Tornado Day Training
Due to some issues, which were my own fault, I had to do some serious re-writes of this. Because of the fact that there was dialogue and scenes from the episode itself. I realize now that it was a big mistake, and I do apologize for it.
So, this is more of a "behind the scenes" version of the episode, from Rainbow Dash's perspective. For every transition, it's because a scene in the episode happens, so it goes in chronological order. Everything here happens before, during, and after the episode.
Also, FlutterDash. :D
I have to extend a huge thanks, once again, to FlutterDash7 for her tremendous help in this. :) She's been a great creative consultant and helping me to write out some tough spots.
I also want to thank the moderators of the site for doing their job. :) They were kind enough to tell me exactly what was wrong here, and from there I could fix it. If you want the full story with all the episode dialogue, PM me.
That being said, there is a lot of fluff to come. But I suggest you turn back if you're not interested.
Tornado Day.
It was fast approaching. This year, Ponyville had been selected to create the tornado to transfer the water from the town's reservoir to Cloudsdale. When this news came forth, Rainbow Dash had taken it upon herself, given that she was Ponyville's top weather patrolmare, to be the Team Leader. Simple enough, all she had to do was gather the Pegasi of Ponyville and give them the rundown of what they had to do. From there on, it would be intense training to get their numbers up and flying.
Which brings us to today.
Rainbow Dash arrived at the library on the morning a week before Tornado Day. She was going to need a little help, and given Twilight's expertise and organizational skills, she was just the pony she needed to see about this.
Knocking on the door, then waiting, it wasn't long before Twilight opened the door with her magic to greet her.
“Oh, good morning Rainbow Dash! What brings you here?” Twilight queried.
“I've got a huge job coming up, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash explained, coming inside. “And I'm going to need your help with it!”
“Really? What do you need my help with?” Twilight shut the door behind her, following her friend to the centre of the room.
“First off, I'm gonna need the library for a while tonight. I'm throwing a meeting for all the Pegasi of Ponyville, and I think the library's the perfect place to hold the meeting! Besides, we could use your projector and shades!” Rainbow Dash said, pacing back and forth.
Twilight raised an eyebrow, looking to be taking this all in. “Okay? And what are you holding a meeting for? Some kind of big weather job?”
“You bet it is! Tornado Day is next week, and Cloudsdale has chosen Ponyville for the job! See, Tornado day is when-”
“Say no more!” Twilight smiled, holding up her hoof. “I know exactly where you're getting at! Tornado Day has been a tradition for generations, where all the Pegasi of a town create a tornado that transfers all the water from the reservoir to Cloudsdale so that they could produce the rain clouds that Equestria needs! The combined wing power of all the Pegasi manage to-”
“Okay, now you're telling ME something I already know!” Rainbow Dash cut her off with a wave of her hoof. “The point is that I'm gonna need your help with this! You and Spike!”
“Me? Really?!” Spike immediately darted into view, looking excited. “So I can help with this Tornado Day thing, too? Sweet!”
“We'd love to help!” Twilight smiled brightly as she nodded. “What do you need us to do?”
“Well, like I said, we're going to be holding the meeting tonight here in the library! We'll need to show the projection reel, which I have at home. Also gotta make some fliers to pass around, get the message across!” Rainbow Dash counted along her foreleg of all the things they would need for the event. “Starting tomorrow, we're going to be training out at the track really hard for next week! Spike, you're going to run the projector for the meeting tonight! Also, I'm going to need you to bring along some paper and a pencil to keep track of everypony's wing power, take notes during training!”
“You can count on me!” Spike said dutifully.
Rainbow Dash grinned, satisfied. “Good! Twilight, I'll need you to help out in keeping track of their wing powers, doing the math, make sure we're all organized, and also...do you have any technical doohickeys that could help out?”
The unicorn thought for a moment or two before she brightened in realization. “Actually, I do have an anemometer on hoof! I'll bring it to the training field!”
“Excellent!” Rainbow Dash then produced something she had in her saddlebag, holding it out to Twilight with her mouth. “I need your neat printing to make a better flier so I can make copies!”
Twilight took the sample flier with her magic, levitating it in front of her face to read. “Okay...I should be able to come out with what you need.”
That evening, just as planned, the library was commandeered for the meeting. All of the Pegasi residents of Ponyville arrived right on schedule as they flew or walked up, lining up to go inside. Rainbow Dash stood outside the door, ushering everypony in along the way, and of course, keeping an eye out for a certain pony. Despite her unease, as well as nervousness, she kept up an air of confidence. She was their team leader, after all, she had to be strong for them. While there was one factor she truly hoped for, she did still have to get the job done none the less. With or without it.
With the goal of a record in mind, then getting everypony excited, Rainbow Dash felt pretty proud of herself. The plan for the job was going underway, just as she hoped. Extra help was assigned, the meeting went (mostly) without a hitch and was a success, and everypony was ready to start their training to get their wing power strengths up. So far so good. Who wouldn't be able to help but gloat a bit?
She smiled, crossing her forelegs as she relished the sweet sound of their cheering. Being a team leader was so far, just as she hoped it would be. Managing to organize everything, get everypony ready, and lead them to breaking the record in getting the rainwater to Cloudsdale.
Looking down to where she had last seen Fluttershy, expecting to see her there even just weakly smiling in support... Rainbow Dash faltered immediately upon seeing she was no longer there.
“Fluttershy...!” She uttered in frustration.
After everypony left the meeting, only Rainbow Dash remained, and could find that Fluttershy did indeed give her the slip.
Twilight sauntered over to her friend, a little puzzled. “What's wrong, Rainbow? Aside from the...malfunction, the meeting was quite a success!”
“Yeah, I know,” Rainbow sighed, slumping a bit. “It's not that, Twilight.”
“Then, what is it?” Twilight sat down in front of her, confused.
