Something Happened

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Chapter 1

When we were kids, something happened.

I didn't notice what had happened at first, but I did when I realized my best friend had vanished.

The day before she had disappeared, we had hung out like normal. She had been over at my house, trying to escape from the stress that was going on at her house.

Her mom was sick and no one in their family was handling it very well. She wanted to be there for her mother, but at the same time her mother had changed from being sick. Some days her mom didn't recognize her, some days she would yell and scream, some days she would ignore her completely, and then other days she was completely normal.

It was the normal days that made her scared the most. On the normal days, the feeling that the small bit of happiness they had would disappear and be gone forever.

That was where I came in, of course. I had known her for years, we had been practically inseparable since we had met. And so when she was scared, when she was sad, when she was nervous, I was the one who would take care of her. I would put a smile back on her face, even if she didn't know she needed one. When life got to be too much, I was the pillar that would keep her supported.

And I did all of that because she really was my best friend, in every way.

She was the one person I could tell everything to, and she wouldn't judge me or think me strange no matter what it was. She seemed to get me in a way that no one else did. She saw me for who I was, not the bratty kid everyone else seemed to think I was.

She wasn't a jock like me, she wasn't into music like me, she didn't even like video games or TV like me. We were so different you would think it was crazy that we were best friends.

I hated going on walks in the woods, but she loved them. I hated taking care of animals, but nothing made her feel more alive. She didn't like sharing her opinions, where I loved shouting them from the rooftop.

But she would always make sure I was happy doing whatever it is we were doing. If we were playing video games, she was content to watch me and cheer me on. If we were listening to music she would always listen to everything I liked, even if they weren't to her tastes. If there was a soccer game going on, she would be in the bleachers at every game cheering me on the loudest. If I had something I wanted to yell about, she would listen to me no matter how long I ranted for.

And as any good friend did, I returned the favor by doing what she loved. I would turn walks in the woods into small adventures, I made a game out of taking care of animals at the shelter to try and get the highest score (even if she always beat me at that), and on the days she just wanted to sit quietly I would sit with her and just watch the day pass by.

She was my best friend, and I didn't realize how much she meant to me back then. I was too young to really understand that. I just felt like we would be friends forever and nothing could change that.

That was why when I didn't hear from her for a few days, I noticed how quiet and lonely it got without her around. She didn't say much to begin with, but her presence spoke the loudest in my life.

I tried calling her at first, but she never picked up. I asked my parents if they knew why she wasn't answering, but they wouldn't tell me anything. She stopped showing up at school and I couldn't contact her in any way.

When I was tired of it, I tried visiting her house myself, to get the answer from someone. But no one ever answered the door. I visited the house every day for a week, waiting for someone to answer, to tell me what was going on.

There had been rumors at school, whispers that something bad had happened to her. Her mother had been sick, so everyone assumed she must have died and that was why she was absent. But if that was the reason, she would still have been at her house.

Something wasn't right and I didn't know what it was.

I felt so lost, so helpless.

I hated it.

I was her best friend.

If something had happened to her, I was the one who was supposed to help.

Then, one day, she did return home. I had been sitting on her porch, waiting for someone to show up and explain what was going on to me. I was waiting, when a cop car pulled up into the driveway, and she stepped out of it.

I was so happy, I didn't know where she had been or why, I was just happy that she was here.

“FLUTTERSHY!” I had yelled, hopping to my feet and rushing over to her. She had looked up in surprise as I threw my arms around her. She stiffened in my embrace, a sense of cold distance between us despite my holding her. I pulled back and looked at her, seeing the look of emptiness that was on her face.

Not sadness, not despair, not fear.

Emptiness.

As if there was nothing inside of her anymore. As if she was a million miles away despite her body being right here.

I tried to ask what was wrong, but I was pulled away by her father. He had roughly gripped the back of my shirt and pulled me away from his daughter. I stumbled back and sat on his front lawn, looking up at him.

His eyes were fierce, like a predator staring down his prey. I had never seen him look that way before, a man with such a ferocious stare. I had visited their house so many times, and the older man had always been so incredibly nice, sometimes nicer than my own father. I was certain he had always looked at me like a second daughter, but the look in his eyes said I was the last person he ever wanted to be around.

