Relaxation
Rainbow Dash
Chapter 6
“They sounded pretty far off.” Rainbow said hopefully, trying to inject some positivity into the situation. Fluttershy remained motionless, save for the heavy rise and fall of her chest. There was nothing that scared Fluttershy more than the Timberwolves. They were ferocious, cruel and savage. An old and dark magic was what fused the wooden bones of the Timberwolves, at least according to the old pony tales. Rainbow was afraid of them just for what they were, scary, and dangerous, but she knew why they scared the little mare who sat beside her. They couldn’t be controlled. Any other animal, she could at least try to reason with, or talk to, but those wooden horrors knew only to hunt and kill, and they would not be dissuaded.
“Hey,” she half shouted, trying to get her attention. The kind mare quickly turned her head.
“Listen, they are nowhere near us, and they probably aren’t even coming our way.”
A sharp howl cut her off. Was it just her imagination, or did it sound closer?
“But just in case, we should keep moving. Alright?”
She just stared back at her for a moment and Dash thought that her words had just gone in one ear and flown out the other, but after a couple of seconds she nodded her head. Rainbow let out a sigh as they began their walk again, this time at a considerably faster pace. It seemed like every time she got close to her, some new disaster would pop up. But she would rather climb a hundred more walls, than have a Timberwolf pack close in on them.
Again the athlete felt a wave of frustration as her crippled wing endangered them both yet again. She felt so useless! If she couldn’t protect the pony she loved, what good was she? She wanted to pick the shy mare up off the ground, carry her away, and never have to give this place another glance. But she couldn’t, she couldn’t even spread her wings, let alone take off. As they walked, she let her frustration boil and fester, until she began to feel hot. Really hot... and dizzy. Suddenly the world began to swim before her eyes, and her head began to pound.
Without warning Dash dropped down to one knee.
“Rainbow!” Fluttershy’s gentle voice screeched from... somewhere, she couldn’t tell. She could hear her say something else, but it sounded distant. It was the cave all over again, she felt like somepony had taken a hammer to her head. The voice was gone now, replaced with a high pitched whine that refused to go away. Something was touching her, but she kept her eyes squeezed shut, for fear that the sunlight would just make it worse. Finally the pain began to subside, and Rainbow could feel herself shaking. The scorching heat didn’t leave her, but slowly the noise in her ear began to wane, and Fluttershy’s voice came in its stead. After nearly a minute, she felt well enough to open her eyes. Her yellow companion was holding her with her hooves. Rainbow rose up, still shaking.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know, you just collapsed and started moaning." Fluttershy said frantically. She pressed a yellow hoof to Dash's forehead and swiftly recoiled.
"Oh my gosh, you're burning up! When was the last time you had something to drink?"
The cyan pegasus closed her eyes and tried to recall, hindered by the remnants of the pain that plagued her head. She pushed her hoof against her temple to try and stop the forest from spinning around her.
"I-I... A bit more than a day?" that sounded about right. She didn't drink at the picnic, and she'd skipped out on breakfast to make sure she wasn't late for the migration. Fluttershy looked slightly appalled.
"Rainbow, oh, I had no idea! We need to find you some water!"
Finally, she stopped shaking. With each passing second her symptoms resigned until she felt nearly normal. Her body still felt ridiculously hot, and the sun bearing down on her wasn't helping at all. The element of kindness was muttering to herself and pointing around in all directions.
"What are you doing?" Rainbow asked, finding the scene almost comical.
"I know there's a lake around this area, I'm trying to remember where." after a bit more muttering she asked.
"How long were you walking last night?"
"About an hour."
"Then we should only be about a half hour away. Are you okay? Can you walk? I could carry you if you need I-"
"Hey relax,” she said lightly “I'll live."
Fluttershy made an odd face at that statement, but it disappeared as fast as it came. Before Rainbow could ask she piped up.
“If I’m not mistaken, the lake is this way.” She pointed towards a chunk of forest that looked no different from the rest of it.
“Lead the way.” Dash said with a shrug. Water sounded almost as good as some food, and if it would keep her from having another “episode” like that, she was totally on board.
As they silently pushed their way through all the green, the lack of noise suddenly occurred to the cyan athlete.
“Hey, I can’t hear the wolves anymore.”
“I sure hope it stays that way.” She seemed lost, worried, even strained.
“Fluttershy, you know I’m fine right? It was just a headache, it’s passed.”
“Ok.” was her only response.
