13. Different Kinds of Love
Six Pillar Park was seven-hundred acres of fields, gardens, museums, and running trails situated on the western edge of Canterlot City. Rainbow loved to run the Flash Magnus trail on the weekends; a scenic and winding eight-mile tour that took her around the perimeter of the park. Other than that, she had never actually stepped foot onto its grounds.
She had a feeling she would get to see a lot of it today.
Rainbow pulled into a parking space near Rockhoof Field and leaned back in her seat. “Okay, Dash, you can do this. You just have to be in two places at once!” She slumped down and let out a slow groan.
She hadn’t called Soarin back to cancel. Looking up the website, today was the last day of the fair, and who knew if Rainbow would be back in Canterlot next summer. Plus, she really wanted to see people get knocked off their horses. Getting to see it with Soarin would be even better.
But there was no way in hell she could cancel on Fluttershy. As boring as an arts and crafts fair sounded, Rainbow refused to bail, especially if Fluttershy was stepping out of her comfort zone and participating in a competition.
So, Rainbow decided she would do the best thing she could: do both at once! That way, she didn’t have to choose!
“Okay, I have a whole hour to spend with Soarin before meeting Fluttershy at the crafts fair. I’ll just say I need to go to the bathroom, hang with Fluttershy for a little bit, then switch back. I get to hang out with both of them and neither has to know about the other!”
Rainbow dug her palm into her forehead. “I hate sitcoms.”
Taking a deep breath, she climbed out of the car and stretched her arms. The sooner this day was over, the better. A line of trees separated the parking lot from the field, and Rainbow could already hear the sounds of the fair on the far side. She shoved her hands in her pockets and strode onward.
Crossing the tree line, Rainbow rested her eyes on the coolest, lamest thing she had ever seen. Medieval tents were planted across the field, adding splashes of blue and yellow to a green and brown plain. People walked around dressed up in gowns and old leather armor. She could see a stone forge on the far side of the field, smoke puffing out of the chimney. The sound of a hammer hitting steel rang out over people playing lutes and harps. Adjacent to Rainbow was the jousting ring, a wide dirt arena split by a wooden fence running down the center, and encircled by wooden stands. Early arrivals were already picking seats as close to the fence as possible.
Someone walked by in poorly made knight armor, and Rainbow scoffed. “This is a step away from one of those nerd conventions.”
“Didn’t you go to a gaming convention once?”
“Gah!” Rainbow jumped and spun around, finding Soarin with his hands in his pockets and grinning like he was the coolest person at the fair. “Don’t sneak up on me like that! And I meant like, those nerdy sci-fi conventions. Video games are cool.”
He gave a humorous shrug. “Whatever you say, Dash.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes and turned to go, until a thought struck her and she spun back, making a full 360. She punched Soarin’s shoulder and said, “Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner? Today’s the last day!”
Soarin held his hands up. “Hey, I didn’t know about it until I got home yesterday. I definitely would have preferred this over the camping trip. Not that I didn’t have fun! Just… you know.”
“Yeah, yeah, come on,” Rainbow grumbled. “You owe me a turkey leg.”
A few roaming clouds kept the field from getting too hot as the couple wandered around. They passed by vendors and cosplayers trying their best to speak in Old English, which Rainbow and Soarin snickered at as they walked away.
“Didst thou hearest their accents?” Soarin asked in a posh noble’s voice. “They art embarrassing thine selves.”
“Not as much as thou art embarrassing thyself, dingus,” Rainbow said with a grin. She laughed when Soarin elbowed her. “Look, there’s the turkey legs!”
“Don’t you mean, the turkey legs art there over yonder?”
“Shut up.”
Seeing the humongous turkey legs up close, Rainbow decided it would be best to split one. The hickory-smoked hunks of meat were almost as big as her face. Rainbow bit into it and hummed in satisfaction. “Oh yeah, that’s the stuff. If they ate like this all the time back then, medieval times couldn’t have been that bad.”
“Kings ate like that,” Soarin pointed out. “We’d most likely be peasants, so we’d eat moldy bread and cheese or starve.”
Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “Don’t get all egghead on me. That’s Twilight’s job.”
They wandered about the fair, trading off the turkey leg as they stopped at the more interesting stalls. Most of them were just shops peddling trinkets or other foods. Rainbow’s eye caught sight of a tent with dragon-themed antiquities, including a skull mask.
“Ooh, this would look so sick hanging in my room!” She held it up to her face and examined the pointed teeth.
Soarin looked at the price tag hanging off one of the horns. “You got two-hundred dollars?”
Rainbow quickly put it down. “Seriously?” she asked the peddler.
“Hey, that’s a discount price! It’s a real dragon skull!” he said.
“Sure, and I’m a princess.” Rainbow took a large bite of her turkey leg and moved on, trying to find anything else that wasn’t jewelry or gemstones. Soarin, however, had stopped at a fancy metalwork stand selling silver accessories.
“Come take a look!” the shop keeper said. “Real silver! It’ll look great on your girlfriend and protect her from werewolves.”
“You guys really lean into this stuff, huh?” Rainbow asked.
Soarin picked up a pair of star-shaped earrings. “You think Fluttershy would like these?”
Rainbow’s stomach turned and her shoulders tensed. “What? Why?”
“I don’t know. I thought a present would maybe help get me on her good side.”
Rainbow let out a quiet sigh and relaxed her shoulders. “You’re still on that? Dude, I know she was a bit agitated, but we were kinda dealing with a situation. Why would she not like you?”
Soarin weighed the earrings in his hand, keeping his eyes on them instead of Rainbow. “I’m not… one-hundred percent sure. But, I’ve just got this feeling, okay? I just want to put out an olive branch.”
“I still think you’re crazy.” Having known Fluttershy since first grade, Rainbow knew she was practically incapable of disliking someone. She was either friendly, polite, or afraid. Zephyr Breeze was the only person to cause her any actual irritation, and Fluttershy still loved him. For some reason.
And why would Fluttershy single out Soarin of all people? At best, she was just being protective of Rainbow. Rainbow would probably be even worse if Fluttershy had a boyfriend.
But, the concentrated look Soarin had told Rainbow he wasn’t about to drop it. She sighed and started scanning the display of jewelry. “If you really want to get something nice for her, you can’t go wrong with butterflies. It’s kinda her thing.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Soarin set the earrings down and picked up a silver bracelet. He turned it over in his hand and held it out to Rainbow. “What about this?”
Between the two steel bands was a woven vine pattern interspersed with butterflies. They had tiny, glimmering beads embroidered in their wings that sparkled in the sunlight.
Rainbow nodded in satisfaction. “That’ll do. So, what are you going to get me?”
Soarin smirked as he walked over to the cash register. “I already got you that turkey leg; don’t push it.”
Rainbow stuck her tongue out before taking another bite of her meal. It was almost gone now, just a slab of bone and cartilage.
With the bracelet paid for (Soarin wouldn’t say how much) and the turkey devoured, the two slowly made their way back toward the arena, aimlessly browsing more of the shop tents on the way there. Rainbow checked the time on her phone, 12:54. The jousting started at two, giving her the perfect window to sneak over and spend time with Fluttershy.
She cleared her throat to catch Soarin’s attention. “Yo, I’m gonna go use the bathroom. Why don’t you go grab us some seats?”
“Sure thing.” Soarin gave her a thumbs up and walked off toward the stands. Rainbow headed toward the bathroom to at least keep up the pretense, and find a safe place to pony up.
She ran behind the bathroom building and double-checked to make sure the coast was clear. She closed her eyes and squared her shoulders, feeling the magic well up inside her.
Come on… loyalty, awesomeness, magic! Rainbow had taken to practicing trying to pony up just to see if she could on command. It wasn’t easy, and sometimes left her with a headache. But being able to run back and forth across the part at super speed would make or break her plan.
A tingle ran across her skin, a good sign so far. She squeezed her eyelids, concentrating as hard as she could without resorting to screaming. The tingle rose into a warm breeze, and her wings sprouted from her back with a flash of blue sparks.
