Hearts Aflutter

by NotHereAnymoreProbably

Chapter 2 - Nightfall

Rainbow Dash awoke at first light. Something was different.

As she gained more awareness of her surroundings, blearily opening her eyes to the world around her, she immediately noticed what broke the norm – her face was just a breath from Fluttershy’s.
The yellow pegasus breathed in and out so softly, it looked like she wasn’t at all, but Rainbow could feel the tiny puffs of air as they blew quietly past.

Fluttershy mumbled something about birdseed, her voice even softer than usual. Rainbow could feel hooves enveloping her, and one of the mare’s wings stretched out over her back. Normally, wings were kept to yourself – only really close friends ever shared a winged hug.

...Not that Dash minded. They were best friends. A wing-hug was nothing. It didn’t make her feel anything at all.

Yup. Absolutely nothing.

The memory of their conversation the night before washed over her and she felt her face grow a little warmer – she normally didn’t let herself get so... sentimental. But there was nothing more to the blush than that.

Careful not to wake her best friend, Rainbow extricated herself from the other pegasus’ hold, wondering if she’d get a chance to see her again that day.

She had a lot to do. It was her clean-up shift today – the remnants of last night’s thunderstorm had to be cleared away. With Cloudkicker off duty today, that would take a while – not to mention her daily practice routines, and nap time...

Peering over the edge of the cloud she laid upon, Rainbow looked at the storm, which had by now subsided to a small pattering of rain below them, though the clouds were still quite large.
She looked back over at Fluttershy, feeling a little guilty for taking off without her. But they could catch up later, right?

She’d clear the skies, take a nap, and then see if Fluttershy wanted to hang out. Maybe they could go flying again. Remembering the previous night, she wondered if there were other things that they could do together like that. It had been a nice change of pace.

Dash charged quickly into work mode, attacking the clouds with the skills of both an expert weather-pegasus and an expert stunt-flier.

Fluttershy opened her eyes slowly, rolling onto her stomach. Yawning adorably, she took note of where she was. This wasn’t her cottage, that much was obvious.

But why was she on a cloud?

She suddenly remembered the events of the night before – the thunderstorm, Angel running away, finding Rainbow Dash...

Her heart pattered, remembering the stunning sunset, and the equally stunning words Rainbow had said. She was shocked yet again – they’d been about her!
She hadn’t been told in a long time just how much she meant to somepony – that that pony was Rainbow Dash was even more amazing.

I wonder where she is now... she thought. Walking to the edge of the cloud, she looked down, hoping to see a glimpse of blue, a streak of rainbow, but the stormclouds from last night had been cleared, and there was no sign of Rainbow Dash.

She squinted, looked up at the sky, and nearly shrieked.

It’s noon! How can it be noon?! Oh, this is terrible, how could I have possibly slept in so long, all the animals will be hungry and...

She took a deep breath, calming herself down. Panicking would help nopony at all.

She made her way down from the cloud, which had barely drifted at all from its perch high above her cottage, gliding slowly towards her cottage. She landed to find Angel Bunny glaring at her, along with a couple of the other animals. Even from here, she could hear their tummies rumbling.

“Oh dear! I’m so, so sorry Angel!”

Frowning deeply, he pointed to his watch, then with a series of gestures asked where she’d been.

“I was with Rainbow Dash last night, and we...” she trailed off when she saw the sly look the bunny was giving her, and suddenly she blushed again.

“It was nothing like that, Angel!” she admonished, shocked at the bunny’s implications – while trying not to blush. “I’m disappointed that you would even think that way.”

He gave an indifferent shrug, and gave her a look that said I don’t care – I still missed breakfast.

“Oh, right! I’ll get it right away!”

“Fluttershy? Fluttershy! You in there?” Dash called, feeling fresh and happy after waking up from her nap. After a few minutes waiting at the door, however, she'd been just about to leave – when suddenly she heard a light creak, and a tiny voice say, “W-Wait.”

“Hey 'Shy, what took you so long?” Rainbow asked Fluttershy, floating back down to the cottage’s doorway.

“I-I was... um... feeding my friends,” she semi-lied. While she had also been doing that, Fluttershy had really been working up the courage to open the door. Despite her success, there was something about Rainbow that had her knees shaking like Granny Smith’s, and her face lighting up like Hearth’s Warming Eve.

