Rainbow Dash and Applejack were laughing as they crossed the finish line together for the second time. They slowed to a stop, then broke down into exhausted panting. Applejack bumped Rainbow on the flank and said something. Rainbow laughed and bumped her back.
Fluttershy watched, alone, from the otherwise empty stands. She was far enough back that she couldn't make out what they were saying, but it was obvious even from this distance that they'd had a lot of fun on their run. Fluttershy wished that she could've joined them, but she had a distinct feeling-- No, she knew that she'd just get in the way.
A frown crossed her face as Rainbow unfurled her wings and hovered above the ground, putting a hoof to her chest in a 'Who, me?' gesture. Applejack barked out another wave of laughter that carried to Fluttershy's ears. Fluttershy hung her head and stared at her hooves.
Rainbow had always been strong and fast, good at running or lifting or wrestling. She was also very outspoken, something that Fluttershy admired dearly. Because she was never like that. She'd been the scrawny one in school, the quiet one, the one that nopony noticed. It was a blessing, in its own way, always being under the radar. But it also meant that she could never really connect with Rainbow on a physical level.
Applejack could though. Clearly. Working on a farm had made her tough, and quick of both hoof and wit. She could keep up with Rainbow Dash on more levels than one. More levels than Fluttershy would ever be able to...
“Hey!”
Fluttershy yelped and almost fell off her seat as Rainbow appeared in front of her, grinning from ear to ear and still panting a little.
“H-hi!” Fluttershy squeaked, just about managing to stay upright.
Rainbow moved in and brushed her cheek against Fluttershy's, a gesture which made her smile and blush. She couldn't help but check over Rainbow's shoulder to make sure Applejack wasn't watching, and she wasn't – she was walking in the opposite direction, heading home.
Rainbow pulled back and gave her a questioning look. “Don't tell me you've been waiting since the end of the race? If I knew you were back here, I would've left Applejack in the dust!” said Rainbow. She paused for a moment to look back at Applejack. A smirk touched her lips. “Well, probably. I've got to admit, she's a lot faster than I gave her credit for.”
Fluttershy's head drooped a little again. “Yes. She seems it.”
Rainbow tilted her head to the side. “Hey, you alright?” She flapped her wings to carry herself over and sit down next to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy shook her head and forced a smile. “Oh, yes, I'm fine.”
“Uh huh,” said Rainbow, raising a brow. “You sure about that?”
“It's nothing, really.”
“Come on, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy glanced from the ground to Rainbow's eyes. Rainbow flashed her a gentle smile that said 'You can talk to me' without having to use the words. She sighed.
“I was just watching you and Applejack,” said Fluttershy, lowering her gaze again. “How much fun you had on your run.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rainbow shrug. “Yeah, it was alright, I guess,” she lied. “Oh, hey, did you-- I mean, you could've come along if you wanted.”
“No I couldn't. I'd never keep up with you.” Her frown deepened. “Not like Applejack.”
“Well, obviously,” said Rainbow, rolling her eyes. “But I'd slow down for you. No big deal. Want to go now? I think I could manage one more lap, if we take it easy.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “That's alright. I don't really feel like running.” She paused for a moment, then gulped down her nerves and managed to say, “Why me, Rainbow?”
“Huh?”
“Why do you... like me?” She looked up to meet Rainbow's surprised eyes. The question had obviously caught her off guard.
“Wow, put me on the spot, why don't ya?” said Rainbow. Fluttershy mumbled an apology whilst Rainbow shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “What brought this on?”
Fluttershy looked over towards Applejack, who was disappearing down the trail, quite far away now. She lowered her eyes quickly, but not before Rainbow traced them and saw what she was looking at.
“Oh. Ohhh. Hey, Applejack and I are just pals, Fluttershy. I'm not that kind of girl – you're the only mare I'm interested in.”
A flush of selfish heat washed through Fluttershy's face, and brought on a little smile. “I'm glad.” It was short-lived though, as the issue at hoof was still there. “But that's not what I was worried about.”
“Then what was it?” said Rainbow, smiling now, confident. “I guarantee you that it's not a big deal. You're probably just getting worked up over nothing.”
She was probably right, Fluttershy thought. Maybe it would be best just to come out and say it, get it off her chest. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly through her nose, then gave Rainbow a straight look. “It's just that you're so... physical. Athletic, and acrobatic. A-and Applejack's strong and fast and--” She sighed. “And I'm not. She's so much more like you, but you and I have almost nothing in common.”
