Chapters
When we truly realize that we are all alone is when we need others the most. -Ronald Anthony
It was nearly a day like any other to Rainbow Dash. The sky was blue, the grass was tall and coated a lush, and warm green. The only problem Rainbow Dash had, was the distance Fluttershy had seemed to grow. She was sad, because her best friend was usually always open when she had the chance to get help for something. Rainbow wasn't sure WHY she was sad, she just knew she was sad. She groaned, and flipped onto her stomach, pushing her head into her forearms in annoyance. She had been lying on a white fluffy cloud, trying to take a nap. Of course, she hadn't been able to fall asleep, with her fillyhood friend in mind.
She spoke outloud, saying, "That's it!", and quickly dashed off of her cumulus cloud. She started to think, and 'Hmmm'ed in thought. She really wanted to help her friend, but she couldn't help unless she knew what the problem was. Rainbow Dash decided that she would just go and try to ask Fluttershy what was wrong herself, and in a couple of minutes she landed on the dirt path leading to Fluttershy's cottage.
Rainbow Dash mumbles, "Now or never, I guess.", and slowly begins to walk up to the door. She found herself stopping, and just looking around. Birds flew from tree to tree, and every once and a while, an animal would skitter out from a bush and enter another. The forest was calm. She immediately thought of Fluttershy, and rolled her eyes, "Not exactly surprising.", her mind comments. She continued walking, and finally knocked three times on the door that led to the interior of Fluttershy's cottage.
"Just a minute!", she heard Fluttershy's voice, and grinned slightly, and continued to wait for her yellow friend to open the door. Once she did, Rainbow Dash heard Fluttershy say, "Oh! Hi, Rainbow Dash!"
"Hey Fluttershy. What's up?", Rainbow Dash said.
"Um... Well, nothing really... We didn't have something scheduled, did we? Oh my, I'm so sorry! I didn't see anything on my calender, and-- and--", Fluttershy stopped once a blue hoof found itself on her muzzle.
"Nah, it's cool. I just stopped by to visit. Nothin' planned.", Rainbow Dash removed her hoof from Fluttershy's muzzle, and shrugged slightly.
"I see. Well, it's very nice of you to stop by.", Fluttershy said, smiling appreciatively towards Rainbow Dash.
"It's no problem, really! Gotta see my Number One Flier sometimes, y'know?", Rainbow Dash winked, before continuing, "Movin' on though... 'Shy, you've been... Really, uh, quiet lately. I dunno how to explain it? I mean, you're usually pretty quiet already... Heh heh... But, I mean, you've just been... Distant, I guess."
"Um... I'm fine. Don't worry about it.", Fluttershy quickly said, her pupils seeming to shrink exponentially, as she tried to face away from Rainbow Dash.
"Fluttershy, pal... C'mon. I'm kinda worried about you. I don't like seeing you like this, alright? You trust me, right?", Rainbow Dash said, slowly putting her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. The shy mare faced back towards Rainbow Dash, and then spoke...
"I'm sorry... I trust you, Rainbow... I really do. I trust you more than anypony else, but I'm not sure I want to talk about it right now...", Fluttershy finished, and her eyes were closed. Tears were clearly building up in her eyes, and Rainbow Dash suddenly felt awful.
"But... Fluttershy...", Rainbow Dash sighed, and then said, "Alright. But when you're willing to talk, I'll be there to talk to you. Just... Please don't think you have to go through whatever is bothering you alone. I'll always be open to listening, 'Shy. The others are too, I'm sure of it. I wouldn't recommend talking to Pinkie Pie though, but y'know..."
Rainbow Dash sighed, and walked out of the cottage. She quietly closed the door behind her, and then walked off, facing down towards the ground in thought.
"I really want to help her... Usually she opens up really quickly. What could be wrong? Did I do something? I don't THINK I did anything. I'm sure she's fine. Right?... That's it! Twilight's smart, she'll know what to do.", Rainbow Dash thought, and brightened at her sudden idea. The pegasus quickly leaped off the ground, and flew off to Twilight's castle. She looked down into Ponyville, observing the peaceful yet chaotic town in action. Ponies went through their days, with cheery smiles on most of their faces. Rainbow Dash sighed, thinking about Fluttershy's current state, but the thought was quickly abolished by the thought of Rainbow Dash helping Fluttershy. She was quick to find herself approaching her destination.
Once Rainbow Dash landed, she trotted towards the large crystal doors. Rainbow pushed the heavy door open, and walked inside.
"Hello, Rainbow Dash! What brings you here today?", Twilight Sparkle spoke, clearly in a good mood.
