Never Say Goodbye
By: Master_Ovan & Tyion
Small rays of sunlight were shining through the window of the Carousel Boutique, embracing the sleeping white Unicorn in an warm light. This gesture of the sun did not remain unnoticed by Rarity, as she slowly opened her eyes, inspecting her room dozily.
A couple of seconds passed in which she just collected her thoughts and prepared her mind for the incoming day. She stood up and made her way into the bathroom where she brushed through her mane to make herself look more presentable. Once finished she headed downstairs, Sweetie Belle was not home, being on vacation with her parents. A small grin formed on her face as she thought about the quiet and relaxing weekend which was awaiting her.
What awaited her this weekend were two tickets to the grand opening of a five star spa in the glorious city of Canterlot. Two whole days of rest and relaxation with her good friend Fluttershy. They had both been looking forward to this day for weeks and now it was finally here. Eager to arrive at the spa as soon as possible, Rarity quickly ate breakfast and packed what she needed to bring with her in her saddlebags. After she had gotten everything together she headed off to Fluttershy’s cottage to make sure she was ready to catch the flying chariot to Canterlot.
Using her hoof, Rarity gracefully gave the door three knocks. As the white unicorn expected the door was answered within seconds, however it was not opened by the timid pegasus but rather Angel. The small rabbit stood in front of her , impatiently awaiting her to say anything.
“Do you happen to know where Fluttershy is? Our Chariot is arriving in due time and I would simply hate to miss it.” Rarity spoke in her usual, sophisticated manner.
The bunny did not respond, he simply opened up the door wider and invited Rarity inside. She gave the critter a thanking gesture as she entered the small house. Observing her surroundings, she made her way upstairs into the room containing Fluttershy.
“Oh... what if I forgot about the birds or the rats! OH NO THE RATS! I have to make more food for them!” Fluttershy whispered to nopony in particular.
“Sweetheart, what are you doing?” Rarity asked walking inside
“Uhm... Hi Rarity, I’m just make sure that everything will be running smoothly while I’m not here,” Fluttershy explained.
“Dear, you have got to relax. I’m sure that the animals will be fine for one measly little weekend without their tender. Also, our chariot is arriving soon.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I am sure that you’re right,” the timid pegasus apologized, realizing she was probably being over cautious again.
“Nothing to write home about; besides, you look adorable when you’re stressed so it’s fine.” Rarity snickered.
Fluttershy blushed a little bit and then the two mares walked downstairs and then went out the door.
“Make sure you don’t get into trouble while I’m gone.” Fluttershy called to Angel at the last second before the door slammed shut.
The two were off to catch their chariot. The sun had crawled halfway up the sky since Rarity awoke that morning. There was a small breeze and just the right amount of clouds in the sky. These were perfect conditions for flying so there should be no delays in the sky. Everything was going swimmingly.
When the two ponies arrived at the chariot they got in and awaited their escorts.
“They’re late! This is not the kind of behavior I would expect form the Princesses’ Royal Guards.” Rarity complained to Fluttershy. She was starting to become very irritated. She had been waiting for this day for weeks and now they were going to be late. Every second late their escorts were was another second off from the time that Rarity could spend in the wondrous spa.
“Maybe they just lost track of the time. I’m sure everything is going to be okay Rarity.” Fluttershy said with her usual grace. She wasn’t the kind to worry. She also didn’t much care about the time in the spa. All she wanted was to spend time with Rarity. Fluttershy loved the thought of having Rarity all to herself for the whole weekend.
After about fifteen minutes the two mares could see two ponies approaching in the distance. One was gray with a yellow mane flowing out of his guard helmet and the other was a light red with short black hair. They were both in their guard uniforms and looked somewhat inexperienced.
“I thought all the royal guard pegusi were supposed to be white.” Rarity stated, sounding somewhat like a snob; though she didn’t mean it to come out sounding that way.
“Well... For us they made a special exception.” Replied the gray pegasus.
“Whatever, we should really get started. I don’t want to miss any more time than we already did.” The unicorn said and a faint blue aura surrounded her horn and the saddlebags she had, lifting them into the chariot with ease. “Don’t you have anything packed, dear?” Rarity asked Fluttershy. She just shook her head in response.
They both climbed into the chariot, and within seconds the two pegasi started flapping their wings, at first slow but picking up in speed as they reached higher areas. Once they were at the right height they stretched their wings to the fullest and glided through the air, flying towards the magnificent city of Canterlot.
“Where are we going to sleep, by the way?” Fluttershy broke the silence the chariot was veiled in.
