In The Late Summer Sun

by Papillon Rose

Sparks

"So Spike was telling me that a new joke shop just opened up in Canterlot next to Pony Joe's donut shop, and I was like, a joke shop? In Canterlot? You've gotta be joking!"

Rainbow Dash was indeed listening to Pinkie, but she couldn't focus very well on what her talkative friend was saying. Her mind kept wandering of its own accord, like a wayward butterfly. She tried to direct her attention to the chattering pony dancing around Sugarcube Corner in a blur of pink and confetti, but it slipped away just as quickly. Perhaps she was simply tired; the previous day had been devoted to a series of late spring showers that had to be carefully monitored to avoid overwatering crops. That took more out of her than merely kicking clouds.

"But he wasn't joking, so I put in an order for an assorted collection of super duper pranky stuff, and it just came in yesterday! And it was a lot cheaper than I thought it would be, too! I got this whole box for only three bits!"

"Uh-huh." Rainbow Dash cast a weather eye over the box Pinkie Pie was bouncing in place atop. It was an ordinary-looking brown box with faded lettering on the top; she recognized the kind of shimmering ink and postal stamps associated with Canterlot. Granted, the package was a bit dented and appeared to have been dropped a few times, but with mailmares like Ditzy Doo on the job that was to be expected.

"Overall it's a pretty good haul, but some of this stuff is weirrrd. I mean, like really 'We probably shouldn't let some of this stuff fall into the wrong hooves' weird!"

For what seemed like the millionth time that day, Rainbow Dash wondered what Fluttershy was doing. A few days had passed following their excursion in the Everfree Forest, and Dash hadn't seen hide nor hair of her since then. This wasn't odd, as they all had duties and jobs of their own to attend to, and she assumed that Fluttershy would be occupied with caring for Angel for an indeterminate amount of time anyway. Yet, given the terms that they'd parted on, Fluttershy's absence bothered her.

She lifted her wing, tuning out Pinkie Pie, and looked over her shoulder at the wound she'd sustained from her fight with the bear. It itched occasionally, but whatever herbs Fluttershy had lined it with really were magical. It had only taken a day for it to scab over, and from the way it was healing it looked as if the scar wouldn't be as dramatic as she'd initially thought. Dash hoped Fluttershy's expertise would be enough to help her sick charge just as well as she'd attended to her.

"Dashie?" Two sparkling blue eyes and a mass of unruly pink hair appeared directly in front of her face, causing Rainbow Dash to topple over backwards. Pinkie Pie stood over her, looking down with a hint of concern dimming her cheerful smile. "Are you okay? You're kinda not there. Even though you're still here."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rainbow Dash stood up, folding her wings back once more. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

"Ooh, is it a good something or a bad something?" Pinkie punctuated the question with a characteristic bounce. "Or is it a secret something?"

Rainbow Dash briefly considered voicing her concerns to Pinkie Pie, then thought better of it. "It's nothing."

"I thought you said it was something. Nothing isn't something." Pinkie's tone indicated that she didn't believe Dash's explanation for a second. "Are you sure it's nothing? I'm the best secret keeper in Ponyville, remember?"

"Really, it's nothing." Rainbow Dash lied. In an attempt to change the subject, she poked at the box with a hoof. "So what all did you get? Anything good?"

Pinkie tilted her head to the side, regarding her thoughtfully for a minute, then seemingly dismissed the issue altogether. "Oh, I've got some great prank material! Ponyville won't know what hit it!"

The two mares proceeded to dump out the contents of the box on the floor to get a closer look. As per Pinkie's initial assessment some of the items were rather questionable. There was the usual lot of itching powders, whoopee cushions, joy buzzers and cans of fake snakes to be expected of a joke shop. There were also a couple of items Rainbow Dash did not recognize. These included a simple brown book made of a shiny material that seemed familiar although she couldn't put her hoof on it; it was bound with black clasps and made her feel uneasy when she looked at it for too long. Further inspection turned up a strange, colorful mask with a spike-lined, heart shaped face and vivid eyes painted on the front; Pinkie Pie stuck her head into the pile and withdrew it with a large green gem that seemed to sparkle within in her mouth. Rainbow Dash couldn't see how such a thing could function as a joke item, but if it did have some practical use Rarity would be a great target, seeing as the fashionista would've likely considered ponyslaughter to get her hooves on a rock like that.

"Maybe they got your order mixed up with someone else's," she offered, tapping the cover of the book and shuddering. Pinkie dropped the gem and picked up the mask, sliding it over her face.

"This looks like one of the masks Zecora has!" She exclaimed. "We can have a costume party!"

As Pinkie Pie launched into planning out a costume party (from the sound of it a costume party was simply one of her regular everyday parties with an additional dress code), Rainbow Dash found herself feeling unusually grateful for her hyperactive friend's company. Whereas Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack had their hooves full on a more regular schedule, Dash's weatherpony duties were hardly difficult and tended to be more sporadic. She'd finish her tasks swiftly enough to have lots of free time for training, lazing about, and social interaction; whereas her other friends were busy a good deal of the time Pinkie Pie was always up for the latter.

Having witnessed Ponyville's premiere party pony in action while at work, Rainbow Dash had to wonder how the Cakes dealt with having such a wayward employee. Pinkie regularly ate half of what she needed to be selling to customers and threw parties at the drop of a hat, and yet they rarely reprimanded her and even allowed her to live above the bakery. Dash assumed that she'd just been absorbed into the family like a high-strung adopted filly with a bottomless pit for a stomach. She wasn't sure she would've been able to take actually living with Pinkie Pie, but she was great fun to be around. When they weren't pranking Ponyville's unsuspecting inhabitants they passed the time scarfing through Pinkie's appropriated supply of baked goods while Rainbow Dash regaled her with tales of the nightlife and party scene in Cloudsdale; Pinkie Pie seemingly never grew tired of these stories.

