Fluttershy

Thanks for coming along for dinner, and for giving Winona a good look, too. Ever since you came by, she’s been happier than ever. Right now she’s stood by the west fence barking in the direction of your cottage. I think you’ve made another friend. D’you mind terribly much if I let her out to visit you sometime? I expect you’ll say it’s no trouble, but you’d probably have to bring her back by the scruff from the look of things.

As for what we talked about after dinner? Hoo boy. I guess I owe you an apology. Writing ‘sorry’ is a lot easier than it is saying it in person, and I’m sorry if I acted a hard-head last night.

I get that you and Rainbow Dash go way back. If you’ve got a handle on things and if that’s how the two of you work and that’s something you’re fine with, I won’t stick my snout where it doesn’t belong. I’ve never seen stranger friends, but I’m not one for making enemies either. You make her sound like a stand-up pony, and I hope she knows she’s lucky to count you as a friend. Maybe I’ll be friends with her too, one day, just like you said, but we’ll see.

That's that done with, anyway. Don’t be a stranger. And let’s talk over the fence in the future if you don’t mind. Easier than these letters. I nearly spilled ink over the ledgers writing this out.

Ps: I forgot to mention one thing. If that whole mess was about getting you to do the hymn introducing Princess Celestia at the Summer Sun Celebration, that puts us on the same team! The Apple family’s providing the catering on the occasion, so maybe we’ll run into each other setting up and all.

Pps: Granny Smith says this Summer Sun’s gonna be “a bad’un”. Mind you, she says that every year, so don’t put much stock in it. She wanted me to tell that to “that pretty young filly without a voice to her muzzle”.

-AJ

Rainbow Dash couldn’t beat Phoreni’s score, much less that of the lithe stag who scored eighty-four points later. If she took the time to match their throws, she couldn’t beat their laps, and if she gave the running her all, she threw wide every time. She never came close to their totals. When she went for a second run right away, nobody batted an eyebrow, but after her fourth go in a row, Phoreni suggested they maybe take a tour of the other games before returning.

They went back for another shot every once in awhile, but there were a lot of other games, too. More than they’d initially seen, in fact. Some contests didn’t require much space, relegated to the edges of the platform, and some games were only now being rigged up. Wherever they were, the games usually had the same problem: Even if they let entrants of all sizes and ages play, a peryton with freaky magic and twice Dash’s body mass always had the advantage when wings were out of the question.

The peryton didn’t seem as concerned with winning, either, and maybe that was an advantage as well. It certainly ruined Dash’s concentration. She winced as she felt her hindleg touch the bar, landing on the soft stack of mats a moment later. She’d failed her high jump again. Rainbow Dash groaned and flopped over on her other side. Fluttershy and Phoreni walked towards her. Khyrast and Rarity were probably still off getting a meal somewhere.

“I’m sure you’ll make it next time,” said Fluttershy, offering a hoof to help her up. Dash ignored it, rolling off the mats to stand.

“It doesn’t matter. My target was a full hoof lower than what the others are jumping, and almost two lower than the record!” said Dash. “I bet I would’ve done better at that weird sand-run if the weights actually fit my body.”

Phoreni nodded slowly. “You may have. Your endurance is not lacking, but I again urge you to think on the fact that winning is a target, but also unimportant. One tries to win, but it is not the goal, not the thing to be gained.”

Rainbow Dash had heard a million variants of that over the course of the day. Though the sun waned, Phoreni was not out of new ways to try to tell her that the games were supposed to be about fun and celebration and all that other stuff. Dash nodded and shrugged. “I know.” Of course she knew, and she was having fun, but winning was what Rainbow Dash did. Just like Rarity did Rarity things, and Fluttershy—

“Hey, Fluttershy. You gonna give this a go?” Dash asked as an afterthought.

“Oh. I don’t… think so? I think I’m alright, that’s fine,” said Fluttershy, her eyes remaining on the jump target. Rainbow Dash gave her a long look.

Fluttershy had seemed content to watch for most of the day. Dash could probably convince her otherwise, and it’d be awesome to see Fluttershy give it a try—especially if she gave it her all like she’d done at the game of circles—but pushing the issue might just make Fluttershy unhappy. She looked fine right now, but things were better if Fluttershy could be more than fine. They’d have to find something Fluttershy wanted to do, later.

“That’s cool,” said Dash. She grinned at the memory of Fluttershy’s first attempt of the day. “Hey, you had the record at circles for a few minutes!”

Fluttershy’s smile fell a little bit. Her eyes lingered on the high jump for a moment before she gave Dash her full attention, nodding. “I did, but I don’t think that counts for much, really.” She gave a weak giggle.

“That’s more than I managed,” Dash laughed. “Maybe there’s time to give it one more go?”

Phoreni craned her neck to look past the peryton who moved about. There seemed to be a lot more movement now than before. “Do I believe you have time for another attempt? I do not think that you do. Sunset comes, and with the horn at sundown, the joust. Let us be swift and find our friends. Good seats are a treasure.”

It was about as energetic as Phoreni had been so far. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances as they followed their peryton friend around, finally finding Rarity and Khyrast by one of the tunnel exits. The two of them had brought food, and in twice as much of a hurry now, the two locals led them towards the central arena.

The biggest single area of the Sunwise Run was another few steps down from the main games floor. It was easy to see why they had chosen the endurance running arena for the joust they kept going on about: The large, unmarked oval space was visible from the outer steps as well as its closer, inner stairs, giving peryton ample choice of seats with good view.

All those seats were needed, too, now that the other games ended. More peryton flocked in from the tunnels, and the edges were cleared to let more of the Ephydoerans land, many shaking wet off their wings or picking branches out from their feathers.

Minutes later, the group sat on the lower part of the inner stairs, just behind most of the younger peryton. Dash would’ve considered complaining about being stuck with the children if it wasn’t so necessary. She shifted a little to the side so one of the few adults in front didn’t block her view—not that there was a lot to look at just yet.

“Now what?” asked Dash. She leaned over and grabbed one of the roots Rarity and Khyrast had brought for snacks.

“Now we wait for everyone to get seated,” said Phoreni.

“Careful, dear,” said Rarity. “They’re meant to be scraped with your teeth, They’re much too hard to be bitten and chewed.”

“I knew that,” said Dash, pausing her efforts to bite off a piece of the root. “But where do we sign up? Is there a games master?”

Phoreni shook her head. “A games master? Nothing so formal. Those who have ideas, challenges, thoughts, stories, or something to show will do so. The only true formality is the speech at the horn.” She gave Khyrast a long look, and the other peryton took a draught of water before he stood. He seemed oddly stiff even for an Ephydoeran in that moment.

“I dread this moment every year, you must know,” said Khyrast, stretching his neck side to side.

“I am aware you do not love it,” replied Phoreni. “I am also confident you will add to Helesseia’s tales with your gifts.”

“You’re giving a speech?” asked Fluttershy. “Oh dear. There’s an awful lot of people. Um, good luck?”

