//------------------------------// // The Tryouts Part 1 Comfort Foods // Story: Fluttershocked // by Gregory the Mighty //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle ducked her head beneath the window of Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie was working today. Avoiding Pinkie Pie was a herculean task. If it weren’t for her ability to teleport, Twilight would not get a moments peace. It all started months ago when she had to make out with her in order to break Fluttershy out of a shyshock. “Hi.” said Fluttershy. Twilight jumped. “Fluttershy! What are you doing here?” “Oh, I’m just picking up some lemon drops. They are hard to get up in Cloudsdale.” It had been almost a month since she’d moved in with Mr. Dash up in the clouds. “Say, since you’re going in there, could you pick me up a sticky bun. Or a cinnamon roll. It’s all the same.” begged Twilight. “Sure, but why do you need me to get it for you?” She peeked her head in the window. “Oh, I see. Pinkie Pie is still after you.” “Yeah, I usually treat myself every month on the 5th for studying so hard. Self-motivation is important for a proper study schedule...” Fluttershy’s eyes went wide, and her mouth agape. “DID YOU SAY TODAY WAS THE FIFTH?!” She stormed into Sugarcube Corner, nearly knocking Twilight over. Twilight was confused, but still made a mental note that she needed to buy Fluttershy a calendar. “Pinkie! The day has arrived!” “It’s the 5th already?!” Pinkie gave a huge leaping gasp, not unlike the one she greeted Twilight with when she first arrived in Ponyville. “You’ll need the wagon!” She ran into the back and got a red wagon with an extra strap to pull it with, and loaded it up with a dozen cupcakes. Pinkie shoved her out the door. “Hurry, it’s almost sundown! Get a move on! Oh, hi Twilight! Want to make out?” After teleporting herself from another awkward pinkie encounter, Twilight found Fluttershy running around downtown, picking up food, then darting back to her old home at the edge of the Everfree Forest. “Fluttershy, what is all of this?” her red wagon was now filled with ice cream, cupcakes, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese boxes and chicken soup. Twilight tried to piece together what was happening. “They are comfort foods.” Fluttershy revealed. Twilight had stumbled upon one of the greatest known but least talked about rituals in Ponyville. This was the bi-annual Wonder Bolts tryouts. At sundown, Rainbow Dash would be returning for the fifth time with the results of her application to the famous aerial stunt team. Fluttershy unlocked the door to her former home. She had been living with her boyfriend for Cloudsdale for weeks, but the lease was not up on her cabin until July. She went to the back and made sure the power and water heater had been turned on proceeded to put away her wagon full of food. Twilight looked on in wonder. The cabin was so quiet. All the animals Fluttershy worked with had been moved to another building downstream that was more cost effective. Despite living in the clouds, Fluttershy spent most of her time down in Ponyville working with animals. This was good because it enabled her to stay close to her friends. “I’m guessing Rainbow Dash doesn’t take the rejection very well.” commented Twilight. “Oh, it’s awful. It’s the kind of uncontrolled bawling that can only be helped by long periods of hugging and comfort foods.” Twilight pitched in with putting the food away. Some quick math left her to believe that half of Rainbow Dash’s caloric intake for the year was to occur that very night. “You know, if she does make it in this year, you’ll have bought all this stuff for nothing.” Twilight joked. Fluttershy shot daggers at Twilight. It was then when the purple unicorn realized what she had said. If Dash did join the Wonder Bolts, she’d have to move to Canterlot, and we’d never see her again. Twilight regretted having said anything. “She is so hard on herself.” lamented Fluttershy as she began putting the last of the ice cream in the freezer. “ I remember the day she knocked me down to the ground. That’s when I got my cutie mark. But when Rainbow finished the race and found out what she’d done, she found me and lifted me back up to the clouds. She begged me and my parents for forgiveness.” “Sounds like she’s a good friend.” Twilight observed. “Oh she is! Rainbow Dash was the one who got me to arrange the choir of birds for the Summer Sun Celebration. She’s always pushing me to interact more with ponies.” Twilight began to put two and two and two together. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were more than old classmates. Fluttershy depended on Rainbow Dash to be her big sister, and to force her to make friends and believe in herself. Rainbow Dash needed Fluttershy to mother her when she was upset (as rare as that was). Now that Fluttershy was dating her actual parent, she had no one to confide in without being shamed. Mr. Dash was a notorious taskmaster that accepted nothing but perfection from her filly, and with each failed application to the Wonder Bolts, Rainbow Dash and her father grew further apart. Fluttershy dropped the tub of ice cream. “What if she doesn’t come? What if she doesn’t want to be my friend anymore?!” Fluttershy began to tear up. Twilight ran over to her. “Hush now! Rainbow Dash it the loyalest of friends! She won’t be abandoning any of us.” Twilight dried the pegasus’ tears. “I’m sure she’ll be back here any minute, and you’ll be consoling her just like you’ve always done! You’re important to her, Fluttershy, and no matter what happens, you will always be there for her when she’s down.” At that point the front door flew open. There stood Rainbow Dash in a full Wonder Bolts uniform. “Guess who got accepted to the Wonder Bolts?!” Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle started bawling uncontrollably. Rainbow Dash trotted over to the cooktop to make them some mac and cheese.