“Oh I booked us a hotel, unfortunately though they only had a single room free. I hope it’s not problem for you if we share a room.” Rarity responded, pasting a smile on her face.
Fluttershy blushed in a deep crimson at the thought of sharing a room with Rarity, her mind raced, sometimes thoughts of romance, sometimes things even a little bit dirtier than romance. As she realized that, Rarity was looking at her with a confused stare, Fluttershy quickly shook her head to banish the thoughts which were rushing through her head. “Uhm... yes it’s no at problem all.” Fluttershy stumbled over her own words, irritating her friend even more. When the canary-yellow pegasus realized her mistake, she immediatley hid behind her mane, avoiding Rarity’s gaze at all cost.
Oh she is just too adorable when she does that, Rarity thought and tried to fight the urge to just hug her. The unicorn let out a giggle in order to remove the tension that was around them.
That laugh, Fluttershy could listen to it all day. There was nothing which could rival it in it’s sheer beauty. Soon the pegasus found herself joining the giggle of her friend.
Several seconds passed before their laughter died out and silence returned, not an uncomfortable silence like before though, it was a beatiful silence. None of them dared to break it, they couldn’t, the only appropriate way to break it would be...
Fluttershy thought about it, the situation was almost perfect, just her and Rarity, directly under the gorgeous nightsky. “Come on, you scaredy pegasus, just tell her now” she took a deep breath before speaking up “Rarity?”
“Yes?”
“I uhm... wanted to tell you that... I-”
Suddenly the chariot rapidly lost in height, the shock which was caused by this event nearly made Rarity fall out of the chariot. Luckily, Fluttershy saved her by gripping her hooves and pulling her up.
“What was that?” Rarity asked in an outburst
“Oh, I’m sorry lady’s, my mind drifted off for a second” one of the pegasi guards apologized
“And why are we heading downwards? We are not even close to Canterlot”
“Well that’s because...” Instantly after these words were spoken Rarity and Fluttershy lost sight of everything around them as a thin, elastic material was pulled over their heads. Both of them frantically tried to break free to catch air again, but it was to no use. Something was holding these “bags” in place. The breathing of the two ponies started to slow down, and their struggles screeched to a halt. Slowly their eyelids began to close as they fell out of consciousness.
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Rarity slowly came back to consciousness, once again feeling the pleasure of air filling her lungs; however, this air was dank and musty. The majestic unicorn choked on the taste of the rancid air that she had been breathing. Slowly opening her eyes she noticed that they were not outside. The room was dark, the only light was emanating from a single candle in the corner of the room. The walls were made of rough gray stone that was chafing her backside. Rarity tried to stand up but then was pulled back towards the wall when she realized her front hooves were in shackles. At this moment a tsunami of fear flooded inside her, she was not in a spa in Canterlot, she was in a dungeon somewhere unknown. Frantically she tried to find Fluttershy. Luckily the yellow pegasus was chained just a few feet away from her, still unconscious.
“Fluttershy, wake up!” Rarity yelled. “You have to get up! Fluttershy!”
Slowly Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked around her. Almost instantly she got hit with the same wave of fear that now infected Rarity. They were trapped. There was no visible way out of this prison that confined them. Suddenly, Fluttershy’s eyes fell on something that made her scream in terror. Across the room from her was the mangled body of another mare. Her flesh was ripped and torn apart, her body looked like a bloody carcass that got ripped apart by a pack of dogs. The corpse was missing both eyes and part of it’s skull was hanging off. The knees of both the corpses legs were smashed in and the internal organs were hanging out of a large gash through the center of the body. Fluttershy vomited from the sight, unable to stomach the rancid smell and the gory corpse filled with maggots.
“Fluttershy!? What’s wrong?” Rarity questioned, very concerned. Then her eyes befell the same sight that Fluttershy had witnessed. She too had trouble containing the contents of her stomach but she managed to keep it down. Rarity was afraid to look around the room any further for fear of what she might see but she felt she had to if they were going to find a way to escape. Slowly the unicorn turned her head and her eyes fell upon a pile of bodies. All of them were in worse condition that the one she saw before. The putrid stench caught her nose and the grotesque sight was too much for her to handle. Her stomach emptied itself across the floor and once again she lost consciousness.
