Fall of the Butterflies

“That pony there is Rainbow Dash?” Applejack said, stunned.

“I know that she doesn’t look like her, but it’s obvious that she dyed her mane grey! I saw a flash of rainbow light, with her as the source! We need to go there and convince her to leave!”

They were residing in one of the houses that Starlight provided easily for them after Twilight suddenly asked to stay for the night in the middle of the conversation from before. Rodd Gain, or Rainbow Dash’s house was two blocks in front of them.

“But…why would Dashie dye her mane?! I don’t think that she ever lets anyone cut it beside herself, and the last time someone asked her to change her mane color…” Pinkie gulped.

“It’s obviously to hide from us. Didn’t you look at her face when we saw her? It wasn’t happiness, but fear!” Rarity pouted.

“Couldn’t she be doing that because she has a equal sign cutie mark like everypony else around here?” Spike asked.

“I don’t think so Spike. The townspeople may act weird and smile for no reason at all, but I sensed that inside every one of the citizens, a part of them actually wants to stay here. They actually do act on their own accord…it’s just the ideals that are forced.” Twilight explained.

“They want to stay here?! Why would anypony even want to step foot into this place?!” Pinkie shouted.

“Pinkie Pie! Don” shout! Remember that the townspeople kept on watching us in the morning? Who knows if they are watching us now?” Applejack reprimanded.

“Honestly, it wouldn’t really matter at this point.” Twilight shook her head and moved towards the window. “Because we are going to her house right now.”

“WHAT?! At this time of night? Why?” Rarity protested.

“Do you want to save Rainbow Dash or rather continue having your precious beauty sleep?” Applejack scoffed.

“Ugh…fine. Let’s go.”

The door creaked open as one by one the ponies went out of the hut. The town was completely silent, with only a few sounds of snoring and grunting heard occasionally.

“The coast is clear, come on.”

They reached the house and Pinkie put her head to the hinge of the door. “I don’t think she’s awake!”

“Pinkie wait! She might be…”

But the pony had already opened the door completely before the rest of her friends could stop her. Before she could respond, a pan suddenly flew in front and smashed into her face.

“Aren’t the cupcakes pretty today? Haha…Haha Hee Hee…”

She fainted to the floor in front of the group. Rarity gasped as Twilight levitated the pan out of the unknown’s hand’s grasp forcefully. Before the shadow started to run, Applejack ran into the house and dived, followed by a large crashing noise.
“I got her! Twilight, Rarity, Spike! Need some help over here!”

They ran inside the house to find Applejack struggling to keep a pegasus from being airborne, hoofs colliding with each other as they fought for their position.

“Oof…get off of me! Get off!” The mare grunted.

“You really think that you can pretend to be somepony else, Rodd Gain? Or should I say, RD!” Applejack retorted.

“Leave me alone Applejack!” She blurted, then immediately regretted her outburst as her friends smiled sarcastically at her.

“Oh hi…random pony that we shouldn’t know…say, if you’re not who we know you are, explain how you know Applejack’s name?” Rarity said dramatically in an ironic tone.

“Oh shut up Rarity…” Rainbow Dash groaned. Applejack released her grip and the familiar pony stood up, glaring at them with contempt.

“So…are you going to explain…”

“No. I’m not. I’m left for a reason and I intend on staying here with my new friends.” She grunted solemnly.

“Your…new…friends?” Pinkie went up to her and shook her violently.

“We’re your friends since the beginning! What about us?”

Rainbow pushed Pinkie off brutally and shrugged her shoulders. “What about you? I don’t need anyone, especially you guys.”

“What in the hay are you talking about? We didn” even insult or hurt you in anyway and here you are jabbering and blabbering insults to everypony like a hose left with an open tap.” Applejack said angrily.

“You’re one to talk…Can you guys just leave me alone? I didn’t want to be found, and I certainly did not want to be interrogated by any of you!” She yelled.

She took up a shard of hessonite from the shelf and threw it out the window. “Some piece of junk this was…”

“Where did you even get that, by the way?” Twilight questioned.

“I stole it from the trash of the diamond store in Ponyville. The shopkeeper bought it because he thought it was amethyst, but threw it away once he found out it was Hessonite, which I know since Twilight explained it at the hospital.” She replied bitterly.

“But why would you run away from us…You’re the bravest and most loyal pony that I know! You represent the ELEMENT of loyalty, for Celestia’s sake!” Pinkie reprimanded.