“Right... Well, anyways, I’m about to go practice,” Rainbow said. “You wanna come watch?”

“Um... Well...” I’d rather watch another sunset with you, she thought, but she couldn’t tell Rainbow that.

...Why not? It couldn’t be bad, right? Oh, but what if it makes her sad that I want to do something so boring? Or even worse, if she gets annoyed? I couldn’t possibly...

The silence dragged on too long. “Nevermind,” Rainbow said. “I’m okay on my own. See ya, ‘Shy.” She flared her wings, preparing to fly away.

What? No! She couldn’t let Rainbow think she didn’t want to spend time with her. That would be terrible! An outright lie!

“Wait!” she cried as she bolted out the door, unable to disappoint her friend, knowing she must look as red as an apple but stoically pushing her feelings aside. Rainbow Dash noticed the blush, but didn’t mention it, glad to have her friend along.

The sun shone down on Rainbow Dash’s practice field, its warmth offset by a nice breeze rolling in from the nearby mountains. The long grass swayed in the wind, rolling green waves rippling across the vast green field. Supposedly the sheer amount of the thick vegetation would help to cushion a fall, Twilight said, but Dash wasn’t eager to test it – at the speeds she flew at, grass probably wouldn’t make much difference.

As good as the day was, the practice session was even better! Everything was perfect! The Buccaneer Blaze, the Filly Flash... hay, every trick she knew besides the Sonic Rainboom, she was completing with absolute awesomeness!

If she had to guess, she’d have to say it was because Fluttershy was there – something about having friends watching her and urging her onwards always seemed to help her achieve better results. Sadly, performing for a crowd didn’t do the same. So she’d get everything perfect before she even bothered – that way, there was less chance of mistakes.

She’d been watching the other pegasus from the corner of her eye during a few of her slower tricks, seeing how she’d bounce in the air a little when she got a particularly tough one right, hearing that absolutely adorable “Yay!”

Adorable? What? No! Not like that! she thought, defending herself pointlessly against an imaginary foe.

She mentally shook her head – it would screw up her flying to do it physically – and completed the series of corkscrews and barrel rolls she’d been in the middle of, coming out at the top with a thin sheen of moisture from the cloud she’d used to make a truly awesome picture of... whatever it ended up being. She hoped it was something legible – she’d lost track halfway through.

Rainbow shifted her concentration back to her tricks, beginning a new routine she’d had Applejack help her out with, pushing her feelings aside for the moment. She’d come back to them later.

Fluttershy watched in amazement as Rainbow Dash completed a routine with a cloud drawing, which depicted both of their Cutie Marks. It was masterfully artistic, seemingly flawless – if only clouds had more colours than grey or white! She shuddered with a sudden chill, remembering one other colour, but that would never be coming back. Hopefully.

She'd been doing her best not to be too loud while she was cheering, but at some point she'd stopped bothering. While she was no expert, she knew how hard some of those tricks were, even for the best of fliers – clearly the standard Rainbow was pushing was top-tier. Some of them had only ever been completed by a hoof-ful of ponies, and yet Dash had torn through them, completing them with near-perfect accuracy. Fluttershy applauded as loudly as she could manage, the skill Rainbow displayed deserving no less.

But as the afternoon wore on, she had found herself not watching Dash’s tricks so much as Dash herself. She was entranced - the wind streaming through that beautiful mane, the subtle shifts in her muscles and body, the look of sheer euphoria that graced her face when she completed a stunt...

Fluttershy began to wonder just what it was that she was feeling – surely, even best friends didn’t feel like this... did they? Had her friendships with Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, or even Twilight ever felt this... different?

She didn’t think so, and that bothered her. What was so different about her and Rainbow Dash that made her feel so shaky, so hesitant, made her want to be so close, and so far away at the same time? Fluttershy shook off her reverie – with some trouble – and started cheering for her friend once more.

Her feelings could wait.

“Oh man, I’m beat!” Rainbow said, leaning on Fluttershy a little for support. “That last one really took it out of me.”

Both of the mares looked exhausted. Rainbow Dash had clearly pushed herself just a tad too far, her mane frazzled – she looked like she needed to cry, not because she was sad, but because her eyes appeared ready to shrivel up. Fluttershy looked no better, but she was happy. Somehow in the excitement, she’d lost her blush, and seemed to be able to talk to Rainbow fairly easily, for the while.

