Pattycakes: Needs

Next day, they all came on by. Bright and early.

Fluttershy had stayed with her adult foal the entire night, shaking from the thought of tomorrow.

Yet, when her friends knocked on the door to be let in, she knew it was time.

Slipping from the room as quiet as possible, she went to let them in. Still shook as if winter came early, though.

Everypony got a look at Fluttershy's appearance as she allowed them entrance. Her hair was unbrushed. Her eyes had bags from being up for an entire day without sleep. Her fur had tear streaks from excessive amounts of crying. And, of course, she couldn't keep still.

Rarity pushed past everypony else to console the obviously upset mare.

She petted her hair and let Fluttershy cry into her chest, “It's fine, Shy. She's only gone for two days. Just two.”

Applejack led the charge to the nursery, only concerned for Rainbow.

Fluttershy whispered to Rarity, “I don't want her to go. Please, Rarity. Please. No, no, no. Please no.”

The determined A.J. entered the room, swiftly turned to the crib, and immediately lifted the full-grown pony from sleep to her hooves.

Stripping the diaper loudly off from the drowsy pony, Applejack tossed it away with disgust.

Rainbow had weakly awoken, babbling her own language as she was lightly nudged forward.

Poor mare only managed to step through the doorway before tripping on the floor.

Whimpering at first turned soon to outright crying from the pain of the fall.

Applejack groaned, commanding Twilight, “Lift her up, and let's go.”

Twilight levitated a wailing Dash above them all, freeing the doorway.

Applejack once more led the group to the living room.

Fluttershy heard her child distraught, and had to stop herself from screaming at them to put Dash down.

Applejack didn't feel anything for Fluttershy's predicament, motioning for them to push on.

The others had to keep from glancing into Fluttershy's hurt eyes as they drifted out of the house.

Fluttershy noticed as Rainbow had tried throughout the struggle to reach her supposed mother.

It was like a nightmare to Fluttershy!

She choked back her own wish to cry, saying to Rarity, “I...I w-want to stay in here today. All of today. W-will you st-stay with me, Rarity?”

Rarity really desired to be there when Rainbow was taken to Twilight's house to drink her medicine, yet couldn't bring herself to just up and abandon Fluttershy, “Why don't I get some tea going? The normal kind. It'll be our day today. Just two friends having enjoyment, hm?”

They got to the library as soon as possible, trying to save themselves the trouble of cleaning off a street or road if Rainbow...lost control.

Thankfully, nopony made a scene as they traveled the outskirts of Ponyville, away from the crowds.

Twilight had Spike get the antidote at the ready beforehoof.

They brought a recently-calmed Dash into the house, who cooed as she was swayed side-to-side by Twilight's magic.

Everypony gathered around Dash as she was dropped into a chair. Rainbow loved being the center of attention, even with the mentality of a foal.

She smiled, glancing at all of them with innocence practically beaming from her.

Spike, who had not been to Fluttershy's house since Dash's...moving in, had a severe case of nervousness as he brought the potion up to the adult baby.

She was absolutely excited to see him, considering a dragon was a new concept to her foalish thoughts.

Rainbow got in a closer sight of him, and attempted to pet him after finding him cute.

Spike held up the antidote, guiding Dash's attention to it instead by simply wiggling it in front of her eyes.

She now had her simple attention directed at the bottle of liquid, which made her thirsty.

With help from Twilight's magic, Rainbow took the medicine from Spike, bringing it to her lips with loud smacking sounds.

She drank it, finding its taste similar to her own bottles. Aside from their being no half of milk in its contents.

After downing the last of the bottle, she presented it to Spike. He cautiously grabbed it from her, and stepped back from her until she behaved normal again.

Rainbow, very soon afterwards, held her head. She made babbling sounds constantly, not stopping for minutes once started. Then, her speech grew from nothing being decipherable to random words of a little filly learning to talk. The words were random for a long while until she finally said full-on sentences.

And, these sentences weren't random. She was actually having to unlock her memories from their prison, recollecting ponies, places, and everything else about herself as she stared through everypony else.

Lastly, when she recited her last memory of going to Fluttershy's and having that special drink, she opened her eyes in clarity to shout, “Whoa! Guys, I had the craziest bucking dream! Like...off the charts freaky!”