The earth pony in question interrupted her thoughts, abruptly ripping off the mask and throwing it across the room. "I knew it!" She cried. "I knew I recognized that mask! I thought I'd destroyed it last time!"

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Should I even ask?"

Pinkie Pie ignored her, continuing to hold a one-sided conversation with herself. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, sighing with exasperation. 'Pinkie Pie... you are so random.'

The tinkling of a bell announced the arrival of a potential customer; a familiar purple unicorn entered the bakery, levitating a small shopping basket at her side. "Hi girls!" Twilight Sparkle called cheerfully upon seeing two of her friends.

"Hey Twilight." Rainbow Dash greeted her; Pinkie Pie didn't acknowledge Twilight's entrance, still engrossed with whatever crisis she'd happened upon.

"But then we'll have to visit Cloudsdale and break into the weather factory, and I haven't patched the balloon yet!" Pinkie waved her hooves in the air in frustration. "It's hopeless!"

Twilight glanced from Rainbow Dash to Pinkie Pie, and then back to Rainbow Dash. "Uh..." A slight shake of Dash's head warned her against questioning further. "Okay, I'll just take that as a hello, I guess."

Sensing the chance to discuss the issue with somepony a little saner, Rainbow Dash withdrew from the pile of joke items and moved closer to Twilight, nudging her off to the side.

"Twilight, have you seen Fluttershy around lately?"

Twilight thought for a minute, stroking her chin. "Maybe? Sorry Rainbow Dash, I've been so busy making checklists for the Summer Sun Celebration that I haven't seen much of anypony lately."

"Isn't the Summer Sun celebration two months away?"

"Yes it is," Twilight announced proudly, "And you can never start planning too early!"

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond, and for once thought better of it. Fortunately Pinkie Pie snapped out of her reverie before Dash could change her mind. "Oh, Twilight!" She literally leapt across the room, stopping just short of tackling Twilight. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Pinkie, you just saw me yesterday," Twilight said dryly.

"That's pretty close to forever." Pinkie Pie's eyes lit up as the proverbial lightbulb went off over her head. "We should have a 'Welcome Back, Twilight!' party!"

"But I haven't gone anywhere," Twilight insisted. Rainbow Dash resisted the urge to laugh at how flustered she looked. After nearly two years of living in Ponyville she would've expected the town's resident librarian to adjust to Pinkie's antics. "And anyway, I've got to get back to the library as soon as possible. Spike isn't feeling well today."

"He's sick too?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, incredulous. Granted, it probably had nothing to do with Angel's mysterious illness, but it was an interesting coincidence...

"Well," Twilight hesitated. "Not really. He's just molting, and he refuses to leave the house because Rarity might see him in 'such a disgraceful state.' His words, not mine."

"Dragons molt too?" Rainbow Dash grimaced. "That sucks."

"It's only once in awhile, instead of every year. And unlike you guys," she indicated Rainbow Dash's wings, "It only takes a day or two instead of shedding feathers over a longer period of time."

She turned her attention back to Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie, could you make some more of those muffins Spike likes so much?"

Pinkie Pie paled, letting out an exaggerated gasp. "Y-you mean... those?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes. I figured they'd help the little guy feel better. You do remember how to make them, right?"

"Yes. I do. I remember," Pinkie Pie said grimly. She glanced back at the kitchen as if it were a desolate battlefield, then walked away with the air of a scarred soldier cantering off to war. "I think we all remember."

Neither Rainbow Dash nor Twilight had suffered through the 'baked bads' incident, but they'd witnessed the aftermath. Rainbow Dash pantomimed gagging; Twilight merely shrugged. "I'm not sure why he can eat them without succumbing to food poisoning as well. I suppose dragons have a severely different constitution than we do, even at such a young age," she mused.

"He eats gems, Twilight. Duh." Rainbow Dash deadpanned.

The bell tinkled again, cutting off Twilight's response. Both ponies turned to see Fluttershy peeking into the bakery over the bottom half of the door. Her mane, while retaining its gentle curl, appeared to be slightly disheveled, and there were small bags beneath her blue eyes indicating that she hadn't been sleeping well. "Um..."

"Hi there, Fluttershy, we were just talking about you," Twilight hailed the newcomer, pleased to see so many of her friends at once. "Did you need to put in an order? I think Pinkie Pie went out to get the ingredients for Spike's muffins but I can go get her if you want."

"Oh, no, that's fine," Fluttershy said quietly. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, as if afraid to make eye contact with anypony. "I was just wondering if I could borrow your book a little longer... if that's okay with you?"

"Supernaturals? Of course!" Twilight smiled. "I've got an entire section on natural remedies now, if you need any more. There's a particularly informative one recently released by a herbalist from Manehattan. It's got the craziest home remedy for hay fever."

"That's okay, I think the one I have is fine." Fluttershy cut the enthusiastic librarian off before she could get started, bowing her head in gratitude. "Thank you so much, Twilight."

Rainbow Dash watched her walk away, not quite sure why she'd let her leave without saying anything. On one hoof, she was incredibly glad to see Fluttershy after their adventure earlier that week, but she would've expected her to look a little happier, having gotten the ingredients needed for Angel's medicine.

A terrible thought occurred to her: perhaps the lunawort hadn't been effective.