“Ha!” Rainbow punched the air. She bounced on her toes before dropping into a runner’s start position. It was a straight, easy shot over the hill and across the parking lot. Rainbow dug her foot into the ground and shot off, kicking up a cloud of dirt in her wake.
The wind whipped her face but never proved to be a hindrance. The world was reduced to a spread of blurry images as Rainbow raced across the field and through the parking lot. This was freedom! Running at one-hundred miles-per-hour, the exhilaration and adrenaline flowing through her veins. Rainbow let out a quick, “Whoop!” of delight.
Her magical super speed must have also given her a sixth sense when it came to avoiding objects. She narrowly avoided colliding with a car backing up, leaping over it and clearing a hundred yards in a single bound.
Rainbow left the parking lot and tore down the sidewalk, grinding her heels to a stop behind a wide tree just off the path. A twenty minute walk reduced to a ten second run. Rainbow couldn’t help but grin smugly. “All right, now here comes the hard part.”
She closed her eyes and concentrated again, this time willing her pony features and powers to go away. She envisioned herself as back to normal and calmed her thoughts. Normal, lame, boring. Come on…
The warm wind blew over her again, this time removing all her magical accessories, leaving her with the exhaustion that always came after ponying up. Rainbow took a deep breath and shook it off. She could be tired later.
“Phase one, complete.” She stepped out from behind the tree and followed the path toward the crafts fair. “Suck it, T.V.!”
The Meadowbrook Garden area of the park was a large thoroughfare flanked on both sides by winding paths decorated with an abundance of flowers and trees. The air held a constant fragrance of blooming flowers and palm leaves that made Rainbow’s nose itch. The thoroughfare itself was lined with stalls occupied with a variety of arts and crafts supplies, from rolls of yarn to clay sculptures to canvases surrounded by buckets of paint. Being condensed onto one street instead of spread out across an entire field, the fair felt more packed than the medieval festival, and Rainbow had to dart and weave her way through the crowd.
She found Fluttershy just off the main road, sitting next to a patch of yellow and white chrysanthemums. Dressed in a blue sundress with a pink bag over her shoulder and a daffodil in her hair, Rainbow took a moment to take it in. She looked really nice today.
“Hey, ‘Shy.”
Fluttershy jumped up, her eyes shining with glee. “Rainbow, you’re here!” She threw her arms around Rainbow’s shoulders and gave an affectionate squeeze, hanging on for several seconds.
Rainbow gave an embarrassed laugh. “Uh, yeah, of course I am.”
Fluttershy let go and brushed a lock of hair out of her face, her cheeks pink. “Sorry. I, um… I’m just happy to spend the day with you. It feels like we haven’t spent time together in a while.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s always been as a group recently.” Rainbow gave her a confident grin. “But, today’s all about you! We can do whatever you want here!”
Lifting her head, there was unbridled joy in Fluttershy’s eyes. Rainbow didn’t think a simple arts and crafts festival had meant so much to Fluttershy. Her insides squirmed as she remembered Soarin waiting for her on the other side of the park. She shooed the thought away and smiled harder.
Everything’s gonna be fine!
Fluttershy took her by the hand and pulled her back into the crowd. “Let’s go! There’s a really cute felt stand I want to look at!”
“Yeah, great!” Rainbow said between her teeth. Her boredom radar was already going crazy. But, she grinned and bore it, trying her hardest to pay attention as Fluttershy explained the use of felt in crafting. Next, she was dragged to a large tent stuffed to the brim with rolls of yarns.
Fluttershy squeed and picked up a bundle. “They have the perfect shade of red I needed for the Yarn-Off! It’s bring your own yarn, so I was a little worried I wouldn't have the perfect materials. I’m making a very special project for the competition.”
“Sounds awesome. So, is there a prize for winning?”
“A gold ribbon, and the satisfaction you made something!” Fluttershy smiled.
Rainbow shrugged. She couldn’t see Fluttershy competing in anything for an actual prize anyway. “Well, like I said before, I’m real proud of you for doing this.”
Fluttershy blushed again. “Thanks. I’m only doing it because you’re here with me. Otherwise, I could never knit on stage with all those people watching me.” She shuddered.
Rainbow clapped her on the back. “You’ll do fine. So, what’s this special project you’re making?”
“Heehee.” Fluttershy gave her a coy glance. “It’s a secret.”
By that teasing smile, Rainbow had a feeling whatever the secret was, it was probably for her. But, she didn’t press Fluttershy any further. Once the yarn was purchased, they moved on to a line of how-to tables, where young kids were painting masks and learning to make figures from pipe cleaners.
Fluttershy looked at Rainbow expectantly, but Rainbow crossed her arms and turned her head away. “No way, ‘Shy. I’m not seven.”
“Please, Dashie?”
Rainbow closed her eyes and twisted her entire body away. Any time Fluttershy used the nickname ‘Dashie' it was followed by an abuse of her huge and pleading blue eyes. Fluttershy hardly ever used it, but Rainbow lost every time she did.
“Just for a little bit?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“You might enjoy it.”
“Doubt it.”
There was a pause before Fluttershy spoke again, the tiniest quiver in her voice. “But, you said we could do whatever I wanted today…”
Rainbow peeked an eye open. Fluttershy had stuck her lower lip out, turning her pleading look from effective to potent. Doubly so for using Rainbow’s own words against her.
When did she learn to do that? Rainbow gave a relenting sigh and held her arm out, allowing Fluttershy to grab it and lead her to a table. Rainbow decided to work with the pipe cleaners; they were less messy than paint and Rainbow could half-ass the work by insisting she had no idea what she was doing, which wasn’t a total lie.
Rainbow twisted a few pipes together and made a decent stick figure. To her left, Fluttershy was hunched over her work, carefully folding and weaving pipes to make a rose in bloom. On Rainbow’s right, a young girl was making what appeared to be a dragonfly.
She caught sight of Rainbow staring and looked at the stick figure sitting on the table. She smiled in smug satisfaction. “Nice work, amateur.”
“Can it, kid,” Rainbow said out of the corner of her mouth. She scowled at her own creation. If a fifth-grader could make a dragonfly, then so could she!
Rainbow grabbed more pipes and started again, stealing glances at the other girl’s dragonfly for a sense of direction. She pressed her teeth against her tongue as she bound the piping together as tight as she could and growled when some of them tried to unwind.
After forcing on the wings and gluing on the eyes, Rainbow leaned back from her new creation. It was an oblong and lumpy orange thing with uneven wings and eyes looking in different directions. Rainbow looked over to the young girl with her slender green dragonfly. She looked back at Rainbow’s and snickered.
Rainbow stuck her tongue out.
“Here, Rainbow.”
Rainbow turned to her other side to find Fluttershy holding out the rose she had made. If it wasn’t for the velvet texture, it could have been mistaken for real. “Do you like it?”
“Uh, duh. That looks amazing!”
Fluttershy reached up and tucked it into Rainbow’s hair. “I want you to have it.”
Rainbow’s cheeks burned. “Heh, thanks, ‘Shy.” Rainbow held up her lumpy dragonfly. “Uh, I made this. It’s not great, but, um, you can have it if you want.”
Fluttershy eagerly took it with both hands and cooed. “Awww! I think it’s perfect, Rainbow!”
While Fluttershy carefully set it on her shoulder, Rainbow caught the little girl pretending to gag. She subtly kicked the back of the kid’s chair before steering Fluttershy away. They resumed tent browsing, admiring paint pieces and wood carvings.
Rainbow found a moment to check the time while Fluttershy gushed over a raccoon statue. 1:05.
“Crap!” Rainbow shoved her phone back into her pocket. “Uhhh, I gotta go use the bathroom! Breakfast isn’t agreeing with me anymore!”
Fluttershy reached for her handbag. “Do you need some medicine? I think I might have something in here that could help.”
Rainbow waved a hand. “Nah, just gotta go take care of business. I’ll be back soon.” She shot a finger gun before hurrying back down the thoroughfare until she found a secluded spot off the path to pony up again.
Loyalty, friendship, yadda yadda, come on! The warm wind blew through her, and her magic burst forth, though it didn’t energize her like it usually did. She took a deep breath and shook herself out before racing back across the parking lot and over the hill, coming to a stop behind the bathroom.
