Of Females and Feathers

by HinataHyuga

7. First Steps

Rainbow still wasn't sure what she was feeling about Ponyville as a whole. It was a nice place, even if also a little scary. Having somewhere to stay, though, as well as knowing Fluttershy truly didn't care that she liked mares, were both things that were slowly, but surely, making her stay a whole lot better than she'd imagined it would be. Even if she hadn't quite realized it yet.

It'd only been a few days since she'd moved in with Fluttershy, making it her current home until she either found someplace else to go, or went back home. She still didn't know how long she'd be in Ponyville: before she'd left, she'd asked her parents how long she was staying, but her mother had only given her a funny look, and told her she could stay as long as she wanted to, or, as she knew her mother was really thinking, as long as it took her to feel like herself again.

Rainbow Dash hadn't been looking forward to staying in Ponyville at all at first. Now that she'd told Fluttershy everything, though, and Fluttershy had still accepted her, and she even had somewhere to stay, even she couldn't deny she felt a lot better about it.

As it had only been the first few days, Fluttershy hadn't asked her to come to town anymore yet, which Rainbow was happy about. She continued to stay at the cottage whenever Fluttershy went out, usually wandering around outside like she'd done the first time. She'd actually grown quite fond of Angel Bunny, even if he could be a trouble-maker, and often than not, she found herself playing whatever weird games they managed to make up together. Though it was still annoying as hell how the rabbit always seemed to win those games. Rainbow was used to being the winner; she'd just have to get used to it, though.

But it wasn't only that. Rainbow had also discovered that she could pretty much fly all she wanted around Fluttershy's home, and still not be seen by anyone else. It was definitely the coolest part about the temporary home so far, as flying was what she missed the most out of everything she'd stopped doing recently. She didn't care too much who saw her flying all the way out here, though, as there wasn't a very big chance anyone would confront her about it. She'd even finally gotten as bold as to go on up to the clouds above the cottage sometimes, and watch Ponyville from afar, or just sleep, whichever she was in the mood to do.

It was barely no time at all before those few days expanded into a fortnight, though. And the more time that passed, the closer Fluttershy came to her return to the suggestion she'd had in the beginning. She wanted Rainbow to be happy, and to get over her issues, but even she knew that as long as Rainbow continued to avoid the issues, they would only continue to stay.

So on the night after the fortnight of Rainbow's stay had hit, Fluttershy decided it was time to try again.

"U-Um…Rainbow Dash?"

The two ponies were eating dinner together, as they did every night. Tonight it was daisy sandwiches, and Fluttershy had gotten a coconut cake from the town's Sugar Cube Corner to have for dessert. Rainbow happily ate her sandwich, as she was currently in a great mood from the flying she'd done earlier; she started to answer her friend, but quickly, her mind went elsewhere.

"Yeah?" she asked. "Oh! I almost forgot, I have an amazing new trick I did today, and I have to show you tomorrow! I was gonna show you earlier, but I forgot."

The pony's polychromatic tail flicked in excitement as she took another bite of her sandwich; she also barely remembered that Fluttershy had just tried to get her attention. Fluttershy took a pause, looking away and giving a polite smile at the remark. She could easily see Rainbow's mind was on other things besides listening to her, but she continued, nevertheless.

She said, "That sounds really great, Rainbow…I can't wait to see…but, um…I-I'm sorry, but I need to ask you something."

"It's totally great! And you'll be the first pony to ever see it! You could tell the Wonderbolts about the experience for me whenever they realize I'm the perfect new member for their team!"

Again, Fluttershy was silent for a short moment, but kept her patience. She was actually more than happy that Rainbow had gained a good bit of her confidence back since she'd been staying over, but she also knew that only intensified the fact that it was time for her friend to take the next step. If only she could get it out.

The shy one smiled again, though used a more serious tone this time. "I'd love to, but, Rainbow…?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry. What?"

Finally, Rainbow Dash was paying attention. She remained as happy as she'd been a moment ago, still smiling, which Fluttershy hoped would bring something good. Perhaps if she was in a good mood, she'd be more willing to go along with the new suggestion. Otherwise, Fluttershy really didn't know how she would convince her to go along, if she wouldn't from the start. But she knew she had to try. Two weeks was quite a while to avoid troubles, after all. Especially ones that really weren't all that bad.

"W-Well, you see," Fluttershy began. "You've been here for…a good while, now, and…I was just thinking…"

Rainbow suddenly frowned as worry overshadowed her face, which only caused Fluttershy to pause again. Did Rainbow know what she was getting at? Well, she had her worries, even if they weren't exactly correct. A brief moment passed before the blue pony's worried expression mixed with a bit of sadness.

