Provided one has enough finches, and wants to wake up at dawn, one does not need an alarm clock. Generally, this was Fluttershy’s first thought each morning.
The sun rose slowly – a little more golden than the rest of the day, as it was surrounded by a golden aura of unicorn horn magic from the goddess of the sun. This gold light bathed Fluttershy’s room as she rose to the sound of finches praising Celestia for another day, her own soft yellow coat and wings washed out against the background of her bedroom. She yawned, stretched her front legs, then her wings, then her back legs, and trotted to her window.
As Fluttershy took account of herself for the morning, she knew that today was the day. Generally this was Fluttershy’s second thought each day. The number of days required to make a statement about what Fluttershy’s second thought “generally” was is enough to show how many days were not the day, yet same as it ever was, Fluttershy was committed that it would be the day.
Because today was the day, Fluttershy wasted no time grooming herself for the morning. Because today was the day, she fed her animals as quickly as possible. Because today was the day, she ate only as much breakfast as she needed. Because today was the day, she could only check on any patients staying overnight. Because today was the day, she did not have time to find out why Angel was trying to bar her from leaving in a hurry. Because today was the day, Fluttershy galloped into town. Because today was the day, her heart leapt when the first cloud to disappear did so, delineated by a rainbow blur. Because today was the day, Fluttershy called out to the pegasus that caused the rainbow blur.
“Hey Fluttershy, come to help me clear the clouds?” Rainbow Dash called, chuckling at the thought of the timid pet expert attempting something as violent as kicking the fluffy balls of vapor.
Fluttershy jumped higher than the nearby trees, wings beating madly in excitement. Rainbow Dash saw her! With this burst of joy, she was able to actually say what she had meant to call out: “Hi, Rainbow Dash!”
The sound of her own voice frightened her into realization of the situation. Rainbow Dash saw her. She probably thought Fluttershy was stalking her, or was really challenging her to clear the clouds together, or was using a clever opening line to get her to loosen up so they could get closer and closer and then go home and when two ponies love each other very much and eleven months later the stork and-
Fluttershy found herself back in the state of legs locked, wings closed. Not the best situation when you are in the air. Being just above the trees means you’ve got about two and a quarter seconds before you hit the ground. Fortunately, there was a cloud catching her in two seconds flat.
“Whoa there, ‘Shy,” Rainbow scolded, holding the catching loud in her hooves, “don’t go falling for me”
Fluttershy smiled. Let Rainbow Dash think it for the clever pun and not for the truth behind it. “Sorry,” Fluttershy mumbled, “…a-and thanks for catching me.”
“No probs. So what are you doing hurrying into town this early?”
“W-was I hurrying? I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? What for?”
“I was just-” Fluttershy hid behind her own hair. She had come so far, and was so close, but the feeling of being caught was overwhelming. She needed to move forward, but being too obvious now might ruin her hopes. “I was just wondering if we could spend some time together today.”
“Oh? Doing what?” Rainbow asked. Rainbow asked, with a hint of anticipation. Fluttershy felt a little more confident.
“I… I was wondering… that is, if you wanted to… maybe… we could have tea at my cottage… and… talk about old times?”
The words “old times” hung in Rainbow Dash’s mind. If Fluttershy had said “Come talk about old times at my cottage and have tea,” Rainbow would have kindly reminded Fluttershy that she was not the sit-around-and-have-tea type. When she wasn’t busy napping, she felt a need to move. Yet, the way Fluttershy hid behind her hair and the mention of old times together struck a cord with the cyan pegasus, and she was right back in flight school ready to do anything for the timid filly – even if it meant making the impossible happen. Certainly sitting in one place enjoying tea would be hard, but this was the pony who took a legendary flying maneuver and made it so common that her friends asked her to use it for demolition work.
“I’d love to,” Rainbow Dash finally answered, “but I’ve got a good bit of a workday ahead of me. We’ve got a major downpour that I’m supervising, and it will take the whole team make sure that it produces the maximum precipitation without turning into a dangerous thunderstorm. I should be done late this afternoon, so I will be by right after that.”