With another exertion of will, Rainbow powered down, and the exhaustion hit her like a brick. She stumbled against the wall and gasped for air. It was like the distance she ran caught up to her all at once.
“Okay, not a good sign. I can handle this though. No biggie.” She pushed herself off the wall and marched across the fair, ignoring the wobble in her legs. Halfway to the jousting arena, she remembered the rose sitting in her hair and carefully moved it to her pocket.
The stands were full and rowdy by the time Rainbow arrived. Soarin waved her down from his spot in the third row. He handed her a bag of popcorn as she took her seat.
“Yeesh, what took so long?”
“Don’t worry about it. Besides—” She scrunched her nose and said in her best Rarity impression, “It’s impolite to ask a lady about her bathroom business.”
Soarin opened his mouth, a smarmy grin on his face.
“You say I’m not a lady and I’ll punch you in the throat.”
Soarin snickered before quieting down and listening to the medieval emcee who was halfway through explaining the rules.
“Points are only awarded when the knights hit the grated shoulder pad of their opponent!” he shouted into the mic. “One point for a simple tap! Five points if the lance breaks! Ten points if the opponent is knocked off their horse!”
The crowd gave an excited cheer.
“Now, to introduce our contenders! Hailing from our own beautiful kingdom of Canterlot, defender of the weak, giver to the poor, one of the bravest knights to grace our land! Lords and ladies, please stand and cheer for the great Steel Heart!”
Rainbow and Soarin got to their feet and clapped with everyone else as a raven-haired man charged into the arena on a white horse. His purple and gold armor gleamed in the sunlight, matched only by the radiant smile he gave the crowd. He led his horse once around the perimeter before taking a spot on the right end of the arena.
“And now…” the announcer dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “hailing from parts unknown, this dreaded warrior preys on the weak and helpless and leaves chaos in his wake. He is the scourge of the surrounding kingdoms, here to bring ruin to our merriment. Can the brave Steel Heart put a stop to his nefarious plans? Enter, the Black Knight!”
The armor the Black Knight wore was as dark as the horse he rode in on. The crowd booed and jeered as he entered, his helmet already donned. He gave no acknowledgment of the crowd’s dismissal.
“Is it bad I kinda want the Black Knight to win?” Rainbow asked.
“You would,” Soarin said.
Steel Heart beat a fist against his armor. “You shall not have this day, Black Knight! I pledge that no harm shall befall this audience while I still draw breath!”
“I care not for your platitudes,” the Black Knight said in a gravely deep voice. “Many a knight made the same pledge; they all ended up skewered on my lance.”
“Then may the gods grant me favor today that I might be the one to finally strike you down!” Steel Heart put on his helmet and grabbed the lance his squire handed him.
Rainbow shoved a fistful of popcorn into her mouth. She hadn’t expected jousting to be as cheesy as wrestling, but she loved it.
“Champions, there will be eight rounds! The knight with the most points at the end wins! Lances at the ready!”
Both knights lowered their weapons and adjusted the grip on their horses' reins.
“Charge!”
The horses let out a whinny as their riders drove them forward. They rode at each other from opposite sides of the fences, crossing the tips of their lances over. Steel Heart’s lance made contact first, shattering against the grated padding on the Black Knight’s shoulder. The Black Knight wobbled but remained upright.
The crowd stood and cheered as Steel Heart was awarded five points and the two riders reset their positions.
“Ready to surrender?” Steel Heart called.
“Please, tis but a flesh wound,” the Black Knight said dismissively.
They charged again, with the Black Knight scoring a single touch. They reset and rode again, this time, the Black Knight broke his lance against Steel Heart’s padding, putting him up one point.
Rainbow bounced on the edge of her seat as they charged at each other for the fourth round. With a racketing bash Steel Heart’s wooden lance crashed again the Black Knight and tossed him down into the dirt. The crowd exploded with cheers and applause, while Rainbow groaned and sat back in her seat.
“Shouldn’t you be cheering for the good guy, since, you know, you’re a good guy?” Soarin asked.
“I would if he wasn’t so stereotypical ‘nice-guy-who-always-does-the-right-thing’ white knight.”
Soarin wiggled his eyebrow. “So you like bad boys?”
Rainbow gagged. “No! I just don’t like guys that are cartoonishly nice and ‘chivalrous’,” she said in air quotes. She side-eyed Soarin. “You just barely avoid that category.”
Soarin gave her a playful shove. “Gee, thanks.”
Rainbow grinned and shoved him back.
The fifth and sixth rounds saw the Black Knight score five more points each, putting the score at fifteen to sixteen in the Black Knight’s favor.
“Last chance to back away, knave!” the Black Knight said.
“And let you run amok? Never!” Steel Heart declared, lowering his lance to charge. His horse broke into a gallop, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. The Black Knight met him halfway down the track, their lances crossing over one another once again. Steel Heart missed, going under the Black Knight’s arm. The Black Knight, however, struck true, his lance snapping in half against the shoulder pad. Steel Heart wobbled dangerously, leaning off the side of his horse.
Everyone sucked in a deep breath, watching as he desperately clung to his horse’s reins. With a great heave, he righted himself, and everyone around Rainbow sighed in relief.
Rainbow grinned in triumph. “The only way he can win now is if he knocks the Black Knight off again.”
“Totally possible,” Soarin said, his fists clenched in excitement.
“You can do it, Steel Heart!” someone behind Rainbow yelled. The stands erupted in screams and chants of encouragement.
Steel Heart raised his lance to the crowd before facing his opponent for the last joust. The cheers faded as the knights squared off. The Black Knight weighed his new lance in his hand before leveling it in front of him.
Rainbow crossed her fingers and scooted to the edge of her seat. Her leg vibrated, and it took her a second to realize it was her phone, not the buzz of excitement. She pulled it from her pocket and checked the screen.
‘Are you okay? The Yarn-Off is starting soon.’
A loud crash and an eruption of wild cheering forced Rainbow to snap her head up. Laying in the dirt was the Black Knight while Steel Heart did a victory lap. Rainbow groaned, more disappointed from having missed the finishing blow than the Black Knight losing.
“That was awesome!” Soarin punched the air. “Sorry your bad boy didn’t win.”
Rainbow shoved her phone away. “It’s whatever. The whole thing is probably staged anyway.”
“You mean like wrestling?”
She pressed a finger against his lips. “Oi, you’re not supposed to say it out loud,” she hissed.
Soarin kissed her finger. “My bad.” He nodded his head toward the exit. “Come on, let’s head out while he’s making his wrap-up speech.”
Indeed, Steel Heart was playing up his role and delivering a speech about justice and believing in yourself and other things Rainbow could read off the back of a cereal box.
As they walked away from the arena, Soarin asked, “So, what do you wanna do now? I kinda wanna go see the blacksmith.”
“Yeah, that sounds awesome!” Rainbow took two steps before she remembered the text message. “Uhh, before that, bathroom’s calling. Be back in a sec!”
She ran off before Soarin could respond. Compared to the high speeds she had been moving at before, her basic run was sluggish and awkward. She reached the bathroom and closed her eyes, drawing on her magic for a third time.
Her skin tingled, but did nothing else. She grunted and dug her shoes into the dirt, but still, nothing came up.
Come on! I can’t miss the start of Fluttershy’s competition!
In a weak fizzle of lights, her wings appeared, but Rainbow doubled-over, feeling the exhaustion that only came when she turned her magic off. Her muscles felt stiff and she struggled to get a decent breath in.
“All right, I get it. The lesson here is, don’t abuse my magic powers. It’s for a good reason though!” She gritted her teeth and broke into her super sprint.
Ten seconds later, she was back in the garden. It didn’t take much to turn her powers off, but Rainbow stayed in place for a minute to get her strength back. When she deemed herself good enough, she pulled the flower Fluttershy had crafted and stuck it back on her head and made her way back to the thoroughfare, eyes roaming for Fluttershy.
Rainbow found her at the end of the road in front of a small stage that had been erected. Fluttershy’s sigh of relief melted into a worried gasp as Rainbow drew near.
