What She Doesn't See

by Carnelian-Fox

Chapter 1: Pegasi of a Feather

Chapter 1: Pegasi of a Feather

The weather in Ponyville was pleasant and mild, as it should have been. Rainbow Dash, who was taking a midmorning flight towards the outskirts of Ponyville, was able to rest assured of that. Even as a recent addition to the main team of the Wonderbolts, she still had responsibilities as a local weather pony. She was proud of that, too. For one thing, she could protect her record of clearing clouds faster than any other Pegasus in Ponyville. Rainbow Dash liked believe that she was exceptional and went against the grain. While in most cases, that could be true and usually applied to unique tricks and unfathomable speeds, there was one Pegasus that Rainbow Dash knew who defied the norm of the average pegasus simply by being who she was.

Fluttershy. Yes, it was Fluttershy who was truly exceptional. Fluttershy understood animals better than most Earth ponies. Fluttershy, though a capable flyer, preferred the ground for its wonders as opposed to those of the sky. Fluttershy, in spite of being so reserved, was a prominent figure in Ponyville for lending a helping hoof or being somepony to lean on. The way Fluttershy was so unstoppably herself was often overlooked, but the butter yellow Pegasus always held a place in the back of Rainbow Dash’s mind.

Ever since they were fillies in flight school and faced with bullies, the two Pegasi have gotten close and remained in contact. Rainbow Dash was glad to have Fluttershy as a friend, even if there were occasions in which Rainbow Dash was short on patience with Fluttershy’s timidity. In those times, Rainbow Dash had realized after self-reflection, it was often due to how fear would tend to limit Fluttershy’s potential. In the end, the yellow Pegasus would always come through. Smiling warmly, Rainbow Dash muttered, “Fluttershy…”

That flowing pink mane, those teal eyes, that soft voice, the way those trios of butterflies adorned her flanks… There was nothing in particular about Fluttershy that Rainbow Dash found appealing. It was the way that the little things, the small quirks of the yellow Pegasus that helped make up who she was, added up that had seized her attention. The Pegasus with the distinct rainbow mane and tail wasn’t sure when this attraction began. Perhaps its development was gradual, and thus she hadn’t bothered to address her feelings until they built up to the point where she had to address them and they were unavoidable.

Rainbow’s thoughts recalibrated to her flying when Fluttershy’s cottage came into view. As the light cerulean pegasus expected, Fluttershy was outside in front of the cottage, feeding the animals that were too big to fit inside, opted to live outside the cottage or took up too much of the limited living space. Determination flared in Rainbow Dash’s rose eyes. This would be the day she told Fluttershy how she felt.

Fluttershy looked up from feeding blueberries to a fox to see Rainbow Dash flying toward her. As if her facial muscles had a mind of their own, a bright smile appeared on her face. She loved all of her friends dearly, but not equally. She had known Rainbow Dash since flight school, so the cyan Pegasus held a special, nostalgic place in her heart. Subconsciously, her right hoof rose up and began to twirl her long, pink mane.

“Hey, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash called out.

“H-hi, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy replied, matching the cerulean Pegasus’s enthusiasm while paling in volume. The two Pegasi exchanged warm smiles and remained silent for a moment before the yellow Pegasus asked, “What can I do for you?”

“Well, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Rainbow Dash admitted in a sheepish manner. Sheepish? Rainbow Dash, Equestria’s most vivid speed demon, acting bashful in the place of being confident? This grappled Fluttershy’s attention like the tight grip of a fully grown dragon.

“W-well what is it?” Fluttershy curiously stammered. “Is it about Tank? Is Tank okay?”

“Tank’s fine,” Rainbow Dash confirmed the status of her pet tortoise. “I actually wanted to talk to you about…well, you. And me. You know, us.”

“I-I’m not sure I understand,” Fluttershy admitted, looking down to the ground in order to avoid Rainbow Dash’s gaze. “I’m sorry…”

“No, don’t be! I guess I’m just having trouble unpacking this… Look, you and I have known each other for a long time, right?” Rainbow Dash asked thoughtfully. Waiting for no more than a subtle nod from the green-eyed mare, she proceeded. “I… I feel like I could trust you with anything… Heck, I could trust you with everything…” Turning her head, Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and mumbled, “Sweet Celestia, this is harder than I thought it would be.”

“Here, why don’t you come inside?” Fluttershy offered as a hot blush rose to her cheeks. Deep down, she felt like she knew what Rainbow Dash wanted to say, but she wanted to hear her blue coated friend say it because it was otherwise a dangerously awkward assumption. Fluttershy opened her front door for her friend and received an appreciative smile from the cyan mare.

“Thanks, Fluttershy!” Rainbow exclaimed graciously, nodding to her hostess and trotting into the humble, yet voluminous cottage. She found herself greeted by a grumpy looking Angel Bunny. Regarding the rabbit’s attitude as ‘business as usual’, Rainbow Dash casually greeted, “Hey, Angel.” The bunny stared at the rainbow-maned mare, unimpressed, until Fluttershy walked up to her side. The bunny seemed to notice the elated gleam in Fluttershy’s eyes and his gaze softened. He hopped away, leaving the two mares be.

“Normally, he isn’t fond of me having ponies over at this time of day,” Fluttershy explained, grasping Rainbow’s attention.

“You should tell him that this is your cottage, not his,” Rainbow Dash flatly replied.

