Pastsby Frozen FeathersChaptersApplejackRainbow DashFluttershyApplejack "Applejack!" Said Twilight, walking through the long rows of apple trees before spotting her orange friend quickly. "Hey, Twi. What can ah help ya with?" Asked Applejack. "Well, the girls and I were all going out to sugar cube corner, and I was sent to come and find you to see if you'd like to come. Would you?" "Sure. Just give me a sec to wash up, and ah'll be right over" "Okay, I'll just head out. See you in a few?" "Eeyep." *** "Hey Applejack, we never learned about your childhood" said Rainbow Dash. "Oh yes, do tell" agreed Rarity. "Yeah Applejack! Tell us tell us tell us tell us!" Said Pinkie quickly. "Pinkie pie! Don't force her to if she doesn't want to!" Yelled Fluttershy. Which, for every pony else was normal speaking. "What? Aren't you at least a little curious?" Asked Pinkie. "Well, I wouldn't mind hearing the story, but that's only if Applejack wants to tell us." At this, all eyes turned to Twilight. Unluckily for her, she currently had her mouth stuffed with cake. "Whaa?" The other five mares broke down into giggles. Twilight swallowed hard before speaking again. "What?" "They want to know if ya want to hear about ma' growing up and such" said Applejack, still giggling. "Oh, sure. I would love to learn more about one of my closest friends" "Well, ah guess it's settled. Well, let me think. Ah was born on a Friday..." *** Sweet apple acres itself was celebrating. The first daughter had been born to the heads of the Apple family. She was a tiny orange filly with blonde hair and green eyes. She grew quickly, much as her brother had. She was also much stronger than stallions twice her age. The filly, Applejack, was known around town for being a hard worker. Ask her to do something, and she'd do it with a smile on her face. She had a happy life, loving parents, competitive older brother, and plenty of friends. Others felt bad for her, having to grow up doing so much work, but to Applejack, she was the luckiest filly in the world. But sadly, all good things have to come to an end. Applejack was in school one day when her brother, Big Macintosh, came running into the room. He has breathing hard, like he had run all the way from sweet apple acres. The next thing Applejack noticed were the tears. To this day, that was the only time Applejjack had seen him cry. A knot formed in Applejacks stomach as she stood up. Big Mac was talking to her teacher, who nodded sadly and looked at Applejack. "Applejack, you're excused for the day" Applejack followed Big Mac out into the hallway when he told her. Their parents, both of them, had gotten killed by a falling tree. It was a tree that had been weak for a while, and their parents were out there putting up supports when a huge gust of wind came and blew down the tree on top of them. Applejack stood stalk still as big mac told her. She could feel the knot that had formed in her stomach move up as tears formed in her eyes. Applejack just let it happen, and the sobs came in waves, each louder than the last. It got to the point where she was screaming at the top of her lungs. She was crying in piece due to her grief, but also at her helplessness. No matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to bring them back. She was too young to be able to really effectively buck apples. She wasn't able to sell apples. She wasn't able to save her unborn sister, still in their mother’s womb. A couple of class mates poked their head out of the classroom to see what was going on, but were quickly herded back into the classroom by her teacher. Finally, Applejack started to calm down and gasp for breath. "W-why was mama out there when sh-she was nine months pregnant?" She gasped out. "She wanted to do somethin' helpful. It seemed to be the only thing she could do, putting up fences" "She was gonna be named Apple Bloom. Mama and papa told me last night. She was gonna be the most beautiful filly. Ah was gonna protect 'er. But ah couldn't. Ah couldn't protect anypony" sobbed Applejack. Her body shuddered as new sobs arrived. She flinched when she felt a soft hoof on her back. She looked up to see Granny Smith. Applejack sniffled and took the tissue she was handed. "I have something to tell you two. Where there is death, there is life. Your little sister is alive. We were able to save her. Her name is Apple Bloom. Now come with me, you two. There is a time for mourning that we'll have. Right now, you need to come and meet her." Granny Smith. She was never a soft apple. She always set aside time for different things to make sure it didn't interfere with their work. She nuzzled Applejack to get to her hooves and the trio made their way to the hospital. Applejack shuddered as they passed the large doors labeled 'MORGUE'. Knowing her parents were in there- no. Not her parents. Just skin suits that looked like her parents. The parents who had raised her were gone, and she couldn't do anything about it. They arrived in nursery and Granny pointed to a crib. Applejack couldn't see, so she climbed onto her brothers back. In the crib that Granny Smith had pointed out sat a yellow filly with red hair. She looked at them and giggled, holding out her hooves to them. A nurse entered and picked her up in her