“It's Fluttershy. I had a feeling she'd be trying to back out of this! I know she feels that she's a weak flier and all, but I need her!” Rainbow lamented, holding her hooves to her head in frustration. “I'll need every ounce of wing power I can get, big or small! We have to do this, and we have to break the record!”
“I understand,” Twilight said in understanding, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “It's great that you want her to help out, Rainbow, it really is. But she's not exactly confident in her flying like the rest of you guys.”
Rainbow groaned, holding her face in her hooves, “I know, I know! But I want to give her a chance. She's a Pegasus and therefore she's qualified. I don't expect her to be the best, she doesn't have to be! I just...want her to try her hardest, that's all. I know she can do it if she just puts her mind to it and does what she can!”
“That's really nice of you to believe in her.”
“Of course I believe in her! I KNOW she can do it! She just needs a push! But I want her to be there, Twilight. I really do! I don't care what it takes, I just want Fluttershy to be there with me! ...I'll see you guys tomorrow at the training field, we'll all be there at nine.”
Opening her mouth to say something, Twilight simply nodded. “All right, we'll be there!”
“Thanks, Twilight,” Rainbow smiled a bit, and then flew out the front door.
The next morning, just as planned, Ponyville's resident pegasi were at the training field. To further prepare their bodies and their wings, they were practicing various stretches and exercises. Rainbow Dash walked about, supervising everypony's progress, decked out with a coaching hat and a whistle to further add to the look of being the team leader. She observed, nodding with approval every now and then and offering a remark or some advice to whomever she happened to pass.
“Good work, everypony!” The cyan pegasus team leader praised. But the moment everypony went back to their training, it was then that a dark cloud practically hovered her over head as she, yet again, spotted a certain somepony missing.
“Everypony except Fluttershy...” She muttered under her breath.
Oh, that was it. She was going to get to the bottom of this.
Turning to Twilight, who was nearby setting up the anemometer, Rainbow walked over to her, “Hey Twilight, do you mind looking after things while I'm gone?”
“Sure Rainbow Dash, but where are you going?” Twilight queried.
With a resigned sigh, Rainbow Dash turned around, keeping her tough front as much as possible, “We're missing somepony and I'm gonna go find out why.”
Without waiting for a response, she took off into the air and headed off into the outskirts of Ponyville. Out to Fluttershy's cottage.
It had taken some doing, but Rainbow Dash had managed to convince Fluttershy to come along and at least try. Of course, Rainbow now had a further understanding of Fluttershy's situation, regarding why she felt so nervous and insecure. Her past. Their past. During Flight Camp.
That she remembered as well. Fluttershy had always been teased by the other foals about how badly she flew and how shy and nervous she was. It had infuriated her back then, and even today she still wanted to kick their flanks for having ever made Fluttershy upset. She knew all too well about how the other foals used to chant “Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy can hardly fly!” over and over again. She had always been the only one who never joined in. She had even tried to stand up for her, but only got laughed at as well for being friends with the little filly who could hardly fly.
It hurt Dash to see her longtime companion still haunted by those tough memories. Fluttershy had never been the most confident of flyers, but she knew better. She knew that if Fluttershy just gave it her all, did her best and didn't hold back, she could be a wonderful flyer. With the right motivation and encouragement, it could do wonders. All Rainbow wanted was to know that she did her best. She just hoped it would be enough.
One thing was certain, Rainbow Dash was certain that she couldn't do this without her. Fluttershy had always been the very pony she trusted the most and counted on. Fluttershy's support meant the world to her, it was always a great helping of motivation. No matter how soft her cheers could be, her support was an essential element in her workings. All in all, she couldn't imagine achieving a great feat without Fluttershy being there for support. Nothing she did was ever the same without her.
Dash just hoped that Fluttershy would understand.
The couple landed not far from the training grounds. With a cheeky grin on her face, Dash led the way over to some nearby bushes.
“Now... How about we lift these spirits here, Flutters?”
Fluttershy blushed, unable to keep from smiling a little bit. “Well...okay...”
The bold pony placed a reassuring wing over her companion and slowly leaned in for a kiss. A brief moment of shock crossed Fluttershy’s face before she returned the gesture in kind. The two met in the middle and Fluttershy in a bold little move took off Rainbow’s coaching hat and placed it aside. In response, Dash then proceeded to slowly run her hooves along her fillyfriend’s back, getting a sudden gasp from the involved mare.
The world began to disappear from around them as Dash slowly sat her mare down, sinking into a relaxed embrace with her upon the soft grass. The cyan mare continued with the prolonged kiss, relishing the soft feel of her lover’s touch. She broke from the passionate lip lock to gaze into the shining aquamarine eyes in front of her. Oh how uplifting it felt to see them sparkle back at her, filled with love and joy.
“Feeling bolder there, Fluttershy?” She chuckled softly.
“Yes...” The quiet pegasus snuggled closer. “All thanks to my very special somepony.” She softly nuzzled the grinning mare who held her in a protective embrace.
“Good! Because I need you out there with me, Fluttershy! I...well, I can’t do this without you.” She returned the nuzzle and once again reunited their lips.
A wave of pleasure washed over the elated speedster. Here she was, lying here with her beloved, alone, in a wonderful moment. By the looks of things, it seemed that Fluttershy was feeling a lot better, too!
Suddenly, she heard soft giggling from somewhere nearby. Startled, the athlete glanced around. She did not need the world knowing what she was engaged with right now. It could seriously harm her awesome reputation.
“What’s wrong?” Asked a pouting Fluttershy, but her disappointment melted into concern upon seeing the nervous look on Dash’s face.
“Um... I think I heard something. Somepony's probably sneaking around the bushes,” Dash bit her lip, looking about once more.
Fluttershy looked puzzled. “I didn’t hear anything.”
“Mmph... Must've been a squirrel or something.”