“Are you okay? You look pale! And you’re out of breath!”
Rainbow gave an airy wave. “I’m fine. Trust me, it’s nothing. What’s important is how you’re feeling.”
Fluttershy didn’t look wholly convinced but said, “I think I’m all right. There’s m-more people here than I thought there would be though.”
Rainbow looked around. Lawn chairs had been set up in front of the stage. While most of them were filled, the total still didn’t look like even a third of the crowd from the joust. But three strangers could be as good as a thousand to Fluttershy on a bad day.
“Don’t worry about them. In fact, pretend they’re not even there. Just put all your attention into your knitting and you’ll do great!”
Fluttershy gave a strong nod. “Complete focus. I can do that.”
“Yeah, you can!” Rainbow gave her a thumbs-up.
Fluttershy flung her arms around Rainbow in a quick but tight hug. When she let go, her cheeks were flushed again. “Thanks for being here, Rainbow.” She turned and hurried behind the stage.
Rainbow scratched her head. She’s been acting… odd today. She shrugged it off and took a seat in the front row. Nine desks had been crammed onto the stage, a pair of knitting needles resting on each of them. An elderly woman walked onto the stage, her gray hair tied into a bun and held together by a pair of golden needles.
“Hello, everyone, and welcome to this year's Yarn-Off.” Despite the mic in her hand, she sounded like a librarian using their indoor voice. She allowed the audience to give a polite applause before continuing. “Thank you. We have nine entrants this year competing for our grand prize: the golden stitch ribbon. The participants will have forty-five minutes to knit whatever they can. Our judges will determine the winner based on design, quality, and completion. Now, without further ado, here are our contestants.”
The audience gave another round of polite applause as the knitters stepped onto stage. Rainbow had to restrain herself from cheering when Fluttershy came out. They took their seats, Fluttershy on the far right end. She had her new bundle of crimson red yard, a smaller bundle of white, and a bundle of multi-colored strings.
“If everyone is ready, you may begin when the bell goes off.”
As soon as everyone was comfortable, a small bell chimed and they all grabbed their knitting needles and set to work. They stitched at a breakneck speed, their needle clicking the only sound across the venue. Fluttershy kept her eyes on her string, brows furrowed in concentration.
Unable to shout out words of encouragement, Rainbow could only watch. She turned her head, seeing the rest of the audience watching with utter intrigue. Some of them were even taking notes. Rainbow looked back at the stage. Other than their speed, she couldn’t see anything impressive about this.
People come and watch this every year? She pushed down a bored sigh and slumped in her seat. She knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to come with Fluttershy, but she never could have expected something this boring.
Has it been forty-five minutes yet? She discreetly checked her phone. It had only been three. Uuuuggghhh!
If anyone else had asked Rainbow to come to an event like this, she would have bluntly said no. But as much as Rainbow loved Fluttershy, right now, Rainbow desperately wished to be back at the medieval fair. Or anywhere else really.
Time slowly chipped away. Rainbow’s leg bounced and vibrated as she slouched in her chair, trying her hardest to not look at her phone again. With hardly anything to focus on, her mind wandered back across the park, where Soarin waited for her return. Her insides squirmed. She had already ditched him for an hour, now she had to add forty-five minutes on top of that.
Fluttershy hadn’t looked up once from her project. Judging by the length and the tassels hanging off the end, Rainbow guessed it was a scarf. With that look of concentration in Fluttershy’s eyes, Rainbow wondered if she would even notice someone leaving. Rainbow could sneak over to Soarin and spend a little more time with him. If her powers allowed it. Ponying up the last time had been quite the strain. And besides, even if she left now, she would only have thirty minutes before having to zip over to the garden again.
Rainbow bit her lip. No, it would be better to just wait it out. This was the main attraction for the arts and crafts thing anyway. Once it was over, Rainbow could just say she was ready to call it quits and head home.
She just had to survive half an hour of mind-crushing boredom.
Fluttershy began adding little multicolored rainbows to her scarf, cementing Rainbow’s idea the project was meant for her. Fluttershy finally snuck a glance up from her work, and Rainbow flashed her a smile and a thumbs up. She smiled back and resumed her knitting, working faster than ever.
The minutes dragged on with Rainbow fidgeting in her chair, dreaming of video games and soccer and not sitting there watching people knit. Fluttershy set her needles down and folded her scarf, just as the bell went off. Rainbow bolted upright and let out a loud sigh of relief that was mostly drowned out by the applause around her.
“We will now begin the judging,” the librarian announcer said as three more people walked onto the stage, clipboards in hand.
Fluttershy stood perfectly still, trying her best to imitate a rock. Rainbow could see her neck twitch every time she swallowed though. The judges held up her scarf and gently ran their finger against it, murmuring to themselves all the while. They set it down and moved onto the next in line. Fluttershy dropped her shoulders but still made little movement.
Finally, after ten minutes of judging, the announcer picked up her mic again. “We have the results! The winner of this year’s Yarn-Off is…”
Rainbow locked eyes with Fluttershy and crossed her fingers. Fluttershy copied her.
“... Coco Pommel for her French beret!”
Two competitors down from Fluttershy, a young woman with a two-toned blue bob cut tried to hide her meek smile behind her perfectly woven purple and gold beret. The judges handed her the gold ribbon, forcing her to move her hands and show off her bright pink cheeks.
The other competitors took a moment to congratulate Coco before exiting the stage. Fluttershy climbed down from the front and met Rainbow in the stands.
Rainbow stood up and patted her shoulder. “Sorry you didn’t win, ‘Shy.”
Fluttershy shook her head and smiled. “It’s fine. She made a very lovely design. Besides, it was never about winning or losing. Like I said, it’s about the satisfaction of knowing you made something.” She held up one end of her scarf.
“Heh. Well, you’ve at least got a better attitude than me when it comes to competitions. Nice work up there.”
“Yeah, you did some great work!”
Rainbow’s blood ran cold at the new voice behind her. Her stomach writhed in terror as she turned around and found Soarin, looking far less angry than she imagined he would be in this scenario.
“Eh heh heh… Soarin! What are you doing here?” Rainbow asked, her voice cracking.
“Well, you ran off to the bathrooms, so I was gonna follow and wait outside, but I saw a very familiar blue streak run off over the hill, so I followed it. Why didn’t you tell me Fluttershy was doing a thing today? I would have been more than happy to take a break to watch.”
If Rainbow thought her blood was cold, the scowl on Fluttershy’s face was colder. Teeth pressed together, she asked, “What do you mean, ‘take a break’?”
Soarin’s expression quickly fell from bemused to concerned. “Uh, me and Rainbow were on a date over at the medieval fair...” He trailed off at the sight of Fluttershy’s scowl descending into a hateful leer.
“No you weren’t,” Fluttershy said in a calm voice that did not match her current expression. “Rainbow was spending the day with me. Weren’t you, Dashie?”
Rainbow wanted to die. She wanted lightning to strike her and die. Caught between Fluttershy’s burning gaze and Soarin’s confused stare, all she could do was force a laugh out of her dry throat. “Ha haaaa! So, funny story! Like, hilarious! I, ummm, may have accidentally planned to hang out with both of you on the same day! So, I kinda… you know, hung out with both of you! See, funny!”
Soarin slowly exhaled and arched his eyebrows. “Really, Dash? That’s the dumbest trick in the book.”
“Well… you know… I just…”
Fluttershy looked at Rainbow like a puppy who had been kicked. Tears already began flowing down her cheeks. “B-but you said today was all about me. We… we planned this for weeks!”
Rainbow winced, a stabbing pain shooting through her heart. “Fluttershy, I—”
“You lied to me!” she yelled.
“No, I just—”
“I thought we could have at least one more day together, just the two of us! I could pretend just one more time it was only us!” Fluttershy sobbed. “But even when I think you picked me, you still picked him!”
Fluttershy’s broken and pained expression hardened back to its fiery glower. She thrust a finger at Soarin and screeched. “This is all your fault you… you… homewrecker!”
Soarin reeled back. “Wait, what?”