The yellow pegasus looked at the sky, guessing that it was about four o’clock. She supposed she should probably get home soon. “Oh, but you were so good! I particularly liked it when you drew our Cutie Marks together!”

“Is that what it came out as?” Dash asked absently. “I mean, uh... Hay yeah! It was nothing!” Both of their tummies suddenly rumbled, and they glanced at each other, giggling.

“I guess we know where to go next,” Rainbow said.

A short while later, they found themselves in front of Sugarcube Corner. "Hey Pinkie," Dash said as she and Fluttershy entered the bakery, then stopped dead in their tracks. "... What in the hay happened here?" she asked incredulously, noticing the smoky aura the bakery had, as well as the heavily blackened kitchen.

"Oh, hi girls!” Pinkie said happily, launching herself right into the story. “I went to ask the Cakes if I could use the gas oven, because they said I could never use it again if I didn't ask permission because of what happened last time, and they said yes and I got so excited, so I started to make a whole bunch of cupcakes to put in it, and then I realised that it was basically time for the batch that I put in there without asking permission for to come out, but just before I got there to take them out because they were starting to burn a little bit, the rest of the oven caught fire, and it nearly blew up except that Pound Cake did a huge projectile-puke all over it and put out the fire, and now I'm not allowed in the kitchen again for a whole month!"

Rainbow and Fluttershy glanced at each other, unable to determine whether or not to laugh or die from brain overload. Presumably, that story had been meant to explain what happened, but the words had come so fast, anything she said was lost on reception.

"Um... Pinkie Pie... isn't that kind of a bad thing?" Fluttershy said, immediately regretting it as she saw the tears begin to form in Pinkie’s eyes.

"I was really trying not to think of it that way... but yes," she cried, bursting into tears, which stopped nearly instantly as she continued, chirpy as usual. "But that's okay! The cupcakes turned out great! Somehow Poundy’s puke didn’t get onto any of them! I managed to make six of them, and I thought that because there's six of us friends, I'd decorate one for each of us... But I already ate mine," she finished conspiratorially.

Rainbow Dash facehoofed as Fluttershy asked, "Do you mind if we have ours? I mean, if it’s okay?”

Pinkie Pie came out with a pair of cupcakes, one decorated with light blue and rainbow frosting, the other with banana yellow and pink.

After saying their thanks and goodbyes, Fluttershy began to head back to her cottage, Rainbow following her. They talked and ate on the way, Fluttershy showering Rainbow with praise. Rainbow drank in every word.

Eventually, silence fell on both of them. It was broken, surprisingly, by the yellow mare.

"Rainbow Dash... a-... about what you said last night... did you really mean it?” she asked hesitantly, her voice nearly a whisper. “I’m... I really mean that much to you?" She glanced with large blue eyes towards where Rainbow hovered alongside her.

“Every single word,” Dash replied. “We’re best friends – that’s not going to change.” Never, ever. Ever. “Hey, I was wondering - what was up with you last week? You said maybe three words to me the whole time, except for yesterday.” Fluttershy seemed to have gotten over it a little, but just what was it?

“Well, um...I don’t really know,” she replied. “It was just… oh, I can’t really explain it.”

“Was it something I did?” Rainbow asked, hoping desperately that it wasn’t.

“Oh, um…” she began, not noticing the door of her cottage rapidly approaching. Fluttershy, deep in thought, walked straight into it, yelping softly. Dash looked up at the sound, guessing what happened –she’d been deep in thought herself, not seeing the door either.

Fluttershy held her head while Dash rolled on the ground, cackling with laughter. What an easy way to get out of there – she really didn’t want to know the answer to her question anymore. “’Shy, you’re the best,” she said, holding her sides. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye!” And then she was off.

Fluttershy watched her go for a moment before entering her house. Well, that was... abrupt.
Her friend’s sudden departure had left a surprisingly large emptiness in her, and it took a lot not to go back outside so that she could spend some more time with Rainbow Dash.

As she went about, doing various chores, tending to the animals and finishing other tasks, she thought about Dash’s question, which had gone unanswered.

