Taming the Storm

by Wolfie 03


XVII (RD/FS & S) - Bad Previous Experiences Biting Back

Beginning of May, 1005 A.D.

There was barely a breath of wind as the medium sized group sat on the hill top. All three Crusaders were there, plus the pegasi of the element wielders. The blue pegasus and the just as orange filly worked hard, sweat pouring from their sides, as they contorted their bodies into various poses. The group was silent except for Fluttershy who counted softly.

“Eight… Nine… Ten… Now the trotting dog… One… Two… Three…” The canary mare murmured softly, eyes watchful.

It had only been a week and a half since they started the training, with only two other sessions before hoof. The other fillies watched with curiosity at the moves, never having seen them before. The veterinarian continued until reaching the end, shouting loud enough to be heard on a normal level.

“Ten! G-Good work you guys!”

Scootaloo dropped to the ground, mouth dropping open and panting. Rainbow managed to keep standing, her nose flaring. She reached out with a loose hoof, scuffing the filly’s mane, and looked to the other pegasus. Dash shared a smile with Fluttershy.

“Good work kid. And that’s another day’s training done.” The brash mare sat down, wings expanded to catch the tiny breeze. “So let’s figure out the next few ones. Best if we do two per week, seems to be a good number for you for now. We don’t want to overdo it.”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. Her tiny smile grew as Rainbow Dash showed an unusual amount of maturity. “You should still do the stretches however, and some of the poses that uses all the muscles.” The quieter mare drew their attention, stressing continued practice.

“Right, right. Exactly Fluttershy.” Dash pointed a hoof to the other mare in agreement. “Ok, so today is Friday. Uh, can’t do it Tuesday or Wednesday… Probably shouldn’t do it right next to one another, soo… uh Sunday and Fri- Thursday…?”

The blue pegasus changed her suggested days at the tiniest shake from the other adult. The girls noticed this slip up and perked their ears.

“Why can’t you guys work on those days?” Sweetie Belle stepped forward, hoof holding a bottle of water. She gave it to the orange filly while looking at the older mares.

Rainbow blushed and looked away, scuffing her mane. Fluttershy withdrew into herself, eyes glued to the ground as her body curled up.

“Uhh, well, Tuesday is Fluttershy’s birthday and uh, Wednesday is mine…” Seeing the wide gazes of the Crusaders, Dash continued. “She’s a year older than me. It was a funny coincidence that our birthdays are so close.”

The brash pegasus chuckled uncomfortably. Her mind flashed to previous birthday attempts for the drastically shier pegasus. She flinched, and peeked over to the butter yellow mare. Fluttershy’s ears were tipped back, neck and body tense. Rainbow Dash sighed. Leaning forward, she nudged the filly with a half smile.

“Don’t worry about it squirt. We’ll make sure to have plenty of time to train, and if you want, you can come to the party. That work for you?”

Scootaloo nodded slowly, her brows furrowed. “Thanks Rainbow Dash… I’ll be going… Come on guys…”

Rainbow waited for the three kids to leave. She sat beside the other pegasus, wings twitching, wanting to stretch out and help the stunned mare. She held back, barely. Once they were alone, Dash turned to nuzzle the tensed mare.

Fluttershy inhaled sharply, head pulling back with wide eyes. When she caught wind of the light smell of rain, sweat and leaves, she blinked rapidly to focus on the mare nudging her shoulder. The echos of painful memories started to fade, allowing the soft concern to reach her ears.

“Fluttershy… Are you alright…?” Rainbow watched carefully, pausing her nuzzling to instead place both hooves on either shoulder of the canary mare. “I know birthdays are hard for you…”

“Birthdays are hard for everypony who grew up in an orphanage.” Fluttershy murmured back, as she leaned forward to rest her head on the blue chest. Her heart swelled when Dash made no move to shift away.

“Yeah… Yeah…” The brash mare looked over the yellow shoulder to where a trio of fillies ran off. “Do you think… Scootaloo…?”

The animal care-taker sat up, gaze wide. She bit her lip as she looked to where the girls had gone. “Y-you’re right…! O-oh no… I-I better go talk with her!”

“Huh?! Wha- why?” Rainbow sat up straighter, fluffing her wings. But faster than she had expected, the older pegasus was gone, chasing after the filly and her friends. Dash slumped back in place.

Birthday time again… She never liked this time of the year… Not for a long time… The pegasus lightly dug into the ground at her feet, brows coming down as her mind continued the train of thought. Probably was even worse when I was gone. Shoot! Did I ever make that up to her?! I-I-I don’t think so!

Rainbow Dash stood up, ears at the ready. Her breath caught in her chest as pain filled her heart. Searching her mind for a solution, the reckless mare paused when she felt a gentle nudge against her back right hoof. Looking down, she found a pair of warm eyes staring up.

Tank slowly moved his foot to rest against his owner’s leg, croaking a question. He wore his usual fan gear for his owner, though there was also a sign for Scootaloo. Dash smiled, reaching out and scuffing the top of his shell.

“Uh, don’t worry buddy. I’m going to make it all up with Fluttershy with uh, the best birthday ever!” Dash improvised as she spoke until her eyes lit up with inspiration. “I bet Pinkie Pie has some great tips for even greater birthdays. And I could totally get her some awesome gifts too!”

Together, the two friends took to the air, flying towards the small village. The tortoise seemed unsure about the idea but followed along anyways, unable to voice anything at a reasonable speed to deter the speedster.

-TTS-

Fluttershy dropped down beside the trio of fillies as they walked along the road towards town, startling the unicorn and earth pony. Scootaloo swiveled around to face her in a flash, stance lowering instinctively. The three girls were tense and silent, even as they realized who was there.