"Hey Twilight, I just remembered I gotta do something. Tell Pinkie I said I'd catch her later, okay?" With those parting words the cyan pegasus flew off after Fluttershy at top speed, leaving Twilight staring after her in wonder.

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Of course Fluttershy hadn't gotten very far on hoof, and Rainbow Dash came close to bowling her over... and several other ponies that just happened to be in the way.

"Hey! Fluttershy!" She shouted as she crash landed right in front of the startled pegasus, pointedly ignoring the couple of disapproving stares her arrival earned her. Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock; for a brief moment she looked as if she were about to fall over, but she managed to steady herself.

"Oh... hi, Rainbow Dash."

"What's up?" Rainbow Dash asked eagerly. Normally she might've attempted to conduct herself with a more nonchalance but the elation she felt over seeing her friend for the first time in days went straight to her head. "Did the lunawort work? Is Angel better?"

"Um... " The tone of Fluttershy's voice indicated that she didn't have good news for her, slightly diminishing Dash's excitement. "A little."

"Just a little?" Rainbow Dash almost yelled in disbelief. "You got plenty of those flowers. They should've been able to cure him, right? Maybe the recipe's wrong."

"Actually, it's only the roots that are used to make the medicine." Fluttershy sighed, dejected. "I used all I had to make the batch I've been giving him, but it doesn't seem to be working that well. He's not getting worse, but he isn't really improving, either." She hung her head, sounding close to tears. "I guess I didn't make it strong enough. I'd need a lot more to fix a batch that would actually be effective."

"So we gotta go back to Everfree and get some more of those flowers then." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "You saved the map, didn't you? You took care of that crazy bear last time, so we shouldn't have any trouble getting there."

Fluttershy gasped and lifted her head. Her eyes were shining, although whether from joy or unshed tears Rainbow Dash couldn't tell. "You mean you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't. I already said I didn't mind going back if you needed to. What, you think I'd leave you hanging?" Rainbow Dash joked, feigning offense.

"No," Fluttershy said hurriedly, "It's just I thought you'd be busy and I didn't want to bother you-"

"Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash reached over and tapped her friend on the head (lightly for her, although Fluttershy flinched). "Stop freaking out. You could've just asked me, you know."

Fluttershy didn't need to respond; the expression of sheer happiness she wore said it all. Seeing it made Rainbow Dash feel lighter than she had all day; it was if the fog weighing her down had completely dissipated.

After years of leading other Ponyville's other pegasi in weather management, Rainbow Dash was used to giving orders, and after a moment of pondering she laid the plan out for Fluttershy as if they were embarking on a mission. "Okay. We need to gather as many of those flowers as possible tomorrow, so we're gonna need to set out early. I'll bring Tank with me to keep Angel company, too. Fluttershy?"

The pale yellow pegasus snapped to attention. "Bring something with you to make digging easier if you can. In fact, maybe... "

The idea of bringing their friends along entered Dash's mind, then disappeared almost immediately as she envisioned Pinkie Pie rolling in the flowers laughing, Applejack trampling them, and Twilight attempting to remove one with her magic and somehow uprooting the entire patch. She didn't even bother considering Rarity, who would've fainted dead away at the prospect of manually digging up lunawort with her manicured hooves. "Never mind. Just bring something so we don't have to spend all day on a single one. And bring some more of those muffins. And the map, 'cause we're gonna need it."

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, making a mental note of everything her friend listed. "Is there anything else?"

Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I think that's about it. I'd tell you to bring the awesome, but that's my job."

The two pegasi finalized their plans to meet up at Fluttershy's house early the next morning, and after another tearful round of 'thank yous' Fluttershy left to attend to her other charges. Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches as Ponyville bustled around her, watching her leave for the second time that day. This time there was no lingering anxiety, only a sense of accomplishment, much like she felt when she managed to pull off a particularly well-executed stunt.

It felt good to make other ponies happy. Especially when they were as expressive with their gratitude as Fluttershy.

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The next morning dawned clear and bright; the first rays of Celestia's sun warmed Rainbow Dash's mane, awakening her from a peaceful sleep without a trace of the bad humor waking up at a reasonable hour generally left her in. She stretched, taking care not to knock Tank out of the bed as she usually did, and all but floated to her bathroom to prepare for the day. Instead of bleary eyes and a scowl, a perfectly content face greeted her upon looking in the mirror. She even found herself humming as she went through the motions of showering, contemplating combing her mane and snorting at the very thought, and fitting Tank with his propeller and goggles.

While doing so she felt compelled to hug the tortoise, who watched her with his usual adoration. He'd only been living with her for a couple of months, but Rainbow Dash could truthfully say she loved Tank already. It was wonderful to have someone to talk to all the time, even when the world below was slumbering.

"You don't get to get sick," she informed him; Tank nodded, slowly.

After retrieving her empty saddlebag, reasoning that they could collect and carry more of the flowers if she shouldered a load as well, she left the house with Tank buzzing behind. Twilight's contraption couldn't keep up with her top speed, but it did allow Tank to follow along pretty rapidly.

"I'm gonna need you to try to get along with Angel today," Rainbow Dash called behind her, looking over her shoulder at her airborne tortoise. "Think you can do that for me?" Tank didn't respond, but Rainbow Dash knew the answer would be yes.