“Yes... maybe my pretty Wonderbolt was getting overprotective of her precious fillyfriend?” She nuzzled the blushing pony who continued to hold her.
Chuckling, Dash grinned and nuzzled her nose, “Heh heh, you know me too well, Fluttershy! Guess you’re right, I was probably imagining things.”
“Yay!” She softly cheered, raising a hoof to her chest and slowly pressing the speedster to the grass under hoof.
Wearing a large grin upon her shining face, Fluttershy lowered herself on top the giggling Rainbow Dash. She gently licked the champion’s muzzle, eliciting a further giggle of enjoyment from the bold pegasus. With a shy smile she leaned in, closing her eyes and meeting her lips in a kiss. Butterflies went wild in her stomach as she slowly pressed a little harder, continuing her affectionate gesture.
Oh, what could’ve been better than this? Dash wasn’t sure, but she didn’t care, and just lived for the moment. The moment of enjoying an extra few minutes with her sweet adorable fillyfriend, encouraging her as much as she could, despite the fact that Fluttershy obviously still had doubt in herself. Regardless, she hoped that in time, she would get used to everything and adapt. It was all she could ask for.
In the meantime, she happily applied loving encouragement within her kisses to the shy pony on top of her, running her hooves through her mane.
Grinning, she broke contact for a moment. “Hey Flutters, who’s being the bold one now?”
This caused the shy mare to immediately blush and pull back. “S-Sorry...”
“Come back here, you.” Dash pulled her back down on top. “I think you just need a little... practice.”
Flutershy giggled, allowing the stronger pegasus to pull her back down. She relaxed into the embrace, offering small affectionate kisses to her overjoyed fillyfriend.
“Hee hee!” Came a loud giggle from nearby.
This time both lovers heard the nose and jumped up, ready to face whoever was there. A hush fell upon the surrounds. However, Rainbow Dash was sure she had heard something. She cautiously approached the place where she imagined she had heard the disturbance. Fluttershy hid behind her every step of the way.
The couple reached the spot and Dash leaped into the bushes.
“Gotcha!” Nothing.
Nopony was there.
She slumped in defeat. “I guess I was just hearing things again...?”
However, a timid tap on the shoulder tore her back to reality. “Um... Dashie... Look...”
Hoofprints.
Small hoofprints. Three pairs of small hoofprints. That could only mean one thing.
“The Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
Fluttershy huddled up against her. “W-what do we do now Rainbow?”
“Well, snuggly... How about we get back to training? We need everypony to be the best they can be. This includes my beautiful fillyfriend.” Dash smiled, bringing a foreleg around her.
Fluttershy let out a tiny squee of joy at the ray of sun in her moment of fear.
So far so good, Rainbow felt a lot more confident as well. A little sugar on the side of encouraging Fluttershy never did hurt, after all. She leaned over and gave her shy companion a quick peck on the muzzle causing her to blush.
“I’ll be watching and cheering for you every step of the way, Flutters.” The bold pegasus took off into the sky. “C'mon, beautiful.”
Fluttershy blushed at her fillyfriend’s verbal encouragement. She softly flew up to join the bold mare and the two lovers flew off toward the practise course.
It went on for a while, with everypony testing their wing power, with varying results. Some were quite fast, others needed to catch up, but overall, Rainbow Dash was very proud of her team. They were working as hard as they could, doing their best, and were off to a great start. The only problem, was the usual culprit, Fluttershy.
As, somehow expected, the shy pegasus measured at 0.3 wing power. This had worried Rainbow Dash and Twilight, for they knew that Fluttershy wasn't going to take it well. Even if, in all, Rainbow didn't care how low her wing power was. All that mattered was if Fluttershy gave it her all. But it was going to take a lot more than that to convince Fluttershy to keep going with this, despite sadly being the weakest flyer on the team.
When told,valmost immediately, Fluttershy’s legs began buckling, and she looked as if she were having a panic attack. Especially with the way her eyes were widening and darting around nervously. Oh, she was sure this would happen, and just about wanted to kick herself for it. But wasn’t as if she was going to lie to Fluttershy. Never.
As expected, Fluttershy let out a cry and then bolted, running away with her face hidden in her mane.
Worried, Rainbow Dash flew after her. “Fluttershy! Wait!” She quickly caught up to her, flying over her, “So some punks poked fun at you when you got stage fright, big deal! You aren’t going to go quit because of that, are you?”
Fluttershy stopped, not looking at her for a moment. But then she turned around, tears in her eyes and flowing down her cheeks. “YE-H-HES!!!” She cried, on the verge of sobbing.
Stricken, looking to her with shock, Rainbow Dash felt her heart sink. Not only was Fluttershy crying now, but this meant that her rock, her greatest supporter, the one pony who meant the world to her, wasn’t going to be there. No, she couldn’t let that happen!
“But I need you!” Rainbow beseeched her, practically on the verge of tears herself.
Sobbing, Fluttershy looked away from her in shame, “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash... I just don’t have the courage right now!”
All she could do was watch as Fluttershy ran off, trying to do or say something that could encourage her. But she was too late. Touching down to the ground, Dash watched after her, reaching out a hoof toward the yellow retreating form. Too late, yet again.
She wanted to cry, it was overtaking her so much. She felt upset, frustrated at herself, at the entire situation, but moreover, completely saddened that this hurt Fluttershy so much. Rainbow Dash struggled not to cry, kicking at the ground with her hind legs. She wanted to go after her, but she had to train her team.
Defeated, the cyan pegasus sulked sadly back toward the training grounds. She could see Twilight and Spike looking at her with understanding sympathy. Undeterred, Dash sat down on the ground near them, glaring down at the grass.
“...It really upset her that much, didn’t it?” Twilight finally said.
“Yeah...” Dash glanced around, feeling defeated.
The world seemed far less rosy and cheerful with her special somepony absent.