“I am, and thank you. I and some others will speak,” said Khyrast. “The High Warden, the First Nurse, the First Forager, the Tender and all others who will speak as a matter of tradition.” He shook his head and carefully made his way through the thickening crowd, heading for the center. It was easy to pick out a dozen or so other peryton who made way for the arena. Dash recognised the one painted peryton as the High Warden—or pretended to, anyway. It didn’t matter.

Finally the last of the daylight disappeared. The exact moment of the sunset was unclear under all these leaves, but that, Dash assumed, was what the horn was for. From the center of the Grove sounded a weird, long noise that could easily have been a strange bird’s call except for its volume. The oddest, hoarsest—and only—bird-horn Dash had ever heard.

With the darkness settling in full, the luminescent plants around the Grove that Dash had almost forgotten about became a lot more apparent. The luminescent mosses, berries and vines glowed twice as bright as last night, to say nothing of the colourful lanterns from the galleries and branches all around them. In a long moment, the Sunwise Run was transformed into a prismatic protest against the darkness, and a hush went over the crowd. The peryton in the center of arena formed an outwards-facing circle.

“The Brush Games,” said the High Warden. “Are a story of how far we have come. Are we the creatures we once were, that we barely remember, struggling to elevate ourselves above—”

Dash zoned out. Her eyes glazed over, and her desire to pretend to be asleep was tempered only by the fear that she might blink and wake up tomorrow to find the games were over, her chance to compete lost. Instead, she chanced a very subtle ahem, trying to catch Phoreni’s attention. Phoreni glanced down at her.

“Hey, so, don’t we need antlers?” Dash whispered. “How am I gonna—”

“We would listen to this,” said Phoreni, cutting her off. “It is tradition.” The peryton fastened her eyes back on the speakers. Dash took a deep breath and sighed. Some other unpainted peryton spoke now.

“—the dual nature, these games held where earth meets sky—”

Nope, still boring and infinitely less important than the question of how she was going to win if she couldn’t wrestle with antlers. Yes, sure, it wasn’t an actual fight. Dash got that. Fighting friends wasn’t cool any way you shook it, but even if it was just a little bit of wrestling, she didn’t have the right equipment.

Fluttershy moved a little closer, placing her saddlebags in front of Rainbow Dash. Dash had nearly forgotten that Fluttershy had done some unexplained shopping earlier. It was almost enough to distract her.

“Fluttershy, if you had fun shopping and all, that’s cool—” said Dash, lowering her voice a tad when Rarity hushed her and glared, “—but unless you got me a pair of antlers—”

“I got two pairs of antlers,” whispered Fluttershy, pushing the saddlebags open to reveal two pairs of antlers.

“You got two pairs of antlers,” said Dash.

“I did,” Fluttershy replied, sounding and looking almost as confused as Dash felt. Confused or excited. Confused and excited? She couldn’t tell. The two pegasi stared at the antlers for a quiet moment, their presence as sudden and absurd as the time Pinkie Pie procured the hoof-paint kit at the last Royal Dinner—but a lot more convenient.

“—take a moment to look ahead? We will do this, but also stand frozen for a moment and tell the stories of this day and its infinite truths—” drifted Khyrast’s high-pitched, almost doe-like voice past the pegasi.

“Seriously, what the hay, Fluttershy,” said Dash, unable to keep the laughter from her voice as she opened the saddlebags further to find delicate, ornate harnesses attached to the antlers.

“When Phoreni told me about the joust, I asked her how ponies would compete without antlers, and she said that the antler-locking was really important to the joust,” Fluttershy whispered, pulling out the other set of antlers, a matching pair like the first, both in wood with swirling patterns painted in a forest green.

“Since these games are so important to them, they make these for peryton who lose their antlers, or are born without them. That’s not a lot of peryton, but they care a lot about giving everyone a chance to compete.” She ran her hoof along one of the antlers’ lengths, smiling at it.

Dash nodded appreciatively. That was cool of the peryton, of course. Almost as cool as having a set of antlers of her own. She grinned wide and tried to put on a pair, thrusting her head into the harness and fidgeting with the straps. Fluttershy had gotten two pairs, though. Maybe they were prone to breaking? Dash looked at the other pair, then at Fluttershy, and she hadn’t meant to ask a question. Hay, she didn’t even know what the question was, but Fluttershy answered anyway.

“I got two pairs,” Fluttershy whispered, smiling. “Just in case.”

“Awesome,” replied Dash. “Hey, help me out here.”

Fluttershy nodded and leaned in close, but it still took a little work before they had it properly secured so it wouldn’t shift about when Dash turned her head. Phoreni didn’t say much, probably both because she was listening to the speeches and because she already knew Fluttershy had these, but Dash would be lying if she didn’t admit that she enjoyed the weird looks Rarity gave them. By the time the speeches finished and the peryton all stomped their approval in a low, politely floor-shaking applause, Dash had a brand spanking new pair of antlers.

“How do I look?” asked Dash, smirking. “Best-looking peryton ever, or best-looking peryton ever?” She looked up trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of her antler-tips and froze when something poked her in the back of her neck. Her own antlers, of course. Fluttershy giggled, and Dash tilted her head to try to tickle Fluttershy with her new headgear. Fluttershy scrambled away with a yelp.

“You look ridiculous, stunning, or possibly both,” declared Rarity, shaking her head through a smile before she looked to Phoreni. “Are you sure this will be alright? And safe?”

“Don’t sweat it, jeez, she said it’s fine,” Dash said.

“Is there a chance of injury? A risk as small or great as any day. Unless you wish to hurt or be hurt, you will not be hurt,” said Phoreni. She nodded in the direction of Khyrast who forged his way back to the group. “And here comes the speaker,” Phoreni added.

“Ask if I am pleased with my performance, and I will tell I am pleased to be done for another year,” said Khyrast, sitting down next to Phoreni, his eyes on Dash with an unabashed smile of his own. “And I see we have young peryton among us, ready to take to the joust.”

“Can I just head right in there? Who do I fight?” asked Dash. She bucked the air and gave a little whoop.

“I think perhaps some lessons are in order, first,” said Phoreni, eyeing Dash’s hindlegs.

“Jousting lesson? Hey, are wardens good at this? Sign me up!” Dash said with a cheer.

Phoreni snorted. “Any child can lower her head and charge at someone with intent to harm. Sit and let others joust. Learn before you act.”

Rainbow Dash felt all the energy she’d built up, all the spirit with which she’d charged her body sink down to rest at the bottom of her hooves. “Right. Lame learning,” said Dash, slumping back down to sit.

“First, the challenge, the declaration of intent,” said Phoreni. In the distance, some of the peryton stood up, and both Phoreni and Khyrast did the same. All around them, seated and lying peryton rose to stand on all fours—children and adults—a large portion of all the peryton gathered at the Sunwise Run standing tall as if called by some unheard signal.

“We show our willingness to join the joust. Few of us will joust under this moon, but to stand is to show that desire, to be marked. Is it weakness not to stand? Not at all, but for many it is personal pride. See how many of the young ones rise.”