"Hey, Twilight. I got a question for ya.", Rainbow Dash decided to quickly get the information she needed. Even though she wasn't exactly sure what sort of info she had been searching for.
"I'm all ears. I'm sure I could help you. Infact, I could probably get you some books on--", Twilight stopped speaking, when she saw boredom growing on Rainbow Dash's face. "Right... Sorry. What's your question?"
"Do you know what's been up with Fluttershy lately?", Rainbow Dash asked.
"No. Wait, did something happen?", Twilight asked, interest forming on her face.
"Kinda. Ever since last week's picnic, she's been sort of quiet and stuff.", Rainbow Dash answered.
"Quiet?... I'm not sure you should be surprised, Rainbow.", Twilight said, with a confused eyebrow, raised up her face.
"No, I mean... She's more quiet than usual, and distant."
"Oh... Distant?... I think I see what you mean, but I'm sure it's nothing. She seemed fine last I saw.", Twilight assured, with a nod.
"I tried talking to her about it earlier, and she didn't want to talk about it. She usually trusts me with anything!", Rainbow Dash quickly responded, a slim amount of fear present upon her face.
"Maybe she just doesn't want to talk about it. If she wanted to, she would have. Atleast, I THINK she would have...", Twilight attempted to reassure Rainbow Dash, but to no avail, it didn't seem to help the situation any.
"Can you do any magic that could maybe help me figure out what's wrong?", Rainbow Dash asked.
"I... I don't know. What if she just wants privacy?", Twilight asked, sighing.
"But she's not acting like... She usually would! Look, I'm not gonna stop bugging you until you help me.", Rainbow Dash urged.
"Well... Okay... I guess I'm sort of concerned now too... Should we let the others know?"
"No. I don't think Fluttershy would like that, she might get the wrong idea. She might think we're pressuring her to tell us, and I wouldn't feel comfortable with her thinking that...", Rainbow Dash quickly spoke.
"Oh, you're right. Come with me, I think I have a perfect spell to help us, but it could be really dangerous.", Twilight Sparkle said, somewhat hoping that Rainbow would decide against it.
"You kidding me? Danger IS my middle name. But uh... I'd do anything to see Fluttershy happy and back to normal again.", Rainbow Dash proudly spoke, following her purple friend into a large library. She glanced at her horn glowing, and then three books were levitated from shelves, and then she looked inquisitively at the covers. When she was done, only one remained.
The title read, "Probably Really Dangerous Spells: Mind-Management Edition"
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, and Twilight sighed, "I'm basically asking you to go into her mind and then you'll find out what's wrong, or you should be able to, in theory...", Twilight stared at the floor in thought, and then cleared her throat, "But anyways, are you really sure you want to do this? You'll be let out in about three real time days, but I'm not sure how it'll feel in her mind. Could even feel like an hour, depending on... Well... Alot of different things. It could be really dangerous..."
Twilight's face had displayed support, but a look of unsurety had also been plastered upon her.
"Yeah... I'm sure of it, I mean, what kinda friend would I be if I didn't take a few risks to help my best friend out every once and while?", Rainbow Dash spoke, grinning madly.
"The risks are... Well, very risky... You're very brave, Rainbow Dash. I'm not sure how I'll get you in her mind, but I have an idea of how... If you could get her to come over here, but she might get suspicious... Oh! I know! Rainbow, what do you think about doing it at this weeks picnic?", Twilight said.
"Yeah, that could work."
"Well, I could do it then. It probably won't affect her visually at all, and I'll just have to say that you couldn't make it to the picnic.", Twilight suggested.
"Good idea! So, tomorrow?"
"Right. I'll see you then, Rainbow! If you want to back out of this, it's not too late...", Twilight nodded at Rainbow, and then walked to a table, and opened the book she held in her magical grasp. Rainbow Dash left the building, and flew off. Dash felt as though a thousand weights were taken off of her shoulders.
Rainbow Dash was ready. She had spent the whole previous night mentally preparing to help her closest friend in any way she could. She didn't know what to expect, but she knew one thing: She would only stop once she found out how to help Fluttershy. She sat upon a tree branch, waiting over a picnic blanket. Twilight had brought her over early, so she could prepare to do what she so wished to achieve. Rainbow Dash wasn't going to back out of it, as she waited on the tree branch. She directed her ear down towards the picnic.
"I'll be right back, Fluttershy. If the others get here before I'm back, tell them I'll be right here.", Twilight spoke, walking off and out of sight.
Fluttershy sighed, and put her head on the ground, lying on her side. Rainbow Dash then felt a fuzzy feeling around her body, and then...