magic, covering her in a large blanket. "Here you go, ma'am" said the nurse, giving Apple Bloom to Granny Smith. Granny Smith knew exactly what to do, expertly placing the binkie into her mouth, how to hold her, and rocking her gently. The odd group made their way back to the farm. Ponies in town now knew about what happened, and they would constantly be stopped by ponies saying how sorry they were to Granny. Applejack got so frustrated by their slow progress that she eventually just walked away from them and back to the farm. When she got there, almost no pony was home. She slid past the few relatives and made her way to her room. She ran inside and quickly closed the door behind her. She let out a long breath and leaned against the door, sliding into a sitting position. A few stray tears slid down her face. She buried her face in her hooves and took a few deep breaths. "Aj?" Said a male voice from inside her room. Applejack looked up, startled. "Braeburn? What are you doing here?" "Ma and pa got the news. They said we should all come up here to help for a while. Ah'm sorry, cous. Ah really am. Do you want to talk 'bout it?" "I don't know. That's supposed to make ya feel better, right?" "S' what ah heard" "Okay. Well, let's talk- wait, what's that? She asked, pointing to Braeburns flank. "Oh ya, ah didn't tell ya? Ah got my cutiemark. Sorry cous, ah thought ah already told ya" "Well Braeburn, yah always were a bit ditzy" "Yeah, sorry" "Well, let's talk 'bout something better. How're things in Appleoosa?" "Fine. We got a good harvest this year. We got plenty of ponies to help, so we finished early. We came down to help you guys, considering ya have more trees and less ponies. Though ah don't think ah'll be able to buck as many apples as you." "Oh please. I doubt Granny and Big Mac are even goin ta let me near a tree, after what happened. Ah don't know what ah'll be doing with all of this free time." "Well, cous, ah'll be here for a while. We could clean the barn, or play games, or feed the animals. Ma and pa said we'd be up here until harvests over, maybe longer. So we might as well do something useful." "Yeah, ah guess that’s true" "And AJ, ahm sorry about your little sister. I can't imagine what that must feel like." "What do ya mean? My little sis- oh! No, she's alive. Her name is Apple Bloom and she's the most beautiful little filly." "She is? Oh that’s great! Every cloud has a silver lining, ah guess. So, where do ya keep the pie?" *** Applejack and her family healed over time. Applejack got big enough to buck apples, so Granny didn't have too. The farm grew big, as did little Apple Bloom. She grew into an intelligent but curious filly. She made two friends, and they would always get into trouble. Applejack eventually became the head of the family. Usually the new head would be the oldest child of the old heads, but Big Mac didn't have any interests in running the family. If you were to walk into Sweet Apple Acres, you'd see that it's so much better than it was a few years ago. Acres of sweet apples. Though, if you were to go around their barn and up a small hill, you'd see something that doesn't belong. Two tall, proud cherry blossom trees, with two small tomb stones resting in between. *** "Well every pony, that's pretty much ma foal hood sto-" Started Applejack, but got cut off as her five friends crowded around her trying to hug her. Each one had damp eyes. Even Pinkies hair was slightly less poufy. "I never knew. We never knew. I'm so sorry Applejack" said Twilight quietly. About thirty minutes later, the group had calmed down and were talking normally once more. "Just wait till you all hear my foal hood. I was so awesome!" Said Rainbow Dash. "Well, than tell us!" Said Rarity. "Yeah Dashi! Tell us!" "Alright, alright." Said Rainbow Dash before starting her story. What happened to Rainbow? Well, that's for chapter two to tell. Rainbow Dash "Alright, alright" said Rainbow Dash before starting her story. *** A small blue Pegasus had been born to Thunder crash and Lux Shine, two of the best racers in clouds dale. The foal had her Mothers colorful hair and her Fathers coat and eyes. They named her Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer of all. Rainbow Dash started flying at an amazingly young age. They would have to put a special netting over the top of her crib to keep her from flying out and hurting herself. The net had been enchanted so she wouldn't pull it off or tangle herself in it. By the time she was old enough to start school, she was the best flyer in her class. Her parents enrolled her into flight camp, where she continued to flourish. What she lacked in size, she made up for in speed. She would always come home excited, asking her parents if they would go out and fly with her. For professional flyers, they were more than happy to oblige. They would all go out and train together as a family. Rainbow Dash made plenty of friends at flight school. She met a griffon named Gilda, and a shy Pegasus named Fluttershy. When Rainbow first had Fluttershy over to their house, Fluttershy barely spoke. Eventually though, she started to warm up to them. She would say that they were like her second family. Although Rainbow Dash had many friends, she also, as any popular pony would at that