“O-oh, uhm. I was hoping to talk to Scootaloo, if you don’t mind.” The older pegasus leaned closer, trying to wear a reassuring smile.

The other Crusaders looked to the orange filly, gazes uncertain. The girl in turn searched their eyes, seeking an answer.

“Ya know we’ll be here if ya want Scootaloo.”

“Yeah! And if you want to be alone instead, we can wait a little further away.”

The orange pegasus nodded slowly. She smiled to her friends. “If it’s ok, uh, what were you going to talk about? Is it ok if they stay instead?”

The older mare flicked her ears back. She looked between the fillies. “Oh, well, it’s about birthdays…”

Scootaloo’s ears dropped at this, as did her smile. Feeling the weight of her friends’ eyes on her back, the pegasus nodded once more. “O-oh… Sure… What did you want say about birthdays…?”

“Well, I know that.. growing up in orphanages means it’s hard when birthday time comes around… Would you like to talk about it or uhm, anything…?” Fluttershy watched the filly carefully, looking for any signs of trauma.

The orange pony exhaled gustily, squinting her eyes to the right. The other Crusaders held their breath, watching and waiting, ready for any sort of response. The older mare waited anxiously for a response.

“Yeah, sure, we didn’t have birthdays in the Hudsonside orphanage, and I don’t remember when mine is… It’s fine Fluttershy…” Scootaloo didn’t keep eye contact and instead started to turn away. “Is it ok to go to your birthday parties like Rainbow Dash says…?”

Three sets of eyes stared hopeful at the older pegasus. Fluttershy smiled softly at the question and temptation they felt. She nodded, wings twitching briefly.

“Of course you can. All three of you. I’m sure it’s going to be a lovely party.” The animal care-taker leaned closer to the other pegasus. “If you ever want to talk about it, please feel free to stop by. I do know what it’s like, even if you don’t think so.”

The three fillies stared at the mare, uncertain. Sweetie Belle was the most confused, Scootaloo being the next and Apple Bloom slowly going from confused to concerned. The pegasus tilted her head, curiosity building.

“Why… do you say that?”

Fluttershy grew shier, scuffing the ground with her hoof with an embarrassed blush on her face. “I grew up in an orphanage too…”

“Oh.” Scootaloo couldn’t think of a response to the statement, shocked. The other fillies were just as stunned, watching with wide eyes. Feeling a compulsion to reassure the older mare, the more athletic filly reached out and patted the pale-yellow foreleg. Fluttershy smiled at the touch and returned the attempt with a nuzzle of her own. After the brief attempt at mutual assurance, the group sat silently, unsure of the next move. The older mare glanced up to the town, sight growing large when she remembered how she had interrupted the trio.

“I didn’t mean to stop you from adventuring… Be safe girls.”

The girls relaxed with large grins. “We will!” The trio shouted as they took off for town, running at full speed. The pegasus was in the lead, even after her difficult training.

The canary yellow mare watched with pride at how far they were all coming along. Taking a quick look to the hill where they were not even minutes ago, she found that the brash pegasus was also gone. She trotted sedately back home, plans for how to spend her birthday quietly in the cottage already forming. I wonder if Harry would like to come to have tea on that day… I’m sure Angel Bunny will have all sorts of nice surprises planned. Pleased smile growing, she continued home.


“Are you suuuuure Fluttershy wants a big ol’ birthday party?” Pinkie Pie stressed the word, leaning closer to her blue furred friend. She pulled a list out, shoving it into the bemused cobalt mare’s face. “She’s always asked to be given a nice quiet tea party with her animal friends, with any and all gifts deposited into her mailbox with ‘no surprises or startling. If it’s possible to avoid.’ See? It even says so right here on her note!”

The earth pony read the paper, eyes squinted, as she pointed to the hoofwritten note. The pegasus shuffled in place, limb going to scuff her mane, as she eyed the pink mare’s bedroom. The bright candy colors hurt her gaze as it flashed in the light. Suddenly she was the focus of sharp blue eyes once more, startling the brash flier.

“I dunno Rainbow Dash, I’m pretty sure Fluttershy just wants a quiet party…”

“Maybe, but maybe that’s because she hasn’t had one of YOUR kinds of party. Look, I just… I missed a lot of her birthdays a while back and I haven’t made it up to her yet.” Rainbow couldn’t face the party pony. Pink hooves latched on to either side of her muzzle and pulled her around to face the other mare.

“You. Missed. Parties?! For your bestest best friend ever!?” Pinkie frowned deeply even as her eyes shrank to pinpricks.

Dash froze at the wild gaze. Nervous, she spoke slowly, trying to avoid a blow up. “I was traveling around Equestria, ok? I’m trying to make up for it now!”

“Allllllllriiiight….” The earth mare backed up cautiously. In a second, she was back to her normal high-energy. “Okie dokie lokie! One super cool non-surprise party coming up! It’ll be a rush job, but what kind of things were you thinking of having?”

“Well, it would probably be easier for everypony to have both birthdays at the same time. That and any party for me is usually pretty awesome anyways, so that would help.” Dash rubbed a hoof against her chest as she sat down. “Otherwise, maybe some more nature stuff. I guess some tea stuff too, to go with the cake stuff?”

Pinkie hummed thoughtfully, jotting notes on a paper she had pulled out. She nodded every so often, face solemn. Rainbow trailed off, uncertain.

“Aaannndd……?”

“And?”