Everything went black. When she regained her vision, she felt... Confused. Rainbow Dash awoke on a small concrete block, with a black void behind her. She stared into it for a few moments, before saying... "Huh?", outloud. Rainbow's voice echoed throughout the hall, and she looked back towards a door ahead of her.
"Is this... Fluttershy's mind?...", Rainbow Dash asked, confused, and disoriented. The air felt... Dry, and lackluster. She couldn't feel any air blowing against her, or anything. It was stagnant. Rainbow Dash grunted slightly, standing up onto her four legs. Once she was up, she walked ahead and pushed the door open.
Rainbow Dash looked into a long hallway. There were orange lines trailing against the wall, and only one existed. It was thin, and above and below it there had been concrete. The floor was concrete, and even the pillars wedged in the wall were concrete. Everything was concrete around her. She stopped when she walked out into a large white room, emitting a light hum. She stared up, viewing up towards the endless limits of each direction.
"Woah. I don't get it...", Rainbow tried to make sense of her situation, but she couldn't. She returned focus to the center of the large void, and saw a large circular glass case. The case held a set of stairs, going in a downwards spiral constantly. Rainbow Dash found herself stepping down onto the set of stairs, and she quickly trotted down.
"What exactly am I gonna do? I mean, I don't really know what to do... Maybe I'm being brought somewhere. It makes sense, right?...", Rainbow Dash thought, becoming uneasy in her current situation. Rainbow Dash tried to yelp in fear, when everything went black around her. But she couldn't make any noise. She heard her delayed yelp when she found herself in a warm room, with walls painted a warm shade of tan, and a wooden floor.
"Jeez, Fluttershy. I woulda thought your mind might've asked politely to move me first...", Rainbow Dash wryly grinned, but the grin turned into confusion and disturbance when she saw the figure of a pony. The pony was purely black, and lightly transparent around the edges. The pony seemed smoky, the blackness jumping around the form, but never leaving the form of a pony.
"Well.. Thiiis is kinda... Uh... Creepy.", Rainbow Dash slowly spoke outloud, as she approached the form. When she got near it, the form did nothing. It remained in position, and Rainbow Dash decided to walk past it after a few moments of hesitation. She reached a small dropoff, viewing down into a pit of a large concrete room. The room lost the warm feeling it had previously obtained, and suddenly felt very cold.
Rainbow Dash suddenly stopped, and her eyes widened, once she realized that a shadowy figure next to her was saying something. She brought her ear closer to the form, and it had lightly mumbled in a voice that was hardly audible, yet sounded very similar to Fluttershy.
"Can anypony hear me?", the form lightly spoke, and it seemed to echo, but of course truly didn't. The form seemed to continue to ask the same question, but Rainbow Dash stepped back a few times, completely confused and disturbed.
"Uhhh, this has officially become REALLY creepy...", she slowly lifted up off the ground, and flew down the staircase, holding a strict expression of clear unease.
She passed by multiple of the forms, catching what they said. They all sounded eerily like Fluttershy, yet remained cold and the happiness one could obtain from hearing her soft voice just didn't exist.
"Hello?", one spoke, staring off into space.
"Speak to me... Please?", the next said.
"Alone.", one simply stated, and Rainbow Dash side stepped past it, as the form seemed to glare into her soul.
"Maybe I shouldn't have... No. I gotta find out what's wrong... Unless, maybe... No, that doesn't make sense! She's got me, and our friends. If she feels lonely, she knows she can come see us.", Rainbow Dash said outloud, walking into a small corridor. She continued to follow the linear pathway. The path held the cold air of the previous room, and it made Rainbow Dash think...
"Why exactly is this here? I mean, I AM in Fluttershy's mind, so... Is this how she feels?.. Maybe she really IS lonely...", Rainbow Dash thought, walking along the path.
Rainbow Dash stopped, and waited for the form to speak.
"I need someone to talk to...", it said, before mumbling incoherently once again. Rainbow Dash tried to make sense of the mumbling, but found she couldn't. When she tried, she just felt as though she couldn't think straight. It messed with her mind.
Rainbow Dash spent what felt like forever walking through the corridor, passing by the hushed voices that the voids emitted. She found herself at a large door, and the voices ceased completely. When she turned around, she noticed that they were all gone. As though they had up and left. The cold turned to... Nothing. It wasn't cool, nor warm. It just felt... Inbetween. She realized that all the sound was gone. All Rainbow Dash could hear was her own heartbeat, and breathing.
"...Alright, Fluttershy. I uh... I guess I'll go through the door... Please don't be so creepy this time?", Rainbow Dash hopefully asked outloud, opening the door, and walking into a long hall, full of the smoky void-ponies. She cringed as she walked inside, hearing whispers.