She’d never experienced anything like it before. At the very sight of Rainbow Dash, her heartbeat sped up and she’d choked on every word she tried to say – and when Rainbow wasn’t in sight, her mind would always wander back to the cyan pegasus, daydreaming of that beautiful rainbow mane, that gleaming blue coat…

With a start, Fluttershy realized that it was almost time for her weekly get-together with Rarity - quickly completing the last of her chores and hurried out the door and off towards the Luxury Lotus Spa Clinic. While she was exhausted, she knew if she could relax anywhere, it would be there.

“Rarity, do you think… if it’s okay… could I ask your advice?” A yellow pegasus and a white unicorn lay in the spa together, letting the bubbling water take away all their troubles.

“Well, of course you can, darling! Whyever not?” Rarity replied, motioning for her to continue.

Fluttershy explained the whole situation with Rainbow Dash – not mentioning the pegasus by name, of course – telling Rarity of the issues she was having, both when in Rainbow’s company and out of it.

“I’m just so confused! It’s almost like I don’t want to be around them, but I really really do! Oh, it’s so frustrating, I could just shout!” She did so – nopony minded.

“Feel better?” Rarity asked, trying not to laugh at the squeak she’d heard.

“A little,” Fluttershy replied. “Not really. Oh, and I even daydream about her!”

Rarity’s eyes lit up wildly at the slip-up. “Oh-ho! So this is about a mare!” she cried gleefully.

Fluttershy blushed heavily, but was, for some reason, very glad that the unicorn didn’t seem to have an issue with it. “Um... yes... So, um, what do you think?”

“Well, if you really want to know...” Rarity replied demurely, absently playing with her mane.

“Oh, I do! I mean, if you don’t mind telling me...”

Rarity paused a moment before answering. “I think you have a crush, dear Fluttershy. Oh, I can barely imagine the pony who could sweep little old you off your hooves!” She sighed, dramatically throwing a hoof over her forehead and looking at Fluttershy with huge, twinkling eyes. “Oh, but now you simply must tell me who it is!”

“Um... I’d rather not...” Fluttershy cringed, hoping she hadn’t hurt her friend’s feelings – especially after she’d given her all that advice.

Rarity brushed it off easily, saying, “Oh, well alright. Maybe another time. I have my suspicions anyway,” she winked, smiling slightly.

[

Rainbow Dash lay in bed, thinking about Fluttershy. She was too tired to try and deny that.
After spending a whole day with the pony, there still seemed to be something odd about her. Throughout the day, despite trying to hide it, she’d seemed very... hesitant. Or maybe cautious, like she was trying to hide something.

She’d taken so long to answer the door, Rainbow had thought she wasn’t home. Then she’d seemed hesitant to watch her practice, but came to cheer her on anyway. The day had gone well enough afterwards, but there was something in Fluttershy’s actions that seemed a little too... distant.

“Did you really mean it? I’m... I really mean that much to you?"

‘Every single word,’ she’d replied... but there were so many more words that Rainbow wanted to tell her... but she had to keep denying them.

Rainbow hated it all. She was living a lie, and she knew it – her mask was so perfect, her friends even thought that was the real pony! Everything she did – all of her tricks, her boldness, her tomboyish attitude – all were just a way to hide her feelings, from her friends... and herself. Of course, she still loved racing, stunt-flying and the liked. It was her special talent, after all. But her true personality was different from what most ponies ever saw.

She’d almost let it all slip anyway, drawing their Cutie Marks in the sky. She didn’t even know if it was an accident anymore, but it didn’t matter. Fluttershy had just passed it off as another cool trick, nothing more.

Rainbow knew how much the world hated fillyfoolers – if she ever told Fluttershy, the mare would hate her too, for sure.
No. No, she wouldn’t hate her, but it would certainly change things.
For their friendship’s sake, to make sure things stayed as they were, she had to hide it all. She couldn’t even let herself think of it, to ensure that nothing changed.

She settled into her sheets, ready to fall asleep...

...But in her current state of mind, sleep just wouldn’t come. She tossed and turned, annoyed – the night above the clouds had changed things anyway. She’d been slack, and the mask had slipped – and she couldn’t quite get it back on. Her state of denial had been near-perfect, but tonight even Dash couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing from her side.

Something yellow.

Fluttershy too, lay in bed, thinking about what Rarity had said.

“You have a crush, dear Fluttershy.”

A crush? Could that really be it? It seemed so simple to say it like that, even though everything seemed so complicated. But finding Rainbow the day before had seemed impossible, and she’d ended up in one of the most obvious spots there was – was that what this was, too? Was it really so obvious that she just hadn’t even thought of it before?

