Changed Mares

by Typoglyphic

Trivial Dispute

The next day, Fluttershy rushed through her morning routine, setting out food, checking on her injured house-guests, and cleaning up the storm’s debris around her cottage. By eleven o’clock she was on her way down the path into town. The sun was bright in the sky.

While high above the storm the day before, they had agreed to meet for lunch and talk about ‘stuff’. Rainbow had been pretty non-committal about exactly what ‘stuff’ she meant, but Fluttershy was confident that, with a little prompting, they could get a meaningful conversation started. Rainbow sometimes surprised ponies with just how thoughtful she could be.

Fluttershy frowned as she trotted into Ponyville’s heart. It was almost lunch, yet the streets were quiet, and all of the stores, cafes, and restaurants she passed were barely half-full. On the far side of town, she stopped below the shadow of Rainbow’s cloud house. She stretched her wings open and grimaced. She wasn’t build for flying through storms, and her body made sure she knew it. She jumped and flapped, ascending in a gentle spiral to reduce the strain on her weary flight muscles. She had no idea how Rainbow could stand to make this climb every day.

A feeling of déjà vu washed over her as she landed in exactly the same spot as the day before and knocked. The door burst apart a second later, and Fluttershy was greeted with a very personal view of Rainbow’s hind legs, mid-kick. She blushed and stared at the floor.

“Morning, Fluttershy!” Rainbow said, oblivious. She stepped outside, then turned and replaced the door with some cloud from the wall next to it. “So, lunch? Did you have some place in mind?”

“I’ve been meaning to try out The Bean and Green.”

“The new cafe?”

Fluttershy nodded and spread her wings.

They jumped off the cloud together and curved toward Ponyville.

“Rainbow…”

Rainbow looked over. “Yeah?”

Fluttershy paused. She had been about to ask if they could land and walk. But Rainbow wanted somepony who could keep up with her. She gritted her teeth and said, “Never mind.”

Rainbow smiled back and sped up, folding her wings and diving. Fluttershy groaned and dove after her.

Thankfully, the flight wasn’t very long. They found a table and sat. Fluttershy ordered a salad. Rainbow ordered a spinach, hay, and tomato sandwich. Fluttershy took it as a compliment.

“So, how’s your work going?” Fluttershy asked. It seemed like a safe place to start.

“Which one?” Rainbow replied. She took a bite of her sandwich.

Fluttershy blinked. Weather work and Wonderbolt work, she realized. “Either, I guess?”

Rainbow swallowed. “Work’s good.” She stared at Fluttershy as if searching for something.

Fluttershy bit her lip and glanced around. The two nearest tables were crowded with ponies engaged in casual conversation. She sighed and leaned back against her chair, tilting her chin up and dropping her shoulders. She felt instantly exposed. Rainbow perked up, and her wings slowly fluttered open behind her.

“So, how are…animals and stuff?” Rainbow asked. Fluttershy could feel Rainbow’s stare trail across her body. She looked around. Were the stallions over there staring too?

Fluttershy gulped. “Well, Sandy’s kits were out in the storm last night and caught a cold, but otherwise they’re all healthy and happy.”

Rainbow reached down and took another bite of her sandwich. She chewed slowly, her stare never breaking.

“Uh…” Fluttershy glanced around. “Can we go somewhere else? With a bit more privacy, maybe?”

Rainbow looked down at Fluttershy’s almost untouched salad, then squinted at her. “You all right, Shy?”

Now the stallion at the next table was definitely staring. Fluttershy dropped a hoof full of bits on the table and stood. “You coming?” She did her best to sound casual and not terrified.

A smirk spread across Rainbow’s face. “Oh. I get it.” She dropped a bit next to her plate and started walking. “Let’s find a cloud or something.” Rainbow jumped into the air. Fluttershy winced, then did the same.

Rainbow led them to a soft, fluffy cloud above Sweet Apple Acres. As they came in to land, Rainbow flicked her tail, tickling Fluttershy’s nose. She turned and winked, then settled onto the cloud. Fluttershy blushed, her heart racing. She hoped that she and Rainbow were on the same page.

There wasn’t much room, so they had to sit right up against each other, their faces only a foot or so apart. Rainbow didn’t seem to mind.

“So, I guess this is your first date,” Rainbow said. “Is this how you imagined it?”

