Chapter 12: Fluttershy and Rainbow
So they went down the mountain, which was on the one hoof much more boring and on the other hoof far less frightening than had been the journey up.
The Sun was already riding low on the horizon when they reached the rockfall. This time, Fluttershy had no problem flying, and she and Rainbow Dash combined their strength to carry their friends over that section one by one. The cliff face beyond was stil unstable, but the avalanche had been triggered, they moved quietly, and they had no trouble.
The Sun was setting as they got down to the crevasse crossing. It was an absurdly short distance from one side to the other, though Rainbow and Fluttershy hovered watchfully to make sure that nopony slipped. They were all rather tired then, with multiple aches and pains from their various injuries along the way.
Pinkie Pie was moving with especial stiffness; when asked she admitted that she'd gotten some "ouchies" when the Dragon had tail-lashed her out of his cave. As soon as they were across the chasm, Fluttershy got them to stop while she did a quick check on Pinkie to make sure that she had no serious injuries. As near as Fluttershy could tell, the pink party pony was not too badly injured, though unusually-subdued. She made Pinkie promise to see a doctor tomorrow, when they got back to Ponyville. "Okey dokey," replied Pinkie, seemingly lacking the energy for the "lokey" with which she usually terminated that phrase.
Applejack was also starting to limp a little. She was paying for that incredible burst of effort in the avalanche, when she had saved the life of Twilight Sparkle -- and also for the efforts she had made to get Fluttershy up the mountain. Fluttershy wanted to return the favor, but AJ merely commented, "Naw, I'm okay. I'll be fine after I get me some shuteye," and nothing Fluttershy could do could convince her to accept her help. Twilight kept close to Applejack, and Fluttershy saw the lavender mage was keeping a concerned and caring watch on her savior.
They were now in the shadow of the mountain itself, and though it was technically still not full night, the remaining skyglow barely illuminated the path. Twilight took the lead and lit up her horn with a diffuse glow, while Rarity took the rear with Pinkie and lit her own horn, each of them making sure that neither Earth Pony had to walk to trail alone in darkness. Rarity had managed to avoid more than minor bruising, and was in far better shape right now than was her pink companion.
Rainbow Dash seemed unusually subdued. Right after their victory, she had been joyful, but before the Sun set Fluttershy had seen her casting troubled looks in her own direction. Fluttershy was still feeling love from her, a quiet steady pulse of it, but she could tell that her oldest and dearest friend was sad. She had her suspicions as to the reasons why, but now was hardly a good time to talk about them -- assuming that Rainbow was ever willing to talk about it directly. Fluttershy knew that Rainbow was never very good at expressing any softer emotions.
By the time they reached the plateau, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were stumbling, and even Rainbow Dash was admitting that her wings hurt. Twilight ordered them to halt and set up camp. The descent the rest of the way would be long or steep, depending on which path they took, and there was absolutely no point in defeating a Dragon and then losing one of their party to a stupid accident made inevitable by exhaustion.
Fluttershy still felt fresh, which didn't totally surprise her. She hadn't used her wings much going up the mountain, and had actually been carried part of the way by Applejack. She had avoided most of the sources of injury that had bruised the others. And she was getting so much love from everypony now that she was full of energy -- seeing the state of the others, she tried to tap it as little as possible, as it would not have taken much right now to make somepony collapse.
Fluttershy and Rainbow flew down to the forest to fetch wood. Fluttershy found a large dead tree. The two Pegasi took turns collecting the wood and carrying it back up the mountain to their friends. Rainbow Dash said very little besides the minimum needed to coordinate their efforts, and Fluttershy was a bit worried by this. She'd camped out with Rainbow Dash many times, especially in the militia, and it was usually more difficult to get her friend to stop than to start talking. She also noticed that Rainbow Dash was increasingly grunting with effort when she bucked the tree or first lifted a load, and was breathing heavily during her periods of rest on the ground.
After a while they had a huge pile of wood on the plateau, Rainbow Dash was clearly wincing with every motion now, and Fluttershy decided that enough was enough. If the fire died out in the night, so be it -- there were not likely to be any dangerous animals here, high in the White Tails, and the night was chilly but not lethally cold.
"We have enough wood," Fluttershy said softly. "We should rest now."
"I'm up for more," Rainbow Dash declared, got up and stumbled slightly as she positioned herself for the launch off the cliff for another trip down. She caught herself instantly, but her face twisted in a spasm of momentary pain.
"Well, I'm not," Fluttershy declared with unusual firmness. "And I certainly want your company in the middle of this big, scary ..." she looked around, "... ledge," she finished, somewhat uncertainly as there was absolutely nothing at all frightening around them.
"Okay," said Rainbow. "I guess I should stick around ... to protect you."
"I would like that very much," replied Fluttershy.
Applejack and Twilight had already gotten a fire going. Between them the party had three large blankets, each big enough to wrap around two ponies, and several smaller items of bed-clothing -- though the only bed they had to clothe was the bare rock beneath their bodies. Applejack and Pinkie Pie had wrapped one of those big blankets around the both of them and had collapsed almost immediately. Pinkie Pie had a remarkably loud snore, but it didn't seem to be getting in the way of Applejack's ability to sleep.
Twilight and Rarity were under another blanket, conversing in low tones, sometimes looking worriedly at the two sleeping Earth Ponies. Fluttershy and Rainbow walked over to them.
"We should set watches," Twilight said. "We'll want to keep the fire going, and keep an eye out for anything dangerous. Two awake at a time; we're all exhausted and a single sentry will just fall asleep." She glanced in the direction of the snoring Pinkie Pie and the unconscious Applejack. "I think they should take the predawn -- they were almost falling asleep on their hooves this last stretch."
"Makes sense," said Rainbow Dash. "Do you and Rarity want first watch, or second?"