She asked, "You don't want me to stay anymore?"

The question brought instant surprise to Fluttershy, and her face showed it. Quickly, she corrected Rainbow's worries.

"Oh no! That's not it! It's just…well…I was wondering if…you'd come to town tomorrow? With me?"

As her reply carried on, it got progressively softer; the shy one did want Rainbow to finally get out of the house, but she knew she'd be much too afraid to edge the suggestion on anymore than simply asking it. Which meant this was her only chance to suggest it, for at least another week. She knew Rainbow needed it. She knew it was time for her to face her fears. But being the pony she was, Fluttershy would never try to force this. It was all up to Rainbow now.

It took Rainbow Dash a moment to realize what exactly Fluttershy was asking her. And immediately, of course, she felt herself growing a bit tense with the very thought of going out into the public, filled-with-mares world. Her immediate answer was indeed no, though she didn't give it aloud. For a while, only silence filled the kitchen where they were eating. Rainbow looked away as a nervous blush coated her cheeks. When she finally looked back, though, contemplating whether she should just go ahead and give the no or not, it was Fluttershy's worried gaze that caught her attention more than anything else: it was almost identical to the ones her mother had given her back home.

They truly were worried. Her mother, father, and now Fluttershy. This worry was different, though, even if it looked the same. It was only then that the thought crossed Rainbow Dash's mind, that Fluttershy was completely serious about this. She really wanted her to try, to climb this mountain she'd been stumbling on for over a month now. And she also really believed, that if she did try, she would be okay. It was still scary. Rainbow still didn't want to do it. But with these new thoughts, she couldn't say no. Not anymore.

It was time.

Finally, Rainbow sighed, shakily. Her heart felt as if it would stop, but she could no longer deny that Fluttershy was right. It was time to stop hiding.

"…With you?"

Fluttershy hesitantly gave a nod, keeping her same demeanor.

Rainbow swallowed, continuing. "…How long?"

"I…don't know. I guess…however long it takes me to show you around," she told her, then added quickly. "I'm sure it won't be too long."

That brought a bit more of a relief. If it was going to be with Fluttershy, and not too long, perhaps it really wouldn't be so bad. Rainbow had no idea, but she certainly hoped so. She knew Fluttershy was truly doing anything she could to make this future trip easy for her, though, and she knew at this point, she'd said no enough times.

"…Okay."

Fluttershy's eyes widened, and she shifted back just a little, blinking once. She was very obviously in complete shock at the word. Quickly, though, she became nearly confused, as if she doubted what she'd heard. She leaned forward again.

"O…Okay?"

Rainbow Dash forced the tiniest smile she'd ever given as she affirmed, "…Yeah. I'll go."

It took a few seconds for the answer to process in Fluttershy's mind, as she honestly hadn't been expecting a yes. Eyes still wide, she only stayed dumbstruck, but in no time at all, she'd nearly leapt from across the table to tackle her friend with joy, a move that shocked Rainbow almost as much as her answer had shocked Fluttershy. The shy one's burst of excitement was definitely something Rainbow had never seen until now.

"OH THANK YOU! Rainbow, it's going to be so much fun, I promise! Promise promise! You won't regret it!"

If it'd been any other female doing this, the move would've been another of those things that didn't help Rainbow in the least. Hell, it would've made her even worse. But it was Fluttershy, and though the blue pony couldn't help but blush just a little from the awkward proximity, she was also weirdly happy that she'd apparently made Fluttershy's week.

"…Yeah," she answered with a small smile.

As it usually went when Fluttershy did something that wasn't quite Fluttershy-ish, though, the shy pony almost immediately jumped off of her, backing away a bit and returning to her original place from across the table.

"Oh…I'm sorry," she said, but kept her smile. "I'm just really happy you said yes."

Rainbow only stifled a short laugh. "It's okay."

It seemed like no time at all before tomorrow hit, and it was time for Rainbow Dash's second trip ever into Ponyville. She still couldn't honestly say she was ready for this at all, but as long as she had Fluttershy alongside her, as well as the memory that she really hadn't been noticed all too much the first time she'd been in the town, she supposed she would try to stay optimistic. Maybe it wouldn't really be as bad as she worried it'd be.

Fluttershy made sure to plan the trip more toward mid-morning than afternoon, simply because fewer ponies would be in town then, and that would hopefully make things easier for Rainbow Dash. When she told Rainbow Dash the detail, the shy one was relieved to see that her friend liked the idea. And Rainbow was indeed quite grateful. The fewer ponies, the better, for now. She just wanted to get the whole visit over with, and if fewer ponies would be in town, it'd take less time to see everything Fluttershy intended on showing her, along with having fewer females to worry over. It really was a good plan.

