She thought that she had seen all the different types of creatures there were, given the fact that she tended to them most every day. However, when she looked over the ledge of the cloud, she was proven wrong on so many accounts.
Below them was the edge of Equestria, overlooking the ocean. Since it was nearly sundown, the water reflected the orange and yellow sky, glimmering with the sun and making the water sparkle like diamonds. The sounds of the waves moving made the yellow Pegasus’ ears stand at full attention. However, all of this was nothing in comparison to what she saw in the water.
Breaching up and down in tune with the waves, she saw many sea creatures splashing about, from whales to dolphins and other kinds of animals that she had never seen before. It was kind of hard to see them very well from where they were, but Fluttershy didn’t mind; she was just lucky she was able to see them at all. Besides, she knew that if she flew down to meet them up close, they’d probably scamper away in fear like the animals at the Grand Galloping Gala.
Rainbow Dash could see that she was speechless in delight, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly hanging open. In her head, she did a victory dance to herself; her reaction was exactly what she was hoping for. However, she managed to remain calm and collected, for the main reason she brought her here was yet to be revealed.
“So...” said the rainbow-mane Pegasus, “What do you think, Fluttershy?”
Not taking her eyes off the beautiful images that danced before her, she managed to say, “It’s...it’s lovely!”
“Great,” said Rainbow, a smile forming on her mouth, “I knew you’d like it.”
Reluctantly, Fluttershy took her eyes off of the sweet image and looked at her friend. “Did you plan all of this, Rainbow Dash?”
Her cheeks turning a small shade of red, Rainbow said, “Yeah...most of it. I needed Twilight’s help with the planning. She helped me determine when the best time of day would be, how far away we should be, you know, all that science-y stuff.”
Fluttershy couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle.
Rainbow Dash followed suit and giggled with her friend, trying her best to muffle it with her hooves. She could feel her cheeks starting to get warmer than before as her heart began to flutter a little bit faster. When she felt the weight of the saddlebag on her back, her heart nearly skipped a beat; she still had one more thing to do, but doing it was going to be tough.
“Well, it’s beautiful, Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy, snapping the cyan Pegasus out of her thoughts, “Thank you so much for bringing me out here.”
“No problem,” said Rainbow, trying her best not to let the anxiety show in her voice, “What are friends for, right?”
Fluttershy gave her a gentle smile and a nod before returning her eyes to the magnificent view below. She continued to watch the water as it glistened with the light from the sun and dance with the whales as they breached the surface. She had only read about such animals, but never had the chance to witness them in action. In fact, she never thought such majestic creatures even existed; just an “old mare’s tale”, she figured at that time. But now, seeing such animals in action was like nothing she had ever imagined.
As Fluttershy continued to look out to the ocean, Rainbow Dash began biting down on her lip, anxiety flooding through her veins.
Come on, Rainbow, you can do this, she thought to herself. Just do it and get it over with. Nothing bad will happen as long as you’re honest. That’s what Twilight said, at least. Since when is she ever wrong?
Putting a hoof to her chest, she began inhaling and exhaling softly, trying her best not to distract her friend from her gazing. Then, she nodded confidently to herself and pulled out the small box from her saddlebag with her wing. Then, she placed it underneath her wing securely and took one last breath before turning to her friend.
“Fluttershy...” she said softly, trying her best to remain calm and confident. Fluttershy heard her friend, as low as it was, and looked at her with a smile on her face. Immediately, Rainbow’s heart began racing faster than it had before. In that instant, she had almost forgotten what she was going to say to her. However, she slightly shook her head to regain her focus, allowing the thoughts to come back to her.
“Fluttershy, I...well...” she said, stammering a little before saying, “There’s actually...um...another reason I...well...um...”
Giving a look of concern, Fluttershy asked, “What’s wrong, Rainbow? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine...I think...” she said, flicking the cloud beneath them with her hoof, “I...wanted to...well...um...”