"First," said Twilight, "You and Fluttershy can get some rest, I'll wake you in a few hours."
"Sure thing," replied Rainbow Dash. She and Fluttershy assembled their bed efficiently; they'd both done this together before, many times in the field.
Finally, they lay their weary heads down to sleep. The night air was cold, but the blankets were warmed by both their bodies, and Fluttershy was calmed by Rainbow's familiar scent.
Fluttershy still had a little energy left.
"We did it," she said happily. "And everypony's okay."
"Yep," said Rainbow Dash. "That we did, and everypony is. As one would expect, with yours -- ahh, never mind." She didn't seem to even want to make the effort to complete the boast.
"Are you feeling all right?" Fluttershy asked her friend.
"Sure -- I just -- ahh, we can talk about this another time," said Rainbow, rolling so as to turn away from her.
Fluttershy felt a bit sad. She knew Rainbow wasn't mad at her.
It was hard for her to read, because it didn't map well onto a love-hate axis, but she thought Rainbow Dash was feeling guilty.
She thought she knew why, too. But this would be a complex conversation, and now was not the time for it.
"Night, Rainbow," she said softly.
"Night, 'Shy," came Rainbow's sleepy mumble.
There was silence for a long while. Then, from Fluttershy. "Rainbow?"
Rainbow emitted some alarming sounds, which swiftly settled into her usual stentorian snores.
Fluttershy fondly smiled. "I love you," she whispered, so softly that Rainbow, even had she been awake, might not have even heard her. The snores were comforting. Fluttershy's whole body relaxed, and a dreamless sleep soon claimed her.
***
Seemingly the next moment, Twilight was gently shaking her awake with a hoof, her horn glowing to illuminate them both
"Fluttershy," Twilight was saying. "Your turn on watch."
Fluttershy mumbled something which sounded vaguely like Equestrian, and forced her eyes open.
There was a warm familiar-smelling fuzziness cuddled up against her chest. The fuzziness opened her pinkish-red eyes and said, loudly "I'm awake!" and detached herself from Fluttershy's forelegs.
Neither of them displayed any embarrassment about their situation. They were both seasoned campers, and had awoken like this more than once on a cold night. Others might rib them about it, but they did the same thing: when one slept under the stars, it was instinctive to seek the literal warmth of another pony.
Especially if one loved her. But this wasn't the moment for that conversation.
"My watch was quiet," Twilight told them as they got to their hooves. "Just Rarity and myself, and the dark mountainside."
"You make it sound so boring, darling," came Rarity's familiar sleepy voice. "You're forgetting all that fascinating information we exchanged."
Twilight smiled. "At least now I know exactly why they call Golden Harvest's older brother 'Scapegrace' Carrot," she said wryly. "And why he might have decided not to come back to Ponyville."
"But do not repeat any of this to Applejack," Rarity reminded her. "She won't appreciate the topic, trust me."
"I won't," said Twilight.
She and Rarity retired to their blanket, and Fluttershy and Rainbow took their places by the fire, sitting side by side, positioning themselves so that they had the mountainside to their backs, commanding the most important fields of view. Militia habits were well and truly ingrained within them.
There was a long and awkward silence. They murmured small pleasantries, compared minor notes. They were waiting for something, and that something soon arrived in the form of Twilight and Rarity's snores.
The silence was finally then broken by Fluttershy.
"You were very brave yesterday," Fluttershy said. "Fighting that Dragon."
"Yeah," said Rainbow Dash bleakly. Then, with a momentary pride: "I kicked it in the face, you know!"
"I know," said Fluttershy with unfeigned warmth. Among Pegasi, doing something of that sort was admirable in and of itself, for the courage it required. Even when it hadn't been a very good idea. Which perhaps, Fluttershy sometimes thought, exemplified what was wrong with Pegasus culture. But she was enough a daughter of that very same culture that she shared, to a lesser degree, Rainbow's own sentiment.
"I guess it was a dumb thing to do, though," Rainbow admitted. "I nearly got myself killed. Nearly got all of us killed." She sighed to herself.
"Well, it was perhaps a bit too fearless," Fluttershy said. "For a moment I thought that Red Haze was going to kill you."
"Red Haze?" asked Rainbow, turning to look at her. "Who's that?"
"The Dragon," replied Fluttershy, looking into the fire, admiring the beauty of the flickering flames. "Oh, I should probably tell Twilight about all of that later. He said his name, in his own language, when Twilight was talking to him."
"You speak Dragon?" asked Rainbow disbelievingly.
"I picked it up," Fluttershy explained. "Part of my Talent."
"That sure is a useful Talent," Rainbow said.
"It can be," admitted Fluttershy.
Another long silence fell. The fire cast dancing shadows all about them. Part of it guttered low, and Rainbow fed it a nice thick piece of wood. She gave Fluttershy a long look; Fluttershy noticed from the corner of her eye but said nothing. Rainbow looked away again.
"I'm sorry," Rainbow Dash said abruptly.
"What for?" asked Fluttershy, turning her head slightly. She thought she knew for what Rainbow was apologizing, but she wanted to be certain.
"Being so rough on you," Rainbow said, looking directly at Fluttershy. "I got mad at you when you ... had trouble flying, and then when the avalanche happened, and you didn't want to go into the cave and ... I was a jerk. And I'm sorry I was mean to you. And I ..." Rainbow looked down at the ground, ".. I hope we're still friends."
Fluttershy looked into the fire. "Of course we're still friends," she said firmly. "Nothing could change that. And I forgive you. I ... I was being a pretty big baby myself. I made mistakes that could have gotten us all hurt. You were right to blame me for that."
