//------------------------------// // Chapter 1. // Story: All I Needed was Rain. // by TheGaPTrixie //------------------------------// “Fire!!” yelled Rainbow Dash, before crashing. She coughed out dust, as she searched for… “Fluttershy!!” The yellow mare eeped, as Rainbow grabbed her shoulders. “There’s a-- ” She stopped midway, coughing out some dust. “Rai-Rainbow Dash… umm… are you alright?” “Hah! I’m fine, Fluttershy!” She frowned. “The fire! Oh no, oh no, oh no. We gotta dash, Fluttershy. There’s a fire in the Everfree, near your place!! And the weather-pegasi don’t have enough water!” Fluttershy shivered lightly. “A fi-fi-fire-KYAAA!!!!” Fluttershy dropped her groceries as Rainbow Dash snatched her hoof, and flew into the air. The coarse wind blew through her mane. Shaken, but safe, they were soon standing before her cottage. The sky was shrouded with thick smoke. Fluttershy galloped towards her home, able to hear her animal friends’ screams. Small critters were pouring from their trees, and larger creatures were pouring from the forest. “Oh no.” A few more animals ran by, completely ignoring Fluttershy’s pleas. Several minutes trickled by, until several weather-ponies had ordered her to evacuate the premises. Fluttershy wiped her teary eyes, and then nodded weakly. Rainbow Dash flew up behind Fluttershy. “Shy, you can bunk with me.” She gave a small hug. “It’ll be awesome!! And I’m sure everything will be fine!!!” She grinned. “Maybe, I can finally convince you to live in the clouds, like a real Pegasus!” Rainbow did a heroic-looking pose. “I don’t know Rainbow… umm… I wouldn’t want to impose on you. Ma-maybe… I should just wait aroun-“ “Nonsense, Fluttershy! You’re like my closest Pegasus friend.” Rainbow smirked. “C’mon I can show you all my new flying tricks.” Fluttershy stared at the floor. “Thank yo-KYAA!!!” Fluttershy flew backwards, as Rainbow dragged her into the sky. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash dumped her onto a cloud. “Rainbow,” she frowned a tinsy-bit, noticing the cloud-house. “You should not-” “Geez, are you still on that? I told you!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Oh. Okay. If you are absolutely sure… But… umm… If I overstay my welcome, please feel free to kick me out at any time.” Fluttershy nodded, satisfied in her reply. She quickly trotted up the puffy cloud stairs, casting one last glance to the dark smoke in the distance. Fluttershy looked around the house nervously, all the cloud things made her remember flight school in Cloudsdale. “Fluttershy! What are you doing? Get over here!” Rainbow Dash called from upstairs. “Oh I’m sorry Rainbow.” Fluttershy quickly ran up the puffy cloud stairs. Rainbow Dash was waiting at the top. “C’mon Fluttershy, your room is this way.” Fluttershy thought about once more protesting about her stay in Rainbow Dash’s home but by this point she knew arguing with rainbow was a useless waste of energy, she simply followed her. Rainbow stopped abruptly in the middle of the cloud hallway and Fluttershy bumped into her rump with a quiet squeak. Rainbow chuckled, “here is your room Fluttershy, I uhm gotta go check on the clouds and uhm the weather… be back soon! Make yourself at home!” Rainbow dashed away. Fluttershy didn’t think much of it, it happened often enough, it seemed like Rainbow Dash was always in a hurry. Fluttershy entered her new room and stared at a cloud window and saw smoke from afar, she sighed and looked at the floor sadly. What will happen to her animal friends? What about Angel! Fluttershy had kept this thoughts lingering in her mind since she heard about the fire from Dash and it was really taking its toll on her emotions. She got on her new bed and started to drift off to sleep, she was stressed from a long day and decided to sleep so she would not have to think about the troubling thoughts that plagued her. Suddenly there was a crash heard from the downstairs and the sound of Rainbow Dash yelling at something. Fluttershy shot out of bed, the sun was gone, it was day when she had fallen asleep. Fluttershy rushed out her door, nearly running into Rainbow Dash who was running towards Fluttershy’s door “AH! Fluttershy! Don’t come downstairs, I uhm, Just-just stay put alright?” Rainbow Dash pushed Fluttershy back into her room and shut the door. Fluttershy’s face was confused to say the least. She sat on her rump and waited while she listened to the noises downstairs. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had a huge surprise for Fluttershy; Rainbow had gone back to Fluttershy’s cottage, after sneaking over the fire ponies. It was hard work evading the fire pegasus who were carrying rain clouds to the site of the fire. Rainbow Dahs had to be extra careful, if they caught her they would kick her out of the airspace and Rainbow Dash couldn’t complete the surprise she had planned to Fluttershy. Both of the trips went smoothly however and she had successfully retrieved Angel and a few of Fluttershy’s more important belongings. After going the two trips she brought all of the things she had taken to Twilight Sparkle’s library. Rainbow Dash explained everything to Twilight from the very beginning, starting from the fire to how she had retrieved Fluttershy’s things. “Rainbow Dash that’s very nice of you to let Fluttershy stay with you until her house is safe from that fire, but you never told me why you brought everything to me.” “I need you to help this rabbit walk on the cloud tops like you guys did when you came to the best young flyers competition in Cloudsdale. Fluttershy really likes him and she’d feel better if he was with her right buddy?” Angel just crossed his little furry arms in a small fit. Rainbow rolled her eyes “don’t be so dramatic. I also need you to make this stuff I got be able to stay on the clouds.” Twilight giggled softly and turned around and started to look through her books “of course I can help you Dash.” She finally found the book and magically lifted it from the bookcase onto the table and opened it to the correct page. “Aha! Here it is. Come here Angel.” Twilight patted the spot of the table besides the tome. Angel jumped up on the table, his little bunny arms still folded over each other. Twilight’s horn started to glow and the light engulfed Angel and at once it was gone. Angel looked at his paws in confusion, he didn’t feel any different. After using the magic on Angel, Twilight focus on the random things that Rainbow Dash had taken from Fluttershy’s home, a book flew out of the shelves. “Making objects be able to float on the cloud tops is actually a simple spell.” Her horn glowed brighter as the objects that Rainbow Dash had gotten also were engulfed with light. “You better get going guys, tell Fluttershy I said hi.” “Yeah whatever Twilight, can you watch the rabbit though, I can’t carry him and all the stuff that I got for Fluttershy at the same time. I need to get the stuff over to my house, and then I’ll come back over and get it.” Angel glared at Rainbow Dash “erm…him” “Of course, we will get to know each other better; I read a few books about being nice to animals so Fluttershy and I would have more topics to talk to each other about. Take your time now.” Twilight waved as Rainbow shot off into the sky. The trip went over fine. Rainbow Dash put all the stuff down went to check on Fluttershy. She walked up the stairs and down the hallways as slow and quietly as she could and opened Fluttershy’s door to find her sleeping. “Yes!” She whispered ecstatically as she left her home once again to go get Angel. Rainbow knocked back on Twilights door. Twilight opened it and grabbed Rainbow Dash “Dash! Thank Celestia you are here! That bunny is nothing but trouble!” Rainbow looked around the library to find books thrown all about the place. “Wow Twilight” Rainbow Dash giggled while trying to keep the laughter hidden “I can’t believe you couldn’t handle even a little rabbit.” She laughed a little more obviously until Twilight pushed her out with Angel. “Whatever we got we needed.” Rainbow Dash put Angel onto her back as she took off back home. As Rainbow Dash opened her door Angel started to kick Rainbow from on top of her head “Ow!” She yelled as she shook the little white rabbit off her head “what’s the big idea rabbit!” Angel pouted and hopped away to explore her new temporary home. Rainbow had a similar pouting face “if you weren’t Fluttershy’s pet... Wait, Fluttershy!” Rainbow remembered that Fluttershy was sleeping; no doubt that she had heard all of the noise. Rainbow dashed up the stairs to stop Fluttershy from seeing everything before it was ready and nearly ran into her as she left her room. “AH! Fluttershy! Don’t come downstairs, I uhm, just-just stay put alright?” Rainbow dash pushed Fluttershy