Fell Into the Right Hooves
by CosmicWaltz
Chapter 4
It had been three days since Dash had cast off the bandage over her wing. The treatment had been much the same; as much rest as she could get, healthy meals, and a nightly massage. On her own, she had begun to lightly extend the wing, re-strengthening the limb from its lack of use. She could hardly feel any pain in it anymore.
"Hey, Shy?" Rainbow Dash asked.
The two pegasi found themselves in the garden by Fluttershy's home. It was just past noon, and the yellow pegasus was tending to the many songbirds that shared in her housing.
Fluttershy was lying in the grass, with many of the colorful birds around her. They had grown accustomed to Dash's presence over the week, which Fluttershy was delighted by. The quiet pegasus turned to her friend. "Yes, Rainbow?"
Dash still found herself hypnotized by those eyes. And Fluttershy's frequent visits to her dreams hadn't helped to quench those feelings.
"I was just thinking," Dash said, breaking the spell the eyes had placed her under. "The doc wanted me back in three weeks to begin my physical therapy, right? Well, I've been feeling so much better lately, I'm wondering if you think I could start now?"
Fluttershy looked up in thought. "Well, if you really think you're ready. I can contact the doctor today and see when he can see you again."
"That's not what I meant, Fluttershy," Dash corrected. "I mean, do you think you'd be willing to help me with it. You've done such a great job with everything else, I mean."
"Oh, um, I really don't think I'd be any good at that." Fluttershy hid back beneath her mane.
Dash gently brushed the pink hair out of her friend's face. "You've been doing a great job so far. Just look at this thing!"
Dash extended her wing. The bruising had completely vanished, and the missing feathers were growing back slowly. She gently flapped the limb once. "See? I'd still be wrapped up like a mummy if it weren't for you. If there's anypony I'd like assisting me with therapy, it's you."
Fluttershy blushed. "But Dash, I'm not a very good flier myself. I don't even know where to start."
Dash smirked. "Well, you're not teaching me how to fly. You're just helping me get back up there. Come on, at least give it a shot."
Fluttershy was obviously worried. She stood up, the birds around her hopping about to reposition themselves. "I'll give it my best shot."
---
"Um, I'm not sure where to begin," Fluttershy said nervously.
The two ponies stood in a field beside the cottage. The open land was very close to the Everfree Forest, and yet, was quite a contrast to the sights within. Lush, green grass grew in sheets over the meadow, with flowers poking their way up throughout. In the distance, large mountains reached up to the sky, the white snowcaps extending into the deep blue above. Even the Everfree Forest looked rather nice against this backdrop.
The blue pegasus stood at attention, with her mane held up with a sweatband. The quieter pony sat back, a clipboard in her hooves, and whistle around her neck. One would say it looked more like training for a race than rehabilitation.
"Well," Dash replied, "I guess we should start slow. Basic exercises, like in school. Let's try Wing-Ups."
Fluttershy looked up from her clipboard, which was surprisingly blank of ideas of her own. "Rainbow, if you know what you need to do, why do you need me out here? Oh, not that I mind, I mean."
Dash really didn't know why she wanted her friend to help her. Somehow, though, she just felt better knowing she was there.
"Well, I need you as a coach, obviously!" Dash shot an honest smile to Fluttershy.
"But, I've never been a very good coach, or teacher," Fluttershy nervously replied. "I'll just mess it up." She sank beneath her mane again, a weak look on her face.
Dash couldn't stand to see Fluttershy like that. "Well, how about something you're the best at? How about you be my cheering section?"
Fluttershy's spirits livened at the words. "Well, I can do that for you. If it will help."
Dash felt her heart flutter as those eyes met hers again. "Of course it'll help. Dash always does her best work when there's a good cheer behind it!"
The blue pegasus began her therapy. Wing-Ups were hardly an exercise, mostly used to stretch out before flying. It was simply lifting the wings to their highest peak behind the back, then lowering them to gently touch the ground. To Rainbow Dash, though, they were surprisingly difficult. Her wing felt heavy, and moved awkwardly at first. She found herself barely making it to ten before her shoulder began to quiver. Had she really been set back that badly, she asked herself? She felt like giving up, ready to wait until she saw the doctor again, when a soft voice was heard.
"Whoohoo!"