She mentally retraced her steps, trying to remember the point at which the whole situation had started, and realised that it had been right after Rainbow had asked her who she liked.

Do I like Rainbow Dash? she asked herself. No – I love her.

Love – that word just seemed to fit. The blushing, the squeaking, the longing...
It was amazing how three simple words changed everything. All of her actions the last while, all made so much sense with those three words.

She began to giggle. Then she began to laugh. It was a huge weight off her shoulders. Rainbow Dash was her best friend – it had been hard on both of them to be pushed apart by something so simple.
Well... not quite simple, she added, but at least now that she knew what was going on, she could actually do something about it.

Fluttershy drifted quickly into sleep, a deep contentment washing over her, waiting to see what the new day would bring.

Sadly, the new day brought nothing significant, besides an enormous workload for Rainbow Dash to handle. A week later, Fluttershy had seen little more of the pegasus than her blue and rainbow silhouette against the midday sky, flitting about as the weather calendar dictated – she noticed that the amount of changes that had to be made throughout the days was far higher than normal.

Still, that didn’t stop her from trying – she’d decided that she would try to tell Rainbow about her feelings. She didn’t know whether or not it was the right time yet, but she wanted to anyway.

“Um... R... Rainbow... I... um... uh... Y-you see...” Fluttershy mumbled.

This was terrible. She’d expected to be nervous. She’d expected to be shy, to have the jitters, even to be unable to say very much at all... but this...

...wasn’t even the real thing.

This was Angel Bunny wearing a rainbow wig. All those things could be expected if she were talking to the real Rainbow Dash, but this was just pitiful. Mentally berating herself for her inadequacy, Fluttershy sighed and removed the wig, shooing Angel off to go play or eat a carrot, or... something. He glanced back as he hopped out of her bedroom, his expression saying, You have issues.

Nearly every day this week, she’d woken up inspired, determined - ready for anything! She’d prepare, work up the nerve to tell Rainbow... and then she would fail.

Of course, it didn’t help at all, once she started to take Rainbow’s own feelings into account – being her closest friend, Fluttershy knew exactly just how much she’d been bullied.
They’d called Dash a fillyfooler so much, it was nearly a household belief in Cloudsdale now. That was the whole reason she’d moved to Ponyville, and, Fluttershy suspected, part of her motivation to become a Wonderbolt. No pony ever crossed the Wonderbolts. Ever.

She had to wonder - what would Dash think of her, when she realised Fluttershy was a fillyfooler? Fluttershy knew Rainbow hated being called that – she seemed to hate the entire idea of homosexuality. It just didn’t seem possible that the mare herself would actually be one.

Rainbow had said that they would be best friends forever, that that wouldn’t change... but would that promise hold, if Fluttershy ever told her what she really felt?

She just didn’t know. Still, despite all that, it was no longer interfering with their friendship like it had been the week before. Their days went mostly like usual, and it was both a blessing and a curse that she hadn’t actually seen very much of Rainbow the last few days. While she longed for her best friend’s presence, she thought that hiding her feelings was not far off lying.

Fluttershy didn’t like lying to her friends.

Sighing again, she began her chores for the day, wondering what to do. She thought she might go and see Rarity later on, to ask for her advice again.

It had been just one disaster after another, and Rainbow Dash had almost felt like bucking something. She’d felt more and more irritated over the last couple of days, the stress of the last few days beginning to take its toll on her – she didn’t think she could take much more of... well, anything, before she’d explode, or do something she’d regret.

And then Cloudkicker had kicked her out of the weather station, threatening to tie her wings down if she came back. While Dash was technically her superior, she let the slight pass – she shuddered, remembering the last time. That pony always followed up her promises, that was for sure. She supposed ‘Kicker was right, too. She’d been getting too worked up, too stressed out.

Rainbow didn’t like it when this happened, but the pegasus had a point. She’d been doing the vast majority of the work, preferring to do it on her own, but Cloudkicker had seen how riled up she was starting to get over it all. It wasn’t as if she was leaving her to do all the work, either – they’d just been waiting for the support team to come in and help out when the ‘Kicker decided to live up to her nickname, so she wouldn’t be working alone.

The only regret she really had was leaving Fluttershy on her own – they’d finally seemed to make up for... whatever it was, and it seemed as if they’d finally gotten back to normal, despite how ‘Shy had seemed a little distant.

