Stopwatch

by N o - F a c e

Chapter 4

Class was rather boring for Whirl. After all, he was (if you counted his previous life) millions of years old, so reading “Ducky Ducky Goose” and playing house got old quick (never let it be said that Whirl doesn’t try things at least once, though, especially when he got the chance to role play being the family’s pet dog that went rabid).

The only thing that truly held his attention was the various wind-up toys (that he wasn’t allowed to deconstruct, unfortunately), art class, and watching the amusing arguments of toddlers.

Frankly, it was quite obvious that he was disengaged from the rest of the class, except when he decided to produce snide quips that quickly distressed and befuddled the other children. Pitter Splatter tried often to get him back on track, but he wasn’t playing ball.

He was a bit of a problem child.

Which made it all the odder how he seemed to gravitate towards the mild, and polite Fluttershy.

Maybe there was something magical about those baby blues, but Whirl found something about her... worth protecting, perhaps? An unfamiliar, almost sisterly urge, something he couldn’t put a name to.

It might’ve been her young age, but something about her made him want to nurture her. She was so timid, she seemed like she’d simply pass away from fright if he didn’t do something.

And so began a very, very odd friendship.

And like most friendships of Whirl’s, he didn’t quite know how to start it.

After all, this friendship started with Fluttershy startled half to death when she noticed the blue filly staring intently at her from across the room. Her terror only grew when said filly got up and began to walk to her.

Fluttershy shrank back.

“I’m Rainbow. I’m gonna help you get braver.” He said bluntly.

“Huh?” Fluttershy looked confused.

“I’m strong, so you don’t have to be scared, ok? I’ll beat up ponies before they getcha.”

“Meep!” Fluttershy hid behind her hair.

“We’re gonna have to work on that...” Whirl shrugged and slung an arm around her shoulders, causing her to squeak again.

———

As the school year passed, Fluttershy didn’t get much braver. She did begin to whisper to Whirl, though.

Whirl became the go-to Fluttershy translator, which Mocking Bird teased them for. Whirl bit him in return (to which he got a lengthy timeout and a call to his disappointed parents).

Fluttershy didn’t speak to him that often, but she did seem to take comfort in his company, when she realized that yes, Whirl was indeed willing to defend her.

She did nervously request that he refrain from biting other ponies. Next time Mocking Bird pestered them, he just snapped his teeth.

When Fluttershy and Whirl did talk, it was often about the more advanced books their parents had for them at home. They were both prolific readers for their age.

Once, Stormy’s keen ears flicked as she overheard them mention “Traveled Nights” by Starlight Sorrow. It was a rather dark and advanced book for their age, so Stormy had only recently managed to convince her parents to buy it for her. She had actually just finished it last night and was wondering what they thought of the part where the protagonist met a dying dragon and nursed it back to health.

Fluttershy instantly teared up. “It- was so moving! I thought Trover might not make it, but because of Testy Travels kindness, he survived! B-but, what I found interesting was the description of medical care for dragons. I wonder if it’s accurate?”

A surprisingly long conversation on what they knew of the biology of dragons (very little) ensued.

“I’m proud of ya!” Whirl said happily, after Stormy grew bored and left. “You talk to her, all on your own!”

“Oh my stars, I did!” Fluttershy sounded like she didn’t know whether to be happy or horrified.

“Maybe the secret to getting ya out of your shell is talking about dragons and stuff?”

“Oh, I do love hearing about animals...” Fluttershy nodded.

She then paused. Taking Whirl’s hooves in hers, she said, “Rainbow, thank you so much for trying to help me. I... don’t think I could be even the tiniest bit brave if I didn’t have you. Even if I end up only talking to somepony this one time, that’s still so much you’ve done for me.”

Whirl was stunned. “Hey, it was all you! You took control of that conversation! I didn’t know anything that was going on! Dragons, what? Are you talking about a type of potato?”

Fluttershy giggled. “Dashie you’re so silly! O-oh, c-could I call you that? If not, that’s ok too...”

“Huh? Yeah, ‘Dashie’ is fine. Kinda cutesy, but I like it.”

“Ok, Dashie.”

———

Years passed, and as his class grew closer to flying age, nausea began to grow in Whirl’s stomach.

He began acting out. His quips towards other students and the teachers became more pointed and frequent.

It was only after Fluttershy begged him that he began to tone it down.

“Dashie... please stop being so mean, I know you’re not a cruel pony!”

Whirl kept the rude words saved for the bullies and meaner teachers.

Mocking Bird in particular got the brunt of Whirl’s barbs. As they’d grown, his teasing words had grown crueler as well.

Whirl could take the ones aimed at himself, that he was freaky-stared loner with weirdo parents, but when Fluttershy was included? When all the progress she made was ignored? Whirl bit him again.

The disappointment of Fluttershy and his parents stung more than he expected.

It was a tumultuous time.

———

Anxiety beat hard in his chest.

He didn’t want to be seen as an exceptional flier. He didn’t want to be defined by his wings again.

But his parents, frustrated with the lack of effort that Whirl was putting into school were at their wits end.

“Honey, I KNOW you can do this! Please just TRY! We’ll be rooting for you!” His mother pleaded.

“Dash, I don’t know what’s going on... can you at least talk to us?” His father looked close to tears.

Whirl had been cruel before, but in this gentle life, it seemed to hurt more.

“If you ace the flight test, like we know you will if you try, we’ll get you that watch and that clockwork kit.”

Whirl froze.

Still unused to his lack of a forced pokerface, his longing looks towards that gleaming, expensive watch, and that alluring clockwork kit had long since been noticed by his parents.

They weren’t bad off, money-wise, but to buy them would normally be out of their price range.

Would they really...?

His chest constricted with conflict.

Whirl pondered over it for awhile, but in the end, longing for his passion overwhelmed him.

He’d gone through flight school and aced it yet rejected it before, he could do it again.

He’d do it for that watch, for that kit, and for himself.

———

Whirl didn’t tell anyone his plans to ace this test.

Maybe that was why Fluttershy was so startled she fell when he dashed ahead at the start of the race.

Author's Note:

Rearranging canon a bit so Rainbow’s race is set as a school test, not a competition during summer. mostly because I forgot but shush

Don’t worry, the mane 6 all get their cutie marks!

Comments

[Status L]

Don’t worry, the mane 6 all get their cutie marks!

The ones from the show or diffrent ones?