Time for Tea

by PaulAsaran

Won't You Have Some Tea With Me?

It was supposed to be a nice Tea Time between friends. Nothing weird about it. Nobody would bat an eyelash if the Rainbow Dash decided to spend an afternoon with Fluttershy. They'd been best friends since they were practically in diapers. Rainbow could make a sacrifice or two for Shy. Even if those sacrifices weren't always as much of a sacrifice as she painted them to be.

But now, in this sudden moment of awareness, things had changed. Now, a closet door was ajar, just waiting for someone to shove it open and see everything.

Now, there was Rarity.

The fashion-conscious young lady – for there could be no calling Rarity a mere 'girl' – was in Fluttershy's house. She'd let herself in. She was calling for Fluttershy herself, who was sitting across from Rainbow. She would be here, in the Sun Room.

There was no need to look down. Rainbow knew exactly what would be witnessed by that most gossipy of friends. A quaint tea set. Rainbow's own cup near empty, the pitcher in her hands to pour some more. The pink shirt she was wearing – pink, and not even the cool kind of pink! The tan skirt that fanned out a little, with a hint of lace along the bottom and the hearts on the pockets. Her normally wild hair done up in a bun. Expertly so, thanks to Fluttershy's experience. She even wore some simple dress shoes.

Rainbow's eyes darted to her host, praying that she would be just as surprised by this turn of events. Instead, she looked on in horror as Fluttershy's eyes lit up with eagerness. There was no surprise in them, no alarm at having this private moment interrupted. The normally jumpy girl didn't so much as squeak. That's how Rainbow knew, with hideous certainty, that this was an entirely expected turn of events. Rarity had been invited.

Anger threatened to wash over Rainbow at this abject betrayal. Of all people, Fluttershy alone knew. Nobody else in the world would be allowed to see Rainbow in this state of... of girly. Rainbow Dash wasn't girly. She was an athlete, a tomboy. She was an awesome, hard-hitting, roughhousing young woman, and that was just the way she liked it! Nobody needed to know that sometimes, when she got tired, when she wanted a change of pace, when she felt like not being 'Rainbow Dash' for a measly hour or two, she would have Tea Time with her best friend.

Tea Time had become something special between them. A chance to get together and stop putting on airs. Rainbow could be the flowery, gentle creature nobody associated with her, and Fluttershy could voice her undaunted, firm opinions without fear of being judged. She even dressed for the occasion. With her blue sweater and black pencil skirt, with her hair done up all nice – something Rainbow helped with a lot more than one would think – and with her butterfly earrings, she looked like she was ready to attend a board meeting rather than have some tea with a friend.

This was their moment. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Them. Only them! What kind of gall did she have, to just invite someone else out of the blue without asking her first? And Rarity, of all people! If she found out about Rainbow's inner girl, her reputation would be ruined! Did Fluttershy not understand that? Did she not realize the disaster those clicking heels prophesied?

Then came the change. Fluttershy had already called out to Rarity, but now she became aware of Rainbow's gaze and her eyes lost their luster. Worry seeped into her expression, a subtle awareness that maybe, just maybe, she had made a mistake. But it was too late to take it back. Those heel clicks were getting closer. And now came the moment of consequence: what would Rainbow do?

She could deny. It would be easy enough to act bored and frustrated and, if she really wanted to be theatrical, spit the tea out. Even if she liked it. Then she could tell Rarity she had lost a bet, or maybe that she was doing it as a favor to Shy. She could swear never to do it again. It wouldn't be honest, but Fluttershy...

Fluttershy would hesitate. She'd feel guilty and apologize. She'd offer Rainbow the chance to go away, to get out with her reputation intact. The invitations would stop coming after that. At that moment, something would crack between them. Neither would feel safe having Tea Time anymore. There would always be that suspicion, that lingering awareness. Would this be the moment when another betrayal was incoming? Would Rainbow have some sort of payback at the ready? This simple mistake, so obvious in hindsight, could be the wedge that tore the two of them apart forever.

But whose mistake would it be?

Fluttershy was not foolish. That Rarity got invited to be here, now, when this Tea Time had been planned for a few days, wasn't a mistake. It was Fluttershy telling Rainbow "I have another friend whom I trust enough to be part of this." Rainbow had to decide if she trusted Fluttershy enough to let it happen.

The door was opening. Rainbow's time was up. She held Fluttershy's stare, seeing the alarm, the fear of a friendship forever tarnished. A great friendship. The best friendship. One that, if ruined now, would mean an end to Tea Time as they knew it. No more opportunities for Rainbow to just be a girl, to release the pressures of having to be the best. Poor Shy might never trust anyone to be her confidant again. They would both be forever shut off, unable to vent those important emotions and needs that lingered under the surface of one's cool facade and the other's ceaseless anxiety.

The future unraveled before Rainbow Dash, and she made her decision.

"Hey, Rarity. Care to join us?"

Fluttershy smiled. In light of that, was it really much of a sacrifice?

