A Shattered Heart

Chapters

Unforseen Reprocussions
The Virus
The Pills
The Cure

Unforseen Reprocussions

A shattered heart

By Alex

Chapter one: Unforeseen repercussions

Authors Note: Well, I'm sorry for the extended time of release! I had multiple cases of writers block, which took a while to break through. I did it though, and i hope you enjoy it! Oh, and this is my first semi sad story, so please tell me how I did.

Rainbow lay next to her marefriend, smiling as she slept. ‘I can’t believe it has only been 4 months. That day was the best day of my life…and she has made me so happy.’ Rainbow’s thoughts trailed as fluttershy awoke. Smiling at rainbow, she planted a quick kiss before heading downstairs to make breakfast. Rainbow strolled downstairs, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

“Hey Fluttershy,” Rainbow said walking over to the kitchen. “Whatcha cookin?”

“Nothing really, some oatmeal. How did you sleep?” Fluttershy responded, playfully nuzzling Rainbow as she walked into the kitchen. Rainbow couldn’t help but blush a little.

“I slept like a log. How about you?”

“Me too!” Fluttershy looked away as she answered. She hated lying to Rainbow, and normally she wouldn’t, but she couldn’t tell her what was really going on. Luckily, she had a pot of slowly bubbling oatmeal to look after so it wouldn’t be so obvious. The two sat down and chatted, eating their oatmeal before Rainbow had to leave for weather duty. They said their goodbyes and Fluttershy shut the door.

As she shut the door, a single tear started to roll down her cheek, followed by more, and more until it was like an out of control stream. She ran into the garden, surrounded by the many birdcages and other various animal cages before she finally began to cry. She looked to the ground, seeing four little planks sticking up from the ground. She was sobbing now, trying to hide it in case anyone was listening. As she looked at the makeshift graves for her birds, she missed the delightful chirps. A dull, painful silence fell over the garden, as all the animals looked at their mother with worry. None of them intervened, they didn’t know how to.

“What am I doing wrong? Please? I need help!” she choked on her words between muffled sobs. “Why is this happening? I start to get happy cause of Dashie, and now all my little animal friends are…” she trailed for a moment, not wanting to say the words, “…passing on.” As she said those words, her heart sank to a new low. She heard a loud cough, a thud, then silence. Another bird had moved on. She couldn’t contain herself and was now sobbing openly.

After about 5 minutes of sobbing, Angel bunny was the one to react first. He walked up to fluttershy, placing a paw on her mane and gently stroking, trying to calm her down, to no effect. Fluttershy tried to control her sobs, now sobbing in short bursts rather than extended periods. She flew to the cage where she heard the thud, picked up the bird, checking for a pulse. No vital signs. She started digging a little hole, placed the bird in, and buried the bird. She wrote the birds name on a plank, and stuck it in the ground. She was becoming more worried that Rainbow would find out. All it would take is a stray tear and Rainbow would try to investigate.

After sitting in the garden, staring at the little grave, she wiped the tears from her face and flew to her bedroom. As she reached the bedroom door, she thought she heard a crash from the garden. Not wanting to go through any more emotional turmoil, she lay in her bed, and began drifting into a dull, dreamless sleep.

****

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” an energetic ball of pink fluff yelled. “How’s the weather?” she was giggling as Rainbow turned.

“Oh, Hey Pinkie Pie! Weathers nice from up here, how is it for you down there?” they were both laughing at the joke.

“It’s fantastic as always, thanks to you getting up early! How’s Fluttershy?” Pinkie knew she was walking into a social minefield, but she needed to know.

“She’s good, why?” was Rainbow’s only response.

“Just curious! Hey, want to come pranking? Or we can go have some sweets at sugar cube corner! Or we can go visit Applejack at sweet apple acres! Maybe we can go see Rarity!” she said, not drawing a single breath in-between sentences.

“Nah, I’m going to go back to Fluttershys cottage. I got some things I need to talk to her about. Between you and me…” she leans in closer, causing Pinkie to do the same, “I think she…BOOOOOOOOO!” Pinkie laughed as she hopped back from the fright. Rainbow was laughing as well.

“Okie-dokie-loki!” was Pinkie’s response as she bounced away.

*****

Rainbow bounced into the air, flapping her wings with grace as she flew to her friend’s cottage. As she neared the cottage, she crashed into one of the loose branches. She plummeted to the ground in the garden, seeing an unusual sight. Five little mounds of dirt, with planks behind each of them. She read the names on the planks, and edged back in shock.

“B-but these are all the names of Fluttershys birds! That means…oh no” she said as she darted into the cottage. She searched around and found no sign of Fluttershy. She went upstairs and heard faint sobs from behind the bedroom door.

“She…She’s crying?” rainbow asked herself, before sneaking away. Rainbow decided it would be best if she slept on the couch, as she didn’t want to disturb Fluttershy. Rainbow had a single tear rolling down her cheek as she fell asleep.

*****

“Fluttershy? What’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash asked, worried.

“My birds keep dying! I don’t know what to do!” Fluttershy responded, sobbing into Rainbow Dash’s shoulder.

‘What do I do? How do I help her? How do WE help her? How do YOU help her?’ Rainbow cringed and looked back at Fluttershy, who now looked like Rainbow Dash.

“How are you going to help her? How are you going to bring it up? Or is the brave Rainbow Dash scared?”

“I-I’m not scared! And another thing, what makes you so sure that it’s the birds?” Rainbow said to herself.