So with hopes that everything would work out as imagined, the two set off for Ponyville.

Rather than flying, they'd decided to walk their journey. It'd take a little longer to get there, but Fluttershy preferred walking most of the time, anyway, and in the current situation, so did Rainbow. Still, they didn't dawdle too long, as the morning wouldn't last all day, and the later it got, the more ponies would arrive. It only took about ten minutes to get there; Rainbow Dash couldn't decide if she was happy with this or not. Either way, they had finally arrived, and it was time to face Ponyville.

"Just try to stay calm, okay, Rainbow Dash? Stay next to me and everything will be alright."

The words didn't do as much to help as Fluttershy's presence did, which Rainbow discovered rather quickly. She did as Fluttershy said, though, and followed her lead as they walked through Ponyville. Just as the shy one had said, it wasn't nearly as crowded as it'd been the first time Rainbow had visited; rather easily, the two made their way through the town, and Fluttershy pointed out the different shops and other places of interest, as well as mentioned a few of the ponies that lived around.

"Remember that coconut cake?" she asked, pointing out another shop. "I got that from this place, Sugar Cube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake run the shop, by the way. They're such nice ponies."

Though the trip wasn't turning out to be nearly as bad as Rainbow had worried, she was still nervous, and not paying as much attention as she should've been: she couldn't stop herself from looking around, just to make sure nopony was staring in her direction. Staying calm was both easy, and difficult at the same time, in her situation.

She replied quietly, "…That's cool."

As they passed the shop and continued on their way, Fluttershy introduced a few more of the places to her, including mentioning the apple farm that was close by; she told Rainbow she would see more of it another day, rather than this one, which the blue-coated pony was quite content with. Rainbow Dash could easily tell how happy Fluttershy was taking her on this tour, but despite that, and despite her own worries, she found herself growing a little more on the bored side as time went on. Ponyville was nice, very nice, really, but there was only so much walking around and looking at buildings that Rainbow could find all that interesting.

She soon found herself looking up at the clouds, and feeling the need to be up there again. But almost as soon as the longing hit her, Fluttershy finally came to a stop, and turned to her again with a small smile. Rainbow brought her attention back to her shy friend, but couldn't help noticing the small, almost baroque-style structure they were now standing in front of.

"Um…so what's that one?" she asked, pointing a hoof in the direction.

Rather than answering the question directly, though, Fluttershy kept her smile, and quite quickly, it became a little more awkwardly nervous. She averted her eyes for just a moment, before bringing them back and finally speaking again.

"W-Well…Rainbow Dash," she began. "I actually have sort of a confession to make."

Rainbow instantly brought her attention back completely to Fluttershy, now that she'd made the strange, unexpected comment. She honestly had no idea what the other was talking about, but something told her it wasn't good. A confession? Was she hiding something? Suddenly, Rainbow found herself completely focused on whatever Fluttershy was speaking of, and forgetting all about the other worries she had. She even raised her voice a little more now, though she really wasn't sure if she wanted to know what this was or not.

Confusedly, she asked, "W…What?"

She felt a little more panic rising up again, but tried to push it away; she didn't even know what it was yet. It couldn't really be all that bad, could it? The word alone kind of made it feel that way, though…confession. What kind of confession was she even talking about?

Fluttershy took a short pause before she continued, ever-so-hesitantly.

"Well…you see…I…kind of…told a friend of mine about you…and that we might visit today."

Instantly, magenta hues widened as Rainbow flinched back, releasing a near-silent gasp. Also instantly, her previous worries crept up behind her again as the shadowing fears they'd been in the beginning. Fluttershy, the one she'd entrusted everything to, had told someone about her? She'd no idea what all had been told, but hearing such a thing still nearly took the breath right out from under her. Fluttershy hadn't even told her she'd been planning this! Hadn't even gotten her permission!

"WHAT?"

It was all Rainbow could get out, as she backed away a little more, wings and ears folding back and her heart speeding up again. She could feel her paranoia returning, as well as a bit of anger; who the hell did Fluttershy even think she was, telling something like this? Quickly, though, the shy pony raised a hoof, her own expression nearly coming to match Rainbow's.

"I-I didn't say anything about—that!" she frantically assured. "P-Please don't be upset! I-I promise I didn't! I just told her about…you. As my friend. A-and she wanted to meet you! That's all!"

