Rain

by briantherat

"Tell me about Rainbow Dash..."

"Tell me about Rainbow Dash...."

Fluttershy had just come back in from feeding the chickens to find her stallionfriend Blueheart sitting at the kitchen table, staring into his cup of tea. When he asked her to sit down with a serious expression, she had been worried and a bit scared as to what he might want. So, when he asked the question it gave her some comfort and relief, but she was still confused as to his interest.

"Um...well...what about her?" she asked, smiling at the grey stallion with a nervous grin - her eyes trying to read his for some idea as to what direction he was going in.

He sipped his tea and returned her smile, Well, you've been friends with her for quite a while, haven't you?"

Fluttershy felt her nervous grin being replaced by a genuine one as her thoughts turned to the blue pegasus, "Oh yes. We've known each other since we were both little fillies in Cloudsdale. We went to Flight Camp together, school together...I can't ever remember not having Rainbow around."

He nodded, "So, you've been friends for a long time, then?"

She nodded back and, sensing the seriousness of the situation was over - if it had ever even begun, she stood up and went into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of tea. "She is my oldest friend here in Ponyville...or probably even ever. I enjoy the time we spend together."

"Why?"

Fluttershy turned toward him and saw him looking at her with a confused expression. "Why? Why do you enjoy spending time with her, Shy?" he asked, his head tilted to the side slightly, like a confused dog.

His look made her feel a bit nervous, so she turned toward the kitchen counter and, directing her gaze to a speck of dust on the teapot, asked "W...what do you mean? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well..." she heard him say, "I just mean...you two are so different. Besides both having wings, you and Rainbow Dash have nothing in common. You're sweet, kind, humble, generous and, she is...well...arrogant, abrasive, selfish...I just don't get it."

Fluttershy bit her lower lip and replied softly, still not looking at the stallion, "Rainbow can be...those things, yes. But she's a very loyal friend to everypony in Ponyville."

She felt something touch her shoulder, and when she turned around she saw the grey stallion standing beside her, looking at her with an expression of concern that made Fluttershy's discomfort continue to grow, "Shy...I've heard you talk about her...in your sleep. I've seen the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you. I may not have known you for as long as she has, but I think I deserve the truth, one way or another."

Fluttershy looked at the floor, her face quickly turning red.

I talk about Rainbow...in my sleep? What way do I look at her?

"I...I...don't...um...." she started to say, feeling his eyes upon her but too uncomfortable to meet them. She trailed off and looked out the window.

The stallion walked over to the window and, looking out of it for a second, he turned back toward Fluttershy, his voice sounding soft and unemotional, "Sometimes you spend hours looking out this window, and I see how you smile when Rainbow Dash flies by. How your face lights up when she's near you, and how happy you are when you come back from an outing with her. I'm not a smart pony sometimes, Shy, but...I know....I know love when I see it."

She suddenly turned toward Blueheart, her eyes and mouth open wide. Unsure she heard correctly, she repeated, "I...know love...what...Rainbow...no! No, I...I love...you!"

The grey stallion turned toward the rosy-faced pegasus and, putting his hoof on the side of her face, he brushed back her pink mane and gave her a sad smile, "I wish I could believe that. And I wish that you could believe that."

Fluttershy felt tears filling her eyes, but she wasn't sure which part of what was going on made her the most upset. "No!" she sobbed, "I do love you, Blue! I do believe that I love you!"

"And Rainbow Dash? Look at me and tell me honestly how you feel about her."

Fluttershy opened her mouth to respond...

I don't love Rainbow Dash! I love you!

"I...I...."

I don't love Rainbow Dash! I love you!

"I..."

Her brain screamed at her to say it, but every time she tried to get the words out, she just began to cry harder until finally she put her hooves over her face and collapsed into sobs on the kitchen counter. The grey stallion looked at her, his eyes tinged with pity, but his jaw and facial muscles tensing in frustration.

"I think it's best if I go. I'll be at the Hoofburg Inn in town for the night. We'll talk in the morning."

Fluttershy looked up as the grey pony walked into the bedroom and started going through drawers. Her eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot, she moaned between sobs, "Please...please don't go! Let's...let's talk!"

He shot her a tight smile as he went to the door, several small bags of clothes and toiletries on his back. "Maybe you should talk to Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy. Really talk to her, I mean." and he closed the door hard behind him.