The cop car pulled away, and her father grabbed her hand, roughly dragging her back into the house. She didn't even look at me as they entered. I just sat there, dumbfounded by what had happened, still processing what was going on.

Everything was wrong and I didn't know why.

At some point I had gone home and I had asked my parents again what was going on. When I told them what happened, they relented and told me something. Fluttershy's mom had died, and so the police had wanted to make sure of her cause of death and that was why she had been gone for so long.

I didn't like that answer.

I imagined if it was my mom who had died from a disease. I would yell and scream and cry and break things and vent my anger at the world for having taken her from me.

Then I imagined if I was Fluttershy.

She would be crying, despairing, mourning the loss of her mother. She would be smothering herself in animals, shying away from social activities, and trying to make sense of everything.

But more than anything, she would be looking to her best friend for help. She would be wanting me to be there as a shoulder to cry on, to bring some normalcy to her life.

But she was empty.

She was empty and that scared me.

I didn't know what to do and I was lost.

The funeral was held only a few days later. I'll always remember that day, it'll be burned into my memory forever. The image of Fluttershy, dressed in all black, looking at her Mother's coffin. Her eyes were tired, with bags hanging underneath them as if she hadn't slept since she had come home. Her skin was pale, as if she was malnourished or sick. Her hair lacked it's vibrant glow, one of the traits that made her shine so brightly despite being so reserved.

She looked like she was the one who had died that day, not her mother.

It had been an overcast day. The clouds had been threatening to rain but never did. Everyone was dressed the same, black clothes in respect and mourning. I had never been to an event with so many people where it was so quiet.

Apparently most of them were friends or alumni of Fluttershy's father. He had made a name for himself as some famous doctor, and they all knew what he had been struggling with when his own wife had succumbed to a disease he couldn't save her from.

At least that's what my mom had told me when I had asked her who everyone was.

I had kept my distance from Fluttershy for the funeral, uncertain of what to do, of what to say. She still had that hollow, empty look in her eyes that scared me. She didn't shed a single tear for her mother when she had paid her respects, or even when people went up one by one to say their final words.

Fluttershy's grandma had been the loudest, wailing about how her daughter deserved so much better in life. I didn't listen to it, I hated her screechy voice. She had eventually been dragged off by another one of the adults when they realized she was making a scene.

I don't know how long I had stopped paying attention for, but at some point when I turned to check on Fluttershy she had disappeared. Confused, I got up with the excuse of needing the bathroom and wandered out to find her.

The funeral had been held out in the cemetery, so I didn't know where she was hiding, it could have been anywhere. That didn't stop me from looking though, and I don't know how long I looked for her, but I refused to give up until I found her.

I eventually did. She was hiding underneath a large oak tree that had been around for far longer than the cemetery had been there. Even from a distance it wasn't hard to spot her unique hair.

She was curled up under the tree, head buried in her knees, as if trying to make the world around her disappear. I walked up slowly, not wanting to scare her, and ended up sitting down next to her. She didn't flinch or even acknowledge me, she only sat there curled up, trying to be as small as possible.

I didn't know what to say, so I just sat there with her for a while. I watched the storm clouds move by slowly, always threatening to rain but never pouring. Even with my best friend right there next to me, I still felt helpless and lost. My best friend was hurting and it didn't feel like there was anything I could do for her.

Ultimately I decided that even if I didn't know what to say, I had to say something.

“Hey, Fluttershy...” I said just above a whisper, looking over at her. She shifted just enough for me to realize she had heard me, but she didn't move from her spot. “I can't begin to imagine how you're feeling, but... I want you to know that I'm here for you.” The awkward words of a kid who was trying to help, but didn't know what was needed of her. “I know things are sad right now, but after this, we'll try and make things normal again, okay?” I gave her my best smile if she happened to look at me.

“We'll go to my house and play video games again for sure. There's this awesome new game coming out next week that I really wanted to share with you! A-and I've got a soccer game coming up after that! You can come and cheer me on like you always do!” I tried to sound chipper, upbeat. I wanted my best friend to be happy, to feel something, anything.

Fluttershy's head finally moved, turning to look up at me from over the edge of her arm. Her eyes were still dulled over, but she had acknowledged me. I thought that was all I needed.