“And what else? Games? Prizes? Cakes? Location? Invites?” With each question, the party planner leaned back towards the pegasus, neck stretching.

“OH! Well, all the usual games and certainly the really cool ones. We don’t really need prizes, but that’d be pretty awesome too.” Rainbow tapped her chin in thought. “Cakes…? Uh, well, I’ve always liked the chocolate flavor. But I think Fluttershy likes strawberry, or uh, vanilla. Or both…?”

The pink mare looked up from her list, brows furrowed deeply. Dash shifted in place, face flushing bright red. “I uh, may never have managed to visit for her tea birthday parties.”

Pinkie Pie tsked. Shaking her head sadly, she slung a hoof around the blue shoulders.

“We’re going to fix that for sure, don’t you worry your little rainbow maned head.” The earth pony tapped rapidly on the pegasus’ head, causing her to have to lean over.

“Uh, thanks Pinks.” Rainbow stood up and pushed away the reassuring hooves. Fluffing her wings, she smirked to the party mare. “I’ll see you later, ok? Just have the party in some nice open place, that should help Fluttershy feel better about it all. Bye Pinkie Pie.”

Dash zipped up into the air and out the conveniently open window for flying pegasi. She gave one last wave, seeing the pink dot continue waving until they were too far apart to see properly. Feeling better about the setup, the cobalt pegasus did a few lazy loops on the way to home. She arrived with a flourish, smirking at the proud smile on the waiting tortoise's face.

“Hey buddy! I’ve got the party set up,” the pegasus continued inside, talking over her shoulder, “now I just need find the best gifts to get her.”

Tank followed through the air, croaking a suggestion. The blue mare paused, ears twitching to the sound. She tilted her head, confused.

“Uhh, not sure what you said, but I’m sure it’s a great suggestion.” Rainbow gave the pet a nuzzle after checking to be sure they were indeed alone. “But I’ve got to think.” The mare tapped her forehead firmly, eyes shut in thought. “Gotta think… gotta think… gotta think…”

The bold pegasus floated through her cloud house, aiming for the bed. Flopping down, she continued to rub her temples, chest tightening as no solution came to mind. A tiny weight on her chest caused her eyes to pop open. Seeing the blur of green, the mare smiled, heart lightening up.

“I bet you said to decide with your heart, huh buddy?” Dash asked, smile growing when the tortoise nodded slowly. He then dipped forward, resting his nose against the spot where the pegasus’ heart lay. “Yeah… I have to think with my heart and not my head.”

The mare wrapped her hooves around the pet and lifted out of bed, going a sedate pace out the door and towards the marketplace. Together they went to the various shops, looking for the perfect gift. Trinket stores, hobby shops, craft supplies, they searched through them all.  Dash would pick up something and show it to Tank who in turn would either nod or shake his head. He didn’t think Fluttershy would like a trophy case, best friend trophy, full set of sports mini trophies, train sets, rocket ships, horse-drawn carriages, sail ships, nor a book on the land’s craziest pranks. Rainbow Dash was hesitant to head into the craft store, but Tank was insistent, nudging her hind leg with his head.

As soon as she entered, the brash mare became lost among the brightly colored supplies and tools. Salesponies came up to the duo with large grins but Dash just smiled back and continued forward, her grin becoming more plastic by the second. She traveled up and down each row, gaze becoming unfocused as she followed the tortoise around the store. The sound of a hopeful croak broke through the blank whiteness filling her mind.

“What’s that Tank…?” Rainbow blinked several times, trying to wake back up. Finally looking about, she found they were in the knitting section with large needles and hundreds of balls of yarn. “You think she’d like stuff from here? I don’t know Tank…”

The tortoise wouldn’t give up, nudging his owner once more towards the large wall of supplies. The pegasus took a brief look at prices before reaching out a leg and sweeping one of most colors into her basket. She looked at the needles, brows down in confusion, and grabbed a small, medium and large pair of the tools. Going further down the aisle, she found all sorts of patterns in booklets. The mare scratched her mane.

“Tank, I have no idea which one to get her. If she likes knitting so much, wouldn’t she already have these books?” Rainbow glanced to the green shell. Another voice spoke up, startling the pegasus into the air.

“Hello! I’m Color Wheel, are you looking for something in particular?” A unicorn with light lavender with pale blue striped mane and light tan fur smiled, giggling to herself at the jumpy reaction. “Is the pony you’re getting these for a regular customer here? We may be able to help identify what they do not yet have.”

Dash tried to appear nonchalant, blatantly ignoring her sudden flight. “Huh? Oh, uh, sure. Just, uh, keep it to yourself ok? I’m looking for a birthday gift for Fluttershy; you know her?”

The salesmare smiled warmly, “Of course we know Ms. Fluttershy! She’s a regular customer. She’s even done some of the knitting displays for the more advanced patterns and dolls.” She waved to the critter and pony figures that adorned the shelves. Color Wheel trotted down the shelving, coming to a stop at a very complex Nollag Seal Hearthwarming Day Cape. “I believe she has been looking at this particular piece for a while now. If you’d like to purchase it, we can find ways to prevent her from getting it herself. When is her birthday?”

“Really? Sweet! Thanks, that’d be awesome. Her birthday is the 15th.” Dash didn’t look at the other mare as she reached forward and grabbed the large set.

“Truly?! Marvelous! We always love to surprise our customers with things on their birthday, but Ms. Fluttershy has always declined sharing that particular information.” Color Wheel turned about, excitement in her step. “Would that be all miss? If you would please follow me to the counter if it is.”