Dash floated lazily towards Ponyville, exhaustion from the last few days finally setting in, hitting her like a Sonic Rainboom. Looking around for a decent spot to camp, her eyes came to rest upon a cloud bank floating just above the town hall. She remembered seeing it in ruins, and sincerely hoped that Derpy didn’t crash into her this time.

She settled in, shut her eyes and drifted off to a light sleep.

“Oh, hello Twilight. What brings you over?” Fluttershy had opened the door, about to leave for the Carousel Boutique, to see the lavender unicorn standing there with a hoof raised and ready to knock.

Recovering from her mild surprise, Twilight replied, “Well... Rainbow Dash came to me last week and had some interesting things to say. Do you mind if I come in?” she seemed apprehensive, her voice slow, mellow.

“Of course. Um... so why are you here then?” Fluttershy asked, allowing the unicorn inside and offering her a seat, still left wondering why the unicorn had come to visit.

“I’ll get to the point. Rainbow said that you’d been avoiding her, and asked for my help. So... here I am. Um... is anything going on between you two? Rainbow didn’t say something that offended you, did she? Or...?”

Fluttershy couldn’t hold back a soft giggle. Poor Twilight – always so worried about her friends that when something came between any of them she’d try to fix it. Luckily for her, that had been settled... sort of.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry anymore, Twilight,” she said, trying to soothe her friend, who was clearly trying not to show how worried she was. It must’ve been eating at her for a while.

“Are you sure?”Anypony could have heard the hope peeking through in Twilight’s voice.

“Yes,” she replied. “It’s been... dealt with.” It was technically a half-truth. The entire situation wasn’t quite over yet, but what Twilight was worried about had been dealt with – at least, Fluttershy thought so.

“Thank Celestia,” Twilight said, relaxing visibly, her expression changing from one of confusion and discomfort to one of curiosity. “So, what was going on then?”

Fluttershy mentally cringed – that was exactly the question she’d been dreading. She didn’t think she was ready to tell Rainbow about her feelings yet, but...

“I’m in love,” she said simply. It felt surprisingly good to say it.

Twilight blinked, uncomprehending. “Oh, um... ok. But what does that have to do with...” she trailed off. She looked at the yellow pegasus. “...Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy nodded. “So by ‘dealt with’, I mean, are you two...?”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh, no not yet, I mean, um... eep!”

Twilight giggled. “Oh, ok. It may not be my place to say this, but you should let her know soon. It isn’t good to hide things from your friends – remember when you were modelling for Photo Finish, and how that turned out? You and Rarity went through so much for something so silly!”

Fluttershy alternated between paling and blushing, and Twilight continued. “Oh, but don’t mind me, I’m sure this is different. Anyway, I have to go – I’m really quite busy, but I’m glad it’s all sorted out. I’ll see you later, ok?”

At Fluttershy’s request, Twilight Pinkie Swore to not tell anyone about her crush, then left to get back to the Library.

Rainbow dreamed of endless pink thunderclouds.

She flew through the storm and pouring rain, avoiding bright lightning bolts and volatile glasses of chocolate milk, screaming for help, for somepony, anypony, to save her.
All hope seemed lost when she was suddenly enveloped by a different kind of pink, embraced by yellow hooves, looking into blue eyes, and suddenly everything was okay.

There was a flash of white, and she woke up.

She bucked the cloud she was resting on angrily – she hated nightmares. Great... Now I’m even dreaming about her. Why does hiding have to be so hard?

It was both good and bad that she’d been so busy with her weather jobs – she didn’t have to worry about hiding her feelings so much around Fluttershy if she wasn’t there, but... it felt just like a reversal of the previous week, and now she was the one doing the avoiding.

She wished everything could be simpler, that there was an easy way to tell how Fluttershy would react if she just told her, but life was never so simple.
She suspected that ‘Shy would simply find the kindest possible way to say, “I can’t love you like that, so it’s better if we stop being friends.”

She bucked again, hating herself for thinking so negatively. This was why she hid from it all – because this was what she started to be like. Anyway, Fluttershy wouldn’t stop being her friend just for that... right?

Eager to find a different subject, Dash wondered what she could do. Any other day, she’d just go to work and make a little storm somewhere to vent, but she really didn’t want to get on Cloudkicker’s bad side – she could be downright frightening sometimes.

