There was a reason she and Fluttershy weren’t a couple. A really good reason.
Rainbow Dash pulled her goggles down over her eyes and began warming up for her morning’s exercises.
It wasn’t that Fluttershy wasn’t a great pony. And it wasn’t that Dash didn’t find her attractive, because Celestia knows that that silky pink mane and those sleek yellow feathers made Dash’s stomach do backflips and those greenish blue eyes made her heart do somersaults.
Stretch. Her wings stretched out to their full length, trembling slightly as she felt muscles pulling and tingling after being static for so long. She arched her back with a sigh, shaking the sleep out of her shoulders and the weariness from her bones.
No. Fluttershy was an amazing pony. Dash knew that better than anyone. ‘Shy was her best friend; she’d been her best friend for years and years now. They’d met at flight camp. Yeah, that was a memory that would never fade: those terrified eyes gaping up at her, feathers mussed, lip bleeding. That small voice begging for Dash not to hurt her.
Dash trotted up to the edge of the cloud and peered down at the ground below. It was quiet. Nopony was out yet, and the sun barely peered over the horizon in a dull orange that only just began to pierce through the dark purple of night. Dash closed her eyes and let herself fall backwards off her perch. Wind whistled in her ears as she plummeted towards the ground.
Dash would never hurt her. Not on purpose. She had chased those other ponies away, and she had helped the poor lanky filly back onto her hooves. She made a promise that day to protect her, to be her defender. She still remembered that burst of pride she had felt when that small yellow pony had smiled and called her her hero. Dash never wanted anything more than to hear her say that again. And so she kept the bullies away.
Without opening her eyes she felt it, the need to right herself and fly. She was getting to close to the ground. Pull up. Pull up. But Dash was in control. She wasn’t a slave to her instincts. So she kept falling. Down down down.
Junior Speeders came and Dash met Gilda. Her and the griffon hit it off immediately, but ‘Shy seemed not to like her. Dash never understood why, and it soon became apparent that a rift was forming in their relationship. ‘Shy never visited when Gilda was around, so Dash rarely saw her at all. Gilda rolled her eyes and suggested Dash just give up on her. ‘Shy was a big filly now, she could take care of herself.
Dash flared out her wings, being careful to not extend them too far and have them snap back with the force of the air whipping past her. She felt herself lift up with a jerk, and then she was gliding. She opened her eyes to see how close she had come to the ground; the rooftop of Sugarcube Corner was level to her shoulder, she had come extremely close to danger. She coasted on for a few moments more.
‘Shy had shown up at her door one night, bruised and limping. Dash ignored Gilda’s heckling and did her best to fix the shuddering pony up. She wasn’t skilled with bandages or anything, but she tried her best to soothe her friend all the same. ‘Shy finally admitted that a few mares had attacked her on her way back to her room. She didn’t know why. Dash felt old rage building up inside of her; she had been an idiot. ‘Shy was her responsibility, she was supposed to protect her. Dash stormed out of the room, ignoring ‘Shy’s pleas for her to stay. She was going to make up for lost time.
Dash flapped her wings in strong, long strokes, taking herself higher and higher until she burst through morning clouds. Beads of water clung to her mane and rolled off the glass of her goggles, and she shook herself dry. She climbed higher still. She needed to go higher.
Of course she had gotten in trouble. The head mare couldn’t pry an answer from Dash about why she had assailed three, innocent fillies. Dash sat in her chair and took the verbal punishment in stride. She had made sure that those fillies would never touch Fluttershy again, and she had done it with only a black eye and a chipped tooth to show for it. Dash hadn’t expected ‘Shy to bust in and take the blame. No matter what Dash said to the contrary, the head mare was much more inclined to believe ‘Shy’s story than Dash’s. Fluttershy had been sent home, and Dash heard that she had made a trip to the ground and never came back. Her ‘Shy was gone and she’d failed.
The air was thin up here, and Rainbow Dash stopped her ascent to hover. She looked down at the ground which was barely a mass of green and brown shapes. Clouds floated lazily along, obscuring the ground below. She twisted herself around and shot back down like a rocket.
All of that was in the past. ‘Shy never wanted to talk about it, and Dash was kind of grateful for that. But it still burned in the back of her mind constantly. She had decided that she would still be there for ‘Shy, she would still protect her as best as she could. Even though ‘Shy was becoming more and more able to protect herself, Dash swore that she wouldn’t let Fluttershy be hurt so badly again.
This was different from falling; she was propelling herself down, racing towards the ground, and going to meet it like an old friend. There was no fear or hesitation, there was no gentle apathy, but there was a thrill and a rush as she closed the gap between sky and land.
So why was it that despite Pinkie’s teasing and Applejack’s insistence that Dash couldn’t ask Fluttershy on a date? Why was it that Rarity’s advice and Twilight’s subtle hints couldn’t goad her into taking another step forward? Why was it that ‘Shy’s glances that lingered a bit too long and her shy advances were ignored and brushed off? It was simple really.
She would pull up. She always pulled up. She wasn’t stupid or suicidal. But she would let the earth get a little bit closer. Just a little bit more…
She had to protect ‘Shy. She couldn’t let her get hurt. So despite the ache in her chest and the desire in her heart, she couldn’t do that to her. She had to keep bad ponies away from her Fluttershy, even if those bad ponies were herself.
She pulled up. The force from her descent hummed and snapped around her, and she shot upwards with blinding speed. A multi hued shockwave exploded around her, and she knew that she was trailing a rainbow behind her.
She would stick around, and when ‘Shy found a nice pony that could love her without hurting her she would pretend to be happy. Her Fluttershy deserved the best. So Dash would make sure she got nothing less.
--Author's Notes---
Again this was a submission to Thirty Minute Ponies and as such was written in thirty minutes under the prompt: "It’s clear to everypony that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are a couple. Everypony except Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy." I hope you enjoyed it.