in Cloudsdale, but no less beautiful. Fluttershy felt ecstatic to experience such a beautiful sight in their new home setting, while Rainbow Dash, who liked sunsets almost as much, felt a bit restless.

But, she was glad she wasn't alone. Sharing moments like these with her best friend was worth the boredom.

Shifting closer, Fluttershy smiled brightly at her friend, then gently lay her head against her shoulder. Rainbow Dash blushed a bit but welcomed the contact. Nopony else was there, so she didn't care. She smiled too, leaning her head gently against Fluttershy's. She even brought a foreleg around the cute pony, happy to hold her closer.

It just made this quiet, peaceful moment even better.

Of course, they still had the upcoming party at Sugarcube Corner and for that Rainbow Dash was grateful. As nice as the company was, it would be great to do something truly exciting before bed. She also wanted to meet her fellow townsponies and see just how many she could impress with her awesomeness.

Two young pegasi stood before the door to Sugarcube Corner. The sweet store looked amazing in the moonlight, surreal almost. They felt slightly apprehensive, after all, who knew what that crazy mare had cooked up for them inside. Fluttershy nuzzled under her strong defender's wing, quick to relish the sense of security she gathered from the intimate contact.

"Um... Okay. Are you feeling up to this Fluttershy?" Dash asked, concerned by how shy her friend was acting.

They weren't even at the party and Fluttershy was relying upon her for strength. This made the bold mare anxious. What if Fluttershy spent her whole time hiding? What if her friend ran away from the party? Not only would that make her look uncool, but it would impact on Fluttershy as well.

Her worries were cut short by the timid pony's reply. "I-I'm fine Rainbow. They- They'll all be waiting for us. I don't want to disappoint everypony."

"Well, all right. As long as you're gonna be okay."

Fluttershy nuzzled her friend once more. "I'll be fine as long as I have my guardian with me."

This made the bold mare grin at her friend. Dash appreciated the sentiment despite how sappy it was. "Okay. Just don't let anypony else catch you saying that. I don't want everypony to think that the mighty Rainbow Dash is some kind of softy."

"I won't," Fluttershy replied before she stepped away from her friend, ready.

With that, Dash swung the door open to reveal a packed room. Everypony inside cried out in greeting as the two newcomers entered. Fluttershy stuck to her position by her friend's side, while Dash boldly stepped forward, her ego boosted by the attention of the small crowd.

"Hello, one and all, Ponyville! I'm Rainbow Dash, your new weather pony!" Rainbow announced, grinning widely. "I'm also the fastest flyer out of Cloudsdale! Maybe you heard of me?" She winked with the uttermost confidence in herself.

A few greetings came from some of the ponies, some looking on with excitement, others clearly confused, but still welcoming to the two. Especially to the excitable stand-out, that was Rainbow Dash.

One pony in particular, a grey pegasus with light blonde hair and bubbles decorating her flank, eagerly darted forward. Her crazy eyes were golden, and strangely, crossed. "Hi, Rainbow Dash! Hi, Fluttershy! I didn't think I'd see you again! It's me, Derpy!"

"Ohh, hello, Derpy," Fluttershy said kindly to the other pegasus. "What a surprise. You live here, too?"

"Uh-huh! I'm a mailmare here in Ponyville!" Derpy nodded, a sloppy grin plastered across her grey muzzle.

"That's... Great." Dash did her best to look pleased despite the thought of their mail going missing due to accidents.

Breaking the awkward moment with an explosive blast from her party cannon, Pinkie jumped into the air. "PARTY TIME!"

This served to restore the festive mood and several ponies emerged from the crowd to meet and greet the new arrivals. Especially Rainbow Dash, who they thought looked pretty awesome with her rainbow mane. Said mane was definitely unique to Ponyville's already diverse set of ponies due to showcasing all the colours of the rainbow. Fluttershy more or less remained at her friend's side, shy as ever and barely speaking to anypony. Then again, not much attention was given toward her. She found this to be a relief as it made the noise of the party bearable.

She was used to standing in the shadow of her friend and felt perfectly fine with it. It didn't matter that she was always the "shy pony with Rainbow Dash" all her life. As long as she had her friend by her side, that was all she needed.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, loved the attention. Ponyville was, in some ways, smaller than Cloudsdale, yet pretty big in its own way. And in all honesty, she was a bit of a big fish in a small pond, so to speak. She could finally stand out among the other ponies, which was just what she thought would come to be when moving here. It reminded her of the adoring fans she'd had back in Flight School, except a bit different this time from that kind of scenario. That much was certain, and she liked that a bit a better.

But upon noticing how nervous and overwhelmed Fluttershy seemed, her protective instincts kicked in yet again. "Hey, 'Shy, you want some cupcakes or something? They sure smell good!" Rainbow suggested.