"There's more," said Rainbow Dash, eyes still downcast. "When Twilight asked us all to do this -- I didn't want you along. I ... I thought you were weak, I didn't want you to get hurt, I didn't want you to embarrass yourself. So I nearly took this away from you. Your win. I don't know how you can forgive me for that. I don't know how I can forgive me for that."
"I was weak," Fluttershy admitted. "And you wanted to protect me. I knew that. You've been protecting me ever since we were both small." She was quiet for a moment, then added. "Often I've needed your protection. Rainbow -- if you hadn't been there for me, so many times, I don't know if I'd be alive today. Or sane. You were my friend at times nopony else was. And ... even when you're not there -- when things get tough I think of you. That you care about me, and it makes me think that maybe I'm worthy, after all."
Rainbow looked at Fluttershy in surprise. "Oh, Fluttershy!" she said. "Of course you're worthy! Hey," she nudged Fluttershy in the side, "you just drove off a great big Dragon! You stood up to it and told it -- him, I guess -- exactly where he could get off. And he did! It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life!"
"Thank you," said Fluttershy, smiling at her friend.
"But I've never minded protecting you," said Rainbow. She looked into the fire and said. "When we were young I used to imagine that you were some great lady like in one of the old tales, about the Clans and their wars in the time before the Unification. And I was your loyal bannerpony, and I'd go out and fight for your honor, and it would be all epic and awesome and stuff." She looked up at Fluttershy, blushing. "I guess it's all really dumb, huh?"
"No," said Fluttershy, still looking into the fire. "That's not dumb." She turned and gazed quite seriously into Rainbow's eyes. "I think it's wonderful. I think your friendship is wonderful. I think you're wonderful. And I think you have the heart of a real hero, as strong as that of anypony from the old legends."
Rainbow blushed deeply, smiling in almost disbelieving joy. "Thank you," she said. "I don't des -- thank you."
"But we're not just little fillies playing pretend any more," said Fluttershy, speaking very gently, to soften what she was about to say. "We're adult mares, and this was real life, and we both made mistakes, ones that nearly made things turn out very badly. I made most of them ..."
"No, you saved us all .." protested Rainbow Dash.
"In the end," said Fluttershy.. "After I was scared, and was a burden, and nearly got everypony hurt ... or worse." She frowned for a moment. "I need to be more honest with myself," she finally said. "With everypony. I'm not always an honest pony. It's one of my faults."
"You're a great Pony, 'Shy!" said Rainbow Dash, standing up and looking a bit confused, as if she wanted to fight the one who was insulting her friend, but unable to find a target.
"Thank you," replied Fluttershy. "I try to be, though I don't always succeed. But I think I'll try to be better from now on. I don't want to risk the lives of my friends again by my failure." She looked deeply into Rainbow's eyes. "I don't want to risk yours." She smiled. "After all, you're my most loyal bannerpony."
Rainbow Dash grinned. "No peril is too great in My Lady's service." Her bow was almost a mockery, but the adoration that accompanied the gesture was very real.
Fluttershy giggled. "I'm lucky to have a great warrior like you to protect me."
"What great deed shall I do next?" Rainbow asked.
"Just stay by my side," answered Fluttershy.
"There's nowhere I'd rather be," said Rainbow.
Rainbow sat down again next to Fluttershy. They sat companionably like this for a long while, looking into the fire and thinking.
"Rainbow," said Fluttershy. "Be careful, okay?"
"Careful of what?" asked Rainbow, looking at her curiously.
"Your life," said Fluttershy. She looked into Ranibow's eyes. "Do you know my worst fear?" she asked.
Rainbow thought a moment, shrugged. "Dragons?" she asked.
"No," said Fluttershy, very seriously. "You. Dying."
"Eh," said Rainbow Dash, . "I'm young, and strong, and healthy. And the fastest thing with wings." She grinned at Fluttershy. "I'll still be kicking flank and taking names decades from now."
Fluttershy smiled, then her face grew more serious again. "Just don't take any unnecessary risks," she told her friend. "Rainbow -- you're already my hero. And you're becoming a hero of all Equestria. And I think we may have to do dangerous things again," she shuddered for a moment at the thought. "You'll have a lot more chances to be a hero. Don't put yourself in needless danger. Because ... I don't want to have to face a world without a Rainbow Dash in it." Sadness overcame her at the thought.
"Aw ... I was just doing what I had to do ..." said Rainbow.
"You kicked a Dragon. In the face!" Her voice was still low, but there was an angry edge.
"I know you said that was mean, but he was being pretty mean to Pinkie ..." Rainbow started to explain.
"It's not about him! It's about you!" Fluttershy said, her voice brittle with stress. "You could have been killed! And it wasn't necessary!"
"Wasn't it?" Rainbow asked.
Fluttershy looked at her in shock.
"Everypony was just standing there, no idea what to do next," pointed out Rainbow Dash. "Even Twilight didn't know what to do. I got things moving."
"But ..." started Fluttershy.
"And I think it was when you saw me got hurt that you got mad enough to stop being afraid," Rainbow said. "Isn't that why there are heroes? To lead by example? Even if they fall?"
Fluttershy started to say something, then stopped and thought. A lot.
"You ... you're right," Fluttershy said. "Without you being brave, I might have continued to be scared. I might have just kept hiding behind that rock while things worked out without me. And without me, I think someponies would have died."
"Heh," said Rainbow smugly. "And at Flight School they kept saying my tactics were too rash." She frowned. "Actually, I think Gilda's bunch said the same thing about me more than once. Which is weird, because Griffons are mad-aggressive." She shrugged. "I dunno. But it worked. And we're both alive to enjoy the cake. Mmm, cake." Her stomach rumbled.
"We don't actually have any cake," said Fluttershy, a bit sadly. She was starting to feel hungry too.
"Which is also weird, because Pinkie Pie usually has a ton of cake," commented Rainbow. "But she hasn't been popping out anything like that since the cave. Weird, huh?"