“Well do you still see my cutie mark around?!” Rainbow demanded, turning around to reveal the equal sign on her flank.

“That doesn’t mean that you can give up on us, on Flutter…”

“Don’t you dare utter the full word of that name, Pinkie.”

Rainbow was literally staring daggers at the pink pony, who reeled back at the expression that her best friend was giving to her.

“So it’s about her, isn’t it?” Twilight divulged.

“Erughh! Yes, yes, yes! It’s about Fluttershy! Could it been have more obvious? I freaking ran because of what the stupid doctor said!”

“Don’t you go blame the doctor for Fluttershy’s condition!” Rarity pestered. “That’s just cold!”

“I don’t give a flying feather about the doctor. I will only leave if she doesn’t have that disease.”

“But lymph cancer is incurable…”

“Exactly. Now get out! This is my home now!”

She tried to push the mane 4 out of the door, but found that Spike was standing in front of it.

“Out of the way, Spike. You need to get out too.”

“………………………….”

“I said, get out! Leave me alone and never come back you stupid drago…”

SLAP.

The dragon’s claw turned a perfect angle as Rainbow Dash was sent crashing into the shelves, which broke in half as her body collided with the wood in tremendous force.

“Spike!”

“Aah!”

“Oh my goodness…”

“Ugh...I can’t move my legs…”

Spike went to the destroyed debris and picked up the injured pony with ease, his rage fuelling his hidden strength of a full-grown dragon which he had withheld for so long.

“How dare you. How dare you, insulting not just innocent ponies that are trying to help Fluttershy, but your best friends as well. How dare you, ignoring us and even telling us to leave when we spent an entire day looking for you. How DARE you, leaving your own sister behind because of your conflicted emotions, causing her to fall in a state of psychological trauma. And you even have the nerve to judge us, to tell us to go, to mock the very meaning of friendship.”

“I…”

Spike dropped his bag pack and took out a gem-encrusted box that Rarity gave him for his birthday. Inside were the two feathers that shone slightly with Fluttershy’s and Rainbow Dash’s cutie marks.

“See what I’m holding right now? You dropped this before departing didn’t you. Look at what it did when Pinkie placed them on the thrones in Twilight’s castle. They are the reason that we were able to find you even though you protected yourself with Hessonite. Even they tried to help us, help Fluttershy, when you didn’t. Even your own body contains more loyalty than your personality."

“But…I didn’t know what to do…” Rainbow became silent as the dragon’s fist tightened, his eyes tinted once with fire, but this time burning red as anger was the main emotion, not frustration.

“Do you even feel guilty in the slightest?! Some friend you are. Even Angel wanted to visit Fluttershy when I was taking care of the animals. Even he has a bigger conscience than you, you heartless self-righteous selfish…”

“Spike, that’s enough.”

“What do you mean that’s enough! She…she…”

Twilight placed her hoof on Spike’s fist, which relaxed, causing Rainbow Dash to fall to the ground in shock.

“You’ve done enough. I think she knows that what she has done is wrong, and I know that deep inside she’s hating the words that come out of her mouth. She’s in a bad mood, Spike. Don’t make it worse.”

“………………Come on everypony, Let’s go.”

Spike left the door open as the mane 4 slowly went out behind him, besides Twilight the rest shocked as the left the household.

“Spike? Are…are you alright?” Rarity whimpered after a long silence while walking back to their provided accommodation.

“I’m ok. Just let me regain some sanity.”

“Oh…you won’t be able to…dragon.”

Starlight Glimmer was standing in front of them with an army of villagers, holding a wooden staff with her magic as she stepped forward to face the group of friends.

“Did you really think that we weren’t awoken by your arguments? I see now that you four are quite special…especially Twilight. Her cutie mark would make a great addition to my scheme!” She laughed.
“What are you talking about? What scheme?”

“Oh…you won’t get to know. Don’t you know that freethinking individuals will never prosper? Your arguing and bickering just proves that ponies special will never experience true happiness or friendship in any matter. Equality will always be the best option, no matter if the subject likes it…or not!”

A bolt of magic came from the staff and flew towards Twilight. Before she could react however, Rainbow Dash came soaring from the roof of her house and intercepted the blast, taking it full blow. Her colour darkened to dark grey as the equal sign was multiplied beyond its limits. Without a sound, she fell to the ground, her pulse dead.

“RAINBOW DASH!!”