“Come on Shy, let's do something fun together, just the two of!” I said, leaning in closer. “There's some woods just down the way from here, we can go on a nature walk, just like you like! It'll be fun!” I reached out and grabbed her arm, wanting to just make her happy.

She cried out in pain when I squeezed her arm. I opened my eyes in shock, and in that state I forgot to let go. Her other arm lashed out and grabbed mine, pulling at it and struggling for me to let go as she cried out in terror.

I didn't know what to do, I was just as scared as she was and I reached out and grabbed her other arm, trying to just calm her down. I had done it to try and help, but I only made things worse as she screamed louder and tears stream from her eyes. She struggled and we ended up stumbling over, her falling down onto the grass on her back and me on top of her, finally letting go of her arms.

I sat up, shocked and confused, unable to process what had just happened. I looked down at Fluttershy, who was whimpering and crying, curled up on her side on the grass. The sleeve of her shirt had rolled up some, and she was squeezing it tight.

On her arm I could see a large discolored spot, one I was all too familiar with.

A bruise.

“Fluttershy, what happened?” I asked, reaching out towards her arm.

Immediately she cried out and tugged her shirt sleeve down, scrambling back onto her feet. She turned to me, her eyes no longer empty but filled with something new.

Fear.

She was afraid. She was scared and terrified more than I'd ever seen her before. The tears streaming down her face weren't just of pain and sadness, but of unbridled terror.

“Fluttershy-”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” She screamed. In that next moment she had turned and fled, running away from me.

I held out my hand, wanting to beg her to stop, but the words never escaped my throat. I just watched her run away until she vanished from my sight. And then I gripped the grass in front of me, unable to control my own emotions.

My face was soaked from the rain, I had told myself.

I didn't see her again until she finally returned to school the next week. And in that time I almost didn't recognize her.

Her skin looked healthier, but the bags under her eyes were more pronounced and heavier than ever before. She normally kept her hair up in a pony tail, but she let it loose now, her bangs covering half of her face. She started wearing long sleeved clothes and ankle-length skirts. It was as if she was trying to hide herself from the world.

Of course I tried talking to her, trying to get her to open up to me, but she was more distant than ever. I didn't know what to do or what to say. It felt like I had lost my best friend.

It hurt. It hurt so much to have the person I was the closest to so near, but so far away.

I tried to move on after that. I tried to ignore her ignoring me, but anytime I saw her I only remembered all the fun times we'd had together followed by her screaming at me to leave her alone. It hurt to remember and then realize how things were now.

I heard kids starting to spread rumors about Fluttershy, but anytime I heard them I screamed at them. My best friend might not have been talking to me anymore, but I wasn't about to let anyone bad mouth her.

This didn't earn me any new friends. As Fluttershy had isolated herself more and more, I found myself just as isolated. The other kids stopped talking to me, stopped wanting to hang out with me.

I didn't care though. I didn't want any of them. I wanted Fluttershy.

Soccer was one of the few things I found that could take my mind off of her. At practice all my issues felt miles away. I could take my frustrations out on the field, and no one would question why. They would just see an athlete striving to be better than ever, and to an extent that was true.

I wanted to always be better. I had to be great.

No, I had to be better than great.

I had to be awesome.

If I was awesome, I could get Fluttershy back. If I was awesome, I could fix her. If I was awesome, I could make everything better. If I was awesome, then we could be friends again.

That's what I told myself, and that was my motivation to get better. I got better at Soccer, I got better at being social, I got better at school, I even started learning to play the guitar.

Because someone who was awesome was awesome at everything.

My training had paid off to some extent. There was a big soccer game, the last one of my elementary school career, and I wanted it to be the best thing anyone in the bleachers had ever seen. I was putting my everything into the game, but the other school seemed to be better than us. In that game I was feeling myself getting worn down, feeling myself being beaten.

I hated it. I hated the feeling of losing. I had lost Fluttershy, I didn't want to lose anything else.

I looked out into the crowd, looking at the spot where she used to cheer for me.

She was sitting there.

My eyes opened in shock. I don't know if she realized I had noticed her, but she was there. She sat quietly, half of her face hidden, but she was watching me. She was watching me play. And even if she wasn't cheering for the moment, in my mind I could still hear her loud cries from the bleachers.