"Or too normal for Pinkie," laughed Fluttershy. She walked over and rummaged in her bags. "Here," she said. "I've got some greens, and some carrots and tomatoes, and trail mix ...some spices ..." She took out a pan and poured in some water from a canteen. "I can make us a quick veggie stew."
"I'm hungry now," Rainbow complained.
"Here's some bread," Fluttershy said, tossing her half a loaf. "You can have that while this is cooking."
Rainbow did. Then they had stew.
Afterward they sat side by side, conversing about everything and nothing in particular.
Finally they just relaxed together, leaning against one another and looking out at the dark small hours of morning. It was quiet now; most of the things that moved in the forest far below were stealthy and nocturnal, and it was far too early for most of the morning bird chorus.
"We used to do this a lot together," Rainbow said. "Back in Flight Camp ... later in the militia. It was nice."
"I agree," said Fluttershy. "I've missed camping out like you with this."
Somewhere, an owl hooted.
"I have the Weather Patrol, you have your shelter -- we don't have as much time as we used to. We don't get to do this enough any more. We should do this again."
"I'll skip the Dragon next time," said Fluttershy, smiling at her friend.
"Yeah," chuckled Rainbow Dash. "You got that right."
"Would you really like to go camping again?" asked Fluttershy.
"Sure!" said Rainbow Dash. "When do you want to do it?"
"There's a place I go, middle of every October, in the eastern spur of the Pegasus. There's a butterfly migration I like to see then -- it's really beautiful out there, and I've never been there with anypony else -- it's kind of special to me," she finished, feeling suddenly shy. "Would you like to ... come with me this year?"
"Sure thing -- it's a date!" replied Rainbow Dash, and then she was the one to be embarrassed. "Um, I mean, like a camping trip."
"I know," said Fluttershy, smiling to herself. She thought about the fact that less than twenty-four hours ago she'd been sleeping safely in her bed, unaware of what she was going to see that morning, of the call that would come to draw her into terror and adventure ... and conflict with her best friend, but a conflict that had ended in a closer reconciliation.
"It's been a pretty good day," she said to Rainbow Dash. "An awfully scary day," she amended, "but a good one at the end of it."
'
"We beat a Dragon!" Rainbow affirmed, nodding, then modifying her statement. "Well, you did."
"You were right the first time," Fluttershy said. "We beat that Dragon, together. All of us. Myself, and Twilight, and Pinkie, and Applejack and Rarity. And especially you," she said. "I could never have done this without your love."
Rainbow looked away in happy embarrassment.
They sat there a long time, just enjoying each other's nearness. Fluttershy put a wing around Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow silently rubbed her cheek against Fluttershy's chest, then leaned in to let her taller friend cradle her in her forelegs. Occasionally, Fluttershy gently caressed Rainbow's mane, or Rainbow nuzzled her chest.
They said nothing. There was nothing to say, nothing that wasn't already being adequately communicated by their shared warmth, by the love Fluttershy felt radiating from Rainbow. Both were afraid that anything they might say, anything they might do beyond these minor but precious intimacies, would spoil the perfection of this moment.
Eventually Rainbow let out a very large, indelicate yawn. She looked up at the sky.
"Wow, we should wake AJ and Pinkie," she said. "By the stars, we're an hour late to do that."
"Oh ... I'm sorry," said Fluttershy. "I didn't notice." Actually, she had, but she'd been enjoying the closeness a lot.
"I did," said Rainbow Dash. "You were just being such a nice pillow I didn't want to move." She grinned and rolled to her hooves. "But I think we should get some more sleep before we head home."
Applejack was a bit muzzy when they woke her up. Pinkie Pie was straight-out incoherent.
"Ten more minutes, Maw," Pinkie said, waving her hooves. "It's too early to start turnin' the rocks." Her mind was obviously somewhere far from their mountain ledge camp.
"Aw, let her sleep," said Applejack, coming to her hooves. "I got plenty of rest, and she got banged up pretty bad by that Dragon at the end. I can stand watch solo."
"All right," said Rainbow Dash. "I guess it don't matter."
The two tired Pegasi sought their blanket, crawled in and lay down. Under the blanket they touched hooves, meshed the suckers on their pads in the Pony equivalent of squeezing each other's hands, smiled briefly at one another. Then they closed their eyes, and soon returned to the land of slumber.
***
When Fluttershy awoke again in the morning, the golden light of the Sun streamed down upon the mountain ledge, and the air was already beginning to get a bit warmer. Some time in the night, Rainbow had once again rolled over into her forelegs and was embracing her, but that didn't bother Fluttershy at all. Though it was Twilight who woke them up, and the strange look she gave Fluttershy upon seeing their sleeping posture did embarrass her slightly.
She wanted to say "Nothing happened," but that would not have been entirely true, though what had happened had been far more on the emotional plane than the physical. She and Rainbow were reconciled, and would be closer friends again now. And something had passed between them, some sort of understanding that Fluttershy found difficult to name. She knew that the emotion Rainbow felt for her was love, and there was something romantic in there, but not what any of it meant. She simply lacked the experience to understand Rainbow's feelings -- or her own.
So she remained silent.
It didn't matter.
They'd succeeded. They'd driven off the Dragon. Twilight Sparkle had proven her worth to the Princess, and Fluttershy had proven her worth to Rainbow Dash, and to herself. And nopony had died, or even been hurt too seriously. Applejack had broken out the coffee, Rarity was making tea, and Pinkie Pie, regenerated by a good night's sleep, was bouncing happily around the campsite. Rainbow stretched against the Sun, her limbs and wings at full extension, healthy and strong and brave and beautiful beyond compare in Fluttershy's eyes.
There was tea, and coffee. And Pinkie Pie's eyes sparkled as she reached ... somewhere ... and pulled forth something beyond all price on an early morning after a very rough day, something which she shared with all her friends.