Fluttershy licked her lips. Confidence. Daring. “What makes you think I imagined it at all?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Really? All those years of staring at me and you never thought about it?” She leaned closer. “Even I imagined it, and, sorry Fluttershy, but I never really thought of you like that. Well, until yesterday.”

Fluttershy swallowed. “And how did you imagine it?”

Rainbow laughed. “I figured it’d be boring. But yesterday wasn’t boring.” She leaned in closer and brushed her cheek against Fluttershy’s. “This isn’t boring either.” Fluttershy felt Rainbow’s breath against her ear.

She pushed Rainbow back with a hoof. This was getting uncomfortable. “Are you always like this on first dates?”

Rainbow chuckled and shrugged. “Every mare’s different. Some like it fast.” She grinned. “Others need time to warm up.” She squinted at Fluttershy. “I used to know which kind you were, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

Fluttershy felt a strange pang of guilt. She was doing everything right. Rainbow thought she was interesting. Attractive.

“What are you two doin’ up there?” called a familiar voice from below.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and shouted back. “Well, we were doing a lot better before somepony interrupted us!”

Fluttershy turned and leaned over the edge of the cloud.

Applejack sat on the ground and glared up at them. “Aren’t you forgettin’ somethin’?”

Fluttershy gasped. “The open court!”

“Oh yeah, today’s Saturday,” Rainbow said. “Whoops.”

Fluttershy leaped off the cloud and glided to land next to Applejack. Rainbow touched down a second later.

“What are you two thinkin’? The court thing was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago!” She glared at Rainbow. “We’re wasting dozens of ponies’ time, not to mention Twi, Rarity and me.”

Rainbow growled. “I didn’t think Twilight meant this Saturday? How many ponies even heard about it in the last three days?”

“I don’t know how you didn’t hear about it! Must be a quarter of the town standing in line at the castle waitin’ for you two.” She sighed. “What were you two doin’ up on a cloud in the middle of my orchard anyway?”

“Making out.” Rainbow turned and winked at Fluttershy.

Applejack stared at them, wide-eyed. She shot Fluttershy a questioning glance.

Fluttershy’s face burned, only partly from embarrassment. “We were not making out.” She cleared her throat self-consciously. “But we were kind of on a date, yes.”

Applejack took a step back, her jaw falling open. She shook herself and smiled at Fluttershy. “Well, congratulations then.”

Fluttershy eeped as the weight of Rainbow’s wing fell over her back.

Applejack turned and glared at Rainbow. “Everypony’s waitin’ for ya, Romeoats.” She stalked off toward town.

Fluttershy slipped out from under Rainbow’s wing and jumped into the air. “Come on, Rainbow. We can try this again later.” She pushed down with her throbbing wings. She hoped everypony would forgive them.

Rainbow flew up to meet her. “Wanna get there fast?” she asked.

Fluttershy paused and raised an eyebrow at her.

Rainbow spun and flapped until they were barrel to barrel in the air. She grabbed Fluttershy with all four legs. “Close your eyes. This is gonna be awesome.”

She knew where this was going. She squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her own legs around Rainbow. She yelped as they shot forward. She pressed her face into Rainbow’s neck. A weight crushed down on her from all sides. Her stomach did little flops—whether from the speed or the physical contact, Fluttershy was in no condition to guess.

Everything froze, and their momentum caught up with them. Every inch of Fluttershy’s body was pressed flat against Rainbow. Her heart raced, and there was no way Rainbow couldn’t feel it. Fluttershy took in a shaky breath. She wanted to retch. She wanted to huddle on the ground and wait for the shaking to stop.

Fluttershy opened her eyes and pushed off of Rainbow, whooping as loudly as she could. She set down on the castle’s lawn. “We have to do that again sometime!” Her heart shrank at the thought of ever moving that fast again. Then she noticed the huge line-up of ponies beside them—staring at her—and her heart shrank a tiny bit more.

Rainbow laughed. “Don’t worry. We’ll have plenty of time for flying as soon as Twilight’s little court thingy is over.” She started toward the castle. “How hard can answering questions be?”

---

Rainbow walked into the map room and ignored the look Rarity tossed at her. Whatever, she could be late if she wanted to be. It wasn’t like she was being paid for this. She grinned as Fluttershy—her new marefriend—sat down next to her. Maybe this open court thing would be all right.

