//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - The Truth // Story: To Cross a Broken Bridge // by RainbowShyBrony //------------------------------// Chapter 1 Present day... "Fluttershy, I've been wanting to get something off of my chest for a while now and I just wanted you to know that... I-I can't stand to be away from you, Fluttershy! And... I love you... There, how was that?" Rainbow Dash was in her room talking to a picture of Fluttershy which she taped onto the shell of, her pet tortoise, Tank. Who was shaking his head in response to Rainbow's question. "Well thanks for the load of confidence." She closed her eyes and bucked the cloud wall right next to her in angry frustration. "Oh hourseapples! I'm never gonna get this right! Urg!" She finishes with an extra strike to the wall next to her which deformed as she hit it before it sprung back to it's original position. She took a deep breath and calmed down before she looked at her calendar which had this day circled and written within it, read 'Confession'. 'Oh Celestia help me.' She thought to herself wishing she had more time to prepare. She looked over to her clock. "I'm late!" She said realizing that she spent to much time preparing for the moment about to come. "Tank, don't blow-up the house while I'm gone." She said as she took off flying through one of her open windows and headed to Fluttershy's cottage for the plan she had been working on for months. She would have done it earlier, but every time she tried it would be either Fluttershy would be to busy or one of their friends had insisted to join them. It would usually be Pinkie Pie thinking that there was going to be a carriage load of fun where ever Rainbow Dash was going with anypony else. But this time was different. This time Fluttershy had nothing to keep her busy and Rainbow made sure that their friends wouldn't interrupt them or ask to, as Pinkie would say, "...join the party!" It was just her and Fluttershy. And she wasn't planning on letting this one in a million chance get away from her. Her heart was long set for this day. Now if only her brain can come-up with what words to say. ----------------------------------- Fluttershy was in front of the mirror on her dresser trying misurably to give herself more confidence for what she was planning to do. "Come on Fluttershy! Just do it! Rainbow Dash, …I-I love…" She started to panic and looked around frantically and desperitly for something that she could change the subject to. "I love ANGEL!" She said lifting her pet bunny to the mirror. Angel Bunny was not amused by this, crossing his arms to show his disapproval of how Fluttershy was torturing herself. "Oh shoot! Not again!" She said frustrated at herself for being so shy. She put down Angel Bunny and apologized. "I'm sorry Angel. I just can't do it. No matter how hard I try I just can't bring myself to tell her that I lo-" KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! She was interrupted by a knocking at her door. "Fluttershy, open up! It's me, Rainbow Dash!" Shouted her crush from behind the front door. Fluttershy's eyes widen as she panicked, her heart sped up, looking from side to side in search of her calendar which read 'Spend the day with Rainbow Dash'. "Oh no. I forgot that was today." She whispers to herself before addressing her rainbow maned friend outside. "Oh! Um, coming!" She flew down to the lower level of her cottage then to her door. She hesitated a moment before she opened the door. She took a deep breath and opened the door to see Rainbow Dash standing behind it. At the sight of the cyan mare, a small smile etched it way onto her face. "Well, it's about time ya opened the door. Now come on. I got somewhere I want to show you." She started to fly off of Fluttershy's porch before she stopped and turned around to wait for Fluttershy. The cream colored pegasus stepped out onto the porch and called to her little white companion. "Angel! Don't get into any trouble while we're out!" She closed the door and took to the sky to follow Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash began to lead her friend towards the Everfree forest before Fluttershy stopped and said, "Y-you're taking us into the Everfree forest?! But it's so dangerous." Rainbow Dash stopped and turned around to say, "Yeah, I know Fluttershy. And if anything try's to hurt you in any way, I will buck it to the moon. Besides, there's a clearing I found a couple of weeks ago that I know you'll just love. It's a great spot for sleeping and none of the 'big and scary' creatures of the forest ever seem to go into it. So you have nothing to worry about. Okay, Fluttershy?" She finished looking into the pink maned pegasi's cerulean eyes. Fluttershy tried to hold back a blush and giggled a little before saying, "O-Okay, Rainbow Dash. I trust you." The cyan pegasus pulled back and said, "Good! Now let's get there already!" She began flying in the same direction she was flying in before. Fluttershy followed soon afterwards and replied, "R-Right behind you, Dashie." Rainbow Dash looked back at her cream colored friend. "Dashie? You haven't called me that since we were fillies." "Oh! Uh, sorry." Fluttershy apologized feeling stupid about what she had done. "NoNo, you don't have to be sorry about it. I actually kinda miss that." She said trying to reassure her friend. "Oh! Okay." Said Fluttershy feeling happy about being able to call Rainbow Dash by her old nickname. --------------------------------------- They traveled over the Everfree forest before Rainbow Dash pointed at a small clearing to land in. Once they landed, Fluttershy took her time to admire all of the beautiful plant life that grew in it, untouched by anypony else. It was breath taking to say the least. "Wow. It's so beautiful." She said forgetting everything and just admiring the amazing flora. Rainbow Dash, only staring at Fluttershy replied, "Yeah, you are." "What was that?" Fluttershy asked, barely hearing her cyan friend." Rainbow shifted her vision elsewhere rapidly rubbing a hoof behind her head. "Ahahah. I-I said... 