“I’m sorry, Rainbow,” Twilight said softly, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “I know how much having her here meant to you. Maybe you should just give her a little while and then talk to her later. I’m sure you can manage to encourage her after she’s managed to calm down.”
“Yeah.” Dash’s wings sagged by her sides and she hung her head as she walked a distance away from them.
What was the point of enjoying herself if she didn’t have Fluttershy to enjoy it with?
Rainbow Dash sat there a few more minutes, sighing to herself and staring at the ground. She couldn’t just back down now, she was the team leader. Her crew and Cloudsdale were counting on her. But the spark in which she felt earlier was just gone. As if it were an object that was broken that the relied upon for life.
“Rainbow...” Twilight’s voice floated in from behind her, hoofsteps approaching her. “Look, I know this is heartbreaking, but you’re going to have to keep going. Everypony’s waiting for you. I’m trying to tell them you’re thinking of a strategy, but I can only hold them off for so long. You really shouldn’t bring the...relationship troubles here. You need to focus.”
“Yea. I’m the mighty Rainbow Dash. Nothing can stop me, just you watch Twilight.” The defeated mare puffed out her chest, attempting to appear happier than she was.
Twilight just gave her an unconvinced look. “Oh, of course you are.” She deadpanned.
“Hey, I’m fine! How can I help it if Fluttershy just decides to avoid tornado duty?! How would you feel if your best friend and the pony you love did that to you, huh?! You wouldn’t understand it, Twilight!!” Dash yelled, fighting back tears. “I just want her there with me! Is that too much to ask?! I need her! But apparently that’s too much to ask!” Realizing she was taking her frustrations out on the wrong pony, she sighed and lowered her head in defeat. “...I’m sorry, okay?! I just feel pretty down about this. I want Fluttershy to know she can do it...”
“You know her better than I do, Rainbow,” Twilight said, undeterred. “You know how she can get. Just give her time. Talk to her after training today, all right?”
Nodding, Dash stood up straight and fixed her hat. “All right, fine. Let’s get back to training.”
The bold mare took off before the scholarly unicorn could get another word in. At least, for now, training and setting a goal to break the record would get her mind off of things for a while.
The next day, back out on the training field, Rainbow Dash was yet again supervising everypony’s progress, while doing some training of her own. As much as she tried, bouts of anxiety ate at her gut every now and then, followed by disappointment. The events of the day before hadn’t been resolved, since she not only couldn’t find Fluttershy, but also had to face the fact that she was indeed not coming back for this. What was even going on, she wasn’t sure. All she could speculate was that Fluttershy left town and wouldn’t return until Tornado Day blew over.
She hoped that it was nothing more than her fillyfriend being as shy and insecure as always and not wanting to make an appearance. But what if it was something else? What would happen if it was something she had done? Rainbow wasn’t sure, but she couldn’t help but wonder if her pleading Fluttershy to be there was part of what drove her away.
So lost in her thoughts, she barely heard Twilight vocalizing the reading for Thunderlane’s latest test, and Spike writing it down and showing the notepad to her.
“Rainbow? Hello?” Twilight called to her a little louder. “Are you listening?”
“What what what what?!” Dash snapped out of her absent minded stupor, as if just snapping awake from a nap. “What is it, Twilight?”
“I just told you that Thunderlane’s wing power is at 9.6,” Twilight explained, looking annoyed and concerned. “Are you okay? You’ve been spaced out a lot this morning.”
“I’m fine, jeez! I just have a lot on my mind!” The cyan pegasus snapped.
Sighing, the lavender unicorn nodded in agreement to that, looking to her friend with concern, “I know you do, and I understand that completely. But you need to focus, Rainbow. This is important.”
“Whatever. Okay, who’s next?” Dash muttered.
Spike looked at the list, placing a claw over the next candidate. “It should be Fluttershy, but she didn’t show up today. Should I cross her off?”
“Yes.” The grumpy pegasus said, scowling. “She’s never going to show at this rate.”
Twilight bit her lip, holding her hoof to her assistant as if to tell him to wait. “Are you sure, Rainbow? I mean, well, maybe she’ll come back later on and try again. You...well, know how Fluttershy can get and just needs some time to think about things, right? Should we really make that hasty decision?”
“Just do it, Twilight! I know she’s not coming back!” Dash snapped, growling to herself. “Take care of things while I’m gone. I need to go.”
“Where are you going?” Spike asked.
“To find Fluttershy!” Rainbow flew off before they could say anything further.
At Fluttershy’s cottage, Rainbow Dash knocked on the door a few times. Waited. Then tried again. Waited. Then tried again.
“Fluttershy! If you’re in there, open up already! Come on, you’ve been avoiding me since yesterday! I just want to talk to you!”
Still nothing.
Sighing, Dash knocked again, softening a bit, “Look, Fluttershy... I know yesterday felt humiliating, and I’m sorry for that. But I don’t care how strong your wing power is, I really don’t. I just want you to be there, to do your best. You’re a much stronger flyer, you really are! I remember the way you managed to catch me while pulling a hot air balloon! That was awesome! ….Fluttershy? Please come out? Come on! Work with me here! What do you want me to do? Get on my knees and beg?!”
Still no response from inside.
Rainbow Dash groaned, looking desperate, “Fine! I’ll get on my knees and beg if that’s what you really want!” She did so, kneeling on the front walk in front of the door. “See? I’m on my knees! Are you happy now? Is this what you want? Answer me! ...Please?”
There was still no response.
“...Fluttershy, look, if you really don’t want to do this...fine! You don’t have to! Just come out so we can talk! ...I love you, Fluttershy. I don’t want to force you into this. But I just want you there with me. You know that. But just...ugh...” The cyan pegasus fought back the urge to cry. “Please Fluttershy, I’m sorry. If I did something, I’m really sorry! Just please come out and talk to me. I’m not gonna yell at you or make you feel bad! I just want to talk!”