Rainbow tried to lay a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Fluttershy, calm down—”
“No! It’s obvious you like him more than me! If you want him, fine, I won’t stop you!” Face red and blotchy, hair frazzled, Fluttershy turned and ran. She paused and shouted, “I hope you two are very happy together!” By the break in her voice, Rainbow didn’t think she meant it.
“Fluttershy, wait!” Rainbow tried to run after her, ignoring the remnants of the crowd staring and whispering at the commotion. She only made it twenty feet from the stage when she felt winded and rested her hands on her knees. Her legs felt like rubber and her heart tried to slam its way out of her chest.
Soarin walked up behind her as she stood tall again. Rainbow tried to meet his eyes, but Soarin looked away. “Rainbow… you uh… you two should really have a talk.”
“Soarin…”
“Call me later, yeah?” He turned and walked off, devoid of his usual swagger.
Rainbow stood at the end of the thoroughfare, watching her best friend and her boyfriend walk off, while everyone else watched her. Now she knew how the characters in those sitcoms felt.
She placed a hand against her pounding heart and breathed in a deep sigh. “Aww… crap…”
*******
Fluttershy didn’t realize how far up she was until she finally looked down. The grass was a bajillion miles away now. She pressed her tiny frame against the tree and squeezed her eyes shut. She shouldn’t have followed that squirrel; no squirrel was worth this, no matter how cute.
How was she supposed to get down? Maybe if she yelled loud enough, her parents would hear her. She took a deep breath and squeaked at the top of her lungs.
“Help…”
She peeked an eye open, hoping to see her mom or dad running down the field. But no one appeared. Fluttershy didn’t think she could yell any louder. What was she going to do now?
“Hey!”
Very carefully, Fluttershy moved her head and glanced down. Right below her was a blue girl with rainbow hair tied in a ponytail. She had bandages on her knee and cheek, like some of the bullies at school. Fluttershy dug her nails into the tree. Was the girl going to beat her up if she managed to get down?
“Do you need help?” the girl called up in a scratchy voice.
Fluttershy merely trembled against the tree. Even if she said yes, what was that girl going to do? She looked shorter than Fluttershy. Too nervous to move her head again, Fluttershy squeaked out a tiny, “No.”
“Are you sure? You look kinda stuck.”
“Umm…”
“Don’t worry, I can help you get down!” The girl sounded really confident, and she had a reassuring smile that showed she was missing one of her bottom teeth.
Fluttershy raised her eyes to search the park. She couldn’t see anyone else from this angle. If she ever wanted to get down, she supposed she had no choice but to trust the girl below her. “O-okay.”
“Awesome! Okay, just move a little bit to your left. Just a little bit.”
Fluttershy closed her eyes again and slowly shuffled against the tree, the bark scratching against her play clothes and her bare arms.
“Okay, now, there’s a branch right below your left foot! You can reach it!”
Easing her left foot down, Fluttershy found there was indeed a sturdy branch below her. She brought her right foot down next, balancing herself on the branch while still hugging the tree.
“Now slide over and sit down.”
Fluttershy did as she was told, dangling her legs over the side of the branch. She could finally look around without feeling like she was about to fall to her doom. The ground was still a long ways away though, but the other girl stood right beneath her, arms outstretched.
“Okay, I’m gonna need you to trust me. Just fall and I’ll catch you.”
A low, “Eeeep,” escaped Fluttershy’s throat. She’d die falling from this height! And how could she trust this stranger to catch her? They’d only just met!
But the girl remained firmly in her spot, still holding her arms out with a determined expression on her face. “I know it’s scary, but I promise, I’ll catch you.”
Fluttershy trembled again, rocking back and forth against the branch. She still couldn’t see her parents, and she didn’t dare look behind her in case she lost her balance. Her nervous rocking and shaking threw her off balance anyway. She wildly flung her arms to try and right herself, but only propelled herself forward and fell off the branch.
Her scream only lasted two seconds before she fell onto something soft and rolled onto the grass. She sat up and looked around, seeing the other girl sit up and shake the grass out her hair. She flashed Fluttershy a toothy smile.
“See? That wasn’t so bad! Oh!” She grabbed Fluttershy’s arm and pulled it forward. A small cut was bleeding just below where her arm bent. “Hang on, I’ll go get a band-aid from my dad!”
Before Fluttershy could say anything, the girl was up and sprinting across the park. She was really fast. Fluttershy looked back at the cut. It didn’t hurt, in fact, she probably wouldn’t have noticed it if the girl hadn’t said anything.
Speaking of, the fast girl returned a short minute later with the promised band-aid. She unpeeled it and stuck it over the cut. It was pink and had a smiley face on it. “There you go! You feeling okay?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Cool! Hey, what’s your name anyway?”
“Umm… I’m Fluttershy,” she said meekly.
“I’m Rainbow Dash! You wanna go play together?”
Fluttershy blinked. Usually, whenever someone asked her to play, she said no. But something about this girl, with her purple eyes and fun smile, compelled Fluttershy to say yes. And she had saved her from a tree after all.
“Okay,” Fluttershy said.
Rainbow took hold of Fluttershy’s arm and pulled her to her feet. “Awesome! C’mon, let’s go!” She pulled Fluttershy along.
Fluttershy’s longer legs were the reason she could keep up with Rainbow’s quick pace. As they raced across the field, Rainbow listed off all the things they could do together. Fluttershy wasn’t too keen on many of them, as they involved more swinging and climbing. But, she had never had a friend before. She smiled, thinking maybe, this Rainbow Dash could make things a little less scary.
*******
“So, let me see if I have this straight. Instead of trying to talk to either one of them like a normal person and reschedule, you decided to abuse your powers and try and be in two places at once?”
Rainbow groaned into her pillow.
“That is textbook levels of dumb!” Sunset said loudly. “Which is impressive for you; normally, your dumb ideas at least think outside the box!”
Rainbow lifted her face so she could at least see Sunset scowling at her, arms crossed and foot tapping against the carpet. The second she had thrust Rainbow’s bedroom door open, Rainbow regretted texting her.
“You know, I was kinda hoping you were here to cheer me up a little,” she said, words partially muffled by her pillow.
“Then I guess that’s two times you’ve been wrong today,” Sunset snapped. “I’m not going to coddle you, Dash. Despite what your grades may say, I know you’re not this dumb. So spill it: why did you do it?”
Rainbow rolled onto her back and clasped her hands over her eyes. “I don’t know, okay? I guess I didn’t want to have to choose! I feel terrible every time I have to cancel something with Fluttershy because of practice! And I didn’t want to cancel with Soarin! He’s my…” She trailed off, moving her hands to cover her mouth.
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Your boyfriend. Yes, the mighty Rainbow Dash has fallen in love. So what?”
“So, I can’t turn my best friend down for my boyfriend! That’s not cool! But I couldn’t turn down my boyfriend for Fluttershy either!” Rainbow groaned and sat up, running her hands through her messy hair. “I hated having to choose.”
Sunset sighed, her head gaze softening a little. “Look, Rainbow, I get it. But they’re both reasonable people. I’m sure they would have understood if you just talked to them.”
Rainbow dropped her cheek into her palm. “Maybe. I don’t know. Like, when Soarin found out, he just had that whole ‘I’m disappointed in you’ look and stuff. Fluttershy… she actually yelled at me and Soarin before running off. Like, she’s sensitive, I know that better than anyone. But this felt… different.”
She cringed, seeing Fluttershy’s red cheeks and the tears running down her face as she raised her voice before turning and sprinting away. Rainbow could count on one hand the number of times Fluttershy had yelled at anything that wasn’t a sports game, and none of them had been directed at her. She looked over at Sunset for an answer.
Sunset rubbed the back of her neck and looked out the window to the evening light. “I mean, she had the impression she was spending the whole day with you. She’s obviously hurt.”
“I know, but it’s Fluttershy. She never yells.” Rainbow shifted her cheek to her other hand. The confrontation replayed in her mind; Fluttershy screaming at her and Soarin. She had called him a homewrecker and accused Rainbow of picking him over Fluttershy. Maybe Soarin’s feelings of Fluttershy disliking him hadn’t been unfounded. Rainbow couldn’t understand why though, or why Fluttershy had given such an extreme reaction.
