* Note: "Lost Treasure of Griffonstone" in non-canon here.*
It's been a little over a month since the young pegasus named Scootaloo found shelter with the "best adoptive parents ever" in Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. The paperwork that requested the adoption of said filly was approved just moments ago, found stamped in the mailbox by the pink-maned Fluttershy. After she and Rainbow retold the tale of Scootaloo's woes to the Mayor, unbeknowest to her as well after all this time, the mayor in question was more than cooperative in being a point of reference for the two mares. Now that the adoption papers were all officially approved by the Equestrian Government ( complete with a hoof print and a smiley face stamp by Princess Celestia herself), there was little else to do in the three ponies' minds but celebrate the momentous occasion.
Scootaloo and her new mothers ( The mentioning of that word was strange, but oddly comforting in the young filly's head), were at Sugarcube Corner getting ready to order when Pinkie Pie, the notoriously known party pony and baker, had already whipped up a "Congratulations on your official adoption and we all love you so very much" cake without any mention from anypony. Pinkie just nonchalantly winked and said "I have my ways" before galloping back behind the kitchen, leaving the trio extremely confused.
Nevertheless, the cake was made with utmost case, as suggested by the layers of vanilla sponge cake, hoof dipped in delicious caramel and cream cheese icing, and sprinkled with chocolate chips on top. The three of them ate that cake like they thought it was their last meal, a combination of both savoring the flavor and stuffing it into their mouths before anypony could take it away.
As Rainbow was chomping down on the cake's center (Surprising herself that she wasn't full yet), she remarked without hesitation, "This cake is the sweetest thing I've ever tasted!...... But not as sweet as you Fluttershy" she smirked upon the notice of the shy pegasus in question developing a rosy red blush on her face.
Fluttershy, who was startled by the sudden flirt, quickly regained her composure (yet still red around the face) as she replied, "Dashie..... Not in front of Pinkie"
"Can't hear you, I'm working on my Flutterdash and Scootadopt story" shouted Pinkie Pie from inside the kitchen. "I'm surprised it only has 11 likes, ponies usually eat these kinds of stories up".
Fluttershy and Rainbow quickly exchanged a look of confusion as there were still new sides of Pinkie they were discovering every day.
Scootaloo, however, unphased by Pinkie's fourth wall break, suddenly developed another question that was just dying to be answered on the spot. She quickly gulped her bite of cake before asking, "That's actually a good point Pinkie made. I know why you became a couple, but HOW did it happen?"
The two older mares, focus drawing back to Scootaloo shifted as they were unsure whether their tale of love was meant for a young filly to hear.
"Oh... Well, you know how it goes..." Rainbow nervously sputtered as Scootaloo's curiousity grew with every pause. "I defended Fluttershy from the bullies at Cloudsdale Flight Camp, Won the race, and suddenly, I could do Sonic Rainbooms and Fluttershy began talking to animals.... the usual.... kind of thing", shifted Rainbow as Fluttershy mentally facehoofed herself where as Scootaloo became unsatisfied with the answer.
"Not how you met. How you fell in love" Scootaloo retorted as she thought it was the most obvious statement in the world.
Fluttershy, upon Rainbow failing at answering Scootaloo's question subtly without romance, decided to step up to the plate. "Well, Scootaloo, I don't know if you're ready to hear that story yet. It may be.....complicated to understand".
Scootaloo gave the two a passive, yet stone-clear expression as she calmly said, "I grew up without parents, Thought everyone hated me, and moved to live out on my own at the age of five. I can take a little romance".
Upon the comeback performed by Scootaloo, Rainbow and Fluttershy exchanged a slight nod upon the realization that Scootaloo was quite mature for her age, all things considered.
Rainbow gave a sigh as she began telling the story of an unpredictable romance, "Fair enough......."..
Rainbow's Old Cloud Home - One Year Ago:
Rainbow was doing what other speed demon, cloud kicking, pegasus would do on a saturday morning....... sleeping, when all of a sudden, the cyan-maned pegasus was abruptly awoken from her slumber with an unexpected knock at the door.
"Who would be knocking on my door at 10:30 AM?" questioned Rainbow, unaware by the irony most ponies were awake at this hour.
When Rainbow got to the door, she was surprised to find her best friend, Fluttershy at her doorstep, especially considering Fluttershy always took to the ground or at most, a slight hover above the ground.
"Um.. Hi Rainbow. There's something I need to ask you? May I please come in?" spoke the nervous pegasus.
"Uh, sure. Please, make yourself at home" replied Rainbow, dumbfounded as to what would drive Fluttershy to fly up to her home.
"Well... you see this isn't your sort of thing......." began Fluttershy.
"You want me to brush my teeth?" questioned Rainbow.
"What? No!" exclaimed Fluttershy as she was not expecting that kind of response. (Note to self, by Rainbow a toothbrush for Hearth's Warming, she thought.)
"Well.... It's about this flight school reunion that I received in the mail. I know you probably got invited to, but I really don't want to go alone, So I was wondering if...... maybe...... you'd come with me?"
This took Rainbow for a loop to say the least. While she did receive a similar invitation in the mail, she had no intent on going as she grew to hate most of her classmates, Fluttershy being the obvious rare exception. Rainbow did not want to go and catch up with ponies who had either teased her or her friend, but seeing Fluttershy want to go after all the humiliation she endured.... was something Rainbow had to admire. While Fluttershy was not the strongest (physically and mentally) pony out there, Rainbow honored Fluttershy's ability to never give up and slowly but surely accomplish any goal whether it be to fly, find her talent, or just small little things that proved others wrong. In that moment, Rainbow realized that if the pegasus who got more bullied than her on any given day, could go to that school again and face her demons (metaphorically), she had no choice but to attend as well.
