//------------------------------// // What caused Dash and FS to be such good friends? // Story: Second Post Gets A Story - Anthology // by Duplex Fields //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash put all her frustration into her rear hooves, and obliterated another cloud. She barely paid the air traffic around her any mind, other than not running into anyone else. Fluttershy could be so aggravating at times. Why couldn't she be less scared, less panicked? Why did every little thing have to be a crisis with her? No matter how many clouds she kicked, Rainbow just got madder and madder. She'd apologized to Fluttershy a hundred times about knocking her to the ground when they were at Flight Camp, but that girl still had nightmares about falling to her doom. What else could she do? Rainbow looked around the Ponyville sky, and to her consternation, found she'd kicked every last one of those clouds into oblivion. Great. Now what was she supposed to do about her frustration? Rainbow Dash heard a gentle cough below her. It was Fluttershy, of course. Rainbow flew down to where she was standing. "What's up, Fluttershy?" Not you, she thought to herself. "Oh... Rainbow," said Fluttershy hesitantly, "I've been thinking it over," she looked down and her mane hid her eyes, "I've been needing some new medical supplies, and the feedings do get expensive at times, and everyone will be watching the birds anyway, and not me..." Rainbow desperately wanted to grin, or to blurt out what her friend was going to say, or to do anything but hover there and listen to Fluttershy make an excuse to do something good for herself and her career. But years of friendship made it clear that doing so would make her whisper, "never mind," and slink back to her cottage. So Rainbow bit her lip. "...So I've decided I'll do it." Fluttershy paused. "I'll have my songbird chorus sing for the Summer Sun Celebration." Rainbow hid her true reaction, relief, and instead put on as sincere a smile as she could. "I know your birds will do a great job singing. I'm proud of you, Fluttershy." I know it'll do you some good to get out of the house, she didn't say. I worked my tail off to get you that contract, she didn't say. I'm tired of you being anxious and afraid all the time, and I wish you'd make more friends, she didn't say. Even though Rainbow Dash said a lot, she didn't say a lot more.