"Are you there?"
"Please, say something!"
"It can be ANYTHING! Please, just speak to me!"
"Talk to me!"
"Speak!"
"Please!"
Rainbow Dash stepped back, and felt fear gripping at her chest. She tried to speak, but words wouldn't leave her muzzle as she spun around looking at the forms pleading. It might not have been so bad, but to hear it in Fluttershy's voice tore at her deeply. The fear overtook her, and she panicked. Rainbow Dash dropped down on the floor, covering her ears.
And then everything went black.
“That's the funny thing about trying to escape. You never really can. Maybe temporarily, but not completely.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, Onyx
Rainbow Dash felt tears brimming in her dark pink eyes, and she had finally calmed her heart rate and breathing once she was in the cold black void she had grown used to. She blinked the growing tears away, glad to have left the previous situation and environment.
"...Wow... I... What am I supposed to get from that?... I feel...", Rainbow Dash tried to think about what she had just experienced, but she just couldn't describe it. The fear and desperate tone in the voices stuck to her head. She felt horrified. Sick. Depressed, even.
Rainbow Dash gasped in fear once she fell onto a cold grey floor of concrete. Rainbow Dash slowly stood up, and she gazed around her. Ahead of her were steel bars, as though a prison was her current destination. Beyond the prison, was the everlasting cold void that remained constant in Fluttershy's mind. When Rainbow Dash gazed behind her, she spotted a hallway. There was no colour plastered in the hall, nor the room. Yet Rainbow Dash felt a strange, yet subtle attraction to the unforgiving gaze of the hall.
Rainbow Dash slowly took a few steps forward without a thought, and stepped into the hall. Uncertainty held close, she trudged onwards through the hall. The grey grew old, and lost any interest to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash just stared ahead.
Until she stepped out onto a small grassy cliff edge, with dim lighting from inside the hall serving as the sun, and beyond it remained the void of darkness. Rainbow Dash gulped, staring out upon the darkness. She quickly turned around, hoping to leave the creepy ledge, but behind her was more darkness.
"Uhh... Where did... Fluttershy's mind, maybe stop playing around aaaand... I dunno, put me somewhere... Happier, maybe? Maybe just... NOT HERE?", Rainbow Dash spoke quickly, expecting to get a response. She didn't.
Rainbow Dash froze as everything went quiet. And then, she heard crickets.
"Where... Am I?...", she asked outloud, lightly able to see the ground and land around her. Rainbow Dash made notice of a short wooden dock, far ahead, standing over a calm body of water. Around Rainbow Dash laid shrubbery, bushes, trees, and rocks. She couldn't make complete sense of anything, as it was clear that it was night. Yet, the Moon had not been in the sky, nor any stars. Just pitch black, with a dark blue horizon off in the distance across the water.
Rainbow Dash let a breath of air out, glad that she was in a better place.
"Maybe this isn't SO bad... Well, it IS pretty bad, just sorta... Uh... Not that bad anymore.", Rainbow Dash thought, using her wing as a chin rest as she thought her situation through. Once she returned her wing to her side, she recognized a figure ahead. It was Fluttershy. The part that confused Rainbow Dash, was the fact that Fluttershy was probably a young filly at that time. The young filly gazed off the dock. Rainbow Dash noticed that she had a look of emptiness in her eyes, as she walked up next to her. Rainbow's instinct told her to comfort her, but at the same time she felt afraid. As though Fluttershy would shatter the moment she touched her.
"What's it like to escape?", the young Fluttershy asked, knocking Rainbow Dash off guard.
"Huh?", Rainbow Dash spoke, intelligently. Rainbow Dash froze in fear, when she recognized a shadowy void-figure of Fluttershy lightly mumbling, right behind the young filly.
"It feels like being completely still, and in motion at the same time...", the voice lightly mumbled.
"Sometimes I'm scared that I'll escape and then things will be exactly the same as before...", the solid Fluttershy stated quietly.
"It actually changes. It's not the same.", the voice mumbles.
"Oh, good! That's nice to hear... That makes me feel... Really happy.", filly Fluttershy spoke, a pleasant smile building onto her face, yet her eyes continued to gaze listlessly into the water, she then spoke. "What do I have to do?"
"To be free, you need to tell me how you feel right now...", the voice mumbled into her ear, and Rainbow Dash approached the duo, sitting next to filly Fluttershy, and as she wrapped her wing around her without a thought, she cringed, feeling no body heat. She felt as though she was touching ice, but she didn't pull away from the wing hug. Instead, Rainbow Dash held Fluttershy close, yet Fluttershy didn't seem to react in any way.
