Kissing Booth 4: Everything's just fine, old pal

>You are Fluttershy
>And you're not quite sure what you're supposed to do in a situation like this
>Twilight's advice, or orders, you're never quite sure which she's giving, were simply to find Rainbow Dash and console her
>As if it were that simple...
>You WISH it were that simple, but it seems nothing ever is with Dash
>Actually, nothing ever is with other p0nies...at least not for you
>If only your old friend Rainbow Dash was a cockatoo with a broken wing, or even just another bear with a bad back, you'd have her fixed in a jiffy!
>But no, Rainbow Dash was a p0ny, a thinking, feeling p0ny who probably wouldn't just be happy if you offered her a treat
>Well...cider is a treat, maybe you can give her some of that and she'll feel right as rain
>You'd like that
>Luckily, you're not alone in your intimidating task
>Applejack is with you
>Together, you've searched the park, the lake, the town square, even Twilight's library...she probably wouldn't have been there, but Applejack insisted you try everywhere imaginable
>You agreed with her, she's probably right
>"Nuts" the earth pony angrily states, kicking the dirt with her hoof
>You're both standing outside of the library, looking at your own hooves in defeat
>"Well, Fluttershy, there's only one thing to do at a time like this"
>Oh!  You think you know the answer to this one!
"Go ask for help?" you inquire
>She gives you an irritated look, you must have said something wrong
>"What?  No!  You've gotta go and check out her house!"
"Her...house?"
>"You know!  The one in the clouds?"
"Oh, um...right"
>Why hadn't you two started there, anyway?
>"C'mon now, ah know where it's situated, we'll head over there and you can head on up to see if she's there"
>Oh...now you remember why you hadn't suggested it in the first place...probably the same reason she hadn't
>Clouds means flying, and flying means Applejack can't come to help you talk to Rainbow Dash if she's up there
>Goodness, if she is, that would mean you'd have to...
>You gulp
>Do this on your own
>Considering Dash's state when she left, you really don't want to do that
"W-wait, Applejack...maybe we could go see Twilight and she if she'd conjure up some wings for you?  Like she did for Rarity that one time?"
>The earth p0ny 'tsks' as she runs away from the library, toward the edge of town
>You follow, also on your hooves
>"There's just no time for that sort of thing, Fluttershy.  Not when there's a perfectly good set of wings attached to yer back"
>You guess that's a fair assessment, but you're still nervous
>You both gallop in silence until you reach Rainbow's house
>More specifically, you reach the area underneath Rainbow's house
>Applejack turns to face you
>"Okay, Fluttershy, just fly on up there and find out if she's there.  If she is, try to talk to her, see where her head is at, if she's still...well..."
>She looks away from you, a pained expression on her face
>"Ya know, like this mornin'"
>You look up at Rainbow's house
>It's really high up
>You've been there many times before
>Meals, check ups with her pet, Tank, sleepovers...
>But not for anything like this
>The severity of the situation makes the height of the house seems to grow
>It's REALLY high up, now
>"Well go on then, Flutter-butt"
>You turn your gaze from the cloud home to look once more at Applejack
>The orange mare is smiling warmly at you
>"Don't worry 'bout a thing.  This is still Dashie we're dealin' with, not some manticore or somethin' fierce like.  She's yer friend and Ah'm sure she'll be happy to see ya"
>She takes a step toward you
>"And remember, sugercube, Ah'll be right here on the ground, waitin' for you get back"
>Applejack's encouragement doesn't go wasted on you
>You DO feel strong enough to tackle this job, you CAN talk Rainbow Dash down
>You want to tell AJ just how much better you feel now, but unfortunately all that comes out is a breathless
"Okay..."
>Well, that probably didn't inspire her, but you spread your wings and head on up anyway
>As you fly up and up, you remember the events of this morning
>How Anonymous had goaded her at the park, how Rainbow Dash had been, well...kind of mean to him
>And, more importantly, how he had...kissed her
>You don't think you've seen anyp0ny, or in this case anyhuman, kiss somep0ny else like that
>It was very romantic
>You smile remembering that kiss
>Oh, she just looked so happy!  So at peace...
>For some time now, you've wanted your old pal Dashie to be happy with somep0ny
>You know more about her than most do...
>She's...well...not had a lot of fortune in the romance department
>You shudder at the unpleasant memories, which makes your wings get out of synch with one another and you wobble a bit as you fly
>Quickly, you perform a slight maneuver to straighten yourself out and continue your journey sky-ward
>Just a little trick Rainbow Dash taught you
>You wonder how she's doing now
>Ordinarily, any mare who had been kissed like that by a stallion, even one so exotic as Anonymous, would be overjoyed, but no...