The cobalt pegasus nodded dimly, flying after the salesmare. She didn’t notice Tank’s look of worry nor did much of the other mare’s words sink in. Dash paid for the items and for wrapping paper. She then spent the rest of the day packaging and wrapping all of the items into various sets, each wrapping paper critter and nature themed. She had three by the time she was finished. Two were labeled as from her and the tortoise, with the last and largest being from just her. Tank signalled he didn’t mind, grinning encouragingly at his owner.

“Tank, this is going to be great! Thanks for the help buddy.” She gave the pet another gentle nuzzle with barely a blush on her muzzle at the action.

-TTS-

Fluttershy timidly trotted through the streets. She ran through the mental list of supplies she needed that weren’t food stuff. When she saw Relaxing Hobbies, the mare perked up, thinking of knitting supplies she needed. It was one of the few things she allowed herself on special weeks like this. Stepping inside, she came across Color Wheel who smiled widely when she noticed the canary yellow mare.

“Welcome Ms. Fluttershy! What can we help you with today?” The salesmare asked softly. All the Relaxing Hobbies staff knew to speak quietly around the shier pegasus. It was a feature that the timid pony appreciated.

“Oh, yes. Well, maybe, if you could. And if it wasn’t too much trouble, or, or anything…” Fluttershy trailed off, eyes downcast.

The salespony continued to grin. “It’s no problem at all Ms. Fluttershy. What were you thinking of today?”

The animal care taker trotted to the knitting section, lit up with excitement. “Oh, uhm, I was wondering if Nollag Seal kit was still available? I also need, um, some more yarn... If it’s not too much trouble…”

The other mare paused, mind scrambling for a second. “Oh, I do apologize. Somepony had came by and already purchased it. We should be getting another set in two weeks with our next shipment.” She watched the dejected pegasus carefully, worried about having hurt the mare. “Was there something else I could help with? We can offer a wonderful discount for your birthday!”

Color Wheel flashed the pegasus a pleased smile, hoping to cheer her up. Instead, Fluttershy shrank in place, ears folding immediately. She looked over her shoulder, gaze worried.

“Uhm, wha-h-how do you know my birthday is soon…?”

“Oh!” The salespony’s eyes flew around the room. “We had heard from somepony else. Is your birthday not this 15th?”

Fluttershy shuddered, form unable to stop trembling. “W-well, yes, it is. I just uhm- haven’t told many ponies.”

“I’m sorry; if you’d like, we could erase it from our records.”The unicorn held out a hoof, smile still reassuring.

“If… If you don’t mind and it’s not that much trouble that is…” The pegasus crouched lower to the ground, avoiding the hoof. She began to inch backwards towards the exit.

“No problem at all. Can we help with anything else…?” The salespony slowly followed.

The animal care-taker shook her head. “N-no, it’s ok. I’ll just… come back later.”

The canary mare couldn’t stop the shakes as she left the market in a rush (for her anyways). Oh, oh, oh… Wh-who could have told them about my birthday…? Oh, so embarrassing! I think I’ll just stay home for the day instead…


The party was everything a Pinkie Pie Party could hope to be. An amazing, awesome and very cool set up. Located out in the town park,  it was the creme de la creme of gatherings. Banners, flags and lighted strings hung from tree to tree. Long tables overflowing with cakes, cookies, krumpets, sugary drinks and kettles of tea. A soft rock ballad played in the background, the disc being an eclectic collection of music for the party.

The multitudes of guests milled about, holding cups of tea or fruit punch. There was a larger cluster of ponies around one of the main stars of the day, her rainbow mane the only thing distinguishable. The other mare of the day was sitting much further away, at the edge of the farthest table.

Fluttershy would peek out from under pink bangs to see if any of her critter friends made it every few minutes. When it was apparent they had not, she retreated once more, playing with the tea cup at her hooves. Blue orbs zeroed in on the display. The party planner zipped up, hoof reaching for canary yellow shoulders.

“What are you doing all by yourself Fluttershy?” Pinkie gently tugged the slightly older pegasus forward. “This party is for you and Rainbow Dash! Don’t you like it?”

Fluttershy wilted at the saddened gaze. “Well, it is a nice, uhm, quieter party… for what you usually do… But this isn’t like the last few years you’ve set up a party for me on my birthday…”

“Oh, well Rainbow Dash said to combine them and make it this way,” the earth pony released the birthday mare, looking deep into her eyes. “Are you sure this is OK?”

The pegasus blushed, gaze shifting from piercing blue to the mop of multi-hues. She nodded, allowing her mane to hide her from view.

“Okie dokie lokie!” The hyper pony bounced away, grinning.

The yellow pegasus hunched down in place, table at her back. She was much closer to the center and had caught some of the guests’ attention. A couple, their white and pale-gray coats contrasting each other brightly, walked up with gentle grins.

“Hey birthday girl, how’s it hanging?”

“Hello Fluttershy, how are you doing?”

The canar pegasus perked up at the lower volumned speech. Vinyl Scratch and Octavia stood side by side, wearing their trademark clothing. They waited patiently for the shier mare to respond.

“O-oh, hello… Thank you for, uhm, coming today.” Fluttershy tried to stand tall, only to tremble as the music dropped the bass. “Was-was there anything I could do for you…?”

The two musicians laughed. Octavia gave the mare a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “It is your birthday, you don’t have to do anything for us.”

The pegasus smiled hesitantly. The three ponies stood in silence briefly before somepony shouted for Vinyl’s help.

“Sorry Fluttershy, got to go. I’ll swing back around in a bit.” The duo left the pegasus, laughing merrily.