Fluttershy ran to the window and watched him go, hoping and praying to the goddesses that he would turn around when he got to the end of the path....to the bottom of the hill...at any time before he went out of sight. But he didn't. With new tears in her eyes, she galloped into the bedroom, flung herself on her bed and cried into her pillow.

*****

"I wonder what's going on..." Rainbow Dash thought, looking down curiously from a cloud above Fluttershy's cottage.

She'd been lying there all morning and some of the previous night, trying to come up with a reason to see the yellow pegasus again. Part of her was concerned with these new and un-Rainbow Dash-like feelings that Fluttershy seemed to bring out in her lately, but on the other hoof it had gotten her thinking about why these feelings had started in the first place. While it was true that the two were very close friends and had always shared a part of themselves with each other that nopony else knew about, the brash blue speedster always managed to maintain her independence, emotional distance and freedom. She would make fun of Fluttershy's foibles in front of other ponies, at the same time as she tried to help her overcome them. And she had done so without feeling bad, or guilty, or upset. That was just their special relationship...just who she was.

But maybe not who I am now...

It was quite clear to Rainbow Dash that things were changing within her, and a different side of her was starting to come out. Rather than playfully tease her for her shyness and self-doubt, Dash spent more time trying to talk to her about it...and counsel her.

Like some kind of egghead...

And not only had she become okay with Fluttershy hugging her lately, but there were many times that she had wanted to take the shy yellow pony in her own forelegs and hold her tightly against her body; to bury her face in that long pink mane and inhale deeply the sweet perfume that was her closest, dearest and bestest friend. The very thought of these things confused and worried her a bit and it occurred to her that perhaps Rarity might be helpful in figuring out what was going on, especially since the fashionista pony was Fluttershy's close friend...after herself, and also that Rainbow Dash felt that Rarity was no stranger to dramatic existential crises. However, she refrained from doing so as Rarity was also a huge gossip-monger, and it would be all over Ponyville if Dash told her about the things she was thinking.

When she really thought about it, all of this seemed to start when that stallion had moved in with her friend....

And so, when it became clear that the blue pegasus wasn't going to get much sleep the previous night, she'd gotten up and flown over to her favourite napping cloud overlooking Fluttershy's cottage. It was high enough up that nopony could see her unless they looked really closely, but low enough that the rainbow-maned pony could look over the fluffy edge and watch Fluttershy tending to her garden, feeding her chickens, or just sitting outside on a sunny day and enjoying the weather; perhaps singing a sweet song.

It's not spying! It's like...I'm her guardian angelpony...or something.

Ever since their encounter the previous day. Rainbow Dash felt like she needed to talk to her, although she was not quite sure what she wanted to say. Perhaps, she thought, she could pretend she was simply looking in on her after the previous day's events and then see where the conversation went. In the end, she had finally fallen asleep sometime before sunrise and it was on this perch that Rainbow Dash had seen the grey stallion stomp out of the cottage and slam the door behind him a few moments earlier. She was too high up to hear much of their conversation, but she had definitely heard the unmistakable sounds of Fluttershy crying right before the grey pony had left and certainly afterwards; and she may have been crazy, but she could have sworn she heard her name spoken a few times. She watched as the stallion trotted stiffly away in the direction of Ponyville, and then she turned back toward the cottage. Hesitating for a moment, she slowly took off into the air and glided downward, stopping just short of the front door. It sounded uncharacteristically quiet inside the home, the usual sounds of animal chattering and movement from within missing. The only thing she could hear was the sound of somepony crying. As it had the previous day, the sounds of her good friend upset made her heart ache with a need to protect her and make her feel better; something that she used to simply attribute to being the Element of Loyalty, but she began to feel that perhaps there was more to it than that.

She slowly knocked on the door, feeling her stomach tying itself up in knots and her mouth becoming dry. The crying sounds from within stopped at the sound, and Dash heard movement coming closer.

"H...hello?" came a soft, sniffly voice from the other side of the door.

"Um...it's...it's me...it's Dash." she replied, face-hoofing at how stupid and un-cool she sounded.

There was silence for what seemed like nearly a minute. The blue pegasus soon gave up, once more chastising herself for her foolishness and had already turned around to take off again when the door opened slightly. Listening for a verbal welcome or some indication of her being allowed entry, she stood by the door for several more seconds before pushing it open further and slowly making her way inside.