"...What?", Fluttershy said out loud, in response to the voice.
"How do you feel?", the voice spoke again. Rainbow Dash listened intently, hoping for a solution.
"Okay... I feel afraid that nothing will ever change...", Fluttershy spoke, emotionlessly.
"Keep going.", the voice urged. Before everything faded to black, and Rainbow Dash tried to reach over and hold Fluttershy more, but couldn't find her form in the void.
Rainbow Dash had grown used to the black voids, and looked around once she reappeared somewhere. She wasn't in a hallway, or behind bars, or in a white room. Rainbow Dash was on a cloud, and ahead of her was a place she recognized as flight camp.
"Huh?... Flight camp?...", Rainbow Dash thought outloud, as she felt memories pouring into her heart like warm cider. She walked into a small yard ahead of the camp ground. She laughed slightly.
"C'mon, Fluttershy!", spoke a young Rainbow Dash. Her grin was wild, and filled with joy. Her eyes burned a comforting and caring gaze.
Fluttershy followed Rainbow Dash, and then stood ahead of her, with a slight smile on her face. She looked content. Happy.
"Let's get you flyin'! I'm sure with ME around, you'll be off the ground in NO time!", said Rainbow Dash, flying up slightly.
Rainbow Dash smiled at the memory, and then gazed upon the empty cloud yard. Cold wind blowing against her coat. Rainbow Dash walked over to yet another filly Fluttershy, and then sat next to her once again. The filly had grown older, clearly. About the age she had been when they both gained their cutiemarks.
"Did... I escape?", the filly asked, facing down towards the surface of the Earth, off the edge of the cloud.
The wind ceased, and the air around Rainbow Dash grew morbidly chilled. She shuddered, feeling a chill go up her spine. Yet, no black figure accompanied Fluttershy this time. Instead, Rainbow Dash turned to see a light transparent figure moving towards them.
Rainbow Dash tried to make sense of the figure, but everything went black before she could. Rainbow's vision was regained. She looked around. She was in a long hall, that she recognized almost immediately.
"Huh?... Isn't this the highschool 'Shy, and I went to?...", Rainbow Dash looked down the hallway. It had white cloud walls, and the floor was coated in light blue tiles. Rainbow Dash took a few cautious steps forward, and found herself compelled to walk into the only room with a wide open door.
A large grey figure stood at the front of the room. The chalkboard was laced with scribbled words. Rainbow Dash looked ahead and towards the students. In the room laid twenty desks, containing mere voids and grey figures, and slightly grey Fluttershy. The teacher didn't seem to speak, and Rainbow Dash finally looked at the words upon the board.
'Useless.'
'Worthless.'
'Pathetic.'
'Failure.'
Rainbow Dash felt rage building up, and her blood boiled. But she felt sick to her stomach. She just wanted to kick and scream denials. But nothing came out. She felt tears burning violently in her eyes, and Rainbow Dash felt weak.
And then the unexpected happened. A bell rang, and Fluttershy stood up from her desk slowly, and exitted the room, with the grey figures doing the same.
Rainbow Dash said, "Wait!", and then flew up and followed the Fluttershy, seeing her walk towards the bright, and vibrant figure.
Before everything became black once again.
"Ugh!", Rainbow Dash groaned, "I don't understand! How am I supposed to help, when I can't DO anything?!..", Rainbow Dash angrily asked the darkness, not even expecting an answer.
She found herself on a large stage. There were many seats, lined up one by one. They all had grey shadowy figures viewing up upon the stage.
"You are me.", a voice said. The voice sounded like Fluttershy, but nearly emotionless.
"What?", Rainbow Dash quickly said.
"In this scene, you will be me."
"Oh. Uh. Sure, I guess.", Rainbow Dash said.
A chair appeared, with a grey figure upon it, seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"The mare across the room is a professional veterinarian. It's your dream to be a veterinarian. This is your one chance to learn something from her, to gain something. To succeed.", Fluttershy's voice continued.
"Go on. Say something to her.", Fluttershy urged.
"...Hello?", Rainbow Dash spoke, plainly. She wasn't sure how to react to this, but once again, she felt disturbed.
"That's it?... Hello? That's not a conversation. You need to actually converse with her. Do as I say, act how I demand of you.", the voice lost all emotion, and had lost any resemblance to Fluttershy's voice. The voice became cold, and cruel. It wasn't patient. It wasn't polite. It wasn't Fluttershy.
"Do it again.", the voice demanded.
