Super Shy

by Severith

A Dash of Competition

Super Shy

Chapter 3: A Dash of Competition

Once again, I talked myself into going on another date with Fluttershy. I sort of hoped to redeem myself by putting a new hoof forward. The last date had ended weird and I definitely felt bad for dipping out early. My hopes were not too high for this date though.

I proceeded to the field outside of Ponyville where Rainbow Dash had asked us to meet. What I found made me stop and gasp. There in the field was a bunch of obstacles set up along with a stage. There were barrels lined up in a line and there was a mud pit with a rope near it.

“What the…,” I said to myself.

“About time you arrived,” the rainbow maned mare commented. “Now we’re just waiting on Fluttershy. If she decides to show up,” she grumbled.

“Yeah, okay,” I muttered in response.

Rainbow Dash tapped her hooves on the ground impatiently. “I hope you’re ready for this,” she told me. “Fluttershy is awesome and she deserves the best. You wouldn’t want to let her down, would you?” The pegasus eyed me suspiciously.

“No, of course not!” I said defensively, backing away a couple steps.

My mind raced faster and faster. How could I get involved in this? I thought to myself. The first date was normal and innocent enough until Twilight intervened too much. This was not even in the same category. Who even sets up a date of competitions?

Rainbow Dash paced around impatiently. She grumbled to herself as we waited for our third party. I fidgeted uncomfortably. Sitting on my haunches, I rubbed the back of my neck a couple times.

Finally, Fluttershy anxiously walked to the field where Rainbow and I were waiting. Fluttershy’s eyes widened in fear as she glanced at the numerous obstacles strewn about the area.

“Fluttershy, where have you been?” Rainbow Dash asked, a little annoyed. “We’ve been waiting here forever.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said meekly. She kicked at the ground with her right hoof and bowed her head slightly.

“Anyways, let’s get this started,” Rainbow Dash decided. “Now, you two went on a ‘date’ or something with Twilight. From what I saw, it was bad. Probably because Twilight was being Twilight. You can’t just follow a book for a good match. Twilight was going about it the wrong way. Dinner dates are so boring anyways.”

“It wasn’t that bad…,” I mumbled to myself. “This looks-”

Rainbow Dash hovered aggressively in my face. “For some reason, Fluttershy mentioned some stallion she might have liked, and I guess that’s you. I’m here to make sure you are good enough for her. I can’t just have any stallion for my best friend.”

I stared into the glaring eyes of Rainbow Dash. Nodding my head, I recoiled. Living up to Rainbow Dash’s standards may be a bit difficult. She had been intimidated ever since I had arrived.

“Um… Rainbow… I don’t think this is necessary-” Fluttershy began.

“Necessary?!” Rainbow said incredulously. “You deserve the best! So I’m here to make sure this stallion is good enough! Now let’s actually start this. Hoof wrestle! Now!”

All of a sudden, Rainbow Dash produced a barrel from somewhere. She placed her right elbow upon the top of the barrel and glared at me. Her right hoof waited in the air expectedly for my hoof to join it.

“Uh…,” I stammered while backing away. “I don’t think-”

“Just get over here!” Dash commanded.

Begrudgingly, I walked back over to the barrel and joined hooves with Rainbow. She gripped my right hoof strongly in her hoof. I grimaced from the surprising amount of force she applied to me. My leg shook slightly, but I kept in in place for the imminent hoof wrestle match.

“1, 2, 3, go!” Rainbow Dash counted off quickly.

In an instant, Rainbow’s super pony pegasus powered hoof slammed my weak hoof to the barrel. It was sad for me with my noodle legs.. Dash had like super powers or something.

“Pathetic,” the powerful pegasus scoffed.

“I wasn’t ready,” I whimpered. “Shouldn’t I be facing Fluttershy instead?” I pointed out as I massaged my right leg.

“Ugh, fine,” Rainbow groaned. She flew over to Fluttershy who squeaked as the cyan pegasus shoved the quivering yellow mare into place across from me.

“Um.... hi,” Fluttershy smiled nervously, hiding one of her eyes behind her pink, flowing mane.

“Hey,” I awkwardly responded, blushing slightly.