A tense moment passed in silence. The normally peaceful area felt dark and brooding to the depressed mare. She banged her head against the door.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did you leave me...?” She accentuated each word with another collision with the wood.
She slumped down against the door. Quiet moments passed in a haze of nothing to Rainbow Dash. She just wanted her mare to come out and tell her what was wrong.
“If you won’t come out, I’ll come and get you.”
No reply to her threat caused her to unfurl her wings. She fluttered up to the quite pony’s window and peered in. It was clear that no pony was home, nothing living was in sight. Fear gripped Rainbow Dash’s heart and she plummeted to the ground below, unaware of anything around her.
She was gone.
Her precious Fluttershy, her snuggle bunny, her shy fillyfriend. Why had she left? What had caused her to leave even her protector?
She had to find her, she just had to.
Rainbow Dash flexed her wings preparing for take off.
“There you are!” The tense pegasus jumped at the sound of the intruders voice.
“Twilight! What are you doing here?” The athlete was immediately annoyed with the unwanted presence of the scholar unicorn.
“Rarity came by the training field earlier, asking if we’d seen Fluttershy anywhere since she was supposed to meet her for a spa trip today,” Twilight informed her. “So of course I knew she hadn’t seen Fluttershy since yesterday, either. I went to Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack’s been out of town for the past three days with Big Macintosh and Granny Smith. Apple Bloom is staying with Rarity and Sweetie Belle, but they said they hadn’t seen her either. I’m just trying to tell you that you shouldn’t go on some wild goose chase, since nopony seems to know. I even asked Pinkie Pie on the way here and she said she hadn’t seen her, either.”
“Oh come on!” Rainbow Dash yelled in frustration, holding her face in her hooves, “I can’t find Fluttershy anywhere and nopony else has seen her?! ...She skipped town, I know it! I just gotta ask if she flew off or took the train...”
“Rainbow! Get a hold of yourself!” Twilight near-shouted, placing her hooves on her shoulders. “You’re not thinking rationally about this!”
“How can I when Fluttershy bailed on me and is avoiding me?!” Dash cried, shaking her head.
Twilight sighed, “Yes, I know it was a little harsh of her to just leave like that, but I can understand where she’s coming from. She’s out of her element and doesn’t feel motivated to try again because of failing something she didn’t even want to do in the first place. However, I do think that she should keep trying and do her best, absolutely. But until Fluttershy meets us halfway, there’s nothing we can do. You still have to lead your crew into Tornado Day, that’s your first priority right now. I know it’s not easy to choose between somepony you love and your job, but right now, your job is what you need to focus on.”
Defeated, Rainbow Dash slumped over, her gaze downcast with the brim of her hat hiding her face. “I’m trying, Twilight! But I just...I need her! I can’t do this without her!”
“I know,” Twilight said in understanding, letting her go. “But you’re going to have to. Think of it this way. Fluttershy wouldn’t want you giving up like this, and she wouldn’t want you so sad.”
Rainbow Dash glared at her comforter, allowing a brooding silence to fill the air.
Sighing, the lavender unicorn slowly approached the simmering mare. She put a hoof on Dash’s shoulder trying to comfort her.
“I know that’s not what you want to hear, Rainbow, but it’s true. Fluttershy is going to have to meet us halfway. And until she does, we just have to keep going with Tornado Day training. I’m sorry.”
“Whatever egghead.” The grumpy pony pushed her off and started walking slowly back away from the lonely cottage and back out to the training field.
“Look, if it’s any help, I won’t let the other pegasus ponies know what’s wrong.”
“Okay. Now come on. We have work to do. I’m going to break that record no matter what it takes.” The determined voice drifted back to Twilight as the aforementioned pegasus took to the skies, making a beeline for her place on the track.
Gaining the wind speed record was about all she could do to keep her mind off the issues right now.
Dash prowled back and forth, keeping a watchful eye on everything that moved. Things were going well, it was only two days into their training and most of the ponies under her command were continuing to improve. At this rate they could beat the record, however all this was still lost on Rainbow Dash. She was worried about what had happened to her mare.
It was apparent yet again that Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. She wasn’t at her cottage at any time of any day, and everypony asked of her whereabouts gave the same answer of not having seen her for days. Rainbow was beginning to believe that she did skip town. As much as that both annoyed and guilted her, there was also the factor that she didn’t even know if Fluttershy was safe. Where was she? Was she okay? That became a worry apparel by this point, since she had no way of knowing if she was okay.
She was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of cheering. Her head snapped up as she saw Cloudchaser come to a stop.
“10.4! Well done, Cloudchaser!” Twilight was almost jumping for joy.
“Meh. That’s okay.” Dash’s bored look drew stares from several confused pegasi.
Twilight looked at Dash incredulously, “Rainbow, weren’t you listening? Her wing power is 10.4! That’s the goal here, isn’t it? For everypony’s wing power to be at least 10.0?”
“Yea. So? If she can do 10.4 now then imagine what could happen if she hit 12, or 15? Then we would break that record for sure.”
“Rainbow, we only have a few more days left until Tornado Day. You know we can’t possibly train them that hard!” Twilight protested. “Look, yes, there is still room for improvement and we do have time to keep those numbers up, but we can’t just force them into higher powers like that. They need to gradually work their way up!”
“Then we need to get training! Most of these ponies are still way too slow!” Her comment drew several looks of annoyance from her fellow pegasus ponies.
“They’re not that bad,” Spike said, shaking his head, “I mean, they’ve been working pretty hard and a lot of them are doing better than yesterday! I mean, look at Derpy! On day one her wing power was 7.4, but today, her wing power went up to 9.7! Isn’t that great?”
“It sure is!” Twilight agreed. “See? We’re making a lot of progress!”
“I just hope that it will be enough.” Dash mused, still in a slump.
“It should be enough, Rainbow,” Twilight coaxed.
