Feathermarked

by SpinningRecord

Chapter 3

Rainbow Dash stumbled into Fluttershy's cottage. She flicked her mane from her eyes and looked around. All of Fluttershy's animals looked at her warily, ready to bolt at any moment. She eyed them as she took a few steps forward. The house was eerily quiet. The hustle and bustle of the animals ceased as they all stood patiently waiting for a sign to continue their routine. Rainbow surveyed the rest of the room. It was fairly clean, despite the many animals it housed. She wondered how Fluttershy did it. She could barely keep her cloud house clean, and she only had Tank to make a mess. Rainbow's eyes moved to the archway leading into the kitchen. There was the distinct sound of a bunny foot tapping the floor. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and let out a sigh of annoyance. Stupid bunny. I knew he hadn't gotten lost. It's more likely for Flutters to get lost, she thought. Rainbow looked away from the small, irritating bunny and looked at the puddle of water she had created on Fluttershy's, otherwise clean, wooden floor. After surveying the size of the puddle, Rainbow Dash looked herself over. Her coat, mane, and tail were absolutely soaked. She shivered violently, just now realizing how cold she was. It felt unnatural to her. Pegasi were quite immune to the cold, but the harsh winds and the freezing rain started to take it's toll on her body. Her fur was matted down to her skin, and made her feel uncomfortably itchy, her wings felt like lead plates stapled to her sides, and her tail felt like one of the dead weights she used in flight camp.

Rainbow Dash craned her neck to look back at Fluttershy walking shyly into the house behind her. Fluttershy looked even worse. Her mane was tangled and knotted with leaves and twigs because she refused to stop looking for Angel Bunny, even on the way home. Her coat was muddy and matted. Fluttershy made a bigger mess than Rainbow Dash did as she stepped further into her cottage.

"Oh, I'm sorry little ones. I was just out looking for Angel Bunny in this terrible storm when-" Fluttershy trailed off, gesturing to her less than presentable appearance.

The animals inside the cottage relaxed. Now that she looked at them, Rainbow Dash could see that they had all been worried. She wondered how long Fluttershy had been gone searching for that little troublemaker. He's nothing but a no-good.... Her train of thought was derailed as Fluttershy gasped loudly. She rushed over to Angel Bunny and scooped him up into her forelegs.

"Angel Bunny, where have you been! I was so worried! Do you know how long I was out searching for you?! O-oh, OH my! I don't mean to shout Angel, it's just that I was so worried sick, and I thought you had gotten lost. What would've happened to you if you wandered into the Everfree forest in a storm like this? I just couldn't imagine losing you like that. I'm so glad you're home Angel, please don't ever scare me like that again. I don't think my heart can take it......oh....sorry everyone, I guess I was worried. I didn't mean to ramble. I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me? I really didn't mean to-" Fluttershy finished half-heartedly.

"Fluttershy! They got it." Rainbow Dash interrupted. "I think you made your point 'Shy. Besides, it looks like Angel has been here the entire time. He doesn't even look like he's been outside! That rotten little...." Rainbow Dash trailed off. She eyed the rabbit on the other side of the room. Shaking her head, she turned her attention to Fluttershy. "Hey, 'Shy, it's pretty late, and it's freezing outside. Do you mind if I crash here tonight?" Rainbow asked. She glanced over at her friend who was quietly tending Angel Bunny. Rainbow Dash shivered once again. She kicked her back hoof out and gently closed the cottage's door.

"O-oh, of course, Rainbow Dash! I'm so very sorry you had to walk me home, especially since I was just being silly. Angel Bunny was here the whole time. I had nothing to worry about. I'm really sorry if I inconvenienced you in any way Rainbow Dash, I promise I'll make it up to you sometime. Angel Bunny will too! Won't you Angel?" Fluttershy asked. She turned to the little Bunny and frowned slightly when he adamantly shook his head no.

"It's cool Fluttershy. No harm, no foul," Rainbow dismissed her apologies. I wouldn't want help from that rabbit if he was the last thing in Equestria, Rainbow thought. She unknowingly scowled at the thought.

"Is something wrong Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes full of unnecessary concern.

Rainbow Dash waved her hoof dismissively, and put on a small smile. "Nah, I cool. I'm just gonna go shower and then I'll head to bed. Is that alright with you?" Rainbow asked as she started toward the stairs.

Fluttershy shook her head. "Okay, Rainbow Dash. Goodnight, and don't let the bed bugs bite!" Fluttershy called up the stairs after her. Fluttershy quietly hummed to herself and began cleaning up the puddles she and Rainbow Dash had made.

