//------------------------------//
// Nostalgia 
// Story: Changed Mares 
// by Typoglyphic 
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Throngs of ponies surged from classrooms the instant the bell rang. Feathers filled the air as pegasi struggled to get to the cafeteria ahead of those galloping on the cloud floor below. The laughter and shouting of hundreds of teenagers just released from scholastic captivity for a brief hour pierced the soft cloud walls and echoed throughout the school.

The chaos began to die down. After a minute or two, a lone pegasus filly crept out of a classroom and shuffled down the hall. Her stuffed saddlebags engulfed her thin frame, making her seem even smaller. She needed everything in them, no matter how much the strap hurt her back.

By the time she reached the cafeteria, more than half of the seats were filled with students tucking into what passed for food in public schools. The kitchen line-up still wrapped all the way around the room and out into a hallway. Fluttershy ducked her head and quietly made her way to an unoccupied table in the corner. She wrinkled her nose at the scent of wet hair and stale sweat wafting over from a nearby group of colts. She slid her saddlebags off and pulled it open. Her packed lunch lay beneath two textbooks and a threadbare pencil case. She carefully fished out the small container, then cast a nervous look around the room. Nopony payed her any attention. She set her lunch down on the table and tore off the plastic lid. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could retreat to a quieter part of the school until her next class.

She choked down half of her sandwich and took another look around. She was still unnoticed. A wisp of multi-coloured hair caught her eye, and she froze.

There she was. Rainbow Dash stood right in the middle of the cafeteria line, surrounded by excited colts and fillies all vying for her attention. Rainbow shot a few words to one colt, laughed at a filly’s joke, then gave another a soft mock punch. The other ponies laughed along with her. Couldn’t they tell that Rainbow was just being polite? That she didn’t actually care what they were saying? Fluttershy turned her attention back to the centre of the pack.

Even just taking a step forward in line, Rainbow moved with the same intensity she flew with, her whole body thrown into every motion. Her untamed mane trickled down her neck and shoulders, contouring the faintly visible lines of her toned flight muscles. She strolled up and propped a hoof against the counter. Nopony but Rainbow Dash could look daring while ordering cold, mystery sauce pasta, but she pulled it off with a crooked grin and eyes that sparked with rebellious spirit. She extended one wing, the graceful plumage standing out in stark relief against the monotony of the room, and slid the plastic tray onto it.

Ponies paused whatever they were doing as she walked past them down the aisle. Only for a moment, but nopony was immune. Chairs slid closer to tables to give her space, since everypony knew it would be wrong to obstruct the sky incarnate’s path for even a moment. Rainbow’s face split into a carefree grin, and when she spoke, her words radiated with fierce joy.

“Hey, Flutters!”

Fluttershy jumped, her rear coming off the seat entirely. She may have also squeaked. It was hard to tell over the marching band in her chest. “R-rain-b-b-b-” She pressed her lips together before any other non-words could escape. Maybe if she looked terrified enough, Rainbow would give up and find somepony more fun to talk to. With a careful flap of her wings, Rainbow popped into the air and arced over the table, making a dull thump as she settled on the hard plastic chair next to her.

“How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you all week.” Rainbow dipped her head and snapped up a bite of her lunch. “Bwhe shouh heng out morr.” She swallowed and coughed, her jaw hanging open and her tongue lolling. Her teeth shone against the soft pink of her mouth.

The room beyond Rainbow was still, the light beyond the two of them dwindling. Fluttershy wracked her brain for the right answers to her questions, her eyes darting between Rainbow’s eager expression and the table below. She realized that she was leaning away from Rainbow the second before she reached the tipping point. She squeaked again and flailed her hooves as her flank slipped from the chair. Something caught her hoof.

“Jeez, you okay?” Rainbow tugged her back upright and dropped her hoof. Fluttershy was simultaneously relieved and disappointed. Her hoof tingled. “Uh… Fluttershy?” .

She managed a jittery nod. Rainbow stared.

“…You sure?”

Fluttershy stopped nodding. She’d been nodding for almost ten seconds straight.

“Okay then.” Rainbow stared at her for a second. Her rosy eyes were searching for something. She gave up after a moment and stuck her face back into her lunch.

Fluttershy wrenched her gaze from Rainbow and back to her own lunch. She still had half a sandwich to finish, but she couldn’t eat while Rainbow was watching her. Or was anywhere near her. She would just have to wait it out. Rainbow would get bored of her soon. She always did.