age, had bullies. It was a trio of boys who would always pick on her about everything. This took its toll on Rainbow, causing her to become depressed. Things were better when she saw Fluttershy though. But Fluttershy left. On the day Rainbow Dash got her cutie mark, Fluttershy left Clouds dale. Rainbow was heartbroken when she finished her race only to find her friend wasn't there. Things went downhill after that. Rainbow Dash no longer had any pony to talk to. She started having...darker thoughts. Rainbow dash eventually just gave up on everything. She lost her passion for flying, and she wouldn't leave the house because every time she did, the trio of bullies would follow her around. Her parents noticed this, so they found out who these bullies were, and had a talk with their parents. Oh Celestia, their patents were dreadful. The next day, Thunder Crash went with Rainbow to flight school. She felt somewhat confident for the first time in months, up until her dad had to leave. They were testing, and parents aren't allowed to watch their kids while testing. Thunder crash reluctantly left, leaving Rainbow dash alone. The teachers went down the list of Students. Rainbow Dash was the eighth student. Just before Rainbow began her test, the bullies started yelling at her. "Why don't you go ask your daddy for help, Rainbow Crash!?" They yelled, causing a few other kids to laugh. Rainbow arched her back, fur standing on end. She took a deep breath, and jumped, wings flapping. She was doing great. 'Just focus, don't think about them, just focus' she told herself over and over again. She was in a long stretch with cloud pillars. She glanced around, only to crash face first into the pillars. Her entire front half got buried, with only her rear end hanging out. She could hear the colt’s cat calls and wolf whistles. She blushed furiously and forced her way out of the cloud. As she was flying, tears blurred her vision. The voices of her classmates filled her head and she couldn't see. She reached up a hoof to wipe the tears away, but crashed once again. Into the track sides. She hadn't realized how fast she had been going. Her wing got caught in the metal, tearing out a few feathers as she tried to get it free, but to no avail. A strong gust of wind pushed her away, bending her wing unnaturally but freeing her. She tried desperately to flap her wings, but her right one was damaged badly, and her left one wasn't strong enough to keep her up. Rainbow knew what would happen. She closed her eyes and tucked he wings as she fell. Down, down, down. There were a few shouts, but she knew no pony would be able to catch her in time. She passed through the cloud layer and giggled at the light wetness. And she still fell. 'This isn't too bad' she thought. 'I'll finally get away from them. Finally. Finally. Finall-' "Rainbow Dash!? RAINBOW!" yelled a familiar voice from the ground. 'Hmm, I didn't know Flutters could yell that loud. Wait, Fluttershy?' Rainbows eyes shot open. Sure enough, there was her kind, yellow friend. 'No, she can't see this, I can't let her have to witness this.' Rainbow opened her wings, flapping her left one furiously to slow her decent. Fluttershy raced up to meet her, but she never was a great flyer. As she approached Rainbow, she could see that her wing was damaged. The two crashed into each other in a flurry of feathers. With the addition of Fluttershy, the two slowed enough that they fell to the ground without getting hurt. "Rainbow, what were you doing!?"Cried Fluttershy, clinging desperately to her friend, as if she would be gone at any second. "F-flutters, I just fell!" "No you didn't! You were smiling and you had your wings tucked! You were trying to- to- to!" Gasped Fluttershy, bursting into tears. "I'm sorry, Flutters-" "Oh Celestia! This was all my fault! I never wrote to you or anything! I was just thinking about myself! I'm so sorry! Could you forgive me!?" "Fluttershy! It wasn't your fault, it was my choice. Please don't blame yourself!" Fluttershy buried her face in Rainbows mane and sobbed. They stayed like that until the flight school teachers found them. Rainbow had to go to the hospital to get her broken wing put in a cast. The entire time, Fluttershy followed, not saying anything, with her mane covering her face. She waited in the waiting room with Rainbows parents. Eventually the doctor came out. "Okay, Miss. Dash is fine. We got her wing put into a cast, and she's resting up right now. But before you go in, I wanted to talk to you. Excuse me young lady, would you mind moving away? I'm only able to share this with Fa-" "She's our other daughter," explained Lux Shine. The doctor nodded before speaking again. "Okay, so we had her talk to a therapist, and found out some things. Were you aware she was depressed?" "Yes. She's been bullied at flight school. These bullies have been harassing her. We tried to talk to their parents, but they wouldn't listen. I went to school with her today, but I had to leave." "I see. You aware that this was an attempted suicide, right?" Lux and Thunder both gasped as Fluttershy lowered her gaze. "She said that she just wanted them to stop, that she wanted to get away from them. Apparently, these bullies had begun to sexually harass her as well, touching