I'm Always There For You

The worst of her outbursts came today, right when I wasn't expecting it. Fluttershy had made excellent progress since our return to our base and our temporary settling-in at Ponyville, the safest place and the less corrupt by King Sombra. She'd changed, I had noticed, a lot. Ever since our talk back two weeks ago, Fluttershy had slowly but surely gotten herself out of the hole she fallen into. She'd even smiled, despite what had happened, but it relieved me to see things were looking up. That was, until her last breakdown.

The first scare came right after arriving at what use to be Twilight's home: Fluttershy wasn't here. She even left her armor and weapon in the closet and though prone to worrying about her, I remained calm and went on another patrol round the place. After scooting the place with no luck, I knew there would only be one other place she could be. Her home. I bolted out of the house and flew to her place. I entered the house and still saw no sign of her. Upon going upstairs, I jumped: she was right where I hadn't been before, sitting on the bed and head cocked to one side. Her eyes were lost somewhere in the distance. She finally noticed me and smiled little.

"There was one place you didn't look in." She said.

"Right. What's up with you? You've been acting a bit strange today," I said, taking a seat next to her.

She said nothing and I waved a hoof in front of her eyes.

"Hello? Equestria calling to Fluttershy?"

"I couldn't do it. I tried… I tried to stop it, but…" She lifted her gaze at me, leaving me mute. "I can still hear them, Rainbow Dash. After so long… they are still here, in my head…"

"Fluttershy, listen to me; it's not your fault. You couldn't do anything about it. You told me you faced yourself, that you faced all that which had been haunting you! It's over, do you hear me?"

For a moment, I was reminded of another soldier and his decaying state of mind. I thought Sombra's dark magic couldn't reach us. Was she losing it too? Would there come a time when I'd be forced to…? No, certainly not.

"But I can still hear them!" She replied, her shoulders slumping. "They won't leave me alone! I don't know what's happening, and I know there was nothing I could do, Rainbow Dash, but… Th-there's something else in here: I have a feeling they aren't my only demon."

"You have to fight it! I know you wouldn't give up!"

I was doing my best and beyond to convince her and calm her down, but my persistence was futile. Whatever Fluttershy had seen or heard, it had left her horribly shaken. The worst thing was that it was supposed to be over. All of it. We were slowing winning this war, the corruption spell or whatever had been suppressed and for a short time, put her past behind her. What else was there left for her to do? Was there something I wasn't getting? I dreaded to think about it.

"I've tried, Rainbow Dash, and harder than ever."

"Try harder! Besides, you-"

"What if I can't!?" she exclaimed, jumping to her hooves.

She imitated me, only to be seized by the shoulders and brought face-to-face.

"What if I can't do it? I've tried Celestia knows what to stop it all, but they just. Keep. Coming back. I don't know what's happening and maybe I'll never know, but I'm at my limit. I… I just…"

I was rigid, silent like a rock and dumbstruck at her reaction. Eventually, She let me go, buried her face in her hooves and fell to her knees. I never thought she'd break down in front of me yet there she was. She needed help, and I was willing to give it.

"I mean, I don't even know if it's real," She claimed, locking gazes with me as I kneeled down before her. "It's supposed to be over, but somehow… I think it isn't." She released a shaky sigh, looking down in what seemed shame. "I can't believe this happened, I-"

"Believe it, because it unfortunately happened. There wasn't anything we could have done to prevent it," I said, smiling. "See now why I insisted in tagging along?" Silent, she nodded. "I spy a smile."

"Thank Celestia I have a friend like you," She said as she stood up alongside me. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"If I could take on Sombra's army, I can take your grip, and so I did."

I playfully punched her shoulder, smirking as I did so. Then, after a moment, I had her in my hooves, close to breaking down myself.

"You're a strange mare, Rainbow Dash," she'd told me back when we were returning to base, ignorant of my burden.

Now that I knew, it felt suffocating even for me. But like I'd promised her and myself, I would never leave her. I would always be there for her. And judging by the looks of things, I'd be staying for a long, long time. Not that I minded too much, though. Tagging along with somepony in a post apocalyptic future I know and care for? The best choice. EVER. I realized with a laugh that Fluttershy's sadness were rubbing off on me. When she asked about my laughter, I merely shrugged the question off, which pried a smile off her. Much to her initial surprise and my strong heart, we spent the night together. Like it was supposed to be.