There was no way I was going to lose now. I couldn't lose in front of Fluttershy. She needed to see that I was awesome, that I was someone worth relying on, that I was someone who could protect her.

That with my best friend watching, I could do anything.

The game was neck and neck, and it was a struggle to catch up. But I did it, I caught us up with the enemy team. The didn't make it easy on me, and once they realized I was a threat, they did everything in their power to try and take me down.

I didn't let them though. And in what felt like a miracle, I made the winning shot of the game.

The crowd erupted in a roar of cheers and I raised my hands up in triumph. I turned to the crowd and grinned for everyone to see, to cheer me on. But my eyes were only focused on one spot, on the girl I cared about the most.

She was smiling.

For the first time in months, I saw a smile on her face.

And I couldn't have been happier.

My team came and congratulated me, and I celebrated with them. I tried to keep it short though, they weren't the ones I wanted to celebrate with at the moment. The moment I could, I broke free and went looking for Fluttershy.

She had left the bleachers and I figured she had to be walking home. Ever since the funeral she had been going straight home a lot, and right then I wanted nothing more than to just thank her for being there. I wanted her to know that I still cared about her, and that I wanted to be there for her.

I didn't find her that day. I had ran all the way to her home, hoping that she'd be willing to talk to me, that we could be friends again.

When I got to her house, my heart sank.

There was a for sale sign outside of her house, with a large 'Sold' sticker slapped onto it.

I didn't know. I had no idea that my best friend was leaving.

On her lawn, I broke down, unable to believe it to be true.

The rain soaked my face again, even on that bright, sunshiny day.

Chapter 2

Middle school was fine. My grades were never amazing, but I just never cared for school work. Numbers always put me to sleep and I couldn't care less what old people from hundreds of years ago had done. The only class I ever excelled in was PE, I was a natural at it. And in my free time, I cared more about learning to play my guitar than finishing homework.

I was learning to really shred, much to my parents annoyance. I didn't care though, I was sounding more and more awesome every day.

I had made new friends, but none of them stuck the way Fluttershy had. It always felt like I was taking pity on them, being friends with them because they wanted to be around my awesomeness more than because I cared about them.

Looking back it was probably the other way around, but you'd never catch me admitting that.

But I really had no love or attachment to that school or that city. It just felt empty ever since Fluttershy had left.

So it didn't come as any surprise to me when my parents decided it was time to move. I didn't put up a fuss and was cool with it. I packed my things and after middle school had ended, we moved away.

Nothing had been wrong with Cloudsdale, but Canterlot offered a lot more opportunities for us. Dad had a better job lined up, Mom was certain she could find something better, and I would be going to be a better public school.

I guess in some way I was happy to be getting away from Cloudsdale. I'd be able to start fresh and put things behind me. I had been awesome at my old school, but there were still strange feelings that lingered. Canterlot would be a way to start over, for me to genuinely make new friends, and to show off how awesome I was to people who hadn't had the chance to know yet.

And I knew I was awesome. It was only a matter of others seeing that too.

Our new house looked a lot like our old one, though the rooms were arranged differently. I didn't care though, the only thing important to me was making sure my room felt like my room. A few personal posters and using my floor like a hamper took care of that right away.

As a way to break in the new room, on our first night there I broke out my guitar and played the best riff I could manage at the time. It wasn't much, but it was enough for me to feel at home by the first night.

Soon after, Mom took me to the school to get registered. The school itself was huge, way bigger than my previous schools. Apparently Canterlot High was known for its high academics and its plethora of extra curricular programs.

They even had a music program, which I instantly signed up for. The world would know my guitar shredding skills yet.

The Principal was nice enough too. She actually personally gave us a tour of the school after I had finished registering. I figured it would be a good year after that.

I spent the rest of my summer vacation learning the local hangout spots of the town and blowing my allowance at the arcade. I found out that a place called Sugarcube Corner was a popular hangout for the high school kids after school had gotten out, and I was not disappointed with their selection of treats.

Everything was starting to feel right. The town seemed awesome, my new school seemed awesome, my new room was now as awesome as I was, everything was in place for it to be awesome. I laid on my bed the night before the first day of school and smiled, making a promise to someone I knew that couldn't hear me.