Rainbow Dash's face held an expression of pure shock, and horror. Her eyes were the size of pinpricks, trying to find an answer for what just happened. She wondered what led this to be?
"Alright. Hey, uh... I'm--", Rainbow Dash started, trying to create a conversation with the grey figure.
"No! That's not what I said to her at all!", the voice exclaimed, "You're completely missing this. Try again.", the voice demanded.
"Right...", Rainbow Dash dryly stated.
"Talk! Now! Do it!", the voice exclaimed.
"Sheesh, okay!... Uhhh... Hey, what's up?", Rainbow Dash tried saying to the mare.
"No! You've messed it ALL up again! You'll freak her out if the conversation became that personal that quickly! Do you not realize how important this was for me? I'll never get another opportunity like this again!"
"But... What? I just...", Rainbow Dash tried to speak, but couldn't respond.
"Do you want to see what happened?", the voice had returned to being Fluttershy.
"...Yeah. I kinda do...", Rainbow Dash said through gritted teeth, slightly annoyed, but her interest remained.
The curtain on the stage raised.
"Go on.", Fluttershy urged.
Rainbow Dash walked back into the large void, and cringed as a large wall slammed shut behind her.
"I don't exactly follow...", she commented.
The second wall closed.
"This is good! The solution to my problems. Isn't it? The solution to my social anxiety, my fears of performing and failure. I hid myself away.
Is it the solution?
... Is it?"
Everything went white.
"...Hello?", Rainbow Dash spoke, feeling like she just went blind from the sudden change of lighting. Her voice carried in the void, yet fog seemed to pull back from around her. Rainbow Dash felt grass beneath her hooves, and then tentatively took a few steps forward. She observed her surroundings. She was upon a small floating island of grass, and dirt, with a single lone tree next to a pathway. Around the small island laid a vast white void, replacing the previous darkness that had existed.
"Oh, my!.. Hello there!", a voice distantly spoke.
Rainbow grinded to a stop, suddenly unsure of what to say. She wondered if she was even being talked to.
"I'm sorry, did I scare you?... I can be such a loudmouth sometimes... Anyhow, it's lovely to meet you!", the voice spoke again.
Rainbow Dash was confused, and quickly realized who the voice reminded her of. Fluttershy.
"Uh.. Hi! Nice to meet you too.", Rainbow Dash said, hoping that this would be how she found a way to help her friend.
A path way formed, and the fog slipped back and into the white void.
"Could... You come and maybe... Talk to me? Maybe, face to face?...", the voice asked shyly, with a hopeful tone.
"Alright. I'll come see you. Where are you, exactly?", Rainbow Dash responded, looking around.
"The path that opened. You can find me there. Please hurry, I'm not sure how much... Nevermind, I'll see you soon... Right?", the disembodied voice of Fluttershy said back.
"Of course.", Rainbow Dash said, walking across the path that formed.
"I'm inside there!", the voice cheerily said, coming from the direction of a wooden door.
Rainbow Dash grinned, finally expecting some answers. But when she stepped inside her grin faded instantly. There were white walls around her. The calm sound of birds and a forest slipped away, leaving nothing but silence.
"...You're not here. Where are you?", Rainbow Dash asked, fear slipping into her mind, "No! Keep calm.", Rainbow Dash quickly thought, trying to ease her nerves.
"Trust me. You'll see me. You have to say the truth."
"What truth?...", Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, confused.
"You have to say that I'm O.K.", the voice answered.
"Uh... Sure. You're okay?", Rainbow Dash said, and cringed as she heard an echoing of sobbing and hurt moans.
"Good.", the voice spoke lightly, and the walls seemed to lower into the ground, revealing another layer. The next layer had contained scratch marks.
Rainbow Dash felt horrible. She wasn't sure what any of this meant, but it probably wasn't good.
"...Say it's a simple solution, please?", the voice pleaded.
"What is?", Rainbow Dash asked, hoping that there would be a revelation, or an answer. The solution.
"The solution. It's simple, right?"
"What IS the solution?"
"I don't know."
"Is the solution to... Hide?", Rainbow Dash spoke, unsure of what to do.
"...Yes. That sounds right. Isn't it simple?"
"But... I don't know! Yes? No?! I'm not sure!", Rainbow Dash exclaimed, before turning to a yellow mare ahead of her, facing away from her, "Fluttershy...", she lightly mumbled, slowly approaching her friend. Her friend was clearly in pain, sobbing, crying, and moaning. But everything just...
Went black. No sound remained. All she saw was the black void that just kept returning.
She felt warm tears stroll down her cheeks, and plummet down into the dark void that had captured her.
