Rainbow Dash’s POV

Needless to say, I wasn’t at all that worn out from last night’s texting. In fact, I felt even more alive with her arms around me. To be honest… This was the greatest feeling in the world. I felt Fluttershy’s grip tighten around me, and my assumption was that she was scared she was going to fall off my motorcycle.

I drove out of her quiet neighborhood, and began riding down several streets just to get to our high school. My thoughts suddenly stopped cold for a few seconds before finally speaking up once more.

‘Hey… Take her to the park, Dash. Just get some time with her. School doesn’t start for about another hour or two.’ I smiled at the idea. Another good thing about Canterlot’s park was that it was only less than five minutes away from school if you drive and it was also on the same street as the school.

About eight minutes later we had finally reached our destination. I drove up to the almost deserted parking lot, then shut off my motorcycle. The moment I parked it in place, I felt Fluttershy’s arms disappear from my waist, and I couldn’t help but feel a little down about it. I pulled off my helmet, then let it hang from the handle of the motorcycle. After Fluttershy stepped off from my vehicle, she handed me my helmet back, and I only set it down on the seat of the motorcycle.

“Well… Here we are! Canterlot’s public park,” I announced to Fluttershy, then bowed down. I heard her giggle, and as I regained myself, the both of us walked side by side with each other. I slipped my hands down my front pockets and looked down at the ground. “So your mom seems nice.”

“Oh, she is,” Fluttershy replied with her usual quiet tone. I could almost hear the smile in her voice. “She always acts… Tough when she meets the new friends I make. My mom has always been the silly, outgoing one. My brother Featherweight and I are usually what you call the ‘Outsiders’. We were always the shy ones who knew right from wrong, but we just… We were just too afraid to try out new things up until Featherweight entered junior high.

“Unlike him, I never really tried out for anything in particular except for book club… Featherweight took part in a variety of clubs. He didn’t really like any one of them with only one exception: Photography. He’s into taking pictures and writing stories about them. He’s been like that since my mom first bought him a disposable camera when he was eight,” I continued listening and I couldn’t help but think about my own little sister. Perhaps maybe she’s met Featherweight already. Pretty soon we ended up walking in front of a swing set. The two of us sat on each swing as Fluttershy resumed with her story.

“Um… Well yeah. He’s currently taking yearbook this year. I honestly… Can’t help but feel jealous because he’s accomplished more than I ever did…” Fluttershy’s voice trailed off, and I looked over at her. She was holding onto the metal chains and I noticed her looking up at the sky with beautiful teal eyes full of wonder with a hint of sadness. I wonder what was going on through her mind…

“I may not be an expert on these sorts of things… But…” I began without even knowing it.

Fluttershy’s POV

“I may not be an expert on these sorts of things… But…” Rainbow Dash began, with her voice being its usual raspy state. I swear, one day her voice will be the death of me. I glanced over at her and saw her biting her lip nervously. With her left hand, she pushed her rainbow hair back causing it to become just a tad more tousled than before.

“But… What?” I asked with curiosity. A slight smile formed on my lips, and I nervously held onto the metal chains. She looked up at me with her ruby colored eyes and smiled weakly.

“Well… I’m not the type of person who… Talks about mushy stuff and all that… But uh… Well… You shouldn’t let your sibling’s accomplishments get to you. If anything you should just strive to accomplish just as much as they have. Think of it as… A goal. Your fears are your obstacles. And your goal is… Well… Your goal.

“You should know that… Facing your fears will get you anywhere – and I MEAN, anywhere,” Rainbow Dash said with a laugh at the end, and I couldn’t help but giggle. “Just a couple minutes ago, you told me that you were too scared to try out anything… But I’m going to give you some advice. That sound okay to you?”

I nodded and I noticed her eyes light up just a little, “The key here is to not be scared to go for anything. That’s my piece of advice for you, Flutters.”

Rainbow Dash yawned, and stretched back. In the process, she wound up falling backwards onto the dirt and I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh as she gasped in terror. She groaned the moment her back met the ground, and it was quite the show seeing her shocked face. I clasped my hands around my mouth to stifle my giggles.

“Nice going, Rainbow Crash!” A male voice yelled out in the distance. I turned to the source and saw a trio of guys walking alongside each other from the sidewalk. One of them had chalky blonde hair that covered his eyes and he had a tanned complexion, with a muscular structure. He wore a black muscle shirt with tan cargo shorts and white Nikes.

“Yeah, smooth move, Rainbow Crash!” The second teen called out with a laugh. He had hazel colored hair that stopped at his shoulders and was parted at the center. He was slightly tanned and wore a basketball jersey with matching shorts and black with white Jordans.

I glanced over at the third guy who had a clear smile on his face. He had a build very similar to the blonde, but had skin as white as snow. He had short, but messy obsidian colored hair. He had on a grey pullover with a pair of torn blue jeans and Converse.

My attention fell back at Rainbow Dash, and I saw that she was now sitting up with a look of pure rage embedded in her eyes. She wiped off the dirt on her jeans and flannel and cursed under her breath as she went to sit back down on the swing as if nothing happened. Have those two always bothered her?

“Are you okay, Dashie?” I asked her with a bit of concern as I messed with the end of my jacket. Rainbow Dash’s facial expression changed to a happy one and she looked over at me with a side smile, causing butterflies to explode inside my stomach. She nodded and let out a small chuckle.