“Oh don’t be so stupid, it’s the birds, and you know it. Now go and help her, or if you’re too scared…” the Rainbow
Dash said, bucking Rainbow in the face, “Run”.

*****

Rainbow was jolted awake and looked around. The door to the garden was open, and Fluttershy was lying in the garden. Rainbow leaned towards the door and heard something that made her heart sink. Fluttershy was sobbing audibly, looking at the ground. Rainbow sighed. ‘OK, Rainbow, it’s now or never. Go help her.’

“Fluttershy…” rainbow sighed. Fluttershy slowly turned to face her marefriend, not ashamed of it anymore.

“Rainbow dash…I’m so sorry you have to see me like this.” She said, wiping tears from her face.

“Fluttershy, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“Well…my birds keep dying, and…” Fluttershy said, choking on her words, and tears streaming down her face. Fluttershy was about to continue talking when rainbow put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder, and pulling her in for a close embrace.

“Don’t worry, we will figure it out. And if you ever feel sad, come get me, no matter the time of day.” A tear was streaming down Rainbow Dash’s face as she continued. “No matter the reason, come look for me. I will always be there for you.” She was crying now but she sniffled and started talking again. “I want you to be happy, and I will let you cry on my shoulder whenever you need it.” They held each other, crying, for ten minutes before Fluttershy broke the silence.

“Thank you.” Fluttershy looked up, and began leaning towards Rainbow Dash. Without hesitation, Rainbow leaned in and kissed her mare friend. “I need to go to the vet and find out what’s wrong. Please stay here and watch the animals for me?”

“No problem, Fluttershy. Get back soon.” Rainbow said. Fluttershy blushed and was off.

*****

Fluttershy trotted into ponyville, searching for the veterinarian pony. She checked the animal clinic, the center of Pony ville, and a few of the vet pony’s hang out spots. The veterinarian pony was nowhere to be found. She started asking around ponyville, and everyone gave her the same response. Every time she got the answer, her heart dropped a bit. She decided she would try one more time.

“Excuse me, uhm, Berry Punch?” fluttershy asked. ‘Please oh please tell me you know where he is.’

“What-oh hey Fluttershy! What’s up?” Berry Punch responded.

“D-do you know where the vet pony is?” Fluttershy asked nervously. ‘Please don’t be drunk!’

“Who, Kakashi? Yeah, he is over at the lake!”

“OK, thanks Berry!” fluttershy exclaimed, running towards the lake.

Fluttershy arrived to the lake and was greeted by a magnificent sight. The day of running was slowly drifting into night and the stars just started to shine. The star’s light reflected off the water, and the moon bathed the lake bed in a crisp white light. Fluttershy looked around to see Kakashi, the vet pony. He was looking out onto the lake, not paying attention to Fluttershy.

Kakashi was a green earth pony, his mane a darker green. It looked a lot like the colors of a leaf. As Fluttershy approached Kakashi, his cutie mark came into view. It was an unusual cutie mark, a spiral with a point and a tail. With his green coat, it looked an awful lot like a leaf. No one knew what the cutie mark meant, but everyone knew that he was the best veterinarian. Fluttershy went to Kakashi when she could not figure out what was wrong with an animal.

“Uhm…Kakashi?” fluttershy asked.

“Ah, Fluttershy! What can I do…for…you?” Kakashi asked, seeing a look of sorrow on Fluttershys face. “Please don’t tell me…your birds?” Fluttershy looked up, a tear streaming down her cheek. Kakashi sighed and kicked the tree he was sitting next to. “Well, in terms of what is happening, I don’t know that much. Even Princess Celestias phoenix is being affected! It is a phoenix, so it just arises from the ashes, but it still pains Celestia to see that. I have found a way to slow it down, but it still takes the birds eventually.”

“Really?! What is it?” Fluttershy asked, trying to mask her excitement about a possible cure.

“Well, you need to separate your birds,” He began, “when they cough, they release the virus. As long as no birds breathe it in, they should be fine. Also, give them this pill.” He handed a small bottle filled with blue and yellow pills to Fluttershy, and began speaking again. “These pills slow the replication rate of the virus. Remember, this just slows it down. I am working on a cure, I will need time though. Until I get a cure, just follow my advice. Keep the birds separate and give them those pills. Come to the clinic if you run out.” Kakashi sighed. “Oh and Fluttershy? Don’t be so down, it’s not your fault that they’re dying. You did nothing wrong.” Fluttershy nodded and headed back to the cottage.

****

Rainbow was fast asleep on the couch when she heard a knock at the door. ‘It’s probably Fluttershy; I wonder what the vet said.’ Rainbow thought as she walked slowly towards the door. Instead of Fluttershy, she saw…somepony in a cloak. The cloak was covering the pony’s face and body. The pony simply handed Rainbow a bottle with a note on it.

“The solution to your bird problem is in the bottle. Give to birds with food.”

Rainbow simply looked at the pills as the cloaked pony left. The pills were red and green. As the cloaked pony left, she kicked another bottle to Rainbow Dash. It had more of the red and green pills. Fluttershy was trotting towards the cottage, shouting at Rainbow.

“Hey, Rainbow! Who was that?” She asked.

“I don’t know, she just gave me this bottle.” Rainbow responded, handing the bottle of pills to Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked at the bottle rainbow handed her, then at the bottle Kakashi handed her. Her gaze turned up to Rainbow Dash, who looked back at Fluttershy with confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“I have to go talk to Kakashi!” Fluttershy exclaimed, trying to leave but being stopped by Rainbow.