I really hope she was kidding about those bed bugs, Rainbow shivered as she stepped into the steaming water.

---

The next morning, Rainbow Dash had woken up to the sounds of quiet singing, the scuttling of every tiny, animal foot imaginable, and the chopping of what smelled like fresh carrots. She lifted her head off the uncomfortable couch she slept on and cracked one eye open. Rainbow Dash groaned as the only sight that met her gaze was the bright glow of the morning sunrise. She quickly closed her eye and attempted to roll over, but was stopped by the soft hoof touch on her upper foreleg. Rainbow Dash craned her neck to look over her shoulder.

"Fluttershy, that is sunrise. I am Rainbow Dash. We aren't supposed to meet," Rainbow Dash grumbled, pointing a hoof lazily at the open window.

"Well, silly, I was just wondering if you wanted some breakfast. I made daisy sandwiches with carrots!" Fluttershy giggled lightly. She trotted away from Rainbow Dash, back into the kitchen.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes slightly as she pushed herself off the couch. The uncomfortable sleep, mixed with the early wake up definitely did not benefit Rainbow Dash's appearance. Her mane was stuck up in all different directions, her coat looked like it hadn't been brushed in two weeks, and her tail was knotted almost beyond repair. Rainbow slowly maneuvered her way throughout the early morning traffic in Fluttershy's living room, and made her way into the kitchen. She plopped herself down on one of Fluttershy's dining chairs and lazily leaned her head on her hoof. "It's too early to function," she mumbled.

"Oh, I'm sorry Rainbow Dash. I just didn't want you to miss breakfast. I knew you would've wanted some. Well, I suppose you could always go back to sleep, or well, I could've saved you some. I'm so sorry Rainbow Dash. I must've not been thinking," Fluttershy mumbled from behind her thick, pink mane.

"Nah, nah. It's alright Flutters," Rainbow Dash yawned. "You're right. Besides, I promised Applejack I'd help her in the fields today. I might as well go finish my weather pony work now. Then I can squeeze in a quick nap before it's time to help AJ," Rainbow sighed. She nodded to herself, cementing her plans for the day. Rainbow Dash stretched her forelegs out in front of her to try and shake off the ache from the couch.

Fluttershy gently placed a plate down in front of Rainbow Dash mid-stretch. "Here you go, Rainbow! Bon appétit" Fluttershy giggled.

Rainbow Dash scarfed down the sandwich in one bite. "Thanks, Flutters. But I really gotta go if I'm going to get everything done. I totally almost forgot about Tank!" Rainbow said, standing up abruptly. She made her way to the front of Fluttershy's cottage and pulled open the door. "I'll see you later, Flutters. Don't work too hard!" Rainbow Dash called as she shut the door behind her.

Rainbow Dash stretched her wings a moment, before she flapped them a few times. She took off into the early morning sky and banked left toward her cloud home. As she flew through the sky, she felt her wings rustle uncomfortably. Maybe I should clean myself up a bit before I go on weather duty. I seriously need a good preening after last night, Rainbow thought sheepishly, as she imagined her dreadful appearance. She did a quick barrel roll through the skies before she zoomed up to her cloud house to prepare herself for the day. Sweet Celestia, I can't wait for my nap, Rainbow yawned.

Author's Note:

Hey look! A wild update appeared! (And it's longer than 600 words!) *cough*

Sorry everyone! Everything got super crazy with school, and I've been working on my writing.

Well, I finally got around to finishing this chapter. I know it's not 4,000 words long, but I'm getting better! So, I hope you enjoy it! :)

Comments

[One Lucky Gamer]

The chapters feels too short, but your writing is fantastic. Keep up the good work :D

[EquesTRON]

One other piece of advice to add to what's already been covered:

Cut down on the overly-flowery dialogue attributions, and just use "said." (Or "asked", or "replied", as needed.) "Said" is an "invisible" word, from the reader's perspective, and they won't notice you using it -- but they will notice you going out of your way to avoid using it by constantly using attributions like "quipped", "explained", "echoed", "questioned", "mentioned", "commanded", etc. Save these high-dollar words for when you really need them to convey a specific tone of voice at a dramatic moment; using them constantly not only gets annoying to read, but eventually trains your reader to just ignore them entirely, and then they won't have the impact you want when you really need them to.

[Caineachu]

Surprisingly, that was one of the more accurate Fluttershy portrayals that I've seen. Keep it up, man, you're gettin' better.