and verbal sexual harassment. She talked to the teachers, but they wouldn't listen. She apparently got her wing hurt while testing and couldn't keep herself in the air. She realized this would be her best chance, so she took it. I'm going to recommend a therapist for her to see at least twice a month" "Can we see her?" Asked Lux. "Yes, she's in the third door on the right. Go right ahead." "Thank you" The three ponies hurried down the hall and into the designated room. Rainbow Dash sat in the bed, wing outstretched in a cast. Her mother ran to her side, crying and holding Dash tightly. Her father also hugged Dash, a few tears falling. As the night wore on, they all got tired. All four of them went home and went to bed. After a month, the family moved away from their old house. They still lived in clouds dale, but on the other side of the city. Fluttershy returned to Pony Ville, but this time with Rainbow Dash. They lived together for a while until Rainbow went to live on her own. Rainbow Dash went on to become a weather pony, but wanted so badly to become a racer. The scar that the bullies gave her never quite healed, and she could never build up the confidence to race. But she was happy doing her job. Along the way, she made some friends who helped restore her confidence. *** The group of mares was dead silent. All had teary eyes again, except for Rainbow and, surprisingly, Fluttershy. "Wow, we never knew that those bullies we met in clouds dale made ya do... that. If ah had known, ah woulda bucked them clean off Clouds dale." Said Applejack. "Pshh, they would've just flown right back." Said Rainbow. A few minutes went by of them talking before Pinkie jumped up. "Fluttershy!" She yelled, making her jump. "Tell your story!" "WH-what? N-no! I don't really, I'm bad at telling, I-I" stumbled Flutter shy before letting out a small "eep!" As Rainbow Dash put a hoof around her. "Come on, Flutters! I haven't heard this story in a loooong time" "O-okay, just, please don't laugh?" Fluttershy"Come on, Flutters! I haven't heard this story in a loooong time" "O-okay, just promise not to laugh?" "Of course, Flutters. Now go on!" "Okay... uh, I lived in Clouds dale like Rainbow dash... *** In the Jr. Speedsters flight camp, a little yellow Pegasus was trying desperately to fly. Unlike most Pegasi, Fluttershy was, well, shy. She rarely spoke up in class or to classmates. The only ponies she talked to were her parents and Rainbow Dash, another filly in her class, and she was happy that way. The only thing she really wanted was to fly. She was the worst flier in the class. She was constantly picked on for this. One day, when she was trying to fly, a particular trio of bullies flew up beside her and started chanting. 'Fluttershy, Fluttershy! Fluttershy can barely fly!' This caused Fluttershy’s wings to lock up and close in shock and she fell onto the clouds below her, stumbling and falling to her knees. This only made the trio laugh harder and continue their chant. They were interrupted by a rainbow blurring past them. Rainbow Dash stood in front of Fluttershy and challenged them to a race. They accepted. The next thing Fluttershy knew was that she was on a cloud, waving a flag. The four ponies took off, blurring down the track. They took off so quickly, that the force of it pushed Fluttershy off of the cloud. She screamed as loud as she could, but none of the teachers or other students even tried to help. She tried to open her wings, but couldn't. 'Oh Celestia please don't let me die like this! Please please help me!' She thought. She opened one eye and saw the ground quickly approaching. She had never been so scared in her life. It would hurt. It would hurt really bad. Fluttershy curled into a ball and started crying. 'I'm going to die without friends to mourn me, or a cutie mark to be remembered by' she thought. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the impact. But it never came. Instead, she felt a light tickling sensation. 'Is this what death feels like? It feels nice'. But Fluttershy didn't realize that she had actually been saved by a swarm of butterflies. They lightly deposited her on the ground and only then did she open her eyes. She wasn't dead, but she was in a strange and beautiful place. A forest. She had read about them, but had never actually seen one. Oh and all of the animals! Bunnies and butterflies, birds and bees. And they were all talking to her! Even though over twenty creatures were all completely focused on her, she didn't feel shy. She thanked all of them and eventually started living in a small cottage with Rainbow Dash for a while. Even now, she still went and visited those animals and took care of them. *** "What!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash after she realized that Fluttershy wasn't going to continue. "You left out the best part!" "No, I told the part about how I had never seen a forest before" said Fluttershy, sipping her tea. "No, you left out the part with the Hydra!" Said Rainbow. The other mares peered at Fluttershy in confusion and interest. "Oh yeah. I fought a Hydra" said Fluttershy, still calm. "You fought a hydra!?" Gasped Rarity. "YOU fought a Hydra!? That doesn't make sense dear!" "Make sense?" Came a voice from behind Fluttershy. "What fun is there in making sense?"
