//------------------------------// // How We Loved // Story: How We Met // by Rated Ponystar //------------------------------// How We Met By The Rated Ponystar Chapter 15: How We Loved Formally Edited by: Fernin and Souldin Now edited by: Clavier and Sirisma *** Fluttershy loved her. Her best friend loved her and she never knew. Every memory Rainbow Dash had with Fluttershy went through her head. Why didn’t she ever notice before? Did Fluttershy fall for her when they met all those years ago, or were these feelings only recently? Why did Fluttershy even fall in love with her in the first place? Who else besides Rarity knew, and why didn’t anypony tell her? Flying into the clouds, she scanned the sky for any sign of a yellow coat or a pink mane, but there was nothing. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she glanced down at the loud and bright capital city below her, trying to remember which places she’d searched. If only she knew the city better. Where are you, Fluttershy? She needed to find her. Talk to her about what had happened and... and... W-what happens next? Fluttershy had all but confessed with that kiss, which she could still taste on her lips. What am I going to do? Do I... do I even love her? Her heart bounced inside her chest, like a sonic rainboom was bursting inside. No, a double rainboom. Rainbow Dash rubbed her temples. She cared a great deal about Fluttershy; after all, they were the best of friends. But romance? I’ll admit she’s... cute... heck, beautiful, I mean she wasn't a model for nothing. Yet... the mare I fell in love with was... Apple... Jack... oh horseapples... A cold feeling washed through Rainbow Dash as if she had just been through a winter storm. She thought back to Hearts and Hooves Day, when Fluttershy told Dash of the mare she had a crush on, up on the clouds. She never gave a name... only a description that echoed in Dash’s mind. “There is this mare. This wonderful mare who I’ve cared for all my life. She’s never known my feelings, but then again I’ve never showed them. When I was ready to confess to her, I learned that she was in love with another. It hurt so much. I felt angry, sad, and useless for days.” It was her. She was that mare. She unknowingly broke Fluttershy’s heart, and made her suffer for so long. Dash’s stomach began to knot up. “Oh, Fluttershy... I... I’m so... how did I miss it?” “How did thou miss what?” Rainbow Dash snapped her head around, sighting none other than Princess Luna, gliding towards her. Rainbow made an effort to quickly bow, but Luna held her hoof up and shook her head. “’Tis no need for bowing before us, Rainbow Dash. This is a night of merriment for us both. Our niece is married, after all.” “Uh, sure... it’s okay,” muttered Rainbow Dash, looking back down. “Does some trouble occupy thy thoughts, Rainbow Dash?” asked Luna, sitting down and extending her wing across the dour pegasus. “Tell us, and let our wisdom assist thee” Dash glanced at Luna, whose light blue eyes twinkled like the stars above. It was different from the warming and motherly glow Princess Celestia always had. Yet, these eyes held the same compassion. Rainbow Dash sighed, “A... a friend of mine... well, she kind of kissed me.” Princess Luna nodded, her smile increasing in length. “Ah, romance. We understand this quite well. The moon has always been a symbol for lovers since—wait,” Princess Luna eyes widened, “Thou art in love with a mare?” In an instant, Rainbow Dash jumped to her hooves and flared her wings. “And what’s wrong with that?!” Luna raised her hoof. “Our apologies. We were not trying to insult thee. Thou must understand that a thousand years ago, such a thing was seen as... indecent. Yet, we have long accepted that this new form of... courting, is acceptable.” Rainbow Dash retracted her wings and sat back down with a huff. “As long as you mean it. Yes, it is a mare. Fluttershy, actually.” “And this is a problem how?” Sighing, Rainbow Dash buried her head in her hooves and mumbled, “Because apparently she’s been in love with me for a long time and... and I never noticed! I never thought about it! And the worst part is I hurt her by falling in love with somepony else and even forced her to help me! Granted, we never got together, but I broke Fluttershy’s heart!” She turned to Princess Luna, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Now that I know all this how can I look at her again?!” Princess Luna closed her eyes, deep in concentration. A few