"Yo Fluttershy, you in there?!" Rainbow Dash pounded on the front door.
Fluttershy and Soarin immediatly put down their tea.
"Please don't let her know I'm here!" Soarin whispered.
Fluttershy didn't get a chance to say anything before there was another pound on the door. "Fluttershy! I know your home. Open up!"
Fluttershy got up. "Um..just a minute?" She stuttered as her eyes darted around the room. "Quick, in here!" she whispered as she opened up the closet door.
The closet was filled almost to the top with bags of bird seed, dog toys and an assortment of animal beds and blankets. There was about three feet of space at the top of the doorway which Soarin knew he was soon going to become very aquatinted with.
Soarin took one last look at the flustered mare as he climbed (quite akwardly) into the cramped space at the top of the mare's closet. He readjusted himself the best he could in the small area so that he was facing the doorway.
"Just distract her long enough for me to get out, I promise I'll make this up to you." Soarin said.
Fluttershy nodded,closing the closet door all but a crack to allow a small amount of light to creep in. Soarin could just barely see through the crack and watched as the mare made her way to the door.
_________________________________
Fluttershy slowly walked towards the door and placed her hoof on the doorknob before stopping yourself. She took a deep breath.
"Okay, okay, pull it together Fluttershy!" She thought to herself.
"It's not like the whole possibility of becoming friends with the cute colt in your closet rides solely on you not letting his number one stalker, who also happens to be your best friend, know that he is hiding in your closet.............eep!"
Fluttershy gulped nervously as she turned the doorknob; only to be blown back as none other than Rainbow Dash came bursting through her cottage door.
"Fluttershy! You'll never guess where the Wonderbolts next show is.....Fluttershy?!" The rainbow blur shouted as she came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the small room.
Rainbow's head swiveled around as she scanned the room for her pink-maned friend. Her eyes finally falling on a swinging ceiling fan with a shivering ball of yellow fur swinging from it.
"Hehe, sorry about that." Rainbow exclaimed as she helped detach her friend from the ceiling.
"It's...um, it's okay." She said in a very quiet tone, almost a mumble. "You....um...were saying about the Wonderbolts?"
"Oh yeah! Well, the thing is....." Rainbow dash continued to explain to her friend as she was unknowingly being observed from the nearby closet.
_________________________________
Meanwhile, Soarin was trying to make his situation as comfortable as he could, which wasn't very. He had feed bags scratching uncomfortably up against his side and pieces of wood from the spare bird houses jabbing into certain areas along his rear, which was VERY unpleasant.
Soarin tried his best to reposition himself. In doing so however he accidentally unfurled one if his wings which smacked right into the cracked closet door.
Soarin just stared in horror as the closet door slowly drifted open.
Soarin, if he got out of this, would consider himself the luckiest colt alive. For it so happened that Rainbow Dash, fangirling to the yellow mare about his flight team, was facing away from the closet with Fluttershy facing towards the now ajar closet door.
_________________________________
Fluttershy was accustomed to listening to her friend rant on and on about the Wonderbolts over the years. She continued to listen as her eyes drifted up slowly to notice that Soarin's cramped body was now in full view of the cottage. Fluttershy could feel all the color drain from her face as she tried to compose herself.
"...it's so awesome! You've got to come check it out flutte- Fluttershy? You all right? Your looking a bit pale."
"Hm?" Fluttershy immediately stiffened up; trying to remain calm while her mind had gone into a state near that of a sonic rainboom. "OHMYGOSH what am I going to do?! I can't let her find out, because if she found out then she might think I was lying to her and also Soarin would hate me forever and then by him hating me it might ruin rainbows chances of ever beco-" her train of though came to an abrupt halt as a large cyan hoof waved nearly inches from her face.
"Yo fluttershy....you all right?"
In a instant, Fluttershy knew what she had to do. "Actually Rainbow dash I have something for you."
The rainbow mares wings flared out in excitement. "For me?! Well where is it, where is it?" Rainbow dash was just about to turn around in search of her present when a red cloth wrapped around her face. "Um...Fluttershy?"
"It's...um...a surprise!" Fluttershy said with a forced smile as she began to lead her friend across the room toward the stairs. "It's upstairs." She said as they passed by the closet door.
