//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: The Colours of the Rainbow // by DawnFade //------------------------------// Chapter 6 Dash shook her head violently in attempt to loosen some annoying thoughts. Naturally, the motion did nothing. In the few minutes since she left Applejack by the hill, her mind had been racing as fast her heart. Does Applejack like me? She felt giddy with excitement at the idea, though it was tempered by the cold reality that before this day, Rainbow Dash hadn't thought of Applejack in that way. Although, she hadn't thought of anypony in that way. Except for those few glances she stole at her friends, but they didn't count, right? Did she want to be with Applejack, or did she just want to be with somepony? "Oh horsefeathers!" she swore, realising she had absent-mindedly overshot Fluttershy's cottage. A sharp turn later, she descended from the sky and skidded to a textbook halt right outside Fluttershy's cottage. Resisting the urge to strike a pose, she tapped softly on the door, not wishing to startle the timid pegasus. A sing-song voice replied from within, "I'm coming!" Moments later, the door opened to reveal the pink-maned pegasus, who smiled at the sight of Dash. "Hello Rainbow! Please come in," she said, stepping back into the house so Dash could enter. The two pegasi gravitated towards the kitchen table, and both took a seat without speaking. An awkward silence arose, and Dash said the first thing that came to mind, desperate to break it. "Soooo... I heard you and Applejack kissed when you were little." In lieu of a response, Fluttershy slid from the chair and under the table with a squeak. "Um, Fluttershy? Are you alright?" asked Dash, peering beneath the table. The yellow pegasus had curled up in a ball. "Oh please don't hate me Dash!" she whispered in a frightened voice. Dash raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why would I hate you?" Fluttershy moved one of her hooves slightly, revealing an eye wide with fear. "W-Well nobody likes f-fillyfoolers..." Dash smiled warmly. As good a time as any. "Actually, I do," she said confidently. Her scared friend slowly but surely emerged from beneath the table, fear turning to surprise. "You do? B-But you're the straightest pony I know." Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head and blushed lightly. "Yeah...about that..." __________ Fluttershy was lying atop her armchair while Dash took up the couch. Empty tea cups were perched on the coffee table between them, one placed delicately and the other on its side. An air of comfortable silence filled the room, and Dash smiled contentedly. The last few hours had been spent with either pony sharing their respective stories, with days and months of pent up thoughts and hidden memories flowing from their mouths. Dash felt lighter with each word, finally being able to let go of the thoughts that had weighed her down. She learned a lot about Fluttershy too, things even Dash found surprising. It turned out Fluttershy had become rather infatuated with Rainbow Dash after she defended her from bullies back in Cloudsdale all those years ago. Only after meeting Applejack did she realise her crush for what it was. To Dash's delight, Fluttershy admitted she had moved on from Applejack as well a couple of years ago, when she started to mature more.Fortunately, the yellow pegasus was overjoyed when Dash told her of her sudden attraction to Applejack. As embarrassed as she was, Dash forced herself to tell every detail of her problem-but-not-a-problem and the last few weeks. She came close to tears a few times, but pushed past them with the gentle help of her friend. The tale of the two colts in the alleyway was one of those moments. "They called us the Gay Gang," Dash had said sullenly. Fluttershy giggled. "That's a very silly name." "I know. What bothers me is that we seem to be proving them right." "What do you mean?" "Well you, me and Applejack are . . . gay, and who knows about Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy had placed a hoof on Dash's shoulder. "If they are, it's not a bad thing. Don't worry about what those colts said because they aren't your friends." Dash remembered hugging her tightly, grinning. "Thanks Fluttershy. You're the best." They parted and Fluttershy had a thoughtful look on her face. "I do really hope that Twilight is gay though." "What?" "Nothing!" The sun was beginning to descend in the sky, with light taking on a soft orange colour as it neared the horizon. In beams of carved air it entered through the windows, playing across the relaxed scene. Fluttershy yawned at the same time as Rainbow Dash, making them both break into a fit of giggles. "I just remembered something," Fluttershy said when she stopped laughing, "Pinkie Pie came by this morning to invite me to a party in two days. She said to invite you if I saw you since you weren't at your cloud home." Dash nodded. "That must have been when I was with Applejack. Two days? Does that include today?" "It's the day after tomorrow, silly filly." "Oh right. Well, should be good. I could use a party right now." Dash pushed herself to a sitting position and stretched, yawning again. "Well maybe not right now. I never thought I could get so worn out from talking." "That's what happens after a good therapy session. When you're emotionally tired, it makes the rest of you tired as well. Twilight told me that. Do you know how smart she is? She must know everything about everything! Sometimes when I sleep over her house I ask her to read to me." The yellow pegasus reddened under Dash's knowing smirk. Rather than exerting her sudden power and making Fluttershy even more embarrassed, Rainbow Dash let it slide and changed the subject. "So how do you keep from going crazy?" She didn't elaborate on what she meant. After everything Dash had shared with the other pegasus, she already knew. Fluttershy thought for a few moments. "I suppose...Once I knew for sure, I was almost like you. The difference is that I had Applejack to share my worries with straight away, and that really helped. After those first weeks, I just kept doing what I was doing. That's when I realised how little it mattered. I was still me, and as long as nopony paid too much attention to me I was happy." Rainbow Dash let the words sink in. She still loved to fly. She still loved showing off. She still wanted to be a Wonderbolt. Was it possible that being gay hadn't changed her as horribly as she thought? "You really are an amazing friend, Fluttershy." -------------------------- FULL POWER TO THE SHIPPING ENGINES