Fluttershy's cheer was as quiet as ever, but it was the spark Dash needed. She finished another 10 cycles before taking a break. 'I might be able to come back from this yet.'
---
Over the next week and a half, Dash trained her recovering wing daily. She started her day with breakfast, followed by 20 Wing-Ups. After that she ran a lap through the fields with Fluttershy cheering her from the side. Warm up complete, her routine consisted of Wing Jumps, using a small pulse of the wings to propel a pegasus' jump from the ground, and Distance Glides, where from a leap a pegasus extends their total jump distance by gliding. It was all basic exercise that even Scootaloo would have scoffed at, but each felt like a milestone for Dash. She found herself over the days jumping higher and gliding further with increasing ease. She even found herself able to hover for brief periods, all well before she was even supposed to be out of her bandages. With each soft cheer of her friend, she felt herself going further and further. Her hopes weren't gone yet; she could still make the audition.
Throughout the entirety of this time, however, her feelings for Fluttershy had only grown stronger. Every time she looked at the pegasus, her heart would flutter helplessly. She found herself fighting a blush at every compliment, and giving many more than she was accustomed to. The dreams were there as well. They had become much more intense with each passing day, a few leaving her out of breath and burning with a blush at waking. She did her best to cover this. As far as she knew, Fluttershy was oblivious of her feelings. And for Dash, that was a good thing.
---
The blue pegasus pulled the sheet of cloud over her shoulder. She was sore from the long day of exercise, but was finding little relief in the bedding she lay on. The weather team had been clearing up the sky, so the only cloud Fluttershy could find was uncomfortably thin tonight. Still, she didn't want to turn down something her friend had worked so hard to find. She would make do.
Pinkie's party was tomorrow night. A "Comeback Party" had renewed meaning to her now. All day today she had set new records for herself. She was proud of how well she was doing. Fluttershy was proud, too. She had been cheering louder and louder over the days. It still wasn't as loud as most ponies spoke, but for Fluttershy, that was something.
Dash snuggled down into the thin strip of atmosphere beneath her, letting her mind rest.
'You love her.'
Or, she had at least thought her mind was at rest.
'Yeah, I know I do.'
'At least we agree now. When are you going to tell her.'
'Never.'
'Never say never.'
Dash let out an audible groan of frustration. She tensed as Fluttershy stirred quietly within her bed across the room, but settled when she found she had not awakened the pony.
'It's just better that I don't say anything.'
'Explain that one.'
'What if I say something? Best case scenario, we get together, but worst case, I lose her as a friend. And I'm left outed for all of Ponyville to take their stabs at.'
'Perhaps. But I like to think of it this way: Best case scenario, you get together.'
'She doesn't feel for me. Not like that.'
'You don't know that.'
'And you don't know she feels anything either!' She tried to yell in her own mind, finding it just as mute as any other thought.
'You know what? I don't. But I'll tell you something, Dashie; you'll never know anything if you don't ask.'
'How do you know it'll go so well?'
'I don't. But you'll never have anything if you aren't willing to take some spills. You should know that by now.'
Her own mind was mocking her. She had reached a new low.
'Do you plan on trying that stunt again?'
Dash scoffed mentally. 'Of course!'
'Why? It hurt you so bad the first time.'
'You heard the way everypony talked about it! It was great! No way I'm going to just toss something like that because of a little accident.'
'So, you don't care if you get hurt because of how great the outcome is if you get it right?'
'Er, yeah, something like that.' Where was she leading herself with this.
'How's it any different with Fluttershy?'
Dash's eyes popped open. Had she just been outsmarted by herself?
She stared at the wall thoughtlessly for a few seconds. 'What should I do?'
'Tell her you love her. Just be honest.'
'Honesty is AJ's thing. I'm Loyalty.'
'Then trust your Kindest friend to be Loyal to your friendship. If she doesn't feel the same, she just doesn't. With all she's done, do you really think it'd hurt to tell her the truth?'
'I guess not...'
'The party's tomorrow night. It's a good time to tell her how you feel.'
'Yeah...'
'Don't tell me 'the Dash' is scared of talking to a pony. You've faced down a Manticore, a Dragon, even Nightmare Moon, and you're worried about a pony?'
'Fighting impossible odds is much easier. If I had to confess my love to Nightmare Moon, we'd still be in that castle right now.'