The Castle of Friendship’s throne room was just a short flight of stairs up from the castle’s vast antechamber. A large door separated the two rooms. It was on this threshold that ponies would stand and ask Twilight their questions. Two guards stood on either side of the doors, armoured but not armed. This may have been a castle, but they were still in Ponyville.

“Great,” Twilight said as Rainbow sat down. She rubbing her forehead with a hoof. “Now we’re just waiting for Applejack.”

Right on cue, the pounding of hoofsteps echoed through the room as Applejack galloped through the throne room’s side door. She slowed to a canter as she climbed the stairs and dropped into her seat with a sigh. “Thanks for takin’ off, Rainbow,” she growled, even though Rainbow had clearly done nothing wrong.

Twilight nodded to the guards, and they pulled open the giant doors. One of the guards escorted the first pony in line forward.

Pinkie jumped up onto her chair and waved. “Mrs. Cake!”

“Sit down, dear.” Rarity hissed. “Remember, we are representing Equestrian monarchy.”

Mrs. Cake waved back from her spot at the open door. “Hello, Princess. And…uh…element bearers.”

“How can we help you, Cup Cake?” Twilight asked.

Mrs. Cake bit her lip and glanced around the giant room. It was hard to tell from so far away, but Rainbow thought she was sweating. “Well, my husband and I were wondering… Who owns the land around the castle?”

“The monarchy,” Twilight said. “And I’m its guardian and steward.”

“Oh. I see.” Mrs. Cake shuffled her front hooves. “Can the monarchy’s property be purchased? The field between Sofas and Quills and the castle isn’t being used for anything, as far as we can tell.”

Great. They were starting off with a question about buying property. If it weren’t for all the ponies that could see her right then, she would fallen asleep. But as boring as the afternoon was shaping up to be, Rainbow ‘Professionalism’ Dash wouldn’t embarrass her friends like that. As the backbone of the group, it was her responsibility to keep everypony focused and determined, so she kept her back straight and her ears open.

Pinkie Pie perked up, jumped off her chair and trotted around to Twilight’s side. She whispered something into Twilight’s ear.

Twilight nodded and turned back to Mrs. Cake as Pinkie returned to her seat. “Arrange an appointment with my assistant before you go, and we’ll discuss it in private at a later date.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Mrs. Cake followed the guard down the antechamber toward the exit.

The other guard trotted forward, accompanied by a pink earth pony. One of Ponyville’s flower vendors, if Rainbow remembered correctly.

The mare bowed. “Thank you, Princess.”

For some reason, Twilight blushed. “Uh…rise, Cheerilee. How can we help you?”

“As I’m sure you know, your highness, after decades of stability, Ponyville’s population has grown steadily over the past five years or so,” Cheerilee said.

Rainbow sighed. What did population have to do with selling flowers?

“Ponyville’s education system is simply not equipped to deal with so many new students,” Cheerilee continued. “We need a larger schoolhouse, more supplies, and at least one more teacher. I’ve been petitioning town hall for increased funding for months, but nopony seems to care.”

“How did I not notice…” Twilight muttered. She cleared her throat and raised her voice. “Thank you for letting us know. Please get Spike to book you an appointment so we can discuss this further.”

Cheerilee bowed again before trotted away from the thrones.

Rainbow leaned over to Fluttershy. “Why is she so worried about school? She’s, like, older than us.”

Fluttershy shushed her.

Rainbow winced and sank back into her seat. Right, focus.

Lyra and Octavia came up next, facing each other all the while. They were both shouting at the other. Hooves gestured, and Rainbow even heard a few choice insults fly.

“What can we do for you?” Twilight asked.

Octavia opened her mouth, but Lyra cut her off. “We’ve got a friendship problem.” She turned to glare at her company.

Twilight perked up. “We’re listening.”

Octavia rolled her eyes. “Tell this insufferable pony that the cello was developed completely independently from the lyre, and that any resemblance between the two is entirely circumstantial.”

Lyra stomped a hoof. “The lyre dates back to way before the the foundation of Equestria, and they existed in every pre-Equestrian culture. Every stringed instrument is based on the lyre!”

“Do two argue like this often?” Twilight said.