Seeing that her method of explaining wasn’t working, she took a breath and blurted out, “There’s another reason I brought you here.”
The moment the words left her mouth, the cyan Pegasus squeezed her eyes shut, as if she was expecting something bad to happen.
Immediately, Fluttershy began to panic, thinking that something was wrong. “What, what’s wrong? Is one of the animals sick? Injured? Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. I don’t think I know anything about sea creatures to help them. I mean, I read about them some time ago, but I never had the chance to...”
Before she could finish her train of thought, she was interrupted by Rainbow putting a hoof over her mouth, signaling her to stop. “It has nothing to do with the animals,” she said, her eyes clearly telling her that something was bothering her.
After Rainbow lowered her hoof from her mouth, Fluttershy lowered her head and said, “Oh, I’m...I’m sorry.”
Letting out a sigh, Rainbow said, “It’s alright.”
Silence had dawned between them for a while. The sounds of the whales singing and the water splashing against them were the only things making noise at this point. After a seemingly long moment, Rainbow began inhaling and exhaling, as she did before. However, Fluttershy saw her doing it this time and gave another look of concern.
“Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?” she asked innocently, “You seem nervous about something. Is everything alright?”
Taking one last breath of air, Rainbow Dash said, “Like I was saying...there’s another reason I brought you out here...”
Sitting on her haunches, Fluttershy looked at her and asked, “What?”
Then, Rainbow turned to the yellow Pegasus, a serious look on her face. When she did, she extended her wing to place the small box from earlier into her hooves. Fluttershy could only stare at the small jewelry box, her heart beating faster than before. She had wondered what was in it and for whom it was for, but now, seeing that Rainbow was giving it to her, her own anxiety began to sky rocket.
“Fluttershy...” said Rainbow, trying to keep herself calm, “I’ve known you for a very long time and...well...it...it just seems fitting that I...well...I give you this.”
Before Fluttershy could question anything, Rainbow opened the box and revealed what was inside. When she did, Fluttershy gasped and placed both her hooves over her mouth in a mix of astonishment and panic.
In the box was a pair of barrettes for her mane. Both of them were in the shape of butterflies, much like the Cutie Mark she had. However, they were both made of solid gold and were encrusted with pink diamonds that glistened in the sunlight.
There were no words that could describe what Fluttershy was feeling at that moment. A part of her was really excited that Rainbow had gotten her such an expensive-looking present. However, another part of her was scared, scared as to why she was giving her this in the first place.
“Do...” Rainbow managed to say, “Do you like them?”
Fluttershy looked at Rainbow, then at the barrettes, and then back at Rainbow. She tried to find something to say to her, something to answer her question. However, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
Looking around nervously, Rainbow Dash said, “Rarity helped me pick them out. She knew what you’d like and what would look good on you. You know that I’m not really good with jewelry and all.”
She smiled awkwardly at the yellow Pegasus, who was still at a loss for words.
Come on, say it, she thought to herself. Just tell her.
Clearing her throat, the cyan Pegasus said, “Fluttershy, I’ve known you since we were both fillies in Flight Camp. We’ve been the best of friends for the longest time now and...well...I was hoping that...maybe we can...I don’t know...become more than just friends?”
The end of her statement came out like a question, which caught Rainbow off guard for a moment, since that wasn’t her intention. However, that minute detail was nothing in comparison to the big situation at hand.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened even more than before the moment Rainbow had asked her the question. Her heart began skipping beats as her breathing became more and more shallow. It felt like the entire world came to a halt, freezing them in the moment. If it wasn’t for the fact that she couldn’t feel her wings at that time, she probably would have flown away in a fit of panic. However, she did feel her cheeks beginning to feel warm.