Phoreni actually smiled as she talked, animated and displaying sharp teeth in what Dash had long since taken to understand was peryton showing they were pleased. Part of Dash found it odd that Phoreni explained when Khyrast was the teacher of the pair, but her thoughts were scattered a second later when the peryton spread their wings.

The sound of hundreds upon hundreds of peryton spreading their wings, though they were neither synchronised nor hurried, was one of the strangest things Dash had heard in all her life. While far from loud, the vast, echoing rustle filled the air in a way that made her coat-hairs stand on end.

“All who are marked,” said Phoreni, her voice low and her eyes straight ahead, “stand ready with conviction in the stories they wish to tell. In the message they wish to send. In the pride they wish to show.”

Rainbow Dash meant to say something, but her words were whisked away by the faint unnatural breeze that the shifting wings sent about her, air displaced by a thousand wings like an earthquake caused by a million shrugs. She meant to stand as well, but she couldn’t make herself break the spell. Nothing moved any longer. She only barely managed to look at her friends and note that they stared at the sea of peryton wings just like her, wide-eyed and breathless.

The peryton rarely spread their wings unless they were flying, but now the ponies were surrounded by brown, grey and white wings, of colourful male feathers, of painted wings touching and overlapping. Wings spread among the trees and in the galleries, wings back-lit by lanterns white and coloured, and wings nearly lost in the darkness, countless peryton all staring across the empty arena. Was this a contest, too? Rainbow Dash could read neither Phoreni nor the huge crowd.

“All of us who stand would joust,” Phoreni said under her breath, more quiet still. “But will we stand for hours until our legs give way? We will cede ground without shame.” Khyrast furled his wings and sat. He was one of the first to do so, but soon, many of the others followed suit. More and more wings packed up and peryton sat or lay down until most of them talked quietly among themselves. Phoreni sat down as well.

“So whomever stands at the end ‘fights’?” whispered Rarity, her gaze still roaming the crowd. Quite a few still stood, but the number of wings on display dwindled.

“Not always,” said Phoreni, taking a drink from one of their water-bowls. Dash shook her head to clear her mind, reminded that food and water were things. She grabbed some leaves from a bowl Phoreni had procured from somewhere while the warden explained. Dash avoided spearing Rarity with her antlers when she made for the food, which was a nice plus. How did the peryton manage to avoid getting stuck everywhere?

“If two who are unfamiliar stand in the end, they are likely prideful, and will joust,” Phoreni continued, though Dash couldn’t tell if that was a yes or a no for Rarity. “If two groups remain, perhaps they will all march for the center and joust. If two who know each other stand, ready to joust as friends, and one lone peryton has the will to joust as well, the lone one will cede ground—look now, this is what is happening.”

At the inner ring, near the very front of the arena, a large grey-white doe stood with her wings spread in full next to a small child with tiny wings flared. Across the arena, and not far away from the ponies, two lithe peryton stood a small distance apart, and one by one, the two lone challengers furled their wings and sat. Only then did the doe and the child step into the arena.

“It will be a story of a storm weathered,” muttered Khyrast. “It is a good opening. With no Brush Games last year, this will be the first joust for many children, and something familiar is wise.” He shook his head slightly. “Sharos places a lot of faith in her youngest, however. He does not have many seasons to his name.”

“He will win, I am sure of it,” retorted Phoreni. “Her fawn is brave.”

“Is… is she going to fight her own colt? Or, her own child, I mean,” Fluttershy asked, clutching her mane with a foreleg.

“It must be some kind of play,” said Rarity, placing a hoof on Fluttershy’s side, though she sounded unsure. “Surely?”

“You are both correct. This is why you will learn before you joust,” said Phoreni without looking at them. If it was a stab at Dash’s eagerness, the comment barely grazed her, and she neither asked nor protested: Dash was busy watching, still riding the high of the energy displayed during the weird and awesome stand-off a moment ago when the joust began.

The little stag was the tiniest peryton Rainbow Dash had seen yet. His walk was unsteady on legs too large for his body, and he kept looking up at his mother as they slowly made their way to the center of the arena. The adult, by contrast, had striking colours for a doe. Her greys and whites were sharp and the colours barely blended at all. She was tall and powerfully built, head held high as she marched the child into the middle of the clear space, only looking down at the fawn when she turned to face him. The size difference was immense. He could’ve comfortably nested in her antlers.

The doe stomped the ground hard. Dash heard Fluttershy’s sharp inhale at the sudden move, and there were scattered gasps among the younger peryton seated in front of them. The fawn stiffened in fright, but he lowered his barely-formed antlers in response. A moment later came the crowd’s reply.

First, a single stomp, and then another. The hooves fell in with each other, taking up a slow beat nearly perfectly in synch. Dash looked around to see if she could spot who had started it, but it came from everywhere. Down in the arena, the doe now walked great circles around the fawn, and he turned on the spot to keep facing her. She completed a half circle, and moved in to stomp again. Thud. She used both forelegs this time. Another half circle. Still he followed her. Thud. She moved closer with each stomp, with each circle, putting more of her body into it.

The rhythm sped up ever so slightly. The steps gained half-steps. Thud thud thud. Thud thud thud. The doe sped up. Did the crowd speed up in response to the doe? Did the doe speed up to match the stomps? Rainbow Dash couldn’t tell.

“He wavers,” said Khyrast.

“He will hold,” said Phoreni.

Soon, the doe could make her circles no tighter, could move no faster. She bounced from forelegs to hind-claws in a mad dance around her child until she came to a stop stood above the little fawn. Rainbow Dash could see his disproportionate hindlegs shaking, but still he kept his antlers facing her. The crowd’s hoof-stomps had become a steady rumble now, still building, impossibly fast, impossibly loud, no longer sound but a feeling, a tide. The doe leapt back and lowered her body to the ground, coiled like a spring.

She charged forward. Her antlers and her legs flashed bright with magic, and she spread her wings. Even from where Dash sat, it made for an imposing sight, and the pegasus sat frozen, barely noticing Fluttershy’s iron grip around one of her forelegs.

The doe halted her charge not in front of, but on top of the fawn. The rhythm ceased. The echo of her hooves slamming down on either side of the child reverberated endlessly. The fawn stood unmoved, and all sound died.

“He held,” said Khyrast, nodding slowly to himself. He leaned down to grab one of the snack-roots.

“I said he would hold,” said Phoreni. “He may take the paint one day.” They sounded far away. On the other side of the crowd, a whistling noise started up, and though Dash saw the open-mouthed stag who made the sound, it took her a second to accept that it was a peryton who… sang? It stirred a memory of something she’d once heard—the hollow sound of wind through a fallen log, but deeper—and he was soon joined by another, this one higher pitched but still wordless, both tones changing in ways that made song even though it shouldn’t have.

In the arena, the doe ran in great circles again, this time slowly and with her head low. The stag followed, running to keep pace. She tossed her head, unfurled and re-furled her wings, all to this strange whistling two-toned tune. After she’d made a full lap, she stopped, as did the stag. The large doe reared up, then lowered herself ever so slowly, leaning forward to touch her antlers to the nubs on the stag’s head, chest heaving with breath as she did so.