Stupid Timberwolves. Everything had been going so well! She never expected Fluttershy to open up so much, it felt like a dream come true. She’d never seen the affectionate side of her. But now she was getting shut out. Pressuring her would only make it worse, so all Rainbow could do was wait. And wait, and wait. After twenty minutes of nothing but the crunch of leaves and twigs under her hooves, her impatience began to surface.
“Fluttershy, is something bothering you?”
“No.” she said quickly.
“You know, I’m pretty sure we’ve been friends long enough that I know when you’re lying.”
“I’m ok.”
“Please,” she stopped walking, and the yellow pegasus halted as well, without turning. “Please don’t shut me out. There’s something you aren’t telling me, and I want to know what.”
“I’m fine.” She said still refusing to turn around.
“Fluttershy...”
She sighed. “I- I’m just... scared.”
“Of what?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me. Why won’t you let me help.”
“I don’t-” she paused and took a shaky breath. “I don’t want to lose you.”
Her voice quivered, and Rainbow immediately stopped her verbal assault. The shy mare sounded so small in that one moment, like a filly being scolded by her parents. She felt shocked and ashamed, why did she pressure her, she knew better. The rainbow maned mare ran to the one she loved, and pulled her close.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “But listen, I promise, you don’t need to be scared, because I’m never gonna leave you. I love you.” Fluttershy managed to keep from crying, and stared gratefully.
“I love you too." she paused to wipe her watery eyes. "But you still need water. Doctors orders.” She said with a smile. Dash smiled too, glad that the mood was finally beginning to lighten.
Fluttershy’s estimate turned out to be pretty spot on. Even with their little moment back in the woods, a half-hour after her splitting headache, the dense green turned into sprawling blue. Compared to other places she’d seen, this lake was quite small, but after so many hours trekking through the forest, it was a brilliant change of scenery. The afternoon sun beamed down on the rippling water. Sandy beaches covered it on all sides, and despite the lake’s small size, the water looked to be crisp and clear.
An elated cry escaped the blue athlete as she ran towards the water, fast as her legs would carry her. She laughed wildly as she neared the edge, and as soon as she felt the warm sands turn to liquid, she bounced into the air, coming down on the water with a huge splash. The cold and wet was a welcome shock to her, her body finally relieved of that heat. She broke the surface with a flourish of her mane, trying to impress the mare still standing on the beach. The water worked through her feathers in no time at all, and her cut began to sting, but it was bliss compared to everything else she’d gone through today.
Fluttershy stood with her hooves buried in the sand watching with a smile. Words could not describe how refreshing it was to see the life and energy return to Rainbow. There were no emergencies, no stony walls to climb, she was just enjoying herself. The whole scene just looked so normal, it was easy to think that it was just another day, just the two of them hanging out. She lowered her head to drink from the water. She gulped it down gratefully, she had no idea how Rainbow could’ve gone that long without drinking. She took a break to look up for a moment. Dash was paddling through the water, lying on her back, hooting and laughing away. Not many ponies knew how good of a swimmer she was. Not nearly as good as she was at flying, but not too shabby. Of course Rainbow had always preferred cloud swimming as opposed to actual water. Fluttershy’s eyes were drawn to the tree line on the far end of the lake. She shivered as a slight chill over took her. The wolves hadn’t howled since Rainbow’s headache, where were they?
“Fluttershy, come for a swim!” the swimming pony called out
“Oh, no thank you.” She replied. “I think I’ll just stay here.”
Rainbow just shrugged and returned to her fun.
Fluttershy lowered her head again. She didn’t want to over hydrate herself, but she was so thirsty. Fluttershy loved the water. It looked so simple, but one look beneath the surface, revealed so much life and diversity.
After her first trip to the ground, she quickly taught herself to swim. Of course swimming was a bit easier, when you could use wings. They could help you propel yourself easier, like big oars. She swallowed another mouthful of water and lifted her head. Rainbow was nowhere to be found. There was no evidence that anything had ever disturbed the water.
“Rainbow?” she said quietly.
“Rainbow!” without hesitation she sprinted into the water. The lake remained quite shallow for several feet, and then took a sharp drop. Fluttershy tried not to move her wings as she paddled her way through the water. The sudden drop in temperature gave her goose bumps but she barely noticed.
“Rainbow!” she called again. This didn’t make sense, the water was calm and even if something happened to Rainbow she would have shouted. And if the worst possible situation came to pass, she would be floating. The realization hit her a second too late, as something gripped her front hooves and dragged her underwater, before she could even utter a squeal.