Pinkie had cake.
There was no need right now for complex questions.
All was once again right in Fluttershy's world.
END.
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I like your version better, but it makes me kinda sad when a fanfic is better that the actual cannon show. Oh well. Not really your fault.
4523666
Oh good -- you don't think it was too mushy, then.
4524486 Not at all. It was cute, without being too much.
4524668
The irony is that it's Rainbow Dash, who scorns mushiness, who has a completely and unreservedly idealistic and mushy view of Fluttershy.
4524685 There are two sides to everything, including sapient beings.
4524668
Also, it's actually Fluttershy who has the earthier side. And the darker secrets.
4524698 Dun dun dun duuuun.
My epicly failed attempt at spooky music via typing.
4524704
Oh, mind you, Fluttershy's a very sweet, kind Pony. She's just also only half-Pegasus and has awesome mind control powers, among other things.
4524714 I know that. I read Fluttershy is Free already. A long time ago, actually.
4524720
Oh, sorry -- didn't realize that.
4524725 Meh, that's fine. It would be rather difficult for you to realize that, especially considering that nothing I've ever said would give you any clue whatsoever.
It's definitely a much more emotionally satisfying conclusion, but by the same token, your take on the episode is much more emotionally complex. Each is appropriate for its given story.
In any case, thank you for showing us this episode as viewed through your particular Equestria. It was a fantastic journey. Cringe-inducing at times, but for all the right reasons.
(Also, now I'm wondering about the history between the elder Carrot and Applejack...)
Oh, and one last thing:
Your right hand drifted one key to the right for a bit there.
4526017
My main problem with the original conclusion -- especially given the POV from which I'd written it -- was that it showed that Rainbow Dash could get scared and Fluttershy could tease her over it. Which is nice enough -- neither was mad about it so it implied that they made up -- but it struck me as kind of shallow. Admittedly, I ramped up the intensity of Fluttershy's emotions in the story by making it obvious that she loved Rainbow Dash (and vice versa) thus making it really hurt Fluttershy that Rainbow was despising her), so the given ending wouldn't have been adequate. What's more, it's kind of an anticlimax -- we kind of knew that they would make it back to Ponyville okay -- there's no reason why they shouldn't.
I couldn't do both endings because it would be repetitive. And what's worse, the Ponyville denouement would be much weaker. I assume that the Ponyville bit still happens, with Rainbow and Fluttershy feeling especially kindly toward one another because of that watch they shared together, during which they re-bonded and went a bit emotionally further. This is also when Fluttershy gets Rainbow to agree to go with her on the next Butterfly Migration, which sets up Fluttershy Is Free.
There is a long and involved backstory in my verse between Applejack and Landscape ("Scapegrace," though she'd never call him that) Carrot. He's basically been gone for years -- and he's the reason Applejack shows absolutely no serious romantic interest in anypony. I may go into this a bit more in the first few chapters of A Long Morning At Sweet Apple Acres, if I ever get to writing it. That's mostly going to be a Big Mac story, about how the Apple Family (including many cousins but minus AJ) dealt with an eruption of monsters from the Everfree during the Return of Nightmare Moon.
Thanks for spotting that -- I meant, of course, "keeping." I was tired.
*extrainious period
*double I
I like how this ending talks about how dangerous courses of action are not always reckless ones. It irritates me when people equate courage (or fearlessness) with stupidity. The conversation with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy here shows that they both understand the danger quite well, even if one or both of them conclude that it was necessary for success.
4590670
I think I wrote it that way because I don't see Rainbow Dash as stupid.
Rash, yes. Direct, unsubtle, and often oblivious to shades of meaning. But she's absolutely correct in that often the right thing to do when stymied is anything, provided that it's done decisively. And she tends to do the thing she chooses very competently -- she's a poor strategist, but great at the execution of her tactics.
In point of fact, what she did led directly to the Dragon's attack, which in turn led directly to Fluttershy coming out of her funk and saving the day. Not that Rainbow Dash planned it this way, but generally, hitting at the enemy breaks a stalemate, and it did here as well. Mind you, she could have gotten them all killed.
But then, so could Fluttershy's fear. This is easy to overlook, because we all like the little yellow-and-pink fuzzball and sympathize with her -- this is part of her power of Always Getting Her Way in the End, in fact, and I only speak half in jest here. But she really did act as The Load on the trip up the mountain, and when she triggered the avalanche she almost got them all killed.
And of course, the reason Twilight didn't resolve the problem in the first conversation with Red Haze was that Fluttershy didn't go into the lair with her the first time.
This story is very much a meditation on the nature of fear and courage, and on the drawbacks of both too aggressive and too timid an approach. The conversation between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash at the end saw each of them acknowledge her errors, and apologize to the other for them, and thus repair their damaged relationship.
Their sensual, highly-sentimental embrace near the end typifies their whole relationship. They love each other, but it's more romantic than sexual, because Rainbow, while extroverted, has a very low sex drive; and Fluttershy, while she has a high sex drive, is an introvert. And they are both afraid to push matters further, even though they are both bisexual, single and best friends since childhood. Rainbow's bad at romantic strategy, and Fluttershy's bad at the tactical execution -- just as they are in dealing with Dragons.
Still, it made a nice moment.
And so the shipping begins. (steeples fingers).
Eh, I'm fine with it. It's better executed than most and draws heavily on shared experiences and natural bonding. Of course, it makes me even more eager to see A Canterlot Wedding in some respects but this was probably necessary to help flesh out whatever you've got planned for that. Can't skip the set up work and this stands on it's own pretty well.
I liked the fact that you addressed the way both of them made mistakes in opposite directions.