I promised her that I'd make myself a new life here, and that I'd be sure I was as happy as I could be. I knew that she would have wanted that for me.

I slept well, and I woke up for the first day energetic. I couldn't remember the last time I had woken up jazzed to go to school, but I had goosebumps.

I dressed, scarfed down breakfast, gave mom and dad a quick goodbye, and practically raced myself there.

Standing in front of Canterlot High School for the first day of school felt so different from seeing it detached of its students. The large horse statue stood as a beacon that drew in its students, and even though it was still early they were milling about and starting conversations. I assumed many of them must've been friends from previous years, as CHS covered middle school classes as well.

The atmosphere was friendly and it felt good. I took in a deep breath and smiled, ready to get started with getting to know everyone and make some new friends.

“The animal shelter is looking for volunteers! Won't you help a poor animal in need?”

I stopped in my tracks. That was a voice I knew, though it had been years since I'd heard it. I turned to look and as if she had stepped out of a time machine, it was her.

Her hair was longer now, much longer than it had been when we were kids. Her bangs still covered half of her face, she was still wearing long sleeved jackets, and her voice had grown quieter, but it was unmistakably her.

One of the students walking by took one of the fliers she was passing out as they walked by. I just stared dumbfounded, unable to believe she was really there.

She took out another flier and made the call again, looking for anyone that would be willing to help animals that weren't fortunate enough to have a home. She turned and finally her eyes fell on me, and her voice vanished.

In a surreal moment, the two of us just ended up staring at each other in disbelief.

“...Rainbow Dash?” She had been the first one to break the silence.

I didn't say anything, there wasn't anything I could say. I ran up and wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her tight. She let out a surprised whimper, but she didn't flinch away from the embrace.

I did make her fliers scatter around by accident, but I really didn't care at that moment.

“Fluttershy! I can't believe its really you! It's been years!” I said with a grin, holding her shoulders. I didn't want to let her go, I wanted to make sure she wasn't about to suddenly disappear on me again.

“I can't believe it's you either.” My best friend spoke with a warm smile, like she really was happy to see me again. “What are you doing here though?”

“We just moved here a few weeks ago. My Dad got a new job in Canterlot and my parents thought we could get a fresh start here.” I explained, trying not to burst over with joy, “I had no idea you were at CHS! The last time I saw you I didn't even get to say goodbye.”

Fluttershy shrank a little at that. “I'm sorry Dash... I wanted to tell you, but... I guess I was just too scared.” She shook her head. “Everything happened so fast back then... After mom passed away, Dad just became a different person. He sold the house without telling me, and so I didn't know we were moving until we were packing.”

“Well, hey, we're together again now, that's what matters right?” I said, giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “We've got so much to catch up on! Let me tell you, I've been up to a lot of really awesome things since you last saw me.” While there wasn't anything left for me in Cloudsdale, I really was proud of everything I had accomplished back there.

“That sounds wonderful Dash, and I'd love to hear about it.” My best friend fidgeted and looked at the ground, “Though I was kind of hoping to pass out a few more of these fliers before school started. The animal shelter is always so understaffed, they really could use the help...”

“Oh! Sure thing Shy, let me help with that.” I was all too eager to spend time with Fluttershy again. I realized just how much time we were gonna have now that we were together again. I was still planning to make a new start for myself at the school, but somehow having Fluttershy there with me made it all that much easier to do so.

Before the first bell rang I had helped Fluttershy pick up her fliers and even helped her hand out a few. She told me that she intended to make it a weekly thing, to ask for help for the shelter, though I didn't think that was very practical.

People would get tired of hearing someone ask for help that often, you know? I had told her she should probably space it out a bit more, that way people wouldn't come to expect it that often. She had pouted at the suggestion, but she seemed to understand.

When school started I made a list of everything I intended to do for my first day. I knew I had to sign up for the sports teams right away, tryouts were always on the first week of school, and I fully intended to blow everyone away with my skills. Music club was a must as well, there was no way I wasn't going to show off just how good I had gotten at the guitar since I had started practicing and I was ready to take the world by storm.

But more than anything, I was ready to spend lunch and any extra free time catching up with Fluttershy.