As she streaked through the sky, gracing Ponyville with its first rainbow of the day, it became apparent to her that they'd left much earlier than they needed to. That fact didn't slow Rainbow Dash down any, and within a few minutes she'd reached the edge of Fluttershy's property. She settled on a soft, pillowy cloud nearby and stretched out to wait for the appearance of her traveling companion. Tank landed nearby, creeping up beside her and pulling in his legs, leaving only his head visible outside his shell. It wasn't long before Fluttershy burst through her front door, obviously frazzled as she attempted to make sure her other animals would be alright without her guidance for the day. Chicken feed spilled from the bucket she carried while nearly tripping over a bag of vegetables hanging around her neck. Instead of alerting Fluttershy to her arrival, Rainbow Dash chose to take in the scene of chaos unfolding below her. It was all pretty comical.

Shaken from their usual routine by the early administration of food some of the animals had taken to eating already, leading to Fluttershy struggling to wave them away. "Now now, that's for later," she fussed, taking to the air to keep from trodding on the group of chipmunks, squirrels, and young rabbits following her every move. "I'm sorry, everyone, but I won't be here to give you lunch today."

After about fifteen minutes of herding small animals about she managed to reign some of the madness in, as well as convince most of them to hold off on eating their lunch for a little while. She headed back into her house, presumably to grab her supplies; after a few minutes she returned laden with supplies and looking hopeful. It was then that Rainbow Dash chose to reveal herself, leaping from her resting place and landing on the ground in front of her. Fluttershy seemed to be adjusting to her friend's entrances; the sudden arrival only resulted in an "Eep" instead of her dropping everything as she normally did. Tank followed suit, landing beside Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy leaned down to nuzzle the tortoise affectionately. "Has Rainbow Dash been taking good care of you?"

"Of course I have." Rainbow Dash lightly tapped the tortoise's shell with a hoof. "I do everything with this little guy. Even if he is a little slow." Tank craned his head up, gracing his owner with one of his contented smiles, and Rainbow Dash patted his head lovingly. Fluttershy looked on, clearly pleased at how well her former charge and his new owner were bonding.

"You ready to go?"

"Just a minute." Fluttershy turned to face her host of creatures, who were watching her with a myriad bright, questioning eyes. "I want everyone to be on their best behavior today." She singled out a trio of chipmunks standing in a row, looking up at her intently. "Simon, Alvin, and Theodore, I don't want to hear about any rough housing while I'm away. Lola, please keep an eye on them for me." A pale brown bunny twitched her nose in affirmation. A beautiful hummingbird hovered over her head, and Fluttershy smiled up at it. "Hummingway and Tank, I have a very important job for you. He's still sleeping and he shouldn't wake up until after I get back, but if he wakes up before the I left medicine and carrot soup next to the bed. Try to get him to eat. " Hummingway landed on her head, chirping his response, and then flew back through an open window to begin his shift. Tank followed, his propeller kicking into gear and carrying him along after Hummingway.

"Okay," Fluttershy said, looking back at Rainbow Dash. "Now I'm ready."

They assumed their general traveling positions, Rainbow Dash flying either directly above or beside her, and Fluttershy firmly planted on the ground with her wings tucked in, and set off for Everfree. The sense of urgency driving the two pegasi before had vanished, and instead of a dangerous mission this time the trip felt much more light-hearted, as if they were merely going for a long walk. Rainbow Dash relayed news from Cloudsdale, including a Pinkie Pie-esque, fanpony rant about a Wonderbolt performance that she'd missed while Fluttershy listened patiently, occasionally interjecting a comment or two. She shook her head in sympathy when Rainbow Dash told her about her missed chance to see her idols in action.

Even the march through Everfree was easier and more enjoyable. This time some of the small animals skittering about in the undergrowth actually stopped to peek out at them. One brave squirrel approached the path, inching towards Fluttershy before losing its nerve and dashing back up the tree it had come from. Fluttershy took this in stride, stating that at least they were getting used to her.

The feeling of elation had not faded, and as Rainbow Dash slipped in and out of the openings created by intertwined branches, thick creepers and misshapen tree trunks she did so with more speed and precision than ever. Whatever the cause of her high spirits was, it was a good thing. The fresh air and the light warmth hinting at the approach of summer must've gotten ahold of her, she thought. Now she understood how the birds felt, literally dancing in the spring breeze.

After awhile, following Zecora's map without divergence, they reached the silent woods where the bear had attacked them. As before, the area no longer felt tainted, and was just as lively as the rest of the forest around it. Fluttershy actually rose into the air beside Rainbow Dash, clearly ecstatic. "Isn't it wonderful?" she said happily. "This place was so dead before. Now it's alive again."

Recalling the fight made Rainbow Dash uncomfortable. There were some details that were too fuzzy to remember, but one stuck out first and foremost. Why didn't she remember what it felt like to be staring death in the face? She had no memory of being seized by fear for her own life, and the thought that she must've laid down and prepared for death without putting up a fight disgusted her. But was that really what happened? Whatever the case, it really did seem like the bear was gone, and that was a relief.

False sense of security or not, the two ponies felt much safer traveling through the section of forest this time, and before long they stepped (and flew) through the ring of trees surrounding the clearing and were greeted with the lovely smell of innumerable lunawort blossoms. This time Rainbow Dash refrained from pitching herself into the lake, deciding to save that for after she'd spent a couple of hours digging up flowers.

Fluttershy shrugged her saddlebag off, nosing one side open and withdrawing a small silver trowel. Rainbow Dash knew next to nothing about gardening; the only turf she was heavily familiar with was the pliable softness of clouds beneath her hooves, and thus she didn't recognize the tool. "What the hay is that?"