Applejack "Applejack!" Said Twilight, walking through the long rows of apple trees before spotting her orange friend quickly. "Hey, Twi. What can ah help ya with?" Asked Applejack. "Well, the girls and I were all going out to sugar cube corner, and I was sent to come and find you to see if you'd like to come. Would you?" "Sure. Just give me a sec to wash up, and ah'll be right over" "Okay, I'll just head out. See you in a few?" "Eeyep." *** "Hey Applejack, we never learned about your childhood" said Rainbow Dash. "Oh yes, do tell" agreed Rarity. "Yeah Applejack! Tell us tell us tell us tell us!" Said Pinkie quickly. "Pinkie pie! Don't force her to if she doesn't want to!" Yelled Fluttershy. Which, for every pony else was normal speaking. "What? Aren't you at least a little curious?" Asked Pinkie. "Well, I wouldn't mind hearing the story, but that's only if Applejack wants to tell us." At this, all eyes turned to Twilight. Unluckily for her, she currently had her mouth stuffed with cake. "Whaa?" The other five mares broke down into giggles. Twilight swallowed hard before speaking again. "What?" "They want to know if ya want to hear about ma' growing up and such" said Applejack, still giggling. "Oh, sure. I would love to learn more about one of my closest friends" "Well, ah guess it's settled. Well, let me think. Ah was born on a Friday..." *** Sweet apple acres itself was celebrating. The first daughter had been born to the heads of the Apple family. She was a tiny orange filly with blonde hair and green eyes. She grew quickly, much as her brother had. She was also much stronger than stallions twice her age. The filly, Applejack, was known around town for being a hard worker. Ask her to do something, and she'd do it with a smile on her face. She had a happy life, loving parents, competitive older brother, and plenty of friends. Others felt bad for her, having to grow up doing so much work, but to Applejack, she was the luckiest filly in the world. But sadly, all good things have to come to an end. Applejack was in school one day when her brother, Big Macintosh, came running into the room. He has breathing hard, like he had run all the way from sweet apple acres. The next thing Applejack noticed were the tears. To this day, that was the only time Applejjack had seen him cry. A knot formed in Applejacks stomach as she stood up. Big Mac was talking to her teacher, who nodded sadly and looked at Applejack. "Applejack, you're excused for the day" Applejack followed Big Mac out into the hallway when he told her. Their parents, both of them, had gotten killed by a falling tree. It was a tree that had been weak for a while, and their parents were out there putting up supports when a huge gust of wind came and blew down the tree on top of them. Applejack stood stalk still as big mac told her. She could feel the knot that had formed in her stomach move up as tears formed in her eyes. Applejack just let it happen, and the sobs came in waves, each louder than the last. It got to the point where she was screaming at the top of her lungs. She was crying in piece due to her grief, but also at her helplessness. No matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to bring them back. She was too young to be able to really effectively buck apples. She wasn't able to sell apples. She wasn't able to save her unborn sister, still in their mother’s womb. A couple of class mates poked their head out of the classroom to see what was going on, but were quickly herded back into the classroom by her teacher. Finally, Applejack started to calm down and gasp for breath. "W-why was mama out there when sh-she was nine months pregnant?" She gasped out. "She wanted to do somethin' helpful. It seemed to be the only thing she could do, putting up fences" "She was gonna be named Apple Bloom. Mama and papa told me last night. She was gonna be the most beautiful filly. Ah was gonna protect 'er. But ah couldn't. Ah couldn't protect anypony" sobbed Applejack. Her body shuddered as new sobs arrived. She flinched when she felt a soft hoof on her back. She looked up to see Granny Smith. Applejack sniffled and took the tissue she was handed. "I have something to tell you two. Where there is death, there is life. Your little sister is alive. We were able to save her. Her name is Apple Bloom. Now come with me, you two. There is a time for mourning that we'll have. Right now, you need to come and meet her." Granny Smith. She was never a soft apple. She always set aside time for different things to make sure it didn't interfere with their work. She nuzzled Applejack to get to her hooves and the trio made their way to the hospital. Applejack shuddered as they passed the large doors labeled 'MORGUE'. Knowing her parents were in there- no. Not her parents. Just skin suits that looked like her parents. The parents who had raised her were gone, and she couldn't do anything about it. They arrived in nursery and Granny pointed to a crib. Applejack couldn't see, so she climbed onto her brothers back. In the crib that Granny Smith had pointed out sat a yellow filly with red hair. She looked at them and giggled, holding out her hooves to them. A nurse entered and picked her up in her magic, covering her in a large