She looked at Rainbow Dash, who wore a worried smile on her face. It was pretty clear that she was just as nervous about this as she was. However, that didn’t ease the anxiety in the slightest. She felt her eyes beginning to tear up, but she didn’t know if it was out of sadness or out of joy. A part of her wanted to say yes, to accept Rainbow’s generous offer to become “more than just friends”. She had known her since they were young and they had grown much closer than any other of their friends. Running the thought through her mind, she felt that doing so wasn’t such a bad idea; she was confident that her friends would understand. If they were generous enough to help plan this entire event for the two of them, then it was obvious they were supportive of the idea. However, with everything she was thinking telling her “yes”, the only words that managed to escape her lips changed to mood in an instant.
“N...No.”
Immediately, she turned her head away from her friend, trying to hide the tears that began flowing down her cheeks. She cursed herself for not being able to fly away because that seemed like the most reasonable option at the time. She tried to spread her wings, but it felt as if some sort of adhesive was keeping them locked at her sides, preventing her from moving where she was.
Rainbow’s face immediately dropped, her eyes widening with worry and sadness. “No?” she managed to ask softly, “W-Why not?”
Fluttershy didn’t answer. She just kept her back to her, crying her eyes out into the cloud they were sitting on. Closing the jewelry box and tucking it under her wing, the cyan Pegasus went over to her and began rubbing her hoof on her back, trying to comfort the yellow Pegasus as much as she could.
“I...I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash...” she managed to say through tears, “I’m so, so sorry.”
“Hey, don’t be sorry,” said Rainbow, trying her best not to let the rejection get the better of her, “It’s okay, I’m not mad, honest!”
Several moments when by before Fluttershy could gather up enough nerve to look at her cyan friend. When she did, she saw that Rainbow was wearing a smile on her face. However, she could see in her eyes that she was heartbroken, let down by what she had said to her.
“Y-You’re not...” she managed to say, “You’re not...mad at me?”
“Of course not,” she said, feigning the best smile she could muster, “Though, if it’s not too much to ask, can you please tell me why?”
The moment she asked the question, Rainbow felt the smile she was faking fade away like a snowflake that fell into the ocean. As much as she hid her pain well, she was crying on the inside, not sure as to why Fluttershy would reject her offer.
Slowly, Fluttershy sat up on her haunches and looked her friend in the eyes, tears still streaming down her face. She wiped them with a hoof and managed to say, “I...I mean...you see...”
Seeing that she was having difficulty explaining herself, Rainbow Dash said, “You can be honest with me, Fluttershy. I promise I won’t get mad or anything. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Fluttershy couldn’t help but let out a tiny giggle, seeing Rainbow Dash, the toughest Pegasus she knew, perform Pinkie Pie’s famous creed. However, her moment of laughter was short lived as she brought her attention back to the question that was asked. She knew why she had told her no, but she was frightened to tell Rainbow Dash. However, she knew that Rainbow wouldn’t get mad at her for telling her the truth. So, going against herself, she agreed to tell her, hoping against hope that her friend would understand.
“O-Okay...” she whispered, sadness and worry still evident in her tone “Well...I...I just...I don’t...I...um...”
She tried her best to get the words out, still very unsure how to put them. When she looked at her friend, she could still see that she was upset, but the look in her eyes were telling her that she was getting tired of waiting for her to answer her question.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “I just don’t feel comfortable with it.”
When she was done, she turned her head away and tried to hide herself behind her long, pink mane, praying to herself that Rainbow wouldn’t say anything hurtful to her. However, all she heard from the rainbow-mane Pegasus was a soft “Oh”, nothing more.
Fluttershy turned her head to face her friend, still hiding behind her mane as best as she could. Through her hair, she was able to see that Rainbow was no longer looking at her. Instead, she was looking at the ground, hanging her head in what looked like a defeated manner. Seeing he like this, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel guilty; it was like she had told her that she wasn’t capable of being a Wonderbolt.
Slowly, the yellow Pegasus inched her way towards her friend, narrowing the gap between them. The closer she got to her, the more she saw small tears beginning to stream down her face and onto the cloud beneath them. Having seen that, the guilt began hammering away at her heart, making her feel like she was some kind of criminal. However, she couldn’t just accept Rainbow’s offer, either.