“I could pretend just one more time it was only us!”
Rainbow blinked. Noooo… no way… The pieces were there… but it was too crazy to actually be true.
But what if… What if…
But why now? She’s never been jealous of anyone else I hung out with!
Because you never called any of them your boyfriend, you dingus!
Rainbow snapped her head up. “Sunset, you’re gay!”
“Bisexual,” Sunset said, sharply raising her eyebrow. “What’s your point?”
“Well, like, gay people can spot other gay people, right? That whole ‘gaydar’ thing!”
Sunset let out a long and low sigh as she rubbed the space between her eyes. “I’m going to pretend that sentence didn’t happen. What exactly are you trying to say, Dash?”
Rainbow stood up, mind and heart racing. “Does… do you think Fluttershy like… likes me?”
“Uhh,” Sunset’s exasperation quickly jumped to surprise. She looked out the window again. “That’s something you should ask her, not me.”
That was all Rainbow needed to hear. She grabbed the sides of her head and paced in front of her bed. “Aw, crap! How did I not see that? I’m a freaking idiot!”
Sunset raised her hands placatingly. “Whoa, Dash. Maybe you’re a little oblivious, but it’s not like Fluttershy was making it obvious.”
Rainbow ignored her, pacing faster. “All those times I ranted to her about Cloud Kicker hitting on me, and she just sat there and nodded! Why would she even like me? I… I ditched her for half of high school!”
“Well, you of all people should know how forgiving she is.”
“That doesn’t make it better!” Rainbow collapsed onto the side of her bed and buried her face in her hands. “I’ve really done it this time! Fluttershy’s liked me for who knows how long, and I go and start dating Soarin right in front of her! Ugh! And this stupid double date thing I tried to pull! She must hate me now!”
Sunset sat down next to her. “As much as I’d love to grill you more about your stunt today, I think you’ve already learned your lesson. Look, I’m sure Fluttershy doesn’t hate you. I don’t know if that’s possible for her.”
“She clearly doesn’t like Soarin.”
“Maybe. But, I think she only doesn’t like him because she hasn’t been able to express her real feelings for you. You have to go talk to her, Dash, for everyone’s sake.”
Rainbow hunched her shoulders. “But I already hurt her. What if I just make it worse?”
“She’s already in pain. And if you avoid her, that’ll make it worse. Just talk to her and tell her the truth. At the very least, you’ll give her closure.” Sunset paused. “Do you have any feelings for her?”
Rainbow closed her eyes, trying to feel anything at the thought of Fluttershy. Happiness, confidence, the desire to punch anyone who made her cry. But none of the stomach tingling, heart-thumping emotions that came when she hung out with Soarin.
“I love her but… not in the way I think she wants me to.”
Sunset put a hand on Rainbow’s back. “Listen, it’s probably going to hurt. But the longer you wait, the more its going to fester. Don’t… don’t let Fluttershy end up like Moondancer.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened and she hopped to her feet. It was probably a one in a million chance, but Rainbow wasn’t about to risk it. “You’re right. I’m off to talk to her right now. I just hope I’ll know what to say.”
“You know her best, Rainbow.” Sunset gave an encouraging smile. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
*******
Fluttershy’s house was the easiest on the block to spot. It was a buttercream yellow in a sea of blues, grays, and whites, with a beautiful flowerbed in front of the porch, and planters hanging from the second-story windows.
Rainbow pulled into the driveway and took a deep breath. With all the games and races she had done, her stomach had never squirmed this badly before. She had thought hard about what she was going to say to Fluttershy, but none of it felt meaningful.
All right, I’ll just wing it. A terrible plan probably, but Rainbow knew she wasn’t good with mushy stuff. If she tried to think of a heartfelt speech, she’d be sitting there all evening.
She got out the car and stepped up onto the front porch, covered in bird feeders and more potted plants. She gave the doorbell a ring and hoped Fluttershy hadn’t told her parents to keep her from ever coming inside again.
To Rainbow’s dismay, it wasn’t either of Fluttershy’s parents who answered, but her thin and gangly younger brother, Zephyr Breeze. He had his long blonde hair pulled into a top knot, and a scraggly beard was starting to grow in.
He leaned against the door frame and turned his lips up into what Rainbow guessed was supposed to be a smolder. “Well, if it isn’t Rainbow Dash,” he said, bobbing his head back and forth with each syllable. “Here to grace me with your amazing presence?”
“You wish, dweeb. Is Fluttershy here?”
Zephyr frowned. “Yeah. She came home crying and shut herself in her room. Won’t tell anyone why.” He tried to smolder again. “Did she refuse to give you her blessing when you admitted you were head over heels for me.”
“Ew! For the last time, me and you will never happen! Now, move!” Rainbow elbowed her way past him and headed straight for the stairs. She paused at the top to shake off the agitation Zephyr always managed to bring up in her before moving onto Fluttershy’s door and knocking gently.
“Fluttershy, it’s me. Can we talk, please?”
Rainbow heard a familiar, “Eeep!” before a rustle of blankets, a few footsteps, and a closet door slamming shut. She groaned and threw the room door open.
Fluttershy’s room was a pink sanctuary of plants and animals. Her bunny Angel sat on the bed, nibbling a carrot and glaring at Rainbow. A cat was curled up on the pillow. Two gerbils were snoozing in a cage on Fluttershy’s desk, and a parakeet hung from a perch over a large, potted sunflower. Miniature ferns grew from the top of the wardrobe, and if Fluttershy pushed her window open, she could reach the planters outside.
Rainbow shut the door behind her. Across from her was the closet, covered in posters of puppies and kittens. “Fluttershy, please come out and talk to me.”
She heard a sniffle, but nothing more.
“Please don’t make me say it,” Rainbow groaned. Covering one of her eyes.
Silence.
“Fluttershy, please come out of the closet!”
“No.”
“Fine, then I’m coming in there!” Rainbow marched over and pulled the closet door open. Fluttershy sat huddled against the back, the top of her head hidden by the bottoms of blouses and dresses. She pulled her long hair over her face, then pressed herself against her knees.
Rainbow took a seat opposite of her. “Fluttershy, I’m really, really sorry about today. I should have just told Soarin I had already made plans instead of trying to make both of you happy at once. I’ll make it up to you somehow, okay?”
“Okay,” Fluttershy mumbled into her knees.
A pregnant pause hung between them. “Just okay?” Rainbow asked.
“Mhmm.”
“You forgive me?” Rainbow asked again, skepticism rising.
“Yes.”
“... Could you look at me when you say that?”
Fluttershy shook her head.
“Please, talk to me! Heck, yell at me! I’ve earned it! Tell me I’ve been a crappy friend—I know I’ve been one! You deserve better than me!” Rainbow dug her nails into her palm. “Come on, just say it…. You shouldn’t keep all that bottled up.”
Fluttershy shook like a leaf and hugged herself as tight as she could.
“Fluttershy, please!”
“I like you, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy screamed, throwing her head up. “I’ve liked you since middle school! You were always there for me! You always stood up for me! You always told me to just do my best! You made me want to be brave! You’re the reason I can raise my voice and cheer at soccer matches and track meets! You’re the reason I want to protect things that can’t protect themselves! You’re great and amazing and I’ve wanted to tell you for the longest time, but I couldn’t because I knew! I always knew! But when it was just us, I could at least pretend sometimes! Pretend you liked me the way I… I…”
She broke into uncontrollable sobs and buried her face again. Rainbow could only watch, stunned into silence. Fluttershy had harbored a crush on her for six years. And all that time, Rainbow had been walking around, forcefully refuting she wasn’t gay every time someone insinuated. She may as well have been slapping Fluttershy in the face.
Rainbow instinctively reached a hand out, but pulled it back. She waited for Fluttershy’s sobs to calm down a little before speaking in a hoarse voice, “You’re wrong. I wasn’t always there for you. Halfway through freshman year, I started pushing you away. I don’t have an excuse for it. I know you said you forgave me for it. But it just makes me think you should have someone who isn’t just going to walk away from you.”
“You came back.”