back into her room and shut the door. She rubbed her hoof over her forehead “that was close.” Rainbow Dash went back downstairs to finish setting up Fluttershy’s surprise. Back in Fluttershy’s room she waited patiently and very confused. After a few minutes she looked out the window and sighed again. After a few more minutes Rainbow Dash barged through the door without even think of knocking “Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Come downstairs hurry!” Rainbow Dash was bouncing like Pinkie Pie from excitement the only difference between the two ponies was Rainbow Dash’s wings were sticking straight out. Fluttershy’s mind was now nearly completely off her cottage and on what Rainbow Dash’s surprise was. Rainbow took off downstairs leaving Fluttershy standing completely confused in her room. She slowly walked out of the room and headed downstairs, her head filled with the possibility was what Rainbow Dash wanted to show her. Fluttershy slowly walked downstairs to find many of her things badly feng shui’d around the living room and kitchen. Rainbow Dash flew in front of Fluttershy with her arms spread open “Ta-da!” Fluttershy’s eyes grew large, “Oh-oh my Rainbow Dash,” she smiled, “but you didn’t have to go through all of this trouble just for me.” She flew around the room moving things around to fit her cottage’s decor style to try and replicate the atmosphere of a calmer setting. “Oh Rainbow Dash, this was so kind of you. Fluttershy sighed deeply in direct contrast to her cheerful tone. “Fluttershy…” A crash was heard in another room. Rainbow Dash growled, knowing it was Angel, she stopped and suddenly remembered that Fluttershy had not yet seen Angel! That was the best part of her surprise! “Hey, uhm Fluttershy can you go see what’s in the kitchen?” Rainbow Dash smiled suspiciously. Fluttershy didn’t seem to notice and walked into the kitchen. There was a short silence, then a quiet, yet excited scream that only Fluttershy could be the source of was heard. Fluttershy darted back into the living room and tackle hugged Rainbow Dash to the floor. “Oh Rainbow Dash this was the nicest thing you have ever done for me, I was so worried about him!” Angel was squeezed between the two pegasus. “Y-yeah Fluttershy, no problem.” Rainbow Dash played it cool but was blushing, she made sure Fluttershy didn’t see her cyan cheeks turn slightly red. She let go and hummed softly to herself as she returned to cleaning, Fluttershy was full of new energy. She still thought about how her other animal friends were still in danger, but her mind was much more at ease knowing that Angel was safe and sound, then it suddenly came to her, how in Equestria was Angel walking on the clouds? She turned to Rainbow Dash; her face gave it all away. Rainbow Dash knew exactly what she was thinking, “what, are you surprised at something?” She said sarcastically. “Well, yes, how’d you get Angel to stay up on the clouds without falling?” Rainbow Dash smirked, “I got Twilight to use her magic, like the time when everypony came to Cloudsdale as I won the best young flyer’s competition!” “Wait, that spell only lasted twenty-four hours, does that mean I have to go take Angel to Twilight every day or else he will fall?” Fluttershy had a terrified look in her eyes from the very thought of Angel being in danger. “Nah,” Rainbow Dash merely shook off the worry. “Twilight said that since Angel is so much smaller than us ponies, the spell will work for much longer.” Rainbow Dash, evilly smirked at Angel, “so he’s got an entire week before worrying about falling off the clouds. Even then your house will probably be fine, the fire ponies have a good team of weather pegasus of their side, and the rain will be useful in that fire.” She scratched behind her head, “though we might go without rain for a little while longer.” “Oh, that’s such a relief.” Fluttershy stopped and thought about her words, “I-I mean the week thing with Angel and my house….Not the rain…” She looked at Angel, “I don’t know what I’d do without him.” Fluttershy smiled at Angel as he scratched behind his ear, then looked up at Rainbow Dash with the same expression, Rainbow Dash blushed and looked slightly away. “So Fluttershy, it is getting late we should probably get some shut eye right?” Fluttershy nodded, “yes I think that is a wonderful idea.” It was a cool summer night and the long day had ended.