Fluttershy smiled and nodded, "Sure, Rainbow. I'd love one."

Rainbow Dash smiled at Fluttershy fondly, glad she was at least trying to have a good time.

As if by some unspoken agreement, the pair made their over to one of the refreshment tables. They took in the sight, an assortment of baked goods and other kinds of sweet treats. Cupcakes, muffins, cookies, candied fruit, chocolate, all kinds of sweets that could give an elephant cavities.

Taking one, Rainbow offered it to Fluttershy. With a shy yet delighted giggle, the shy mare smiled brightly and accepted it. Fluttershy leaned on her guardian as they ate, gazing around at the party in progress.

"I think I like our new home. These ponies are awesome!"

"Yes, I'm so glad we found a wonderful place to live," Fluttershy quietly replied. She found she was beginning to enjoy their quiet moment in the noisy establishment.

Spotting a rather big string of taffy, Dash's rosy red eyes lit up and a grin invaded her face. "Hey, Fluttershy. Wanna try this? It looks awesome."

Noticing the size of the coils the yellow pegasus tried to shy away, "it- it looks awfully big. I'm not sure I could finish it."

"No problem. The awesome Rainbow Dash is here to help." The big smile on the blue face warmed Fluttershy's heart.

The bold mare reached for the large bowl and placed it between them. "Ready?"

Fluttershy tentatively nodded back.

"Go!" Rainbow Dash got stuck into the taffy, devouring it as if it were her last meal.

Fluttershy on the other end of the string chose to take her time and enjoy the treat. Unaware of anything else, Dash continued to munch her way along, thoroughly enjoying herself. Here she was, delighting in a very tasty treat with her best friend. Her sense of the rest of the room begun to disappear and the bold mare closed her eyes for the moment, falling into the wonderful taste. Since it was taffy, and very tricky to chew all the way, it took some time to make their way along the coil, but they continued to endure it nonetheless.

Fluttershy buzzed, the sugary goodness filled her, excited her, as the taste danced through her mouth. She saw the cerise eyes before her close in blissful enjoyment and smiled to herself as she continued to chew along the stringy treat. Two best friends, enjoying their first tastes of what Ponyville's sweet shop had to offer. It couldn't get any better than this, right? Everypony seemed to be enjoying themselves, especially Dash. Fluttershy noticed that the taffy was about to run out and slowed down further, happy to savour the taste.

Luminous pink eyes fluttered open as Dash took in the sight of the last coil disappearing. Drawn in by the taste, both ponies inched closer as they worked their way toward each other. Two lips met in the middle as they both moved in for the final bite. Mild surprise filled Dash's face as Fluttershy fell into the unexpected kiss.

Thankfully, nopony seemed to really notice what was going on. Or if they did see what was happening, no pony spoke about it out loud.

Cheeks on fire, heart alight, and with a mind that felt about ready to explode, Fluttershy stared with wide eyes as their lips met in the middle. She knew somepony had to be seeing this, and that they were, in fact, sharing a kiss in the middle of a crowded party. Yet, her eyes closed as she gently kissed her companion. She relished the combination of the sweet flavour of the taffy, along with the warm feeling of Rainbow's lips. The feeling compounded when Rainbow Dash kissed her back and engaged the two in a mutual, brief, but very sweet lip lock.

On any normal day, Fluttershy could do what she had to do in order to suppress her romantic feelings for Rainbow Dash. The longtime crush she'd had on her did surely have moments of taking its toll, but it was usually when they kissed for whatever reason that it would truly arise. She never quite knew why Rainbow was fine with them kissing each other, considering that she had no idea how the cyan mare felt in return. However, the sweet feeling of a genuine effort put into the kiss on Rainbow's part was enough to put her own worries on hiatus for now. At least she liked their kissing.

Rainbow on the other hoof wondered the same. She had been having strange feelings for her friend for some time now, yet was uncertain over what to do with them. After all, this kind of sappy stuff was not what a mighty, future Wonderbolt was made out of, right? But, no matter what lovey-dovey thoughts she had for her friend, all she could deduce was that because Fluttershy was a very sweet and affectionate pony, even willing to share intimate kisses, it made sense. They were so close, having been best friends for several years, and had gone through a lot together. Perhaps maybe even a few too many intimate moments for two fillies, but Rainbow Dash never found that she minded when it came to Fluttershy. It even made the name calling she used to endure worth it for her best friend's happiness. Maybe she felt that kissing was a deeper way to express how much she cared? Or Fluttershy just plain enjoyed kissing her, because... it felt nice?

It didn't matter. Neither knew how long it lasted, however brief it was, but they parted all too soon, eyes lost in each other. There may as well have been no ponies around them for they had eyes only for each other.

"Oh my gosh! You two look sooo cute! You know you make such an awesome, cute couple!" Pinkie gushed, effectively throwing cold water on the two mares' close moment.