I don't think I heard a word any of the teachers said that first day, or if I did I don't remember any of them now. It was just a lot of hot air to me, and by the time the lunch bell had rang I was certain I had just breezed through half the day.

At lunch I bought a meal and instantly went looking for Fluttershy. I found her sitting alone in a corner of the cafeteria, just quietly eating a small lunch she had brought with her.

That was perfect for me, no distractions to get in the way of us catching up. I sat next to her and she gave me that familiar smile I loved. I asked her what she had been up to and she was happy to share.

She had gone to CHS's middle school, though she was even more of a wallflower than she had been in elementary. She didn't make any friends, so she spent even more time at the animal shelter than we had when we were kids. She had really taken helping animals to heart, volunteering wherever she could, be it the shelter or the animal clinic. Her skills at tending for the animals had grown even better than when we were kids, to the point that no one even thought it was weird if she was seen with an animal.

That sounded like Shy alright. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

Of course, I told her what I had been getting up to since we were kids as well. I told her about how much better at sports I had gotten, winning Cloudsdale Middle School several trophies and awards they now had on proud display. I told her about my guitar lessons too, expressing my desire to shred for her at some point. And of course, I told her about how awesome I had become since we'd last met.

Not that I wasn't always awesome, but you know how it is.

And just like that, it was like old times again. We talked with each other, shared stories, cracked jokes, and just enjoyed each other's company. That lunch period could've lasted for an eternity for all I cared, I felt the happiest I had felt in years.

I hadn't realized how much I had missed my best friend until she was back in my life.

When lunch ended I suggested that she should come over to my house for dinner sometimes, I knew my parents would love to see her again too. She gave me a non-committal answer, saying she'd have to ask her father if it was okay. Something about the way she had said it didn't feel right, but I couldn't quite figure it out back then, so I shrugged it off.

When you're happy about something, you have a hard time seeing the problems going on.

And that was how my first year at CHS began. My plan to blow away the sports teams was a success. I tried out for every sports team CHS had to offer, and all of them were begging me to join them. Soccer had always been my favorite, and the game I really was the best at, so I knew for certain I was joining that team. The others I'd probably spot for them and help out, though I doubted I could make it to every game.

Music club went just as well. Most of the kids there had only just started to play instruments and were there to learn, a few others had been playing casually for a few years but weren't masters. I was easily the best guitarist there, and everyone knew it. A few people even asked if they wanted to start a band together, but I ultimately declined them.

If I was going to be in a band, it was going to be a band I started.

Through the sports club I met another girl named Applejack. Apparently she had tried out for the sports teams too, and even I had been impressed by how good she was. But she ultimately turned down joining any of the teams, saying that the days they had practice she had to be working at her family's farm.

That was just weird to me. Why even try out if you weren't going to join a team?

Still we started hanging out and she was pretty awesome in her own right. A little country, but that was part of her charm. I introduced her to Fluttershy and our group had began to form.

Fluttershy had made a friend as well, which surprised me. Not that I wasn't happy for her, but even she admitted that she hadn't expected it. Her name was Rarity and she was a bit of a drama-queen in every sense of the word. Apparently they had met after she had freaked out about Fluttershy's wardrobe. Rarity had absolutely insisted that she needed a change of clothes, and put Fluttershy in a lacy white shirt and a designer skirt.

Honestly, she looked really cute in the outfit, but I had to gently tease her about it anyway.

Then there was Pinkie Pie. Apparently in middle school she had also been somewhat of a wallflower, and had rocked a bit of the 'emo' look that scared people away. Apparently though, puberty hit her late, but when it did hit her, it hit her hard. She was almost unrecognizable from a year ago, as puberty had turned her into a bouncing ball of unbridled energy with hair that could consume everything. And she had made it her mission to make as many friends in school as possible.

And that included me and Fluttershy.

At first I thought she was kind of annoying and intruding on our personal space, but she had this weird organization system where she did her best to make everyone happy. It was a sentiment I could at least understand, though she had a tendency to not realize when she was crossing the line. She was learning though, and she apologized for being clumsy at times.

I doubt I would have gotten that close to her, but Fluttershy had really taken a shine to her. The two of them got pretty close, so in the end I ended up just as close to her.