blanket. "Here you go, ma'am" said the nurse, giving Apple Bloom to Granny Smith. Granny Smith knew exactly what to do, expertly placing the binkie into her mouth, how to hold her, and rocking her gently. The odd group made their way back to the farm. Ponies in town now knew about what happened, and they would constantly be stopped by ponies saying how sorry they were to Granny. Applejack got so frustrated by their slow progress that she eventually just walked away from them and back to the farm. When she got there, almost no pony was home. She slid past the few relatives and made her way to her room. She ran inside and quickly closed the door behind her. She let out a long breath and leaned against the door, sliding into a sitting position. A few stray tears slid down her face. She buried her face in her hooves and took a few deep breaths. "Aj?" Said a male voice from inside her room. Applejack looked up, startled. "Braeburn? What are you doing here?" "Ma and pa got the news. They said we should all come up here to help for a while. Ah'm sorry, cous. Ah really am. Do you want to talk 'bout it?" "I don't know. That's supposed to make ya feel better, right?" "S' what ah heard" "Okay. Well, let's talk- wait, what's that? She asked, pointing to Braeburns flank. "Oh ya, ah didn't tell ya? Ah got my cutiemark. Sorry cous, ah thought ah already told ya" "Well Braeburn, yah always were a bit ditzy" "Yeah, sorry" "Well, let's talk 'bout something better. How're things in Appleoosa?" "Fine. We got a good harvest this year. We got plenty of ponies to help, so we finished early. We came down to help you guys, considering ya have more trees and less ponies. Though ah don't think ah'll be able to buck as many apples as you." "Oh please. I doubt Granny and Big Mac are even goin ta let me near a tree, after what happened. Ah don't know what ah'll be doing with all of this free time." "Well, cous, ah'll be here for a while. We could clean the barn, or play games, or feed the animals. Ma and pa said we'd be up here until harvests over, maybe longer. So we might as well do something useful." "Yeah, ah guess that’s true" "And AJ, ahm sorry about your little sister. I can't imagine what that must feel like." "What do ya mean? My little sis- oh! No, she's alive. Her name is Apple Bloom and she's the most beautiful little filly." "She is? Oh that’s great! Every cloud has a silver lining, ah guess. So, where do ya keep the pie?" *** Applejack and her family healed over time. Applejack got big enough to buck apples, so Granny didn't have too. The farm grew big, as did little Apple Bloom. She grew into an intelligent but curious filly. She made two friends, and they would always get into trouble. Applejack eventually became the head of the family. Usually the new head would be the oldest child of the old heads, but Big Mac didn't have any interests in running the family. If you were to walk into Sweet Apple Acres, you'd see that it's so much better than it was a few years ago. Acres of sweet apples. Though, if you were to go around their barn and up a small hill, you'd see something that doesn't belong. Two tall, proud cherry blossom trees, with two small tomb stones resting in between. *** "Well every pony, that's pretty much ma foal hood sto-" Started Applejack, but got cut off as her five friends crowded around her trying to hug her. Each one had damp eyes. Even Pinkies hair was slightly less poufy. "I never knew. We never knew. I'm so sorry Applejack" said Twilight quietly. About thirty minutes later, the group had calmed down and were talking normally once more. "Just wait till you all hear my foal hood. I was so awesome!" Said Rainbow Dash. "Well, than tell us!" Said Rarity. "Yeah Dashi! Tell us!" "Alright, alright." Said Rainbow Dash before starting her story. What happened to Rainbow? Well, that's for chapter two to tell.
Rainbow Dash "Alright, alright" said Rainbow Dash before starting her story. *** A small blue Pegasus had been born to Thunder crash and Lux Shine, two of the best racers in clouds dale. The foal had her Mothers colorful hair and her Fathers coat and eyes. They named her Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer of all. Rainbow Dash started flying at an amazingly young age. They would have to put a special netting over the top of her crib to keep her from flying out and hurting herself. The net had been enchanted so she wouldn't pull it off or tangle herself in it. By the time she was old enough to start school, she was the best flyer in her class. Her parents enrolled her into flight camp, where she continued to flourish. What she lacked in size, she made up for in speed. She would always come home excited, asking her parents if they would go out and fly with her. For professional flyers, they were more than happy to oblige. They would all go out and train together as a family. Rainbow Dash made plenty of friends at flight school. She met a griffon named Gilda, and a shy Pegasus named Fluttershy. When Rainbow first had Fluttershy over to their house, Fluttershy barely spoke. Eventually though, she started to warm up to them. She would say that they were like her second family. Although Rainbow Dash had many friends, she also, as any popular pony would at that age, had bullies. It was a trio