//------------------------------// // 3: Advice from Rainbow Dash // Story: Three Ponies' Advice // by Atosen //------------------------------// “Rainbow Dash?” “Hmmngh. Five more minutes.” “Okay.” Fluttershy eyed the cloudstuff beneath her. How did Rainbow stand it? How had she ever stood it? It was spongy and tenuous, and not at all like the firm ground that Fluttershy had learned to rely on. She had to move gingerly lest she accidentally break the cloud up. She didn’t want to think about what would happen then. So she looked upwards instead, at all the other little tufts of white that decorated the sky. She loved that shade of blue. It always boded good things. It was the shade of old friends, old heroes. And, too, the shade of kind and laughing eyes. “Rainbow Dash? It’s been five minutes,” she prodded gently. “Hmngm.” Rainbow shifted, then gave a big yawn. She cracked one eye open. “Fluttershy? What are you doing here?” “I need advice.” Rainbow rubbed the sleep from her face and sat up. “What’s up, ‘Shy?” It all came tumbling out. “I don’t know who else to go to. I messed up with Rarity’s ideas and I don't think Twilight’s ideas worked and I don’t really know anypony else who’d know, but –” she took a deep breath – “I like Pinkie Pie and I keep getting things wrong and I don’t know what to do.” The cyan pegasus blinked. “You like Pinkie Pie? Like, like like?” “Like like,” Fluttershy confirmed. “Huh.” Rainbow grinned. “Awesome! So have you asked her out yet?” “N-no!” Fluttershy shrank down. But she had, hadn’t she? “I mean, sort of… Maybe… I invited her to a party with nopony else. But I’m not even sure if she likes me.” “You’re not sure if– Aw, come on, ‘Shy! Why don’t you just ask her?” Fluttershy mumbled something about being afraid to. Rainbow heaved a sigh. “It’s too early in the morning for problems like this.” “It’s mid-afternoon.” “Exactly. Look, Fluttershy… If you want somepony to like you, you have to prove yourself to them.” “Prove myself?” “Yeah! Like, I’ll lure Pinkie into the Everfree Forest and get her attacked by, I dunno, a hydra or something, and you can use your freaky animal skills to save her.” Fluttershy flattened herself against the cloud and shook her head quickly. “Oh no, that’s a terrible idea. What if she got hurt?” “Hey, I’d be there too! And nopony messes with the Dash.” Rainbow jutted her chin out like a burly superhero. “You’d just better hope Pinkie doesn’t fall for me!” Fluttershy just shook her head. “No hydra? Okay, so Plan B. What I’d do is I’d show off how awesome I am. I’d hit her with a Filly Flash, then a Double Inside-Out Corkscrew diving straight down into a Speed Strut, then cap it off with the Rainboom. Who could resist a show like that?” Fluttershy gave a small smile. “You’ve given me a lot of air shows over the years, Rainbow.” “And you can’t resist me, can you?” Rainbow smirked casually. “So you’re game?” “I’m not very good at flying stunts.” “Nah, nah, you’d have to show off something different. Like… tame a monster, or teach a bunch of eagles to fly formation. You know, something hard and cool.” Could she do that? She didn’t think either of those things were difficult to do. But doing them to impress somepony? As some sort of performance? “I don’t know, Rainbow.” A groan. “…Okay. Plan Three.” The stuntspony eyed Fluttershy speculatively. “You’re into that sappy stuff, right? Why don’t you just say you love her and kiss her? Smack, on the lips!” She snorted at Fluttershy's horrified expression. “Yeah, it’d be scary, but that’s the point. It’d be romantic and stuff. Trust me, nothing you’ve done wrong so far would matter after that. And then if she doesn’t like you – well, at least you’ll know for sure, right?” Somehow that sounded like the worst plan yet. *** Fluttershy had intended to wait a few days before her next attempt, but fate had other plans. “Angel? Please? Just one more bite. It's good for you.” The bunny shook his head and pushed the carrot away, but Fluttershy pushed it back persistently. “Pretty please?” Angel smacked his face with a paw, then gave the carrot a mighty kick. It went flying across the yard. “Oh dear. You need to be more careful, Angel. Just stay here and I'll bring it right back.” She turned and trotted towards where the carrot had fallen. She had to rifle through a bush for a minute to find it. She had just surfaced, carrot in her mouth, when she heard the whisper of pegasus wings approaching. “Fluttershy!” shouted Rainbow Dash, alighting nearby. “Come quick!” The carrot dropped to the ground. “What's wrong?” “Pinkie's in trouble! We need you!” Fluttershy meeped and stepped back. “Oh, no. What happened to