“I should have never left in the first place!” Rainbow rubbed her eyes. She was deflecting from the real issue. “Fluttershy, it’s so awesome to hear you say all that stuff about me, and that you… you feel all those things about me. But, I’m… I’m not—”
“Don’t say it!” Fluttershy clapped her hands over her ears. “I know.”
“No, you don’t.” Rainbow crawled over and squeezed next to Fluttershy, leaving an inch of space between them. “You’ve always been there for me, cheering me on and cheering me up. You’re the nicest, sweetest person in the world. You make me want to be, you know, a little less abrasive to people. You make me want to be my best! I go into all my games with so much confidence because I know you’re there cheering for me! You’re great and amazing and I don’t think I tell you that enough!”
Fluttershy turned her head, fixing Rainbow with her puffy red eyes. “Really?”
“Really. I’m sorry I never noticed your feelings before. And I’m sorry if I hurt you with anything I said. And I’m really sorry about today. It was supposed to be about you. Because you’re my best friend. Heck, you’re more than that! There’s not a word cool enough to describe what you mean to me! Yeah, I like Soarin, but you mean more to me than any boy out there. If they want to be with me, they have to be cool with you.”
Fluttershy leaned over and buried her face in Rainbow’s shoulder. “That m-means a lot,” she said, choking back more tears. “But that’s not fair to you. I didn’t want to come between you and Soarin because I saw how happy he made you. It’s not fair for you to sacrifice your happiness for me.”
“Yeah, but I’m not happy unless you are.”
Fluttershy shook her head, brushing her hair against Rainbow’s nose. “I can’t do that. I’m just being a… a jealous meany-pants.”
Rainbow snorted.
“I was just mad you were dating someone who wasn’t me. I never gave him a chance. I… I promise to at least try and be his friend first.”
Rainbow inwardly sighed in relief. She had hoped Fluttershy would at least try. But she meant what she said: she would pick Fluttershy over any boy, even Soarin.
“Thanks, Fluttershy.” Rainbow wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tight. Fluttershy snuggled closer and sniffled. Gently, Rainbow gave her a kiss on the forehead. “How do you feel?”
Fluttershy took her time answering. “A little better. I’m still sad I can’t be… with you. But, I’m happy I finally told you.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry I don’t love you… you know, like that. But I do love you, like, super crazy. Me and you are like this—” Rainbow held two fingers up and crossed them. “And I swear, I’m gonna be there for you, no matter what, till the end of time.”
Fluttershy smiled, a pleasant blush on her cheeks. “Thank you, Dashie.” She stayed in Rainbow’s embrace for several minutes. Rainbow didn’t mind; she was just happy to have the air between them cleared.
Eventually, Fluttershy got up and pulled Rainbow to her feet. She walked over to her bed and reached under her pillow, pulling out the crimson scarf from the Yarn-Off.
“Here,” Fluttershy said, holding it out to Rainbow. “You probably guessed, but I made this for you.”
Rainbow took it into her hands, awing at how soft it felt. Rainbow colored lightning bolts dropping from white clouds ran down the center, and the tassels alternated between red and white. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Rainbow swore she saw the entire thing shimmer and glow for a split second.
She wrapped it around her neck and beamed at Fluttershy. “I’m gonna wear it every day!”
Fluttershy gave a radiant smile. “Yay.”
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aww such a sweet ending, now Fluttershy just needs to meet Treehuggers Human version and maybe they can be together
Woooow, that was deep. Very spectacular and bravo. Even knowing what Rainbow was doing wouldn't work - even Rainbow herself lampshading it - it was well written in how Rainbow tried to manage being there for both Soarin and Fluttershy. The events from the jousting to the yarn off were well done, each exemplifying what they should while never dragging; and I loved the references with the Black Knight.
And so the truth finally comes to light. It hurt to see Fluttershy in pain like that - she needed so many hugs - but at least Rainbow finally put it together. It was a nice touch for her to have the wisdom to call Sunset for advice, Sunset telling it how it is, even while respecting Fluttershy by not directly stating she was gay to Rainbow. It was real nice to delve into Fluttershy's perspective in the flashback - her way of viewing the world at that age is adorable. And it was good to see she and Rainbow were able to talk through all this and come to peace with who they are, what they mean to one another, and where they'll go from here.
And that ending - THAT ENDING! Gonna be interesting to see how it all plays out with the rest of the Spectacular Seven. Wonderfully spectacular chapter and looking forward to the next one!
Gah...just this entire chapter is a heart pain. Flutters being to scared to come out, that last chat, just...stop killing my feels! Really nails the feeling of relationships.
despite RD being implied gay in canon. Another wonderful chapter as always! Always a pleasure to read, thank you for your horse wordsI still have hope for these two!
All I could think is how oblivious Rainbow Dash is, and how Soarin narrowly dodged a bullet. He could have had his own Moondancer in the form of Fluttershy. He would never stand a chance.
10243838
I think having her and Applejack together in the final episode of the TV series does a little more than imply it.
Dash you goddamned parrot, you could have gotten it right the first time if you'd thought it through. I'm surprised her powers worked for this in the first place.
Meanwhile Fluttershy has been going through the traditional lesbian right of passage: the straight bff and megacrush. Hopefully this particular pair can stay friends.
Her dynamic with Soarin might have just changed, assuming that's still a thing. She may have to actually acknowledge she wants a relationship, no ambiguity, no deflecting or posturing. Maybe he already knows? I'll have to reread some earlier chapters.
👀
Me in the first half of this chapter:
Me in the second half of this chapter:
You have made Soarin a very likable and cool character. And yes I totally snorted some of my soda at Rainbow's comment about gaydar.
Fluttershy will end up with Adagio I'm sure.
But is this part of the plot really over or is Tempest going to find a way to exploit the fact that Fluttershy is sad that Rainbow can't love him the way she likes him?
Sunset + Twilight
Rainbow + Soarin
Fluttershy + Adagio
Rarity + Applejack
Pinkie + Cheese Sandwich
I hope to have the winning numbers mes chères amis :3
At least she knows how stupid she’s being.
Well, maybe she does.
I blame Rarity.
bolted
For a moment there, my mind went blank for a sec
Finally catch up on a fic in the evening, come home to find one more chapter has been added... sounds about right.
I feel bad things didn't work out for Fluttershy, but I'm glad the two made peace. Can't wait for the next chapter.
Well that was semi unexpected. The two won't be together and that's alright. They don't have to be, Fluttershy at least let her feelings be known and Rainbow can rest easy knowing what those feelings are and this will now doubt strengthen their friendship.
Don't worry Shy there are others out there for you. Coco Pommel is lovely I am told ;D
10243926
This story has many, many characters in it and many plotlines involving them in different ways that are continuing to unfold and evolve. The love triangle has never been a prominent focus more than any other ongoing subplot, and Rainbow and Fluttershy have not been particularly more prominent than the rest of the ensemble cast. If you have read the story this far, I would hope you have an interest in the story it is telling beyond "will these two characters hook up". And if you do, you should stick around and continue reading.
But if the fact your favorite pairing is not going to happen is a dealbreaker that harms your ability to enjoy the story to the extent you are going to stop reading it unless the author gives hope it might happen later, then it is not dependent on the author if you keep reading or not - it is up to you. The author will tell the story he wants to tell the way he wants to tell it, he does not have any sort of obligation to pander to his readership and compromise the narrative to give them what they want for fear. What matters is what Albinocorn wants. If you like it or not is up to you.
Well, I'm glad that Flutters and Dash got the air cleared between them. Dash's "plan" was distinctly boneheaded, but this is Dash we're talking about. If she were a D&D character, I'd say she's got maybe above average intelligence, but a slightly below average wisdom score. Definitely high charisma though, since that not only describes appearance, but force of personality, and that's something our good RD has in spades.
All in all, drama aside, this was a nice interlude between the "forces of darkness" stuff. Kudos.
Oh Lord
I was really hoping Rainbow wouldn't be this stupid ....
The scary part is it could be true .....
Magic scarf ... it will be significant later on. Maybe this reality's version of one of the Keys of Harmony?