minutes later she opened them once more and gave a small smile. “Tell us, Rainbow Dash. Do thou think Fluttershy would hate thee?” “I-I don’t know. Maybe?” whispered Rainbow Dash. “Then thou art a fool,” said Princess Luna, earning herself a glare. “If Fluttershy did hate thee so much, then why did she help thee on thy quest to court somepony else?” Rainbow Dash blinked. Come to think of it... “Why is it that she still continues to by thy friend? ‘Tis also wise to know the fact that she kissed thy lips,” pointed out Luna. “No, dear Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy does not hate thee. We know of what hate is, and this does not sound like its poison. This is but true love that springs forth in Fluttershy’s soul, we believe.” Princess Luna nodded, “Yes, there is no doubt in our mind. Yet the question now is this.” She glared at Rainbow Dash with such a cold stare that the pegasus could feel her spine turn to ice. “What dost thou feel about her? Will thou continue to let her heart drown in sorrow or dost thou feel the same love she gives to thee?” “I...” Rainbow Dash struggled to answer. Shaking her head, Dash yelled, “I don’t know, okay! I just don’t know!” As if sensing her plight, Luna lowered the intensity in her eyes and sighed. “Rainbow Dash, we wish to help thee. Please listen to us. Close thy eyes and listen to our voice.” Raising an eyebrow, Dash tried to comment, but Luna silenced her by placing a hoof on her mouth. “Trust us.” Reluctantly, she obeyed. As she stared at the back of her eyelids, she heard Luna whisper, “I want thou to think about a place thou love to be. Someplace safe and secure.” That’s easy, thought Dash, thinking about the one place she loved more than anywhere else: the air. The endless blue sky, with clouds as soft as pillows. Pillows she could sleep on, play with, and even use for practice in her tricks. She could see herself flying at her usual speeds while diving, twirling, and flipping with her powerful wings. “Now imagine the pony thou trust the most, right there beside thee.” A pony she could trust? There were only a handful. Before she could think however, she heard the sound of wings flapping beside her. Dash looked to her left and gasped. With wings flapping as hard as they could, Fluttershy was trying her best to keep up with Rainbow Dash, but was starting to fall behind. Rainbow slowed herself down, letting her... best friend catch up with her. The two smiled at one another before gently making their way towards a cloud. When they landed, Rainbow Dash turned to Fluttershy, who was busy trying to catch her breath. The sun was starting to set behind them, giving her pink mane a heavenly glow. Rainbow Dash could feel the blood rushing to her head, and struggled to keep her wings from popping out. “Now imagine that pony close to thee. Closer than anypony thou hast ever let.” A chilling breeze went past them, making Fluttershy shiver. Immediately, Rainbow Dash walked to her best friend and wrapped both wings around her. Fluttershy pressed against her blue chest, blushing as she tried to look away, but Dash’s hoof brought it back up. Her heart was pounding again. All thoughts simply vanished from Dash’s mind as she and Fluttershy inched closer together. They could feel each other’s hot breath. A second later, their lips touched. Rainbow Dash felt fireworks explode in her mind as her hooves wrapped around Fluttershy’s waist and drew closer. She could taste the cherry flavor once more. Using more force, she pushed her tongue into Fluttershy’s mouth, showing no restraint. “Now open thy eyes... and awaken!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes snapped open. There was no Fluttershy, only Luna, who was watching with amusement. Dread and disappointment filled Dash’s heart when she realized this, but then she began to perk up. Luna’s smile widened. “Hast thou figured out thy true feelings?” Rainbow Dash slowly nodded and gave a loopy smile. “I... I love her. I love Fluttershy!” She jumped off the clouds and gave a loud whoop. “I LOVE FLUTTERSHY!” Luna only laughed as she watched Rainbow Dash fly back towards the city. With a satisfied smile, she began to make her own course back to the party. Even after a thousand years, we still got it! Now the love has been doubled this night! *** In the royal gardens, a single pegasus was all alone, wishing she would just disappear from the world. A single moment had done this to the poor mare. A moment she grew to hate, yet