Fluttershy tried to wake Rarity up but it was no use. Her body just wasn’t ready to come back into the world yet. Fluttershy began to cry, salty tears flowing down her rosy cheeks like waterfalls off the side of a cliff. She was so afraid, they were trapped, who knew what was going to happen to them. In all likeliness they were going to end up defiled and gutted like the corpses that lined the walls of the prison chamber they were in. The pegasus just wanted to go home, she wished she would have just stayed in bed that day, then none of this would have happened. Words couldn’t describe the overwhelming fear deep within her soul. At that moment the door to the sell slammed open.
“Good evening, ladies” a polite, yet cold voice called entering the cell. The muscular earth pony approached Fluttershy with dilatory steps, looking at her with a gaze which sent shivers down her spine.
With every second the gap between her and the dark brown earth pony diminished and her fear grew. She had no idea what the stallion was up to, but judging from her surroundings and his voluptuous gaze it couldn’t be anything good. Clueless of what she could do to get out of her situation she looked at Rarity, the unicorn was still unconscious, away from this twisted world they got dragged into.
The stallion was now directly in front of her, he moved his head closer to hers until she could feel his breath. Sickened by the thoughts of what this earth pony intents to do with her, she kicks him as hard as she could with one of her hind legs, causing the stallion to take a few steps back.
“Oh, recalcitrance. That’s just how I like my prey.” The dark brown pony said while lasciviously licking his lips. The stallion once again drew closer to her, this time more determined to satisfy his lust. Fluttershy struggled to keep him away, but all it did was delaying the seemingly inevitable.
Rarity slowly opened her eyes, observing her surroundings, for a second she had forgotten where she was. Immediately her fears returned, this time however she could not allow herself to fall unconscious again. She looked to her right and saw that a stallion was standing conspicuously close to Fluttershy, as Rarity could take a glimpse at his expression she instantly realized what he was up to. Every bit of fear she felt vanished and morphed into anger, pure blinding rage against those who dare to even think about hurting Fluttershy. She gathered all the rage she was feeling in her horn, making it glow a lush blue.
A moment later the stallion got slammed into the wall with gargantuan force, the sound of bones breaking was audible upon his collision.
Fluttershy turned her head and faced Rarity, her expression was full of anxiety and disgust, tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Rarity got flooded by a torrent of guilt which streamed into her head, it was her idea to go to the spa and now Fluttershy had to go through all this, she was too sensitive for such a thing. The unicorn shook her head and pushed these thoughts aside, right now there were more important things she had to do
She closed her eyes and gathered her thoughts, a moment later the unconscious stallion was surrounded by a blue aura which levitated him up, she turned him around and picked up the key-chain he had with him. Dropping the stallion roughly to the ground, she drifted the keys in front of her. Studying them for a second she tried to unlock the chains she was shackled on, after some attempts the key finally moved and freed her from the fetters of the chains and the moss covered wall.
Rarity turned around and trotted next to Fluttershy, trying to grant her her freedom as well. This time however fate seemed to be against them, as the sound which was created when the stallion got thrown against the wall did not remain unnoticed. She heard the loud footsteps of a few ponies which were closing distance quickly.
Rarity started to panic and quickly rushed every key through the lock of the chains, but no one was fitting in.
“It’s not working!” Rarity screamed in despair. “Why isn’t it working!?”
Fluttershy’s emotions were now also filled with trepidation, but as their time ran out she came to an conclusion.
“Rarity, run, get to safety,” she sobbed out, thinking of whether she should have recommended this or not.
“Never, friends don’t leave their friends alone,” Rarity said, frantically trying to break the chains somehow.
“What do we have here? Seems like we caught some fighters today, did we not?” A deep tone exclaimed, amusement clearly ringing in his voice.
As the stallions entered the room Fluttershy’s heart sunk. The aura of fear in the room was overwhelming her. She just wanted to get out of there. She just wanted to go home and see her friends again. These stallions had no right to do this. At that moment the fear inside her turned to a blinding rage. They had to get out of here. They had to find a way back home. She slowly closed her eyes and bowed her head. She gathered up the building fury in her heart. Suddenly her head snapped up and here eyelids flew open like lightning. The yellow pegasus impaled the stallions with her fierce, vehement gaze.
“How. Dare. You. How dare you!” Fluttershy yelled in a forceful tone surrounded in an aura of her fury. The stallions turned to stone, they were speechless and couldn’t move. They were caught in Fluttershy’s signature stare. “Rarity, run.”
“I’m not leaving without you, darling!” Rarity cried out as she used her magic to try and shatter the chains that bound Fluttershy to the wall. It didn’t work. “Come on, magic! Work damnit! Work!” She tried one more time, anxiety and fear building up inside her. Rarity’s horn started to glow a deep blue, deeper than usual, and her magical aura surrounded the chains. She deepened her focus using her fear as a powerful lever and suddenly the cuffs at the end of the chain burst open with a loud snap.
