The black smoke rising from the forest was anything but subtle. Without a doubt, it could be seen from miles away all across Equestria. The last time there was this kind of smoke, a dragon had settled in the mountains. However, there is no mythical beast this time. The residents of Ponyville were panicking and trying to get out of town and away from the fire as fast as they could. However, the horrific sight sent Fluttershy running the opposite direction.
“Fluttershy! Where are you going?! You've got to get out of here!” Twilight said, desperately trying to keep up.
“The animals! I have to help them!” She yelled.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight continued galloping alongside her friend as they ran through town. As they got closer to the forest the heat radiating from the forest became more and more intense, preventing them from getting any closer than thirty yards. Countless animals could be seen spilling out of the forest like water from a cup.
Fluttershy looked on with horror as her mind raced, trying to make sense of what she's witnessing.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight shouted. She could just barely hear herself over the raging fire, “We shouldn't be here!”
“We can't leave yet! There might still be more in there!” Fluttershy examined the animals that ran by her, checking to see if any were injured.
“It's too dangerous! There's nothing you can do at this point!” Twilight encased Fluttershy with her magic, holding her close as she slowly dragged her friend to safety.
“NO! Let me go!” Fluttershy screamed, flailing her limbs in the air desperately trying to get free.
“Fluttershy! You have to think about your own safety!” Twilight fought desperately with the struggling pegasus until she felt a blunt force strike her lower jaw. With her focus gone, the glittering aura around Fluttershy dissipated as they both fell the the ground.
Fluttershy summoned up all the courage she could and galloped into the inferno. As she jumped over and under burning debris, she desperately called out to anyone that might still need help.
The intense heat combined with the smoke made it nearly impossible for her to breathe or see. The heat painfully scorched her body and singed her mane. However, the recent surge of adrenaline allowed her to ignore the pain and continue her search.
“Is anyone there?!” She could just barely make out the squeak of a distressed animal through the roaring fire, “Don't worry! I'm going to rescue you!”
Fluttershy soon found the one crying for help. A family of mice were huddled together on the ground. Without a word, she extended her foreleg and the mice scurried up her body and into her mane.
With the animals secure, the determined pegasus galloped for the exit. She dodged obstacles with speed and dexterity that nopony knew she possessed.
She found herself drifting in and out of consciousness. She noticed herself running out of the forest every now and again. Eventually, her world went black as if completely darkened by the smoke.
Fluttershy awoke staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Her body felt hot and ached all over.
“Oh thank Celestia you're awake!”
“T-Twilight?” Fluttershy hazily uttered, “What happened? Where are we?”
“I was so afraid that you'd succumb to your wounds. You saved a lot of lives that day.”
“H-how many made it out?”
“You managed to carry twenty-seven animals out before collapsing.”
“Twenty-seven?” The number echoed in Fluttershy's mind as her heart felt like it was being squeezed very tightly.
Twilight nodded, “You put your life on the line and managed to save twenty-seven others.”
Fluttershy gently shook her head in disbelief and her voice began trembling, “I-I could h-have gotten more. I-if I j-just had been stronger.” She chuckled, “If I wasn't always so timid all the time, maybe I could have been stronger and gotten more.”
The alicorn placed her hoof on Fluttershy's, “Fluttershy, many generations have been saved because of you. Think about them.”
The pegasus shook her head as tears began falling down her face, “I could have saved more. I could have carried whole families of mice with me. I could have... I... I...” Fluttershy didn't hold back her despair.
“Fluttershy, you are the embodiment of kindness. Your act of pure selflessness was more than what anypony would have been able to do in that moment.”
“I d-d-didn't d-do enough.” Fluttershy choked through her tears.
“Fluttershy, no, that's not...”
“Countless lives are gone because I wasn't strong enough Twilight.” Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around the princess and wailed into her embrace.
“There was nothing else you could have done. It's not your fault. The Everfree forest fire was a tragic accident that, once started, could not be stopped. One pony can only do so much and you did more than that.”
Fluttershy continued sobbing into her friend.
“The loss of a friend is a horrible thing and there's no way to make the pain truly go away. I'm sorry that there are many that perished, but look at the ones you did save.” Twilight gently rubbed Fluttershy's back.
“They must have been so scared and sad. They were probably begging for somepony to save them. I let them down! They were my friends and I couldn't help them when they needed it most!”
“You mustn't blame yourself for those that didn't make it. Seven rabbits, four ducks, two beavers, twelve mice, a fawn, and a bear cub are alive thanks to you."
“B-but what about their friends and families? I could have gotten more. I could have saved them!”
“Fluttershy. What you did means the world to the lives you saved that day. There's a saying, 'whoever saves one life, saves the world entirely.' What you did for those animals was the world to them and there's no way to express how truly thankful they are.”
Fluttershy's sobs gradually became lighter and softer as time went by until she passed out from exhaustion. Twilight softly laid her onto the bed. Her eyes were swollen and red from all the crying.
“The one that still needs to be saved is you.” Twilight wiped the tears from Fluttershy's bandaged face and silently left the room.
Author's Note
Here's a short fic that I hope you find enjoyable. I feel like it's been a while since I've attempted to write something with these kinds of emotions. Feel free to let me know what you think.