“Fluttershy, it’s late. Why don’t you wait until morning? Come on, let’s go to bed.” Rainbow responded, smiling at Fluttershy. Fluttershy simply nodded, and flew into her room. Rainbow followed, and lay down next to fluttershy.

“I love you, Rainbow Dash.”

“I love you too, Fluttershy.” Rainbow responded, kissing Fluttershy, and then letting sleep overtake the pair.

*****

END OF CHAPTER ONE

The Virus

Chapter Two: The Virus

Fluttershy woke up, hoping to be met by Rainbows gaze. Instead, she was met with a note.

“Sorry about leaving. There’s a big storm in a few days and the weather team needed my help getting all the clouds to Cloudsdale for rainwater. See you later tonight. –Rainbow Dash”

Fluttershy sighed, then flew downstairs. She checked her birds. She sighed again, this time in relief, as none of them have died from the virus. She made herself a quick breakfast, a daisy sandwich, and flew around feeding her animals. She fed the remaining birds, moving them to separate rooms in her house in order to keep the virus from spreading. She fed the raccoons, her flamingo, and ended with Angel Bunny. He simply looked at fluttershy with a worried expression.

“Angel,” Fluttershy sighed, “Don’t worry, it’s…just a phase. It will pass. Once my birds are cured, I mean. Just…don’t worry about me, okay? I’ll be fine, I have Rainbow to cheer me up…” She trailed, and Angel was growing impatient. He tapped Fluttershy on the foreleg, and looked at her, his worried expression not changing. “It’s sweet that you’re worried, but you don’t need to be! I’m fine! Really!” Angel bunny face pawed and Fluttershy flew away.

*****

“Hey, Rainbow dash!” an unseen pony shouted.

“What?” Rainbow turned around, noticing the pony.

“What are you doing up? It’s early, even by your standards.” Twilight Sparkle giggled.

“Hah Hah. Very funny.” Rainbow said with a blank expression.

“What’s gotten into you?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it. What’s up?”

“Well,” Twilight began, “Pinkie and I need to ask you some questions. Would you be able to come down to sugar cube corner later today?”

“I’ll try to, but I might be busy.” was Rainbow’s only reply.

“Rainbow…What’s wrong? You’re not being yourself. Please…tell me.” Twilight asked, her lighthearted tone becoming serious, almost scary.

“Look,” Rainbow barked, “I don’t want to talk about it.” With that, Rainbow flew back to her home.

******

Fluttershy walked up to door to the animal clinic. It was a simple wooden building, not decorated or in a tree. It was a surprise Rarity hadn’t noticed the simple building and decorated it. Fluttershy knocked on the door with her hoof, and waited. Soon after, Kakashi opened the door.

“Hey Fluttershy, what brings you here?” he said, obviously tired.

“W-w-well, I was going home…and Rainbow Dash got this bottle of pills from a mysterious pony and…”

“Can I see these pills?” Kakashi asked, cutting Fluttershy off. Fluttershy squeaked and handed the bottle to Kakashi.

“Well, thank you for bringing these to me,” he said, looking over the pills, “I’ll have to do some research on these, but in the meantime, come in and I’ll tell you all I have found out.” Fluttershy nodded, and walked in.

The clinic was large, and open. It had a few chairs, a reception desk, and a path into the back. As they walked into the back, Fluttershy looked around into the different rooms. Most were closed, and some were open and filled with birds. A tear began to form in her eye as she shook her head. They made it to Kakashis office. It was a small office, filled with a hospital bed, a desk with some chairs, some charts and clipboards, and a framed picture behind his desk. It was his graduation certificate, saying he was a certified vet. Kakashi was pointing his hoof towards a chair, and Fluttershy sat.

“Ok. The virus is highly contagious in its final stages, and from what I have seen, almost undetectable in its early stages. The B-Virus…”

“The B-Virus?” Fluttershy interrupted. “Isn’t that a silly name?”

“Well, what would you call it?” Kakashi asked.

“What about bird flu?” Fluttershy responded.

“I thought about it, but B-Virus has a better ring to it.” Kakashi said, almost boastful.

“Okay then, please continue.” Fluttershy said.

“Anyway, The B-Virus origin is still unknown. The virus spreads through a cough. The virus wells in the birds lungs, and expels itself when the bird dies. At the moment, it doesn’t affect ponies, but it’s…adapting. We need to get this under control…or I fear the worst could happen…” Kakashi trailed. Fluttershy looked at him, worried, and he was knocked back to his senses. “But that might not happen. Because of these.” He held up the bottle of red and green pills. “I’m not sure, but I will do my research, and when I get some new info, I’ll pass it on.” Fluttershy nodded and walked towards the door. “Oh, and Fluttershy?”

“Yes, Kakashi?” Fluttershy responded, stopping at the door.

“Go relax, spend some time with Rainbow, and just get all of this out of your head. Let me worry about it, alright?” Fluttershy nodded, but Kakashi put a hoof on her shoulder. “I’m serious. I know how stuff like this affects you. Remember the incident with Celestia’s phoenix?” Fluttershy nodded again, now paying much more attention. “Just…forget about it for a while, alright?” Fluttershy nodded, and left the clinic.

*****

Taking heed of Kakashis suggestion, she went to Rainbows cloud home. As she landed, she missed the cloud, and landed in one of the many pools of rainbow colored liquid. She chuckled and wiped her hooves on the clouds, creating a rainbow smear. She looked up and saw the rather large home. It was a very vibrant white, with rainbow liquid trailing down multiple clouds, ending in shallow pools of the liquid. Fluttershy knocked on the door and rainbow almost immediately answered.