The cottage was dim, no candles lit and no light within except the sun shining through the cracks in closed shutters. Sitting in front of one of the shuttered windows, Dash could see the impression of a yellow pony staring off across the room. As she moved closer, she saw the pink mane of her friend moving slightly as she shook her head slowly and her shoulders shuddering as she quietly cried. Rainbow Dash felt her chest tighten as she was struck with a flood of thoughts and feelings that seemed to pull her in different directions. She felt like leaving rather than getting dragged into another emotional whirlwind; she felt like playfully punching her in the shoulder with her hoof and making a joke to try to 'snap her out' of it; she felt like taking her in her arms, licking her tears away and hugging her for as long as Fluttershy would allow it. She felt like doing so many different things, but mostly she felt like closing her eyes so she didn't need to see the yellow pegasus crying. So she did. Protected behind the darkness of her own eyelids, she attempted to gather her thoughts a bit better. However, her inner dialogue was interrupted by a familiar soft voice:

"It's all my fault..."

The blue pegasus opened her eyes again by reflex and saw that Fluttershy had turned to face her. Her pink mane hung limply in her face, blue eyes red-rimmed from crying and face streaked with old and new tears.

"It's all my fault, Rainbow..." she repeated quietly, stepping closer to the blue pegasus.

"What? What's your fault?" she replied, eyes looking away nervously.

Fluttershy sniffled, a fresh stream of tears released from her eyes, cascading down her face and onto the wooden floor. "I had everything. I had...I had a beautiful cottage...lots of animals to care for...friends who like me for who I am...and...I had a pony who...who...l...." she trailed off into new sobs and, to Dash's surprise, threw her forelegs around her neck and buried her face into Dash's shoulder.

The sporty pegasus would normally never allow anypony to mess with her unique manestyle, let alone soak it with their tears, but somehow this didn't seem to matter to Dash at the moment.. Unsure what else to do, Rainbow Dash put one foreleg slowly around Fluttershy's head and stroked it with a hoof. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to say something - anything - that might sooth the yellow pony currently creating a small puddle on her shoulder, but wasn't sure what to do. Finally, she stammered, "Wha...what happened? I mean...I saw...Blueheart, is it? Well, I saw him leave a little while ago. He seemed...angry, I guess." then repeated again, "What happened?"

Fluttershy looked up at the sound of Dash's voice and sniffled, "I...well...we...um...we had a fight."

"Oh...that...that's uncool."

Fluttershy detached herself from Dash's arms and slowly walked over to sit at the kitchen table. She stared across the room, before burying her face in her forelegs and softly crying again, moaning "It's all my fault..."

Once again, not sure what else to do and also to try and have a few moments to think, the blue pegasus went into the kitchen, lit a fire and set the tea kettle to boil. It seemed like a...Fluttershy thing to do. Turning back toward the pitiful-looking pony weeping into her table, Rainbow Dash nervously rubbed the back of her mane with a hoof - pulling it back suddenly as she felt the moisture of where her friend had soaked it.

"So...what did you two fight about?"

Fluttershy stopped crying and looked up slowly. With a sniffle, she wiped her nose with the back of her hoof and sighed, "Oh...it's not important. I was just being a stupid pony again."

"Oh, would you buck off!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, before she could catch herself. She quickly smacked a hoof in front of her mouth, as the yellow pegasus at the table spun her head around quickly at the loud outburst. Fluttershy's eyes were wide in surprise, and her mouth hung open.

The blue pegasus quickly flew across the room and put a foreleg around her friend's shoulder. "Ohmigosh, ohmigosh...I'm SO sorry, Flutters! I just...I just hate when you are so hard on yourself! I got upset, but it was wrong and I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell!"

Fluttershy closed her mouth and, after taking a deep breath, she looked at her friend with her big blue eyes filled with sadness and hurt and said, "It's fine, Rainbow Dash. I deserve to be yelled at. You and everypony else are always trying to help me be more assertive...less shy...happier. But...I don't realize how much I truly have, and now I may have lost the one pony who...truly loves me."

Rainbow Dash didn't know what to say, except to shake her head and stroke her friend's shoulder, holding her close. Suddenly, a loud whistle sound from the kitchen caused both ponies to jump. Rainbow Dash trotted across the room and took the kettle off the fire.

"I'm...sorry, Flutters. I wish I could say something to make you feel better."