“Oh, all the time!” Lyra said.

They both chuckled.

Twilight squinted at them. “Really? You both seem pretty amicable.”

“Well of course we are,” Octavia replied. “We’re friends, after all.”

“So… what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that Octavia’s wrong. Back me up on this, Twilight.”

Twilight blinked. A thick book appeared in the air next to her, accompanied by a burst of purple magic. Twilight stared at the book and flipped a few pages. “Well…” She glanced over the book at the feuding ponies below. “While the cello is a relatively new invention, its genus of instruments can be traced back to an ancient Saddle Arabian instrument called a ‘lyra’.”

Lyra grinned. “Ha! Told you.”

“But,” Twilight continued, “a lyra isn’t actually a lyre. Sorry.”

“Oh. Damn.” Lyra offered her hoof to Octavia, who gave it a bump with her own. “Thanks, Twilight.” They turned and left.

Twilight exchanged a look with the rest of them. Rainbow was pretty sure she understood. This wasn’t what any of them had expected.

The next hour passed with the speed of a sleeping tortoise. Four ponies had legal questions that nopony but Twilight understood. Two asked for funding that Twilight wasn’t actually allowed to offer, and more ponies than Rainbow could count came forward with friendship problems that weren’t really problems at all.

Rainbow dropped her head back against the chair. She could feel her professionalism dripping away with every wasted minute of her day.

A yellow earth pony mare with an orange mane marched up. A beige stallion trotted up just behind her. Carrot Top glared up at them. “What can you do?”

“Uh…” Twilight peered down at her. “What do you mean?”

“What kind of power do you six have?” Carrot Top started to take another step, but the guard stopped her with a hoof. “I want to know what to expect out of you.” Behind her, Davenport sat and nodded.

“As a princess, I have direct access to both Mayor Mare and the royal sisters, and they take my council’s advice very seriously. In the future, once I’ve had time to adjust to my new role, I’ll have equal control of the crown’s assets.”

“And how can any of us trust you when she’s up there next to you?” Carrot Top pointed an accusing hoof at Applejack. “Sweet Apple Acres is the second largest business in Ponyville. What’s to stop her from using her position to make it the biggest?”

Now things were getting interesting.

“Duh! She’s the element of honesty!” Everypony jumped as Rainbow spoke. “Of course everypony can trust her.”

Davenport took a few steps forward. “I’m afraid that if Applejack is in any way involved with laws that would even indirectly affect Sweet Apple Acres, she would be far too personally invested to be trusted, despite her supernatural credentials.” He paused, scanning over the six of them. “In fact, Miss Rarity and Miss Pinkie Pie also have major connections to local businesses.” He bit his lip and continued. “And I do apologize, but I don’t believe any of you have any experience in legal or social work at all. Except possibly Your Royal Highness herself.”

Rainbow inhaled, ready to let both of them know just how wrong they were.

“Thank you for your thoughts. We will consider them carefully,” Twilight said. “Guards, please escort Golden Harvest and Davenport out and inform everypony that we will be taking a short recess.”

Rainbow snorted, then she noticed Applejack’s face. If Rainbow didn’t know better, she’d say Applejack was terrified.

“They have a point,” Twilight said, turning to face the group. “I forgot about all of your businesses in Ponyville.”

That was her queue. “Who cares what—”

“They’re right.” Applejack looked down at her hooves. “Both of ‘em. What are we doin’?”

Rainbow scoffed. “We’re being awesome. The six of us can deal with anything.”

Twilight ignored her. “Do you really feel like we’re not up to this?” she asked Applejack.

Rainbow had been here before. Her friends were all amazing in their own ways, but they had one thing in common: they didn’t have nearly enough faith in themselves. That was what they needed Rainbow for. Well, half of what they needed her for. She was also a lot faster than them.

Rainbow leaned forward on the table. “Come on, Applejack, don’t let Carrot Top get you down. What does she know?”

“Her name is Golden Harvest, for one thing, and—” Applejack cut off, her eyes bulging. She turned to Twilight. “What did Pinkie tell you when Mrs. Cake was here? Right at the beginning of the day?”

Twilight shrugged. “Just that Sugarcube Corner isn’t seeing many tourists, and that the Cakes thought it was because of…their…location.”

Applejack stared at her.