of boys who would always pick on her about everything. This took its toll on Rainbow, causing her to become depressed. Things were better when she saw Fluttershy though. But Fluttershy left. On the day Rainbow Dash got her cutie mark, Fluttershy left Clouds dale. Rainbow was heartbroken when she finished her race only to find her friend wasn't there. Things went downhill after that. Rainbow Dash no longer had any pony to talk to. She started having...darker thoughts. Rainbow dash eventually just gave up on everything. She lost her passion for flying, and she wouldn't leave the house because every time she did, the trio of bullies would follow her around. Her parents noticed this, so they found out who these bullies were, and had a talk with their parents. Oh Celestia, their patents were dreadful. The next day, Thunder Crash went with Rainbow to flight school. She felt somewhat confident for the first time in months, up until her dad had to leave. They were testing, and parents aren't allowed to watch their kids while testing. Thunder crash reluctantly left, leaving Rainbow dash alone. The teachers went down the list of Students. Rainbow Dash was the eighth student. Just before Rainbow began her test, the bullies started yelling at her. "Why don't you go ask your daddy for help, Rainbow Crash!?" They yelled, causing a few other kids to laugh. Rainbow arched her back, fur standing on end. She took a deep breath, and jumped, wings flapping. She was doing great. 'Just focus, don't think about them, just focus' she told herself over and over again. She was in a long stretch with cloud pillars. She glanced around, only to crash face first into the pillars. Her entire front half got buried, with only her rear end hanging out. She could hear the colt’s cat calls and wolf whistles. She blushed furiously and forced her way out of the cloud. As she was flying, tears blurred her vision. The voices of her classmates filled her head and she couldn't see. She reached up a hoof to wipe the tears away, but crashed once again. Into the track sides. She hadn't realized how fast she had been going. Her wing got caught in the metal, tearing out a few feathers as she tried to get it free, but to no avail. A strong gust of wind pushed her away, bending her wing unnaturally but freeing her. She tried desperately to flap her wings, but her right one was damaged badly, and her left one wasn't strong enough to keep her up. Rainbow knew what would happen. She closed her eyes and tucked he wings as she fell. Down, down, down. There were a few shouts, but she knew no pony would be able to catch her in time. She passed through the cloud layer and giggled at the light wetness. And she still fell. 'This isn't too bad' she thought. 'I'll finally get away from them. Finally. Finally. Finall-' "Rainbow Dash!? RAINBOW!" yelled a familiar voice from the ground. 'Hmm, I didn't know Flutters could yell that loud. Wait, Fluttershy?' Rainbows eyes shot open. Sure enough, there was her kind, yellow friend. 'No, she can't see this, I can't let her have to witness this.' Rainbow opened her wings, flapping her left one furiously to slow her decent. Fluttershy raced up to meet her, but she never was a great flyer. As she approached Rainbow, she could see that her wing was damaged. The two crashed into each other in a flurry of feathers. With the addition of Fluttershy, the two slowed enough that they fell to the ground without getting hurt. "Rainbow, what were you doing!?"Cried Fluttershy, clinging desperately to her friend, as if she would be gone at any second. "F-flutters, I just fell!" "No you didn't! You were smiling and you had your wings tucked! You were trying to- to- to!" Gasped Fluttershy, bursting into tears. "I'm sorry, Flutters-" "Oh Celestia! This was all my fault! I never wrote to you or anything! I was just thinking about myself! I'm so sorry! Could you forgive me!?" "Fluttershy! It wasn't your fault, it was my choice. Please don't blame yourself!" Fluttershy buried her face in Rainbows mane and sobbed. They stayed like that until the flight school teachers found them. Rainbow had to go to the hospital to get her broken wing put in a cast. The entire time, Fluttershy followed, not saying anything, with her mane covering her face. She waited in the waiting room with Rainbows parents. Eventually the doctor came out. "Okay, Miss. Dash is fine. We got her wing put into a cast, and she's resting up right now. But before you go in, I wanted to talk to you. Excuse me young lady, would you mind moving away? I'm only able to share this with Fa-" "She's our other daughter," explained Lux Shine. The doctor nodded before speaking again. "Okay, so we had her talk to a therapist, and found out some things. Were you aware she was depressed?" "Yes. She's been bullied at flight school. These bullies have been harassing her. We tried to talk to their parents, but they wouldn't listen. I went to school with her today, but I had to leave." "I see. You aware that this was an attempted suicide, right?" Lux and Thunder both gasped as Fluttershy lowered her gaze. "She said that she just wanted them to stop, that she wanted to get away from them. Apparently, these bullies had begun to sexually harass her as well, touching and verbal sexual harassment. She