Fluttershy looked over toward the kitchen and smiled sadly, "I know, Rainbow. You always...well...you always try to care. More than I deserve."

The blue pegasus opened her mouth to rebut that statement again, but caught herself this time. Instead, she focused on pouring the tea into two cups from the cupboard.

"So...will you tell me what you fought about? I'm pretty smart sometimes...maybe I can help?"

Damn it, Dash! Stop getting involved in this egghead nonsense!

The yellow pegasus brushed her pink mane back and sniffled away some tears, "He...was mad at me because...of love."

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and, gagging internally at the romantic drama, brought the teacups over and set one in front of Fluttershy and one at the place next to her.

"Oh? I thought you were crazy about him. I mean, you two totally live together and stuff, right?"

"I do love him! I mean...I think I do."

The blue pegasus took a sip of tea and smiled, "So, what's the problem, then? Sounds like everything should be totally awesome, right?"

Fluttershy looked at the sporty pegasus and sighed. Dash was somewhat confused by the look in her eyes and the fact that a blush was filling her cheeks with a pink glow, visible even in the candlelight. "Rainbow Dash...do you remember the first time you met me?"

Dash began to get uncomfortable by Fluttershy's look, and by the weird feelings that it and her question created within her. "Uh...yeah...I think so. It was the first day of school - we couldn't have been more than a few seasons old - and we were sitting next to each other in class. I remember I said hi to you and you hid behind your mane, like you wished you didn't exist."

Fluttershy smiled, "I remember. I also remember that anytime we were together and somebody made fun of me, or tried to hurt me, you stopped them. I was just some dopey, shy pony that could barely even fly, but you...protected me. You always looked out for me."

Dash laughed, "Yeah, that's me! Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy's protector!"

"You were my friend back then, Rainbow...my only friend for a long time. You always acted like you didn't care when you were around other ponies; like the only thing that mattered to you was flying. But when we were together...when it was just you and I...I always knew you cared about me. I always knew...you liked me no matter what a stupid pony I was. You wanted to be around me, no matter how pathetic I was...or am." the yellow pegasus said, looking down and hiding her face shyly behind her mane.

Dash took a deep breath at her self-depreciation, but instead of anger and frustration, she found herself filled with an unfamiliar emotion she had felt since Fluttershy had first moved in with the grey stallion and they stopped spending as much time together. She slowly reached out a foreleg and moved Fluttershy's mane away from her face. The yellow pony looked up at her and gave her a small, sad smile.

"I wish you'd stop saying such mean things about yourself, Flutters. You're not a stupid pony...and you're not pathetic."

Fluttershy shrugged and bit her lower lip, her eyes telling her blue friend that she didn't believe her words before she looked away from her again.

Rainbow Dash swallowed hard and lifted up Fluttershy's chin with a hoof until they were looking into each others eyes, "Fluttershy...I have known you for...like...ever and we've been through so much stuff. I've seen you face down a dragon, and fly faster than you ever have in your life; I know what you are capable of, and I've watched you be so much more than you give yourself credit for. Sometimes...I watch you even when you don't know it."

"You...watch me? Why?"

Now it was Dash's turn to blush, "I...I don't know. Well...I know it's not really cool to watch ponies, like, all sneaky and stuff. But...I just think you're so...so...awesome. The things you do...for your friends...for me. I just...wow! Gosh, Flutters, I'm not good with this mushy stuff! I'm sorry for how dopey I sound."

Fluttershy sniffled and giggled softly, "You're not dopey, Rainbow Dash. You're...sweet...and loyal...and I know you mean well. But it still doesn't change what I did today. I drove away the only pony that loved me."

Rainbow Dash opened felt her cheeks burn and she opened her mouth to respond, but her mind couldn't find the words. So many different thoughts and feelings were overtaking her and she felt something rising up in her that she'd never felt before.

Oh, buck it!

Without much thought about anything else, Rainbow Dash acted on instinct, took the yellow pony's face between her two hooves, moved her face forward and met Fluttershy's lips with her own. Her eyes remained open, so she could see Fluttershy's own blue orbs opening as wide as saucers as she gently took the yellow pegasus's lower lip between her teeth for a second before pulling back again.

Sitting back in her own seat, she took a deep breath and, turning toward the table, she took a sip of her now-cold tea.