Sure enough, Rainbow slid a wing under her food tray and turned back to her. “I’ll, uh, see you around, I guess.” She trotted away, once again filling the room with each step. She spun around, stared across the room at some nearly empty tables, then she turned again and disappeared down the hall, food tray and all.

Fluttershy released a long, shaky breath. Her hoof trembled as she lifted her sandwich back to her mouth. No one else tried to sit next to her. She finished her lunch in three more bites and stuffed the container back in her bags. With eyes downcast, she crept out of the cafeteria and into the labyrinth of hallways in search of solitude. It was never hard for her to find, especially when Rainbow wasn’t around.







The worst thing about Rainbow’s new job in Ponyville was the hours. She was great at a lot of things, but waking up early was pretty low on the list. On the other hoof, she was so good at her job that most days she was back in bed before normal ponies woke up anyway. This wasn’t one of those days.

Her hooves thundered into the last cloud above Ponyville’s public park, sending a torrent of rain down to the grass below. She touched down and looked to the horizon. All she had left to do was set up a bank of cumuli over the town and she could go back to bed. Or not, since it was almost noon and she wasn’t really tired anymore. That was fine. She could just practise her routine for the rest of the day. Her wings twitched in anticipation. She launched herself up, soaring into the warm morning air. Ponies strolled through the streets below, occasionally glancing up and marvelling at the how awesome she looked. That was also fine. She had gotten used to ponies staring over the years. They couldn’t help it, especially the non-pegasi, and she didn’t fault them for it. She was generous like that.

Of course, not everypony was staring. Earth ponies didn’t look up very much, so they usually didn’t notice her at all. Unicorns were a bit better about that, for some reason. Maybe it was the horns. It seemed like a unicorn thing to do, just staring at their own horns all day. She shot past the town library, her feathers brushing against the tree’s leaves, and set her eyes on the cumulus bank rising from the weather centre. She glanced down and froze in mid-air.

A yellow pegasus galloped across a bridge, her pink mane and tail coursing in the wind. Rainbow grinned. What was Fluttershy doing in Ponyville? She dove toward her without a second thought. She hadn’t seen Fluttershy since flight school. Maybe she’d loosened up a bit. Rainbow hoped not. Fluttershy just wouldn’t be Fluttershy if she could get through a whole sentence without eating all four hooves. She probably had nothing to worry about. Rainbow had only gotten hotter and awesomer since flight school. If Fluttershy had digged her back then, she definitely would now.

She flew low, her belly almost brushing against Fluttershy’s mane, then spun and landed on her hooves directly in front of the other mare. Fluttershy stumbled back and let out a short, high-pitched scream which died as a strangled yelp a second later. She crouched, her face low to the ground, and panted into the dirt. She looked up after a few seconds, and her eyes flew open.

“Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy just stared at her, her knees trembling.

Oh yeah, she still had it bad. Rainbow burst out laughing. “Oh jeez, it is you! What’re you doing in Ponyville?”

Fluttershy whimpered something.

Rainbow suppressed a grin. Just like old times. “Uh… what?”

“I live here.” She tilted her head down, letting pink strands fall over her and hide her face.

Woah, she talked! A whole sentence too, kinda! Rainbow was so shocked that it took her a few seconds to process the words themselves. “Wait, you moved here? To Ponyville?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“That’s crazy! Why haven’t I seen you around town before?”

“Oh, I…” Fluttershy shrugged, her eyes darting to look everywhere but at Rainbow. “I don’t really go out much.”

“Heh, I know the feeling.” She didn’t really, but, unlike some ponies, Rainbow knew how to hold a conversation. “I’ve only been here for, like, three days, so I haven’t really met anypony but the other pegasi on the weather team.” She waited for Fluttershy to reply. The other mare just turned and stared at the ground beside them. Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I’m on the weather team, by the way. Apparently there’s a shortage of talented pegasi, so they had to beg for me to come help them.”

Fluttershy’s rear legs buckled, and she dropped hard onto her flank. She adopted a half-hearted smile before immediately abandoning it. She looked a bit flushed. Must have been the sun.

“Why did you move here?” Rainbow asked.

“Animals,” Fluttershy said to the ground.

“Oh.” Right, Fluttershy got along with animals. “Well, uh, you looking forward to the festival? I’m in charge of the weather!”

Fluttershy bit her lip. “ The Summer Sun Celebration?” she asked.

Rainbow nodded. Duh.

“Of c-course I’m looking forward to it.” Fluttershy shuddered. “I’m in charge of the music.” Her forelegs trembled.

Rainbow chortled. “What? Do they even know you? How can you be in charge of anypony?”