talked to the teachers, but they wouldn't listen. She apparently got her wing hurt while testing and couldn't keep herself in the air. She realized this would be her best chance, so she took it. I'm going to recommend a therapist for her to see at least twice a month" "Can we see her?" Asked Lux. "Yes, she's in the third door on the right. Go right ahead." "Thank you" The three ponies hurried down the hall and into the designated room. Rainbow Dash sat in the bed, wing outstretched in a cast. Her mother ran to her side, crying and holding Dash tightly. Her father also hugged Dash, a few tears falling. As the night wore on, they all got tired. All four of them went home and went to bed. After a month, the family moved away from their old house. They still lived in clouds dale, but on the other side of the city. Fluttershy returned to Pony Ville, but this time with Rainbow Dash. They lived together for a while until Rainbow went to live on her own. Rainbow Dash went on to become a weather pony, but wanted so badly to become a racer. The scar that the bullies gave her never quite healed, and she could never build up the confidence to race. But she was happy doing her job. Along the way, she made some friends who helped restore her confidence. *** The group of mares was dead silent. All had teary eyes again, except for Rainbow and, surprisingly, Fluttershy. "Wow, we never knew that those bullies we met in clouds dale made ya do... that. If ah had known, ah woulda bucked them clean off Clouds dale." Said Applejack. "Pshh, they would've just flown right back." Said Rainbow. A few minutes went by of them talking before Pinkie jumped up. "Fluttershy!" She yelled, making her jump. "Tell your story!" "WH-what? N-no! I don't really, I'm bad at telling, I-I" stumbled Flutter shy before letting out a small "eep!" As Rainbow Dash put a hoof around her. "Come on, Flutters! I haven't heard this story in a loooong time" "O-okay, just, please don't laugh?"
Fluttershy"Come on, Flutters! I haven't heard this story in a loooong time" "O-okay, just promise not to laugh?" "Of course, Flutters. Now go on!" "Okay... uh, I lived in Clouds dale like Rainbow dash... *** In the Jr. Speedsters flight camp, a little yellow Pegasus was trying desperately to fly. Unlike most Pegasi, Fluttershy was, well, shy. She rarely spoke up in class or to classmates. The only ponies she talked to were her parents and Rainbow Dash, another filly in her class, and she was happy that way. The only thing she really wanted was to fly. She was the worst flier in the class. She was constantly picked on for this. One day, when she was trying to fly, a particular trio of bullies flew up beside her and started chanting. 'Fluttershy, Fluttershy! Fluttershy can barely fly!' This caused Fluttershy’s wings to lock up and close in shock and she fell onto the clouds below her, stumbling and falling to her knees. This only made the trio laugh harder and continue their chant. They were interrupted by a rainbow blurring past them. Rainbow Dash stood in front of Fluttershy and challenged them to a race. They accepted. The next thing Fluttershy knew was that she was on a cloud, waving a flag. The four ponies took off, blurring down the track. They took off so quickly, that the force of it pushed Fluttershy off of the cloud. She screamed as loud as she could, but none of the teachers or other students even tried to help. She tried to open her wings, but couldn't. 'Oh Celestia please don't let me die like this! Please please help me!' She thought. She opened one eye and saw the ground quickly approaching. She had never been so scared in her life. It would hurt. It would hurt really bad. Fluttershy curled into a ball and started crying. 'I'm going to die without friends to mourn me, or a cutie mark to be remembered by' she thought. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the impact. But it never came. Instead, she felt a light tickling sensation. 'Is this what death feels like? It feels nice'. But Fluttershy didn't realize that she had actually been saved by a swarm of butterflies. They lightly deposited her on the ground and only then did she open her eyes. She wasn't dead, but she was in a strange and beautiful place. A forest. She had read about them, but had never actually seen one. Oh and all of the animals! Bunnies and butterflies, birds and bees. And they were all talking to her! Even though over twenty creatures were all completely focused on her, she didn't feel shy. She thanked all of them and eventually started living in a small cottage with Rainbow Dash for a while. Even now, she still went and visited those animals and took care of them. *** "What!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash after she realized that Fluttershy wasn't going to continue. "You left out the best part!" "No, I told the part about how I had never seen a forest before" said Fluttershy, sipping her tea. "No, you left out the part with the Hydra!" Said Rainbow. The other mares peered at Fluttershy in confusion and interest. "Oh yeah. I fought a Hydra" said Fluttershy, still calm. "You fought a hydra!?" Gasped Rarity. "YOU fought a Hydra!? That doesn't make sense dear!" "Make sense?" Came a voice from behind Fluttershy. "What fun is there in making sense?"