“Just remember, I’m not in it to just lift the water, egghead. I’m in it to beat that record. Maybe that will be enough to get my Flutters back...”
Twilight gazed at her with an uncertain look, biting her lip, about to say something. “...Rainbow...”
“Yes Twilight?”
“Break time!” Spike announced suddenly, cutting Twilight off from what she was about to say. “It’s time for lunch!”
The pegasi all cheered happily before they departed around the field to find their saddlebags and retrieve their lunches.
“Is that what this is about, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight said then, crossing her forelegs. “You’re doing this as some kind of a big record-winning scheme? Just to try to get Fluttershy back?”
“If it works, yea. I am.” She glared at the unicorn, “got a problem with that?” She turned to the ponies heading to lunch. “Break time’s over everypony! Back to work. We’ve got a record to break!”
“What? But we haven’t even started!” Cried Thunderlane, placing a defensive wing over Flitter, standing his ground against his superior's order.
“And you’re being a lazy pony trying to cook up an excuse not to do this! Now back to work, Thunderlane!”
“Rainbow! Let them have their lunch!” Twilight scolded.
“No! They have a job to do and until they do it to meet my high standards, I’m not allowing anything!” Dash shot back, determined to have her way.
Twilight chose an alternative option, turning to the confused mob. “Look, I’m sorry everypony. But Rainbow Dash is feeling a little under the weather today. Just go and enjoy your lunch. We’ll continue training after that!”
“Thanks, Twilight!” Said Thunderlane, leading Flitter away, keeping his wing over her back protectively.
“What the hay, Twilight?! You’re supposed to be helping me, here!” Dash protested angrily.
“That’s exactly what I am doing Rainbow. You’re just being too thick skulled to realize it!”
“Time for me to get some chow, too.” Spike sighed and walked off to have his lunch. This was one small fight he did not want to be a part of.
“I know what I’m doing and what we have to do!” Rainbow said, crossing her forelegs. “We’ve got less than four days left until Tornado Day and we need to get those numbers up NOW!”
“We are getting those numbers up. If anypony is happy it should be you! You just can’t expect everypony to keep giving this everything they have if you’re not going to be pleasant to work with.”
“I’m awesome and cool. Why wouldn’t any pony not want to work with me?”
Twilight gave her a look. “I’m serious, Rainbow. If you keep this attitude up, everypony won’t want to work with you anymore and the weather team won’t make you the team leader anymore! You’re not being motivating or helpful, you’re being mean and forceful! ...You know what? Maybe Fluttershy was right to leave this. At least she doesn’t have to put up with your idiocy right now.”
“What did you just say!?!” The cyan mare almost exploded with barely controlled rage.
“You heard what I said,” Twilight’s eyes narrowed, clearly undeterred. “You know what? If Fluttershy were here right now, she would be very disappointed in you.”
“If Fluttershy were here with me, everything would be awesome! But she just had to go and ruin it for me!”
“Now stop right there! Don’t you dare blame Fluttershy for this! YOU dragged her into this in the first place!”
“Yeah, of course I did! Because she’s my snuggle bunny and a pegasus! I wanted her there with me!”
A few snickers emanated from some of the ponies who were overhearing the heated conversation.
Angered, Dash turned around to face them and gritted her teeth, “What are you all laughing at, chuckleheads?! Did I say you’re allowed to laugh like that?!”
“Keep your voice down!” Twilight hissed.
“Why should I? It’s not as if everypony in Equestria doesn’t know by now!”
The unicorn stared at her. “Um...you’re always the one trying to keep a low profile about it.”
“Yeah, duh. Because I don’t want her to get hurt. Now drop it.” Dash’s tone of voice made it clear, she didn’t want to talk about her absent mare.
“No.” Twilight shook her head. “You’re not being rational about any of this! And now you’re dragging everypony else into your issues by forcing them to work too hard and lashing out at them! They don’t deserve this, Rainbow. And neither do you. This is not working for you or anypony! I know it’s upsetting that you can’t find Fluttershy right now, believe me, I’m worried about her too. But until we get an answer about that, we just have to keep going. Don’t do this to yourself, to me, to your team, or to her. Do you really think she would want you to do this? Do you? At this rate you’re going to lose a lot of pegasi on Tornado Day, Dash. They just wont show up because they don’t like you.”
Cyan hooves covered the bold mare’s head as she slumped down into the grass. “Ahh.... Fine... I just can’t take it anymore. She’s been with me since we were fillies. You know... doing everything together.” Her voice became a revered whisper, “and I mean everything... I just... don’t know what to do now that she’s gone...!”
Twilight gave a sigh, as sad as it was to see to see Dash in this vulnerable state, she couldn’t let it go on. “I know, Rainbow. I know how much she means to you.” The unicorn made her way over to her friend and sat down next to her. “Just give her some time. Who knows... she might come back soon. Just... give her some time.”
“But that’s not the worst thing, I don’t even know where she is! What if she’s hurt?! Or lost?! Or...or....” Dash trembled, unable to finish that sentence.
“Rainbow! Stop that!”
An unamused blue face turned to face the annoying purple unicorn, small tears could be seen in her shining magenta eyes.
“Don’t beat yourself up about it. Why don’t you spend some time after lunch training too? I’ll lead the afternoon. Some good exercise will help you relax and who knows... you might even find your Fluttershy someplace you never expect her.”
“...Yeah right...” Rainbow Dash muttered, fighting back tears. “I don’t even know where to look anymore.”
“Just... take some time off, please. Let your wings do the work and I’ll see you later once you feel ready to command your team.” The lavender mare did her best to shoo the grump away.
“Fine! I’m going...!” Now Dash flew off to get away, squeezing her eyes shut to fight back tears.
The distraught mare hovered in the air for a few moments before zooming away. There was nothing more for her here.
Silence reigned upon the practise grounds.
“Well I’m glad that it at least ended well.” Commented Spike causing Twilight to jump in surprise.