“Both of you! Legs on the barrel!” Rainbow Dash commanded, interrupting our shy greeting.

Fluttershy and I placed our front right legs on the barrel as ordered. We held our hooves a foot apart. Neither of us had the courage to make the first contact. My hoof twitched nervously in the air.

In the background, Dash glanced between the two of us. She watched our feeble attempts for a couple of seconds before she groaned and forced Fluttershy’s and mine together. “Stop messing around,” Rainbow sighed. “Now go!”

I held Fluttershy’s hoof in mine lightly. I was afraid to apply too much pressure to her or make too much contact. Fluttershy’s hoof also quivered. My eyes focused on our hooves for the time being.

This is different. I thought to myself. Should I try to beat her or let her win?

“Ugh, this is embarrassing,” Rainbow Dash groaned again while face-hoofing. “One of you, just do something! This is supposed to be a competition.”

I looked up at Fluttershy’s. Half of her face was hidden behind her pink mane like usual. Her only eye visible nervously gazed at our hoofs.

Well, I might as well try… I thought. So I applied some pressure, forcing Fluttershy’s hoof closer to the barrel. Slowly, I forced her hoof down.

“Come on Fluttershy! Fight back!” Rainbow Dash encouraged her friend.

“Okay…,” Fluttershy whispered. She then countered my force with her own. At first, it was weak, but she gradually increased her strength.

“There you go!”

Now, Fluttershy was pushing my hoof up. Before I knew it, our hooves passed the center and still moving. My hoof continued being forced to the top of the barrel.

I balked. Fluttershy’s strength was still increasing. I attempted to counteract her, but to no avail. She had leverage and the upper hoof now. My feeble strength was not enough to shift the tide in my favor.

“You can do it, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash yelled, pumping her hooves in the air.

Fluttershy nodded, tossing her mane out of her face. A look of emblazoned determination was on her her face as she fought me. My hoof was inches from the barrel. I gathered all my strength for one last push to overcome Fluttershy’s power.

Suddenly, my hoof slammed against the wooden barrel. I sat, dazed, just gazing our hooves.

“Wahoo!” Fluttershy cheered at a normal volume.

“Wow…,” I gasped.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy apologized to me, retracting her hooves to cover her mouth. “I didn’t mean to win like that.”

“It… it’s okay,” I answered softly.

“Wow Fluttershy! Good job,” Dash congratulated the yellow pegasus. “Either you’re stronger than I thought, or he’s weak.”

“Hey!” I yelled while frowning at the cyan mare.

“Hehe, maybe you aren’t cut out to be Fluttershy’s special somepony,” Rainbow Dash chuckled.

“Umm,” I mumbled as I looked away.

“Anyways, let’s move on to the next competition,” Rainbow suggested. “The barrel weave!” Then she led the way to another are of the clearing. Here, a lot of barrels were lined up in a straight line with an equal distance between each of the barrels.

“Let me show you how it’s done,” Rainbow told us. She first walked over to the far left where the first barrel was. She crouched down and stretched her legs a little. Then she dashed past the first obstacle and weaved in between the gap of the two barrels. She expertly passed by each barrel by inches. In no time at all it seemed, the super fast pegasus cleared all of the barrels.

Huffing from exhaustion, Dash flew back to us and said, “See? Easy. Now you try. Be fast! I’m going to time you and don’t hit an barrels. That’s a five second penalty.”

“Okay… I guess,” I gulped, trotting over to the beginning of the course.

“Um… good luck,” Fluttershy squeaked.

Hearing her sweet voice made me trip over hooves, but I quickly recovered. Sheepishly, I smiled to myself a little while I stood near the first barrel. Euphoria and confidence brimmed in my mind. I stared off into space and absentmindedly stretched my legs.

“Are you ready, or what?” Rainbow asked, giving a me confused look. She held up a stopwatch and had her hoof on the timer.

I shook my head to clear my mind. Then I nodded at Rainbow.

“Go!”