Fluttershy and Rarity were both showered in relief from the snap that they heard. Now they were both free. The relief, however was short lived. Fluttershy’s concentration was broken and now the stallions were moving closer once again.
One of the stallions from behind the leader bust through to the front.
“I want first dibs on them! I’m the one that brought them here.” It was the gray pony from before. He slowly walked towards Rarity.
Fluttershy quickly grabbed on to Rarity and hid her face in Rarity’s shoulder. In this moment Fluttershy knew this might be the last time she saw her friend. She knew she should be afraid for their lives but in that moment all she could think of is how much she loved Rarity. How much she would miss her if anything ever happened to her. She drew in a large breath, taking in the scent of Rarity’s coat. It smelled of sweet perspiration mixed with an undertone of Rarity’s perfume. The smell was intoxicating to Fluttershy, so much so that she let out a small sigh. It was a sigh more like that of a lover than a friend.
“Well, well, well, look at the two love birds. I guess today’s my lucky day. Two for the price of one.” The gray pony snickered with lust in his eyes. He grabbed Rarity’s arm with his hoof. “You’re mine now bitch.”
Rarity slammed her eyes shut and turned her head away. The next thing she felt was a cool breeze on her face. The air was crisp and cool, nothing like the air in the dungeon. She opened her eyes to see herself in a remote part of what seemed to be the Everfree Forest. She looked around and saw that she was right outside the cottage with a trap door leading down to what looked like a dungeon. Fluttershy was still hanging on to her for dear life and apparently so was the gray stallion.
“You bitch! What the fuck did you do?” He interrogated, then he looked around to see that they were just outside the dungeon. The stallion laughed, “looks like your little magic trick didn’t get you very far, we’re still going to have our ways with you and then rip your guts out.” he said with a smirk.
Rarity gasped in disgust of what the stallion had just said and quickly turned around and bucked him square in the testicles.
“Fluttershy! Come on, we have to run!” Rarity cried to the yellow pegasus trying to shake her off. “Come on, Fluttershy!” Fluttershy then lifted her head to see that they were outside and she nodded in confirmation of Rarity’s idea to run. The two darted off into the trees while the gray stallion was writhing on the ground in pain.
Back in the dungeon the rest of the stallions were standing in disbelief.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me. How did that bitch teleport out of here?” The leader said in an angry tone.
“I told you we should have broken her horn off when we had the chance.” A voice from behind him spoke out.
“Shut the fuck up, if I wanted your opinion I would have asked for it.” The leader snapped back. The group of stallions ran outside and saw their comrade lying on the ground. Their leader walked over to him. “Which way did they go?” He questioned. The stallion lying on the ground pointed his hoof towards the eastern part of the forest. The leader laughed, “they’re heading right for the cliff. This is perfect, they can’t escape. Now as for you.” He turned his gaze towards the stallion on the ground. “You’re a worthless piece of shit, and you’re going to die like one.” The leader lifted his hoof and brought it down with great force against the skull of the unsuspecting stallion. There was an audible cracking sound followed by a sickening sound like jello being squished on a plate. The stallions brain was now spread across the forest floor along with outward sprays of blood. The leader lifted his hoof up and brushed off the grotesque brain matter on the grass. “What are you foals waiting for? After them!” He shouted, and the rest of the stallions ran off.
=====================================================================
Fluttershy and Rarity kept running, too afraid of what might happen if they stop or even slow down. But soon the inevitable occured, they started to slow down their pace as the exhaustion nagged on them like a hungry dog on a bone.
A couple of seconds passed before they were able to hear distant noises, it was hard to tell what exactly those sounds were, but both of them had no doubt that the source of those were the stallions which were hunting them.
Haunted by the anxiety of getting caught they used every last bit of energy they had to quicken their pace just a little more.
Rarity however felt how her body started betraying her as she began to fall behind. She focused every bit of power she could provide into her legs, but it was to no use. Her body simply refused to obey.
Fluttershy realized that the familiar sound of Rarity’s hoofsteps faded away. Turning around, she saw that Rarity fell far behind. Without any hesitation she started to flap her wings, flying to her exhausted friend.
“I am sorry Fluttershy, I cant walk anymore, my legs simply won’t listen.” Rarity explained, clearly disappointed at herself.