“Yeah, I’m fine… I’ve gotten used to those three meatheads. Especially since I’ve known those total jackasses since I was in elementary school. It’s funny how I still get pissed at them for what they –“

“Oh, hey. I know that girl! The pink haired one! That’s the same girl who constantly crashed into people!” I looked over and saw the same three teenagers eyeing me. The silent one pointed a finger over at me, and my face flushed in embarrassment. They muttered a few words to each other, and soon they broke into laughter.

“Hey, Klutzershy! Try not to bump into Rainbow Crash!” I was about to say something to Dash, but as I looked the direction where she had been, she was gone. I frantically searched and finally saw her storming towards the jocks with balled fists. This will NOT end well…

Quickly, I hopped off the swing and followed Rainbow into the parking lot where the group of guys were now at. I would have expected Dash to tell them off, but instead she walked right up to the blonde guy who called me out, and she popped him on the nose. Hard.

He groaned in pain, and soon Rainbow had tackled him to the pavement. I could see his two friends struggling to get the rainbow haired girl off of him. Punch after punch, Rainbow Dash did not let up. She fought relentlessly, and even struck the other two guys with a few agile punches and kicks.

“Don’t… Ever… Call… Her… That… AGAIN!” She shouted, and finished with a punch to the side of his face. I quickly ran over to Rainbow Dash and pulled her off of the blonde, and in the process she fell right on top of me.

Rainbow Dash got up once more in attempt to fight off the other two, but I quickly held both her arms and struggled to keep her put. I glimpsed over at the blonde and noticed his face was severely bruised and cut in different places. Blood dripped from his now broken nose, and fell onto his shirt as he tried to stand up, “What’s wrong, Dumb-Bell? Having trouble there? Leave Fluttershy alone, or else I’ll beat you twice as hard.” Rainbow Dash taunted the blonde, “Dumb-Bell”, and soon began to relax in my grip.

The trio fled together somewhere away from the school, and in a matter of seconds Rainbow cracked up in laughter, “Did you see how awesome I was back there?! You should have seen the look on his face when I punched him. Ha! Classic!” She continued to laugh, and I stared down at her hands. Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed hold of both of her hands.

I turned them over and saw how bruised her knuckles were. Several cuts outlined her knuckles and I heard her hiss out in pain when I poked the wound. I quickly apologized, and looked up at Rainbow Dash. Our eyes locked in place once more, and a noticeable blush painted both of our faces. “U-Um…”

I released her hands and turned away in an attempt to hide my face. A couple seconds passed, and I was terrified that I may have creeped her out. Instead, I heard a chuckle and soon felt a hand on my shoulder that spun me back around.

“Chill… Just in case, I don’t think you’re weird or anything. In fact, you’re the total opposite of it. What you did back there, and just now shows that you care. Thank you for that.” Rainbow Dash flashed me another side smile, and I felt myself trembling with nerves. This girl sure knows how to win someone’s heart…

For a few seconds, a wave of awkwardness washed over us. I had no idea what else to say. Rainbow Dash chuckled then put her arm around my shoulders, and soon we began walking around the park. The whole time, my heart was racing faster than ever before. My hands trembled and I felt my face heat up. Without thinking, I covered my face with both hands and squeaked.

“You okay there, Shy?” Dash’s raspy voice filled my ears and sent shivers down my spine. I nodded whilst keeping my face hidden. Her arm left my shoulders, and I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about it. Rainbow Dash suddenly came to a halt, and I soon felt both her arms wrap themselves around my waist tightly. My eyes shot open and I removed my hands from my face and set them on her shoulders.

My breath got caught in my throat. Is she really hugging me?

I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her neck, and once I did I felt her relax completely. Being wrapped up in her arms felt… Wonderful. Her rainbow hair tickled the side of my face, and I bit my lip to keep myself from smiling like crazy.

“Thanks again for caring back there, Shy… It… Means a lot,” Dash said, with a hint of emotion in her tone. I couldn’t help but wonder what happened that caused her to thank me for caring. I’m sure a lot of people would care for someone like her. Right?

“Oh, it’s not a problem… If you ever need someone to help you with whatever problems you may have, then I’m here.” I replied to her with a smile. She chuckled, and we continued to hug for a few seconds more until she unfortunately pulled away from the hug.

Rainbow Dash’s POV

Hugging Fluttershy felt extremely different than other people. I don’t know why… I couldn’t stop myself from wrapping her up in my arms. It had been several years since I’ve been shown by someone else that they care. I haven’t known Fluttershy for a long time – Hell, it’s only been like two days, but it feels as if she cares for me…

No one else would have stopped me from a fight… But her… What made her stop me? Maybe she just doesn’t want to get in trouble? Maybe she just doesn’t even care. What if she’s just pretending like the others?

No. I highly doubt that. There’s just something about her that’s unique, and somehow I can sense it. She seems like a genuine person. Perhaps even more genuine than my parents ever were to me…

“Let’s head to Sugarcube Corner. It’s this small café where Pinkie Pie works. Every morning we meet up with our friends there,” I suggested, looking over at Fluttershy. She smiled at me and nodded her head. I grinned and soon we walked back to where my motorcycle was parked.

After handing her my spare helmet, we both hopped on and in an instant we were off. Throughout the ride there, I couldn’t help but think about my parents… The same two people who never once gave a damn about Scootaloo and I… And then my mother, who died in a plane crash. We were stranded with my father who was an alcoholic, but still supported all of us with the overwhelming amount of cash he and my mother had earned.

Most days, Scootaloo and I were nothing but scraps of trash to him… Always left in the dirt, never to be picked up.

A tear escaped my left eye and I quickly wiped my face.

Fluttershy… Do you really care?