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Flutter-Bolt

by Shadowmane PX-41

Chapter 1: Seeing Her Soar

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Seeing Her Soar

Fluttershy sat in the grassy glade of Sweet Feather Sanctuary, tenderly stroking the fur of one of her many critters. The wind brushed gently through her mane, tail, and coat, as it did to the furs and the skins of all the animals around her. Through the idyllic sounds of the birds chirping, the feeling of the sunlight soaking through her skin, and the scent of the flowers around her, Fluttershy couldn't have felt happier.

Today was a day where Fluttershy didn't have a lot on her mind. After all, she had already been given everything that she could have wanted. A place for her and her animal friends to call home; a place safe from the noise and the chaos down in Ponyville. To her credit, Fluttershy didn't want many things. She never was one to try and put forward a lofty ambition. She knew first hand that there were some kinds of things that asked a lot of her; a lot from anyone. All that she had ever tried since the moment she had gained her Cutie Mark was to try and live up to what it represented; her love for nature and the creatures living in it. So, to craft her life, her dream, and her future around that was all that she wanted, and all that destiny asked of her.

"You know, Suzy, I've got a wonderful life," said Fluttershy tenderly, as she looked down into the eyes of the brown-furred bunny by her side. "At first, I thought for sure that I wouldn't be going anywhere in life. Not as a pegasus, and especially not as a filly. But after all the things that we've seen and done together, me and my friends, I think that my life's perfect just the way it is." As she was saying this, the bunny that was by her side just looked up into her eyes; a look that she was more than happy to return.

"It's not just me, though." Fluttershy turned her head towards the sky, looking up towards the expansive sheet of bright blue beyond her. "All of my friends would tell you the same thing. Both for my dream and for theirs. Twilight's been doing wonderful things as the Princess of Friendship, Applejack and her family's farm have been having lots of good harvests recently, Pinkie Pie and her party planning career have been bringing smiles to ponies' faces for years now, Rarity's been making all kinds of headlines and magazine covers as a fashion designer. And then..." With a sigh, she looked at the clouds. "There's Rainbow Dash. She's finally a Wonderbolt; a dream that I think she's had the longest out of anyone here.

No sooner had Fluttershy finished saying that, when the sound of a jetstream could be heard. Now, of course, Equestria had no such thing as jets and planes. But one thing that they did have was pegasi. Fluttershy was but one of the many pegasi that inhabited this strange world. And the one that shot over her head was one that she could remember a mile away. If not for her daring tricks, then for her rainbow-coloured contrail and how it lit up the sky behind her. The rainbow-coloured hair of one Rainbow Dash; one of Equestria's greatest fliers, one of the Wonderbolts, and one of the best friends that she could have asked for.

"Speaking of which, there she is now." Fluttershy pointed out Rainbow Dash as she soared through the sky, zipping around in all kinds of directions; probably performing some tricks for the Wonderbolts' next performance, or maybe because she had just come off from a performance and wanted to cut loose and fly for fun for a change. Regardless, the way that she moved never failed to put a smile on Fluttershy's face. "Of everyone here, I think that Rainbow Dash has had to work the hardest for her spot as a Wonderbolt. And now, she's working as hard as she can to make them proud."

Suzy, as Fluttershy had called her, just looked towards Rainbow Dash flying through the sky. Suzy was just an ordinary rabbit, so didn't have many thoughts on the whole situation.

"I'm proud of her too, you know." Fluttershy politely chuckled. "Me and all of my friends. We all watched her journey ourselves; even helped her out along the way. Now, to see that dream bearing fruit like that, it's enough to put a smile on anyone's face."

As Rainbow Dash flew, Fluttershy couldn't take her eyes off of her. Perhaps it was because Rainbow Dash threw caution, fear, and apprehension to the wind as she flew. Or maybe it was because of her personality that gave her the push she needed to excel in flying. No matter what the real explanation for her determination was, Rainbow Dash was a natural-born flyer; which was more than Fluttershy could say for herself. Though she was pretty skilled at flying herself, she had always preferred staying more to the ground than flying at Rainbow Dash's height and speed. That wasn't to say that she wasn't entirely devoid of any talent. If it hadn't been for her contribution to the pegasi's efforts to gather up water for Ponyville's rainclouds, then her little town would never have broken the wingpower record in the first place. All because she too had shown a little bit of courage.

Ever since Rainbow Dash had come into her life, Fluttershy had felt herself get braver and braver by the day. Not to the point where she was fully able to brave any and all challenges that came her way, but to the point where she was at least able to get out there, make some new friends and experiences, and show that just because she had the word 'shy' in her name, that she wasn't entirely a recluse. Today, however, was a little bit different.

"You know, Suzy... I've always wondered what it would be like to live in Rainbow Dash's shoes," Fluttershy asked herself as she saw Rainbow Dash performing a triple loop, almost making it look like a piece of curly string. "The kind of pony who's not afraid to fly through the air; the kind of pony who's got what it takes to be the best of the best. The kind of pony who's... a Wonderbolt."

As she said that, she could already picture the scene. The scene of her flying through a packed stadium full of ponies; all different shapes, sizes, and colours. Some pegasi, some unicorns, and some earth ponies. She could see herself tumbling, turning, zipping and zagging through the air, clad in the attire of a Wonderbolt. At first, the thought seemed unnerving to her; to see that she was doing such a dangerous thing and how much out of her comfort zone it was compared to everything else going on with her life.