“Soon madness has worn you down. It’s easier to do what it says than argue. In this way, it takes over your mind. You no longer know where it ends and you begin. You believe anything it says. You do what it tells you, no matter how extreme or absurd. If it says you’re worthless, you agree. You plead for it to stop. You promise to behave. You are on your knees before it, and it laughs.”
― Marya Hornbacher
When Rainbow Dash stood up, she felt tired. She felt extremely drained... Rainbow Dash wasn't sure how she could help her friend any more.
She looked around. After all, the void released her long ago, she just didn't have the strength to go on any further, and yet she stood up. Rainbow Dash slowly progressed forward, finding herself in a hallway again. This hallway was different from usual. It had darkness all around it, and there were only small lit up spots to mark the pathway.
Rainbow Dash tiredly walked up a set of stairs, turning an immediate left to continue following up along the path.
"Am I a failure for not being able to help?", Rainbow questioned, "No, I'm NOT a failure!... I mean... I haven't found out how to help at all... What am I supposed to do now? I've tried asking, I've begged and pleaded at this point! But I don't HAVE an answer!... I still feel like I failed her..."
Rainbow Dash continued along a linear path, leading up and down stairs, against edges of the void, and then she finally arrived at the final staircase. Each time she heard the ground shake beneath her, and the sound of sobbing, she felt her heart wrench slightly more each time.
"Where did I fail her? Where did I go wrong? Should I have been able to do something?...", Rainbow Dash asked herself, trying to find out how this could have been avoided.
Rainbow Dash felt confused, when she found herself in a warm hallway, with sunlight beaming through a skylight. It was practically the opposite of the previous halls. Lifeless halls, filled with devestation and despair. But the moment she stepped into that room, she felt... Calm.
The room held nothing. The floor was wooden, and the tan walls had returned from so long before. But for some reason, she felt better. The sick feeling left. Perhaps it was the lack of pain being driven into her head. But Rainbow Dash wasn't sure. She remained silent.
Rainbow Dash stepped forward, walking through the rooms. The final room was a circular room, full of nothing. But Rainbow Dash could hear words emitting from inside of it. Whispers. When Rainbow Dash walked in, she found herself looking around at the darkness. It was cold in the room. But Rainbow Dash didn't care. She just felt drained, and sad. She really wanted to find a solution. To solve the problem. But she doesn't know how.
"I really... Really... Want to help... But I just can't figure out the solution! I've tried, I really have! But I just... Can't...", she said the last words, and fell to the ground, resting ontop of her own legs. The one time she couldn't defend Fluttershy, was from Fluttershy's own self. Rainbow Dash just didn't know how. She slipped off into a deep sleep. Rainbow Dash was cold.
Rainbow Dash had suddenly felt very useless.
Rainbow Dash slowly awoke, looking around. She was on a cloud. The sky was blue, and the sun was high. She couldn't see the ground, because all that was below the cloud was the prominent black void that constantly tore into the world around her. Rainbow Dash lazily looked behind herself, and saw a bright and vibrant figure standing next to multiple grey figures, while a grey filly Fluttershy remained on a seperate cloud.
Rainbow Dash gave a look of confusion, and then approached the figures. The light figure seemed to become dust, vanishing from sight, while the grey figures seemed to submit to the same fate. Right then, the blue sky had become dark and no longer welcoming. The sun seemed to slip away, vanishing.
Leaving the two mares alone.
Rainbow Dash suddenly felt very nervous. When she slapped her wings against the cold air, she half expected herself to fall back down. She didn't, but she sure felt like she could drop like a rock at that moment. She flew over to the cloud that the filly version of Fluttershy was on, and then landed next to her. She wasn't sure what to say, and she wasn't sure if she would even hear her.
"...Are you okay?", Rainbow Dash asked.
Fluttershy didn't seem to notice her, but her mouth opened.
"I feel alone.... And I'm afraid that it won't ever change."
"What won't change?", Rainbow Dash asked quietly, seriously hoping for an answer.
"Me."
Rainbow Dash felt her heart stop. Did Fluttershy hear her?...
"I'm afraid that I'll hide away forever. But I'm afraid of leaving hiding."
"Well, sometimes you gotta take risks.", Rainbow Dash suggested.
"But that's scary.", Fluttershy mumbled, listlessly looking into the void.
"You've got me and the others, and we'll support you all the way.", Rainbow Dash nudged her with a wing.
"But what about when you leave?"
"Huh?", Rainbow Dash didn't understand what she meant. When she leaves?...
"I'm not confident.", Fluttershy plainly stated.
"Yeah, and that's what we're gonna be working on! Stick with me, and you'll be confident for the rest of your life!", Rainbow Dash said, trying to fix the situation before it got any worse.