Twilight facehoofed. “Horseapples.”

This was getting out of hoof. Rainbow jumped up on the table so everypony could see her better. “What if Mrs. Cake had said all those things? It wouldn’t have been a problem then, so who cares if Pinkie said it?”

“It doesn’t matter who said it,” Applejack said in agreement.

“Exactly.”

“No, I mean that it doesn’t matter who said it ‘cause Pinkie bein’ up here—heck, even bein’ friends with us—is a conflict of interests! How can any of us be honest and fair when all our decisions might also affect us?”

“Okay,” Twilight said, waving her hooves. “Settle down. Let’s not—”

“How can you say that!” Rainbow shouted. “You are honesty!”

“Of course we know that, darling, but what about—”

“Exactly! We all know. So what’s the problem?” Sometimes her friends made it really difficult for her to stick up for them. It was lucky for them that Rainbow knew just how to perk Applejack up. “Why are you so scared of being right?”

Applejack’s eyes flared. She stood up and slammed her front hooves onto the table. “I’m not afraid of anything! I’m just bein’ reasonable and responsible. Unlike some ponies, I can look past my own ego and see when I’m in the wrong.”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Applejack grinned. “You know exactly what I mean. The name ‘Mare Do Well’ ring any bells in there?”

Rainbow cringed. It had been days before she’d been willing to go back out in public after Mare Do Well. Her eyes darted around, making sure nopony noticed her flinch.

She snarled back and shouted twice as loudly to make up for it. “Oh, is that the lesson you want to teach Apple Bloom? That she should give up the second she’s not sure about something?”

Applejack growled. “Do you want Scootaloo to ram her way through life without givin’ a thought about the consequences of her actions?”

“Don’t you bring Scootaloo into this, you—”

“Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow froze. The room fell silent in an instant. “Flutter—” Rainbow’s vision was suddenly filled with yellow and pink. Fluttershy hovered in front of her. Rainbow shrank back, their eyes locked together. Was this what the Stare was like?

“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy repeated. Her voice was cold and stiff as winter bedsheets. “I have never heard you be so consistently rude and petty for so long before.”

“I just—”

“Quiet,” Fluttershy hissed.

Rainbow whimpered. Over the course of their friendship, Fluttershy had been many things. Terrifying had never been one of them. Rainbow would never admit it, but it was a bit exhilarating.

Applejack laughed. “I can’t believe she’s got you whipped already.”

Fluttershy whirled on her. “Oh, no. You’re supposed to be the levelheaded one, but you were no better than Rainbow!”

Applejack sighed and dropped her gaze to the table.

Rainbow’s jaw fell open. Fluttershy could even shut Applejack up. Rainbow couldn’t take her eyes off of her new marefriend.

Fluttershy turned to Twilight. “If we argue like this in public, then maybe we aren’t ready for such an important job.”

Free from Fluttershy’s stare, Rainbow turned and noticed the giant line of ponies staring at them. Gawking. Thinking back, she may have been a bit too loud.

Twilight winced. She jumped into the air and flew toward the crowd. “I’m very sorry, but the session is ending early, and next week…” she glanced back at them. “Next week is cancelled pending further notice. If anypony still wants to talk to me, you can arrange a meeting with Spike. Thank you.”

Twilight flew back as everypony filtered out, some grumbling, most dead quiet. She landed on her throne and turned to look at them.

Rainbow’s heart was racing. The argument with Applejack combined with…whatever Fluttershy had just done to her was making it a bit hard for her to think straight. Or see and hear straight.

Twilight peered at them, then sighed. “Just go home. We’ll talk about this in a few days. I think some of us are a bit too emotional right now.” She stared at Rainbow for some reason.

Celestia, was she blushing? Rainbow Dash didn’t blush. She got to her hooves and stumbled out of the castle, trying to keep an eye on Fluttershy. She could still see the fire in Fluttershy’s eye—hear the passion in her voice. How many more dates would it take for this new Fluttershy to fully emerge?

---

The six of them filed out of the castle. Fluttershy walked with her head lowered and her shoulders slumped. She hated yelling, and she especially hated yelling at her friends. At least Rainbow seemed impressed. She could still feel Rainbow’s eyes on her. It wasn’t nearly as exciting as it used to be.