“Hey Fluttershy, what brings you here?” Rainbow asked, smiling.

“Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out…” Fluttershy trailed as Rainbow walked forward, closing her door.

“Sure, what do you want to do?” Rainbow asked, enthusiastic.

“Well, I was thinking we could go on a picnic…” Fluttershy squeaked, expecting a no.

“That sounds fun!” Rainbow shouted.

“We will have to go back to the cottage to get all the supplies.” Fluttershy said, starting to fly towards her cottage. Rainbow kept pace with Fluttershy and smiled. Rainbow was always a more athletic pony, but over the months, she got used and started to enjoy Fluttershys activities. Picnics, walks, and the like. She also learned to go slower when flying with Fluttershy.

*****

After some flying, they arrived at the cottage, Fluttershy having a big grin on her face. Rainbow was smiling as well, when she thought that something was…off…about the cottage. Nothing was noticeable, but something felt wrong to Rainbow.

“Do you feel that?” Rainbow asked.

“Feel what?” Fluttershy responded.

“Get behind me.” Rainbow said, looking serious and worried. Fluttershy nodded as they entered the cottage. Rainbow immediately got more jumpy as the door to the cottage was already open when they arrived. They searched the downstairs, and after finding nothing, snuck upstairs.

*Thud*

Fluttershy jumped at the sound, and Rainbow immediately started hovering. She flew up the stairs, and looked for the source of the sound

*Slam*

Fluttershy was obviously getting nervous, and very worried, but Rainbow kept her cool and was getting closer to the source of the sound.

*Shhhhhing*

It was obviously metal on metal, and Fluttershy rushed upstairs and was standing in front of her bedroom door. She was looking at Rainbow worry clearly etched on her face. Rainbow slowly opened the door and looked at the disaster that was encased in the bedroom.

It was much messier than usual, with clothes strewn all over the room, drawers opened and rifled through, closet opened and searched, cabinets hanging open, and the window wide open.

“Fluttershy, make sure everything is here. I’m going to see if they left a note or anything. Okay?” Rainbow was clearly in charge, and Fluttershy made no objection. She nodded and started sorting her things. Rainbow was searching the house, looking for any hints at who could have done this. There was no trace. She flew upstairs to Fluttershys room, where it was very well organized. “How do you do that, Fluttershy?”

“Did you find anything?” Fluttershy asked, smiling.

“No, are you missing anything?”

“Nope it’s all here. What could they have been looking for?” Fluttershy asked, putting a hoof to her chin. Rainbow was deep in thought before she spoke up.

“I GOT IT!” She shouted, causing Fluttershy to squeak in fear. “The pills! They must have been looking for the pills that one pony gave me! Where are they?”

“I gave them to Kakashi to take a look at.” She said. Rainbow sighed in relief. “Now, about that picnic…” Fluttershy trailed, smiling. Rainbow was trotting downstairs and Fluttershy followed. They grabbed some food and drinks, a blanket, and a basket. They flew out and towards the clearing in the Ever-Free forest.

*****

The noon sky lit the clearing with a warming light. The lake sparkled with the reflection of the sun, and the trees created a crescent around the lake. Fluttershy laid the blanket on a patch of grass near the lake. Rainbow smiled as she noticed the spot where she laid the blanket.

“That’s an interesting spot.” Rainbow laughed.

“Oh? And why is that?” Fluttershy responded, smiling.

“Well, it’s where we slept the night we started going out.” Rainbow was blushing. Fluttershy walked up and nuzzled
Rainbow, and she blushed harder. Fluttershy giggled, and Rainbow started walking towards the blanket. Fluttershy began unpacking the basket. Inside were two daisy sandwiches, hay fries, water, some punch, and a small box. She closed the basket before Rainbow saw the box.

“Wow, this looks amazing. Thanks, Fluttershy!” Rainbow said, her stomach growling. Fluttershy pushed a sandwich, some of the fries and some water towards Rainbow Dash. They ate for a while, then lay on the blanket, enjoying the silence. After five minutes, Fluttershy broke the silence.

“Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah Fluttershy?” Rainbow responded.

“Do you think you would be able to help Applejack? She needs some help collecting the apples.”

“Sure!” She responded. Fluttershy smiled and flew to the basket, taking out the box and walking towards Rainbow.

“What’s in the box?” Rainbow asked, remembering the last time Fluttershy gave her a “present.” Fluttershy simply opened the box to reveal rows of chocolate candies and at first Rainbow looked at them hungrily, and then she noticed they spelled a message.

‘I love you, Rainbow.’

“I love you too, Fluttershy.” Rainbow said, pulling Fluttershy close for an embrace. Fluttershy blushed, and looked at Rainbow. They locked eyes, and leaned closer.

“OH MY GOSH HI!!!!! HOW ARE YOU? What are you doing out here? OOO having a picnic? I LOVE picnic’s! There so much fun! Did you have some good food? Good food is a good part of any good picnic! Did you have any chimmicherry’s?” Pinkie pie shouted ecstatically. Rainbow smiled and looked at Pinkie, breaking eye contact with Fluttershy.

“Hey pinkie, what’s up?” Rainbow asked, taking one of the chocolates.

“U-um…hi Pinkie…” Fluttershy looked at Rainbow, who only turned and looked apologetic and thankful. Fluttershy smiled, and turned to face Pinkie.