When she turned back toward the yellow pegasus, her eyes had returned to a normal size and she had a smirk on her face, "Wha...what was that for, Rainbow?"

The sporty pegasus's face turned a deeper shade of red and she shrugged, "I dunno. I guess...I wanted to say that...um...you're wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Yeah...um...about...like...what you said."

Fluttershy clearly was not a stupid pony, as she slowly moved her own foreleg across the table and moved Dash's face with a hoof to face hers, "Dash?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember that fight...that Blueheart and I had?"

"Mmm?"

"He accused me of being in love with you."

Now it was Rainbow Dash's turn to have saucer-sized eyes, with a mouth hanging open. "H...he did? Um...what...did you say?"

She smiled, but Rainbow Dash could see tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes again, "You first. First, you tell me what you meant when you said that I was wrong."

Rainbow Dash bit her lower lip and shrugged, "Flutters...I'm not good with..."

"Please!" the yellow pegasus interrupted, moving her face closer to Dash's so their snouts were nearly touching. New tears slowly flowed down her cheeks, "Please, Rainbow Dash! Please try."

The blue pegasus, unused to emotional displays, suddenly found her own eyes beginning to tear up, turning the vision of Fluttershy in front of her into a blurry haze. She closed them to try and clear her vision, and found the tears now streaming down her face and began to babble her feelings in one steady stream. "Fluttershy, I want you to know that you are my best friend, the coolest pony that I know and I know that you're a mare and I'm a mare and I know that I'm not always ultra cool with talking about my feelings and junk with you like other mares do, but I want you to know...well...that you make me feel things about you that I don't really understand sometimes. I really like you a whole lot and...no, wait...hold on..." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath.

Why does this have to be so bucking hard?

"I...want you to know that...I...I've heard other ponies talk about finding their special somepony and...I guess I've always hoped, even though I never thought it made sense until now, that...well...that you could be mine. And...darn it all Fluttershy, I want you to know that I love you, okay.

Fluttershy sniffled, let out a tearful laugh, and, wrapping her forelegs around Rainbow Dash for the second time that day, hugged her tightly. Before Rainbow Dash could even ask, Fluttershy sobbed, "Oh, Rainbow, you silly, goofy, amazing pony...I love you too! I've always loved you!"

Rainbow Dash felt her heart soar higher than any distance she'd ever flown. To hear Fluttershy echo the feelings she'd always - deep down - knew that she'd felt filled her with joy. She took Fluttershy's face between her hooves and kissed her, first her forehead, then her nose, then all over her cheeks, and then finally she pressed her lips against her newfound lover's own and kissed her with all the passion and adoration that her words couldn't ever seem to express.

The two pegasi had been kissing and hugging each other for several minutes, when Fluttershy saw something move out of the corner of her eye. When she turned her head to see what it was, she immediately sprung apart from the prismatic-maned pony and her eyes went wide. Standing in the doorway, bags at his side and a sad look in his eyes, was Blueheart.

Author's Note:

Sorry for taking so long to put out this chapter! It's hard to write good fiction with a family always demanding attention.

Also, I changed it a bunch of times, and my proofreader, FlutterDash7, had a bunch of suggestions that I wanted to implement.

I hope you are enjoying the story so far, and, as always, I need to give my sincerest thanks to FlutterDash7, my proofreader and one of the best writers on FIMFiction. ;-)

Comments

[Dead Account 20]

im loving this enough to give Chrysalis high blood pressure.media1.giphy.com/media/wvq1lASPNYqyc/original.gif

[I HV NO FEAR]

This is a giant ball of fluff right here. Massive, like the remnants of a build-a-bear animal stuffer explosion.

Poor blueheart. He didn't deserve any of this, and it really sucks for him

[briantherat]

3162784

Fluff, huh? I thought there was more depth to it, but...awww well.

Sometimes, we settle for who we think is the best that we can get, but it's only later that we realize that our true love lies elsewhere. It's not an easy decision, obviously, but...sometimes it's the best one.

[Chapter 13]

... Update?

~ Michael

[Grey_Mane]

Will there be more? I ain't keeping this in my "read it later" list for no reason. Or am I?

[There At The Close]

more please!
this is gold here!!! i love it!

[briantherat]

You guys seriously want me to continue this?

[plskilmeTails]

Ehh, screw Blueheart. Only Dashie gets the Fluttershy!