Misunderstandings
“Let’s get this sleepover started!” cheered Rainbow Dash, pumping her hoof in the air, which made her colorful mane bounce wildly.
“Um, yay,” replied Fluttershy, who did no cheering whatsoever and in fact seemed to retreat even further behind her long forelock.
“What’s with you today?” Rainbow asked as the two of them landed on the street in front of Rainow’s house. “You’ve been weird since flight school.”
“Oh! Nothing. Just excited.”
That wasn’t entirely the truth. Fluttershy had been steeling herself for days. And not just for the sleepover, she had something very important that had been on her mind for ages.
Rainbow opened the front door. Her family’s house had a characteristic rainbow over the front door, and like everything else in Cloudsdale, was made mostly of clouds itself. Fluttershy had been there before, and had sleepovers before, but today was going to be different, if she could summon her courage.
“Mom, Dad, we’re here,” Rainbow called as she led Fluttershy through the door.
Both of Rainbow’s parents poked their heads out of the kitchen.
“Hey girls,” said Bow Hothoof, Rainbow’s father.
“Dinner will be ready soon!” chirped Windy Whistles, Rainbow’s mother.
Rainbow took after both of them in appearance. In fact, it was nearly straight down the middle. Her blue pelt was almost a true mixture between the shades of her parents.
Fluttershy nodded to Rainbow’s parents and followed Rainbow down the hall.
The two of them went to Rainbow’s bedroom. It was definitely a reflection of Rainbow herself, with bright colors and sports posters.
Rainbow plopped down on the bed. “Ugh, homework.”
Fluttershy took a seat and the two of them began to pull out their books. Rainbow, still not quite ready to begin studying, looked for something to distract herself, eyes landing on Fluttershy. “After flight training, did you already preen up?”
“Oh, um-” Fluttershy glanced at her wings. “I don’t think I can flap hard enough to knock any feathers out of place.”
Sure enough, they were all straight, unlike Rainbow’s shabby wings.
“Well, okay.” Rainbow set about straightening them, nibbling on her primaries. She worked quietly, Fluttershy sitting there beside her. Sitting quietly, it went without saying.
A few minutes passed. Quietly had evolved into awkwardly. Their eyes met a few times, briefly.
Fluttershy looked like she might want to help. It was social pegasus behavior, and they were friends. It looked like there was something on her mind, and she kept stealing glances at Rainbow.
Rainbow would have asked Fluttershy, “Penny for your thoughts?” but her mouth was full. Fluttershy was never one to initiate a conversation.
Until, suddenly, she did, seemingly surprising even herself. “Rainbow Dash, wh-what do you think about romance?”
Rainbow paused, eyebrows raising. “Um. Well, I don’t know, what do you think about romance?”
Fluttershy swallowed, looking terrified at being put on the spot of her own making. She stuttered, and fumbled to speak. “W-well…”
“Girls! Dinner!”
Fluttershy bolted from the room. Rainbow sat there for a moment longer. “Wow,” she murmured to herself and then got up to follow.
The pair of them joined Rainbow’s parents in the dining room, where Windy and Bow chatted happily during the meal, mostly about Rainbow. The two of them remained oblivious to anything that might have happened between the fillies. Then again, Fluttershy staying quiet and keeping her head down was nothing unusual in the first place, so nothing actually had happened, even if there might have been something going on beneath the surface.
When they were all finished eating, Windy looked at Bow. “Do you want to clean the trophies or the dishes tonight?”
“Hmm, I did the dishes last night,” he replied. “I’ll take all the Rainbow memorabilia.” He smiled at his daughter.
In any other context, the conversation might not have made sense. Rainbow’s parents maintained an entire room devoted as a shrine to their daughter, and cleaned it daily.
“Actually, dad, can I come with you?” Rainbow said.
“Of course!” He ruffled her mane.
Rainbow paused, glancing at Fluttershy. “I’ll just be a few minutes.”
“No, it’s okay,” Fluttershy quickly interjected, seizing the opportunity, “I can help your mom with dishes.”
“Oh, okay, cool.” The group split up.
The trophy room down the hall did contain several trophies that Rainbow had won, but was mostly filled with everything else about her. Hoof-print artwork, outgrown baby toys, and photographs. It made Rainbow slightly uncomfortable to have her own face looking back at her from a dozen places, but she’d gotten used to it.