I took my first step and promptly hit the first barrel, causing it to teeter on its side but not fall over. In the background, I slightly heard Rainbow Dash groan, but I ignored her. My focus was on the task at hand as I galloped past the second barrel. I gained my bearings after passing the third barrel. Weaving in and out, my hooves carried me through the course though I lacked the agility and finesse of Rainbow Dash. I managed to make it halfway before I accidentally nudged another barrel.

“That’s another penalty,” Rainbow Dash called out to me.

Again, I ignored her commentary while I sped through the barrels. One by one, I came closer and closer to the last obstacle. I dug into my reserves to push myself faster past the last two barrels. With a final burst of speed, I charged past the finish line. My hooves slowed to a halt as I stopped several feet from the end. My breaths were big and staggered as I attempted to catch my breath.

“Whoo!” Fluttershy cheered quietly, clapping her hooves together. I smiled in return.

“Thirty-one seconds,” Dash informed us when I rejoined the group. “And you hit two barrels, so that’s another ten seconds.”

“Ooh! Good job,” Fluttershy grinned, but turned away slightly while blushing.

I also blushed and smiled while not directly looking at her.

“Uh, that’s terrible,” Dash meanly said.

“Hey, that’s not very nice, Rainbow,” Fluttershy rebuked her friend. “I don’t care-”

“Come on, Fluttershy! That time is pathetic! You could do better than that!” Rainbow Dash complained. “How about you give this a shot and show us all how amazing you are!”

“I don’t know…,” Fluttershy mumbled while cowering behind her mane. “You know I can’t even fly fast.”

“But…”

“I believe in you,” I encouraged Fluttershy softly. Looking directly into her eyes, I tossed her a small grin before looking away like usual.

Fluttershy also smiled. She slowly regained her composure. “Okay, I’ll try,” she decided. Then she proceeded to the starting point and waited for Rainbow Dash’s signal.

“Okay then,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Ready?” Fluttershy nodded. “Go!” Dash pressed the button on the stopwatch.

Fluttershy began with a light trot past the first barrel. She slowly picked up more speed while giving each barrel a wide berth. She put her head down slightly to help increase her velocity. Her wings unfolded and flapped to boost her. Unfortunately, a wing clipped a barrel, causing it to teeter just enough to earn a penalty.

“Oops,” Fluttershy whispered to herself. She slowed down to avoid hitting any more barrels. Eventually the yellow pegasus crossed the finish line. Sitting on her haunches, she gasped for breath.

“Hmm, thirty-seven seconds plus five for the penalty. So, forty-two,” Rainbow Dash announced, looking at her stopwatch. “Eh, you both are slow.”

Fluttershy trudged back to us. She held her head low after hearing Rainbow’s comment. Mumbling, Fluttershy spoke softly, “That’s okay.”

“Um… good job,” I quietly congratulated the shy mare, flashing her a smile. Our eyes met briefly.

“Oh, thanks,” Fluttershy replied, blushing some more.

“Wow. You two are… something,” commented Dash, tilting her head. “I thought this would go differently, but… oh well. I guess we can do another challenge, if you two want.”

“Sure, I guess,” I agreed. Staring off to the side, I added, “If Fluttershy wants to…”

“Okay,” Fluttershy answered at a normal, more confident level of volume.

“Then follow me,” Rainbow said. She led us over to an area with a rectangular mud pit. A rope wa nearby, lain across the pit. “Let’s see who is stronger in tug-o-war.”

“Oh… my…,” Fluttershy whispered. She hid behind her mane.

“Uh… is the mud necessary?” I asked.

Rainbow Dash deadpanned at me. “You can take that side,” she told me while pointing to the left.

I took my spot at one end of the rope. Rainbow Dash took the spot opposite of me. “Oh come on!” I protested.

Dash smirked at me. “Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you before I let Fluttershy take over. Now, pick up you end of the rope,” she said before grasping the rope in her mouth.

I glared at the rope in front of me. “Can I use magic?” I asked.

“No, vat would be veating,” RD stated with the rope in her mouth.

“Ugh,” I moaned. Uneasily, I stretched my jaw before bending down to pick up the rope with my mouth. The rope tasted funny, but I persevered.

“GO!” Rainbow Dash yelled right before she tugged on her end of the rope.