'More '!" "More?" "Y-yeah. I just thought, I wish I could have showed you this more often." Rainbow said trying to cover her own tracks, so to speak. Fluttershy smiled at her friend before looking back to the plants and saying "Well thank you for bringing me here. It's so beautiful." Rainbow took this opportunity to fix what she said earlier. "I know. When I saw this place it made me think of how much you might like it." "Well thank you Dashie. Its certainly wonderful." 'Almost as wonderful as your lovely, toned body.' Fluttershy thought to herself. Cleared her throat. "Um, Fluttershy? There's something I wanted to talk to you about." Fluttershy turned to face her cyan friend before asking, "What is it, Dashie?" Rainbow Dash began to blush. Her heart was beating uncontrollably. She opened her mouth to talk only to have the words get stuck in her throat. Unable to look Fluttershy in the eyes, she began to look at the ground next to her, but then came to the realization that she HAD to look her in the eyes. Just to make sure that Fluttershy understands that it was coming from Rainbow's heart. Rainbow Dash looked up into those wide cerulean eyes and finally said, "F-Flu-Fluttershy. Ever sense the day I met you... back in flight camp... I was always able to count on you to be my friend. No matter how tough things got, no matter how much trouble either of us got into, you were always my friend... And Fluttershy... I just wanted you to know... that... that I..." This was it. There was absolutely no chance of coming back from this. Rainbow Dash pulled out ounce of courage and every molecule of will-power she had within her body to finally come out and say it. "I love you Fluttershy! I've always loved you. I just needed to know… Fluttershy? Do you… do you love me?" The cyan pegasus let out a tear as she finished in fear of what her friend might say or do. Fluttershy was in an utter state of shock. She never expected that her best friend would be the one to admit her love for the cream colored pegasus. Fluttershy nearly didn't believe that moment had even happened, but there, standing right in front of her, was Rainbow Dash. The mare of her dreams. The mare she had wanted to admit her own love to for a very long time, was standing in front of her waiting for her friend to answer, tears slowly trekking down her face. This was too much for Fluttershy. She couldn't bring herself to tell Rainbow Dash that she loved her back. She opened her mouth but was completely speechless. So instead of talking, Fluttershy lunged herself into Rainbow Dash, bringing her into a long passionate kiss. Rainbow Dash was surprised by the shy mare's reaction. But soon she melted away into the embrace. She was doing it. She was sharing her first kiss, with her first love, who happened to be her first real friend. Fluttershy was at a lose of words for her experience. Despite this being her first kiss as well, she was having an experience that she had only read in romance novels. Except, she didn't feel any fireworks. No. This was to amazing to be described by something as simple as fireworks. She felt as if she was soaring higher then she had ever soared in her life. Higher then the clouds. Higher than the sky! She was soaring through the stars, their peace and stillness just filling her with a sense of true safety, protection and a closeness to another that she has never felt before. Fluttershy wasn't the only pony feeling something from this kiss. Rainbow felt as if the entire world itself had stopped just for the two of them. In this single moment, the world just stopped. And it felt so... serene and peaceful. It was as if she were laying down in a soft meadow field which brought her ease of mind and a calmness never experienced by the speedster. She didn't need anything else to happen, she was happy how she was this very second. Unfortunately, this moment came to an end when Fluttershy pulled away. She took a few breaths and looked at the crimson eyes of Rainbow Dash. "Dashie. I love you too." Fluttershy immediately went back to the embrace they shared before, satisfied with finally giving Rainbow Dash an official answer. Now they COULD stay like this for as long as they want. Nopony was going to stop them. The two pegasi remained there kissing until they grew tried and sleepy. The two pegasi laid down next to one another. The creme pegasus resting her head on the warm shoulder of the cyan pegasus while the cyan pegasus rested her head on the head of the creme colored pegasus until they both drifted into a peaceful nuzzling each other until they each went to sleep.