//------------------------------// // Reasons // Story: Fluttershy's Pet Breezie // by Skylight77 //------------------------------// “(Mmh…)” Rainbow Dash stirred her little breezie body in her sleep. She slowly lifted her head off of her pillow and gave a huge yawn, stretching both her forelegs in the air. “Good morning sleepy head.” Rainbow Dash felt a giant hoof patting gently on her forehead. When she opened her eyes, her vision blurred before coming into focus. Her eyes were met by the same yellow pegasus that took her in yesterday. Fluttershy had a bright smile on her face, so Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but smile back. “Here you go, this’ll give your little breezie body some strength back.” Fluttershy held out a wing in front of her little cyan breezie friend. Rainbow Dash could clearly see the food items laid out on her wing. Selective small foods ranging from a single grape or cherry, to large crumbs of a cookie or bread were placed on that wing. It was like being served breakfast in bed. Rainbow Dash smiled at the sight. The food items were small, but they were the perfect size for a little breezie like herself. She went for the cherry first and began gnawing at it, squirting some of its juices in her mouth and some spilling on Fluttershy’s wing. But Fluttershy didn’t mind. She was glad to see the little breezie happily eating her food. It only meant that she was recovering and her appetite was fine. “You know, if you’re going to be staying here, you’ll need a name,” Fluttershy started. Rainbow Dash was too busy eating her breakfast to notice Fluttershy’s words. “Let’s see…” Fluttershy moved her hoof to her chin as she examined the little breezie eating in front of her. Rainbow Dash finished eating the cherry and wiped her mouth of the juice that stuck to her, leaving the stem behind. She noticed that some of the juices from that tiny fruit had spilled onto Fluttershy’s wing. Rainbow Dash took a glance at Fluttershy, who just gave off that innocent smile back at her. It made Rainbow Dash a little nervous to see that smile after the way she ate. “(Heheh…)” Rainbow Dash gave a nervous chuckle. She looked down at the stain for a few seconds. She then decided to bring her head down to it and start licking its contents. Fluttershy just enjoyed watching this little breezie being happy with her breakfast. She took a glance at the multi-colored mane. It still had the same mess that it had when she first found the little breezie. Fluttershy brought her hoof towards the small, but long multi-colored mane. She took her time spreading the mane out, trying to realign their colors. Rainbow Dash continued to lick the stain on Fluttershy’s wing while Fluttershy was brushing and fixing her mane style. The more Fluttershy adjusted the mane, the more natural it started to look. She had a strange vibe from looking at that mane. The name that came to her mind from looking at that mane was too similar. It was almost as if… “*Gasp…*” Fluttershy gave a small gasp at the realization. She slowly took her hoof away from the messy mane as she examined the little breezie more thoroughly. The light blue coat, the multi-colored mane, the eating habit… “…R-rainbow?” Rainbow Dash froze up upon hearing what Fluttershy said. She nervously drew her head away from the stained wing and carefully looked up at Fluttershy, who was giving her a closer concerned expression. “…R-rainbow Dash?” Fear had coursed through Rainbow Dash’s form. She slowly backed away from Fluttershy’s wing, attempting to escape that intimidatingly concerned look. “(N-no… s-stop looking at me like that… you’re scaring me…)” Rainbow Dash attempted to deny while she stumbled over her words. She kept backing away towards one end of the sofa while slowly shaking her head. The rest of the food that were placed on Fluttershy’s wing had spilled off as she retracted her wing back to her side while drawing her head closer to the nervous breezie in front of her. It was so hard to believe what she was seeing in this breezie, but the more she examined the little breezie, the more she couldn’t deny it. “It’s you, is it not, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy brought her hoof back closer to the little breezie that had been backed up to the wall of the sofa. Rainbow Dash hung her head low as she sat down and gave a sorrowful sigh. It was hopeless to deny it any longer. Rainbow Dash knew that this would come up eventually, but she really hoped that she could’ve avoided it. “…Yes Fluttershy,… it’s me… it’s Rainbow Dash…” Rainbow Dash seized using the breezie language as she admitted herself to Fluttershy. There was a short pause before she lifted her head back up to meet Fluttershy’s gaze. More worry over took Fluttershy’s face after her admittance. “Oh my goodness, what happened to you?” Fluttershy began, much to Rainbow Dash’s dismay. “You were hurt, tired. You looked like you hadn’t had any sleep in days! How did you ever get into such a bad condition?” Now Rainbow Dash was confused. Was Fluttershy more concerned about her health