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Well, yes -- in a sense. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash have known each other and been really good friends for almost a decade at this point. But their friendship was interrupted when Rainbow Dash went off with Gilda in her mid-teens and never really resumed with its original full intensity -- until now, when Fluttershy fully grasped just how much Rainbow still means to her, and Rainbow that she not only feels protective toward but also respects Fluttershy, as more than just a fragile little flower.
In their previous friendship, they felt romantic stirrings toward one another but were both too innocent to act on them even to the extent that they are doing in this story. The difference now is that Fluttershy's not so innocent any more, and Rainbow Dash is starting to awaken a bit to her own sexuality. And yes -- they're both bisexuals.
Oh yes. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are tactical opposites -- Rainbow Dash emphasizes the direct aggressive approach and Fluttershy stealth and finesse. But then, Rainbow Dash sees herself as the ultimate Pegasus warrior -- and Fluttershy, unknown to herself at this point, was bred to be the ultimate Changeling infiltrator.
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Though my Changelings are actually mammals. Quite aside from the Changeling origin involving a curse, real mammals have evolved exoskeletal-like structures more than once. The xenartha in particular seem to be good at this (armadillos and giant sloths being the obvious examples). The Changelings, of course, are a highly-derived branch of the Ponies.
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Warner Brothers, either Bugs Bunny or the Road Runner (and they may have recycled it). Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote both run off a cliff. Road Runner stands in mid air. Communication (by signs):
WILE E. COYOTE: That's against the Law of Gravity.
ROAD RUNNER: I never studied law.
WILE E. COYOTE: (waves bye-bye and falls).
I thought Pinkie would appreciate the comment.
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Thank you for pointing that out.
Fixed it.
I really love this version of Rainbow Dash. And I finally finished this and was rewarded by Romantic Girl Friendship! I'd been looking forward to that.
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I'm glad you liked the way I handled their characters. In that scene I tried to emphasize the best things about their personalities and the depth of their friendship, above and beyond the sexual elements of their mutual attraction, because the most real thing about their relationship is that they admire each other very much as friends. Also, I wanted to show the way in which they have both become better Ponies by trying to be worthy of one another. I hope I succeeded.
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Oh, also -- my interpretation of Rainbow Dash is that she is an extreme idealist with a huge heart and tremendous love for her friends (and she would only fall in love with somepony she already counted a friend); who conceals this tremendous warmth beneath a rough veneer -- which really doesn't fool anypony who knows her well at all.
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You're right! And when I say it aloud it's obvious.
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Two things, actually, which are explained in the sequels.
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Half-Changeling, to be precise.
Due to several problems I had with the story, namely the massive quantity of headcannons and the fact that it's essentially a retelling of the episode, I'm rejecting this story from Goodfic Bin submissions.
Details are here.
YOH? What does that stand for?
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Year of Harmony. Counting Year One as the year of the first defeat of Discord. Which in my fanon took place 1500 years before the Return of Luna.
6128316 What about year zero or before that? Also, how is the Year Of Harmony calendar that you made up related to ours?
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In its original form I had the year start on the Spring Equinox (March 21st) but I decided to Translation Convention that away. My fanon takes place on a parallel Earth, one in which hominids were mostly wiped out in the Final Eldren War 110 thousand years ago.
6129482 So March 21 there is January 1 here, and how are the years of the YOH calendar related to the years on ours.
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Yeah, but I gave up on the attempt and wound up just assuming years started Jan 1st even though I knew they didn't. Um, roughly speaking the correspondence would be that AD 1 would be Year of Megan 1 and thus the show is taking place the equivalent of about four millennia in our future, if this was our future. But it isn't, and the timestreams run at different rates -- Megan's still alive in the world she came from, and she's only in her forties.
In terms of the internal chronology of the worldline bundle making up the Shadow Wars Storyverse Ponyverse, you might want to check out this article: "A Working Historical Chronology For My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic."
6132126 I just read it. But let me ask you something? Is 1500 Y.O.H. 4,000 years away from 2010?
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Roughly, YOH 1500 is 4000 years in the future from YOM 2000, which is roughly equivalent to AD 2000 in terms of the analogy between the Age of Wonders and the modern Human Earth. But remember, these are different parts of the multiverse.
We're
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Thanks for indicating those typos -- I fixed them and caught one or two others I'd missed.
lol Tv tropes...
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An amatovore -- like Fluttershy or a full-blooded Changeling -- can become somewhat psychologically addicted to the food-Love of someone to whom the Changeling experiences felt-love. In the bad old days before the Reconciliation, this was seen as a problem, and called "Love-Locking." After the Reconciliation, this was one of the ways in which the Changelings acheived symbiosis with the other Kinds.
My Fluttershy is half-Changeling.
Thank you for getting Dash to acknowledge and apologize for her attitude in that episode. That early in season one, it sort of made sense for her to be an elitist jerk, but the more the show explained that they were long time friends, the more her actions both bothered me and made me wonder why.
Great look into the minds and motivations of the rest of the cast as well, especially Twi's internal affirmation that she had been treating the others like troops and just what their collective deaths would have done to her emotionally. All in all it was a good read. As always, thank you for sharing.
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When I watched "Dragonshy" closely -- which I had to do to write this story, any adaptation of an original episode like this requires looking at the original scene-by-scene, not only for the dialogue but for the body language and choreography -- I was very much struck not only by Fluttershy's utter terror through a lot of it, but also the way Rainbow Dash's attitude evolved from first an obvious attempt to protect Fluttershy to get into this situation in the first place (because, knowing Fluttershy really well, Dashie realized that it was going to push all of 'Shy's phobia buttons and leave her utterly helpless and useless) to increasing annoyance and disgust at Fluttershy's demonstrated and dangerous uselessness in the increasingly-perilous ascent of the mountain, to a final renewed respect for Fluttershy when she saved everypony -- and the mission -- in the pinch. This is even more striking if one considers that the Pegasi are bound by an originally-military code of honor (in the somewhat Benevolent-Oriental-Despotism which is Equestria, if the overall tone is that of a fantasy-Anglosphere with a Sino-Japanese flavor, the Pegasi are the Kind who are channelling the samurai, and Dashie's personality fits right into a Japanese medieval adventure tale), and so both Fluttershy and Dashie would be aware of the roles they were supposed to be playing (and painfully aware of how Fluttershy was failing in the crisis).