The stag flicked his head, awkwardly bumping his snout against her antlers in a pantomime of a toss. The mother pulled back a little to avoid tangling her child in her antlers and reared up again, this time to fall over on her side. The instant her large body crashed to the ground, the song ended.

After a moment of silence, hooves hit wood again, this time in applause. The doe walked away, and the child followed. It was over. Dash blinked heavily. Rarity rubbed at her eyes. Fluttershy was glued to Dash’s side. Rainbow Dash could feel the coat of Fluttershy’s chest against her own with each breath.

Rainbow Dash cleared her suddenly dry throat. “That was... okay, I guess. The ending was lame though,” she said, tapping her one free foreleg on the ground, joining with the last of the applause.

“Very much reminiscent like a silent play,” said Rarity, nodding at her own words before she looked to their hosts, smiling. “You should come visit Canterlot some day and see some of the plays put on at the Royal Theatre. Some of their pieces are almost as intimate as this.”

“But you sounded like you didn’t know how it would end,” Fluttershy said, frowning at Phoreni and Khyrast.

“Was this all preordained?” asked Phoreni, tilting her head. “He could have broken. He could have run in fear. There is no point in acting out what is already decided. Any joust has at least two possible outcomes. Any story has infinite endings.”

Khyrast nodded. “The mother is the storm, raging against the child, but never touching. If the child is brave, she will let herself be wrestled to the ground, but young children often balk at facing down their parents’ fury.”

“Even as an act, that looked terrifying,” breathed Fluttershy.

“Is it an act?” Phoreni shrugged. “She loves her young one, but if trying to break her child’s composure is an act, if there is no sincerity in her movement, there is no purpose.”

“So they actually were fighting,” said Dash, trying to wrap her head around it. “Just not… like, with their antlers and stuff.”

Rarity looked thoughtful at that, saying no more, but Phoreni nodded. “I think you begin to understand. Or, I now understand what it is you did not understand before. I agree with your words, though I find them an inelegant explanation. Watch now, more stand to be marked. We will sit this time.”

Rainbow Dash spotted the two lonely peryton across the arena, both standing with their wings flared again. Groups and single peryton rose, far fewer in number now. A stag next to the ponies and their friends stood, but sat down again almost immediately. This time, the two peryton on the far side did not let themselves be cowed, and after a minute, all others were back on the ground. The drumming of hooves started up even before the two stags reached the arena, both flexing colourful feathers in the multicoloured light of the Run.

“Lovers, do you think?” asked Phoreni, glancing over at Khyrast. “They are young.”

“I remember one as a student,” Khyrast said with a snort and a smile. “Dothast. His fire burns strongest without. If they are lovers, I expect we will see him joust every summer until he learns balance, and if there are any to be hurt this joust, it is him.”

If there was a ‘story’ to be read in these two stags and their joust, Rainbow Dash couldn’t see it at first. They met in the centre, touched their antlers together, and backed off before moving towards each other again, clashing at a slow trot. Their antlers met with a clack. To the slow and steady drumming of hooves, the stags circled each other, making long runs around the oval arena.

“I don’t get it,” said Dash.

“A lovers’ quarrel?” hazarded Rarity.

“They don’t seem to be very angry, or fighting very hard,” Fluttershy said, letting go of Dash’s foreleg. “Thank goodness.”

Slowly, Fluttershy’s words became a lie. Just like the doe and her child, their joust sped up, and their clashes became faster, stronger, harsher. Dash felt Fluttershy’s wing snake around her side and saw Rarity bunch up with Fluttershy too—and in truth, she felt a little uneasy herself. What had began as a slow and boring act of synchronised moves gained an edge of violence. Phoreni shifted to sit up straight rather than laze with a hindleg under her body.

“Jousts between lovers are a good way to find that no petty quarrel is worth fighting over,” said Phoreni, frowning ever so slightly. “No issue is worth losing love to, and the participants are safe in knowing none can tell whether it is a quarrel today or a reenactment of one from the past opened up to new endings.”

“So you can’t tell if it’s a story or if it’s real?” asked Dash.

“How are the two different?” replied Khyrast, but before the pegasus could comment, Khyrast shifted the way he sat as well. Were both Phoreni and Khyrast ready to get up and intervene? The lovers had just run the entire arena lengthwise at a canter before clashing, and now they stood opposite one another again, heads lowered. One of the stags’ antlers glowed bright, magic working its way to hoof and wing.

Dash could feel the tension in the air. The stag who charged himself with magic broke into a run, and a few peryton in the audience stood up. When had the drumming stopped? It didn’t matter. Only one of the peryton charged. The other moved towards the contestant—his foe?—at a slow walk, and the runner noticed when he hit the center unopposed. The aggressive one slowed down, tossing and shaking his head before he lowered it to the ground. Dash let out a breath at the anticlimax.

When the two stags met and locked antlers for the last time, it was at a subdued walk. They tangled their antlers with each other and wrestled without strength. They didn’t push or pull at each other, didn’t try to force the other down. In fact—

“It almost looks like a hug,” whispered Fluttershy breathlessly.

“I think their eyes are closed,” Rarity whispered back. Dash didn’t have much to say, but part of her felt like she shouldn’t be watching this, like she was supposed to be embarrassed at witnessing something private. It didn’t last very long anyway. The two stags disentangled their antlers, and the one who had charged lay down before the other for a moment before the pair headed for the edge of the crowd together. This time, the applause was less immediate, building up slowly to a roar.

“And that was… good?” Dash asked.

“It wasn’t very complicated,” opined Rarity. “But a little drama never goes amiss. I certainly appreciated it.”

Khyrast chuckled with a caw low under his breath as the applause came to an end. “You have a keen eye, or make a good guess. Some would call this cheap or simple drama. Do I enjoy it? At times, but you must understand, Ephydoera missed its last games and are hungry for any story.”

“Alright,” said Dash, bouncing up on all fours. “Anything else I should know?”

“Only one thing: know to sit,” said Phoreni, shaking her head. “The evening is young.”

Time passed quickly as they watched peryton joust. It wasn’t that Rainbow Dash minded watching, but she really wanted to give it a try herself. They saw more ‘stories’, but not all of them were immediately recognisable as such. The ones that had peryton acting out scenes and roles made the most sense, even if they sometimes had surprising ends.

Phoreni explained and narrated as friends and families bonded, grudges were settled, and strangers sought new experiences. Finally they got to see contestants who made serious attempt at wrestling each other to the ground, and they must have seen at least two dozen of the jousts when Dash’s patience wore too thin to keep her down. When the peryton from the previous round were getting seated, Dash stood.

“Still impatient,” said Phoreni, though it didn’t sound like a reprimand. “Perhaps it is time for you ponies to tell us one your own stories.”

Dash grinned. “Stories nothing, I wanna show them my stuff!”

Phoreni nodded and smiled faintly at that. “You saying this does not make us disagree. You come here with a story, that of strangers come to visit from afar. None here know what to make of you, and when you joust, you show us something of yourself even were you to try not to.”