Then there came a loud clunk.
"What was that?" Rainbow asked as she turned toward the direction of the closet where a wooden bird house laid on the ground. Soarin gave Fluttershy a worried glance but was relieved when she said "Oh it was only...um...angel messing with the bird houses, he..he.."
Luckily for both, Rainbow was too worried about the present that Fluttershy had for her. So the pair made eventually made there way up the stairs until Fluttershy stopped her friend. "It's up in the attic." Fluttershy gave a gulp as she pulled down the stairs to the attic. As she led rainbow upstairs she frantically began to think about what she had that she could give to her friend that would be worthwhile.
_________________________________
Meanwhile, downstairs, Soarin finally let out a sigh of relief. For a moment he thought he was done for. But that mare, fluttershy, she had pretty much saved him.
Once Soarin was sure the pair was out of earshot, he slowly began the process of de-lodging himself from the closet.
After a few awkward pokes and brushes Soarin finally managed to get his upper body facing out of the closet with his flanks still in the small cubby. "Alright, let's do this quick..." Soarin thought to himself as he braced his legs against the back of the closet and gripped the doorframe with his forehooves. And on the count of three Soarin pushed with just enough force so he could spread his wings and dislodged himself from the closet. Yes, Soarin had come out of the closet.
_________________________________
Authors note: I'm so sorry but I just had to make that joke.
_________________________________
Unfortunately he wasn't the only thing that was dislodged.
Soarin just watched as another bird feeder followed him out of the closet and began to hurtle towards the ground.
One of the benefits of being a Wonderbolt is the lightning fast reflexes from training which Soarin would be sure to thank spitfire for in the future. But for now he had to focus. With great skill, and care, Soarin immediately turned and swooped down, nabbing the feeder just before it hit the ground. He let out a sigh of relief, and quietly placed the feeder on the ground. When he looked up however, there was the same white rabbit from earlier just staring at him. But this time sprain noticed something strange. Instead of glaring at him, the rabbit was smiling, but not happily, mischievously.
"What?" Soarin whispered as he stood back up on all fours. The rabbit and Soarin exchanged looks for another moment before the tiny rabbit raised one of its tiny legs and pointed toward the spot that Soarin had just been stuck in. Soarin glanced up just in time to see a 20 lb bag off bird see come falling toward him.
"Son of a-"
_________________________________
Fluttershy led her friend up into the attic which was surprisingly large for the small cottage.
"W-wait here." Fluttershy said as she began to walk towards a chest in the corner. She glanced over her shoulder to check and sure enough Rainbow Dash was still sitting there in her blindfold, eagerly awaiting her present. Fluttershy opened the chest and began to rummage through a few books, picture, and other trinkets until she found them.
A small plastic container that contained within it two tickets to any Wonderbolts show from the Equestria tour. Fluttershy had originally planned to give them to rainbow dash in time for the final show in Cloudsdale which also happened to be on her birthday. But the show next week in ponyville would have to do.
"Well.....now is a good a time as ever." Fluttershy thought to herself. She turned around and walked back up to her friend "Rainb-"
"THUMP!"
Fluttershy's eyes widened.
"What was that?" Rainbow dash asked as she turned around and started to lift her blindfold.
Fluttershy quickly pulled her friend's attention back in an instant and practically shoved to tickets in RD's face. Rainbow Dash instantly forgot about the loud noise and her eyes widened as she focused on the two pieces of paper in front of her.
"Are thes- OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!!!" She snatched the tickets from her friends hooves and examined them closer. "This show the one next week at the ponyville arena!!! Oh my gosh thank, thank, thank you so much flutters!! But..." Rainbow's excited expression dimmed slightly. "These must have cost you a wing and a hoof. How did you.."
Fluttershy's hoof came over her friends mouth. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you're happy."
Although Rainbow dash would never admit it, tears began to form in her eyes as she moved forward to embrace her friend. "Thank you sooo much!"
Fluttershy gladly returned the hug and managed to catch a glimpse of her Wonderbolt friend in the far attic window. He seemed fine, and a smile stretched across his face. She smiled back.
"No problem."