The canary-yellow pegasus simply smiled at her, a smile which comforted Rarity and gave her a feeling that everything is going to be alright. Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around Rarity’s forehooves, slowly lifting her into the air. Her wing beats were now a lot faster to compensate for the added weight. She mindlessly started to fly in one direction, not knowing where she was heading but simply away from their pursuers.
Once again the sound rough trampling hoof-steps was to be heard, the stallions seemed to have closed their distance. Driven by her emotions Fluttershy was now furiously flapping her wings, the pain nearly made her fall into unconsciousness but she had no intention of slowing down. She had never been in any agony like this before. The pegasus had no idea how long she could withstand it. Her hooves were starting to slip away and she nearly dropped Rarity once.
The only thing which made Fluttershy prevail over her exhaustion was the unicorn, whom she wielded her live in her hooves. Simply the thought of Rarity being hurt forced her to pick up just a little bit more speed. She couldn’t let her die here, not her, not now. She would die without even being aware of Fluttershy’s feelings towards her, the pegasus would not allow this to happen.
Don’t stop now, Don’t stop now, was the only thing which was circling around her mind. She started to scream out in affliction, trying to distract her mind from the intense ache’s in her muscles. They were pounding profusely and every single movement sent her into a whole new dimension of pain.
Rarity looked up at her friend, the pain she was experiencing clearly mirrored in her expression. The sight of this made the unicorns heart sink. She was responsible for all this. She was the one who dragged the timid pegasus into this, and now it was her who needed to get saved by her. Why do I have to be so useless? What can I do to rescue her? Yea, sure I can make dresses, but is that going to prevent Flutte-... her love from being hurt? No, it does not. Tears started to drip down from her wet eyes as she thought about how she is responsible for their situation.
The clouds started gathering and changing their colour from a bright white into a dusty gray, and after several seconds the first drops of rain started to pour down from the layer of clouds which formed above them. It was one of these raindrops which collided directly on Fluttershy’s forehead, snapping her back into reality, away from the trap which her mind turned into.
Fluttershy’s eyes were wandering around as she was inspecting her surroundings. Panting heavily, the canary yellow pegasus started to whimper in agony once again. Her thoughts had been distracting her from the pain, but now that she was back in the realm of reality it hit her with full force.
“Oh no” Rarity whispered out of instinct when her eyes caught another danger in the distance, as if they weren’t in enough trouble already.
It was a dead end.
Fluttershy broke down directly in front of the cliff, releasing her muscles from their anguish. The sensation of being finally able to rest filled the pegasus with pure joy. A joy which did not last long, as she witnessed the sound of their approaching tormentors once again.
Fluttershy looked up, gazing at Rarity with a look of inquiry. Unfortunately the white unicorn seemed just as clueless.
Rarity was not even able to think straight, her mind permanently shifting thoughts to the cute pegasus beside her. It was obvious to her at this point, she wanted to be more than just friends with Fluttershy, a lot more.
Rarity blushed lightly at the thought of them being a couple, her first feeling of happiness since this whole event started. But she could not allow herself to wallow in the joy of this thought any longer, there were things in the real world she had to deal with first.
The stallions were now visible, and Fluttershy did the only thing that came to her mind. Grabbing Rarity, she started flapping her wings, defying against every bit of pain, she once again lifted up into the air. Slowly but surely she made her way to the other side of the cliff.
Their hunters however also had two pegasi with them, who instantly stretched their wings. Flying into the air, they made themselves ready to finally catch their pray.
The fear of her, or Rarity for that matter, getting caught caused Fluttershy to strain her wings even more. This time however, her body refused to play along. Her eyelids felt heavier and she was feeling tired, as if she was going to pass out at any minute. Fluttershy could delay it no further and simply fainted, in the middle of the air.
A brief slip from the grips of reality caused Rarity to slip from the grip of her hooves.
The unicorn let out an initial scream when she fell towards the rough ground beneath her. This cry snapped Fluttershy back into consciousness, realizing that she was no longer holding Rarity, she looked down to see that the unicorn whom she loved was rapidly falling to her death.
Shutting down every bit of agony, and being pumped up with adrenaline she rushed down in a pace that would be able to rival Rainbow Dash in it’s sheer speed. She was closing the gap between her and her friend quickly, but was it fast enough to save Rarity? She could not leave it to chance, desperately trying to reach the unicorn.
Rarity locked Fluttershy in her gaze, both of their eyes mirroring the image of the pony they loved most, their vision was beginning to blur as tears were starting to drip down from their bloodshot eyes. It was in this very moment that the feelings they yielded for each other were revealed. Both of them realizing that the mare they loved felt the same for them.