No, she couldn’t work it off. Not today. Besides, if ‘Kicker thought that work was causing the strain, then obviously it wouldn’t be very good at relieving it this time.

Remembering something Twilight had said once about stress being a trigger for nightmares, she decided to ask Rarity how she got rid of it. She always seemed to be under enormous workloads, and never seemed too under-the-weather... most of the time. Obviously naps weren’t ‘de-stressing’ enough, either.

She flew over the town, looking for the telltale chequered patter that decorated the Carousel Boutique, eventually finding it and diving down towards the white unicorn’s home.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique!” a sing-song voice called out from a back corner. Rarity trotted up towards her, then stopped in shock. “Oh my! Rainbow Dash, what have you been doing? You look like you were flying through a tornado!”

“Heh... yeah, not far off,” she said, shuffling uncomfortably, remembering the nightmare.

“Well, what can I do for you, darling? Anything you need, just say it!”

“I was kinda wondering what you do to get rid of stress. I’ve been under the ropes a bit the last few days, and it’s been getting to more than it should.”

Rarity suddenly got quite excited. This was an evidently taken as an opportunity to beautify the pegasus. “My favourite way is most certainly a trip to Aloe and Lotus’ spa clinic, dear.” She slowed down a little, explaining, “You don’t know how much it helps me when Fluttershy and I go there together – the massages there are simply divine... not to mention the benefits of having something to look forward to throughout the week.”

Rainbow looked flatly at Rarity, saying, “I don’t need any of that fancy stuff, Rarity. I just need to wind down.”

“Well, that is certainly my favourite way, but if that’s the case you should go and ask Fluttershy...” she stopped talking, looking at Rainbow Dash intently, as if searching for something.

“Uh... Rarity?”

The unicorn shook her head, continuing. “Oh, of course. Yes, you should go and ask Fluttershy for help. Her specialty is caring for animals, and in certain areas that expertise extends to ponies as well. Stress-relief is most certainly one of them.”

“Awesome,” Rainbow said, heading out the door. “Thanks!”

Rarity pondered.

Could it be? Could Rainbow Dash be the object of Fluttershy’s crush? It did make sense, she thought, but those thoughts were interrupted as Fluttershy herself entered the Boutique.

“Hello Fluttershy, what a surprise! Rainbow Dash was just here looking for you, you know.” There it was, as faint as could be – a blush. Rarity laughed inwardly. Her suspicions were confirmed, apparently, though Fluttershy’s skill at hiding it was to be commended.

“What can I do for you?” she asked kindly.

“Oh, well, you see, um... I want to ask for your advice again,” the pegasus said.

“Oh?” Rarity replied.

“Well, you see... Remember how I have a crush? Um... I kind of... want to... let her know!” she squeaked.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I just don’t know how to do it! And then, what if she stops being my friend? What if it changes everything? And... I think it would hurt her.”

Rarity immediately understood Fluttershy’s plight. If it was indeed Rainbow Dash that the mare had fallen for, that did change things a little.
Rarity, too, knew of Rainbow’s troubles in Junior Speedsters and the like, of bullies and... fillyfoolery.

She hated that some ponies could be so callous, so... cruel. She didn’t know Dash’s own preferences, though – she’d never seemed to show any interest at all in such things – so her insight was based on what she did know of the pegasus. Rainbow Dash was far too loyal a mare than to let anything like that come between her and her friends.

“I suppose you’ll just have to take the chance, won’t you darling? You can’t leave this hanging above you forever. And between you and me,” she said, leaning forward, “I don’t think Rainbow Dash would end a friendship for something as simple as that. She is the Element of Loyalty, after all.”

She giggled into her hoof as Fluttershy nearly hit the roof in shock. “H-How...?”

“My dear Fluttershy, I am the Fashion Queen of Ponyville,” she lauded. “It is my job – no, my passion – to look for subtle changes in complex systems and adjust for them when I create my dresses. It isn’t a far stretch to see the subtle changes in relationships either.”

“You must know that our dear Rainbow is far more loyal than you seem to give her credit for – hasty she may be, but not so much that she would end a friendship simply because of your feelings for her. And if she did, I’m sure she would lose more than just your friendship.”

“But... so what should I do?”