>That kiss turned out to be a cruel joke
>Anon had turned the girls' kissing booth charity into a mockery for his enjoyment
>You remember with angry thoughts how he had stated that he "got you good, Rainbow Cunt!"
>Such an awful thing to say!
>You wanted to tell him so, right then and there!
>To ask him what his mother would think to hear her son say such things!
>You sigh
>But...as usual, you hadn't said anything
>Even after Anonymous had left, even while Rainbow cried, then fumed, then destroyed her stall, then ranted about, uggh, Sky Lance and her father, you just sat to the side and cried
>Why couldn't you be more assertive?
>You swear you learn a lesson about this about every other week or so, but it never seems to sink in
>Old habits are terribly hard to break, it seems
>Old habits...that reminds you
>Anonymous displayed a habit you hated to see
>He drank so, so much alcohol
>You realized that he could drink more than a p0ny, being so large, and be fine, but still, it was a lot
>It made you sad to see him do that
>He seemed like he was a nice stallion, or...um, what did he call himself?
>Oh, right, a man
>He seemed like a nice man
>He shouldn't have to...
>Oh wait, you were at Rainbow's house now
>Your thoughts had clouded your vision, and you had automatically flown all the way up to Rainbow Dash's house and landed right in front of her door
>You take a deep breath
>Okay, Fluttershy, it's now or never, you can do this, girl, you can...
>"Oh hey, Fluttershy"
>You nearly do a g-darn back flip as Rainbow Dash herself opens her door and addresses you
>Your fear frozen face leaves her raising a brow and cocking her head at you
>"Ummm, Fluttershy?"
"HI, RAINBOW DASH!"
>Probably too loud, but you're really really nervous
>She laughs awkwardly
>"Uh, hi, Fluttershy.  So, to what do I owe the visit?  It's not time for Tank to get a checkup again, is it?"
>She...she sounds so casual...like nothing happened this morning
>It's probably your turn to say something, by the way
"Uhhh...uhhmmmm no...NO!"
>Hold it together, Fluttershy...
"No, I...I...just wanted to talk with you...uh, if that's okay with you..."
>She laughs again, just as awkwardly though
>"Yeah, sure, Flutters.  What's up?"
>You take a good, hard look at her
>There's no way she can be so ambivalent, so casual about what had happened earlier today
>You notice that despite her relaxed demeanor, her eyes are more red than usual
>Almost like she had been crying...a lot
"Well, how are you?"
>Wow, wonderful start, Flutter-failure
>"Um, I'm fine?"
"Are...are you sure?  I mean, this morning you..."
>She rolls her eyes
>"Oh yeah, that.  Pssh.  No, I'm over that.  It's all good.  I guess even the Dash gets one pulled on her from time to time"
>She's not...she's not REALLY that "over it", is she?
"Oh, um, okay...well it's just that I don't really believe that..."
>Dash's expression sours and she stares you down
>"Well, believe it!  I'm over it and that's that!  That stupid monkey is not going to get in my head!"
>Her eyes suddenly widen, realizing what she just said
>"I-I mean he DIDN'T get in my head, t-that's what I meant!"
>She's looking more nervous than well, you
>Now it's your turn to look quizzically at her
"Are you sure, Rainbow Dash?  I mean, I don't think I've ever seen you that upset.  At least, not since Sky..."
>"Don't you EVER say that name to me again, Fluttershy"
>The hatred dripping from her voice causes you to take a few steps back
>She's staring daggers at you, even baring her teeth a little
>It's way more intimidating than you'd like to admit
>But you have to keep going, you have to keep pressing here, it's for her own good
"Okay...b-but Rainbow, all the girls were really worried about you.  And so was I!  We just wanted to make sure you were alright is all"
>The hatred fades from Dash's face, a smile replaces it, thank goodness
>"Aww, you guys don't have to worry about me!  I'm way tougher than that!  Hey!  You want to go grab some lunch or something?"
>Lunch sounds nice, anything sounds nicer than this, but you've still got a job to do here
"Well, first I think we should go talk to our friends, to let them know that you're okay and everything"
>She sighs
>"Yeah, yeah.  I guess if they're that concerned we should go talk to them and junk"
>Dash moves past you and gets ready to fly down to the ground
>"So where are they anyway?  Probably at Pinkie's snacking on some cupcakes, right?"