“Yeah, I guess it could’ve been worse. But she needs some time to herself, Spike. She’s not doing so well at all,” Twilight sighed.
“I figured that,” Spike admitted, sitting up against her. “What’s she going to do?”
“I guess she’s going to find Fluttershy.”
It was late evening. A bored rainbow maned mare flew through the skies at home. However her mind was still in turmoil. She had spent all afternoon so far looking and looking. Despite all her speed and skills, her special somepony continued to evade her.
“Come on... Where are you?” As expected she received no reply and sighed with frustration.
She felt almost ready to give up. By now, she was flying over a clearing in a forest outside of Ponyville, farther off than she expected. Why was she even out here? It seemed that her worries for Fluttershy must have led to areas she was sure to get lost in, or worse, injured. A part of her just wanted to keep on going and maybe give one last once-over in Ponyvillle and her cottage. But something inside told her not to overlook anything.
She allowed her tiring wings to give in to the call of gravity and she began a slow descent to the clearing below. ‘Maybe a nice drink will help cool me off. Then I’ll take one last look around this tree infested forest and head home.’
The bored mare landed by the edge of the nearby stream and lent down to take a good long drink. The cool water felt refreshing and gave her sinking spirits a small lift. She quickly drank her fill and turned to face the sky.
“You can wait...” She softly addressed it, feeling that she had a different important task she needed to take care of first.
She wandered along, turning her dull gaze from side to side, looking for a good spot to take a quick nap. Just a quick nap before the rest of the flight back to Ponyville. And a clearing in the middle of nowhere was a perfect place to nap without being bothered, so it was peaceful. A cloud would’ve been a better idea, but for once, she decided against it. Using her wings wasn’t exactly appealing to her right now, despite her desires to get back to town. Just a few minutes on the ground was all she needed before getting back into the sky.
She yawned. ‘Okay... maybe a few more than just a few...’ Her impending nap caused her to pick up her pace. She rounded a corner and spotted a horde of animals all camped out together. ‘Silly creatures... what are you doing in the middle of nowhere? ...Wait, duh! It’s a forest, where all the woodland creatures live! ...I must be getting tired. ….Hey wait, what’s that?’
Her eyes flew open and the whole of Equestria came to a stop. Before her, right beside the pack of various animals lay a pretty yellow pegasus with a flowing pink mane. ‘It can’t be... Why would she be all the way out here?’ The bold mare slowly approached the sleeping pony in front of her.
A few small tears of joy leaked from her eyes as she beheld a sight of her special somepony. The one she had thought to have run away. She was safe! With a big goofy grin the stunned pegasus looked down at the sleeper. Even now she was just as adorable as she ever was.
Very slowly, she approached her sleeping beloved, her smile never leaving her face. Carefully, quietly, she leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.
“Hey, Fluttershy... Yeah, I know you’re sleeping and all and so you can’t see me or hear me. But I’m just glad you’re safe. Come home soon, pal...okay?” She kissed her forehead again, whispering into her ear. “...I love you.”
Just before she could walk away to leave her in peace, the sleeping mare muttered something softly in her sleep and pulled her fillyfriend into an embrace. Despite Dash’s surprise, she allowed the cuddling pony to snuggle into her. The contact brought alive her senses as her body tingled. Her wings fluttered as a yellow hoof gently stroked her back and the hot breath from the pony she loved caressed her muzzle.
The cyan mare couldn't help but grin, she really had found her! She wriggled in position to better accommodate the cuddly pony and covered her with a loving wing. She glanced around to check that nothing was watching them, then nuzzled the pretty pegasus giggling to herself. All the tension of the last few days fell from her as she snuggled back.
“Rainbow...” Fluttershy mumbled in her sleep, snuggling more into her.
“Yes, dear?” Dash giggled, she didn’t know that her Flutters talked in her sleep!
“Come back to bed...” Whimpered the sleeping pony.
A very warm fuzzy feeling welled up inside Rainbow Dash, she was still loved and needed! “I will.” She whispered into her beloved’s ear, softly rocking her back and forth.
In her embrace, Fluttershy visibly relaxed and was smiling now, letting out little happy hums. “Mmm...Rainbow Dash...”
Dash buzzed, feeling elated because of the sleeptalking mare in her hold. So much for a nap! There was no way she was going to be getting any sleep the way things were going.
Fluttershy’s hooves gently ran along her back as the said sleeping pony snuggled more into her, nuzzling her neck. “Love you, my Dashie...”
The receiver of the murmurs chuckled. “And I love you too, Fluttershy.” She nuzzled the sleeper back.
Another yawn emitted as Fluttershy’s eyes began to open slowly. “Mm...oh...Hello, Rainbow Dash...”
For a moment, Fluttershy relaxed as she seemed to be waking up. But then her eyes snapped open, staring at her in surprise.
“Oh!! ...Rainbow!!! You’re...! ….Am I...dreaming?”
The bold mare chuckled, “Nope. Hello, sunshine.”
“...Rainbow...I’m sorry....” Fluttershy sniffled, burying her face in her chest. “I’m sorry....! I’m not a strong flier, I’m not fast at all.... I’m not like you...I’m sorry... But I love you so much, I’ll do anything...!”
“Hey! You don’t need to do anything. I love you just the way you are, Fluttershy.” As if to prove her point, she softly kissed the shy mare on her muzzle.
There was a strange look on Fluttershy’s face, as if secretive, but she eventually relaxed against her. “...You’re not mad at me?”
“Never!” Dash announced, gripping the pretty yellow mare in her forehooves and rocking her back and forth with an elated grin upon her face. “I’m just so happy you’re safe. It’s awesome!”
“...Okay...” Fluttershy nodded, snuggling into her.
“That’s right, I’m so excited to have my Snuggly Wuggly back. Now I feel like we can smash that record!”