"...", Fluttershy was silent.
She opened her mouth, and then...
Everything went black.
Rainbow groaned, putting her arm to her forehead. She quickly sat up, and realized she was in her cloudhouse. Had Twilight moved her there? Was she back home now?... She wasn't sure how she ended up back home, but Rainbow Dash guessed that it had to do with magic. Rainbow Dash climbed from her couch, and stood up. She was completely sure she was home now that she had a full view of her home.
"I think I seriously need to see Fluttershy...", Rainbow Dash thought, quickly walking towards her front door. Once she was there, she exitted her home, and locked the door behind her. She flew up, and then off the clouds. She flew swiftly, and then decreased her altitude. Rainbow Dash soared over Ponyville once more, feeling confident. She felt like she knew how to help Fluttershy now!
But in reality, she wasn't sure she did... The moment she landed infront of her best friends cottage, she suddenly felt afraid. She felt alone. She felt useless again.
...No. She refused. Rainbow Dash was going to help Fluttershy, no matter what. She told herself she wasn't afraid. She knew that Fluttershy felt alone, and Rainbow Dash decided that she should be there to help her. If they both felt alone, then maybe they just needed eachother?...
That's it.
Rainbow Dash knew the solution.
It was simple, wasn't it?
She felt confident.
She KNEW the solution...
Rainbow Dash knocked on Fluttershy's door, and waited for what felt like an hour...
"Hello?", the timid mare inside spoke.
Rainbow Dash felt her heart explode, the voice soothened any anxiety she had gained in an instant.
The wooden door then opened. There was no white room, but there was Fluttershy standing inside of her cottage.
"Hey, 'Shy.", Rainbow Dash walked in, and almost immediately hugged Fluttershy. Why? She figured it would probably make it easier to speak, and she REALLY wanted to hold Fluttershy close to her after she went through the Hell that seemed to exist in Fluttershy.
"Hello, Rainbow Dash.", Fluttershy responded, joining into the hug.
Rainbow Dash cherished the warmth she felt.
"You know you're not alone, right? I support you all the way. You're perfect however you are, Fluttershy."
"...Thank you, Rainbow Dash.", Fluttershy responded, her voice shaky. Fluttershy pushed her head against Rainbow Dash's chest, holding her close and deeply. She felt very safe.
Rainbow Dash felt a stab of fear at the shakiness of her friends voice, but the shy mare giggled slightly, even with the feeling of tears dampening Rainbow Dash's neck and chest. Rainbow Dash felt calm once again.
"I'm never gonna leave you, Fluttershy...", Rainbow Dash sincerely spoke.
"I'm glad... I've felt so... Lonely... Useless, and... and...", Fluttershy went quiet.
"You're not useless, and you're not alone. We're not gonna leave you or anything. You're the kindest pony I've ever had the honour of being friends with. You're sweet, patient, caring... If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always gonna be here, y'know. When you're sad, I'm sad. When you're scared, I'm sad because I can't make you feel safe... When you're happy, I'm the happiest pony in Equestria...", Rainbow Dash said, lightly petting Fluttershy's mane. She felt tears sliding down her own face now.
All was right in Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's world once again.
Fluttershy lifted her head up from Rainbow's chest, and leaned forward.
Rainbow Dash froze when she realized that Fluttershy had just kissed her right on the lips.
"Did... Wh...", Rainbow Dash said outloud. Fluttershy pulled away, with a frown forming on her face.
"I'm sorry!.. Was it too soon?... Oh, you probably hate me now...", Fluttershy spoke, sadness evident in her voice.
"Did... She just... Kiss me?..." , thought Rainbow Dash, as she stared at Fluttershy with a blush forming on her face.
"I'm so sorry!", Fluttershy squeaked, tears building in her eyes as she looked towards the ground in shame. The shame turned to surprise as the blue mare returned the kiss, and the kiss became making out. Once the two stopped, and they caught their breath, Fluttershy lightly giggled and pulled Rainbow Dash into a hug.
"So, you up for going out to dinner?", Rainbow Dash asked, grinning.
"Like.. A date?", Fluttershy asked, with a pleased smile on her face.
"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, we can just stay here and cuddle if you want.", Rainbow Dash shrugged slightly, chuckling at the idea.
Fluttershy nodded, and said, "I think I would like that. Want me to make dinner for us here? I mean, I think it might be better than going out right now."
"Sure! Just don't tell anypony about this sappy stuff. Well, I dunno. We'll see what happens, I guess.", Rainbow Dash winked, as they went into the kitchen.
"A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away." -Bil Keane