rather than her form? “Oh my, if I hadn’t been out there yesterday, no pony might’ve found you.” Fluttershy pulled away from the couch as she continued to fret over the possible disasters that could’ve occurred had she not found Rainbow Dash. “Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash attempted to grab her attention. “You could’ve been lost wandering out there for a long time, possibly forever, starving, or getting eaten by a-“ “Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash raised her high-pitched voice much louder. This seemed to grab Fluttershy’s attention as she froze her actions. Both hooves were placed towards her cheeks while her wings kept her suspended in mid-air. Fluttershy broke her stance by bringing her hooves back towards the ground and eyes focused on Rainbow Dash. “Fluttershy, I’m okay, really,” Rainbow Dash started as she smiled at Fluttershy, feeling a little less fear in her heart. “But Rainbow Dash, those injuries…” Fluttershy responded “Okay, so I wasn’t looking too good yesterday, but you took care of me and now I feel so much better.” Rainbow Dash confirmed this by moving and stretching her limbs around. Her body was still covered in bandages, but most of the pain she suffered yesterday was gone. She did the same demonstration with her wings, but she didn’t leave contact from the sofa. “…Um, o-okay, but how did you get into such a bad shape?” Fluttershy asked. “Well… it’s kind of a long story,” Rainbow Dash remarked as she nervously rubbed the back of her head. This wasn’t quite the reaction that she had expected from Fluttershy, but it didn’t change the fact that she would have to explain herself. She wanted to find a way to make this easier to do. “Listen Fluttershy, can we go and take a walk outside? I want to get some fresh air,” Rainbow Dash requested. She felt that it would be easier to talk that way. “But Rainbow Dash, you’re still hurt, are you sure you should be-“ “Don’t worry Fluttershy, I’ll be fine,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “As long as you stay by my side, I’ll be safe.” Rainbow Dash tested her claims by using her wings to lift herself in the air. While she wasn’t fully recovered from her strain, she had more than enough strength in her for a simple flight. She allowed herself to drop back down on the ground as she continued. “And don’t worry; I’ll explain everything along the way.” Fluttershy contemplated on Rainbow Dash’s decision. She knew all too well about the delicate form that the breezies had, especially on their wings, and how dangerous it is outside for them without a proper breeze and group to guide them. But Fluttershy also knew about Rainbow Dash’s extensive knowledge on the weather itself. If there was anypony else who knew of the breezies’ capabilities of flight outside, Rainbow Dash would be that pony. “Okay Rainbow Dash, but first…” Fluttershy brought her hoof towards the bandages that were attached to Rainbow Dash’s body. “Let me replace these bandages. After that, we’ll get ready to go.” Rainbow Dash gave a happy and relieved sigh at that response. Fluttershy was just too kind sometimes. “(Thanks again, Fluttershy.)” ______________________________________________________________________________ Their preparations for taking a walk outside of the cottage had proceeded smoothly with no complications. Fluttershy had removed and replaced the bandages that were on Rainbow Dash. Most of the bruises and scratches had nearly disappeared, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a few bandages for another day. Otherwise the bandages were mainly there for those spots on Rainbow Dash that were still sore. Her wings however were clear of bandages to prevent hindrances. The duo was outside now, a little distance away from the cottage. Rainbow Dash was currently attached to Fluttershy’s back. The breeze outside showed effect on Rainbow’s wings in that if she were to fly alone, it would be difficult to keep herself steady and on track. She had to stay close to Fluttershy in order to be safe, but that wasn’t the only reason. “So, where do you want to go, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy had asked as Rainbow Dash started climbing to the top of her head. “A walk to the lake would be great, but before we go…” Rainbow Dash held a grip onto Fluttershy’s pink mane as she tested the weather outside. After turning towards the direction of the lake, Rainbow Dash put the tip of one of her forelegs in her mouth and gave it a good salivated lick. She then removed it away from her mouth and lifted it upwards in the air, letting the movement of the saliva determine the direction and strength of the wind. “The wind is blowing towards the west direction, so it’s coming from the east.” Rainbow Dash started sliding down Fluttershy’s long mane. “As long as you stay on my right side, I’ll be okay,” she finished as she went airborne. “Mmm.” Fluttershy nodded, confirming that she understood. The duo proceeded to have a nice walk towards the lake outside of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash hovered in the air next to Fluttershy, keeping pace with her walking speed. It felt so great to Rainbow Dash that she could finally enjoy the outside air again without having to strain herself into overdrive with task after task. “So Rainbow Dash, what happened?” Fluttershy started in a careful voice. Rainbow Dash only wished that this had been a stress less flight, but if there was ever an easier time to explain her story; this would be the best time. She took a deep breath and sighed out before she started. “Okay Fluttershy, here’s what’s been happening,” Rainbow Dash began as she inched her flight closer to Fluttershy. “You know how often I like to take my afternoon naps during work right? Well, a lot of ponies are starting to notice that and believe I’m the laziest pony on the job.” “But Rainbow Dash…” Fluttershy glanced back at Rainbow Dash as she remarked. “Everypony knows that you’re the hardest working pegasus that works in the weather factory.” “Yeah, every ‘pegasus’ who works there knows that,” Rainbow Dash replied as she rolled her eyes at her own words. She adjusted her flight path to position herself on the right side of Fluttershy, where she could feel the wind blow. “When I’m on the job, everypony can see just how hard I really work in the weather factory.” Rainbow Dash suddenly showed brief signs of struggles against the wind. “I bust my wings off making sure that everypony in Ponyville will get the weather they’re expecting, be it rain or sunshine, I’m on the job, and I get it done on schedule.” Rainbow Dash then readjusted her flight path to the left side of Fluttershy, where the wind was blocked. Fluttershy kept her eyes on track on Rainbow Dash to make sure she didn’t hurt herself. “And after a hard day’s work, I need a quick nap to recharge my energy right?” Rainbow Dash preceded towards Fluttershy’s back, and proceeded to let herself fall down slowly, with her gaze in the skies. “*Sigh* unfortunately that’s the only part everypony is seeing lately, my naps on the job,” Rainbow Dash finished as she laid her breezie body on Fluttershy’s back, casting her gaze in the skies. Fluttershy was still walking, but she paid full attention to her story. “Oh my, that sounds just awful. All of your hard work is being unrecognized?” Fluttershy asked with a sympathetic look on her face. “To the ponies that don’t work in the weather factory, yes,” Rainbow Dash continued as she picked herself up to a standing position. “Think about how that is like, I do my best to make sure these ponies get what they want, and everypony hates me because they only see the lazy side of me.” Fluttershy casted her gaze towards the ground, not only to confirm her path as she continued to walk, but also to contemplate on what Rainbow Dash just said. “But the worst part is that it is affecting my work.” Rainbow Dash grabbed one of the ends of Fluttershy’s pink mane, lifting it upwards while lifting her other hoof to mimic it. “Now whenever there is a job to do…” she shook the mane, “…and my name gets mentioned…” she shook her hoof, “our job gets canceled!” she finished by throwing the pink mane overboard, which instead made it twirl around Fluttershy’s neck, causing it to bounce back due to the limit, and come crashing back into Rainbow Dash’s face. She flinched and snapped her eyes shut upon impact. “Oh my… why would anypony do that?” Fluttershy had just arrived at the lake that Rainbow Dash requested they walk to. She proceeded to bring herself down into a lying position in front of the lake. “Mmph…” Rainbow Dash rubbed her face. “I don’t know, but I had to do something, so, I had an idea.” Rainbow Dash slid off of Fluttershy’s back and landed on the grass. “Since nopony wanted my services…” she brought a hoof to her chest, “I would self-assign myself to assist the pegasi who were requested for their jobs.” Fluttershy reached into her wing to bring out a small brush she had brought along. “But Rainbow Dash, would they accept your help?” Rainbow Dash jumped in front of Fluttershy to meet eye to eye. “Of course they wouldn’t Fluttershy, because they all believe I’m a lazy good for nothing pegasus lying on the job.” She turned away from Fluttershy to walk towards the lake. “If I was going to get myself recognized again, I had to do some weather duties, whether they wanted me to or not.” Rainbow Dash pushed herself off the ground to allow her wings to get her airborne again. “And while I was sneaking myself into weather duties, I would work faster than I normally do, just to prove to them that I’m not lazy.” She crossed her forelegs together and gave a smug look across the lake. “It was the perfect plan.” The wind started blowing against Rainbow Dash’s wings, causing her to be blown off uncontrollably. “Who-oa… Ow.” Rainbow Dash’s crash course was stopped by a yellow hoof that aimed to catch her in the air. Fluttershy brought Rainbow Dash down on the ground to lie on her belly in front of her. “And did it work?” Fluttershy asked as she picked her small brush up. She proceeded to run the brush along the messed up multi-colored mane, fixing up the colors. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes as the brush ran along her mane. The feeling of that brush running along her mane helped her relax and concentrate on her story. “Oh it worked alright," Rainbow Dash continued proudly. "Those ponies had never seen anything like it before. The work that I pulled in setting up the proper weather was set up so fast; they didn’t even have time to tell me to not help.” Fluttershy took a pause in brushing Rainbow Dash’s mane as she listened to her story. “In fact, they were so surprised that they started asking me for help, even while I was off the job. They no longer saw me as a lazy pegasus,” Rainbow Dash finished. “Oh, that sounds wonderful Rainbow Dash, I’m so happy for you,” Fluttershy said before resuming her brushing. “Yeah, it was. The way that everypony was appreciating me? I couldn’t be any happier… but that was the whole… ooh…” Rainbow Dash’s story came to a halt as she felt the brush start rubbing along the back of her neck. Fluttershy had switched from brushing Rainbow Dash’s mane to brushing her coat. “…Fluttersh… Aahhh…” Rainbow Dash couldn’t contain her moans as the smooth brush ran along her coat, moving towards her back. It felt too great to express into words. She felt pleasure that she believed was impossible to feel in a full grown pony’s body. Her multi-colored tail started vibrating all on its own in reaction to the relaxing moment. Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle at the response that the little breezie she was grooming was making. She wasn’t done fixing Rainbow Dash’s mane, but the expressions she was making was just too cute to pass up. Fluttershy put down her brush for a moment to start petting Rainbow Dash with her hoof. “Oh Dashie, you must be so proud. To have all those ponies crowding you with their appreciation? That’s what you like isn’t it, just like this grooming,” Fluttershy stated in such a motherly tone, it was like she was praising a little filly, or in this case she was praising a tiny critter. “…Yeahh…” Rainbow Dash was engrossed by the feeling of her coat being rubbed by that gentle hoof. But then Rainbow Dash realized the whole point was being missed. “I-I mean, no! Fluttershy that isn’t good!” Fluttershy immediately removed her hoof away from Rainbow Dash. “Oh, you don’t like the groom? Oh I’m so sorry…” “Wait, no Fluttershy, I’m talking about the attention,” Rainbow Dash corrected as she stood up to face Fluttershy. “You wanted more attention?” Fluttershy asked. “No!” Rainbow Dash raised her high-pitched tone. This conversation was not going the way she had planned. “Just, let me start over.” Rainbow Dash grunted as she turned away from Fluttershy and put a hoof to her forehead. “I wasn’t talking about the groom. That felt awesome.” She lay back down on her belly as she continued. “I was talking about the attention I was getting from everypony.” “But Rainbow Dash, I thought you wanted all that attention to prove that you were a hard worker,” Fluttershy said as she picked up the brush again to resume fixing Rainbow Dash’s mane. “Yeah, I did, and I succeeded at that pretty well, but that was the whole problem!” Rainbow Dash announced, a little bit of aggravation apparent in her voice. She sighed out again to calm down. Thankfully the brushing that was being done on her mane helped with that. “I was able to prove to those ponies that I wasn’t lazy, but they also saw just how fast I could get the weather duties done. I received more jobs to do, I was requested more assistance…” Rainbow Dash paused for a moment. “Pretty soon I was getting so many requests that I had no time for myself!” Rainbow Dash started raising her voice again. “I didn’t even have time to rest! It was just me, a few weather pegasi, and BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTNIN-ACK!!!” Fluttershy flinched from that outburst, causing her to tug on Rainbow Dash’s mane very roughly with the brush and lose her grip on it as it dropped to the ground. Rainbow Dash rubbed on her mane with her hoof. “S-sorry Rainbow Dash, you startled me.” Fluttershy picked the brush back up and resumed her work. “So as I was saying, I’ve been getting so much attention lately that I have no time for myself anymore. And if I say no, they’ll just keep begging me and following me to the ends of Equestria until I agree to help.” Rainbow Dash paused as she sighed out again. “The only time I had time for myself was when everypony’s asleep, and I’d be WAY too tired to even move out of my own bed.” “There, all done.” Fluttershy had ceased her brushing of Rainbow Dash’s mane, announcing that she was finally done. Rainbow Dash ran a hoof along part of her mane before she hovered above the lake to have a look. Taking a look at the water’s reflection, Rainbow Dash could clearly see her mane completely fixed. she posed around a few times to examine her reflection. Her mane gave off that really long and natural flow, just the way she liked it. All of the colors were aligned correctly as well. She gave a deep