But then, she saw her. Dressed in that very same outfit, wind goggles against her face and her mouth curled into a grin. Rainbow hair thrashing and flapping around from the speed and force; her tail leaving behind a trail of rainbow colour as she moved in sync with Fluttershy. Even when the two of them raced around different parts of the stadium, flying in different ways to make different shapes, seeing her face made all of the intensity all worth it in the end.

Back in reality, Fluttershy sighed again. "Imagine what it would be like if I were a Wonderbolt like Rainbow Dash..." As she came out of her trance, she could see Suzy looking into her eyes, along with many of the other animals. Badgers, ferrets, goats, birds, bears, and even the odd giraffe just looked at her. A sight that just made Fluttershy bring her hoof close to her mouth. "Oh! Goodness me... whatever am I thinking?" She asked herself. "That's her dream; not mine. I've already got everything I need, so why..." She looked back at Rainbow Dash one last time. "Why can I see myself being a Wonderbolt by her side? Why do I see myself and Rainbow Dash flying together not just as friends, but as Wonderbolts too?"

She wasn't expecting an answer back from the crowd of animals. How could she? It wasn't like they could talk. Still, at the very least, she was happy to have them all be there to see her talking about these kinds of things. And it made them happy to see her smiling back at them.

"Still... I bet that it would be lovely. Not flying around at that speed and force; no, no. But... being able to fly with her. Being right next to her as we wow the crowds; doing daring stunts like that as a pair," said Fluttershy as she saw Rainbow performing some final few tricks before she flew back to the skies behind her again. "I know that the dream might seem a little bit out of my reach, and it surely wouldn't have been something I do myself, that's for sure. But with Rainbow Dash... I think that's a dream that I could go for with her help."

Fluttershy finally stood up from her spot in the sanctuary and walked away from Suzy, letting her hop back to the other rabbits in the group. As she trotted through the grassy fields of Sweet Feather Sanctuary, gazing at all of the animals around her, she knew that she had already done more than enough of what was asked of her. She felt like her dream had become complete. Like there was nothing more that she could have aspired for, being an animal sanctuary caretaker; let alone one of the six Spirits of Harmony.

As she flitted her wings and her hooves left the ground, Fluttershy could now feel the wind rushing through her feathers. It was only a light breeze today, so she couldn't feel much force being put on her body. But she could still feel how refreshing and cool the wind was as it rushed through her wings. Fluttershy started flying circles around the sanctuary. She only flew with her feet lightly grazing against the treeline. She was still nowhere near as confident or brave as Rainbow Dash to fly much higher than that. Even so, she looked down at the animals in the sanctuary, seeing how happy they were to be living in such a tranquil place away from the hustle and bustle of the town.

Eventually, Fluttershy picked up the speed slightly. She could feel the wind force becoming more abundant as she accelerated herself. The pink hair in her mane and tail also started to shake from the speed she was flying, making laps around her sanctuary. At first, she had just been looking over and seeing if there were things going wrong, but as she went round and round again, she could feel a different kind of sensation entering her head. A sensation that she had no clue as to how it even got there in the first place. A sensation of thrill. And fun that was woven into that thrill. As much as she wanted to stop because of how much she could feel the speed, at the same time, she had the visions again.

The visions of being a Wonderbolt. The visions of flying up there with Rainbow Dash. The visions of letting go of the 'shy' namesake that she was known for and putting herself out there. She had absolutely nothing to lose with that pursuit of being a Wonderbolt and she knew that she would be spending a lot more time with Rainbow Dash if she did take up this venture. She unknowingly got even faster in her flight as she thought more about being a Wonderbolt, to the point where, in reality, she was flying like any kind of stunt pegasus would. Not caring about the danger of a trick going wrong; flipping and spinning around trying to dazzle the crowd, all while she could feel the adrenaline pushing her fight or flight reflexes towards fight instead of flight.

And then, with one last lap, she landed before the animals, gently skidding on her hooves as she stopped with a smile on her face. She could hear the cheering and hollering of the animals in Sweet Feather Sanctuary; ones that once more brought her back to earth. She looked into their eyes, saw their delight at how she had pushed herself, then looked down at her own two hooves. Fluttershy had actually done it. She had forgotten all about her fears and her concerns, focusing on flying with Rainbow Dash. As she let the cheers ring out, she thought to herself.

"You know what? I've already got everything I want. I can afford to be a little bit adventurous from time to time." Fluttershy put on a smile as she looked back towards the sky, thinking more about Rainbow Dash again. Now that she had flown like or—or how she thought she had flown like Rainbow Dash—she could more and more see those visions and images of her being a Wonderbolt coming true. "So... I'll do it." She told herself. "I'm going to try and be a Wonderbolt too. Just like Rainbow Dash."

The animals stopped cheering and came over to her side; all gathering around her and pressing their bodies against her; a gesture that just made her giggle giddily. Although she couldn't hear them talking normally, she could understand everything that they were saying through their body language. They were all behind her, and they were all going to give her the support that she needed to take up this new venture of being a Wonderbolt.

"Thank you, everyone." Fluttershy stepped back from the crowd of animals and, with a smile, looked back into their eyes. "I'll make you proud. I promise." Then, turning away from the sanctuary, Fluttershy opened her wings once again and flew to the skies; to follow Rainbow Dash. And to follow her new adventure. "It might take days, weeks, months, or even years. But I want to see what it's like; to be one of the most daring fliers in all of Equestria too. As long as she's right there by my side, I know I can do it. Just you wait, Rainbow Dash. I'll be a great Wonderbolt just like you too someday..."

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