“Rise and shine! No, rise and shine in style!”
Several crusts scratched Fluttershy’s cyan eyes. No replies were spoken; fatigue strangled her already soft voice.
“You said you wanted to get up early with me! Well, now is the time! Let’s get going! Come on!” A pair of muscular forelegs constricted a tight grip around the sleepy mare. “I need my best pal with me!”
“Okay... okay Rainbow... Rainbow Dash... I’m... I’m here.”
“Sleepy head!” Rainbow jolted Fluttershy on her hooves. “Chop chop!”
Yawning with the force of a mouse, Fluttershy stretched her legs and reached for a glass of water. “Good morning Dash.”
“Good morning? Are you kidding me? It’s a great morning! It’s always a great morning when you cruise with me!”
“I’m ready Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy whispered. “I’ll just grab a snack for the way out. Where do you want to practice?”
“I know a place really close to this hotel. A quick flight away!” Rainbow’s wings spread with excitement.
“Sure Rainbow Dash. Sorry you had to go through so much effort to wake me up.” Fluttershy’s eyes, still recovering from the morning, quickly met the ground.
“What did I tell you about apologizing! Don’t do that! You don’t need to!” A hoof soon rested across Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I actually... well... you know...”
“What is that, Rainbow Dash?”
“I need... I need the cheering! And I need the crowd!”
“Dashie, you don’t have to lie to me. What were you going to say?”
“You know, I’m like totally awesome and everything... but... I need... I need...”
“It’s okay,” Fluttershy soothed. “I’m your best friend. You can tell me anything.”
“You.”
Dark embers roasted inside Equestria’s kindest heart. The air compacted every inch of yellow between a layer of heat and pressure.
“I need my friend with me. I need to know that somepony is right with me. I want somepony to remind me of what I still have at home. I need support. And I need you.”
Rainbow Dash stepped back, feeling her cheeks heat up. “You know what, my tricks are way cooler with my pal around. So yeah, totally get ready! Let’s go!”
Me? No, she needs a friend. Not me. Thoughts engaged in a violent clash inside the mare’s head.
“‘Shy? You alright? Equestria to Fluttershy. Do you come in?”
“Sorry, I’m just so tired,” Fluttershy shrugged at the weak nature of her lies. “Yes... and thank you Rainbow Dash. Everypony needs friends. Everypony needs support. Don’t worry about it.”
“Hey, I didn’t say any sappy thing like that!” Rainbow giggled. “Now, don’t tell anypony! Pinkie-promise?”
“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
“Now what you are going to see next? That, well, you can tell everypony! Actually, I want you to tell everypony! The world must know!” Rainbow descended into her usual ramblings, speaking with the boast of Applejack and the intensity of Pinkie Pie.
“I don’t know Rainbow Dash! Maybe you could show me your tricks first, then I could go around telling everypony,” Fluttershy teased. “Equestria’s fastest pegasus isn’t all talk, right?”
Sparks jittered every strand of hair of Rainbow cyan coat. “Is that a challenge Fluttershy?”
“Yes certainly... I mean, yeah totally. It’s totally a challenge Rainbow!”
“No challenge is too great for me! And work on talking... um... cooler, Fluttershy.”
“Then I guess... well... um... how about... we both have awesome challenges! Woo hoo!”
Rainbow opened the door for her friend. “Better, but it needs practice. Unlike my flying!”
“Nopony’s perfect,” Fluttershy closed the door. “But I guess you are pretty close Rainbow Dash.”
“Rainbow Dash! I can’t believe it! That was so... umm... awesome? Woo hoo!” Fluttershy cheered.
“Awesome? No that was cool to the max! Cool beyond cool! I can’t even explain it! That’s how cool that trick was!” Rainbow roared.
“You rock!”
“Alright, that’s enough boasting for me. I don’t want anypony to see me and get jealous or anything. Wait, I do want that,” Rainbow lost herself. “Anyway, let’s see you try!”
“Me? You know I can’t top that, or even come close,” Fluttershy shrunk.
“Get on up here filly! Come on, right here, right now! Don’t make me make you get up here!”