“Are you okay, darling?” Rarity asked. Her eyes were wide and worried. Maybe even a bit stunned.

“Oh, I’m fine.” Fluttershy looked around at the rest of her friends. Pinkie trudged off toward Sugarcube Corner, her face tense and thoughtful. Applejack grumbled to herself as she started on the path to Sweet Apple Acres. And Rainbow…Rainbow grinned from ear to ear.

“Hey, Applejack!” Rainbow called. “I’m sorry about all that stuff I said.”

Applejack paused. Her head drooped. “Yeah, me too.” She started walking again.

Fluttershy sighed and turned toward her own home.

“Fluttershy, wait up!” Rainbow galloped after her.

Fluttershy froze. She tilted her face, letting her pink bangs fall in front of her face. Then she remembered her role. “What is it, Rainbow?” Even after the disastrous open court, Fluttershy worried her voice was a bit harsh.

Rainbow trotted up beside her, and hesitated for a moment. “We’re cool, right?”

Fluttershy smiled. “Of course we’re cool.”

“Awesome!” Rainbow said. “So…want to get back to our date?”

Fluttershy regarded Rainbow. Her face was split with a giant grin. Excited, open, borderline adoring. Fluttershy thought back to flight school. To the glorious fragment of sky that, every once in a while, descended to talk to her. She was living her dream.

Fluttershy smiled back, her cheeks aching. “I need to check on the animals, but then I’m all good.”

Rainbow jumped into the air and whooped. “I’ll meet you at your place in an hour!” She shot off into the sky.

Fluttershy kept trotting down the path. She was just tired and sore. Maybe she could fit a nap in before their date.

A nap would be better than just about anything.

---

Somepony knocked at the door, and Fluttershy jerked upright on her couch, sleep still blurring her vision. A small cacophony erupted as dozens of animals chirped, yelped, and squeaked at her sudden movement. Fluttershy squinted at the clock on the wall. Her hour was up. She let out a quiet groan and twisted her neck, trying to get some of the knots out. Lead butterflies swarmed in her stomach.

The knock came again, then the door swung open a few inches and a blue muzzle appeared in the gap. "Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy took a deep breath. "Come on in."

The door burst open the rest of the way and Rainbow Dash trotted in. "Sorry I'm late," she said, grinning from ear to ear.

Fluttershy glanced back at the clock. "By two minutes?"

"Yep. My bad." Rainbow swept over and reclined on the couch next to her. "Ready to head out?" Fluttershy rubbed her eye with a hoof in an attempt to wipe away the last of the blurriness. A wing landed on her back and wrapped itself around her shoulders. She looked over at Rainbow's beaming face.

A wing hug. How was she supposed to respond to a wing hug? After a second it dawned on her, and Fluttershy sighed. It would have made a nice blanket.

"Your hour's up," she said, looking Rainbow right in the eye. She shot to her hooves and snapped her wings out, nearly knocking Rainbow right off of the couch. She turned and smirked. "So unless you're trying to show off your napping skills, let's get started." She snapped her wings back in and walked primly out the door. The effect was nearly ruined when she lost her balance halfway across the room and got her rear legs tangled together, but she made it outside without falling. Rainbow scrambled out after her.

Rainbow walked a few steps further, then spread her wings and looked back. "Want to fly like a Wonderbolt?" she asked.

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, and she said the first thing that came to mind—words she would usually have repressed. "Is that a euphemism? Because if so then I think you can do better."

The noise that came out of Rainbow's mouth was so guttural and fierce that for a moment Fluttershy worried that she was choking. Rainbow even raised a hoof and thumped her chest, as if to clear her wind-pipe. She turned to face away, probably trying to hide a blush. "That wasn't… no euphemisms, no. I'm, heh…"

Time to drive it home. Fluttershy closed the distance and, as gracefully as she could manage, clambered onto Rainbow's back. Her hooves found their way around Rainbow's neck, and she pulled her rear legs in tight against Rainbow's barrel. It wasn't comfortable. Rainbow's spine dug into her stomach and ribs, and Rainbow's wings brushed her sides and mussed her coat with every movement. But she could feel Rainbow's heart beating, and hear her slow, deliberate, slightly laboured breaths. It was working.

Fluttershy leaned in and whispered right into Rainbow's ear. "Try not to drop me."