“Works for me,” said Dash with a shrug, but she was the only one of the three ponies standing. She glanced at Rarity, who shook her head before Dash even asked.

“I doubt those antlers would fit around my horn, but I won’t lie, dear. I have no interest, either,” said the unicorn.

“Alright, sure,” said Dash. She took a deep breath before she looked to Fluttershy, finding the other pegasus silent, eyes on the arena and on the crowd rather than her. As they watched the sheer variety of jousts on display, both Rarity and Fluttershy had obviously enjoyed themselves more and more. Nothing had been as violent as the two lovers in the second round, and Fluttershy didn’t cling to her as they watched anymore.

Rainbow Dash had thought on it a little more, too: Fluttershy probably hadn’t gotten two pairs of antlers just in case one of them broke. Dash had probably always known that.

“It doesn’t look that scary any more, really,” said Fluttershy with the beginnings of a smile despite her breathlessness. “Some of them seemed to treat it like a dance more than a fight. Oh, but there are ever so many people watching, though.”

She bought two pairs of antlers just in case, Fluttershy had said. She just hadn’t said in case what. In case she wanted to join, of course. Or in case Rainbow Dash convinced her to join. What was the difference?

Rainbow Dash could tell what would happen, even if she didn’t exactly know why she knew. Maybe it was something in Fluttershy’s voice, her posture, or maybe the way she said those words. Whatever the case, Dash would ask Fluttershy straight up if she wanted to come. Not just because she’d asked Rarity. She’d ask Fluttershy because Dash truly wanted her to come along.

“Hey, d’you want in?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy wouldn’t sound convinced. There were a lot of people watching, and that was a big deal for Fluttershy. Dash knew that. Did she sound like she wanted to give it a go if she could get past that one little fact, though? Maybe she did. In fact, Rainbow Dash would bet on it. Part of Fluttershy did want to try.

“Um, I don’t know,” said Fluttershy, scuffing at the ground. Her ears were half-cocked, and she shrank in on herself a tad as her eyes flitted around, taking in the sheer size of the crowd. Still, she didn’t say no, either, and there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

Next, Dash would tell her that she should do it anyway—

“Hey, that’s cool, whatever you wanna do. If you just want to watch, that’s fine,” said Dash instead, looking away and ahead. “You gotta cheer really loud though,” she added.

No. There was no point. Dash knew how it’d go. She would tell Fluttershy she should come along anyway. Fluttershy would say she didn’t want to. Rainbow Dash would point out that she should do it because Dash thought she did want to. Fluttershy would refuse, Dash would insist, and at some point Fluttershy would either say yes or say no. Fluttershy would be scared out of her wits, at least until she forgot about worrying and started having fun.

If she ever did, in fact, really have fun. If Rainbow Dash was right in guessing she would like to come along.

Rainbow Dash was pretty sure that this moment wasn’t at all like when Fluttershy had refused to join her on the stage in Stagrum, but did that really matter? If they could do stuff like the walk yesterday, or like playing with the snickersnouts—if they could hang out without Dash having to see Fluttershy sad and worried, wasn’t that just better for both of them? They were girlfriends now. Who was to say Fluttershy didn’t go along with all this stuff just to amuse Rainbow Dash?

Was she responsible for all the pain she’d caused Fluttershy?

Rainbow Dash clenched her eyes shut. She lost track of things two or three steps ago, and she knew she was being dramatic. Fluttershy wasn’t in pain over being persuaded to fly a stupid cart over a brook or whatever else, and they’d always been close friends. She obviously wasn’t ruining Fluttershy’s life, but if she could just stop pushing Fluttershy altogether, so much the better and easier.

“Okay,” said Fluttershy, her voice quiet even for her. Her ears were wilted now, splayed to each side. “Good luck,” she added, pushing at the remaining antler-harness. “I think I’ll just watch, then.”

“That’s cool,” said Dash, stretching her neck side to side. “I’ll go alone, I guess.”

This blew. She wanted to try a proper joust, but she also really wanted to see Fluttershy in the arena. Maybe both at the same time. Playing around with Fluttershy would have been awesome, but what kind of pony pushed her girlfriend around to do something she might not want to do?

“A lone stranger with something to prove,” said Phoreni.

“There is purity in a display of skill,” agreed Khyrast. At least, he sounded like he agreed.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and tried to put her mind to the task. All around, peryton stood and spread their wings, but she could barely get her wings away from her body. Dash bit her tongue and tried again. Even if she wasn’t ready to fly, she had to be able to spread the wings to join the joust, at least. Her main joints refused to cooperate. “Come on,” she hissed.

“Let me,” said Khyrast. Without warning, he stood and spread his great wings. In a flash, he furled them again, but the gesture got attention. “That,” he said, “will alert them to your presence. See now that you have many who wish to tell the story of one who meets a civilised stranger for the first time. Stand until one remains.”

Phoreni rolled her jaw, eyes scanning the crowd. “Most are young. They do not know what to make of a stranger. They will think you a child for your size. I will offer this: If you are insulted, sit and let the shadows cool your head.”

Just like Khyrast had said, many more rose up after they were made aware of Rainbow Dash. Dash snorted hot air and remained standing. They could think what they wanted. If they thought size mattered, they had another thing coming. She was used to that.

“Rainbow Dash, do play nice,” said Rarity, and Dash grinned back in response to her dubious look.

“Of course I’ll be nice,” said Dash. “I’m not a sore winner.”

Rainbow Dash’s hooves still itched at the idea that they might think her some little filly, and that the last peryton standing was small-ish didn’t help matters. Her annoyance didn’t last, though. The doe was small only for a peryton, and still stood a fair bit larger than her. Like most of the Ephydoerans, her opponent looked well-built and strong.

Opponent. Partner. Foe. Whichever it was, Dash knew that she herself was going to win. That was probably what the doe thought too, right? If she’d stood still until all others gave up, she must’ve really wanted to face Dash. The tricoloured peryton doe leaned forward, and Dash did the same, their antlers meeting in an awkward tap. The straps held her antlers in place well enough.

“Our meeting will be told in Helesseia and Selyria’s stories,” said the blank-faced doe, catching Dash by surprise. Did they all say something before they went at it? She shrugged, knowing what she’d say in Equestria, at least.

“Good luck. May the best pony win,” retorted Dash with a grin. She pulled back and trotted as far away as she could while the doe did the same. Most of the spats and the grudges had started like this, with a simple clash from a lengthwise run. When she reached the end of the arena, she almost missed her cue to move, startled by how different the drumming sounded from down here. The echo of hundreds of hooves on wood shook the arena ever so slightly.

The doe trotted towards her in a straight line. Was her opening run slower than the others? Was she going easy on her? Dash snorted and moved to match—except faster. She kicked it up a notch or two right off the bat. If they thought she was just a joke, she wanted to dispel that notion right away. She hadn’t won a single game all day, and it was time to change that. She caught a look of open surprise on the doe’s face when Dash lowered her head at the last second and launched herself forward.

