All the Ways that Matter

by RoyalBardofCanterlot


Prologue-Feather Sisters

The first time Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy ever met, it was because one of them was crying. Unlike what later years would bring, it was a young Rainbow Dash that was crying. Fluttershy stood on a cloud, away from the rest of her classmates at Flight School. The cloud she stood on was part of a vast forest of clouds interspersed with swirling seas of mist and rivers of wild rainbows, glistening beneath a dome of crystal blue sky. Fluttershy tried not to look down as she slowly crossed the clouds. If she looked down, she might see how far up she was and how far away that mysterious place known as the ground was. She had never been on the ground, but according to adult pegasii slamming into it was painful.

Fluttershy didn't much care for things that were painful. There was a break between classes where students were allowed to practice their flying, talk among themselves or just play. Fluttershy enjoyed nice, quiet games, but she was too slow for a lot of the games many of the other foals enjoyed. She had decided to just go exploring the cloud forest. As long as she didn't go too far she should be alright. Of course, adult ponies were all around which made her feel safe. The rules said to stay in sight of the cloud pillars. Fluttershy wasn't sure what the penalties were for going past the pillars, but was certain she didn't want to find out. So far, she had never gotten in trouble. Not even once in her entire life.

It was something she was quite proud of. She trotted through the clouds, occasionally giving a little hop as she went from cloud to cloud. Suddenly, she heard a piercing cry, almost a wail, of somepony that was hurt. Fluttershy looked around. None of the adult ponies were close enough to hear it, but Fluttershy was certain that she had heard somepony. Fluttershy hurried her pace, heading towards the pillars. Two tall pillars of hardened cloud rose up. Designs were carved into the top of the pillars, images of fruit hanging from vines and curved letters of the ancient Pegasan language. As Fluttershy moved closer, the piercing wails got louder. Suddenly, she saw a little, blue Pegasus filly with a rainbow colored mane. Fluttershy moved closer. The blue filly was curled up in a ball, whimpering. Fluttershy couldn't see any wounds or signs of what she still referred to as a boo-boo. She hesitated, then reached out a hoof to place it on the other filly's shoulder. "Um, are you okay?"

The filly knocked away her hoof and Fluttershy saw the cut. "Go away! Leave me alone!"

Fluttershy backed away. "Um, okay. B-but if you don't mind, I have a band-aid."

The filly wiped at her cerulean eyes. "Really?"

Fluttershy sat down, pulling a bandage from her saddlebag. "Yes."

The blue filly held out her hoof, allowing Fluttershy to place the bandaid over her wound. Then she pressed her lips to Dash's hoof just like her mother did. She wasn't sure if it actually helped to heal anything, but it sure felt nice. "How'd you even get hurt?"

Dash looked down at the clouds and muttered something.

Fluttershy shrugged. "It's alright if you don't want to tell me. I crash into things all the time."

Dash flapped her wings in an instinctive aggressive gesture and shot up to her hooves. Fluttershy nearly tripped as she stood back. "I didn't crash!"

Fluttershy stammered. "Um, okay, I'm sorry, but I don't know how else you could have gotten hurt."

Dash shuffled her hoof, her wings returning to her sides. A look of shame passed over her face and her ears drooped. "I'm getting out of here. Thanks for everything." She took to the air, soaring so fast that Fluttershy couldn't even follow her with her eyes. The mysterious blue filly flew so fast she just barely missed crashing into the pillar. Her wing knocked into the pillar and she yelped. She paused, gave a bashful glance over her shoulder at Fluttershy and continued on her way.

I wonder who that filly was. Fluttershy thought to herself. She continued her trek then realized she had flown past the forbidden pillars. I-I hope she doesn't get in trouble.

The filly must have had the same thought. She came right through the pillars once again and landed at Fluttershy's side. "So,um....I don't think I told you my name. Rainbow Dash. My name, I mean. It's Rainbow Dash." She held out her hoof.

Fluttershy bumped it. "Fluttershy."

A brown Pegasus mare trotted up to them. "Okay, you two. Back to class." She hesitated. "Oh, Fluttershy. You made a friend." A smile crossed her face. "Well, I'm sure you two can talk more after class."

Fluttershy glanced at Dash. Was she a friend? She had never had a friend before.
...
Rainbow Dash had almost completely recovered from the owie that kind, yellow filly had bandaged. It had been a week and just that morning she had taken off the bandage. She was soaring in the sky that was the same color as her coat, enjoying the rush of the wind. There was some commotion down below.

Two brown colts were standing over a trembling, yellow filly, laughing cruelly at her terror. Dash's eyes narrowed. It was the same filly that had bandaged her hoof a week ago and the same colts that always bullied her and called her Rainbow Crash. Anger surged up in her and she landed, placing herself between Fluttershy and the bullies. "Leave her alone!" She shouted.

"What'cha gonna do about it?" The bully sneered. Dash felt a strong desire to plant a hoof in his face, the way Instructor Whacker had taught them in combat class.

She snarled, crouched down, wings flaring out in a threat display. "Keep making fun of her and find out."

The bully strode closer, glaring at her, flaring his own wings. "Think you're such a big shot? Why don't you prove it?"

Dash grinned. "What do you have in mind?"

A race was decided upon as the best way to handle this matter of honor as was customary among adult Pegasii. Fluttershy went and got a checkered racing flag from one of the instructors. She stood on the cloud, holding the flag in her mouth. The combtants were all crouching down, preparing to flare their wings and race. Fluttershy waved the flag.

The two brown colts and the blue filly shot off, Dash in the lead. Fluttershy had around a tenth of a second to admire Dash's grace before the whoosh of the pegasii knocked her off the cloud.
...
"I'm really sorry."

That was the first thing Dash said to Fluttershy as she slinked into Fluttershy's dorm room. The yellow filly blinked. "For what?"

Dash gaped. "Duh! Because I knocked you off a cloud!"

Fluttershy's absence had been quickly noted and it took about six hours before Camp officials managed to find her frolicking in a meadow with a swarm of orange butterflies.

Fluttershy hopped off the bed and comfortingly nuzzled Dash. "It's okay, Dash. You didn't mean to. And you protected me from bullies and we both got our cutie marks!"

Dash grinned and returned the nuzzle. She looked back at her flanks where twin rainbow lightning bolts came out of clouds. "Yeah, that is pretty awesome."

Fluttershy looked admiringly at the butterflies adorning her flank. "Yeah. Mommy and Daddy are picking me up for my cutecenera tomorrow."

"That's awesome, so are mine!"

Dash paused. Fluttershy sensed she wanted to say more. "Look, Fluttershy, I...nah, forget it."

Fluttershy laid a hoof on her shoulder. "What is it, Dash?"

"It's sort of, well y'know, you were really kind to me. And I hate seeing bullies being mean to you. Those bullies are mean to me too. We need to stick together." Dash said, laying a hoof on her shoulder. There was a seriousness, an intensity to her voice.

Fluttershy leaned into her. "I'd like that."

"Y'know, Mr. Whacker told us that when Pegasii become friends they...they sometimes exchange feathers. And then its like they're sisters. Feather sisters." She stumbled over her words, a blush creeped over her face.

Fluttershy held out her wing. She plucked out one of her feathers, the pain hardly noticeable as it was removed from her wing. Dash held out her wing and Fluttershy slid the wing beneath her primaries. The yellow was nearly hidden in the blue. In time, Dash's feather would grow over it. It would remain part of her. A few drops of blood trickled down Fluttershy's wing.

Dash held out her own wing and plucked out a feather, placing it among Fluttershy's feathers. They held their wings together, blood mixing. A bond was forged. A sisterhood was born.