her?” Rainbow ground a hoof into her face. “Just come on!” She launched herself back into the air and flew back the way she'd come. What else could she do? The yellow pegasus took a running leap into the air and followed. *** Fluttershy flew fast and low, her hooves skimming over fields of overgrown grass. Wind roared in her ears. Her wings were on fire. She hadn't flown this fast for this long in years. She had long since lost sight of Rainbow Dash among the rolling hillscape. But they were following the road straight as an arrow, so Fluttershy knew she was still going the right way. She had to be going the right way. Or somepony could get hurt. Pinkie could get hurt. Just as she began to think her wings would fall off, she caught sight of a speck flying over a hill ahead. No, not one speck. There was a whole flock of them, nearly a dozen creatures circling and diving like seabirds gorging on a feast. But they weren't seabirds. They were large and bulky, with the head and wings of giant eagles, and the bodies of lions. Griffons. On the hillcrest beneath them, surrounded, was a pink pony. Fluttershy put an extra surge of energy into her beleaguered wings, forcing herself to gain altitude to match the circling griffons. “U-u-um. Um, excuse me.” The griffons ignored her. Below, Pinkie was jumping around and shouting something, but Fluttershy couldn't make it out. Another griffon swooped at Pinkie, forcing her to duck. “Excuse me?” said Fluttershy. “P-please? I'm sure we can t-talk about–” –a griffon charged directly at Fluttershy, razor beak and talons bared– –Fluttershy's wings locked up in terror– –and she fell. A scream tore from her throat. Her legs flailed out to every side, scrabbling for nonexistent purchase. The earth shot up to meet her. Why was the earth she loved always so quick to turn against her? She closed her eyes. ...And then she landed on something soft and bouncy. She tumbled to the ground in a flail of pink and yellow and more pink. “Oof! Hi Fluttershy! Are you okay?” Fluttershy shook her head to clear it and eyed Pinkie blearily. “You... caught me?” “Well, duh!” Pinkie bopped her on the nose. “It wouldn't be any fun if you got hurt!” Fluttershy blinked at the hoof on her muzzle, then disentangled herself from Pinkie and sat up – and squealed as another griffon swooped at her. Talons raked through the air above her scalp, snatching in her mane and yanking out several hairs. “Hey!” said Pinkie indignantly. “That's not very nice. You frightened her!” A griffon landed in front of them and ROARED. Fluttershy grabbed Pinkie and with a powerful beat of her wings pulled the pink pony away. “Run!” she squeaked. The two of them stumbled for a few steps before breaking into a gallop downhill. The pride easily kept pace overhead. “Ooh! This way!” said Pinkie, and they dived off the road into the long grass. Blades wipped against their sides. It was even harder to run now, but Pinkie's plan became clear as they rounded the base of the hill. A gnarled old oak tree stood guard over a little brook winding between the hills. Pinkie dove through a pony-sized gap in its roots and Fluttershy squeezed in after her. They found themselves pressed together in a tight hollow inside the tree. It was earthy and dim, with the only light coming from the narrow entrance. The piercing cries of the hunters were muffled in here. Fluttershy slumped against the wall. The cool bark was nice. Heat was rolling off her flanks and her chest was heaving. Pinkie was leaning on her other side. There was no room for her not to, but it still seemed like a comforting gesture to Fluttershy. Pinkie's blue eyes glimmered with curiosity in the darkness. “What are you doing out here, Flutters?” Fluttershy didn't reply right away, because she needed to catch her breath, and she took her time catching her breath, so that she wouldn't have to reply right away. It was a simple question with a simple answer, but as soon as it was asked she didn't want to answer. “I...” she finally said. “I... I c-came to save you.” Pinkie tilted her head to one side. “Save me? From what?” There was a horrible CRUNCH as a griffon attacked their hiding place. Fluttershy squealed and shrank back, but the entrance was narrow: the larger griffon couldn't get in. It scrabbled at the bark of the tree for a few moments, then flew away again. “...F-f-from them.” Pinkie giggled and rubbed her nuzzle against Fluttershy's cheek. Everything looked brighter. “Silly filly. I'm not afraid of them!” “You're... not?” “Nope! But I'm very disappointed in them,” she suddenly said, flattening her lips in a disciplinary frown. “They shouldn't've scared to