“I was just wondering why you didn’t show up so we could ask you some questions, but I think I know why. I’ll leave you two alone. BYE!!!!” Pinkie shouted as she bounced away.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” rainbow started, sounding like an announcer at a race, “Our next act! Pinkie the Random!” Fluttershy started laughing, followed shortly by Rainbow Dash. Rainbow lay down, followed by Fluttershy, using Rainbows foreleg as a pillow. A small grin crept onto Rainbows face as she fell asleep. After Rainbow dash was asleep, Fluttershy was about to drift into dreamland, when Ditzy Doo came rocketing through the Ever-free forest.

“Fluttershy!” Ditzy shouted.

“U-um, h-hi d-d-Derpy…” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Kakashi is looking for you! He said he found out some new info about…what was it…the bird thingy?” Derpy was lost in thought when Fluttershy stood up.

“Where is he?” She asked.

“Oh, He’s over at the animal clinic.” Derpy flapped her wings to stay in a hover.

“Thank you, Derpy. Oh, do you have some parchment and a quill I could borrow? I mean…if that’s okay with you…” Fluttershy asked, looking at the ground. Derpy smiled and gave Fluttershy a roll of parchment and a quill.

*****
END OF CHAPTER TWO

The Pills

Chapter three: The pills

Fluttershy made her way to the animal clinic as fast as she could. She arrived to an unusually pleased Kakashi. He had a large grin on his face.

“What are you so happy about, Kakashi?” Fluttershy asked, confused.

“The pills.” He responded.

“What about them?” Fluttershy asked.

“It’s the pills! The pills!” He was running into his office. Fluttershy followed, only getting more confused by the minute. By the time they reached his back office, it was different. It was filled with charts, complex equations, and chemical compounds. A makeshift chemistry lab was constructed in the corner. Fluttershy took a seat and Kakashi began grabbing different materials and chemicals, and placing them on his desk.

“What is all of this?” Fluttershy asked, astonished.

“All of this? This is nothing. But this…” he pointed towards the chemicals on his desk, “This could be the solution to all of your problems.” Fluttershy was smiling profusely, as if to urge him to explain. “Well,” he began, “I figured out the origin. The virus originates from a rare species of bird in the forest around Fillidelphia. The species uses this virus as a self defense mechanism, normally to take out packs of manticores. However, a bird was caught in one of the releases of the virus, and brought it to Pony ville. Now, taking that information, I moved onto the pills I gave you. They contain a simple compound used to thin the blood. The thinner the blood, the longer it takes to spread. I moved on to the pills you gave me. They contained herbs readily available but to no medicinal use. These herbs are combined with a blood-thinning agent that thins the blood. Unlike my pills however, they contain large amounts of this chemical.” He paused to lift a capped vial with his mouth and give it to Fluttershy. “Meet the C-virus. This isn’t a virus under normal definition. Yes, it spreads by using host cells, but it attacks the B-Virus cells. Do you remember the red and green pills? The top half, the red, contained the blood thinner and herbs. The bottom half contained this, the C-virus. If I were to take my pills, combine it with the herbs and C-Virus, and a few extra chemicals, in theory, I could eliminate the virus. It would take a while, and I have been trying to get Celestia to lend me her phoenix to test the pills on…”

“W-well…you could use one of my birds…” Fluttershy squeaked.

“That’s the problem though. If I were to use your birds…the risks would be way too high…” Kakashi looked grim.

“R-risks?”

“Every medicine has its risks, and this is no exceptions. Using this, at least while unrefined and untested, could result in a number of worse deaths than just a cough. I’m sorry…but I can’t use your birds. Not until I test it.” Fluttershy looked grim, then she got an idea.

“I’ll be right back!” she yelled, flying out of the clinic.

*****

Rainbow woke after a couple hours of napping. The pressure on her foreleg was gone, and there was something in her hoof. She turned to see a note.

‘Dear Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry, but I had to go. Kakashi wanted to see me about the birds. I really hope we can continue this picnic some other time. –Fluttershy’

Rainbow smiled, and started packing everything up. She put the blanket, the leftover hay fries, and the box of chocolate, only missing one piece, back into the basket. Picking it up with her teeth, she flew to Fluttershys cottage. When she arrived, she saw a very worried Angel bunny. When he saw Rainbow, his expression could have been conceived as angry.

“Hey, Angel bunny? Have you seen Fluttershy anywhere?” Rainbow asked. Angel just looked at her. “Well…I need to return her basket.” Rainbow was scratching her head with her hoof when Angel kicked at the door. It opened, and Rainbow flew inside. She placed the basket on the table and flew back to the porch. “Thanks!” She yelled as she flew towards Sweet Apple Acres.

*****

Fluttershy darted towards the house of Twilight Sparkle, ramming into her at the door.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Fluttershy asked, worried.

“Fluttershy, I’m fine. What’s got you in a rush?” Twilight asked, running a hoof over her fur coat, rubbing the dirt out.

“I-I um…I need to talk to spike…” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Oh, let me get him for you!” Twilight offered cheerfully.

“T-that would be nice.” Fluttershy thanked Twilight with a smile.

“Spiiiiike!” Twilight called, opening the door to her library-house.

“Wha?” Spike called, obviously being startled awake.

“Fluttershy needs you!” Twilight called.

“What’s up Fluttershy?” Spike asked, walking down the stairs, rubbing his eyes.

“I need you to send a letter to Celestia…I mean…if that’s all right…” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Sure, just write it out, and I’ll send it when you’re done.” Spike insisted, pushing a piece of parchment and a quill towards fluttershy.

‘Dear Princess Celestia, I was wondering if you could send Philomeena to Ponyville. I mean, if that’s all right. You see, the vet pony Kakashi has been working on a cure for the virus that is spreading among the birds. I heard Philomeena had it, so I was wondering if you could send her so we could test the cure. –Fluttershy.’