The absence of their warmth was severely noticed and missed. More guests stepped up and continued by, giving their well wishes. The shy mare shrank back at the greetings, ears folded, as her heartbeat pounded through her skull. The world grew dimmer, clouds blowing in on a chilly wind that whistled through the park. The others’ voices droned into a dull monotone, turning into a higher and higher pitch that eventually changed to shrill laughter. Fluttershy closed her eyes, shrinking into a ball, whimpering. The figures surrounded her, growing taller as their coat colors darkened to black silhouettes.

The pegasus’ tormentors began to laugh in tandem, slowly changing to a chant of her name.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Fluttershy can hardly fly!”

The subtle change wasn’t lost on the mare. She flinched in her curled position, wings timidly reaching out to cover her head.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy! No one loves her, she should die!

“FLUTTERSHY!” A husky voice rang out, cutting through the internal chanting. Rough blue hooves latched onto the shaking shoulders. “Fluttershy! What’s wrong!?”

The canary mare shook her head, shrinking into herself, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. She tried to back up but bumped into the table behind her. Tinkling sounds rang out, sending a spike of fear into the yellow pegasus’ heart. The black hooves reached out sinisterly towards her slowly, their intent obvious by the menacing grins the shadowy figures wore. When a set of hooves did touch her, Fluttershy yelped loudly, eyes shooting open as she flung her own hooves out in defense.

Rainbow Dash looked at her old time friend from where she had been pushed, her forelegs helping hold her up as she leaned backwards. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

Fluttershy froze, her breath hitching, as she registered that she was the one who pushed her friend and crush to the ground. Tears streaming down her face, the frightened mare ran off, vaguely seeing the crowd around her as she searched for the brown and green safety. She made it to the forest on the edge of the park and dashed in, hiding behind one of the larger trees as she sobbed loudly, flinging herself to the ground and laying down flat. She placed both hooves over her face to hide the world away as her internal world crashed down around her.

Local critters timidly came out of their homes, noses and ears twitching curiously at the mare in their home territory. Slowly, they made their way over and recognized the pony, chattering between themselves as they inched forward.

The animal care taker looked up at the soft touch of tiny paws, barely focusing beyond the veil of water in her gaze. A squirrel stood right against her muzzle, paws on the feature to help him view into teal eyes. He squeaked softly while the other animals waited for the answer.

“O-oh, thank you for asking… but no, I’m not ok…”

The mare curled around in a half circle on the ground, using her wing to hide her crying. The critters chirped and squeaked to one another anxiously, unsure of how to help, when a rush of wind almost knocked them over. Setting back up, they found another pegasus standing nearby, wings flared, while she looked on in horrified silence. The small animals started to warn the rainbow maned pony away when Fluttershy looked up at their talk, eyes rimmed in red and hooves curled towards her body.

When the two mares made eye contact, Rainbow took a shaky step forward, afraid of going too fast and startling the other into running.

“F-Fluttershy…? What’s wrong…?” She took another step closer, folding her wings to temper the intimidating figure she posed. “Can… can we talk about it…?”

The unusual request, put so gently and quietly, shocked the sobbing mare, preventing her from trying to run away. Instead she stayed in place, body trembling. Her tongue tried to form the needed words but her muzzle seemed to be glued closed.

The blue coated mare finished her cautious trip and sat beside her best friend. She lifted up her wings, inching them forward and around the canary pegasus. Fluttershy flinched at the touch, but when Dash didn’t retreat and instead moved even closer, the sobbing mare leaned forward, resting her head on cobalt fur.

“What happened back there? Last I saw, Pinkie was walking you closer to the cake…” Rainbow kept her voice low as she hugged her crush.

“There was… It-it was…” Fluttershy tried to explain but hiccuped between the words, growing more hysteric with each. “I-I-I couldn’t-!”

“Shhhh… Shhh….” The brash mare tried to make soothing sounds, but glanced around wildly in panic. Her mind started to fill with a panicked emptiness when she felt a gentle nudge from behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Tank rubbing his nose against her fur with a tiny smile, going his usual speed. Dash gulped and reached up with her hooves, rubbing the shy mare’s back just as slowly.

The backrub was the breaking point for the butter yellow mare. She lunged out with her own hooves and forced the words beyond her body-wracking sobs. The other mare froze in place at the sudden motion before jerkily starting to rub the trembling back again.

“I-I-I- w-was s-so scaared…!” Fluttershy howled into blue fur.  “M-m-most of us didn’t-didn’t have birth-birth-birthdays recorded…! And-and- it never felt riiiight…! W-when they p-PICKED one for you!”

Dash flinched. The shrillness hurt her ears while the words themselves shot like lightning to her heart, burning it in pain. She rested her head against the pink mane, tilted so she could still speak clearly. “And the kids picked on you… Didn’t they…”

Fluttershy couldn’t speak once again, and instead nodded tensely, shivering.

The blue pegasus exhaled gustily, eyes rolling up to the sky. “And that’s why you don’t like having an actual party. It may not even be the right day… Why did you never pick a new one?” Dash looked back to the pink mane, taking the chance to breath in the scents found there.

“... Because…” The shy mare expelled the words, eyes scrunching even tighter as a blush covered her muzzle. “It was near yours…”

Dash groaned lightly, pulling her head back as her face erupted into flame. Fluttershy felt the motion and stiffened, ears flattening painfully against her skull. Rainbow felt the change and sighed again, squeezing her friend tightly for a second before loosening the grip.

“Fluttershy…” The cobalt mare thought carefully about her words, acknowledging briefly how odd the situation was that she had to think so cautiously. “I’m… sorry I hadn’t realized it and that I… asked Pinkie Pie to make a bigger party than you wanted.”