She didn’t care about cleaning the room nearly as much as her parents did, but had mostly wanted to take the opportunity to speak to her father privately.
So, as the two of them took up dust clothes, she said, “Hey dad, can I ask you something?”
“Anything, sport.”
“So…I think there’s this pony that likes me.”
“Everypony likes you.” He glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. “Or do you mean likes you-likes you?”
“Yeah. And this is the first time this has happened to me.”
“You’re growing up. It was bound to happen eventually. Happens to everypony.” He smiled.
Rainbow nodded. “So…I think maybe I like them back. And I wanted to talk to you, because this pony, it’s a girl, and you like girls, so maybe you would know what I should do.”
Bow chuckled. “Who you like is both more complicated and more simple than that. It’s a big combination of factors, but it also just comes down to: If you like ‘em, then go for it.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. Well, and get an ironclad pre-nup.”
“Preen up? Preening?”
“No, see, when a mommy and daddy love each other very much, they go see a lawyer, and…”
In the kitchen, Fluttershy stood next to Windy at the sink. It had taken her a few minutes, but she finally worked up the courage to speak. “C-can I ask you something?”
“Sure, dear, ask away.”
“I was hoping I could talk to you about…relationships.”
Windy looked at her, a sparkle in her eye. “Oh really? Is there somepony you like?”
Here it was, everything Fluttershy had been working herself up for coming to a head. She managed to admit, “Yes.”
“What would you like to know?’
“How do I…I mean, it’s so hard to take the leap. It’s even worse than actual leaps at flight school. I don’t know how to say how I feel.”
The two of them finished the last of the dishes and dried their hooves. Now Windy was able to focus her whole attention on Fluttershy, leaning on the counter next to her. “Well, let’s try it this way. Why don’t you tell me a little about this pony you like?”
“She-um, well, it’s a she.”
“Okay.”
“She’s a pegasus.”
“Mhmm.”
“She has a beautiful blue coat.”
“Oh?”
“I’m…in her house right now.”
That last one was getting dangerously far outside Fluttershy’s comfort zone of things she was willing to admit, and her head dropped. She managed, “I’m glad I finally said it.”
Windy’s pause was a lot longer than Fluttershy expected, though, and she looked up.
“Oh, oh my goodness Fluttershy, I had no idea.” Windy blushed. “I’m so surprised, but so happy! Overjoyed!”
She scooped Fluttershy up, holding her tight. “I had no idea you felt that way! Of course I accept! I like you too!”
Her face pressed against Windy’s chest fluff, Fluttershy blinked. “Wha-”
“This is so sudden, and of course we’ll have to wait until you’re of legal age, but - yes! I’m so happy! I’ve admired you since I met you, and I can’t believe you feel the same!”
“Um,” Fluttershy said.
“It’s okay,” Windy said, loosening her hug so she could gaze into Fluttershy’s eyes. “I know that must have taken a lot for you to say. I’m so glad to have gotten to know you over these years of you hanging out with Rainbow. I feel like I’m already so in sync with you.”
“Wait…” said Fluttershy, even now still struggling to catch up to what had just happened.
“Oh, you’re right, we do have something to address, don’t we?” Windy raised her voice. “Bow!”
“Yeah?” he called from the other room.
Things were spiraling out of control faster than Fluttershy could have believed. “I’m not sure-”
Windy patted her head, smoothing Fluttershy’s mane. “Don’t worry, dear, I appreciate what it must have taken for you to speak up. That must have been a real leap of faith, and I’m so proud of you.”
Windy called out to Bow again. “I hereby declare an instance of Article Three of our pre-nuptial agreement: immediate divorce for reasons of one partner finding somepony better.”
“Wait, what!? Who!?”
“It’s Fluttershy!”
“...okay, can’t blame you for that one,” Bow admitted. “Congratulations, Fluttershy is great.”
“Wait, what is going on here!?” shouted Rainbow, sounding like she was just now catching up.
“Oh, and good news, Rainbow, your new stepmother is somepony you already know!”
Fluttershy hadn’t even considered this aspect, and combined with everything else in this train wreck of a conversation, the emotion finally overwhelmed her. She started to tear up. “I need to be clear. I…I lo-love…”
Windy embraced her again, forelegs and wings gently wrapping around. She leaned down to kiss the top of Fluttershy’s head. “I love you too.”