Rainbow swallowed, her wings sticking straight out. "You're a pegasus. You'd be fine."

"I know, but it would be very rude." In all honesty, Fluttershy wasn't very confident in her ability to save herself if she fell. Rainbow crashed while doing tricks all the time, and she'd had years of practise. But Fluttershy hadn't come this far by being careful. Being careful was what kept her alone all her life. She pulled her rear legs in tight, giving Rainbow's haunches a quick squeeze. In her best Applejack impression, she shouted, "Giddy up!"

And Rainbow did.

The date proceeded exactly as Fluttershy expected. Rainbow would fly fast, and Fluttershy would try not to scream. Rainbow would do a trick, and Fluttershy would try to make her gasps sound enthusiastic rather than terrified. Every time her stomach heaved and her throat clenched, Fluttershy reminded herself why she was doing this. A bit of nausea was a small price to pay for… Rainbow. Well, not for Rainbow, exactly. In exchange for Rainbow? That didn't sound quite right.

The world spun, and they plunged straight downward. Fluttershy tightened her grip and sighed, trying to ease some of the tension building in her lungs. Beyond being nervous around other ponies, Fluttershy had avoided relationships for a few reasons. She had never understood exactly what made it worth the effort. There was the physical, obviously, but that couldn't be the only thing. Quips about shared interests came to mind, but they were sharing an interest right then, and she wasn't really enjoying it.

Rainbow twisted her body and angled her wings, sending them into a spiral. Her wing clipped Fluttershy's ear as it went by, leaving a sharp sting.

Something about intimacy and trust? That sounded nice, although they weren't the first words to spring to mind when she thought of Rainbow. No, what she admired about Rainbow was the way she moved and talked, always dominating the room without even trying. How she could walk up to a stranger, look them in the eye, and impress them just by standing there.

"You okay back there, Shy?" Rainbow asked, twisting her neck to glance back at her. "You've been pretty quiet."

Fluttershy took a few deep breaths. Rainbow wouldn't want to date somepony who couldn't handle a bit of turbulence. "Oh, I'm fine."

She felt Rainbow tense beneath her. "You aren't… am I boring you? Is this boring?" Rainbow said, a note of panic in her voice.

"No!" Fluttershy said, then bit her lip. "Well… the fun part about watching you do tricks is seeing you do them. But I can't really see anything but the back of your head. And," she squirmed a bit and groaned, "apparently even pegasi get motion sick when they're not the ones doing the flying."

Rainbow nodded, nearly slamming the back of her head into Fluttershy's nose. "I guess so. Meet you on the ground?"

They drifted apart. Fluttershy was surprised to find that they were only a hundred feet or so above the ground. Riding Rainbow had made it hard to tell up from down. She did a few slow, gliding loops, and the churning in her stomach evaporated. She spiralled down, mentally preparing herself for the next leg of Rainbow's date.

Rainbow was waiting for her in a small grassy clearing. The moment Fluttershy landed, Rainbow said, "Did you think that I only thought up one date idea?" She tossed her head back and laughed. "Ready?"

Fluttershy mustered a snicker in response. It only took a second for the right line to come to mind. "Ready for you? Please." She was getting better at this. So long as those kinds of phrases didn't slip out when she was around other ponies, everything would be fine. So long as she kept her goal firmly fixed in her mind, they could keep this up.

Rainbow pawed at the ground and flexed her wings. "Since you didn't like the pony ride," she said, winking, "what if I show you how to do some tricks yourself?"

If there was one thing that Fluttershy had learned over the course of the last two days, it was that Rainbow hadn't been interested in her at all before. Rainbow was completely incapable of subtlety, accompanying any line too subtle with a wink or an eyebrow waggle. Fluttershy had always preferred Rarity's sense of humour. One wouldn't expect it, but Rarity had incredible delivery.

"You are going to teach me?" She glanced around and winced. This wasn't funny, really. It was mostly just mean, but Rainbow would probably like it. "Oh, I see how it is. Rainbow Dash is too busy to teach little fillies how to fly, but she can always make time for her marefriend."

Rainbow snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on," she chuckled. "I love the scamp, really. But she's still a kid, and kids kind of suck. I'm sure you'll be way more fun to teach."