smile. “Awesome!" Rainbow Dash announced as she looked back to Fluttershy. "This is perfect, Fluttershy.” “You’re welcome,” Fluttershy responded with a kind smile before she asked something else. “So is that why you were in such a bad shape when I found you?” Rainbow Dash looked back at her reflection before she responded. “Yeah, I needed a vacation, but no matter where I went, ponies knew where to find me. I couldn’t hide anywhere except for someplace dangerous like the Everfree Forest.” Fluttershy gulped nervously after she heard the mention of that forest. “Speaking of which, it was when I decided to hide there that I figured out how to escape all of my problems,” Rainbow Dash finished as she floated back to Fluttershy. “You were hiding in the Everfree Forest?” Fluttershy asked, surprised by that revelation. “Actually I was hiding over at Zecora’s place. She was working on a new type of potion that, well, I don’t remember what it was for, but she agreed to help me out with a sort of transformation as long as I could help her get it to work,” Rainbow Dash announced, leaving a confused look on Fluttershy. “She agreed to help you out just like that?” “Well, no, um…” Rainbow Dash stuttered. “This wasn’t the first time I had to hide out there.” Rainbow Dash tried to explain the situation by leaving out certain details that she didn’t want to explain. “Let’s just say, my idea of a vacation in the Everfree Forest was not one of my brightest ones.” Fluttershy held a worried look on her face as she thought about what that implied. Rainbow Dash showed signs that she was losing her confidence in her story telling. She floated back down towards the ground to lie on her belly again. Fluttershy was able to notice this. So she picked up the brush again and resumed brushing it along Rainbow Dash’s coat while she curled one of her wings gently around the little breezie. Rainbow Dash moaned at the relaxing touch as she closed her eyes. It was enough to build back her comfort in talking about her story. “Yeeahh… I don’t think Zecora liked having me around,” Rainbow Dash continued in a much softer voice than usual. “So I thought, if I wasn’t Rainbow Dash, I wouldn’t have to hide somewhere so dangerous. So that’s when I thought about Twilight’s transformation spell that she used before. But there was one problem. She would never use that on me again no matter how much I begged. She made that very clear the first time I asked her.” Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, allowing her mind to focus on the feeling of that brush running along her coat. Fluttershy hadn’t responded yet, but Rainbow Dash could tell that she was listening. Fluttershy was just being Fluttershy and doing what she did best, taking care of the little animals that needed help. And right now, she was easing Rainbow Dash’s nerves. “So I got Zecora to agree to help me, but I had to be the one to gather all the ingredients. The hardest part was getting a sample of the spell from that book. It would only work if I had transformed into that creature before, something about needing a sample of that form.” Fluttershy moved the brush towards Rainbow Dash’s tail and started grooming it. Just like her mane, it was a mess, but not nearly as much. It would be much easier to realign the colors properly. Rainbow Dash took in a deep relaxing breath before she continued. “Since this was my only option, that also meant that I couldn’t survive without somepony’s care, and the only pony I could turn to, was you Fluttershy.” Fluttershy blushed after hearing that comment, but she didn’t stop grooming Rainbow Dash’s tail. “I was afraid of what you might think of me if you ever found out about it though. I’m sorry I had to hide that from you, but now you know.” Rainbow Dash was really speaking her heart out to Fluttershy. It was rare for Rainbow Dash to open up like this. But that only showed just how painful her experience must have been. Fluttershy paused her brushing to respond in a lovely tone. “Oh Rainbow Dash, you know you don’t have to worry about me. I’m happy to take you in and take care of you.” She started petting Rainbow Dash with her hoof, keeping her wing curled around the little breezie. “I’m your friend Rainbow Dash, and I would never judge you on what you want. If only you had come to me sooner, maybe you wouldn’t have been in such a bad condition.” Rainbow Dash’s heart warmed up to the sound of that. Fluttershy was one of the only ponies, if not THE only pony she could share such sappy thoughts with without ever being judged. And Fluttershy was proving that again today. It was difficult for her to explain her story, but that didn’t change the fact that Fluttershy’s actions today made that so much easier. Rainbow Dash relaxed into Fluttershy’s feathers as the outside breeze and sunshine soaked her body. There were almost no worries left in Rainbow Dash’s mind anymore. As long as no pony else found out about her presence and form, she would get the vacation she so desired. And right now, that was looking very likely. “(Thank you so much, Fluttershy.)”