Her first instinct was to struggle, to push and buck at her captor, but she quickly halted upon feeling a familiar pressure on her lips. She opened her eyes and sure enough, after all the bubbles had risen, Rainbows smiling face appeared before her, a little blurry under the water. Fluttershy wanted to be mad, she wanted to be furious; she’d scared her half to death! Yet as much as she tried, all she could feel was jubilant laugher bubbling up from her body. Without warning, Dash shot straight up towards the surface, and Fluttershy followed.
As she burst from the water, the first sound to greet her ears was the maniacal laughter of the blue pegasus. Fluttershy tried her best to be stern.
“That wasn’t funny.”
“Then why are you laughing?”
It was true. The yellow mare couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so hard. It felt good, it felt great, like a huge weight had just been taken off her shoulders.
“You’re just lucky I was able to catch a breath before you pulled me under!”
“Aw, c’mon, how else was I gonna get you to come swimming? Besides-” she was interrupted the wave of water that Fluttershy tossed at her. “Oh is that how you want to play it?”
Without waiting for an answer, Rainbow splashed her back with as much water as she could. They went back and forth for a while, before the shy Pegasus ducked underwater to avoid her companion’s onslaught. The water was so clean and clear. Stalks of green plants stuck out from the sand below, and small freshwater fish swam about, unhindered by the events above them.
She’d forgotten how much she loved the water. Busy as she was, she never had much spare time to spend down by the lake back in town. She liked the way the water got under her fur, and the way it made her mane float.
Rainbow Dash streaked past like a blue bullet and Fluttershy chased after as best as she could. It surprised her how easy it was to swim with a broken wing. She was sure the doctor wouldn’t recommend it, but as long as she kept it tucked in close, it didn’t even hurt. Before surfacing, she watched the blue pony in her underwater acrobatics. She looped around and spun freely through the water, almost like she was flying again.
Both pegasi came up again to refill their lungs. Fluttershy’s damp mane clung to her face and she giggled. She turned to see Rainbow, just smiling and treading water. Even when wet, the colours in her mane still stayed separate. It was almost difficult to see her, her coat was close in shade to the water.
“Hey,” Rainbow exclaimed suddenly, flipping over to float on her back.
“Look my wing’s clean again!” sure enough, her bloodstained wing had gone from a deep shade of violet, back to blue, although not quite the same cyan as the rest of her body. She plunged back below the surface and Fluttershy followed, thoroughly enjoying the play after such a serious couple of days.
And so the day passed. Hours melted away, shadows lengthened as the sun made its daily shift west, and all the while the two mares swam and played. But finally the sun set and their energy finally failed them as they let themselves float gently back to shore. The sky turned to a splendour of colours, making way for the moon and the stars. The first little twinkles were already appearing. Fluttershy’s muscles ached, but the fun and relief was, without a doubt, worth it.
Eventually the open water turned to sand, and the two left the pool, soaked and smiling. The cool night breeze was intensified by the droplets clinging to their fur, giving a sharp chill to the pair. So they moved closer together, their bodies pressed together as they went. It was odd; such a gesture would’ve sat just fine with any of her other friends. But with Rainbow- the way things were now; it had a totally different meaning. Not so much about comfort, but instead of affection. She could look at anypony and acknowledge their beauty, but she looked at Rainbow, and beautiful took on a whole new meaning. The way her wet coat shone in the moonlight, the way her eyes seemed to sparkle, even in the darkness of night. She was a different kind of beautiful.
They made their way around the sandy beach, there was no point in walking now, they might as well settle in for the evening.
“That doesn’t look too bad.” Rainbow gestured towards a small grassy spot, directly underneath an overhang of rock. She couldn’t see any reason to overlook the spot. They settled down side by side, looking out at the lake, now placid without ponies agitating the glassy surface.
“Do you think we could do this again some time?” Rainbow asked softly. “You know, just spend a day away from it all, go swimming, or whatever you want.”
“Are you asking me on a date?” Fluttershy responded with a blush.
The blue Pegasus chuckled. “It seems like we’re doing this backwards. Start with a kiss, say I love you, and NOW we’re going on a date.”
Even Fluttershy saw the irony in that.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with another pony. You know a ‘special somepony’.” Rainbow said with a little nudge.
“Well, no, I’ve never had a special somepony before.” The shy mare admitted.
“What? Really?” She sounded really surprised.
“Yeah really.”
Rainbow’s cheeks turned a rosy colour.
“What?” Fluttershy said, confused.