I dug my hooves in the ground and pulled on my end. It barely budged, but only for a second. Then I felt the rope yank the other way. I stood my ground for the time being.

“Fwuttershy, ‘elp me,” Rainbow asked through the rope in her mouth.

I watched, sadly, as Fluttershy uncomfortably walked over and picked up the part of the rope in front of Rainbow Dash. The two mares combined their strength to pull the rope with me on the other side. My hooves slid towards the mud pit with each passing second.

Come on! I can beat these two! I thought to myself. I redoubled my strength, taking a step back. I tugged the rope with my mouth while closing my eyes from the effort.

Unfortunately, all of this was in vain. The force on the other side increased. I felt myself being pulled closer and closer to the mud pit.

“Come on, Fluttershy, you can do it!” I heard Rainbow Dash encouraging her friend.

At that, I opened my eyes to see Rainbow floating between me and Fluttershy. The yellow mare opposite of me also had her eyes closed. She was trying with all her might to pull the rope and me along with it to her side.

That moment of observation distracted me. I stopped pulling. Then the ground gave way as I went tumbling forward into the mud pit, face first.

“Ugh,” I sighed while lying in the pit.

“Yeah! You win again, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash cheered.

Fluttershy had flown back with the rope tangled around her. She opened her eyes to see the smiling face of Rainbow. The yellow pegasus tossed the rope off of her before noticing me lying in the mud pit. “Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!” she apologized. She quickly flew over to me and helped me out of the mud.

“It’s okay…,” I mumbled sadly, staring at the ground. I sat down then glanced over my mud covered coat.

“Bahahahaha,” Dash laughed. “I can’t believe you lost again”

“Well-,” I began quietly.

“That’s enough, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy suddenly yelled, glaring at RD. “This is not how I want to treat my… um… date.”

“Grr. But he’s just too weak,” Rainbow whined. “I don’t know what you were expecting. Whatever. I was getting bored with this anyways.” With that, she flew off into the sky.

I watched the cyan pegasus fly away for a little bit. Scratching the back of my neck, I told Fluttershy, “Well… umm… thanks… for sticking up for me.”

“Oh, um, you’re welcome,” Fluttershy responded. She shied away slightly while lightly kicking at the ground. There was moment of silence. Then Fluttershy continued, “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash wasn’t very nice. She’s just a bit…”

“Competitive?” I finished her sentence.

“Yeah…,” sighed Fluttershy, glancing to the side.

That familiar awkward silence took over for for a minute.

“Well, I think I should get going,” I said as a glob of mud dripped out of my mane. “I need to clean this mud off me.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy nodded.

“Um… it was good to see you again,” I mumbled softly while blushing like usual.

“Hehe… yeah,” Fluttershy chuckled nervously.

“Well… bye.”

“Bye.”

The two us went separate ways. I headed for my home on the other side of Ponyville. Fluttershy made her way to the edge of town where her cottage was located. I did look back just once and caught a glimpse of her gazing in my direction before turning back to her destination.

Smiling to myself, I continued to trot away from the clearing. Today had been odd, but I could not deny that I had enjoyed spending time with that quiet, lovely mare.

Author's Note:

Whoo! Finally finished typing up this chapter. Sorry, I've been busy with stuff for the past couple of weeks. Anyways, I still have several more chapters to go and I intend to finish this story. Thanks for reading!

Comments

[swiftwriter14]

The shyness is powerfull with this one omg i admit its so cute and amazing, this story is so sweet i can just scream in delight and it gives me diabeetus btw amazing story and also gud luck to your oher fics such diabetes XD

[Texus]

I don't remember who was more shy, or well like they are supposed to be, but I hope it isn't going to be always him, who has less strenght and whatever the others are going to do for them.

I just hope there is a thing where he is sort of better than Fluttershy. Sometimes I just get the feeling more guys than Females in this storys are pathetic.

I know I'm usually rather fast to talk about that, but I want to say it before it actually happens. Since they both are supposed to be shy, I hope that he has his strong side too. Sorry I'm just remembering all the bad storys.

While talking about it I completely forgot to say that I liked this chapter, I just got a bit cautious about one certain moment, since I just remembered that he was a it weirder in the last chapter too.