Fluttershy skillfully seized the handle between clenched teeth and lowered her head, burying the blade in the soil. She then pulled back, lifting a scoopful of soil and leaving a small hole in the ground. It wasn't very large, but it was a much easier way of digging holes than scratching at the earth for hours on end. She dropped the trowel, nudging it towards Rainbow Dash. "We can't use it to dig up the flowers directly, but we can dig around them more easily so it doesn't take as long to pull them out."

Rainbow Dash eyed the gardening tool skeptically for a moment before reaching down to retrieve it. To her surprise, and minor irritation, she had trouble biting down on the handle. The trowel slipped from her grasp and fell back to the ground, mocking her. The cyan pegasus growled, leaning down to attempt grabbing the trowel once more, with the same result. "Hold still!" she commanded it, finally managing to get a good hold on the handle.

"YES!!" Rainbow Dash shouted triumphantly, pumping her hoof in the air...

...and dropping the trowel she'd worked so hard to pick up. "No!" The wicked gardening tool lay before her innocously. Yep, it was definitely mocking her.

Fluttershy laughed; a light, gentle sound. "It's okay, Rainbow Dash. I can dig around the flowers as close as I can get, and then you can finish digging them up. If you don't mind."

"An assembly line? I can get with that." Rainbow Dash shoved the trowel in Fluttershy's direction. "You do this part."

For the next couple of hours the two pegasi worked side by side. Fluttershy, having mastered the use of the trowel through her own gardening endeavors, dug deeply enough around the flowers at the edge of the lunawort patch that it was easy for Rainbow Dash to extract them. It took a few tries of accidentally separating the plants from their roots to get used to wiggling them free gently instead of yanking the flowers from the ground, but after awhile the cyan pegasus got the hang of it. When they finally finished working sometime after midday, they'd managed to gather enough flowers to fill both of their bags. Fluttershy was overjoyed.

"With this many I should be able to make a stronger version of Angel's medicine." She hovered above the lunawort patch, staring up at the cloudless blue sky with the wind ruffling her mane and tail. "I can't thank you enough, Rainbow Dash."

The cyan pegasus in question stared blankly at sight of her friend floating in the breeze much like one of the butterflies depicted on her flank, finding it impossible to look away. She hadn't paid much attention at the time, but it was clear why Photo Finish had taken Fluttershy under her wing.

As if unwilling to take the line of thought any further, Rainbow Dash bolted for the lake and dove into the water. She held herself beneath the surface for a moment, utterly confused by her reaction, and severely irritated by it. She couldn't understand why she felt weird over acknowledging the fact that Fluttershy was... pretty? Rarity was attractive; that was a universally accepted truth among the group, and Rainbow Dash knew it. There was nothing wrong with noticing that.

She ran out of air and was forced to surface, where Fluttershy was waiting for her on the bank, looking concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"Yep." Rainbow Dash shook her head, shoving her frustration aside. "I'm good."

The rest of their day passed uneventfully. They rested for awhile in the soft grass beside the lake and made use of the food Fluttershy had brought with her (fruit salad, blueberry muffins, and a couple of barley and alfalfa scones that Rainbow Dash practically devoured). She was too stuffed afterwards to get some aquatic exercise in the way she'd intended, and simply fell asleep with a satisfied smile on her face while Fluttershy puttered around in the clearing, refilling the holes they'd created. By the time she finished, and Rainbow Dash woke up, it was late afternoon once again; after cleaning up the two pegasi left the clearing.

"That was nice," Fluttershy remarked. This time they reached her house just before the moon rose, and stood on the bridge in the twilight observing the early evening sky before returning to the cottage. Once inside, Fluttershy set about unloading the lunawort, layering them in a basket she found nearby. Tank slumbered on the rug, completely withdrawn into his shell, and Hummingway dozed lightly on a stray perch.

"I guess everything is fine," Fluttershy remarked. "They look awfully tired, though. I hope Angel didn't give them too much trouble."

"Did you get enough this time?" Rainbow Dash asked, somewhat impatiently. The foreign anticipation fluttering in the pit of her stomach was bothering her; she attempted to ignore it, flying over to where Tank slept and gathering him into her forelegs to carry home.

Fluttershy looked over the basket of flowers taken from Rainbow Dash's saddlebags, and those she'd collected. She took tilted her head so that her silky pink mane fell over her face, leaving only her eyes visible. "...maybe. I think so."

Rainbow Dash tossed her mane proudly. "Well, if you don't and we need to go back, I got ya covered."

"Um... are you sure?" Fluttershy asked hesitantly, taking a step back. "I don't want to-"

"Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash grinned. "I'm sure."

As before, Fluttershy darted forward and gave her a quick hug before flushing crimson, then rushing upstairs to check on Angel. Rainbow Dash hovered in place for a few minutes after the pale yellow pegasus withdrew; even after excusing herself and heading home with Tank in tow she was unable to shake her preoccupation. The thought from before tickled her brain; it would not stick long enough for her to fully dwell on it, but it joined another thought that had been lurking beneath the surface.

'Fluttershy is pretty.'


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A couple of days passed with no further word from Fluttershy, and even though she remained busy with weather duty, an impromptu party thrown by Pinkie Pie in celebration of some randomly cooked up event that Rainbow Dash couldn't recall, caring for Tank, and assisting Applejack with watering a couple of fields recently sown with summer crops through a localized cloudburst she remained preoccupied as before, wondering how the pale yellow pegasus was doing in her efforts to care for Angel. This was unsettling, as she really wasn't used to spending this much time thinking about any other pony save herself.

After half a week she found herself wandering towards Fluttershy's house, pretending that she was merely heading in that direction for some reason that had absolutely nothing to do with its owner, and nearly collided into Fluttershy coming from the opposite direction, also clearly distracted by something.