love with each passing second. One kiss. Was that enough to ruin a friendship? She had seen Rainbow Dash’s face when she kissed her. Shock. Confusion. Fluttershy didn’t know what had possessed her to even do such a thing. When they started dancing and holding each other, it felt like she was in one of the fairy tales her mother read to her as a filly. A princess in the arms of the one she loved, dancing at a party with many nobles. But this dream was ruined… The kiss was everything she imagined. Wild. Daring. Exciting. It was like tasting Rainbow Dash’s soul. But then came reality. She saw the confused and frightened look. She could hear the soft whispers of shock and feel the eyes of everypony on her as she fled. Never stopping until she found a place isolated from all the large crowds. A place she could cry as much as she wanted. Rubbing her cheeks, Fluttershy looked to the sky. What do I do now? I can’t go back to Rainbow Dash! She... she probably hates me or thinks I’m weird.... but I have to go back... If she didn’t show up soon, her friends would be worried, and she didn’t want them to panic. But what if they disapproved of what she did?! Fluttershy shook her head. No, Fluttershy. They’re your friends. They wouldn’t be angry at you... would they? The snapping of a twig shook Fluttershy out of her thoughts. She turned towards the nearby bushes that started to rustle and huddled close to the ground. W–w–who is it? One of the guards? Am I–I allowed to be here or did I make a mistake?! If it is a guard I hope it’s not one of Princess Luna’s! Those wings are so scary! To her relief, it wasn’t one of the guards. Who it was made her mouth drop, until she remembered her manners and bowed, “H–hello, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” The newlywed giggled before gently caressing Fluttershy’s cheek. “Come on, Fluttershy. You don’t have to call me that. Just plain old Cadance will do.” She helped Fluttershy up to her hooves and wiped the tear marks off her yellow cheeks. “I take it you’ve been having a tough night?” Fluttershy shook her head, trying to hold back from crying again. “I... I should just go. Y–you’re too busy to be dealing w–with me.” To her surprise, Cadance gently embraced Fluttershy and began to nuzzle the top of her mane. Fluttershy nearly jumped, but slowly began to relax. Never had she felt so... comfortable and relaxed. Soon her worries and fears slowly began to fade from her mind. No wonder Twilight called her the best foalsitter ever. “Fluttershy, I saw what happened,” said Princess Cadance, making Fluttershy hold her breath. “And I think the best thing I can do is help you and Rainbow Dash.” “But... but...” Fluttershy tried to push away, but Cadance still held on. “I ruined it... I ruined everything... I...” “How did you ruin it? All I saw was a little kiss. A kiss that spoke your true feelings for Rainbow Dash,” said Cadance. Fluttershy stopped struggling and sighed. “But she... she looked so... scared...” Cadance giggled. “Yes, I wonder if that’s how I looked when Shining kissed me the first time.” Eyes wide, Fluttershy looked up and saw a grinning Cadance. “W–what do you mean?” Breaking the hug, Cadance sat down and urged Fluttershy to sit next to her. The curious pegasus obeyed and sat on her haunches. Cadance gave a dreamy sigh before closing her eyes, a small smile on her muzzle. “It was on a night like tonight, actually. You see, since I was Twilight’s foalsitter, I got to know her family very well, including Shining Armor. He wasn’t so different back then, except maybe a little more headstrong. Even after Twilight started living in the castle, the two of us still saw each other.” “Did you... did you love him back then?” asked Fluttershy, before flattening her ears. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” “It’s okay, nothing wrong with asking questions,” assured Cadance with a smile. “Anyway, to be honest I think I did, but I never really noticed until it happened. The two of us were watching the stars together just outside the city. Neither of us were suppose to be out that late, but we were young and didn’t really care. Nothing happened at first. He asked how his sister was doing and I asked him how his guard training was doing. Simple stuff. Then, well, he said my name and I looked towards him. That’s when...” She began to turn red, “That’s when he kissed me.” “Oh my. How did you react?” “Well... I didn’t say anything at first... I think my mind was completely