“Uhm…Spike? I’m done…” Fluttershy squeaks, rolling up the parchment. Spike smiles, opens his mouth, and blows a small green plume of fire out of it, sending the letter with a magical puff of dust.

“There, the letter is sent. What did you ask?” Spike asked questioningly.

“Well…” Fluttershy trailed. Spike opened his mouth to talk, but instead belched a cloud of magical dust that formed into a roll of parchment.

“Wow, that was fast.” Spike inserted, “Must be important.”

Fluttershy began unrolling the parchment and started to read.

‘Dear Fluttershy, I would be happy to send Philomeena. I will be sending her under royal guard to your cottage. From there, you can take her to the vet. Please be careful with Philomeena. –Princess Celestia.’

Fluttershy smiled, hugged spike, and started to trot to the door. “Thanks Spike!” she called as she started flying away.
*****

Rainbow arrived at Sweet Apple Acres to be met by an enthusiastic Scootaloo.

“Hey, Rainbow!” Scootaloo shouted.

“What’s up kiddo?” Rainbow said, landing in front of Scootaloo.

“We are gonna try to get racing cutie marks!” Scootaloo shouted.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER RACERS! YAY!” Scootaloo shouted, joined now by Applebloom and Sweetie Bell.

“Well, have fun! I bet you’ll win, Scootaloo!” Rainbow said, laughing a little. “Hey, Applebloom, Where is Applejack?”

“Oh, she’s in the barn.” Applebloom said, scratching her chin with her hoof.

“Thanks, and have fun!” Rainbow yelled, flying towards the barn.

“What’s got her in a rush?” Scootaloo asked.

“Don’t know, but it must be important!” Applebloom inserted.

*****

Fluttershy arrived at her cottage to be met by some of Celestias royal guard.

“Fluttershy?” One of the guards asked.

“Uhm…yes?” Fluttershy squeaked. The other guards nodded and the captain walked out, carrying a rather large birdcage. Inside was a bird with bright red and orange feathers.

“Philomeena!” Fluttershy shouted, flying up to the birdcage. Philomeena let out a squawk in greeting. “And how have you been?” She asked. Philomeena began looking towards her hair, letting out a disappointed coo. “Oh, I’m sorry, but the feather…well…it got sort of…ruined.” Fluttershy squeaked. One of the guards began looking at her oddly, when Philomeena began digging through the feathers in her wing. She pulled a feather out and held it outside of the cage. “Well, thank you Philomeena, that is quite generous of you!” She giggled, placing the feather in her hair. Philomeena let out a pleased squawk, and they began walking. Fluttershy began humming, and Philomeena quickly followed suit as she repeated the song. The guard just watched in awe.

“Uhm…Fluttershy?” One of the guards asked.

“Yes?” She said, pausing her song, while Philomeena continued.

“How…I mean…when did you get so good with animals?”

One of the veteran guards looked at him like he was crazy. Fluttershy simply giggled. “You must be new.” He nodded.

“Well,” she began, “I have always been good with animals. It’s…a gift.” She turned towards Philomeena, who squawked. “It’s my cutie mark after all.” She raised a hoof and pointed towards her cutie mark. The guard nodded in understanding. As they approached the animal clinic, she asked the guards to wait out of sight. They agreed, confused. Fluttershy knocked on the door, and Kakashi appeared.

“Fluttershy, what brings you here?” He asked.

“I have a volunteer for testing the cure.” She said, smiling.

“I told you I’m not going to use your birds.” He was grim, but she was still smiling. She nodded towards the captain and he and the other guards began walking towards Fluttershy. Kakashi looked in stunned awe as he approached. Kakashi bowed, and Fluttershy just giggled. The captain moved, and another guard began bringing the birdcage to Kakashi. Kakashi looked up, and began grinning.

“Philomeena, meet Kakashi!” Fluttershy said. Philomeena squawked.

“Philo- You got Philomeena? Into Ponyville?” Kakashi asked, his jaw agape.

“I just asked Celestia, and she sent her over.” Fluttershy said casually.

“You…asked…Celestia?” He was looking at her, stunned.

“Yeah.” She giggled, and they began walking inside.

*****

Rainbow dash flew into the barn, seeing Applejack lying back on a large post.

“Hey Applejack, am I late?” She asked.

“Nope, you’re on time, surprisingly.” Applejack remarked, laughing. Rainbow was hiding a laugh when Applejack got up. “Well, let’s get started. These trees aren’t going to buck themselves.” Rainbow nodded and began walking behind AJ. ‘Why am I doing this again? Oh…yeah…Because Fluttershy asked me to help Applejack.’ She thought to herself. Applejack laughed as Rainbow walked into a tree, causing a single apple to fall on her head.

“I uhh…I meant to do that.” Rainbow tried to play it off.

“Sure ya did sugar cube.” Applejack remarked. She placed some baskets onto her saddlebags, and Rainbow did the same. Rainbow headed to one of the trees, reared up, and kicked. A large mound of apples fell into her baskets. She turned to see Applejack moving and kicking the trees. Rainbow sighed in exasperation and then she got an idea. She began to hover and then she flew around, kicking all the apple trees with the force of a train. The apples were deposited into her baskets, which had to be regularly emptied. Applejack looked at Rainbow, who was grinning. After a few minutes, Rainbow deposited the last of the apples into a large basket. She had a massive grin on her face.

“Now no need ta show off!” Applejack joked.