'It's easier if you trust them.'
Dash glanced over to Fluttershy's bed. The yellow pegasus looked so peaceful when she slept. Her chest rising and falling with each gentle breath, a stray lock of hair flickering near her muzzle with the exhale. Dash felt her heart thumping in her own chest. As much as she argued with herself, she knew she was right. She had to tell her friend, if for nothing more than to get it out.
'I hope I'm doing the right thing.'
---
Mid-afternoon found the two pegasi headed towards Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie had been given full use of the shop for the party. The Cakes had long accepted Pinkie's tendency to throw events there. It didn't bother them. Pinkie's parties were great publicity for their business, she often paid for all the supplies and treats, and they both enjoyed attending the soirées themselves.
The walk from Fluttershy's had been awkwardly quiet, as had much of the day. Dash could feel the tension, but every time she opened her mouth to start conversation, a million worried thoughts of what words would come flashed before her. Even the training today had been marred by her frantic mind. She barely cleared distances she had set days ago. She could tell her friend was worried, but held it in silence. The party would be good for both of them, she thought.
"I wonder how many ponies showed up," Fluttershy finally broke the silence.
"Well, I know our friends will be there, and probably a few others. It can't be too many." Dash was just happy to no longer be wrapped in the bandage she felt so self-conscious about at her last outing.
A soft bustle could be heard within the storefront as the ponies approached. Dash knocked on the front door. The upper half of the two-panel door burst opened, a pink earth pony appearing in the aperture it made.
"What's the password?" Pinkie tried to put on her best stern face, but still couldn't stifle a giggle.
Dash smiled at the bouncer impression. "Hmm, how about 'I'm the guest of honor?'"
"Ooh, that's a good one!" Pinkie flung open the lower half-door. "Welcome to the party, girls!"
Dash looked around the busy room as she entered. Bright, colorful balloons were anchored to every table and wall, streamers lined the ceilings and doorways, and fun, wild music thumped from some unseen source. A large cake made of six layers sat on a table in the center, each tier dyed a different color of the rainbow. The bottom layer, a vibrant violet color, had a simple message written in frosting; "Get back up there, Dashie!"
There weren't too many partygoers, but it was still far from a casual gathering. She immediately recognized her friends in the crowd, as well as Spike, Applebloom and Big Macintosh, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo by the punch, Lyra and Bon-Bon, Carrot Top chatting with Rarity, Dinky and Derp- Ditzy Doo, she corrected, and of course Mr. and Mrs. Cake. There were a few other attendees she had seen around town, but didn't know much about.
"Wow, Pinks. You really outdid yourself," Dash commended her friend.
"Well, duh! It's not every day I get to throw a party for my very best friend. Well, it kinda is, but that's not the point!" Pinkie was just as bouncy as ever.
The pink pony stood before the cake in the center of the room. "Can I have your attention, everypony! The guest of honor has arrived! Let's hear it for Rainbow Dash!"
The crowd was instantly alive with applause in Dash's direction. Though she normally reveled in an adoring crowd, she felt herself shrinking beneath the invisible spotlight.
She felt a soft nudge. Dash looked over to see Fluttershy at her side, standing with her. The yellow pegasus cast a supporting smile to her friend. Dash felt her pulse rocket with that smile. The simple comfort was all she needed.
---
The party was as festive as any Pinkie threw. Punch, candies, and sweets were in abundance, and everypony was enjoying themselves. Though the party was for Dash, it seemed most ponies were just interested in partying for a party's sake. This relieved the pegasus more than she expected. Though she was okay recounting the story, and even showing off her mostly recovered wing, she was still haunted by the nagging question in her mind.
'When are you going to tell her?'
About an hour into the party, Dash decided she needed some time alone for a moment to think. With most of the shop full of ponies, she took a step outside. A number of partygoers had taken to the yard as well, however.
She looked up to the roof of Sugar Cube Corner. It was a low flight, and she knew she could make it. It was also the quietest place she could go right now. As she began to flap her wings, flashbacks of her first night with Fluttershy jumped forward. The pain she caused herself, and the difficulty of flying that short distance. Her falling helplessly... It seemed almost like a bad dream now, as her wings gently fanned themselves off the ground, carrying her with ease to the roof above.