Rarity got flooded by a feeling of happiness, momentarily forgetting about her life threatening situation, just being able to think about how wonderful her life could have been if she would have found the courage to tell Fluttershy how she felt in the first place.
Fluttershy however had no time for joy; she had no time for anything. The only thought which circled in her mind was saving Rarity.
The ground was now in sight, and the gap between the two ponies diminished, only a few inches were to conquer before Fluttershy would be able to grab her.
Just a little bit more she thought as she stretched her hooves to retain Rarity, a huge feeling of relief rushed through her body when she felt the familiar coat of the unicorn on her hoof.
A feeling that came too late. Fluttershy did not have the time to lift her up in the air, the ground was too close.
The next sound which was to be heard was a collision, a thick cloud of dust concealed the two mares. The canary yellow pegasus was the first who was able to think straight, her head was pounding profusely and her body screamed out in agony, but she had no time to listen. She had to find Rarity, what would she do if she got hurt... or worse if she died?
This thought summoned an unbearable pain inside of her heart, afraid that her fear’s might become true, she flapped her wings to blow off some of the dust and created a field of vision around her.
The first thing her eyes caught a glimpse of was her friend lying on the rough ground, covered in dust and blood dripping from her chest. A sight which shook Fluttershy to the core, with fears that her worst expectations might be validated; she approached the seemingly unconscious unicorn. Gently resting one of her ears on her chest she listened closely, a wave of relief ran through her body when she was able to hear her heartbeat but danger was still imminent. Their pursuers still had no intention of giving up their hunt. The two pegasi were approaching them with immense speed.
Fluttershy tried to stretch her wings and fly them to safety, but it was to no avail as her muscles refused to move. Desperate for something to do, full panic gripped Fluttershy.
The pegasi landed in front of them, both of them wearing a sinister smile.
“Finally, you two have caused more trouble than your worth, but all you achieved in the end was delaying your fate,” one of the bandits claimed with a smirk.
They readied themselves for finishing this farce, and taking both of the ponies back to their hideout. One of them gripped Rarity, who was still unconscious, and prepared to lift up into the air. Fluttershy, however, did not give her away without any resistance, with all of her might she managed to lift up her head and bite into the hoof of the pegasus, causing him to scream out in affliction.
“Damn, you bitch!” He screamed out and tried to shake her off, but Fluttershy refused to let go.
“Hurry up, we are too far out, it would be a pity if one of the guards patrolling this place would find us. Beat her unconscious if you have to,” the other pegasus ordered.
“With pleasure” he said, raising his hoof in order to lunge out for a strike. When suddenly a piercing roar was to be heard.
“What, what was that?” he asked in confusion
“I don’t know, I don’t care. Let’s just get this over with.”
“Alright.”
But before he could take any more action, another roar was to be heard, a roar which froze the blood in their veins.
“What in the name of Equestria is that?”
An answer was not necessary as a huge intimidating bear appeared from a cave which was located a few inches away. Fluttershy let go of the pegasus and she slowly raised her head to look at the animal with her empty, hopeless eyes. She took a few seconds to recognize the bear, she knew this one, which meant they were close to her cottage. The realization had it’s impact moments later, like a light which was visible at the end of a long, dark way.
“You have to be buckin’ kidding me!” One of the pegasi stated. “Quickly, take the pegasus and get away, the unicorn wont survive until dawn anyway!”
The bandit did as he was told to, but before he could perform his order the bear lunged out and hit him with full speed, throwing him against the stone cliff. His limp body stuck there for a moment and then fell to the ground.
The other pegasi looked at his companion in fear, he doubted that they would be able to fight this bear, they were mere bandits, not warriors. He concluded the wisest choice would be to leave now before any more damage can be done. With a swift movement he stretched his wings and flew off, leaving his companion to his fate.
Fluttershy let out a sigh. It was finally over. Yet, she could still not allow herself to rest, she still had to get herself and especially Rartiy to safety. As she thought about how she should proceed she felt how a furry claw was lifting her into the air. Turning around she saw that the bear heaved her and Rarity with his claws and that he is heading back into his cave.
“Thank you,” she whispered with a weak, but compassionate voice.
He laid down both of them upon entering the cave, Fluttershy thanked the bear again, he just replied with a growl and headed deeper into the cave.