blank. Then I... well, kind of hit him with my hoof...” said Cadance, blushing. Fluttershy’s mouth dropped. “You... hit him?” “I know! I know! It was stupid, but it was just the first thing I could think off,” laughed Cadance. “But after that I just took him by the shoulders and kissed him back. That night was also when we... well... you know?” Fluttershy’s face turned red again. “We got in trouble for being out so late, but it was worth it. I’ve always loved him since then, and always will.” “But what does this have to do with me and Rainbow Dash?” asked Fluttershy. “Didn’t you listen? I went through something similar and it turned out alright. Just because something unexpected happens, doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance. Shining didn’t know what he was doing, but everything worked out. Sometimes your heart makes you do things your mind would never be brave enough to do.” “So... then what I did was... okay?” asked Fluttershy, scratching her head. “That’s up for you to decide. What happens next will be based on you and Rainbow Dash. I’m not going to say that she’ll love you or not, but you should take the chance to explain everything,” said Cadance as she got up and began to make her way back. “It’s all up to you, Fluttershy. I hope, whatever happens, you’ll be happy.” Fluttershy watched as Princess Cadance retreated past the bushes until she was, once again, alone. Her thoughts turned to what Cadance told her. I can’t run away anymore. There’s no other place to run too. I’ve held this secret for too long and now it’s time to finally confront Rainbow Dash, once and for all. With a deep breath, Fluttershy got up and made her way towards the bushes... only to feel her head collide with another. She was knocked to her haunches, and rubbed her noggin before looking up and gasping. Rainbow Dash also gasped upon realizing who she bumped into. A second later, she was up on her hooves and hugging Fluttershy. “Fluttershy! I found you!” cried out Rainbow Dash. She ruffled her pink mane a bit. “I must have looked all over Canterlot for you! You had me worried.” “W–worried? You mean... you’re not mad?” asked Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “Mad? Why would I be... oh...” She blushed. “Well, n–no, I’m not mad, but I got to know... d–do... do you love me?” Fluttershy stared into those deep magenta eyes and took a deep breath. “Yes, Rainbow. I love y—” She didn’t get a chance to finish as Rainbow Dash kissed her. For a single moment, Fluttershy’s mind went blank. Then she wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash and kissed back, dragging them both to the ground. The two of them continued to hold on to each other, moaning as each tasted their tongues inside each other’s mouths. High above in the air, fireworks began to light up, signaling the ending of the party and the start of the honeymoon. But for two pegasi, none of this mattered. *** Fluttershy felt the warm sun beam on her face before yawning and opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was a rainbow, frizzled but beautiful. A set of eyes looked at her, followed by a smile. The smile then kissed her nose. “You look funny with your mane like that.” Her hoof went to her mane, all tangled and equally wild as her lover’s, before catching sight of the crumpled heap that was their dresses sitting next to the bushes. A certain scent filled the air as memories of last night caused Fluttershy to start turning red. “D–did we...” Rainbow Dash grinned before nuzzling her. “Yup... first time too?” “Y–yes...” admitted Fluttershy. “Do you... reget it?” “No.” Rainbow Dash laughed and hugged her best friend, now marefriend, before kissing her on the lips. “Guess we better get out of here before the guards find us. Imagine the news: ‘Couple found rutting in Royal Gardens.’ Quite a headliner, huh?” Fluttershy giggled before lying back on the grass. “We don’t have to leave yet... do we?” “Not really, we can stay a bit longer,” said Rainbow Dash, snuggling up next to her. “I love you, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy smiled and sighed. “I love you too, Rainbow Dash.” End Special thanks my editors: Fernin, Souldin, Clavier, and Sirisma Also Special thanks to all my readers, reviewers, favorite clickers, thumbs up clickers and the groups that put this story on their pages. Thanks again for reading and I hope you look at my other works as well as future stories by me. Rated out (Plays Metalingus by After Bridge)