Fluttershy’s eyes watered. The sun was definitely getting to her. “No ponies. Only birds.” She was so quiet that Rainbow had to lean in to hear her.

“Well, good luck I guess.”

Fluttershy shifted and turned to look down the path, away from the town. She started to stand. Her opened and closed her mouth a few times, her eyes wide. She was shifting past Rainbow, inch by inch. That was how Fluttershy usually ended conversations—by awkwardly tip-toeing away.

Rainbow squinted, trying to think of something to say. It was fun to have somepony to talk to. She had other friends, of course. They were just busy being in Cloudsdale. Besides, just the other day she’d hung out with that hot farm pony on the other side of town. Well, that had been for work, technically, and they hadn’t really talked, but it had still been fun so it counted anyway.

“We should hang out sometime,” Rainbow blurted. “We could go flying or something.”

Fluttershy froze. “Oh, I’m not a very good flier. Sorry.”

“It doesn’t have to be flying.” What did Fluttershy like to do? “Why don’t we just… I don’t know, sit around and drink tea?” Had those words really come out of her mouth? Her cheeks burned. “Not that I like drinking tea.”

Fluttershy just stared. That was the best thing about Fluttershy. She was always so nervous because of her crush that she didn’t notice when Rainbow accidentally said uncool things that she didn’t really mean.

“Okay,” Fluttershy whispered, hiding behind her bangs.

Rainbow blinked. She didn’t want anypony getting ideas. “This isn’t a date, though.” She cleared her throat. “Just friends, drinking tea and doing other lame stuff.”

Fluttershy yelped. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, backing away. Her ears, her face, even her neck was starting to turn red. Rainbow looked up. The sun was bright in the sky. She winced. Oops.

“Later, Fluttershy! I gotta dash!” Rainbow shot up into the sky. How long had she been talking with Fluttershy? Five minutes? Ten? She could still move the clouds in before her supervisor noticed, probably. She flew over the weather centre and grabbed a cloud.

Sometimes, Rainbow was amazed at just how many kinds of ponies were into her. Cool ones like Gilda and her marefriends in school, and also shy, awkward ones like Fluttershy. She always felt better after talking with Fluttershy. After all, nopony could resist the Dash.

Not even that cute farm pony.







Donut Joe’s usually closed at midnight. It was almost three in the morning, and the donuts and coffee were still flowing. Fluttershy sat awkwardly in her ruffled, dirty gala dress and smiled. They had all broken into little groups. She, Rarity and Pinkie were sitting around one table, Twilight and the Princess occupied another, and everypony else was at the counter. Usually even this much excitement would have been too much for her. After the Gala, it was a welcome break. Fluttershy glanced up from her donut and tuned in to Rarity and Pinkie’s conversation.

“I spent most my evening in the courtyard, dear,” Rarity said. “I have no idea how the ballroom became so rambunctious!”

“Well…” Pinkie screwed her face up, “it might have been my fault.”

Rarity stared at her, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, come on! Even you have to admit that the party didn’t start until I started it!” Pinkie huffed. “These Canterlot ponies wouldn’t know a good time if it shot confetti all over them.”

Rarity sighed. “Pinkie Pie, had you even heard of the Gala before Twilight gave us those tickets? It is not, and never has been, that kind of event.”

Fluttershy winced. Now would be a bad time for an argument.

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Parties are my special talent, Rarity! I know how to throw them all, stuffy parties included! And that was a terrible stuffy party.”

“It was a divine ‘stuffy party,’ as you call it, before you tried to hijack the performance!” Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “I may have been stuck with a royal buffoon, but you had to ruin the night for everypony else!”

Pinkie glared. Rarity glared back. Fluttershy could tell that both of them were near tears. It had been a long night. They were looking for somepony to blame.

“You’re the one who knocked the statue over,” Pinkie said.

“First of all, that insipid prince knocked the statue over, not me. And he wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t covered him in cake!”

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy muttered. Pinkie and Rarity froze.

“Whatever for, dear?” Rarity asked.

“No matter what you two did, I would have ruined the party anyway. All those poor animals…”

Pinkie and Rarity exchanged glances.

“Aw, don’t be so hard on yourself, Shy-shy.”

“Yes, you couldn’t have known that those animals would be so… skittish.”

“But I could have!” Fluttershy said. “I could have been patient. Let them come to me. They would have told me why they were so scared if I’d listened.”

Rarity reached across the table and laid one hoof over Fluttershy’s. “I’m sure they will forgive you.”