They stared at each other for a moment before Rainbow Dash broke the silence. "How's Angel?" she asked, formalities aside. She was fully aware of how swiftly her heart was beating, as she awaited Fluttershy's answer. It felt as if she'd just flown a race, thumping against her ribcage strongly enough that it was a surprise that Fluttershy couldn't hear it.

Fluttershy looked down at her hooves. "He's a lot better now." She met Rainbow Dash's gaze, smiling shyly. "I had to make a couple of batches before I found an amount that works, though. It used up a lot of the roots we collected last time, though."

Rainbow Dash's heart skipped a beat, and she felt herself smiling in return.

The question, and the consequent answer, went without saying.

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A pattern developed over the next few weeks.

At least once a week, sometimes twice, Rainbow Dash and Tank arrived at Fluttershy's house early in the morning, whenever the day was guaranteed to be clear. Fluttershy bid her animals goodbye and left Tank and Hummingway with instructions to watch over Angel, and the two pegasi went to the clearing to gather lunawort.

Even Fluttershy's residual reservations regarding Everfree, at least in regards to the part they traversed, melted away after awhile. A few of the small animals that lived in the forest became comfortable with approaching her. Only a few, two rabbits and a raccoon, came close enough to converse with her, but she was overjoyed to have even a few new friends.

They'd made a larger dent than Fluttershy liked on their second trip to the clearing in Everfree, and on the subsequent visits she only gathered just enough for a single batch of medicine to avoid harming the flower patch irreparably. This freed up Rainbow Dash to pursue her own interests: improving her swimming ability, practicing in the open air above the clearing, developing a few new tricks incorporating the use of the lake, and generally lazing about in the sun as summer set in. It was still unclear as to whether the Wonderbolts would actually be present at the upcoming Summer Sun celebration, but she needed to be ready just in case.

Whether occupied with something constructive or not, she found she was content just to be there with her old friend. Fluttershy was incredibly fun to be around; she wondered how she'd never realized it. The pale yellow pegasus was terribly reserved and she moved at a far slower pace than Rainbow Dash did, but at some point it had ceased to matter. They talked, more than ever, about their lives prior to Ponyville, their friends, and occasionally strayed into personal territory. Those gentle eyes allayed any fears Rainbow Dash had of losing face, and she found herself telling Fluttershy things she'd kept to herself for such a long time that it felt strange hearing the words spoken aloud. It was clear to those that knew her that she got stage fright when actually faced with the prospect of performing in front of massive crowds, but for once she actually admitted it openly, unloading her reservations and fear that one day she'd freeze up mid-stunt, possibly in front of the Wonderbolts themselves.

"It's scary being watched by everypony," Fluttershy told her, probably recalling her own stint as a celebrity. "I don't blame you for being nervous. It doesn't mean anything is wrong with you. But you're the best flier I've ever seen, Rainbow Dash. You're the fastest pony in both Ponyville and Cloudsdale, maybe all of Equestria." Fluttershy sounded perfectly sincere, instead of emptily complimenting her. "You shouldn't worry so much."

The irony of Fluttershy telling anypony not to worry was not lost on Rainbow Dash, but she appreciated the advice. She was surprised at how self-assured her friend sounded recently, but even more at how much Fluttershy's words comforted her.

It was almost too embarrassing to do so, but she eventually admitted that she missed Gilda rather badly, having been very close to her prior to parting when she came to live in Ponyville. Although Fluttershy's experience with the griffon wasn't exactly pleasant, she nodded understandingly.

"M-maybe one day you two can patch things up with each other... and she can come visit Ponyville again." Fluttershy's smile was shaky, yet appeared to be genuine as she spoke. "She's probably very nice when you get to know her."

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash watched her in awe. How anypony could forgive so readily eluded her.

"Fluttershy is kind."

From time to time the focus fell on Fluttershy herself, who took a little longer to become comfortable with opening up. Rainbow Dash wanted to know why she'd never spent much time developing her flight skills. She could fly well enough to travel to Cloudsdale (although she did need to stop and rest on the way), but her endurance, flexibility and speed were severely lacking in comparison to Rainbow Dash's, which was to be expected, but still.

Finally Fluttershy told her, her voice nearly inaudible. "I'm not good at flying. I never was, and the other ponies teased me so badly that I was afraid to try. And after I got my cutie mark, it didn't really matter so much. I knew my place was here."

Rainbow Dash bristled. "Those jerks. I knew I should've beaten 'em up when I had the chance."

"It's okay. I have my life down here, taking care of all my friends, so... "

"You still need to work on your skills, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash insisted. "You've got potential! Not as much as I do, but with a little practice you can be almost as good as I am." She thought about that for a second, then amended her statement. "Okay, you need a lot of practice, since I've been doing this for way longer than you have. But I can help you if you want."

Fluttershy considered this for a moment, then sighed in resignation. "Alright."

Rainbow Dash reached over and ran a hoof over her mane. "Don't worry, I won't push you TOO hard. You'll probably be sore for awhile, but it'll wear off. Eventually."

Fluttershy gulped.

When she wasn't talking to Fluttershy or sleeping on the bank, Rainbow Dash spent a good bit of time stretching her wings. The fresh air and unfamiliar clouds of Everfree made perfect training grounds, as the Everfree clouds were quite different from those manufactured by her hometown. They weren't as substantial, and when she perched on them it felt like she was seated on nothing. They were also harder to destroy, for some reason; simply dashing through the center of one or bucking it wasn't nearly as effective as it would've been on one of the ones she was used to dealing with. It took trapping one in the center of a miniature twister and choking the life from it to disperse the clump of condensation.