Fluttershy straightened, mouth dropping open to deny something, anything, that made it her crush’s fault. The sombre glint in cerise orbs stopped her from speaking. Dash looked back, face under control, as she fought various impulses while staring back at the disheveled mare. Swallowing through a dry throat, the faster flier kept her hooves moving reassuringly on her friend’s back.

“W-why don’t you head back to your cottage…?” Rainbow smiled hesitantly, unsure how to physically show more caring than a simple back rub. “Get, uh, get all your animal friends and get that tea party you’re really hoping for. I’ll come by with Scoots, if you don’t mind. She… She probably didn’t have much fun at this party either…”

“Y-yes... Al-alright…” Fluttershy spoke just as quietly as the other mare, gaze wide and mouth hanging open slightly as she looked at the commanding mare holding her. Her heart swelled at the thought of the heroic pegasus looking out not just for her but for the filly in her care.

“Alright. You going to be ok getting there?” The pegasus pulled away slowly, using the spare seconds to feel the warmth they shared before standing up. She waited for the timid head nod before glancing back in the direction of the party.

“I’ll go and explain that the party is going to have to change up a little.” Noticing the startled and almost frantic gaze, Dash smirked assuringly. “Don’t worry, they won’t be going to that tea party. See you later.” Zipping upwards, leaving a rainbow trail behind her, the speeding flier took to the skies, leaving the other in the forest.

The animal care-taker sat by the tree for a few minutes longer, fighting to control the heavy blush staining her muzzle. The forest critters came back, chattering uneasily, wanting to be sure everything was indeed better.

“O-oh, uhm, yes… N-now I’m doing better… Thank you…” Fluttershy shared nuzzles with each animal that wanted one, smiling timidly. She tried vainly to avoid wishing of somepony else she would rather nuzzle.

-TTS-

Rainbow Dash was less able to hide her blush, zooming through the air with both hooves covering her muzzle. She used the speed to avoid anypony seeing her in a ‘mushy’ state. To gain extra recovering time, she flew around the park several times, though she avoided flying over the party to prevent suspicion.

Wh-what was that?! I was so - mushy! What’s gotten into me? This is worse than before! Dash slowed down even as her heart rate sped up. I’ve got it baaad this time. But I’ve screwed up, because I don’t know what she’s gone through. Well, I can’t make the same mistake with her, or the kid. The pegasus smacked her hooves together, determination written all over her face. “Time to get the show on the road.”

The rainbow maned mare flew back to the party, scanning the crowd for a spot of orange and a different spot of pink. Finding both still there, the mare sighed in relief, and touched down beside the filly first. The three Crusaders paused at the sound of rushing wind.

Scootaloo perked up at the arrival and turned away from her friends to face the older pegasus. She tried for a balance of neutrality and of excitement. It was obvious though that she hadn’t been having the best of times by the faces of the other fillies who still glanced cautiously to her.

“R-Rainbow Dash! Hi! Uhm, how are you doing?” The orange filly checked the coast for a canary yellow coat. “Is, uh… Is Fluttershy ok…?”

Dash flinched at the reminder of their abrupt exit. “Yeah. She’ll be ok. I checked on her, and now I’m checking on you.” She reached out, tapping the filly’s chest with a gentle hoof. “You holding up ok? I don’t know how bad things were about birthdays for you- either of you. So I’m trying… to make up for it.”

The three fillies stared surprised at the level of maturity and humility the older mare demonstrated. Rainbow scratched at the back of her head. She reached down with that hoof to nudge the smaller pegasus with her elbow.

“Look, I don’t mind if this is too big of a party for you. One party size doesn’t fit all, you know?” The bold pegasus leaned down, keeping her voice low as she nervously scanned for any sign of hyperactive pink.

“OF COURSE NOT!” The excited shout caused everypony within a half-mile to jump. Bright blue eyes stared deeply into the shocked four. “That’s why I always make individual parties meeting the exact needs of the party-ee.”

Rainbow Dash took a shuddering breath, trying to recover from the surprise and appear nonchalant. She smacked her chest solidly with a miniature cough. “H-hey Pinkie Pie. Yeah, that’s what I was about to say. So, uh, we’re going to need to move this party to later. Would that be ok Pinks?” The pegasus peered closer to her friend and found approval in the jolly gaze.

“You betcha! Did you want to pick out anything from the pile of gifts to carry yourself?” Pinkie nudged the mare with a playful wink. “ALRIGHT EVERYPONY! LET’S MOVE THIS TO TOMORROW AT SUGAR CUBE CORNER!”

The Crusaders and blue pegasus winced at the sudden shout. They watched, stunned and bewildered, as the party pony raced around, collecting the supplies and packing them away while passing out the gifts the ponies had brought to the original owners. The guests chuckled at the behavior and stopped by the bold flier to promise their arrival the next day, along with well wishes for the missing party mare. Rainbow barely nodded her head at their words, staring wide eyed at her friend who was still in motion.

In the end, the three girls and one grown up had their gifts they had brought set in front of them in an empty clearing. The earth pony stopped in front of the group with a heartfelt salute.

“Party for one Rainbow Dash officially moved to tomorrow, only birthday mare being the super speedster Rainbow Dash.” Pinkie rattled off in a singsong voice. “I’ll have all the tea supplies ready at Fluttershy’s in a dash!”

With a final wink, the earth pony skipped off, humming gleefully. Dash watched dumbfounded, along with the Crusaders. Though the speedster was faster at recovering.