Rainbow glanced to one side, then back, and shrugged. “So what?”
Fluttershy blinked. “W-well, I just mean that you must have so much more fun with her than you do with me, because you both like the same things. But we don't. We're so very different. I-I mean, not that I don't enjoy watching you train, because I do! It's just not something that I can join in with. Oh! Goodness, a-and I don't mean to assume that you don't enjoy helping me look after my animals. For all I know, you could enjoy it very much, please don't take this the wrong way, I, I'm just--” She abruptly stopped talking and took another breath, this time letting it out in a sigh. “I'm sorry, I'm rambling.”
Rainbow blinked at her a few times, dumbstruck or still processing the information. Fluttershy hid one eye behind her mane. It was comfortable there.
“I guess what I'm trying to say is that... wouldn't being with her be better than being with me?”
“What?!” said Rainbow. “No, no way. You might not be the strongest or the fastest of our friends, but so what? That doesn't mean they're 'better' than you! And it sure as heck doesn't mean I don't enjoy spending time with you.”
Fluttershy hid the other eye and turned her head away. “I'm sorry,” she said again. It was all she could manage. Rainbow probably hadn't meant to raise her voice, but it was obvious that Fluttershy had upset her.
'Me and my big mouth,' she thought.
An awkward few moments passed in silence, before Fluttershy felt a feathered touch on her back. She peeked out from under her mane, to see that Rainbow was smiling at her, and had unfurled a wing and gently wrapped it around her – not squeezing in a hug, but just leaving it there. Nonetheless, it felt warm and kind.
“You wanna know why being with you is so awesome?” Rainbow said. “Sure, it's fun to be able to go for a run with AJ, just like it's fun to play pranks with Pinkie Pie, or... okay, not so much playing dress-up with Rarity.”
Though she tried, Fluttershy couldn't mask a tiny giggle at that.
“With you, it's--” Rainbow looked up at the sky, as if for inspiration. “It's everything else. Like going for a walk or a flight. Or having a picnic. We don't do anything crazy – minus the whole dragon-hunting thing – we just spend time together. And that's amazing. Know why?”
Fluttershy shook her head, and only just noticed that she wasn't hiding behind her mane anymore. She was listening intently to Rainbow's words.
“I didn't want to go out with you because we had something in common,” said Rainbow. “I wanted to go out with you because of who you are. You're one of the kindest, gentlest ponies I've ever met. You're beautiful, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy blinked as she gazed into Rainbow's eyes, smiling uncontrollably. “I'm beautiful?” she repeated in a whisper.
“Yeah,” Rainbow said, finding a smile of her own. “Yeah, you're beautiful. And just being around you is the best thing ever. You're a beautiful pegasus, and a beautiful person, and--” She put a hoof over her stomach. “--and I can't do this sappy stuff much more so would you kiss me or somethin'?”
Fluttershy let out a breath. She giggled out a “Yes,” and closed the distance between herself and Rainbow in a flash, pressing their lips together and her eyes shut. They held the kiss for a long, long moment, wrapping hooves around one another as they did. It vaguely occurred to Fluttershy that they were out in the open, but right then, it didn't matter. She revelled in the kiss until it melted away, softly, leaving them smiling into one another's eyes.
“So, does that clear things up for ya?” said Rainbow. “'Cause if it doesn't, I'll have to ad-lib the next bit.”
Fluttershy tilted her head. “Ad-lib? You mean you wrote that?”
“It's what I was gonna say to you when I came to your door,” said Rainbow with a shrug. “Part of it, anyway. But I got nerrr-- I decided to save it for later.”
The smile on Fluttershy's face widened again. “Well, it does make me feel better, thank you. And I'm sorry for being such a worry-wort.”
“You've gotta learn to be more confident, Fluttershy,” said Rainbow, squeezing her a little with her wing. “You've got way more going for you than you think. Stick with me and you'll get the hang of it soon enough.”
Fluttershy nodded twice. “I like that idea.”
“Great!” said Rainbow. She removed her wing from Fluttershy's back and kicked off to hover into the air. “So, what d'you say we fly into town and get a drink? I'm seriously hanging after all that running.”
Fluttershy giggled. “I like that idea too.”
Rainbow started towards Ponyville, and Fluttershy took off to follow behind her. As she slowly caught up, she couldn't help but stare up at Rainbow's tail and smile to herself. “I'm beautiful...”
* * *