I'm Not Small, I'm Aerodynamic!
Rainbow Dash trotted awkwardly along the grassy path towards Fluttershy's cottage. Under normal circumstances, she would have flown through the sky and been there in seconds, but due to an unfortunate flying accident (and a boring afternoon wasted in the hospital) she was under doctor's orders to refrain from using her wings for a little while. After what seemed like forever, she arrived onto Fluttershy's porch while musing about obtaining a frequent patient card at the ponyville hospital, as this had been the third time this year so far.
She knocked three times on the solid oak door and the sounds of muffled hoofsteps sounded from inside shortly afterward until the door creaked open slowly.
"Hello, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy answered cheerfully.
"Hey, Fluttershy, I was just--"
"Oh my," Fluttershy interrupted her, noticing the bandages around her wing, "what happened to your wing?" She moved onto the porch, investigating Dash's wing like she was a wounded animal.
"I...had another flying accident," she replied, shifting herself away in embarassment.
"Another? Isn't this the third time--"
"Yes," Dash interrupted, "it's the third time this year."
"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that," Fluttershy replied softly. "Is there anything I can do to help? How about a cup of tea?"
"Sure I guess," she replied, "but there's another reason why I came here." She twiddled her hooves for a moment. "I um...need a place to stay for the night. I can't actually fly home...doctor's orders and all. I mean, I could of course, if I had to. But, well...yeah."
Fluttershy's face lit up. She absolutely adored playing the role of host for her friends, mostly because it meant she could be social without even having to leave her home. "Absolutely!" She replied gleefully. "I'll get a teapot boiling and set up a spare bed for you."
Fluttershy led her inside, trotting off happily to get to work whilst humming a whimsical tune in the kitchen as Rainbow Dash waited in her living room. She took a seat on a comfy looking chair, noticing that not being able to fly meant she actually had to hop up onto it. Adding insult to injury, the back of the chair towered several inches above her head. For some reason, everything seemed so much bigger than she was used to.
"Here's a cup," said Fluttershy as she set down a steaming cup of tea next to Rainbow Dash on a tall coffee table. "It's fruit-flavored. Your favorite." She took a seat on another chair nearby, effortlessly sliding into place and getting comfy before putting her snout up to her steaming cup of tea, enjoying its calming aroma. Rainbow Dash watched for a few moments before taking a sip. Afterward, she set her cup down on the coffee table, which she noticed she had to lean toward and stretch considerably just to reach.
Suddenly, the light above them flickered and went dead.
"Oh ponyfeathers," said Fluttershy. "That light is always going off. I'll go grab a spare."
A few seconds later, she returned with a replacement. Rainbow Dash watched, expecting her to flutter up and insert the new bulb. Instead, she merely stretched her body upward and brought a long, slender hoof towards the ceiling to screw it in. Rainbow Dash watched in awe at Fluttershy's incredible reach. There was no way she could have done the same thing without using her wings. Fluttershy sat back down at her chair and took another sip of her tea.
Several thoughts started to run through Dash's mind, eventually resulting in a decision to ask Fluttershy a question.
"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash said softly, "am I...small?"
At first, she seemed surprised by the random question, but a small smile grew on her face. It wasn't often that Rainbow Dash opened up like this. She took a few moments to figure out how best to respond. She knew that Rainbow Dash was smaller than most pegasi, but did Rainbow Dash?
After thinking it through, she decided that a true friend would be honest, even if it meant making them feel a little embarassed. "Well...yes," she replied meekly.
A small twinge of embarrassment filled Dash's face before she continued the conversation. "How small?"
Now Fluttershy had no idea how to respond. This conversation topic had her feeling like she was treading on eggshells. "Well...I...don't know."
An unsatisfactory answer, as indicated by a look of frustration on Dash's face. She asked again. "Come on, just tell me...I can handle it."
Taking that as an admission to be brutally honest, Fluttershy stood up. "Come and stand up. Next to me."
"What? Why?" Dash replied defensively, but she knew exactly what Fluttershy was aiming to do.