Dash sat near the tall smokestacks of the kitchen ovens. She had often wondered as she flew by if the building was actually made of the sweets it looked to be, but a quick and embarrassing test of this said otherwise. Unless, of course, it was made of a candy that tasted like roof shingles and mineral water. Content to not tell any other pony of her discovery, she settled into her own thoughts.
Several minutes passed by before a soft voice brought the pegasus back to reality. "Dash, what are you doing up here?"
Rainbow Dash turned to see Fluttershy flying towards her. The yellow pony sat next to her on the faux-candy roof.
"Hey, Fluttershy. Just... up here thinking," Dash replied.
"Something's been on your mind all day, hasn't it?" the quiet pony asked in concern.
"Well, it's complicated," Dash began. "Let me ask you something, Fluttershy."
The yellow pony nodded. "Oh, anything."
"Well," Dash looked down as she spoke. "I have something I need to tell somepony. Something big. And, I'm worried. What if this pony doesn't want to see me again afterwards? What if this pony doesn't even want to be my friend anymore? I just don't know what to do."
Fluttershy looked over her friend in silence for a moment. "Is it important that you tell this pony?"
Dash couldn't bring herself to connect her gaze with those eyes. Not now. "It is. I can't even sleep soundly keeping this in..."
Fluttershy placed her hoof over her friend's shoulder. "Well, you should tell them."
Dash looked to her friend. Those eyes were why the Princess raised the sun every day, she'd swear. "But, what if..."
"Dash," her friend interrupted, "if it's that important to you, this other pony will understand. And, no matter what happens, you'll always have me and our friends here for you."
Fluttershy was still oblivious to her hints, but she hadn't expected her to think it was about her. She was naive like that, which Dash found to be cute. She hugged her friend tightly. "Thanks, Fluttershy."
As they parted, Fluttershy suddenly gave a look of confusion. "Dash, how did you get up here?"
The blue pegasus hadn't even thought about the feat. "Oh, well, I guess I flew." She didn't think of it as a big a deal through the pestering thoughts, but she had actually flown. She had recovered enough to take to the air. Fluttershy's eyes lit up with an excited spark.
"You flew?! Oh, that's so wonderful! You didn't hurt anything, did you? I mean, you're all right?" She hadn't seen Fluttershy this energetic in a long time.
"Yeah, I'm good. I feel like a million bits, all thanks to you." She gave Fluttershy a wide grin. "Now, let's get back inside. What kind of party is there without the guest of honor, right?"
---
As the two ponies returned to the party, Pinkie had just started with the games. "There's the pony of the hour! We were just about to play 'Pin the Tail on the Pony'! Well, not an actual pony, that would probably hurt, but a drawing of a pony! How would you like the first round?" The small crowd around the game cheered for Dash.
"Nah, I think I'll pass, Pinkie. But, I'm sure Fluttershy would like a turn." Dash looked to her friend with a confident smirk. "You've been putting me back together over the past month, so this should be no problem!" Fluttershy giggled under her breath, stepping forward to be blindfolded.
Pinkie moved over to Rainbow Dash. "This must be, like, the best day ever for you! Well, I know you said the Best Young Flier Competition was the best day ever, but I'm sure this is up there! You get your very own party, and you can finally get back into your home!"
Dash glanced over at the party pony. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you can fly again!" Pinkie replied. "You made it up to the roof, which isn't much lower than your house! By the way Dash, the roof isn't really made of candy, though it'd be super if it was!"
Dash felt another hit to her pride knowing her friend saw her tasting the roof of the shop somehow. "Actually, I think I'm going to stick with Fluttershy. At least for a little while. She's probably the only reason I can fly right now anyway." Dash felt her heart warm as she spoke of the gentle pony.
Pinkie looked on in thought, before letting out a shocked gasp. "Dash!" She grabbed Rainbow Dash's face with both hooves, moving the pony to face her eye-to-eye. "Say 'Fluttershy'."
Dash felt a hot blush cross over her face. "F-Fluttershy?"
The pink pony gave a delighted squeal. "I knew it! I totally called it! How long have you two been together? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
Dash's face was suddenly burning with an intensified blush. "Not so loud Pinkie! How did you figure it out?!"
"The eyes never lie!" the party pony spoke in a sing-song voice.
Dash knew she might as well tell her friend. "Look, there's nothing between us. It's just on my end. I haven't told her yet."