Dash felt her brain rattle around inside her head with the impact. All sound was blotted out by the feeling of ramming her head into a wall. Fortunately, she had a lot of experience with that. Rainbow Dash tried to twist her head and drag the doe down, but the peryton expertly disentangled her antlers and pulled back, making Dash stumble and nearly fall. The drumming lost its rhythm for a second, and she could see a few peryton stand up.

Was it a protest? Were they going to try to stop them? Dash looked around in confusion—she hadn’t meant to go at it that hard.

Only when the doe began moving again did the hoof-stomps regain their composure, bundled together in a tight rhythm. Now the doe circled the center of the arena, and Dash didn’t really plan what to do next. She was forced to move by the threat of the doe running behind her, by the rhythm that needed her hoof-steps to be complete. Still reeling, her cheeks burning after her blunder, Dash didn’t have time to think. Like she held strings connected to her hooves, the doe was in control of Dash’s movement.

Was she? Why would she think that? Dash could stop any time she wanted, of course, but when the doe widened her circle and upped her pace a little, Dash had to do the same to keep her eyes on her. There was no magic at play here beyond the rhythm, but there was only ever one move that made sense, and that was to match what the doe did. When she cut through the invisible circle outlined by their moves, Dash did the same thing, and they met again. Clack.

Again Dash twisted her head, and the doe wrestled back. She was strong. Stronger than Dash. This time Dash pulled back, and now she was in the lead. Rainbow Dash widened the circle further, ran a little faster and farther, but when they were far apart, she slowed. She didn’t obey the rhythm any more—the rhythm followed her. Dash moved in again, but she didn’t run straight at the doe. Too obvious. Instead she darted left, right, left, running an obstacle course between the watchers’ stomps.

The doe followed—in her own way. Where Rainbow Dash darted left and right, kicking off the ground sideways, the doe made the moves more sinuous, snake-like, a constant wave, and Dash noticed her own movements smoothing out to match. When they met again, it was slower than Dash had intended, coming in from matching turns. Rainbow Dash tested her strength again, and she was still no match. The doe let her take a step forward and almost pulled her to the ground. Dash took a step back and tried to mimic the move, but she could no more move the doe than she could buck rain from a tree. They pulled apart again.

Someone started singing. One, two, three voices called into the night, a multi-toned coarse whistling that could just as easily have been the wind. Opposite her, the doe turned and Dash had to do the same. They circled counterclockwise now, their eyes still locked. The doe’s small, dark orbs were unreadable and her face expressionless, but her movement spoke, as did the way her chest moved with breath. She upped the speed. Did she enjoy this as much as Rainbow Dash?

And what the hay was this? Were they dancing or fighting? Dash didn’t have room for the question in her mind right now. She kicked off into a gallop and decided for the both of them: this very second, it was a race. Rainbow Dash chased after the doe, grinning in triumph when the doe’s antlers flashed. Her peryton partner had to use magic to keep up, but now they were matched. Once Dash realised this, they both stopped.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t tell whose idea that was. The song continued, but the rhythm had stopped. She’d seen this before. The time had come to end this. They faced each other, and they were close. When had their circles become so tight?

Dash ran at her. Neither of them ran very fast, but when they met, the sound of antlers on wooden antlers kicked the hoof-stomps into action again, a pulse-pounding rhythm that drummed faster and faster. The doe pushed and twisted. Dash let the push slide off her, broke the lock and dashed to the side, meeting her antlers again from a different angle. Dash pushed back, but the peryton dug every claw of her talons into the ground. This was a dance no longer. The doe gave no ground.

Again the doe pushed, as Dash had known she would. Dash knew she couldn’t beat her for sheer strength—but she could let the doe think she was stupid enough to think she could. Rainbow Dash shoved as though she was ready to meet the doe with all her might. The doe responded by redoubling her efforts, her antlers glowing as she pushed back again.

Dash was ready for it. She stepped back as fast as she could without breaking contact. She let the doe push towards Dash’s smaller form, guiding her down to the ground, turning her head and pinning the peryton doe to the floor, overbalancing her. The doe teetered on her left side legs for a moment that stretched on and on. The song halted, the final note echoing, lingering. Finally, the doe fell onto her side with a crash.

The drumming of hooves didn’t stop. It smoothly broke into applause, a rolling roar of stomps indistinguishable from each other. Rainbow Dash felt her heart swell with the noise of her victory. The sound of winning. It lasted all of three seconds, until she looked up into the stands to find Phoreni, Khyrast, Rarity and Fluttershy all applauding as well.

She stood frozen for a moment, her breath slowly settling. The doe got up and said something to her, and Dash replied—she probably said thanks for the game or better luck next time or something stupid. She instantly forgot. Dash made her way back towards her friends, the thrill of the win blunted as surely as if she’d flown into a mountain.

Rainbow Dash swallowed hard and breathed out through her nose as she slipped between the spectating peryton. This time she actually got some curious looks. If they had underestimated her before, perhaps she commanded a little respect now? Dash desperately wished she cared about that. Instead, she failed to understand why it felt so bad to do the right thing. She had resisted pushing Fluttershy to do some stupid joust, and she won. Why didn’t she feel good about that?

Phoreni talked to Dash. Rather, she talked at Dash, but Dash’s mind outraced the words. Would she feel good if Fluttershy headed down for a joust right now?

“You should give it a go,” said Dash, forcing a smile for Fluttershy. She shifted the saddlebag with the other pair of antlers towards her, but Fluttershy shook her head slightly.

“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy with a wan smile. “I don’t think I want to.”

“Yeah. Guess there’s a lot of people down there, huh?” said Dash, and all she received in reply was a silent nod from Fluttershy. She knew with absolute certainty that she could have convinced Fluttershy to go along with it earlier, but now the moment had passed.

“It was an excellent joust,” Phoreni said, her eyes on the far side of the crowd. “I do not think the doe expected such a fierce contest, but she will have been pleased with it as well.”

“You don’t think she wanted to win?” asked Rarity, arching a brow.

“Do I think she would have preferred to win?” asked Phoreni. “Perhaps, but I think you still overstate the importance of winning. In a good joust, both parties are victors. I believe she wanted to meet you, and that she was curious. The ending of this particular story was less important than the way it was told. You both learned much, and taught the Ephydoeran people, as well.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing. The joust with the doe felt wrong, now. She moved closer, sitting side to side with Fluttershy. When Dash nosed in under Fluttershy’s left wing and draped herself in a yellow feathery cloak, the other pegasus didn’t pull back or protest. Fluttershy smiled at Rainbow Dash and nuzzled the top of her head.

With each touch of Fluttershy’s muzzle, the wrongness subsided. As hard as Dash tried to put the joust from her mind, all she could think was that she wished it had been Fluttershy instead. A stupid, selfish thought. There was no way that could’ve happened without making Fluttershy upset, and Fluttershy, for her part, was unusually quiet now. Was she jealous? Was there something to be jealous of? Of course not, but they’d have to find something else to do, something Fluttershy really, truly wanted to do, instead.

The rest of the night passed in relative silence. Towards the end of the games, couples jousted for pleasure, strangers jousted to meet, and strangers became couples, all under the glowing lights of the Sunwise Run and to hoof on wood and bird-like throat-song.