“Oh... Um... Rainbow...” Fluttershy cringed, looking uncertain. “...Never mind.”
“What’s up Fluttershy?” A cyan hoof lifted the timid mare’s chin to allow her to gaze into the stunning aquamarine eyes.
“No...it’s nothing...” The creamy yellow mare’s lip trembled.
“Well...fine, okay then. I guess it doesn’t matter. I have you back after all.” She let out an excited squeal as she nuzzled her fillyfriend, easing the sad face.
Sniffling a bit, the creamy yellow mare looked at her again, “Rainbow....I love you....you know that, right? I’m sorry I left. ...I...I just can’t do it. I’m sorry to let you down...but I just can’t fail you like that. I just can’t.”
“Hush there, Flutters. It’s going to be okay now! You could never fail me.” She grinned at the tearful mare, “Besides, I’m the competitive one, that means you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Okay...” Fluttershy murmured, snuggling down. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be! Okay? C’mon, let’s nap.” Dash kissed her nose. “And Fluttershy?”
“...Yes?”
“I love you too, you know. I always will.”
A relieved, warm smile overcame Fluttershy’s face as she snuggled more into her. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash...”
A feeling of peace fell upon the clearing, a little swarm for fireflies flittered about, and the nocturnal woodland creatures rose as they graced the night within the forest. The soft, soothing sounds of them within the wind floated within the air, creating a quiet and relaxing atmosphere. Luna’s moon hung in the sky, casting its luminous glows upon the clearing and all around.
Cuddled up, the two pegasi soon fell asleep in each other’s embrace.
The morning light came to be as Celestia’s sun rose into the sky, high above the trees. Within the same clearing, the two sleeping ponies remained, cuddled up together, as the morning fell upon them as well.
Dash was the first to awake as early morning rays of light hit her eyes. She scrunched up her face and snuggled into her cuddly fillyfriend. Fluttershy stirred slightly, but didn’t wake.
While the yellow pony continued to sleep peacefully, her bold companion found it impossible to escape back to the realms of her dreams. Eventually, she decided to just wake. Annoyed at the interruption of her sleep, it all faded away when she gazed upon Fluttershy.
Immediately, her sleepy, annoyed look melted into a loving smile. She kissed her on the forehead, stroking her mane gently.
“Wakey wakey, Flutters. As cute as you are, I have work to do. We can’t just sleep here all day.”
“Mmmph...” Fluttershy’s brow furrowed as her grip around Rainbow tightened in her sleep. “Noooo.... so warm... and cuddly...”
“Okay? I guess I’ll just... give you a moment.”
“Yay...”
Dash chuckled, looking over her beloved...until she realized something. A smirk spread across her face as she nuzzled their noses. “You’re not even asleep, are you?”
“Yes I am...”
“Aha! Gotcha, Flutters!”
Fluttershy’s eyes opened as her cheeks flushed and her lips curled into a smile. “Um....hee...”
“You know something, Fluttershy?”
The pretty face wore a shy, inquisitive smile.
“You look adorable.”
The timid mare let out a small squeak and reached up and licked her fillyfirend on the cheek. “My Dashie always knows how to be awesome.” She cooed back.
“You know it, Flutters!” Dash winked, kissing her cheek and licking it as well, before gently detaching herself from her. “I’ve gotta get to the training field, got some pegasi to train for Tornado Day! ...You sure you don’t want to at least come watch?”
“No...I can’t, Rainbow...” Fluttershy shook her head. “I need some time, and I hope you understand... I have some things to do. Just please don’t worry about me. You go and do what you have to do. Okay?” She brought her hooves to her face, leaning in and stealing a sweet kiss. “I love you. Have a good day, sweetheart.”
The kiss left the bold mare in a lovestruck trance. “Okay. Y-you sure you don’t want to come into Ponyville with me for a bite to eat?”
She nodded shyly. “I’m sure... Maybe later?”
“It’s a date then, Flutters.” Dash winked coyly at her.
“I’ll hold you to it, my love...” Fluttershy batted her eyelashes at her.
“Alright! Well I’m off now. Gotta go.” She leaned in and shared one last passionate kiss with her giggling fillyfriend. “I love you, too.”
The elated speedster took off like a speeding bullet. She once again had a reason to give Tornado Day all she had.
“There you are, Rainbow! I didn’t think you’d be coming in,” Twilight remarked as Dash landed near her on the field. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I feel better than ever, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash declared. “And I’m ready for more training!”
An amused smile traced at Twilight's lips, “So I take it you found Fluttershy, then?”
Dash nodded, smiling then as she sat down on her haunches, “Yeah, I did. Found her in the middle of a forest somewhere, by accident. I kinda...camped out with her there, too. Heh heh...” She rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof. “Point is though, I know she’s safe and things are fine!”
“That’s great news! Now I hope you will be nice to everypony once again?”
“...Yeah...” Dash looked ashamed, sighing. “I was kinda being an idiot back there, wasn’t I?”
“Well... we all have our rough spots. It’s very good to know that she managed to calm you down. But I do think you need to offer everypony an apology, though.”
Dash sighed again, fixing her hat and then lifting up into the air as she went to address a gathered group of her team. “All right you guys, I need your attention! First off...forget yesterday. It was stupid. But I’m all better now! And today, we’re going to train, and we’ll train good! We have two more days until Tornado Day! And I can see you guys all made some progress, so good work! That’s what I like to see! So, are we going to do our best, and work together as a team?”
“YEAH!” Chorused the pegasi.
“All right! So, yeah, sorry about yesterday. Are we good now?” She smiled a bit nervously.
“YEAH!” Almost everypony looked happy, the cheer certainly sounded it.
“Great! Then let’s get to it, folks! Time to train!”
“Um...actually...it’s lunch time.” Spike then said from nearby.
“Right... Forget that for now, troops! Let’s eat!” She grinned down at the pegasi below, happy to won them back over once more.