That one sentence sent them all to hug and cuddle their friend with as much love as they could shower her in.

She didn't understand what the reason for their extreme closeness to her stemmed from, but it was...sweet.

Blushing, she demanded of them, “Alright, alright! Off me! Off me now! You all know how I feel about hugging for too long!”

They followed her order, giving her space as she rubbed her eyes.

Rainbow now wanted to know about how she got from Fluttershy's to Twilight's house for no reason, along with another tiny concern, “Okay. So, you fillies mind answering some questions? Because...I have not a single clue how I got from over at Flutter's to here! And...did Pinkie Pie drug me?!”

Everypony tilted their heads, confused where she got such an idea from.

Pinkie told in her defense, “Um...huh? No. What are you talking about?”

Pinkie Pie is not allowed inside most courtrooms, even for jury duty, considering her statements tend to involve...nothing substantial. Mostly confusion.

Rainbow crossed her hooves, then searched her thoughts for the correct argument, “Fluttershy said you wanted me to try something by the name of Gummyade. I try it. Then, Fluttershy gets really into this song she sang to the C.M.C. for no reason. Next thing I know, I'm out. I had some freaky dreams after that. Was stuck in a prison with Scootalo deciding if I was going to be...like, a foal or something. Fluttershy's voice rang in, and it was sounding all insane in the head. Creepy as creepy gets, I'll say. Luna should've pulled the damn plug on that dream. Ugh, that...was a wild ride. The kind that makes ya wake up screaming, ya know?”

Pinkie quickly covered for herself, leaving Fluttershy out of the explanation completely, “Yeah. Might have put too much sugar in the mix. Makes me crash after a long day, too.”

Rainbow stuck her tongue out in sickness, “Yeah. Cool it on the sugar, Pie. Almost gave me a heart attack.”

Twilight covered up the past few weeks with a gloriously brilliant alibi, “Yeah! About that...you actually got pretty ill from that drink. Doctors had to pump your stomach to get it out. You were asleep through the whole thing, though! When you were free to go, we brought you here!”

Rainbow seemed shocked, asking in fright, “I don't remember much of anything! How long was I there?!”

“Quite the while. Uhm...few m-months?”

“Months?! You mean to tell me those damn doctors held me there for that long?! What in the hay?! Just to pump my stomach?! You've got to be kidding me! Buck, would've done it myself to get out of there quicker!”

“Yeah. They knew you were famous. What with being associated with Princess Celestia and Luna, they kinda took the money those two kept feeding in. And, ran with it.”

“That's...so many kinds of wrong! That has to be illegal or something! Is...it?”

“Well...no. They have the authority to keep you in their care as long as they feel you are not fully healed. Yet, the doctors you were given...had lied so much and with so many astoundingly complicated reasons they were let go.”

“Such a load. That should be illegal! I hope they left with not a single more coin in their greedy pockets!”

“...They didn't! Hooray!”

“Serves them right.”

Applejack wanted to come out and confess about Fluttershy. Yet, she wouldn't. Twilight made her promise. And...she had accepted. Sadly, she had.

So, it was better to just nod and smile with everypony else about the completely false history.

Rainbow grinned, holding her stomach to comically declare, “Heh. Pretty hungry right about now! Guess a stomach pumping will do that to ya! Can we get something to eat? I am starving! Feels like I haven't had a good meal in...well, months!”

Everypony cheerfully laughed. Not at the joke, but just at looking Rainbow in the face again. And, this time was different from the previous times. She could view them as friends. Not caretakers or siblings. See them as ponies she could joke with, converse with, and help with their problems.

Applejack smiled, yet knew this Dash...wouldn't be the same pony day in and day out. She was temporary. A gift every two days...a damned week. That she was there for a short while, only to keep Fluttershy from losing another friend. This one not to some weird fetish that's sent the mare off the deep end.

…

A.J. would not give away the awful secret she had to hold within herself. She would find another way to make sure this Rainbow, the adult before her that stood proudly for Loyalty, got her freedom. She would. Somehow. Just...in secret.

She just gained another secret, one she had no problem keeping held in.