//------------------------------// // Three's A Crowd // Story: Flutterheart // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// The next day, Fluttershy woke up at the crack of dawn, irrationally believing that Forrest's promise to come by in the morning could mean that he would come by at the very beginning of the morning. She knew it was silly, but she wasn't about to take the chance of being wrong. Eventually, Fluttershy grew tired of pacing around her living room while Angel shook his head despairingly, and decided to get started on her morning routine of bringing food to all the animals that lived around her cottage. She brought the rabbits some carrots, the otters some fish, and even brought the birds some worms (which she carried up in her mouth). As she was just in the middle of "handing off" the worms, Forrest finally arrived. "Hi." He smiled awkwardly, taking in the unusual sight. "I'm not interrupting, am I?" "Oh, no." Fluttershy blushed. "Just... bringing my little feathered friends their breakfast." "Oh, I see." Forrest nodded. "There aren't too many trees around my place. At least, not ones that birds live in..." "Would you like to meet them?" Fluttershy asked. "Okay." Forrest chuckled. "Everyone, this is Forrest." Fluttershy told the myriad avian species nesting in the tree. "Why don't you sing him your little welcome song?" The birds complied, chirping a beautiful melody. "Wow." Forrest applauded lightly. "That was amazing." "Thank you." Fluttershy blushed. "I taught them that." "Well then, you are an excellent teacher." Forrest smiled. "And I thought I had a way with animals." "Oh, it's nothing, really." Fluttershy blushed harder, hiding her face under her long pink mane. "It just takes a little time and patience. Anypony could do it." "I highly doubt that." Forrest shook his head, gently pushing aside a long strand of mane from Fluttershy's face. "Because you are one very special pony, miss Fluttershy." "Oh, thank you..." Fluttershy practically whispered, rubbing her shoulder humbly. "And I think... you're quite special, too..." Forrest's response was a warm smile. Fluttershy felt herself becoming weak at the knees, and was quite grateful that she was still in the sky, as she felt that if she was on the ground, she could very well collapse. For a moment, the two pegasi just hovered there, wings flapping lightly, until an approaching sound captured their attention. "Aaaaahhhh!" Came a half-jubilant, half-terrified scream, as a blue streak crashed into the ground at the base of the tree. "Ouch..." Groaned the cyan pegasus pony with a rainbow colored mane as she clambered to her hooves. "Sure didn't stick that landing..." "Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, as she and Forrest landed next to her. "I'm fine." Rainbow shrugged. "Just misjudged the angle of my dive, is all." Rainbow then noticed Forrest. "Ain't ya gonna introduce me to your new friend, there?" She asked. "Oh, of course." Fluttershy realised. "Rainbow Dash, this is Forrest. Forrest, this is Rainbow Dash, one of my oldest and dearest friends." "Nice to meet you." Rainbow smiled. "Same here." Forrest nodded. "If I may ask, what exactly were you doing up there?" "Oh, I was just practising a new move." Rainbow boasted. "If I want to make it into the Wonderbolts, I've gotta have the best tricks." The Wonderbolts were Equestria's premier pegasus aerobatics team, admired and celebrated across the land. "The Wonderbolts?" Forrest asked. "You're a fan of the Wonderbolts?" "Ever since I was a filly." Rainbow smiled proudly. "I've been following them since I was a colt!" Forrest cheered. "I even have their poster on my wall!" "You've got good taste, my friend." Rainbow smirked. "And you must be one heck of a flyer, if you're planning on actually joining them." Forrest said. "I'm not that good at the whole 'aerial acrobatics' thing, myself." "Isn't this nice?" Fluttershy interjected. "You've got something in common. What do you say we all..." "Wanna see some of my best moves?" Asked Rainbow, cutting Fluttershy off. "Why not?" Smiled Forrest. "I'm in the mood for a little air show right now." "Then let's go!" Whooped Rainbow, flying up into the sky. "Come on, Fluttershy." Forrest urged. "Oh... okay." Mumbled Fluttershy, who was beginning to feel like a third wheel. "Check this out!" Declared Rainbow, as the tomboyish pegasus went into a series of barrel rolls and loop-de-loops. "Not bad." Smiled Forrest. "The last time I saw a pegasus move around like that was when my brother got a burr caught in his wing!" "Funny." Smirked Rainbow, her rose-colored eyes sparkling with defiance. "See how funny you think this is!" Swerving downward, Rainbow gathered some dew from a nearby tree onto her wings, flew back up, spun around, then opened her wings, spraying the dew so finely that it formed a miniature rainbow. "Whoa!" Cheered Forrest, clapping his hooves together. "Now, that's impressive!" "Better believe it!" Sniggered the smug Rainbow. Upon seeing the awestruck expression on Forrest's face, Fluttershy was suddenly resentful of Rainbow for butting in. 'Why does she have have to be such a show-off?' She thought, feeling a level of bile in her throat that she had never felt before. 'She just always has to be the center of attention, doesn't she?' After a few more moves, the exhausted Rainbow returned to the ground, Forrest and Fluttershy following her. "Impressive." Nodded Forrest admiringly. "You're Wonderbolts material, alright." "Like there was ever any doubt." Rainbow boasted. "Always nice to meet somepony who recognises my talents." Forrest's stomach started to grumble. "Oh, look at that." He declared sheepishly. "Lunchtime." "I could fix you something inside, if you'd like." Fluttershy offered, pointing toward the cottage. "Sorry, I can't stay." Sighed Forrest. "I'm supposed to cooking lunch for me and my cousins today. Some other time, kay?" "Okay." Sighed Fluttershy, disappointed. "I'll see you later." Forrest smiled as he started to fly away. "Later, Dash!" "Later, flyboy." Rainbow waved after him, before turning to Fluttershy. "Boy, that Forrest sure is something, isn't he?" "Yes, he is." Fluttershy agreed, before growling under her breath "And I saw him first."