Rainbow Dash loves Fluttershy, in pretty much every way Dashie is capable of loving anypony. They are close friends from childhood (just like the intense schoolgirl crushes portrayed in the typical Japanese school drama) and now Element Bearers together (observe how smoothly they work together in the original Season One opener. I postulate that as children they had a shared fantasy in which Rainbow Dash saw herself as a heroic warrior of ancient times and Fluttershy as the noble lady she served: this parallels both Tomoe Goezen and their actual personalities and origins -- Dashie is in reality very much the honorable warrior, and Fluttershy the aristocrat (especially my Fluttershy who is of the ancient Wind Clan of, the highest aristocracy amongst the Pegasi Clans). I have them serving together as young teenagers in the Militia -- I see Militia service as something the Pegasi still do as youths, in order to teach them fundamental discipline, channel their young energies along positive paths, and create an organization which can in a real crisis be mobilized to form the cadre of a truly national Equestrian armed force; now that they are adults (at this point in the SWSV Fluttershy is 20 and Dashie 18) they are starting to see their strong friendship in a more seriously-romantic light (I posit them as both bisexual).
Rainbow Dash doesn't have a very strong sex drive. It's actually much weaker than Fluttershy's. However, Dashie is very much a heroic-romantic, most of whose romantic self-concept revolves around perceiving herself as a protector and rescuer. Even in friendly terms, she has a habit of befriending weaker Ponies and teaching them how to be stronger: I didn't discuss it in this story, but I've postulated that in Pegasus culture this is a protector-protegee relationship which is well known and honored, and whose model Dashie followed with both Fluttershy and Gilda, and is currently following with Scootaloo (and Tank!).
What Ranbow Dash most definitely is, is honorable and (though she doesn't like to think of it in mushy terms) incredibly loving toward her friends. (This is what Twilight Sparkle strongly responds to in Dashie, something I highlight in Divine Jealousy and the Voice of Reason, and the more so because Twilight is actually far more dangerous and powerful than is Dashie, though Rainbow Dash has some things to teach her specifically about athletics and unarmed combat). Sex, to the extend that my Rainbow Dash bothers with it (she's a virgin at the point of Dragonshyness) is an expression of love that grows out of her intense feelings of friendship. Ironically, for all her surface bawdiness, Dashie is the least sexually-driven of all my Mane Six (and, for all her shyness, Fluttershy is the most).
Dashie's first reaction toward the situation is that she must protect Fluttershy -- not so much from the danger of going up the mountain (Dashie is actually surprised when 'Shy's wings seize up like that -- she's never actually known Fluttershy to be that frightened by physical danger) but rather from the danger of being dishonored by showing cowardice in the face of the enemy. Rainbow Dash of course knows that Fluttershy, above and beyond her normal timidity, is especially afraid of Dragons, and Dashie rightly fears that 'Shy will perform badly in this situation. Dashie is inhibited from explaining this directly to Twilight Sparkle because she does not want to cause Twilight Sparkle to feel contempt for Fluttershy, and the Pegasus code of honor makes it difficult to discuss direct physical fear of any situation.
Fluttershy is very much aware, in advance, of how frightened she's likely to become. Though she's a very eccentric Pegasus (in part because she's only half-Pegasus, and even the Pegasus part expresses atavistic Flutter Pony traits), she's been reared in Pegasus culture and she actually shares their assumptions regarding honor and dishonor (which is one of the reasons she's holding on to the Wind Clan's honor blade, another of course being that she really despises her Uncle Windvane and keeps it simply to spite him). She's utterly humiliated by her own cowardice, after fearing it in advance and seeing her fears of her own fears come true.
As this progresses, Dashie loses her initial rational detachment ("We'd better not bring Fluttershy, she'll fail badly and both endanger us and feel dishonored") and gets angry at Fluttershy for letting everypony down, including Twilight Sparkle (whom Dashie has admired as her natural leader since S1E02) and Rainbow Dash herself (who is well aware that Fluttershy endangers their lives in the avalanche and then funks out at the crucial moment when they are before the Dragon's Lair). Dashie herself turns on 'Shy -- and Dashie hates herself for doing so. Rainbow Dash starts to get angry about the whole situation.
When Fluttershy in fact comes through at the climax and saves them all by defeating the Dragon with her psychic abilities, Rainbow Dash is extremely happy -- and not just because it means they've won and get to live with their honor intact. (This salvation might have come some other way -- in particular, Twlight Sparkle, who is generally very cool in a crisis and has vast magical lore, but was temporarily overcome by the Dragonfear, might have figured out a way to defeat the Dragon with direct magic -- but because Fluttershy saved them, that made up in honor-culture terms for all her previous failures in this adventure). However, on the heels of that relief and happiness comes a painful realization -- Rainbow Dash realizes that she let Fluttershy down.
The original episode doesn't address this in its denouement, and in fact the denouement of "Dragonshy" is one of the weakest aspects of the original story, which is otherwise a very tense and dramatic tale. In adapting "Dragonshy" into Dragonshyness, I outright ditched the silly scene with Dashie getting spooked at the end, because while it addressed the theme that sometimes courage and cowardice are situational rather than innate, it failed to resolve the issue regarding Dashie and 'Shy's friendship.