The lake below was even more intriguing. She found that she could create natural rainbows by propelling herself in a perfect circle at top speed in just above the surface with one of her hooves lightly touching it. The sunlight filtering through the resulting spray produced a rainbow haze that shimmered for a brief moment before fading. It wasn't as impressive as a rainboom, but the effect was certainly very pretty. Fluttershy seemed to like it.

They usually left before the sun slipped below the horizon, enjoying the symphony of crickets, frogs, and other creatures greeting the approaching night as they walked through Everfree, although on one occasion both pegasi drifted off to sleep after a delicious lunch provided by Fluttershy; the pale yellow pegasus lightly snoring with her legs folded beneath her, and Rainbow Dash flat on her back with her limbs splayed in all directions, occasionally kicking in her sleep. The latter awoke an hour or two later to Fluttershy gently but urgently nudging her with a hoof.

"Rainbow Dash!" The cyan pegasus rolled over, yawning.

"What?" she asked blearily, then realized that Celestia's sun had vanished. Luna's moon was in place, casting a silver glow over the clearing. A handful of lazy fireflies imitated the stars above. Neither she nor Fluttershy had the magical intuition of a unicorn, but it was very clear that something magical was taking place. Leaving her side, Fluttershy carefully approached the lunawort patch, pale coat illuminated by the moonlight. The fact that night had fallen over Everfree didn't seem to be bothering her, at least not yet, and the overall ethereal effect made Rainbow Dash wonder if she was still dreaming.

She rose to her hooves, aware of every blade of grass beneath them, every feather lining her wings; there were no cynical observations to be made as she found couldn't speak. Even if she could've, she had no idea what to say. She followed Fluttershy to the edge of the patch and stood at her side, looking out over the sea of blue reverently. It was apparent, now more than ever, why the flowers were named for the younger princess. The scene unfolding before them felt less like a natural occurence and more like a rite in her name.

One by one at first, and then all at once, the lunawort flowers began to unfurl their tightly closed petals, displaying deep golden stigmas and the lighter blue interior of the blossoms. Fluttershy inhaled; Rainbow Dash glanced over at her, surprised to see how close she seemed to be to tears. When Fluttershy tore her gaze away from the blooming lunawort and looked up at her, her eyes were gleaming, and a single tear coursed its way down her cheek. "I've never seen anything this beautiful," she whispered.

Rainbow Dash picked her brain for a response. It was very hard to do so; it was even harder to pay attention to anything besides Fluttershy standing before her, with the light breeze ruffling her mane. There appeared to be a lump in her throat, and swallowing did nothing to clear it. The flowers were beautiful, but unlike Fluttershy Dash couldn't say that they were the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Fluttershy looked at her expectantly, and finally Rainbow Dash gave up, echoing her sentiments. "Y-yeah. Beautiful."

It was very late before they reached the cottage. Neither pegasus had spoken since they left the clearing save for Rainbow Dash asking whether Tank could spend the night with Fluttershy. They were each lost in their own thoughts, and somehow unable to look each other in the eye. Upon reaching the bridge, Fluttershy turned to face Rainbow Dash. It was clear she wanted to say something, but whatever it was remained buried for the time being. "Good night," she said softly, refraining from her usual hug.

Rainbow Dash waited until she'd entered her house, and then turned on her hooves, trotting towards Ponyville. Her mind was absolutely blank. She wasn't sure where she was heading; she doubted anypony else was awake in town. As she walked, her hoofsteps grew faster and faster, until she broke into a canter, and then began to gallop. Her wings flared out of their own accord, and Rainbow Dash shot into the sky. Her jetstream trailed behind her as she gained more and more altitude. The glowing eye of the moon gazed down at her, drawing her in; she sped towards it in an impossibly straight line.

A familiar sensation spread throughout her body. The air closed in around her, a thick, inpenetrable wall against her hooves. Her speed began to decrease as the air sought to deny her passage. Her heart, which had faltered innummerable times when meeting this resistance, sped alongside her, driving the cyan pegasus forward.

She recalled the sweet smell of flowers, soft, scratchy grass against her hooves, and a pale yellow pegasus with a pink mane standing in the moonlight, looking at her with lovely cerulean eyes.

Rainbow Dash didn't realize what was happening until the pressure melted away; she heard a loud RIP as she burst through the sound barrier, breaking into a sonic rainboom that sent waves of rainbow colored moonlight rippling throughout the night sky.

She spiralled into a barrel roll and gradually slowed to a halt, wings flapping intermittently, just enough to keep her airborne. All around her, stars twinkled, several tearing themselves from the velvet cloak spread above Equestria and trailing thin streams of light behind them as they descended.

Her coat was slick with perspiration, her mane was damp... and she felt amazing.

--------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash, for all her bursts of frustration and hatred of immobility, was usually pretty content. She doubted any of the residents of Ponyville weren't happy most of the time. However, there was a noticeable difference between simple complacency and what she felt now. Even when she wasn't at Everfree, she felt ecstatic; it gave her such a kick of energy that her performance rate with weather duty and her training sessions almost doubled. She bucked clouds into nonexistence and pounded rainclouds with her hooves and shot through the sky above Ponyville, occasionally inadvertently breaking into a rainboom, usually on the way home from a visit to Everfree.

Maybe it was the beautiful weather, or whatever magical energy that sustained the lunawort seeping into her, or Fluttershy's cooking or a million other reasons why she felt the way she did all the time. Maybe there wasn't any reason at all.