=====================================================================
The rain amplified and was now pouring down mercilessly outside of the cave, creating a calming, rhythmic melody. The cave was veiled in silence, except for the symphony of rain pouring down outside, but despite her exhaustion Fluttershy could not find any rest. Rarity was laying right next to her, panting in her restless dreams, the collision did not remain unnoticed as a huge wound was one of it’s concequences. The timid pegasus started to silently sob for herself as she saw her friend in such a horrid situation, without her being able to do anything to heal her.
Fluttershy moved closer to Rarity. She started to blush as their coats touched and placed her hoof on Rarity’s body.
“I’m sorry” she sobbed out, being oblivious of the fact that Rarity woke up during the process of her snuggling closer to the unicorn.
“Sorry for what?” Rarity asked, her voice clearly mirroring weakness.
Fluttershy was surprised at the fact that she was awake, but nevertheless responded right off the bat, “I wasn’t fast enough, everything is my fault.” She stated as she broke down into tears.
Rarity did not reply, she knew that words would not be able to express what she felt. The timid pegasus got surprised by a tight embrace, looking up with her puffy, red eyes she gazed at the unicorn.
“It’s not your fault,” she assured her.
“But if Rainbow Dash would be here instead of me you would be fine”
Rarity simply smiled at this statement “I wouldn’t exchange you for anypony else.”
“Really?” Fluttershy asked, wiping away her tears and starting to regain her composure.
The answer she received was not expected, but welcomed as the unicorn locked her into a passionate kiss.
Fluttershy tilts her head away from the kiss, already a deep shade of red across the nose. She starts to shiver just a little from the tension that was in the air; nevertheless, she intensified this tension by gripping onto Rarity as firmly as she could.
The yellow pegasus gazed into the wonderful blue eyes of Rarity, sensually whispering the words “I love you” into her ears.
“I love you too.” Rarity responded with a burning passion in her weak voice.
Both of them stared at each others eyes for second before joining their soft lips once more, each one burning up with the intensity of their blushing cheeks and fiery passion.
Under the blanket of the cave, the two ponies made love and fell asleep in each others warm embrace.
=====================================================================
Small rays of sunlight were appearing through the thick layer of clouds, they shined into small fissures in the ceiling of the cave, embracing Fluttershy and Rarity in a warm and comforting sensation. This gesture of the sun did not remain unnoticed by Fluttershy as she slowly started to open her eyes. Inspecting her surroundings, her eyes caught a particular white unicorn laying next to her. She blushed slightly as she remembered what had happened last night.
“Finally awake, sleepyhead?” Rarity inquired teasingly.
Fluttershy slightly nodded her head as a response before asking “How long ago did you wake up?”
“Not too long ago, around thirty-” before Rarity could finish her sentence she coughed heavily. As she started to regain her composure she realized that there were small stains of blood on her hoof from the cough.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked with a worried look on her face.
Rarity quickly wiped her hoof on the ground beneath her making sure to hide the blood from Fluttershy. She paused for a moment as a sharp pain cut across her chest. Ever since the fall she had been filled with an enfeebling weakness and was having trouble breathing. It had only gotten worse; she didn’t want to believe it but deep down she knew she wouldn’t be present in the world an hour from then. Though she knew she was standing at deaths door, she couldn’t tell Fluttershy. She didn’t want their last moments together to be filled with sorrow. She wanted to leave the world knowing she made the most out of the last moments of her life with Fluttershy.
“Yes, I’m fine darling.” Rarity said as she grabbed Fluttershy and pulled her close. She wrapped her font legs around the yellow pegasus in a strong, loving embrace. Fluttershy smiled. For the next half hour they were inseparable. Wrapped up in each others love, they were both in heaven. Rarity started to feel her body going numb. It was time.
“Why don’t you go back to ponyville for help, darling. I don’t think I’ll be able to walk the rest of the way back.” Rarity said to Fluttershy trying to mask her sorrow.
“But I can’t just leave you here alone.” Fluttershy replied.
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”
“Okay... If you say so.” Fluttershy complied reluctantly.
Rarity pulled Fluttershy even closer and touched lips with her. The passion flowed out of the kiss through the air like a breeze on a beautiful spring morning.
“What was that for?” Fluttershy asked, blushing slightly.
“Oh, nothing.” Rarity replied, “now go on, get back to town.”
As Fluttershy flew off back to town, Rarity whispered to herself, “one last kiss, my love.”
She laid back and closed her eyes. Within moments she was gone and a single tear ran down her cheek.