“Uhhh, right! So, me and the squirt are going to Fluttershy’s.” Rainbow hooked a hoof around the filly’s shoulders and gave her a friendly shake. “I’m not sure how many ponies Fluttershy would want to stop by at one time, but I’m sure if you guys want we can all go.”

The three friends exchanged a silent conversation. Or tried to. The young unicorn stared blankly at the nodding and head shaking the earth pony and pegasus were doing as well as the shrugs that seemed to multiply. Apple Bloom held out a hoof, face scrunched in pain.

“Can’t understand ya Scoots, yer talkin’ too fast.”

The orange pegasus groaned and left the half hug to trot over to the others. “Fine. Let’s talk then. Huddle up!”

The two others snapped into a playful salute and opened their hooves to hold onto one another’s shoulders. They put their heads down and whispered amongst themselves.

“Alright, now Ah know we had gotten Ms. Fluttershy a nice gift and all, but she seemed real upset about the party…” Apple Bloom watched the pegasus mainly, knowing that she probably had some sort of experience with bad birthdays.

Sweetie Belle nodded, ears tipping back. “Yeah. I suppose we could wait to give it or maybe just take turns going…?”

Scootaloo shuffled in place, shrugging even with the two other hooves on her shoulders. “We could all go on some other day… And show off our gift then.” She ducked her head, hiding the shining hope that built in her eyes. “I could go with Rainbow Dash and see how she’s doing right now…”

The others shared a bemused grin.

“Suuure. Ain’t nothin’ to do with bein’ with yer hero on the day before her birthday.” The olive-yellow filly smirked. “But Ah don’t see what would be wrong with that.”

“Yeah! You go have fun and feel better.” The unicorn blushed lightly with a gentle smile. “I… I know you were feeling a little down too…”

“Y-yeah…” The pegasus couldn’t meet her friends’ eyes. She enjoyed the warmth that came from her friends even as she started to pull away. “I’ll see you guys later, for sure.”

“Sure thing! We can, uh, talk more then right?” Sweetie Belle looked hopefully towards the orange filly as she regretfully lowered her limbs. Apple Bloom kept a close eye on the two, staying silent, weary smile in place.

The young pegasus hesitated, her heart clenching at the memories and doubly so at the worry she noticed in her friends’ eyes. She nodded jerkily. “I’ll see you guys at the clubhouse later, ok?”

The other girls relaxed in place with warm smiles and agreed. They didn’t wait much longer, giving the bemused adult a happy wave. Rainbow had waited patiently for the trio to finish; any time she grew annoyed, the brash mare reminded herself of what had just happened minutes earlier.  When the trio broke out of the huddle, they faced the older pony with bashful grins.

“So have you girls decided…?” Dash kept her voice calm and unassuming.

“Yep! It’ll be just me going with you today and we’ll go as the Crusaders later.” Scootaloo puffed up her chest as she stepped forward. The other pegasus smirked and fluffed the dark cerise mane.

“Alright. We’ll see you girls later. Come on squirt, let’s have a much quieter time.” Rainbow picked up the few gifts by her and made sure the remaining Crusaders had a solid grip on their shared gift as they left for town. The two pegasi trotted the short distance to the cottage where a tea party was being set up.

Around the small table was various local animals, each with a tea cup in paw. Fluttershy walked around with a plate of biscuits on her back. She was wearing a large smile at the peaceful atmosphere. Rainbow’s heart swelled at the sight. She gave a loud warning knock to the white picket fence along with a call.

“Hey Fluttershy! We’re here for tea.”

The canary mare glanced up, eyes and heart filling with joy. A proud smile grew on the shier mare’s face when she noticed the spot of orange beside her. She passed off the tray of snacks to Harry the bear who duly passed the rest out. Free of the burden, the older mare trotted up to the new guests, giving both a warm nuzzle before backing up embarrassed.

“Oh, uhm, sorry…” She pawed the ground, eyes downcast. “I was too excited that you both came…”

The other pegasi wore blushes at the exuberant greeting. Dash barely stopped a whine at the removal of the warmth as her wings and fur fluffed up. “It’s fine. So I hear you have tea?” She smirked playfully.

Fluttershy perked up and waved them inside the fenced backyard. She set them at the main table and quickly made them places. The flustered mare continued to rush, setting out more supplies for her guests. Scootaloo sipped slowly at her tea, gaze worried as she felt the tension in the air growing. Dash also felt the growing panic of the other as she subtly set the few packed gifts on the ground, not bringing attention to it as she followed the other mare’s movements. She waited another minute for the canary mare to join them but found she would not. The bold pony sighed, standing up resignedly and plopping herself right in the way of the stressed mare.

The butter yellow pegasus barely looked the cobalt mare in the eye, hooves full of hors d’oeuvres. She giggled breathlessly as she tried to duck around the roadblock. Her wings fluttered weakly against her sides.

Rainbow’s brows twitched down at the motion before focusing on the pinpricks of teal, making sure to stand in the way. When the animal care-taker grew more frantic, the critters grew just as anxious; everyone went still as their attention was focused on the yellow mare. A blue hoof reached out, wrapping around the tense shoulders and pulling her close. Dash stayed firm, keeping the other mare’s face against her chest. She took control of the tray and set it off to the side.

“You don’t have to do this… You don’t have to put on a show.” Rainbow kept her voice low. Looking up she met the youngster’s gaze squarely. “Neither one of you should force yourselves. Not around me at least.”