The air turned colder and colder, and in the dark of night, after an inconclusive joust between two large does, the horn sounded from the center of the Glade again. Dash blinked and rubbed at her eyes. That last joust had been particularly boring, and she’d almost dozed off. Fluttershy stretched her wing a little more and after a second, put it back where it belonged—around Rainbow Dash.

“While they may have been your first,” said Phoreni, stacking their small, empty food-bowls and putting them in her neck-saddlebag-thing as she stood, “they have also been good jousts. There are a lot of stories and emotions to be released on the first day of the Brush Games. Judging will be hard, will it not?”

“Perhaps,” was all Khyrast said, yawning hugely. He stood as well, and all around them other peryton got up as well. In fact, every single peryton in view rose, and at a nod from Phoreni, the ponies struggled to stand as well. Fluttershy winced as she finally furled a wing that must’ve been really stiff by now—both wings, in fact. Only now did Dash notice that Fluttershy had lent her other wing to Rarity for warmth at some point during the night.

“Now we stand to be marked, every one of us,” said Phoreni. “Spread your wings, and acknowledge that though we may not all wish to share them, we each have stories to tell.”

Wings spread around the Run once more, twice as many as last time. Dash couldn’t see ahead for the wings spread by the adults minding the children on the front rows. “Yeah, that’s gonna be a problem,” said Dash, growling under her breath at her obstinate wings.

“Then have others spread wings for you,” said Khyrast, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Dash furrowed her brow, but Fluttershy spread her wings anew, one wing behind Dash, and one behind Rarity. That’d have to do.

“Thanks,” murmured Dash with a glance at her own back. “I’m gonna lose my mind if I don’t get my own wings back soon.”

“I’m glad to help, you know,” said Fluttershy, looking at her steadily until Rainbow Dash met her eyes. Dash expected her to go on, to say something else, but Fluttershy didn’t. They just looked at each other, and Dash didn’t know what to say. Should she say “thanks” again?

“Just focus on resting up, darling,” said Rarity, breaking the spell. “Being annoyed won’t heal them faster.” She rubbed a cheek against Fluttershy’s. “And thank you, dear. I’d be chilled to the bone without you tonight.”

The spread of wings didn’t have the same effect the second time around. However many feathers were spread, the moment soon passed, and the assembled peryton all furled their wings and began to gather their things, hurrying to finish their food and drink. Rainbow Dash could just barely see hints of movement towards the very edge of the crowd, a few of the more impatient peryton pushing their way through.

“There is always one or two who gets hurt trying to hurry off the Run,” said Khyrast with a soft sigh, his eyes on the far edge of the crowd as well.

“The Brush Games can be educational for the reckless,” said Phoreni, nodding slightly. “Will you head for home? I believe I will wait for the rush to subside for the benefit of those among our number who do not love the crowd.”

“I will leave you with our guests, and instead go see if Loriessa is already asleep,” Khyrast replied, rolling his neck. “She has never had the stamina to watch the games in full, and I will rouse her to make sure there is room in our bed for all.”

“Then we wait,” said Phoreni, nodding her farewell to Khyrast and sitting back down, motioning for the ponies to do the same.

It took somewhere between two and three forevers before there was even a dent in the number of peryton atop the Sunwise Run—or at least more time than Dash would’ve liked. When they finally started moving she saw Peryton flying off the edges of the platform, each and every one with wings and antlers pulsing with magic on the liftoff. The walk back to their beds was blessedly short, though, and Dash was thankful for it: the pit of the crater was really cold at night. She even caught a few of the younger peryton shuddering when they stepped out of the wooden tunnel.

Phoreni left them at their doorstep with promises to collect them tomorrow before noon for the next day of games, and Fluttershy found the strength to help her friends up to their makeshift gallery bedroom. In no time at all, they were all snug under their blanket with Fluttershy sandwiched between Rainbow Dash and Rarity. The latter demanded the windows be shut this night favouring warmth over fresh air, and Dash couldn’t be bothered to pick a fight about it. She was beat.

“Well, that was a long day,” said Dash, yawning into Fluttershy’s mane. The one bad thing about travelling was there was no time for naps. She nuzzled her way a little further into the soft tresses of girlfriend-hair and closed her eyes. Fluttershy shifted her wing to touch Dash’s side before she furled it again.

For a while everything was quiet. Rarity lay facing Fluttershy on the other side, trying to warm her hooves against the pegasus, and nopony spoke. Dash couldn’t quite find sleep, though. The only sounds were those of three ponies breathing quietly, with the occasional shivering breath by Rarity. Dash was dead tired, but still she lay awake in the near-complete darkness.

“Did the joust live up to your expectations, Rainbow?” came Rarity’s voice, barely above a whisper. If somepony told Dash Rarity was talking in her sleep, she’d believe it. Dash couldn’t see her at all anyway.

“I guess,” Dash replied. “They like to play rough, that’s cool. Would be cooler if they weren’t so weird, but yeah, this is my kinda party. I guess you liked Orto and Stagrum better, huh?”

“Mhm. If only for the extra opportunities for hygiene. That, and a hundred things more, really, but Phoreni and Khyrast are absolute darlings,” replied Rarity, yawning. “What about you, Fluttershy?”

“It’s scarier than Orto,” Fluttershy replied. “But they’re very nice and good at taking care of us here,” she added. “I don’t really think it’s a contest to try to decide who’s nicer.”

“Mm, I agree with that,” Rarity murmured.

“I don’t know,” admitted Dash with a shrug. “I think I’ve given up on trying to compare them anyway. When we get to Vauhorn, they’ll all be wearing fish on their heads or something.”

Dash couldn’t hear it, but she felt the soundless giggle that went through Fluttershy’s body, making Dash smile.

“We should probably ask Phoreni about that,” whispered Fluttershy. “She seems to understand us a little. Maybe she can tell us what Vauhorn is like.”

“Hey Rarity, if they’re wearing fish on their head, are you gonna wear one?” asked Dash, grinning. “Maybe make a little fish-hat?” There was no answer aside from a soft, incoherent murmur.

“She’s asleep, I think. Sorry,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Oh. Alright,” said Dash, exhaling through her snout. She rubbed her muzzle against the back of Fluttershy’s neck. After a moment, Fluttershy turned around to face her, slow and careful to avoid waking Rarity. Rainbow Dash scooted back to give her a little space. She could barely see the tiniest glimmer of colour, the blue of her eyes shining in a hint of moss-given light from outside. She didn’t know if Fluttershy could see her, too, but now they lay there, staring near sightlessly, breathing.

Dash still felt bad about today, and she couldn’t tell quite why. She had no idea what Fluttershy was thinking, either, but she had no interest in whining about it, not even just to herself. Action spoke louder than words, anyway.

“Hey, can you spread your left wing?” Dash whispered.

“Of course, but why?” asked Fluttershy.

“You’ve been using your wings a lot more than usual. How’re they holding up?” Dash asked. She reached over to hold a hoof to Fluttershy’s muzzle. “Don’t answer that, just let me have a look. You just washed when when we got back yesterday night, right? You didn’t preen?”