At the assuring words, Rainbow felt a wave of relief hit her almost instantly, and she could do nothing but fall into a sitting position as her eyes closed a moment, ears and wings still tucked.

She sighed deeply. "Geeze Fluttershy..."

The shy pony blinked, her gaze quickly becoming a more guilt-ridden one, as she wondered if maybe she shouldn't have even said a word about Rainbow Dash at all, even as just a friend. She truly hadn't meant to cause any trouble; but she didn't want Rainbow to remain friendless for the whole time she was here (well, remain with only one friend), and not to mention, she knew that if Rainbow didn't eventually see that she could both be gay and have friends, she would only continue to spiral downward. Some good friendships were exactly what the distraught pony needed, so Fluttershy believed.

"U-Um…is that okay?" she finally asked, much more softly. "You're not mad, are you?"

Rainbow looked up at her again, and couldn't help but give another silent sigh. She knew Fluttershy meant well. And she wasn't angry with her. Still, she could've said that to begin with, instead of scaring the shit out of her. She couldn't say she was overjoyed at the idea of meeting somepony else, but she'd take that in a heartbeat over somepony else knowing her secret. As for somepony else guessing her secret…she'd just have to trust Fluttershy, and her other experiences, that that wasn't exactly as likely as she worried.

The blue one shook her head. "No. I'm not. It's fine."

"Oh...I'm so glad," Fluttershy sighed, letting another smile grace her lips. She then turned to the small store they were in front of, and looked back to Rainbow, who was getting to her hooves again. "Well, my friend is in here. And this will also be the last stop before we go home. I promise."

That was good to know, at least. Rainbow Dash tried her best to swallow down her worries, and hesitantly followed Fluttershy into the place. She stayed behind her as they entered, and tried to be optimistic again: perhaps, since this pony was Fluttershy's friend, she'd be a lot like Fluttershy. She wouldn't mind another sweet, quiet, understanding pony as a friend. It was actually a nice balance, she thought, as Rainbow herself wasn't exactly the quiet type at all. If this pony really was like Fluttershy, she probably didn't have anything to worry about. The thought almost made Rainbow feel better as they entered the store.

As soon as they were in, Fluttershy called the pony's name, and asked if she was busy; and almost immediately, the two got an answer as the pony came out from the back room to greet them.

"Fluttershy, you know I'm never too busy for you, dear!"

The snow-white unicorn gave a bright smile as she approached them, her lovely styled purple mane bouncing along slightly as she walked. She was definitely a sight to see, and suddenly, Rainbow didn't feel so good about this visit after all. If this pony's personality matched her looks, she definitely wasn't like Fluttershy. At all.

Fluttershy smiled back. "Yeah. I know. Well, um…"

She stepped aside just a bit, and looked back behind her at Rainbow Dash, whose ears were lowered back again with worry. At the sight of her, Rarity's blue eyes widened, and she and Rainbow only stared at one another for a short moment. Rainbow finally attempted a small smile, but before she could barely do so, the unicorn gasped, quite loudly, and rushed forward to her new acquaintance. The gesture instantly caused Rainbow to jump away as she felt her heart nearly stop, for no other reason than the complete unexpectedness of it; she fell back into a sitting position, but even with all that, Rarity only jumped closer, practically invading every bit of personal space Rainbow had as she brought a hoof to the side of the scared one's face.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Fluttershy! Is this your friend?"

"Y-Yes…this is Rainbow Dash…"

From the look on her face, Fluttershy obviously hadn't been expecting Rarity's move either, but soon, the reasoning behind it came to light. Rarity looked back to Fluttershy, then to the now-terrified Pegasus again; she brought her hoof back down as she sighed her next words in excited awe.

She began, "Oh, darling! Your mane! Fluttershy never mentioned this!Oh, how lovely! Those colors! Is this natural, dear?"

Once she'd gotten the words out, the white pony gave a grin, obviously expecting a real answer to her question. Rainbow, though still completely in shock, was relieved to know this was only about her mane, even if with or without anything else, Rarity was still scaring her…quite a bit. The unicorn finally moved back again, realizing her mistake.

"Oh my, do forgive me. My name is Rarity. I am a fashion designer, and I simply could not help but notice it! …And you are Rainbow Dash, hm?"

Fluttershy was friends with a…fashion designer? Maybe it really wasn't as surprising or weird as it seemed, but Rainbow certainly never would've guessed it. She remained in her position, ears still lowered a little, but she was more than grateful that Rarity had moved out of her bubble now. Hesitantly, Rainbow looked over to Fluttershy, who gave a weak smile that was both apologetic and pleading; it wasn't hard to see that the shy pony was mentally begging her to give Rarity another chance, despite the outburst. With a silent sigh, Rainbow brought her gaze back to the unicorn, and attempted the smile again.