Fluttershy smiled wide. For the first time in her life, she struggled to keep her voice down to a normal volume. “Great! I will see you then!” She hopped off the cloud, but hovered over the ground to release excitement through her wings. Rainbow dashed away, waving. Fluttershy waved back. “Do well with your downpour!” she called. In the back of Rainbow Dash’s head, she noted the last time she heard Fluttershy yell that loud was when she preformed the Sonic Rainboom.
Scratch that, it was the time at the Gala when she was trying to get the animals to love her.
Tea is a very interesting drink. The slow, gradual eating preferences of ponies leant itself to the preparation of bran and grass mash for pleasure, eventually refining itself to what would be considered a high-society beverage. Ponies began to enjoy the delicacy of a warm tea, and built a culture around the kind conversations and sophisticated manners of a proper tea time.
Rainbow Dash was in it for the sugar cubes, though. One or two in the tea, one or two on her plate, one or two tucked in a saddlebag for later, and an afternoon tea became enjoyable for Equestria’s fastest flyer.
Fluttershy stuck to her word: she indeed talked to Rainbow Dash about old times over the din of the hearty downpour. They reminded each other of a few of their favorite moments together in flight school, and of stories they had on separate occasions. They smiled at their old games and made each other laugh with quotes from adolescent movies. Fluttershy reveled in hearing of Rainbow Dash’s boredom with higher math courses and pranks she played on Gilda, just glad to know a little more about her. She had a mission, though, and so the point came to steer the mare into the desired conversation.
“So, Rainbow Crash,” Fluttershy segued from a story of how she earned the infamous nickname, “Why did you stick up for me all those times?”
Rainbow Dash smirked. “I guess you could say that I had a soft spot for you. Flying came so naturally to me, and you could barely avoid tripping over your mane. I thought it was unfair of the bullies to tease you when you were trying your hardest, so I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.”
“Well, it was always appreciated.”
“So, Klutzershy,” Rainbow Dash shot back, “Why did you always come to me for help? Why not a teacher or something?”
Fluttershy blushed. This was going so well. “I… I suppose I… I liked being rescued.” She took a sip of tea to allow those words to hang on their minds for a moment. “I knew you were brave, and such a good flyer, but… I could see that you got picked on too. It was funny, the bullies picked on me for being so old for our class, and you for being so young, as if they couldn’t decide. I… I guess I just thought… that you’d help me by showing them that… and you did…” she held onto that last word – knowing that the next thing she said could be the beginning of the fulfillment of all she had been waiting for since those days, she wanted it to be perfect. “…and I thought, we… could compliment each other, that despite our differences we could share each others feelings, because… I know that… you’d feel me… somehow.”
Rainbow Dash smiled. “I know what you mean. No matter what has happened in the past few years with the other Elements of Harmony, we share that connection. You’re the best friend I’ve had in my life.”
Rainbow reached over and hugged Fluttershy, and the yellow pegasus breathed easy for the first time since her guest arrived. Finally, everything was going right.
“Woah, I think it’s getting late, though, Fluttershy. It was nice talking. Thanks for the tea. I’ve got to get home.”
That was not what Fluttershy had in mind. It was all she could do to barely mumble a stock farewell as Rainbow fluffed her feathers to prepare for the flight and, waving again, smiling happily, flew towards her home.
Fluttershy watched her fly away. In his hutch, Angel sighed heavily, having witnessed the whole evening, silently hoping for the outcome that would bring a welcome revival to Fluttershy’s spirits. Instead, he found himself hopping out to pat her leg.
Then something came over her. Fluttershy knew that this was, by far, the best chance she had ever had to tell Rainbow Dash how she had felt for all this time. She could not let it pass.
“Angel, please make sure everyone is taken care of in this downpour. I will be back.” With that, Fluttershy flew off. Angel saw her resolved, and once more wished deep in his heart that things would turn out well for his friend.