you! You're sensitive and nice and it's meany-mean-meanpants of them to make you frown!” Fluttershy turned to look at Pinkie properly. The baker looked very serious, but she couldn't tell any more than that in the darkness. Pinkie didn't casually hoof out compliments; that wasn't her style. And it was especially weird in a tense situation like this. She ought to be cracking jokes and literally laughing in the face of fear. What did 'sensitive and nice' mean? Another griffon crashed against the entrance. Talons raked down the sides of the opening, trying to widen it. Fragments of wood and bark pattered against the ground. They didn't have long. Fluttershy rubbed a hoof against the dirt. “I, um... You're– You're nice too, Pinkie Pie. You always make ponies smile.” She ducked behind the curtain of her hair. Pinkie giggled. How she could giggle at a time like this, Fluttershy would never know. “Thank you!” Okay. Okay. She could do this. Hop Skip and a Jump. “And you... you make me feel brave.” “No way! I wish I were as tough as you, Flutters.” Fluttershy's cheeks were hot. She shook her head quickly. “Oh, no. I'm anything but tough.” “You came here to save me, didn't you?” Pinkie tilted her head again and blinked innocently. “Um...” She did. Of course she did. How could she not? “...I guess so. And, um. I would have come for any of my friends, but... I th-think that knowing it was you made me extra worried. Because... I really care about you, Pinkie.” “Flutters?” Fluttershy shrank slightly. “Yes, Pinkie Pie?” “That was the worst love confession ever,” the pink pony announced, and pressed her lips against Fluttershy's. The pegasus froze. Her eyes opened wide and her wings stiffened. And then she melted. She leaned into it, returning the kiss with mounting confidence. She felt Pinkie’s forelegs gently wrap around her. The pink mare’s lips were soft and tasted of strawberry frosting. The hollow of the tree was bright as day. Everything was warm and soft. Vibrantly coloured confetti seemed to rain down on them. Wait, no, the confetti was real. Where did that come from? Outside, a familiar voice shouted “YES!” But Fluttershy didn’t care. She couldn’t tear her gaze from those blue eyes. Finally they surfaced for air. The cries of the griffons had gone silent. As Fluttershy peered out into the sunlight, she saw why: the whole pride had landed in front of the tree and was watching the two ponies. Fluttershy felt the blood rush to her face. And in the middle of the group of griffons was a blue pegasus with a rainbow-coloured mane. “Hey, Dashie!” said Pinkie, slipping out into the sunlight again with Fluttershy in tow. “You caught up!” Rainbow Dash snorted. “Caught up? I was hiding over that hill the whole time. I was waiting for you two to get on with it!” “Rainbow?” whispered Fluttershy. “The griffons…” “Oh, these guys?” Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly, then prodded her hoof at the griffon next to her – a lean one with a dark coat and a hawk-like face. “This is Giacomo. I know him from Junior Speedster Camp. Soon as I heard he and his friends would be dropping by Ponyville, I asked them to help me out with a prank. All I had to do was send Pinkie to meet them – which was totally true – and then get you out here, 'Shy. And Celestia, that was the best prank ever!” “Prank…?” Fluttershy felt Pinkie shift restlessly beside her. Rainbow suddenly looked reticent too, and scratched the back of her neck with a hoof. “Yeah. Uh, sorry we frightened you, ‘Shy. It was sort of an unavoidable part of the plan. But it all worked out, right?” It was all fake? A joke? There was never any danger? Fluttershy looked at the pony next to her. The pony who’d kissed her. The pony who – they hadn’t said it yet, but did they need to? – the pony who liked her back. Pinkie looked back at her with a face marred by worry. It didn’t suit her. Fluttershy smiled. “Yes, Rainbow. It all worked out.” And Pinkie took that as permission for a grin to explode across her face. “You’re totally right, Dashie! That was the best prank ever ever ever ever! You even had me going for a while! They were all whoosh, snatch, RAWR, and there was so many of them, and it was totally real, like the best ever Nightmare Night, even better than when Luna came last year and there were bats everywhere and–” Despite the audience, Fluttershy dared to kiss Pinkie on the cheek. Yes, she could get used to that. She was sure she caught one of the griffons say, “Awww.” “–yeah! And then kissies happened!” Pinkie draped a leg casually across Fluttershy’s withers. “You know what this calls for?” And she looked at Fluttershy, who hazarded: “A party?”