Pinkie's expression lowered to a more concerned one. "Oh, Dashie, you gotta tell her!"
"I know, I know. I plan to tonight." Dash confided. "Just, don't say anything, to anypony! Not even our friends. Not yet, at least."
The pink pony put on a stern face, sitting upright on her haunches and saluting with one hoof. "You have my word!" The almost poster-esque salute faded with a half-suppressed giggle. "But it's so cute!"
The crowd began to laugh around them. Fluttershy had pinned the tail on the drawn pony's back, making it look like a wing. Dash found herself joining in the playful laughter.
---
The party had been quite the event. Big Macintosh had let himself be painted by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Applejack had shown amazing skill at bobbing for apples, and somehow Spike had managed to set the cake on fire with a sneeze. Dash had even signed an autograph for Scootaloo, the little pegasus having called Dash an inspiration. It was a nice night. But, there was still one thing that needed to be done.
Fluttershy and Dash walked back from the party together. The night had just started to grow as Luna raised the moon into place. The sky faded into a deep blackish-blue, dusted lightly by the emerging stars.
"It's a lovely night." Fluttershy remarked, looking into the cosmic scene above.
"It is." Dash replied, almost solemnly.
'Now or never, Dash. Now or never.'
She stopped in place on the path. "Fluttershy, wait."
The yellow pegasus stopped not far ahead, turning back to see her friend. Even in the low light, Dash could still make out those eyes.
"Fluttershy, I gotta say this. You're the pony I needed to speak to, on the roof. I've been fighting to say it all night, and if I don't now I never will." Dash looked down, knowing the bomb she was about to detonate on their friendship. "Fluttershy, I... I love you. Not just as a friend, but much more." The tears Dash had told herself she wouldn't let fall escaped her control. Through her blurred vision, she could see the droplets dotting the dirt below her. "Okay, I said it. You can hate me now."
Silence. Motionless silence. A silence that pierced into the most tender parts of the soul. Dash knew she had made a huge mistake, one that she could never take back. She had lost the pony she owed so much to, and one of her oldest frie-
The yellow pegasus pressed herself against Dash, holding her closely. Dash was in shock. All of the horror stories playing in her head, and yet, the pony she had been so worried to talk to was wrapped around her shoulders.
"Don't cry, Dash. It's okay." Fluttershy cooed in her ear.
Dash's worry welled up again. She was about to let her down easy. Less painful, but a hundred times more bitter.
"Dash... I... I feel the same for you too," Fluttershy confessed. "I have for years. You were the first pony who ever stood up for me. I was just too nervous to say anything. And, I never thought you'd feel the same. You're fast, athletic. The coolest Pony in Equestria. I didn't think you would ever want to be with a pony like me. I promised myself that if I couldn't be with you, I would always be there for you, whenever you needed."
Dash's mind went blank, overloaded by what she had heard. Her senses held an emergency meeting to debate which one needed to handle the situation. Finally, her body took over where her mind had fallen short. She returned the embrace, tightening her own hooves around the other pegasus.
After what felt like an eternity, the two parted. Fluttershy was the first to speak. "Um, so, were does this put us?"
The conference of senses in Dash's head flashed together an ingenious plan, almost out of a cheesy comic book. "Right about here."
Dash leaned forward, meeting the other pony's lips in a deep kiss. With only the briefest hesitation, Fluttershy pushed back into the embrace. Dash's heart was threatening to burst as her mind reveled in tingling ecstasy. She drank in the sweet taste of the other pegasus, lapping greedily at the source. Her tongue was locked in a battle with Fluttershy's own, both fighting to enter the warm mouth of the other. It was like a dream.
This was better than any dream, she thought.
Dash separated her contact from the yellow pegasus. Fluttershy absently kissed at the air for a moment, almost too eager to have the wonderful moment interrupted. She opened her eyes, looking up to the blue pegasus. Those beautiful eyes...
"Fluttershy? Let's go home." Dash nuzzled her friend. No, she was more than a friend. Her partner. Her girlfriend. Her mare.
Tomorrow, she would train as she had every other day. She would enjoy three lovely meals throughout. She would get back into the sky she once knew. But tonight, and every night that followed, she knew she'd have a pony waiting for her. And she knew she'd never be lonely again.