She said, "Y-Yeah. Rainbow Dash."

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, darling," the unicorn gave a charmingly polite bow of the head. "Welcome to my boutique!"

Rarity then stepped back a bit more, and lifted a hoof in an outward direction, smile still bright.

She continued, "Please, feel free to look around. I also have filtered water, and coffee, if you'd like some, completely free of charge; any friend of Fluttershy's is a friend of mine!"

Rainbow Dash finally did take a look around at the suggestion, as she'd had other things on her mind when she and Fluttershy had first walked in. The inside of the boutique was nearly just as fancy and baroque as the outside, which wasn't really all too surprising, especially if this unicorn was indeed a fashion designer. She didn't want anything to drink, though, so she only shook her head with a nervous smile.

"Um. No, it's okay. I'm fine."

Rarity blinked. "Hm. Suit yourself, then..." within a short moment, the familiar grin returned to her face. "About that mane, though… is it natural?"

At the question, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but stifle an awkward laugh, as a small blush crept its way upon her cheeks. She averted her gaze; nopony had ever been this interested in her mane before. But now knowing the career of Rarity's choice, she supposed she could understand the interest. Did no other ponies really have similar manes, though? Now that she was thinking about it, Rainbow couldn't recall any others she'd ever seen with the rainbow colors of her and her father.

"Yeah. It's natural. I got it from my dad," she answered her finally.

"Oh how lovely!" Rarity complimented, before a pause. "Would you ever be interested in modeling, you think?"

As the next question completely threw Rainbow off guard, she couldn't help but flinch a bit again, magenta eyes widening. Never in her life had she even considered modeling, or dreamt anypony would ever ask her to. She definitely wasn't model material, though, she knew that much: being a part of anything that involved photoshoots and standing still forever would definitely be torture.

"…Modeling?" She made certain her tone matched her dumbstruck confusion.

"Why, yes! Those colors you have would match with absolutely anything! You'd be perfect."

The unicorn was starting to frighten her again, and luckily this time, as she took a couple steps back, Fluttershy took a few forward, finally breaking the conversation and knowing her friend needed such a break.

She said, "U-Um, well, Rarity… Rainbow's actually kinda new here, and she doesn't want much attention yet. I-I don't think the modeling would be such a good idea…"

"…No?" Rarity asked, looking to both girls a moment and then nervously rolling her eyes to herself. "I mean, yes, of course. Maybe some other time then."

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stayed at the boutique for a while longer, just so Rainbow could have a little more time to get to know Rarity. Fluttershy knew Rainbow wasn't exactly ready to stay for too long a time, though, so after a few more minutes, she told her unicorn friend they needed to be on their way, and they left the boutique to head back home.

Rainbow Dash was more than happy to be going back to the cottage again, especially since Rarity had freaked her out just a little, even if she was also quite a nice pony. She was again relieved to see that her homosexuality was virtually undetectable. She didn't quite understand what Fluttershy's motives had been with her meeting Rarity, though, as it certainly didn't seem like the two of them would ever be all that close. Rainbow sure as hell wasn't planning on being a model, nor was she planning on playing the role for some glamorous unicorn.

Though her shy friend could gather that much pretty easily, she still commenced conversation on the way home, in hopes to smooth things out a little.

"That wasn't so bad…right?" she asked. "I know Rarity can seem a little…overexcited…sometimes, but she's a very nice pony. One of my only friends here, too. I know she's so happy that you came to visit."

Rainbow gave Fluttershy a funny look as they walked on: it almost seemed to her that Fluttershy was the one who was happier about it. Sure, Rarity had enjoyed the visit, and had loved Rainbow's mane, and wanted her to model, but none of those things had been planned.

The blue one snorted softly. "Well that's cool…but I hope she knows I'm not modeling for her. Ever."

Even if she'd tried, Fluttershy wouldn't have been able to hold back her giggle.

It was great to be back at the cottage again once they'd gotten there. They'd only spent about an hour and a half in Ponyville, but even though there was still a while before the day was over, Rainbow was perfectly fine spending it in the skies above Fluttershy's place.

Comments

[Skunkiss]

Oh my, what happened to Gilda?
Seems not very loyal of Dash to leave her just like that at flightcamp without any further contact, even though she was freaked out and all... Will Gilda re-appear in this story and will things be fixed/ sorted out between her and dash after Dash finally learns to fully accept who she is?