No. I can’t do that, Fluttershy clashed her thoughts. But it would be fun.
“Five seconds and I drag you up here!”
Be assertive! Get what you want for a change!
“Three-”
She’s going to tackle me again. Be cool Fluttershy.
“Two-”
Oh Celestia! This is wrong! You’re selfish!
“One! Ready or not, here comes Rainbow Dash!”
“Eeeep!”
In a blur of rainbow, the frightened mare found herself high in the sky, safe in the grip of her friend.
“Right. You have wings. Now use them.”
Wings?
“Got get ‘em ‘Shy!”
Keep going! You’re a great flyer. Do it for yourself! Do it for Rainbow Dash!
“Come on! Double back-flip! You can do it!”
You got it! Keep it up!
“That’s it! Keep going! You got this girl!”
“Rainbow Dash! I’m doing it!”
“Finish strong!”
"I did it!"
“Fluttershy that was awesome!”
Fluttershy’s adrenaline spiked to a level previously unreachable. The tricks, already a rush beyond the bashful mare’s standards, were dwarfed by the following events. Her mind raced with the series of events and if her chilled nerves were any indication, she had already lost.
“What’s the matter ‘Shy?”
Nothing.
“You did great! I’m so proud of you! Here, hold on, I’ll let go of you.”
No.
“Talk to me girl!”
“Rainbow don’t let me go!” Dreams became a reality. Tightly pressed in a soft cradle, Fluttershy hoped to Celestia that the moment would never end.
“Huh?”
Act fast!
“Um... I’ll guess I’ll carry you back, okay?”
“Rainbow sorry... I’m... I’m scared,” she lied rather poorly. “Thank you.”
“You okay?”
“This is just so much for me to handle,” she said, which was true. “But so exciting!”
“This is cool! Carrying you while flying, it’s a good workout!” Rainbow was apparently oblivious to Fluttershy’s mixed joy and anxiety.
“There you go!” Rainbow placed the exhausted mare on a cloud. “That was, well, let’s just say I’m almost impressed!”
“I thought when you have to catch a pony, she wouldn’t be a very good flier!” Her nerves were soothed enough to allow a giggle.
“I totally didn’t catch you; I got in the way! Nothing can stop you!”
“Always saving somepony, huh Rainbow Dash?”A familiar voice echoed through the void of the sky.
“Spitfire?”
“I saw your name on the tryout list and I was real excited! This is big news! About time you finally fly with us!” Spitfire landed next to the two mares and greeted Rainbow Dash with a bro-hoof.
“Really? I mean, yeah, it is about time!” Rainbow bounced.
“I was just flying around until I saw you... and, hey wait, I know you! You’re that awesome pegasus who saved the day!” Spitfire offered her a hoof. “Fluttershy, right? You flew like a champion!”
“Thank you...” Where once she was filled with joy, Fluttershy could only now feel intimidation. Spitfire meant well in her approach, but Fluttershy couldn’t help feeling a little weak in comparison to both mares.
“She’s my best pal! I’ve known her since we were both fillies! And she’s here to cheer me on during practice!” Rainbow quickly trotted to Fluttershy’s side.
“It’s nice to always have support, that’s for sure. I wish my friends would have been there with me when I joined up,” Spitfire sympathized. “If I remember you correctly, I bet you are more than ready!”
“Are you kidding? I’m always ready! Hay, I was born ready!” Dash knocked her hoof.
“Hey don’t sweat it. I’ve seen you fly Rainbow Dash. I’m pretty impressed.” Spitfire spread her wings.
“Really? I mean, yeah, totally!”
“See you Rainbow! Nice seeing you again Fluttershy! See you both at the tryouts!” Spitfire descended towards Cloudsdale, flying with precision that only Dash could rival.
“Oh my gosh, she is so awesome! Are you watching her fly? I wanna be like her! Oh my gosh! That’s going to be me!” Rainbow shook a shell shocked Fluttershy several times to ensure her attention.
“She’s really laid-back. She seems like a really nice pony.” Fluttershy timidly replied, doing her best to recover her mind. She’s everything I’m not. This life... it’s everything I’m not.