"What? No!" Dash shot back, defensively as Fluttershy hid behind her own mane in shock and shame.

"I must say, you two dears look absolutely adorable together! How long have you two been dating?" A beautiful pure-white unicorn with deep blue eyes and a stylish purple coiffure mane approached the flustered two pegasi.

"We aren't dating!" Rainbow Dash continued to defend her position.

This was made extra difficult by the shy pony who just decided the best solution for her embarrassment was to snuggle her crush for support. Rainbow did the best she could to shrug the odd feelings off. What she needed to do now, was convince two ponies who had invaded their special moment that the kiss was nothing special.

"Well, that kiss certainly looked like something. It's not every day I get to witness such a genuine show of affection," the gushing unicorn continued to smile at the pair.

"Party for the new couple!" Cried out the pink party pony as she leapt in the air.

"Um. We- we're..." Fluttershy spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Mmm?" The unicorn looked over at the shy pony curiously, "I beg your pardon, dear, whatever did you say? I can't hear you."

"I- I said... we- we're- we're not... a couple." Fluttershy squeaked, shrinking back again. "I-I'm sorry... miss... um?"

The unicorn smiled before extending her hoof, "Rarity. And you're Fluttershy, correct? I overheard you both earlier. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, of course!"

"Yep, She's Fluttershy. I'm the awesome Rainbow Dash!" Butted in said mare, eager to turn the conversation away from the funny feelings she had inside.

"Of course," Rarity's expression faltered slightly, but she turned back to Fluttershy, "Aren't you just darling! Tell me, who does your mane? It's absolutely gorgeous! You must tell me your stylist!"

"Um... I-I actually style it myself. Sometimes Rainbow will do it for me." Fluttershy admitted as she rubbed her forelegs together nervously.

Rarity's eyes went wide before she burst into a smile. "Really! That's astounding! Oh, then you must join me to my next hair appointment, absolutely! Ooh! Have you ever been to a spa before, Fluttershy?"

"Um... no. We never went to a spa before." Fluttershy shook her head, still highly nervous.

"You seem to be quick to include your companion in your assessment." Rarity observed thoughtfully, ever the mare for juicy details and fresh gossip.

"Y-yes. We- we usually do things together," the shy yellow pegasus admitted.

"Well then. You and your good friend absolutely must come with me to the spa tomorrow! It will be quite a treat for you, definitely!"

"Sorry, I don't do that sort of lame thing." Dash disdainfully fended off the offer as it were some sort of disease.

A sad look overcame Fluttershy's face as her ears drooped. While it was far from a big deal, she almost couldn't help but feel a little saddened by that. After having done almost everything together pretty much their whole lives since they met, it was almost a bit of a shock to find something new that they wouldn't try together.

But why did it matter? It was no big deal. Rarity was making a generous offer to try something new, and there was no reason for her not to take it.

"All right," Fluttershy said sadly.

"Then it's settled! Why don't you come to the Carousel Boutique first thing in the morning!" Rarity beamed, "do you know where it is?"

"Y-Yes, I think I saw it when we came to town today." Fluttershy nodded.

"Wonderful! I'll see you tomorrow at ten! Ta-ta!" Rarity winked at her in a knowing way before she trotted off to speak with an orange earth pony with a well cared for blond mane.

Fluttershy glanced at Dash with a pleading look.

"Oh, all right. But you know I don't like other ponies touching my mane, or my hooves." A cyan hoof waved in front of the yellow pony's face as a rough example.

Fluttershy nuzzled her friend. "But Dashie... You always let me."

"Yeah, I know. You're- different... special." Those words set the shy pegasus's heart aflutter with joy. Her Rainbow Dash had just called her special! Maybe one day, she might just maybe have a chance. A chance to get with her secret crush.

As a way to fend off the incoming blush, as well as the giddy joy inside, the shy mare instead chose a weak defence mechanism, she knew was sure to fail. "I'm just me... just Fluttershy..."

"I know!" Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut, "It's just... I trust you, okay? I wouldn't let somepony I didn't trust touch my hooves or my mane! That's all."

Fluttershy gave her friend an affectionate lick on the muzzle. "Thank you."

"Right. How about we find something to eat. I'm still starving," Dash huffed, suddenly eager to get away from all the prying eyes that might still happen to be watching. The last thing she needed was the locals seeing her softer, less cool side.

"We just had dinner and a whole coil of taffy, you silly!" Fluttershy giggled with delight.

Rainbow grinned widely. "What can I say? I need a lot of food for this stomach! It takes a lot to keep this future Wonderbolt in the skies."

"You're worse than your brother," Fluttershy giggled. "And he's a food bin."

"Hey, what can I say, we're related." The speedster playfully nudged her companion.