"Well, I do have the advantage of actually being able to fly already." Fluttershy gave a little flap and popped a few inches up into the air. "So…" Fluttershy trailed off.

She needed a nickname. Quickly. Something slightly embarrassing. Not so embarrassing that Rainbow wouldn't let her use it, but just enough to make her blush when she said it in public. Her eyes landed on Rainbow's wings, each feather twitching ever so slightly.

She grinned. "So, Twitchy, what's the lesson plan?"

Rainbow squinted at her. "Twitchy?"

Fluttershy stepped right up to her, leaned in and nuzzled her neck. Rainbow gulped, and, sure enough, her wings jerked open, every feather trembling. Fluttershy ran a gentle hoof over Rainbow's outstretched wing. "Yes, very twitchy."

Rainbow coughed and, with a bit of effort, brought her wings back in against her. "Well, uh, I guess we can't fly right now," she mumbled. The blue on her face was giving way to an aggressive wave of pink. She turned away, hiding her expression.

This was a delicate situation. Fluttershy knew how to act around Rainbow now. She knew what would make her laugh or shout or jump into the air and fly. What she didn't know was exactly where the line was when it came to Rainbow's ego. Rainbow wanted a challenge, but she didn't want to feel dumb. Most pegasi wings weren't nearly so sensitive, and Rainbow had always been self-conscious of it. Fluttershy's ability to react just right could either make or break this little game they were playing.

"I like it," Fluttershy finally blurted.

Rainbow jumped and spun around. "Huh?"

Fluttershy schooled her expression and closed the distance again. She extended her own wing and rested it against one of Rainbow's. "It's handy to know when I'm getting to you. Takes some of the guesswork out of it."

It took a second, but Rainbow finally grinned back. "What guesswork? I don't do any of that 'courtship' stuff that Rarity's always talking about. Just two awesome ponies hanging out, having a fun time, you know?"

Fluttershy grinned back. Oh, poor Rainbow. If she only knew…

"Ready to fly?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow nodded and got back into her takeoff position. "Okay, this one's easy. Just copy after me." And they both jumped back into the sky.

It wasn't easy. It wasn't fun. If anything, it brought back less than pleasant memories of gym class and mandatory sports. But Rainbow was happy, and the bruises and strain would be gone by morning. Or possibly the morning after that.

At the crest of a flip, gravity suddenly overcame Fluttershy's momentum, and she crashed into the ground ten feet below.

"You almost had it! Try that again!"

Fluttershy groaned into the dirt. Maybe Twilight had something to treat headaches. And neck aches. And every other type of ache. She stumbled back to her hooves and got ready to take off again.

She was on a date with Rainbow Dash… like she'd always wanted.

Comments

[FFNend]

Oh, its over already? Why couldn't it be another billion or so words longer or something? Ah well, better to end with an audience wanting more, than to end long after the audience wanted it to.

[Chapter 13]

Great story, man. Keep it up!

~ Chapter: 13

[Typoglyphic]

7656597 Thanks! Both for the comment, and the reminder that I need to finish reading the rest of the contest entries. So far I've only read a few of the shorter ones.

Best of luck in the contest!

[Titanium Dragon]

I reviewed this story as part of Read It Now Reviews #96.

My review can be found here.

Just a side note - is this story actually complete? It feels kind of like it ends without really resolving the conflicts in the story.

[Typoglyphic]

7680390 It's complete insofar as I didn't expect to write any more of it. I agree that the story doesn't really end, and it's only marked as Complete so that it would be eligible for the contest. I barely managed to finish what's there by a very narrow margin.

And thanks for the review! You've definitely convinced me to consider coming back to this once I've got more time on my hands.

[Titanium Dragon]

7680589
Aha! I kind of figured that was what happened, given that the release date of this was the final day of the competition.

If you do write more of this, I'd love to read it.

[Wahtiff]

Normally, conflict of interests would be an issue but I think in this case, being element bearers who are selfless, it really doesn't matter if Pinkie, Rarity, and AJ have businesses of their own. They wouldn't abuse power just to benefit themselves.

[Typoglyphic]

7853471 They're demonstrably not selfless, though. Sweet and Elite is one example, and there are many more. They're good ponies, but they're not paragons of virtue.

[Wahtiff]

7853471 Okay, maybe you have a point, there...