Fluttershy just stared at her expectantly. Begrudgingly, Rainbow Dash set down the cup of tea and hopped down onto the floor to walk over to Fluttershy in the middle of the room. As she neared, Fluttershy's figure gradually felt like it was looming over her.
"Let's compare heights," said Fluttershy. "Stand next to me and face the window so we can see our reflections."
Rainbow Dash sighed, aligning herself next to Fluttershy, only to have the startling realization that she couldn't even see her reflection above the couch that sat beneath the window. Next to her, Fluttershy was like a towering, slender giant.
"Oh..." said Fluttershy, trying to keep herself from laughing, "Well...we can compare hooflength then?"
She didn't reply, standing with un-amusement as Fluttershy sidled next to her to compare the lengths of their front legs. Glancing over, she could see that her's barely reached halfway on Fluttershy's.
Fluttershy continued awkwardly, comparing various proportions of their bodies until Dash decided to stop her.
"Okay...so I guess I am pretty small..." said Dash, "but at least my wingspan is the best in Equestria."
Fluttershy debated for a moment whether to correct her, but thankfully Rainbow Dash decided to question her own statement.
"Wait...is it? Stretch out your wings."
Fluttershy lifted her left wing outward next to Dash's, her long and soft feathers unfurling majestically into the space between them. After a split-second, Rainbow Dash quickly retracted her own wing and sat down, covering her embarrassment by drinking a cup of tea.
Fluttershy returned to her seat, hoping that offering a few words of encouragement might help.
"If it makes you feel any better, we all think your small stature makes you unique and who you are. Plus...it's kind of endearing," she added with a sense of hesitation.
"What?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, spilling hot tea over herself. "Ow!"
"Oh, let me help you. I'll grab a towel--"
"No, it's fine," Dash replied with a grumble as she hopped down to the floor. "I'll get one. From the kitchen, right?"
"There's one on the...top shelf next to the window," Fluttershy replied as she came to an unfortunate realization. "I can get it for you--"
"I've got it," Dash replied flatly as she trotted into the kitchen and searched for a towel to clean up her mess. Towering high above was the towel in question, neatly folded on a shelf above the counter top. As she stretched her body upwards, she questioned Fluttershy's kitchen organization and stood on the tips of her hooves as much as possible just to reach the top shelf.
Fluttershy timidly entered the room and saw her straining to reach the towel, to which she was a good hoof's length away from reaching. Fluttershy coughed softly. "I can...get that for you..."
Rainbow Dash turned her head and gave her a friendly death glare. Moments later, however, she gave up and returned to the floor. "Alright," she replied dejectedly, blushing with embarassment.
Fluttershy walked towards her and effortlessly grabbed the towel from the shelf to give to her.
"Thanks," she said flatly.
They returned to the living room to talk, after Fluttershy made another cup of tea for her of course. She awkwardly twiddled her feathers as Rainbow Dash sat quietly.
Rainbow Dash spoke. "I'm not small, okay? I'm...aerodynamic. It helps with my lift coefficient or something...just ask Twilight," she added defensively.
"Okay," Fluttershy replied, unsure of how to answer beyond a simple affirmation.
"Okay, so...I am small, but I guess it doesn't really matter anyways."
"Okay," Fluttershy replied once more.
Rainbow Dash looked uncomfortable for a moment as she decided on what to say. "So you said you find it...endearing?"
Fluttershy smiled. "A little bit," she said with a slight smile and a hint of embarassment.
Rainbow Dash sighed in response, although deep down, she felt a little warm and fuzzy about the first part. But there wasn't a chance in Tartarus she was going to tell anyone that.
"We can compare one more time if you want," said Fluttershy, a grin beginning to curl across her lip. "Maybe you aren't quite as small as we thought."
"Yeah, sure whatever..." she replied nonchalantly as she got to her hooves and Fluttershy walked towards her.
Instead of comparing sizes, however, Fluttershy positioned herself directly above Rainbow Dash, standing on the tips of her hooves, and nestled her chin into Dash's rainbow mane.
"Hey, what are you--" Rainbow Dash blurted out until she was interrupted by her soft and sudden embrace. "Actually, that feels pretty good."