“Yeah! Nopony could stay mad at you, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy felt a trickle of pride in her chest. She had done it. “Thanks, girls. Tonight was just awful.” She glanced around the room, her eyes sliding past the store’s counter and the ponies sitting there. “I’m glad we’re here.”

The conversation resumed and Fluttershy sat back, returning her attention to her donut. She loved her friends, but they could be dense sometimes. She was usually too nervous to say anything, but so far tonight was proving to be the exception.

She let her eyes wander. She was used to sitting on the fringes of conversation, so she was good at looking around aimlessly without seeming to stare. Twilight and the Princess exchanged words between sips of coffee. Twilight’s eyes were bright and excited, all of her fatigue washed away by caffeine and conversation. Celestia smiled back at Twilight conspiratorially. She seemed to be having just as much fun.

Fluttershy made the mistake of letting her eyes linger on the counter. Rainbow shouted and laughed and squealed, gesturing all the while. Applejack grinned and listened. Donut Joe stayed a few feet back from the counter to avoid Rainbow’s swinging hooves and wings. Applejack tossed him a sympathetic shrug, then said something to Rainbow. Fluttershy was too far away to hear, but she could see Rainbow’s blush clearly. A wave of envy rolled through her.

Fluttershy tore her eyes away and looked down at her table. She was having fun. The night had come together with the perfect blend of exhaustion and excitement, leaving her relaxed and carefree. So long as she ignored the well of uncertainty sitting at the counter.

“Are you feeling well, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy looked up.

Rarity stared at her with a soft expression, her eyes wide with concern. “You seem a bit… unfocused. Did you have a bit too much punch at the Gala?”

“I’m fine,” Fluttershy blurted slightly too loudly. She winced, breathed. “Sorry. Tonight’s just been more exciting than I’m used to. I expected to spend the whole Gala talking with the animals.” She sighed. “I’d never been so frustrated in my life.”

“We were all acting like foals. We just need to put the Gala behind us,” Rarity said.

Pinkie nodded reluctantly.

Motion by the counter caught Fluttershy’s attention. Applejack trotted across the room toward the bathroom signs. A second later, Rainbow stood and started toward their table.

“So, Rarity,” Rainbow said, “what happened with that prissy stallion you were after? I only really saw the end of it.”

“I was not ‘after him’!” Rarity retorted. “I simply misjudged his character. He had the airs of a true gentlecolt, but he turned out to be something of a brat.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, and Rarity turned away indignantly. She wasn’t really offended though. Fluttershy could tell.

“How was your night with the Wonderbolts, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked. At least she could talk to Rainbow now, so long as she didn’t stand too close or let her eyes wander too far.

Rainbow snorted. “I didn’t really have one. Turns out the Gala sucks for them as much as it sucked for us!” She took in the condition of Rarity and Fluttershy’s hair and dresses. “I guess my night wasn’t as bad as either of yours.” She paused, considering. “It was definitely worse than Twilight’s though.”

“The Gala is somewhat of a phenomenon in that it is always universally disappointing for everypony involved.” Princess Celestia said from behind Fluttershy. “This year was no exception.” Everypony chuckled. After a few seconds, Fluttershy joined in. Something swelled in her chest. Maybe she had drunk too much punch.

“Nopony’s disappointed anymore, right!” Pinkie shouted, her voice echoing in the small diner.

There were a few cheers from Rainbow, and enthusiastic sounds of agreement from everypony else. The chuckles built until everypony was laughing breathlessly. A pink hoof draped over her back. Pinkie had started a group hug.

Fluttershy was wary of physical contact with Rainbow, but she relished their occasional six-pony hugs. It was her only opportunity to get close to Rainbow without drawing attention to herself. She shifted sideways. Rainbow rolled her eyes, lifted a wing, and rested it on Fluttershy’s back. They drew forward, closing the circle. Fluttershy leaned in, pressing her side against Rainbow’s. She closed her eyes and relaxed, comforted by the other mare’s warmth. Every moment was worth dying for.

The hug only lasted for a few seconds. Rarity pulled back first. Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow stepped back soon after, leaving Pinkie and Fluttershy alone. Pinkie smiled at her then turned and trotted toward the store counter.

Fluttershy looked back over her shoulder and caught Rainbow’s smirk. She knew. She had always known. Rainbow enjoyed their friendship, and she even tolerated Fluttershy’s wandering eyes. It would be selfish for Fluttershy to ask for anything more. She looked at the ponies around her. She had friends. Friends who actually liked her, who cared about her. That was worth more to her than just about anything.