=====================================================================
In the meantime Fluttershy was already on her flight towards Ponyville, fortunately she could validate that they were not too far away from their hometown. She silently glided above the Everfree Forest, oblivious of what happened to her friend. As she was lost in thoughts about Rarity and her being together, she suddenly made out a metallic, cold taste in her mouth. It took her a while before she came to conclusion that it was the distinctive taste of blood. Confused, where it could have come from she scanned her body for wounds, but none were to be found.
That’s when the truth struck her, the blood must be coming from Rarity. Her pupils widened in shock as fears were starting to arise. Immediately she started to flap her wings faster, frantically trying to pick up more speed.
After a couple of minutes, which felt like an eternity to Fluttershy, she arrived at her cottage. The exhaustion and pain were already nagging on her, it took her a moment in order to catch her breath. Without paying any more attention to the physical agony she was in she dashed off, looking for anypony who would be able to help.
“Hey Fluttershy where ya headin’ in such a rush?” a familiar voice asked.
Fluttershy instantly turned her head around as she witnessed the statement of the rainbow maned pegasus, searching for the origin of it.
“I’m up here” Rainbow said, flying dozily next to the sweat covered yellow pegasus.
“Dash, you gotta come with me, quick!” Fluttershy panted out.
“Hey, slow down. Catch your breath and tell me what is going on” Dash replied, starting to get worried.
“We dont have time, just follow me, please” Fluttershy commanded and with a swift motion turned around and burst off towards the Everfree Forest. However, she was disregarding her physical affliction for too long now, the sudden pain made her loose balance and she fell down.
Luckily, Dash was already there. Catching Fluttershy on her back before any worse things could occur.
“I told you to slow down” Dash admonished her with an concerned voice.
“Rarity is in danger, Dash. I will tell you what happened but please start flying towards there” Fluttershy responded, pointing towards the cave where she left Rarity.
Dash did as she was told to and started flying as Fluttershy pointed her the way.
Rainbow Dash beat her wings as fast as she could, steadily building up speed. She was slowed down slightly by having to dodge the incoming trees from the Everfree Forest but she still arrived at the cave about a minute before Fluttershy did. She was in shock, standing at the entrance to the cave staring directly at the corpse of her friend. It was a sight no pony should have to see in their lifetime. A minute or two passed and she was still standing speechless, not knowing what to do. Fluttershy then pulled up behind her and sprinted into the cave as fast as she could.
Fluttershy’s eyes dilated at the sight in front of her, her friend was lying on the cold, rough ground, not sending any kind of life signals.
At this point it would have been obvious to anypony that Rarity was no longer in the realm of the living. Not so for the timid pegasus, be it because of her ingeniousness or because her mind simply refused to believe it.
With slow and unsteady steps she approached the white uncorn. “Hey, Rarity, I bought help” she said, pasting a small smile on her face.
Dash could no longer stand the sight at this point, she turned around, shutting her eyes, tears streaming down her face.
Fluttershy was now standing next to the body of her friend. “Rarity?” she asked, tears starting to form in her eyes “Please... answer me!” She begged, but no answer was given.
She could no longer deny it, her love was dead and gone forever. A sudden burst of pain was sent through her entire body and she felt a stinging pain inside of her heart. The yellow pegasus broke down into tears as she could no longer contain her agony. It all wanted to burst out, so many negative emotions at once. She did not know what to do, her mind was not able to think straight and everything seemed surreal to her. It was as if she was about to wake up from the most terrible and vivid nightmare she ever experianced, but she did not wake up. Instead, she was trapped in this world of anguish without any possibility of escape.
Clueless and distressed she tried to scream out her sorrow, but she simply could not scream loud enough for the pain to fade away.
Dash also felt the immense sorrow was building up inside of her, but she could not allow herself to lose face, she had to be there for Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy, it’s going to be okay,” she said tried to comfort her.
“No Dash,” her voice cracked “it’s not, it’s not going to be okay. I loved her, you have no idea what it feels like to loose someone you love.” Tears were now draining out of Fluttershy’s eyes like waterfalls flowing over a cliff. Fluttershy got on the ground and wrapped her front legs around Rarity’s corpse. It was already cold and was starting to become stiff. Fluttershy didn’t care about any of this, she held Rarity close to her never planning to let go. She didn’t want to live a life without her. She didn’t want to go on. She gripped Rarity’s body as tight as she could, laying her head down on her chest. As Fluttershy’s tears were pooling onto Rarity’s chest the sky itself began to mirror her sorrow. Drops of rain began to fall onto the roof of the cave and the ground of the surrounding forest slowly drowning out the noise of the crying pony. A big part of Fluttershy died that day. She would never be the same again.