"You really want to go, huh?" Rainbow questioned with her usual smirk on her face, obviously influenced by her friend's subtle willpower.
"Why not? I figured it'd be good to face my fears...again." spoke Fluttershy, a little embarrassed at the realization these events have ocurred more than once.
" Well, then. Looks like you've got yourself a da....... friend. Yeah, friend" Rainbow recovered quite luckily. The fascination with the pink-maned pegasus's philosophy had almost got Rainbow to say that one word she dared never say. "I mean, I'm Rainbow but what would others say?" thought Rainbow as she quickly laughed it off.
"Yeah a da.... friend." Fluttershy gulped, almost slipping her secret out. "It's bad enough I'm already shy.... but if I was......" thought Fluttershy as she laughed in agreement alongside her "friend".
That Evening:
The Cloudsdale Flight School's graduating class of....... about 15 years ago, inhabited the gymnasium. Soft pop music slowly playing in the background, classmates were either sitting down talking to each other at cloudtables surrounded by chairs or were up dancing around next to the buffet and punch station. Fluttershy and Rainbow, however, were the exception to this however, as they both nervously shifted around the place, hoping nopony would try to ruin their evening with crude remarks or rude gestures.
Of course, that couldn't be any further away from the actual case as Rainbow spotted her ex-best friend Gilda the Griffon, noticing her from a mile away with an evil smile on her face.
"Run" Rainbow breathed lightly to Fluttershy's ear as she was well aware of the harm Gilda could impound on others. Gilda once paralyzed a colt for not giving her a nacho, so someone actually having beef with her (pun intended) was never a good thing.
Before Fluttershy could sprint away however, Gilda has caught up to both of them as she gave each of them a death glare that threatened to wipe them off the face of Equestria on the spot.
"Well well well, If it isn't my good old friends, Rainbow Crash and Clutzershy" Gilda spat as she was filled with revenge upon being embarrassed by her former friend in a small Ponyville bakery.
"H...Hey. Gilda. What's new?" Rainbow desperately questioned, as if she hoped Gilda would forget all her anger over her betrayal years ago.
"Nothing much. Came to see a FILLY FOOLER FAIL!" roared Gilda, capturing everybody's attention on the two pegasi who wanted to slip away as quickly as possible.
The music and talking came to a complete stop as ponies began laughing on hearing Rainbow being called the name that she was so afraid of others finding out.
"Wh.. What did you call me?" Rainbow silently questioned with slight fear in her voice and a hint of a tear in her eye as she knew the reputation she had built in Cloudsdale could come crashing down in an instant.
"Everybody knows. You idiot. You can't hide it. The rainbow mane, the cocky attitude, the unwillingness to talk about your personal life. We all know. Might as well die right now if you know what'as good for you." hissed Gilda, who knew she had her prey captured right where she wanted her.
Fluttershy couldn't believe her ears. She had seriously heard Gilda taunt Rainbow and not only that but to want her DEAD?! Rainbow was deeply upset by the griffon's comment and she knew she had to do anything in her power to make it stop. Something snapped inside Fluttershy that night. Maybe it was her own secret that she just discovered Rainbow shared out of humiliation, Maybe it was the hate she had felt for Gilda after all these years of threatening others without the slightest hint of remorse, Maybe it was her heart realizing how often Rainbow defended her from bullies without that same protection back, but Fluttershy exploded in a ball of fire. "Killing with Kindness" was blinded by "Kill".
With one straight hoof to the face, Fluttershy approached Gilda and sent her crashing into a vacant wall, halting the laughter spread by her peers and sending Rainbow's jaw agape as Gilda was laid flat on the ground in a heap of blood.
As Fluttershy slowly crept towards Gilda, she said something that made the world stop moving, the trees stop growing, and Cloudsdale motionless........ "Never say that to my marefriend again."
Rainbow couldn't believe at what she had witnessed. Fluttershy had not only laid a beatdown on Gilda, but also said the 7 words she thought she would never hear herself, let alone Fluttershy say.
"Now we run" whispered Fluttershy as the two quickly galloped away, not knowing what ever happened inside that gymnasium afterwards.
When the two pegasi reached Rainbow's home, Rainbow suddenly started bawling and could not stop. Fluttershy had gone far and beyond defending her in one night more so than she had done all her life. She was grateful, yet unsure of what was to come.
"Did you really mean what you said back there?" Rainbow choked in the midst of happily sobbing.
"What do you think?" questioned Fluttershy, who had suddenly taken the confidence of Rainbow Dash, yet was still shaken up by the incident she had committed.
"Let's find out" spoke Rainbow Dash with a toothy grin as she went in for the kiss that not only bloomed a new relationship, a new side expressed to their other friends, but also a future in which they'd give a loving filly a good home.
And the two snuggled all night.
Back to the Present:
"Wow!" Scootaloo gaped in awe and wonder at the story just told....... "I... I never knew......"
"Yeah" Rainbow commented, that night was the night Fluttershy helped me in more ways than one. "I never thanked you by the way for that night" Rainbow turned to Fluttershy with a look that screamed appreciation.
"I think you've made it up in spades" blushed Fluttershy as the two quickly hugged, much to the heartfelt emotion of Scootaloo and Pinkie Pie.
Scootaloo finally spoke up and said, "I wish I find love like you two did one day."
Rainbow and Fluttershy laughed upon hearing this, much to the confusion of Scootaloo. "You already have" Rainbow commented as she brought Scootaloo into a trio hug that left Pinkie crying in awe even more.
"Seriously, How does this have only 11 likes?" Pinkie whispered, as the four remained like this long into the night at the quiet bakery. That night, more than magic and friendship happened, Love happened, in more ways than one.