Hoping it would help, Fluttershy said in a low whisper, “Rainbow, I’m really, really sorry.”
Not turning her head to look at her, Rainbow managed to say, “...don’t be.”
“I can’t help but be sorry, Rainbow Dash,” she said, “I know you worked really hard to plan this. You went through a lot of trouble to do this for me...for us. I don’t want to see you like this, Dashie. I don’t want to be the reason you’re upset.”
Rainbow was about to say something when she felt Fluttershy’s wing wrap around her, bringing her in for what felt like an embrace. Then, she felt her beginning to nuzzle against her neck, as if she was trying to comfort her. Being caught off guard for a moment, Rainbow couldn’t help but look at her in surprise. However, the feeling of shock was short lived when she heard the timid Pegasus beginning to cry again. Immediately, Rainbow wrapped her arm around Fluttershy, rubbing her back as she did before.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered through tears, “I’m really, really sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” said Rainbow, using her hoof to lift Fluttershy’s head to look her in the eyes, “You were being honest with me and that’s more than I could ever ask from you. Besides, I wouldn’t want you to do something you weren’t comfortable with.”
“R-Really?” asked Fluttershy.
“Really,” said Rainbow as she used her hoof to wipe the tears from her friend’s eyes. Then, Fluttershy wrapped her arms around her friend, bringing the two of them closer than before. The two of them stayed like that for several minutes, both of them lost in the tender moment and the warmth of their embrace.
After several moments, they released their embrace, both of them looking into each other’s eyes. When they did, they both smiled at one another, understanding and happiness radiating from the two of them.
Unfurling her wing, Rainbow brought the jewelry box into her hooves, looking at it when she did. Then, she opened it once again and looked at the barrettes inside, both of them still glimmering from the light of the sun. Using her free hoof, she took one of them out and brought it over to Fluttershy’s mane. As best as she could, she managed to clip it into her hair, slightly holding back the part of her mane that usually dangled in front of her eyes. Then, she took the other and put in on the other side. It didn’t hold back any part of her mane like the other one did, but it still looked beautiful on her. All the while, Fluttershy remained motionless, watching her friend place the jewelry in her mane.
When she was done, Fluttershy tapped one of them with her hoof and said, “Rainbow...I...”
Knowing what she was probably going to say to her, Rainbow Dash said, “I want you to have them, anyway. Consider it a ‘thank you’ gift, for being honest and a true friend, Fluttershy.”
The yellow Pegasus blushed as she said, “Are...are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure,” said the cyan Pegasus, her voice raising higher than before.
Smiling, Fluttershy managed to say, “Thank you, Rainbow.”
“No problem,” she said, smiling at her.
Then, the two of them looked out over the sunset, watching the sun slowly beginning to creep below the horizon. When they did, both of them smiled, letting out a contented sigh.
Then, a though came across Fluttershy’s mind. “Rainbow, are you sure you’re not mad at me for...you know...telling you ‘no’.”
“Of course not,” said Rainbow, her voice soft and content, “I mean, I really hoped we could be more than just friends, but, like I said, I wouldn’t want you to do what you weren’t ready for.”
Blushing slightly, Fluttershy managed to say, “Maybe someday we can become more than just friends.”
“Whenever you’re ready,” said Rainbow, as she wrapped her wing around Fluttershy. When she did, she rested her head on her shoulder, the two of them overlooking the sunset.
“Thank you for understanding,” said Fluttershy.
“No,” said Rainbow, “Thank you for being honest. You’re a really good friend, Fluttershy. Above all else, I think that’s all I really want.”
With that, the two of them watched Celestia’s sun slowly disappear over the horizon, both their wings wrapped around one another. They may have been “just friends”, but they were glad that they were spending the tender moment together.
The End