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Do you even realize how entitled this is? If I was the author, I'd say that FlutterDash never happens just to get rid of you, even if it was a lie.
AHAHAHWAHAH! Did Dash just pull an "Archie Andrews"? XD
Finally Rainbow and Fluttershy get some closure and you actually managed to do that with one of the most cliche sitcom plots, respect.
Not to mention so many great lines in this chapter
Ngl this was painful to read. Not because it was badly written or anything, quite the opposite!! Just the sheer amount of second-hand embarrassment I got from Dash's distinctly ill-thought plan killed me. I would read a paragraph, make a cup of tea and have a breather, then read another. It really does showcase the interesting dichotomy surrounding loyalty - in that there are so many different forms, how can one possibly be loyal to all of them without being disloyal? The same question I had during the discord arc wayyyy back in, what, season 2? Been a while haha. Dash was accused of being disloyal, when in fact she wasn't at all - her loyalty just switched target. This is kind of what happened here, and it was really interesting to see.
That being said.... Dashie did a bad. She's lucky Fluttershy is so kind and willing to get passed it, because as someone who has been on her end of that exact thing (partially the reason why it was so hard for me to read), she must have been feeling so worthless.
Sunset and Dash's brief conversation had me in stitches. Sunset's sharpness surrounding her sexuality and gaydar absolutely killed me. You really do an awesome job of representation, by the way. It's a part of this fandom I do like - seeing homosexual relationships portrayed realistically and the presence of bi people and trans folk... as someone in that community, it can feel kind of like sucking a lemon, watching so many shows either having no representation at all, or the flimsiest character being shoved down your throat like “hey, look, this background person is one of you! I'm not homophobic, see?” or worse. I never felt this once with this fic. Never once did I look at a bit and think “that's not realistic” or “this feels forced”. It means a lot, thank you!
Something I like...you're taking the time to build your world a little more with chapters like these.
More locations/ types of events that can happen here
showing that there is a limit to what the girls powers are, and what happens when they reach their limits.
DAMMIT! Goddammit Dash, haven't you watched enough cartoons to know this is NOT going to end well? Ugh. I want to make it clear I say this with no disrespect to you as a writer, Albinocorn. But I just do not like this trope one bit. Even if it's realistically very in character for Rainbow.
This is gonna suck, isn't it?
And, you can't think to just, TELL them both you accidentally double booked, why?
He's right though.
Dude.
Bullshit.
Ah, so we're doing this, are we?
She's JEALOUS.
So, you hinged your entire plan, on a GAMBLE. That's boneheaded even for you.
GOOD, or else you'd be dead.
You know? I kinda want this to work. I know it won't. But, out of sheer curiosity.
Of course.
And you will this time.
You.
There it is.
And she's going to forget to take it out when she goes back to Soarin', or it'll fall out and Shy will notice. What? I've seen this plot done before, I know how it's going to go.
Because you're not being really loyal to either Soarin' OR Fluttershy right now.
No the fuck you can't.
Huh, so, I was half wrong.
This is just wrestling but with a different 'coat of paint', complete with the classic heel vs face scenario. Then again, I suppose this thing predates pro wrestling by quite a bit.
I can only hear Luke and Vader.
Really?
Sounds about right.
Ah, brilliant.
I beat you to it.
So, she's not gonna figure it out, is she?
And yet...
How haven't you figured it out yet? It's the whole "childhood friend" angle, innit?
I've been there.
This isn't gonna go well.
She's kinda got a habit of not thinking things through.
YA SEE?!
No, I'm with her on this. You lied to her. You KNOW what she's like.
Whoa now!
Ya fucked up, Rainbow.
And I feel no sympathy for you. You KNEW how this would go. You KNOW how this works.
Rainbow.
She's had a crush since this moment? No WONDER she's pissed.
THANK YOU, BEST HORSE!
Says the gay pride flag on legs.
That isn't how it works.
A bit.
Yeah, about what I figured.
The only smart thing you've dne today.
I'm not touching that.
You REALLY should have.
Yup.
Jealousy is a normal feeling.
Catharsis.
That's pulling the hammer back on Chekov's Gun.
Rainbow Double Dash? He's not here, is it?
Surprisingly no spanish shame while reading the chapter, I guess I just got used to it over the years.
And the sweet ending, like like like like
Now that's a Vin Diesel level of cheesy quotes.
I see what yah doing here, clearly as the day and considering who the main vilian is I'm not surprised at all.
That ended a lot...better than I expected.
I was a bit apprehensive when the previous chapter set up this sitcom plot, but it ended up being really enjoyable and well written, avoiding the stereotypes and drawn out conflict altogether. I'm happy that this story is updating again!
Dammit, we all saw this situation happening, even Dash did! And yet the inevitable happened ;-;
I am glad that it had a resolution though, now it's time to chat with the other third of this love triangle...
DAMMIT, I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LAUGH SO HARD WITH A SAD FLUTTERSHY INVOLVED
...Can anyone explain to me how Rainbow has any fans? How this chapter, which keeps her completely in character, does NOT confirm Rainbow Dash is Worse Pone? (Tied with Pinkie, and they both PALE in comparison to Starlight Glimtard.)
I think I used to find her to be as awesome as she claims to be, but now...I just fail to recognize any good parts that aren't buried in overblown self-aggrandizement that is an incredibly transparent facade. She's just too fake to be relatable or likable for me.
If you're going to downvote, at least reply WHY you like her.
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Remember that pony dash and human dash are two different people. Human dash is consistently shown to be less mature that pony dash (which makes sense, pony dash is an adult who kept a stable government job for years before joining a military stunt team).
The back and forth in Fluttershy's bedroom reminded me of South Park (1:43 to the end).
Yeees. Yaaass. YEEESS!
Ah man, I liked this. This has such a simple but well executed premise, and its so cute throughout.
This chapter gave me the feeling I had pretty much the entire time I was reading Long Road to Friendship, and it was very nice to revisit that type of story and that feeling again.
Oof, too relatable. There’s this pair of ripped black overalls I love that go for $65, and I’ve spent all weekend trying to find them cheaper somewhere else. Why does the cool goth stuff have to be so expensive?
This line made me crack up because I’m a library school graduate who still needs to master the concept of the indoor voice. Loud librarians are basically the equivalent of doctors who are scared of blood, so I’ll just have to figure it out someday...
Dang it, Albi, you know how conflicted this makes me! On the one hand, I was really hoping you’d throw Fluttershy another bone (because heaven knows she needs it), but...I’m still a Coco writer. I’m contractually obliged to root for Coco at all times.
Anyway, I liked your twist on this trope. Renaissance faires and craft fairs are some of my favorite activities, so it was tons of fun reading about both of them.
Hopefully the virus clears so I can go to at leastoneof these things this year...Poor Fluttershy. That wouldn't have happened in Equestria, where 'best friends' is code for lovers.
Dash: Sunset, help! I screwed up and need emotional support!
Sunset: You're a dumbass.
Dash: That's not emotionally supportive at all!
Same why did I immediately sympathize with the Black Knight
Right, silly question
hehehehehehehehehehehehe
I love this
Holy shit. That means Rainbow needs to sit through almost seven hours of knitting. Let god have mercy on her soul.
Oh my poor heart.
You write romance incredibly well.
Sooo the chest Is going to be a thing, I assume that from the glowing scarf idk.
But is gonna be very hard to do.
I got a feeling something bad is gonna happen with her ponying up this much.
And that's what counts.
That's what you get when trying to be in 2 places at once.
I doubt gaydar is a real word.
I can agree with that since she does hate him.
I'm glad they finally got it out, and even though fluttershy understands why rainbow dash doesn't want to date her I hope she at least gives soarin that chance.
Gotta give Dash credit for realizing from the get-go that she’s doing a really stupid sitcom thing.
Then she goes and spends all that credit actually doing it
Flintstones here we go....
Yonder ðæt Englisc, yfel must sîe ungel¯æred.
All joking aside, so many people hear the manner of speech of the middle ages and call it "Old English," when in reality, it's Early Modern English. Old English is what I have written above. At least I hope it is, I had to rely on translation software.