Author's Note:

Just a little something that popped into my head and had to be written down, if only to shut it up. The idea is that this is set before the first Equestria Girls movie, back when Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were first becoming friends. It was always my headcanon that Rainbow and Shy were the original duo of the group, and that the others gravitated towards them. This, then, would be that very first major breach in the idea of Shy and Rainbow as a duo. It's the big test to see if Rarity could safely join in and be a close friend to both of them, and how dangerous that moment was for each of them.

And now, because this story has it stuck in my head:

Comments

[Astelle Evening Star]

Nice. I was honestly expecting Rainbow to leave, but hey! That was a nice turn of events. ^u^

[Jet Cannon]

God I wish more people would just let Rainbow not be such a damn child about her "reputation"; she was almost doing it here, but nice to see she can be mature sometimes.

[Natedogg2006]

I love flutterdash, even non-romance, where they have some deeper aspect of their relationship. Some aspect or activity that it's just between them. Thus this story was like a perfect little snack for me. I'd of liked this as a small part to a much larger story, but it's still perfectly sweet as it is.

[PaulAsaran]

10334674
I tend to believe the show really gave Rainbow the short end of the stick. She's has plenty of opportunities for growth, but they just kept pushing her back to the same loud, obnoxious, immature role. Out of all the Mane 6, I feel she was the one that grew the least, and I don't think that has anything to do with her.

[BlueBook]

An absolutely excellent story. I've always like the Rainbow Dash - Fluttershy relationship, and I feel like your story really captured their interplay nicely. I love the idea that they have a tea time where they can just be themselves, free from judgement of others. This shows a really well developed and mature relationship between the two, a deeply trusting one. I love it!

[FanOfMostEverything]

A lovely character snapshot that says volumes about Dash and her relationship with Fluttershy. And just how terribly Sunset hurt the others when she broke them up. There's a lot wrapped in this kiloword. Well done.

... Wait. This is literally a thousand words based on a picture. You sly dog.

[PaulAsaran]

10338407
As much as I'd love to claim credit for that, the truth is the story came before the picture. Or rather, the concept of it. I found the picture later and modified the story slightly in order to make the picture relate to it.

[Scholarly-Cimmerian]

This was an utterly delightful little story. It made for a surprisingly thoughtful and deep look into Rainbow and Fluttershy's characters.

[superfun]

That ending was definitely sweet, as was the fic in general, but I kinda wish it was just a BIT longer.

[Gundam2018B]

[MixMassBasher]

Interesting headcannon to how they met.

[NumberFifth]

Been getting more and more into your reviews as of late, and realized I've never actually read any of your stories. Figured I should remedy that. I also want to get into the habit of commenting more, as well as try and get better at formulating critical thoughts on stories, so hey! Three birds with one stone. Found your shortest one, somewhat because I'm partial to oneshots, but mainly because I need to be in a class in like 10 minutes.
Many of my least favourite RD moments in the show revolved around her disdain for so-called 'girly' activities. One thing that I've always appreciated about MLP is that it very rarely used that term, instead demonstrating that things such tea parties and dresses don't have to follow a label such as 'girly' and can be just enjoyed purely on whether or not the individual finds worth in them, regardless of society's expectations.
I suppose because of that, I was hesitant going into this one. But I was delighted to see it morph into Rainbow allowing herself to explore that side of her with those she trusts (rather than immediately assume judgement, looking at you, Applejack's "Day" Off ). Allowing RD to take the first steps to allowing herself to breathe and enjoy girly things is something I don't see enough in fic, so bravo, sir.
On top of that, this short story combines many of my favourite story things: mundane slice-of-life, emotional moments told entirely through expressions, and meaningful FlutterDash friendship. As well as EqG origin stories, we need more of those.
Should I have things to criticise? Part of me feels like I should, as I know constructive criticism is valuable (I am commenting under the reviewer-man himself after all). I don't think I tend to look for those sort of things anyway. I just want to enjoy the ride. In lieu of meaningful discussion, please accept my genuine thanks for bringing this story into the world. It was a joy to read.
I recently ordered all 3 of your books on Lulu. This was a bit of blind faith, as again, I had not read any of your stories prior to a few minutes ago, but I have always sincerely appreciated your reviews and wanted to show a token of support. After reading this, I am thoroughly looking forward to their arrival. Now, I gotta go not speak for 2 hours and bumble my way through learning sign language. See you on Thursday.

~Ciao, thank you again,
NumberFifth

[PaulAsaran]

11155214
I appreciate the commentary! If you want even shorter stories, you can check out Paul's Peculiarly Puny Practice Pieces, which is nothing but a bunch of unconnected stories even shorter than this one. You might also try What Lies in a Moment, which is also a short story anthology, although it's a group effort so most aren't written by me.

Don't worry if you don't have any criticisms to offer. Sometimes one of the hardest parts of reviewing good stories is, in fact, finding something to criticize.

Glad to hear you got my books! And I hope you enjoy them, because it would suck to spend all that money of books you end up not liking.

[Vaguely Demented]

I imagine the next few min were Rarity fainting and/or asking if Rainbow Dash had suffered some form of selective memory loss.

[Uz Naimat]

There’s nothing I can say that hasn’t been said yet. But yes, this is really beautiful.

Great work. Into ’Heartstrings’ this goes!

[Uz Naimat]

And with that, here’s your 1903^th follower!