Rainbow Dash could just barely see the ghost of a frown in the darkness. She heard the rustle of hair as Fluttershy nodded.

“They’re fine, though, really,” whispered Fluttershy around Dash’s hoof.

“C’mon. I’ll help you out,” Dash replied. Her wings probably were fine, but if an A-grade preening from Dash didn’t cheer Fluttershy up, nothing would.

This time, Fluttershy did move, quietly shuffling around until she had the blanket a little lower on her back without dragging it off Rarity, but her wings were still tightly furled, unyielding and unspread even when Dash gave them a poke.

“Maybe I could give your wings a look instead,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Nah, I got this,” said Dash. “Give me your wing.”

“Really,” whispered Fluttershy, a little more insistent. “I don’t mind.”

“Yeah, well, I mind,” Dash replied with a soft snort. Sure, Fluttershy might do a decent job with a little bit of instruction, and honestly, it’d probably feel nice even if she didn’t do a good job—but it’d be selfish. Right now, Dash really needed to do something for Fluttershy. “Come on, give me some feathers.”

Rainbow Dash heard Fluttershy sigh, and a few seconds of silence later, she finally spread a wing and let Rainbow Dash at her feathers. Dash sat up to better reach the wing, but also to let more of the faint light fall on Fluttershy. If her girlfriend was a little down right now, she’d be smiling brighter when her wings were in perfect order.

Dash didn’t really need to see to do her work, of course. She knew Fluttershy’s wings as well as her own, and she could navigate by the touch of feathers on her snout alone by this point. As gently as she could, and as roughly as she had to, she ran her teeth along Fluttershy’s primaries. She tugged lightly at feathers to get them in order and used teeth and snout to pick out anything that wasn’t supposed to be there, mostly the occasional twig. She almost did the fourth primary from the edge twice, but she recognised it right away and moved on automatically.

That might actually be a little weird, Dash realised. Not for the first time, she thought back to what Rarity had said. It must’ve been weeks ago since their little chat upon reaching the coast past Orto, but she actually let herself consider this whole preening business for a second.

When Tank got sick, or when Dash thought he might be sick, Rainbow Dash went to Fluttershy for help because she knew she herself was useless for anything more than feeding him. Similarly, Fluttershy could probably keep her wings in order well enough to fly and stay healthy, but if she needed proper wing-care, she’d come to Dash. It made perfect sense, right? Normal!

“It’s not normal at all, is it?” Dash said more than she asked, voice muffled by Fluttershy’s feathers.

“Sorry?” Fluttershy whispered.

Rainbow Dash pulled back and wiped her muzzle. “I said, it’s not normal, huh?”

“I heard you, I just… I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you mean,” said Fluttershy, returning a helpless look.

“Wings. Preening and everything. Thunderlane never helps Flitter out. I don’t help anyone else. You don’t preen other pegasus’ feathers. It’s not really… normal,” Dash said, the word rapidly losing its meaning.

“I don’t know exactly. We both moved from Cloudsdale when we were younger than most,” Fluttershy said, shifting where she lay, flexing her wing before she spread it again. “I think it’s common in families, sometimes, but… not really. Mostly pegasus couples, I think.” Her voice trailed off.

Dash puffed out her cheeks. It didn’t mean anything by itself. Who the hay cared if Dash did something weird—if they did something weird? People could say or think whatever they wanted. Nopony Dash felt inclined to care about gave a hoot, and they were a couple now anyway, there was just one little detail.

“So it’s kind of... intimate or something,” Dash chanced.

“I guess,” Fluttershy whispered, barely louder than the faint creak of branches far above. Dash hadn’t even realised they could hear the slight movements of the tree before.

Rainbow Dash frowned. “It’s kinda weird that you let me keep doing it after you fell in love with me or whatever you wanna call it. Right?”

Fluttershy folded her wing and looked up at her. Fluttershy’s eyes were the only thing visible in the darkness now, everything else around it disappearing. She stared at Dash for a long moment before she lay back down again, her gaze straight ahead. There was nothing to see there except some empty shelves.

“I just didn’t want anything to change,” said Fluttershy, and with those words, she looked away.

Dash took a deep breath. The way Fluttershy said that, the words were heavy with meaning, but she couldn’t tell what. “Right. Uh, okay,” she heard herself say. “Isn’t that kind of the point of of being together? Like—”

“Oh! No!” Fluttershy squeaked, clapping a hoof to her mouth when Rarity rolled onto her other side. Only when they both heard the soft sounds of Rarity still fast asleep did she continue, quieter, but even more urgent. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just—I want to keep everything we had, too. I didn’t… I didn’t want you to stop.”

“Okay, yeah,” said Dash, masking a sigh of relief by nudging Fluttershy’s wing and going back to taking care of her feathers instead. There wasn’t a lot to do, really, but she went over each feather with exacting care. She didn’t want to stop preening Fluttershy either, really.

“I’m sorry if it feels like I lied to you,” said Fluttershy. The hurt was plain in her voice. “I didn’t mean to.”

“You didn’t,” said Dash with a snort. She reached over to lay a hoof on Fluttershy’s side, gently kneading her for reassurance or something like that. Fluttershy relaxed a little, so maybe it worked. “I’m just too stupid to notice or think about that stuff,” Dash added with a shrug.

“You’re not stupid,” Fluttershy said.

It wasn’t the words. It was the way she said it. It was no defiant declaration or a reprimand, nor did they sound like a few nice words thrown into the air as random encouragement. Fluttershy sounded almost weary—tired, but she still stated it as a simple fact that Dash had to believe. And so she did.

At some point, Fluttershy fell asleep, and Rainbow Dash continued her work for a little while, sneaking in between Fluttershy and Rarity to start on the other wing. She wasn’t stupid, but she wondered what would’ve happened if she’d dragged Fluttershy along today, pushed her until she agreed to come joust with her. She knew that she herself wished she had gotten Fluttershy into the arena with her, but wasn’t that selfish?

Rainbow Dash wondered if she’d have cared if they hadn’t just become a couple. Maybe she wouldn’t have, and maybe this would’ve gone wrong. Maybe today would’ve joined the list of those memories she wished she could forget—memories that she didn’t even always know she held.

She hadn’t thought about that climb up the mountain and the mess with a slumbering red dragon until recently. Along with it resurfaced the vague recollection of a morning outside of Town Hall over two years ago. She thought she’d forgotten all about it.

Rainbow Dash could do better. She could be better. Rainbow Dash knew all about better. She nuzzled in under Fluttershy’s wing and gently coaxed it to furl. Fluttershy murmured something in her sleep, and Dash sat down next to her, getting started on her own wings, doing what she could without spreading them. Things were definitely mostly good weird, and she couldn’t go around wondering and second-guessing herself all the time, anyway.

So what if she would once have shoved a trembling Fluttershy onto the arena floor in front of a huge crowd? So what if part of her still wanted to do just that? Fluttershy was with Dash now, and Rainbow Dash could be the best girlfriend the world had ever seen.