Rarity laughed again. “Why, just tell her, of course! Mare up, show her your stuff! The sooner, the better, I might add.”

Rainbow Dash lay back on a cloud, bathing in the rays of the sun. This was exactly what she needed – a day off. Some well needed rest and relaxation was as good as anything else she could think of.

She’d gone to Fluttershy’s house, but it had been empty, so she’d decided to try her luck at just chilling out. Nopony would interrupt her this time...

Except herself. She kicked her legs into the air, rolled over to her side and straight over the side of the cloud, free-falling down directly towards the ground. There was no fear, just the thrill that always came with being in the air – she slowly unfurled her wings, let them catch the wind, and levelled out just meters from the ground, letting out a whoop of excitement as she rose again.

This was just awesome. The sky was her domain – who could possibly be stressed out when you’re this awesome?

She flew at incredible speeds, her blue coat and rainbow mane leaving behind a beautiful swathe of coloured after-images. She imagined it looked similar to Celestia’s mane, flowing behind her in ethereal grace. Princess Rainbow Dash… that would be radical!

She moved around the clouds placed around the sky earlier that day, spinning some, poofing others into oblivion. One particularly large cloud she shaped into a large cupcake – Pinkie Pie would have a blast with that one, she thought, laughing.

She felt invincible. She could do anything she wanted.

Anything at all.

Fluttershy flitted around town, hoping to find Rainbow Dash. She had something to say, something important, and she would definitely be able to say it. It had to happen now, or it could be weeks before she had courage like this again. More of the droll lifestyle she’d been living. More lies, more hiding.

She would get it out, no matter what happened.

Rarity had told her, “Just be yourself. Put on no performance, no show – all that needs to happen is for you to tell Rainbow Dash that you have feelings for her – and all that takes is three words. Nothing more needs to occur until you succeed in that.”

So that was what she’d do... as soon as she found her. Just three words... Take a deep breath and say it. Be assertive – you can do it!

Having searched the majority of town, she went to Rainbow Dash’s practice field hoping to find her there, but there was no trace of the other pegasus.
She flew high into the air, looked about her in a circle, trying to find any telltale sign of her friend – a rainbow streaking between clouds or buildings, a blue shape in a bush or tree, or against the sky.

Where could she possibly be? She’d even checked Quills & Sofas again, just in case, but she was nowhere!
Fluttershy continued to flit about the practice field, deep in thought. She tried to relax a little, knowing that it wasn’t quite as urgent as she was making it seem.

She’d just have to keep looking.

Just three words.

She flew up. Up and up, higher than ever before. The air began to thin, and she had to breathe deeper than usual. She hovered for a moment – looking about her, she could see everything, all the way to Manehattan. Even the mountains’ summits were below her.

It was amazing – Dash wondered briefly what Fluttershy would think, if she was up this high – most probably, something along the lines of ‘AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!’

Who’d ever have thought – a pegasus, afraid of heights. Poor Fluttershy...

Rainbow growled, growing annoyed, even angry, at the constant reminders of the feelings she definitely didn’t have. But what, or who, was she angry at? Was she angry at the feelings? Or was she angry at the world, for not letting her show them? There were so many things to be angry at...

She growled again, this time frustrated that she’d let her thoughts get away from her and start to ruin her day.
She’d have to go faster if she was to outrun it all today – so she began to dive.

The ground raced towards her, the air buffeted her face. Rainbow Dash streamlined her body, becoming a blue needle shooting through the sky. Of course she could do this. She was the fastest flier in all of Equestria. Nothing could stop her now.

She felt her hooves pushing against an invisible barrier, slowly stretching past her. Pure exhilaration swept through her, and she pushed one last time against it...

Time came to a stop as a blur of yellow and pink shot into her path.

She was going too fast to stop. She couldn’t adjust her course, nor decrease her speed.
Everything came into sharp focus as she saw a look of both happiness and dread come to rest on her best friend’s face – a smile at seeing Rainbow again, and fear in her eyes, seeing Rainbow about to hit her. There was no room for thought anymore – Dash could only feel and watch.

Horror as she broke through the barrier, her world exploding as she slammed into Fluttershy at the speed of sound.

Guilt, as she realised what had just happened, and that she hadn’t been able to stop it.

The Sonic Rainboom, tinted strongly with the colours of her best friend.

Colour, sweeping across the sky above them – yellow, pink... and red.