She was simply content to bask in how wonderful it felt to be alive.

Comments

[Shrinky Frod]

It could be worse! I wasn't sure if Pinkie had gotten Majora's Mask, or the Terror Mask from Splatterhouse. If she'd gotten her hooves on that, it'd be bad.

[Papillon Rose]

9709

Noted and accounted for, mon ami!! Thank you -- sometimes I miss stuff even after editing.

Fantastic story!

It had so many memorable moments. I enjoyed the clear descriptions and loved how the characters reacted to things happening.

Your way of telling the story felt really pleasing to my tastes. A great example (and my fav part) was how Rainbow Dash's thoughts are "tickled" by how pretty Fluttershy is hehee! That's just what I wanted to read, and it was written in just the right way.

I really enjoyed your work and couldn't leave without commenting to thank you for spending the time on this great little tale.

[ScyStorm]

This is shaping up to be the best FlutterDash story, at least in terms of buildup. You are REALLY building the romance very well, and patiently. :D It's obvious to me that Fluttershy is feeling something, even though all of your narrative is focused on Dash.

The ending is beautiful! I love the imagery of her randomly creating a rainboom and then just flying around, feeling so alive & happy for a reason she doesn't know yet. You're in love, Dash! That's the reason! Great imagery.

[Cador_2004]

10861

I'd feel more terrified about if she got her hooves on Loki's Mask from "The Mask". Although it'd be fun to see her rendition of Cuban Pete.

[tyion]

Amazingly written <3

And yay for FlutterDash

[RazorRaptor9]

I'd laugh if Pinkie goes over to Fluttershy's to say high with the chaos emerald, and all the hedgehogs run away.

[Jealousypants McCloppington]

Oh my goodness, so many things I want to say about this chapter I don't even know where to start...

Well, from pretty much the part where Fluttershy hugged Dash when they returned from Everfree the second time onwards I had a serious case of warm and fuzzy feelings, which is something I don't feel too often when reading romance stories. It's usually more of a general happiness or a sense of... adorableness? Like Scy said, you're building this up really well and because of that I feel more emotionally invested in it. I was going to comment on how beautiful the rainboom scene was, but Scy already said that, too.

I guess the only thing new I have to add is that I really liked Pinkie's characterization too, even though she only showed up for a short while. I've always felt like most people just don't quite capture her true, um... randomness? Well, whatever it is, you captured it.

If you really want to know just how much I liked this chapter, I'm now adding you to my watched authors list.

[PinkiePocalypse]

The cannon for dash is just spot on, especially in the fact that this would totally be the way dash would fall for somepony, like from friend to love. Can't wait for more :D and great job

[Frosty]

Well, Hell. A few months ago I read an amazing fan fiction - Off The Edge of The Map - which was an absolutely brilliant and beautiful work that really explored Dash and Fluttershy excellently. Ever since I read that, though, I've searched in vain to find another Flutterdash fiction like it - a lot were good, many were mediocre - but overall I gave up hope of ever finding a Flutterdash fic at such a high level of awesomeness again.

This fiction proved me wrong!

I was so excited after reading the first chapter of this, and I had to read more immediately. Your sense of narrative flow is excellent, I think you have both characters spot on, you have a very interesting and, quite frankly, terrifying villain to contend with, and your exploration of their relationship makes me feel warm and fuzzy. In particular, I loved the scene right after Fluttershy warded off the 'bear' and became overwhelmed with guilt - the consolation was so adorable I wanted to explode (twice?). My favorite bits are when Fluttershy and Dash are just talking to eachother - good dialog does wonders, and I think you've got it down.

And you're really, really good at crafting moods. At the end of the last chapter, I really felt Dash's sense of joy as if it were a tangible element.

I created an account here just to comment on this (but I'll probably write stuff later but that's not important right now). I noticed you haven't updated in a while - and you're probably pretty busy - but I do hope this gets finished, because you have a great thing going on here. For now I will be waiting impatiently for the next update!

I'm VERY much enjoying this story. You've done a great job of going into detail, and I think that in terms of staying in-character, you're doing a fine job: Particuarly with Rainbow. What really makes this story stand out for me is the fact that not only do you have a compelling side story with the strange creature they encountered, but you have focused a great deal on story as opposed to the simple 'having an undying love for each other' that shipping is stereotyped for. The fact that Dash is still confused about her feelings makes it every bit more compelling. As much as your little Chipmunk reference made me Facehoof, this is a great story, with my favorite pairing nonetheless. Shut up and take my five stars. I eagerly await the next chapter.

y u no finish next chapter yet?
tis good story

[jangledorf]

This isn't gonna get updated soon, is it...

[Karrakaz]

177512 I doubt it.

Such a shame since it's really well written if you ask me.

mr.author person! if you can read this. please! we want more!

[lillytheomegawolf]

This is going great! I'm wary about what's going to attack them in the forest in revenge...
All in all a good long chapter. Very engaging... Can we have more please?
I cant wait to see Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's relationship continue to blossom into the full on relationship it should be.
I'm hoping next chapter will be Flutterdash chapter
Cause that would be awesome!

[KibaWR]

rainbow is quite cute when she's so unaware of her crush on a certain pegasus^^ cant wait to read more of this^^

[justsomerandompony]

I salute you sir for an exemplary flutterdash

[Rainbow87dash]

She singled out a trio of chipmunks standing in a row, looking up at her intently. "Simon, Alvin, and Theodore, I don't want to hear about any rough housing while I'm away

Can they sing?

Am I the only one that noticed this? Alvin and the Chipmunks reference