“Nothing, just... I get to be your first special somepony. It just feels... nice.” She replied before tucking her head into her folded forelegs. Fluttershy turned her head back to the lake, and the thick trees. Tomorrow, they would have to walk through that. Tomorrow the fun would be over. She hoped dehydration was the cause of Dash’s migraine, not her infection. It really knocked her for a loop, and if it happened when they were in danger...
“Hey Rainbow?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think they’re still out there?”
“What, the Timberwolves? We haven’t heard them since this morning. Like I said, they probably went the other way.”
“Yeah, ok.” Fluttershy said, not entirely convinced. “Here, let me check your cut, before we turn in.”
Rainbow rolled to her healthy side with a grunt, lifting her wing a little. Fluttershy didn’t expect it to be any better; she just wanted to see if it was any worse. It was still red, still inflamed, and still looker very painful.
“What’s the diagnosis?”
“It still looks fine to me.” She replied with a forced smile.
Rainbow gazed out towards the lake.
“You are a terrible liar.”
“What? I’m not lying.” She retorted, a little too quickly.
“Fluttershy, I’ve had enough accidents to know what an Infected cut looks like. Even if I couldn’t see it, I definitely feel it.”
“I’m sorry.” The kind mare said, defeated.
“No, don’t be sorry, I know why you did it just,” she turned to face he “You don’t have to hide anything from me.” She leaned up and gave her a peck on the nose.
“But,” she drew it out “I think you owe me a favor and I could use a bit of help.”
“Alright.” She replied. She would’ve done a hundred favours for what she just saved her from. Fluttershy knew she couldn’t hold on to that secret forever and letting it out might’ve ruined everything.
“Well the water’s done a real number on my feathers, and i can’t reach my right side to preen them.”
“Oh.” She said, expecting a more difficult job. But at the same time she understood, why she would call it a favour. Preening wasn’t exactly inappropriate, but it often made the earth ponies and unicorns uncomfortable, so it was more of a private chore, like brushing your teeth. And with her wing now clean Fluttershy saw no reason to refuse. Straightening out the feathers was easy, but the sheer amount on a Pegasus wing was enough to make it feel like a chore.
As she pulled at the cyan feathers, again she was surprised by just how much the blue mare changed the context of everything she did. It no longer felt like an annoying task, but rather an intimate one. Pegasi couples often helped each other preen, but it was more an act of courtesy, rather than one of lust. But just being so close to her, being trusted with the care of her body, it felt... different.
She carefully set all the feathers perfectly straight, determined to do the best job she could. All the while, Rainbow just lay there and watched her as she worked. Rainbow hated fixing her feathers, the only reason she bothered with it was because unkempt wings weren’t good for flying. As the last feathers were set, Dash offered to do the same for her broken wing, which she promptly agreed to.
Fluttershy for one, never minded preening, the tugging on her feathers felt nice. She worried that Rainbow would pull to hard, but she handled her wing with care and tenderness, the way she always acted around her. Rainbow worked much slower, but the end result looked great.
“Thank you.” She said sleepily. She felt herself drifting off for a while, but she didn’t want to fall asleep with Rainbow working so hard.
“Anytime.” She returned, once again tucking her head into her hooves.
“Goodnight Fluttershy. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
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Chapter name=Relaxation relax is booring
Better hope that migraine ain't from the infection, otherwise bye bye Dashie
3267569 There, changed it, just for you.
That perspective switch was quite nicely done. Why is it that the things you worry you've done badly are the things i praise for being well done? Anyhow, this was a great chapter, the story's becoming better each chapter. I've seen similar starting scenarios to this in other stories, but that doesn't matter because with each new chapter it becomes more and more unique. You've got something really special here.
3271719 Thank you very much for saying so
I've been having so much fun writing this, and I'm glad to see that others are enjoying it as well. The transition scene (and other scenes I so often complain about) are things that are brand new to me in my writing, and they always feel off to me. 
But I'm happy no one else seems to think so 
Enjoying this little story so far and look forward to seeing how it turns out. Found it a little amusing, maybe even odd that Fluttershy was worried about RD dying due to her infection, but didn't mind spending the entire day swimming around. Not to mention their food issue. Still aside from that lil thing it was a good chapter.
Another great chapter, and a happy one to boot. I think you did a good job. The only thing, why would Fluttershy be ok with them wasting the whole day in the water when Rainbow Dash could die from infection. But the cuteness level of the lake scene was to the max
A thousand huzzahs for no Timberwolf mauling!
The yays have been doubled!