“Oh, he’s a good boy!” Fluttershy vouched for the lagomorph, cooing slightly. She clopped into the kitchen, calling back to Rainbow Dash, “I’ll make us some tea!”

“Here, I’ll help you!” Rainbow Dash called back and followed her yellow friend. Upon entering the kitchen, Rainbow Dash saw a jaguar sleeping on the floor in the middle of the room, a pile of unopened mail on the counter, a pot of chamomile flowers on the window sill, pots of evening primrose resting on a rack nailed to the wall, and mice poking their noses out of various cabinets. Rainbow Dash decided to comment on the botany. “Wow, I didn’t know you did indoor gardening, too.”

“Oh, yes! It’s quite fun and what I grow comes in handy. I mainly focus on my vegetable garden, but these flowers can be used to help regulate moods. Not to mention how handy it is to have chamomile on hoof when a tea party with Discord runs late,” Fluttershy explained giddily. “Evening primrose can be grown in the ground or in containers. Chamomile has to be potted or else it would take over my garden outside. The animals wouldn’t like that very much.”

“What do you mean when you say they help with your mood? Save for Pinkie Pie, you’re probably the happiest pony I know,” Rainbow Dash inquired, trying to hide her steadily growing concern over her companion’s word choice.

“I wasn’t always this content, you know…” Fluttershy reminded her. Rainbow Dash felt a pang of guilt in her heart. How could she forget? Flight school. Fluttershy, though capable, wasn’t ever a particularly strong or fast flyer. Because of that, she was often a target ripe for bullying. Fluttershy, examining the look in her friend’s eyes, could see the memories flooding Rainbow’s mind. She spoke up in reassurance. “It’s thanks to you that I am where I am! Rainbow Dash, I could never thank you enough.”

“Me?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I mean, I get that I’m awesome, but what did I do that meant so much to you?”

“Well, your first Sonic Rainboom was what helped me discover that I was always meant to interact with animals. You were always the one who looked out for me and stood up for me when I didn’t have the strength to stand up for myself. You…you’ve always made me happy,” Fluttershy informed Rainbow Dash. Liquid emotion welled up in her turquoise eyes. Rainbow Dash almost didn’t notice her own cerise eyes grow rather misty.

“Fluttershy… Wow, I never knew that all of that meant so much to you. But…what you said about your mood…” Rainbow Dash mumbled, wiping her eyes.

“I…Well, I… I kind of have… I mean, in flight school, I was diagnosed with…” Fluttershy mumbled, nearly inaudible.

“Diagnosed with what?” Rainbow Dash questioned, having not heard the end of Fluttershy’s statement. Craning her head, the blue mare got an ear close to Fluttershy’s mouth in anticipation of a soft-spoken answer.

“D-d-d-depression… B-before I met the animals, everything about flight school felt like it required so much extra energy that I just didn’t have. G-getting bullied and being laughed at didn’t help that any, as you might imagine,” Fluttershy whispered into Rainbow Dash’s conveniently placed ear. “I’ve been managing it ever since… The animals have helped a lot. So have the herbs and…”

“Oh, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash muttered sympathetically. She had heard about depression and some of its symptoms, but Fluttershy was the first pony who had suffered from it that she knew personally. The blue Pegasus didn’t think about her next action. It was as though her body acted on its own. She took her fellow winged pony into a tight embrace. “You’ve had to fly through a pretty rough sky, huh?”

“It’s not so bad. It helps me make a conscious effort to be thankful for my blessings,” Fluttershy explained, trying to be reassuring. “I mean, sure, depression can ebb and flow, but I don’t recall having any serious bouts in a while. Spending time with our friends and the animals helps… And you, Rainbow Dash… I always know I can count on you.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed, managing a smile in spite of the shock of Fluttershy’s unveiled diagnosis. “Element of loyalty, that’s me! Besides, we’ve always stuck together.” She beamed at her, keeping her thoughts in the back of her head. Fluttershy’s lack of self-confidence may have been linked to her depression. Getting Fluttershy to see what a wonderful pony she truly was would be much more difficult than Rainbow Dash had initially thought.

“Yeah,” Fluttershy said, smiling in appreciation and nodding in agreement. She finally thought to return Rainbow Dash’s warm, fortifying embrace. Even with Rainbow Dash’s confidence, Fluttershy doubted that the cyan mare knew just how much she meant to her.

Author's Note:

I know that Fluttershy isn't the most likely candidate for depression, but she isn't the least likely, either. Part of the reason I chose her was because depression can manifest in even some of the happiest or most content people. People are often surprised when they learn that I suffer from depression. Aside from that, Fluttershy's representation as the element of kindness resonates with me as a person who believes that kindness is a powerful virtue. It's important to always try to be kind, even if there's something like depression that makes it difficult to do. Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope to have more for you soon.

Comments

[FlutterDashFan18]

Please update soon

[IAmApe]

"the butter yellow Pegasus" "the yellow Pegasus" "The Pegasus with the distinct rainbow mane and tail" "the light cerulean pegasus" "the cyan Pegasus" "the cerulean Pegasus" "the yellow Pegasus" "the green-eyed mare" "the cyan mare" "the rainbow-maned mare" "the blue mare" "The blue Pegasus" "the cyan mare"

Is this story about colourful pegasus ponies? I can't tell.

[Carnelian-Fox]

8670659
I've been trying to keep my descriptors varied.

[Carnelian-Fox]

8669439
Thank you so much! I will try. This is a story I'm very excited about writing!