Fluttershy watched as Rainbow Dash struggled to put on her armor. She had managed to get her boots and barding on easily enough but was having a difficult time getting her helmet over her long mane.
“Do you need help?” Fluttershy asked carefully. Rainbow had been so quiet and distant lately. After she had agreed to work for Nightmare Moon the two had moved closer to the Everfree. Fluttershy wasn’t sure if that had been Rainbow’s or Nightmare’s decision but either way she counted it as a small blessing. It was easier for her to take care of her animals this way, and her little critter family had grown rapidly since they had moved to the ground.
“I’m fine,” Rainbow grunted, her helmet slipping over her face again.
Fluttershy moved closer, taking Rainbow’s helmet in her hooves and lifting it out of her eyes.
Rainbow refused to look at her. Even from inches away, she couldn’t meet her gaze. “It’s too small…” She mumbled.
Fluttershy hummed idly as she set the helmet down and gently stroked Rainbow’s colorful mane. “I think your mane’s getting in the way. It could be too long to fit in the helmet.”
Rainbow sighed heavily and nodded her head. “I guess we have to cut it off then.”
Fluttershy leaned back, confused. “Why would we need to do that? Can’t you just ask for a bigger helmet?”
Rainbow snorted and shook her head, still not looking at Fluttershy. “I can’t just go up to Nightmare Moon and tell her she made a mistake. She probably wants me to have it cut. Uniform and all that, ya know?”
Fluttershy had to bite her tongue. She didn’t counter that Nightmare had given Dash detailed instructions on how to get her uniform and how to behave in it. She didn’t say that surely if a haircut was part of the requirements Nightmare would have mentioned it instead of the exact shade of purple Rainbow had to wear.
Fluttershy just nodded and headed to the kitchen to get some scissors.
She hated how tense Rainbow had gotten. When they were growing up, she was so passionate about everything but now she seemed detached and resigned.
And angry. She seemed only a wrong word away from lashing out.
Fluttershy found herself sympathizing with her. She hated Nightmare Moon just as most other ponies did. But to Rainbow it was personal.
She returned to the living room moments later, scissors in her grip.
“Do you want me to do it or…”
“Sure,” Rainbow said with a shrug, tilting her head towards Fluttershy.
Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile a little at the invitation. She sat close to Rainbow and took her prismatic mane in her hooves. It was long, soft, and messy. Just like it had been since they were children.
Without giving herself time to think it over she quickly snipped away a good few inches of the colorful mane. It fell around her like a pool of light and by the time she stopped the mane had turned into a short bob.
“There, all done.” She grabbed the helmet off the floor and attempted to place it back on Dash’s head. But the headgear got caught halfway down, the hair bunching up underneath it. “Oh, um…”
“You didn’t do enough,” Rainbow snapped, wrenching the helmet off her head and snatching the scissors from Fluttershy. She corralled her own mane above her head and, in one fluid motion, chopped it all off close to the scalp.
Fluttershy couldn’t stifle her gasp as the locks fell like stars from the sky.
Rainbow locked gazes with her, the anger clearing from her eyes almost instantly. She glanced down at the pool of hair surrounding them and then covered her eyes with her hooves. “Oh, Shy. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Fluttershy reassured her. She couldn’t help but stroke the new, short hair cut. The strands scratchy and rough. “You were just frustrated. I know you didn’t mean to snap.”
“It’s not that it’s…” She gave a long drawn out sigh, her hooves sliding down her face. The two were silent for a few moments, just sitting together with Fluttershy stroking Dash’s mane. Eventually Rainbow let out a quiet whisper. “Can you do the same to my tail? It needs to fit into this sleeve thing.”
Fluttershy nodded and picked the scissors off the floor. “Of course, I’ll try to make it short enough this time.”
Rainbow flinched, just a bit. “No no, you did great. Thank you for this, Flutters.”
Fluttershy didn’t say anything, just smiled reassuringly and took Rainbow’s tail in her hooves. She made sure to avoid the dock of Rainbow’s tail as she snipped it to match the mane.
When she was done she felt like she was drowning. The piles of long rainbow mane came up to her cutie mark and broke apart as she shifted.
Rainbow let out a heavy sigh when she was done and leaned into Fluttershy’s chest. “Thank you so much, Fluttershy. I’m… I’m really sorry.”
“I know, it’s okay,” Fluttershy reassured her, stroking Dash’s back as she felt her own fur growing damp. “I’m here for you, Rainbow. It’s alright.”
Fluttershy hated Nightmare Moon so much. She hated her for taking the light out of the sky and the one from Rainbow’s heart.