“Who’s showing off?” Rainbow laughed. Applejack began laughing as well, and Rainbow looked towards the orchard. “Anything else you need help with?”

“I think that’s it. Thanks for ya help, sugar cube.” Applejack replied. Rainbow bounced into the air and began flying towards her cloud home before adjusting her course and heading for Fluttershys cottage.

*****

END OF CHAPTER THREE

The Cure

Chapter four: The cure

Fluttershy sat as Kakashi prepared a mixture of chemicals, and crushed them into a powder. He formed the powder into a pill, and waited. When the pill solidified, he walked over to Fluttershy.

“You’re going to have to give it to her. I’m not as good with her as you seem to be.” Kakashi stated. Fluttershy nodded and walked to Philomeena.

“Philomeena?” Fluttershy squeaked. Philomeena squawked, her curiosity spiked as Fluttershy looked away. “Would
you be able to take this pill? I mean…if that’s okay with you.” Philomeena flew over to Fluttershys hoof, and took the pill into its mouth. “Thank you, Philomeena!” Fluttershy looked at Philomeena, who landed on her back. She giggled, and the guards simply stood, unmoving. Philomeena flew back to Kakashi. Kakashi began monitoring her vital signs.

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to need to get a blood sample.” Kakashi said, holding a needle in his hoof. Philomeena held up a wing, as to tell him to wait. He watched as she took her wing, bit and held it back out to him. He noticed there was a very small space where blood was beginning to bead. “Well, that was a little unnecessary, don’t you think?” He asked the bird, who only squawked. Fluttershy began giggling. He drew the blood into a small vial, and began ejecting it onto a small plastic square. He placed the blood sample under a microscope and began to smile. “Fluttershy!” He shouted.

“What?” She squeaked.

“Come here!” Fluttershy obliged and began trotting towards the vet. “Look at this!” He pointed his hoof towards the
microscope. She looked into the microscope, and saw many strange balls. She also saw many strange nets, capturing the balls and squeezing them until they pop.

“What exactly am I looking at?” she asked.

“It worked! The cure worked!” He shouted ecstatically.

“It did?!”

“Yes! It did! Philomeena is now cured, although we need to get her back to Celestia before she catches it again.” With that, the guards began leaving. Philomeena flew next to Fluttershy, hugged her with her wings, and flew towards the guards. Fluttershy began blushing as she was reminded of Rainbow. Kakashi began creating large amounts of the pills, and gave them to Fluttershy. “Give one to each of your birds.” Fluttershy nodded and flew towards her cottage, excited to tell Rainbow the news. As her thoughts trailed back to Rainbow, she blushed again.

*****

Rainbow landed at Fluttershys cottage, and began thinking. ‘She has made me so happy, and I don’t like seeing her like this. Maybe…yeah. I think it’s time.’ She began to fly towards Rarity’s boutique. She landed in front of Rarity’s store, The Carousel Boutique. It was large, and very well decorated. As Rainbow entered, she was assaulted by a flourish of pinks and whites inside the building. It was large and contained various mannequins of ponies wearing various dresses and suits.

“Rarity? You here?” Rainbow asked.

“Over here!” An unknown pony yelled back, coming from Raritys sewing room.

“Hey Rarity, I need a favor.” Rainbow asked nervously.

“Well, out with it! What do you need?” Rarity asked.

“A r…” Rainbow trailed, obviously nervous.

“A what?” Rarity asked.

“A…a ring.” Rainbow said.

“Why would you need a ring unless…oh…” Rarity began. “Oh! This is wonderful!”

“Just…don’t tell anyone yet. I don’t want Fluttershy to find out.” Rainbow was smiling.

“Of course! Now, I will need some time to make the ring. How soon do you need it?”

“By tonight.” Rainbow said plainly.

“Perfect. Come pick it up before I close. It will be ready then.”

“Thank you, Rarity.” Rainbow trotted up and hugged her friend, then flew back to Fluttershys cottage.

*****

Rainbow arrived just as Fluttershy did.

“Hey, what did Kakashi say?” Rainbow asked. Fluttershy simply ran forward and hugged Rainbow, who stumbled back before returning the hug. She wrapped her wings around Fluttershy, who began to blush. “So,” Rainbow said, looking into Fluttershys eyes, “What did he say?”

“There’s a cure. And it works!” Fluttershy was shouting as loud as she could, which wasn’t really loud.

“That’s great! Let’s go cure your birds!” Rainbow exclaimed. She took some of the pills, and they began flying around, giving a pill to every bird. When they were done, Fluttershy had tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” She yelled, wiping a tear from her eyes, “Everything is perfect.”

“Tears of joy?” Rainbow asked. Fluttershy nodded and leaned into Rainbow. Rainbow stretched her wing over Fluttershy, and they moved to the couch. They sat there for a minute or two before Fluttershys stomach started to growl. She giggled and moved to the kitchen. She began taking out large amounts of ingredients, pots and pans, and seasonings.

“I think we should celebrate!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded, “But don’t tell Pinkie.” Fluttershy burst into laughter and shortly after, began cooking. Rainbow sat and watched as Fluttershy moved around the kitchen with ease, juggling multiple pans, things in the oven, and things in the fridge and freezer. Fluttershy looked up and saw Rainbow staring in her direction. She smiled and went back to cooking. After about forty minutes, she began putting everything into dishes and began putting the dishes into a basket. She grabbed a blanket and some punch and packed everything up. Rainbow smiled when she remembered the note. ‘Continue the picnic…’ When she realized the time, she bolted up.