"Well, I don't know really.  Except for Applejack, she's right below us"
>Rainbow gives an annoyed, hmmph, followed by a flick of her tail
>"I figured she'd be one of the first on the scene...I guess it's just as well, gonna have to tell her that I'm alright despite the fact that she's just going to tell me I'm not over and over again"
>She turns to face you
>"Don't get me wrong, her heart's always in the right place, but that p0ny just loves to think she's right all the time"
>She giggles
>"Not that I'd know anything about that, huh?"
>You don't answer and just begin to fly down towards the ground
>Rainbow follows quickly and passes you easily, eventually slowing down a little to match your speed
>"Hey, Fluttershy" she begins
>"Even though I'm totally fine and all, which I am, totally fine that is"
>She sounds like she's trying to convince her self more than you
>"Thanks for coming to talk to me, it means a lot, pal"
>She turns and beams at you
>You muster a smile to give back at her, but you still feel like something is wrong here
>Well, maybe is she IS really over it, she's usually very resilient...
>Then again, she usually doesn't blow up like she did, it's so unlike her
>You're nearly at the ground now, you can see Applejack's pensive stare gazing up at you both as you approach
>Well, you gave it your best shot, nop0ny can ask for more than that right?
>Perhaps one of your other friends will be able to coax more information out of Dash
>When you land, Applejack asks a lot more questions than you did
>Ones that seem to irk Rainbow Dash
>She keeps trying to tell AJ that she's fine, but AJ isn't buying it, it seems
>Thankfully, you're left out of the discussion, you wouldn't like to be a part of their fighting
>After what seems like an eternity, Applejack sighs in defeat and tells you both that you need to go talk to the other girls
>Soon enough the three of you arrive back at the kissing booths, the event seems to be over and there are many p0nies cleaning up and carting the booth materials away
>Part of you wishes you had been able to stay
>Sure, you wanted Dash to be happy with somep0ny, but darn it, Fluttershy has needs too
>A stallion of your own would suit you just fine, or even some kisses from one...
>But this isn't the time to think of yourself, no matter how long it's been since you've been bedded...
>No matter how long it's been since you felt the warm, intimate embrace of another p0ny
>No matter how long it's been since you felt a long, thick, throbbing...
>You said this wasn't the time for that!
>Pinkie Pie and Rarity are present, helping with the cleanup
>You all go through the same song and dance as before
>Is Dash fine?
>Yes, she is
>No, she isn't, she can't be
>YES, SHE IS!!
>And so on and so forth until the two of them concede like you and Applejack
>"Uggh, so if we're freaking done here can we all PLEASE just go get something to eat?!"
>Rainbow is becoming more and more impatient to drop the subject, even twitching nervously a little whenever somep0ny asks her a question about the events of this morning
>"Oh my goodness, I thought you'd never ask!"
>Pinkie, oh dear, you've been worrying about her saying something potentially out of line and setting Rainbow Dash off again
>"All this talk about kissing has got me thinking about mouths!  And when I think about mouths I think about what to put in them!  And when I think about what to put in them...!"
>"Okay, Pinkie we get it!"  Dash interjects quickly
>"Let's just...NOT talk about kissing anymore and just talk about food"
>"One moment, if you please Rainbow Dash"
>Rarity, who had asked the least questions, instead preferring to watch Dash with a critical eye from the sidelines, spoke up now
>"What now?!" Rainbow asked, the anger beginning to grow in her voice
>"Well, if you would allow me to finish without snapping at me, I would tell you that, since your departure, Twilight has left and returned, telling Pinkie and I that we should all meet her at...well, a certain location to be disclosed later"
>Dash falls from the air where she had been hovering and slumps on to her belly
>"At least tell me there's food there..."
>Rarity giggles
>"Yes, I suppose there is, technically, food where we happen to be going.  Come along now, girls!"
>Rarity leads your small party along the outskirts of town
>Nop0ny talks much, you all just take turns eying Rainbow Dash questioningly
>She just looks straight ahead, eyes locked, mouth drawn up tight
>Not angry, just...preoccupied, her mind seems to be a million miles away right now
>It isn't long before you turn from Dash to look ahead
>Oh, how did you get here?
>This place seems rather familiar...when were you here last?
>Your traveling party now stands/hovers outside of a rather large looking house
>It's relatively new, simple white paint covers it's exterior
>Green shutters flank the two windows positioned on either side of a massive door
>Your friend Twilight sits on a chair much too large for her on the porch of this enormous house
>Oh...oh, my
>You know where you are...
>Dash speaks up, her teeth clenched and her body shaking with rage
>"What...are we doing...at HIS house?!"
>You decide that Rainbow Dash is, most certainly, NOT "over it"

End of Chapter 4