This is really significant for Rainbow Dash because Fluttershy isn't just any friend, she's Dashie's oldest friend (in the SWSV I add a romantic aspect to their friendship, but this is still true if it's absent). In the context of their old schoolyard game, Dashie sees her as her Lady to whom her own honor is dedicated. Dashie letting 'Shy down is Dashie letting down her own highest and noblest ideals. That's the point of my version of the denouement -- Fluttershy openly discuesses with Rainbow Dash the mistakes each of them made, and reassuress Dashie that despite all this, they still love one another. What's more, in inviting Dashie on the Butterfly Migration, Fluttershy is saying that she wants Rainbow Dash to be closer friends with her, as they once were as fillies (with the consequences I show in Fluttershy Is Free).
Some variant of this dynamic applies for the rest of their (very long, since in the SWSV they both eventually Ascend to become Alicorns) lives. Rainbow Dash aspires to be the perfect honorable Pegasus warrior out of a storybook -- but of course, not even Dashie can do this, because Dashie's not perfect. Awesomely admirable, in the opinion of a lot of Ponies, including particularly Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and even Applejack. But not perfect.
At the same time, Fluttershy has to come to terms with the fact that she's a misfit in terms of the Pegasus code of honor. She's not at all dishonorable -- she actually is brave and keeps her word and accomplishes really amazing things in the Shadow Wars Story Verse (she will more than any one Pony help end Windvane's Rebellion without undue loss of civilian life, and she leads the Reconciliation of the Changelings by consenting to become the High Queen Kindness -- but she does both in her own style. She morally shames Luna into snapping out of her berserkergangen after Windvane's war fleet has been defeated, and she uses her naturalist understanding of Changeling biology and her own heritage as a Changeling Royal to effect the Reconciliation. This is not exactly as a Pegasus High Lady would do it in the tales which both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are referencing).
All this really starts here. So I'm glad you liked this story.
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On Twilight's military heritage ...
... a lot of fans don't get this, I think because it's a bit alien to modern American culture, but Twilight Sparkle very plainly in vanilla canon comes from a social background recognizable as "gentry," with all this implies in terms of her assumptions about honor, loyalty and morality. In the context of the slightly-Oriental culture of Equestria, she is scholar-gentry -- she considers scholarship one of the most noble and important and honorable pursuits of any Pony -- and she is also of a military family, which is to say a family with a tradition of military service.
SWSV Twilight Velvet and Night Light emphasize both these traditions themselves. Twilight Velvet is a scholar and publisher, whose business Night Light has joined as part of their love and marriage. And both Twilight Velvet and Night Light have a shared background in the Night Watch -- the secretive military organization, part of the Night Guard, whose job it is to protect Equestria from supernatural menaces. Twilight Velvet was a researcher for the Night Watch, and Night Light a serving officer in the Night Watch, that last being a tradition of the Nights (Night Dancer, Moon Dancer's father, who is Night Light's kin, is still serving in the Night Watch in the Shadow Wars Story Verse).
Twilight Sparkle herself chose a career as a scholar-mage rather than soldier-mage, but one obvious military influence on her, even in vanilla canon, is her brother Shining Armor, whom she worships as the exemplar of her masculine ideal to the point where, even in the SWSV, I think there's an incestuous undertone to her feelings -- though SWSV Twilight Sparkle would never act on such emotions to the extent of doing anything she'd consider sexually-immoral. Shining Armor is in many ways an ideal military officer, the Good Captain, who is brave, honorable and resourceful in the face of danger. And Shining Armor is her model of how to lead, and the one which she copies when she has to lead the Mane Six on the first real mission assigned to them as a team.
In numerous adventure epsides, the Show has depicted the dynamic, when in the face of danger, between Twilight Sparkle and Applejack and the other Mane Six as being that between an exceptionally-intelligent officer and an exceptionally-kindly senior NCO, and their "men." Twilight Sparkle devises overall plans, and Applejack figures out how to put them into effect and motivate the others to cooperate in their achievement. Here, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack fall into this relationship for the second time (they did so the first time in Friendship Is Magic / Nightmares Are Tragic). But this time, Twilight Sparkle has already bonded with everypony, and she is struck by how easy it would be for somepony to die, and how horrible it would be if her friends died. I'm glad you noticed that.
"Dragonshy" implies that Celestia is testing them. In Dragonshyness, Twilight is very much aware that Celestia is testing them -- she could have sent anypony with enough authority to do this job. Her awareness that Celestia is testing them actually raises the stakes. Twilight is afraid that if she fails this mission, Celestia will be disappointed and never quite trust her again. And Celestia's trust is one of the things Twilight Sparkle values most in the world.
Where did the prologue go?
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Thank you for calling my attention to that. I had accidentally Unpublished chapter 1. Fixed it.
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It's described in detail: it's due to her mother Sweetwing's delusions, expressed to her when she was a small filly. Red Haze is the first adult Dragon she's ever seen for real; after actually meeting him she's less afraid of Dragons in general, but still very uneasy about being around them.
Spike of course, is the exception to this rule, but he is both small, and acts like an upper-class Pony colt rather than a Dragon.
This big au makes me head spin. Can’t recall anything
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Changelings in general have psychic powers, but for most of them it only extends to empathy toward each other allowing smoother eusociality, and amatopathic empathy (they can "smell" and "taste" love), aside from their ability to feed on love, of course. Some Infiltrators and most Royals can project various forms of mind control, of which one of the simplest sorts is psychic stealth ("clouding minds" or projecting a "don't notice me" field). As we see in this story, Fluttershy also has powerful general mind control (her Stare) and shields against psychic attacks (such as Dragonfear).
Oh yes. Rainbow Dash has serious Leeroy Jones tendencies in dangerous situations, and these were worse when she was younger, as in Season One. And this is, of course, a Season One story.