“Ohmygosh! I’m late!” she shouted.

“Late for what?” Fluttershy asked, confused by Rainbow’s sudden change in mood.

“I’m so sorry, but I need to go. I promise, I will meet you at the clearing. I’m really sorry.” She said, bouncing into the air and flying towards town. Fluttershy smiled and began flying to the clearing, making sure she had her phoenix down in her hair.

*****

Rainbow flew as fast as she could to Rarity’s boutique. When she arrived, she saw Rarity waiting by the door. When she saw Rainbow, she opened the door. Rainbow flew in and flapped her wings, softening her landing.

“I’m so sorry; I was spending time with Fluttershy and…wow.” She said, seeing the ring.

“I know.” Rarity said.

“It’s…amazing. Thank you Rarity.” She hugged her friend, taking the small box, and hiding in her feathers.

“Now, if I may make a suggestion?” Rarity asked.

“Sure.” Rainbow responded.

“When you give her the ring, make sure it’s in a dark place with a large light source. You’ll see why, just do it. You won’t be disappointed.” Rarity said. Rainbow nodded and started flying towards the door.

“Thanks Rarity, really. You don’t know how much this means to me.” She said, opening the door.

“Oh, I’m sure it will mean more to her.” She winked, and Rainbow flew away, confused. She looked back at the box, and noticed a small note attached. She opened it, and started to read.

‘No doubt you noticed that the box is slightly larger than most jewelry boxes. Make sure you DO NOT under ANY circumstances open this box early. Only open it in A) A dark place lit by a large light source and B) Only when you plan on proposing. You won’t be disapointed. –Rarity.’

Rainbow rolled her eyes, and continued towards the clearing.
*****

When Rainbow arrived at the clearing, the blanket was laid out, and Fluttershy had just finished unpacking the food. Rainbow landed, and began to trot towards Fluttershy. The food had been laid out in a very appealing manner. Near the middle was a large salad, filled with various fruits, including apples and oranges. Near the salad were plates of pasta, coated in some kind of sauce. Inside the sauce were pieces of orange. Near the edges of the cloth were plates that had little silver covers on them.

“Hiding desert?” rainbow asked, laughing. Fluttershy giggled. “You know, if Applejack found out you used oranges, she would be mad.”

“Yes, but they’re your favorite, so I thought I would include them today.” Fluttershy said with a smile. Rainbows heart began to melt.

“Well, shall we?” She said, sitting down. Fluttershy had already portioned the food, so they simply began eating. Playful banter followed the meal, until Fluttershy revealed the desert. When she revealed it, Rainbows jaw dropped. Each plate had a soufflé and a crème brulee.

“Well, do you like it?” Fluttershy asked. Without warning, Rainbow got up and hugged Fluttershy. Fluttershy blushed, and returned the hug. When they separated, they sat back down and began to eat the deserts. After desert, they lay down, and Rainbow began thinking how she should propose.

“So,” she began, “How does it feel to know that your birds are cured?”

“It made me almost as happy as you make me.” Fluttershy responded. Rainbow blushed.

“Well, you know…I have been thinking, and what pony knows a lot about medicine, and chemicals and whatnot?” Rainbow asked.

In almost exact unison, they said “Zecora”. “How did I miss that?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know, she hid her face well!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked, standing up.

“Yes Dashie?” Fluttershy followed.

“I love you. I really do. You have made me so happy these last four months, happier than I thought you would. I admit, I was skeptical at first, but you have shown me that…opening your heart is really worth the risk of getting it broken. And when I saw you crying that day…my heart shattered. I hate seeing you like that, and I hope I never have to again.” Fluttershy looked down, when Rainbow brought her face back up, locking eyes with her. “But if I do, I want to help you through it.” She got down onto one knee. She pulled the box out of her wing, and Fluttershy gasped. She dropped the box into her hoof and began to speak again. “Fluttershy, will you marry me?”

Fluttershy stood in stunned silence as what Rainbow said was being processed in her mind. When she came to her senses she was met with a slightly worried expression on Rainbows face. “Yes, of course I will Dashie!” Fluttershy shouted, trotting forward and hugging Rainbow. Rainbow returned the hug and they locked eyes again. ‘No interruptions this time’ Rainbow thought as she leaned closer. She kissed Fluttershy, and Fluttershy placed her hoof on Rainbows cheek. Just then, the box began to glow.

“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot!” Rainbow said, opening the box. When she did, a large pillar of light appeared out of the box. A small metal object shot into the air, and slowly descended onto the box. Multi colored light was beaming from all around, being directed into the rings jewel. The ring finally landed on top of the box. It was a small, multi colored version of Fluttershys cutie mark surrounded by gold and silver trim. “She wasn’t kidding about the light show…” Rainbow said.

“It’s…beautiful. I love it.” Fluttershy said. Rainbow picked it up in her hoof, and placed it onto Fluttershys hoof. It fit like a glove. Rainbow lay back down, followed shortly by Fluttershy, Rainbow pulled Fluttershy closer, causing her to blush. As they gazed into the night sky, Rainbow began talking.

“You know, this is the exact spot where we began going out, and now it’s also the spot where we got engaged. Maybe we will sleep here on our wedding night too!” Rainbow said, giggling. Fluttershy blushed. Almost as If Luna herself was happy for them, a meteor shower began. Fluttershy turned and began drifting to sleep.

“I love you, Dashie.” She said as she was nearing the edge of sleep.

“I love you to, Flutters.” Rainbow said, falling asleep, foreleg in foreleg with her fiancé.
*****
FIN