The young filly dropped her sight and cup, pushing it all back to make room on the table for her to rest her head on both hooves. Dash felt wetness staining her front. Fluttershy’s movements had turned to sobbing once more. Exhaling slowly, the usually brash mare sat her friend at the table, leaving a full cup of tea within hoof’s reach. Rainbow didn’t speak, waiting for either of the others to make the next move. She wasn’t surprised when it was the crying pegasus who spoke up first.

“They… they assigned anypony who didn’t have official records a day close to the ones who did.” Fluttershy spoke slowly to avoid her sobs from breaking up her speech. “It was so they could arrange one large party… So the ones who did know about where they came from or any previous knowledge hated sharing the days.”

Two sets of pony eyes watched the shuddering mare carefully. Fluttershy stopped, taking a moment to breathe while wrapping her hooves around the lithe blue barrel beside her.

“They… they didn’t like how ‘mine’ was so close to yours and other ponies who were… more liked.” The yellow mare whimpered as old memories resurfaced. Within seconds the blue hooves squeezed back.

Dash growled, eyes squinting. “You are definitely-!”

“We didn’t get anything. Ever.” Scootaloo cut in from the other side of the table. She didn’t move her head from its resting place. All ears were on the young girl. “We never learned when our birthdays were. Our ‘gifts’ were b-... beatings… and more chores.”

Rainbow stiffened, her gaze widening with indignation. “Wh-wha-!”

“The teachers… never beat us. But they didn’t notice when the other, older orphans, tried to ‘teach us a lesson’ for having taken their special days.” Fluttershy peeked out from behind blue wings to smile sadly at the filly. “They… they didn’t hurt us too much, because it would be noticed by the adults. But words can be just as hurtful.”

Scootaloo seemed more attentive to the older pegasus, though she kept her head on her hooves. “We got both kinds, from the grownup herself… Haven’t been to a party… ever… Not for a birthday at least.” The filly turned away, gaze filling with water.

The cobalt pegasus groaned, giving one last embrace to the mare in her hooves, and stood up, wings flaring wide. “You-! Neither of you should have had to deal with that! I’m going to- I’m gonna-!” She felt fire surge through her veins as righteous anger pumped throughout. She released the canary yellow pegasus and braced for launch as her mind screamed that something had to be done. “I’ll find those pricks and-and make them sorry they messed with the wrong ponies!”

The two orphaned ponies stared in shock at the display. Their minds blank, they watched the loyalest mare around growl out threats to those who had hurt them. It was when Dash’s wings started to lift her into the sky that Fluttershy regained enough sense to reach out and latch on to the blue limbs.

“No! Wait!” The shout was at normal volume though the grip was iron. “D-Dashie, it was a long time ago! They-they’re gone and if you leave again-!” Fluttershy closed her eyes as her chest crushed under the thought of losing her best friend again.

Rainbow stopped, nose flaring, as she flexed her forehooves. She cast her sights around the yard, noting the statue-like animals watching and the suddenly frightful gaze of the young filly. She came to a halt at the pain she found in the yellow coated mare. Exhaling gustily, she allowed herself to float down to the ground, making no move to prevent the yellow hooves from wrapping around her body.

“I won’t be leaving like I did before. I said I wouldn’t and I’ll prove it, every day.” Dash locked eyes with the frantic pegasus, assuring silently that she had nothing to worry about. Without breaking out of the grip, the bold pegasus grabbed a hold of the filly across the table and pulled her into the embrace as well. “No pony is going to mess with either of you two. Not on my watch.”

Fluttershy looked adoringly to the heroic mare as she shifted to include the youth in the hug. For a second, all three pegasi stayed in the embrace before starting at the local critters joining in. The animal care-taker was the first to laugh at the moment, the others following a few moments later. The large group of huggers held the moment for a half-minute before the two less-physical pegasi wiggled in the embrace, cheeks stained with a burning red.

Dash held a hoof to her mouth, coughing roughly to clear the last of the fire in her veins, as she backed up from the group. Scootaloo also used the moment to back away, eyes locked to the ground.

“Alright, we still need to get this tea, uh, tea day? Underway.” The blue pony slowly reset the table, her focus on the older mare. “You guys can, uh, talk about anything you want. I… I won’t leave or get upset.”

The yellow mare smiled warmly at the effort. “Yes, tea is very helpful to calm down with.” She turned to head inside for more supplies when she saw that Angel already had that taken care of it along with Tank, who had a tray on his shell. “Oh, thank you! That’s very sweet of you!”

Fluttershy reached down and gave both pets a nose nuzzle, eyes closed with a wide grin. Rainbow tried to bury the jealousy she felt towards her pet and checked on the youngest pegasus. Scootaloo was also resetting the table, looking up with a bashful grin when she saw the bold mare glancing her way. They, along with the local animals, stayed the whole afternoon, talking about the past and some of the more horrible birthday parties, using laughter to help the healing. The birthday mare even got a chance to open the gifts that Rainbow had brought.

Teary eyed, Fluttershy hugged the multi-hued mare, muttering her thanks several times. Scootaloo assured the mare that the Crusaders also had one to give that they would be coming by some other day to drop it off. The pink maned mare laughed lightly and gave the filly a hug of thanks as well. The rough and tumble pegasi waved off the embraces and thanks, their faces painted bright red.

When the sun was mostly gone over the skyline, the various guests began to return home. The ponies were among the last to leave, waving goodbye before leaving via flight and a scooter respectively.

Dash stayed up in the air, grabbing a cloud and secretly watching over the two pegasi from afar. Beside her, radiating pride and love, floated Tank, who croaked his congratulations.

“Yeah, I recovered today buddy, but I can’t fix the past.” Rainbow pet his shell as she focused on the grounds below. “I just have to make sure the future is better for them. Both of them.”