“I can’t wait! Like really, I don’t think I can! I might explode! Ohmygoshohmygosh!”
Silence complimented the next few moments.
“So, we going to practice some more?” Dash took to flight.
“I can just watch.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“No... something’s up,” Dash landed next to her. “Sorry about that trick. You didn’t have to do it.”
Rainbow’s sympathy only intensified Fluttershy’s insecurity. “Rainbow, no, it’s okay.” Her left hind leg began to shake softly but steadily.
“Not when my friend is sad! Come on, put a smile on!”
You can’t keep up with her. She’ll go onto bigger and better things. Without you.
“Come on! Don’t leave me hanging here! What’s wrong?” Dash was beginning to exhibit mild signs of panic.
“Nothing Rainbow Dash. Still recovering from that fall,” she lied.
“Okay...” Fluttershy’s attempts to lie were beyond Rainbow Dash. “We’ll talk about this later. How about we freshen our minds with some tricks?”
“Sure...”
Confidence can’t be bought, conjured, or created. True confidence can only be earned through a series of gradual ups-and-downs. The path towards confidence isn’t a road, rather it more closely resembles a dark cavern; light exists at the end for most ponies. Fluttershy wasn’t fortunate enough to have discovered her light.
Rainbow Dash’s wings could carry the mare wherever her life demanded her. She was perfect. Her goals were in her hooves, she carried herself with supreme pride, and most of all, she knew herself.
“Check this out!” Fluttershy organized her thoughts to include her evaluation of Rainbow’s flawless tricks and her own mental struggles.
“Awesome Rainbow! Woo hoo!” Fluttershy managed to hide her mood.
“And this one!”
The duration of the next hour varied immensely for the two ponies. Rainbow Dash’s time died at the same speed as her flight. It also shared the same style, enjoyment, and passion.
Self-doubts strangled Fluttershy’s perception and dragged them downward in time. Her lack of confidence was irrational to everypony except for herself.
These feelings of anxiety could only make sense to Fluttershy as well. They were certainly sporadic, and it took very little to trigger them if the circumstances were met. Ponyville was all too familiar; a perfect place to dull her immunity to the unknowns.
The last time this had happened was during the Cloudsdale water incident. Perhaps seeing Spitfire again brought back bad memories. Or, most likely, the pressure of losing Rainbow Dash to a life of fame lit her anxious fire.
There was nothing wrong with Spitfire. In fact, she was a wonderful pony and a great role model for Rainbow Dash. Most ponies would recall Fluttershy overcoming her fears and saving Cloudsdale. Negative memories hit the timid mare much harder, more so than any positive memories. The sight of Spitfire catalyzed the final switch. Fluttershy was having an anxiety attack.
“Fluttershy? Look, I’m starting to feel... well... a little sad. And I don’t know why. I can tell you are sad. So I guess seeing you being sad makes me sad. I wanna know what’s up.”
“Rainbow Dash... I’m fine.”
“Quit playing that game.” Rainbow added a stern tone to her voice.
“I don’t know how...look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be this way. This is your day. Your weekend. A start of your new life. And I’m ruining it.”
“Is this what this is all about?” Rainbow quickly lifted Fluttershy to her feet and engulfed her in a hug. “Fluttershy, I don’t know what I’d do without you! I need you with me here!”
“I’ll... I’ll get better. I promise.”
“I want you to get better! I need my pal!” Rainbow trotted towards Cloudsdale with Fluttershy by her side. “Why don’t we go get something to eat and talk about this?
“Thank you Rainbow Dash.”
“You don’t need to thank me. I’m just returning the favor."
"I've having a great time. I don't want you to think otherwise," Fluttershy said. "I just have sometimes where I don't feel so great. Nothing you need to worry about. You have so much more important things-"
"No," Rainbow stopped Fluttershy mid-sentence. "Friends first. Always."
"I'm not sure you will understand it..."
"Then you'll be darned sure I'll try," Dash rose triumphantly. "No friend of mine is going to feel sad!"
The pair descended into Cloudsdale with Rainbow Dash leading her frightened friend. A few minutes would pass before they found themselves back at the hotel.
"So Fluttershy, what's up?..."