And in less than a month, I found myself surrounded by four of the closest friends I'd ever had. It felt weird going from a middle school where I knew everyone but had no friends, to a high school where I knew no one but had four best friends. I wouldn't have changed it for the world though.

Of course, good things never seemed to last for me and Shy, something always came along to ruin it.

And this time the problem came in the form of a new transfer student.

A new girl by the name of Sunset Shimmer.

Chapter 3

No one knew where she came from, but Sunset ended up taking the school by storm. In less than a week, everyone knew who she was and where she stood in the pecking order.

She made the previous most popular kids look pathetic by comparison, she had half the school wrapped around her fingers, and it seemed like the other half were waiting to be caught in her web.

I couldn't say I liked her, there was always something wrong about the way she did everything. I tried to keep out of her way, focusing on staying with the new friends I had made and just ignoring the school going crazy for her.

But for some reason, she made it her business to be a part of mine. What had started out as one of the best starts to my freshman year of high school, turned into a strange return to the way things had been back in Cloudsdale.

Fluttershy was the only one I knew that ended up reliably hanging out with me all the time. The rest of the girls began to grow distant, hanging out at other tables during lunch, or outright ignoring us when we tried to hang out.

Sometimes they would be nice and throw a bone to hang out with us, but something always went wrong. They would show up at the wrong time or on the wrong day, they would purposefully screw up something meaningful, or they would just outright ignore something they had been explicitly told.

It felt like ever since Sunset Shimmer had come to the school, our friends had just decided they weren't interested in being friends anymore. I didn't have any proof that she was responsible for it, but in the back of my mind I always blamed her for coming in and ruining the good thing I had going.

Fluttershy began to become reclusive again, and I hated seeing her draw back into her shell. CHS had been doing so good for her, she had made friends and was opening up more and more. And all too soon she was back to her quiet ways, withdrawing from everything and barely speaking a word.

I ended up spending most of my free time with her as a result. If I didn't have practice, I was hanging out with Fluttershy. She seemed to enjoy the company, and I even helped her out some more at the animal shelter. I still didn't like actually helping, but the shelter was one of the few places I got to see her at her most natural. I could never take that away from her.

The school year went by in a blur after that, and Sunset began to seemingly rule the school. She acted as if she was royalty, and it didn't help that most of CHS's big school functions involved electing someone as a Prince or Princess.

And of course, Sunset Shimmer won all of the competitions. She even started running unopposed by the third one. It was almost sickening how there was a lack of anyone putting up a fight against her.

Not that I was any better, I was just trying to ignore her. But it's hard to ignore someone who won some fake plastic crown and was acting like it made her the most important person in the universe.

You could see it on her face every time one of those dumb crowns was placed on her head. She got this strange, mad cackling smile on her face, as if she had gained some ultimate power that would let her rule the universe.

It was just a plastic crown. Get over yourself.

And all too soon, freshman year was over. I hadn't even stopped to say goodbye to it, I was just happy to get away from Sunset Shimmer and the weird place she had turned the school into.

Fluttershy seemed relieved that school was over as well. I knew she didn't like Sunset Shimmer either, though if she had reasons beyond her being a showboating airhead, she never told me.

It wouldn't be until much later that I had learned how much Sunset had been bullying Fluttershy. I should have known better than to assume she hadn't, but back then I had been so focused on just getting through the year that I hadn't even stopped to notice the reason why Fluttershy had gone back to being the reclusive wallflower she had been before.

Summer vacation was a wonderful get away from school though. I had vowed to make it awesome and make up for all the time that Fluttershy and I had missed out on while we were separated. She was all too happy to get out of the house herself, and had no objections to me using most of her free time.

And just like when we were kids, we fell back into old habits. It had been so long since we'd played video games together that I hadn't realized how much I had missed her commentary while I played. She even took a few shots at playing some of my games herself. She wasn't very good at them, but I helped her along the way and soon even she was having fun with them.

She didn't care much for the arcade, but even she found some fun things to do while there. I was genuinely surprised at how much she got into one of the arcade shooters for zombies, I had thought for sure she would've been freaked out by it. Instead, she had beaten me for it's top score.

I really had never seen Fluttershy concentrate so hard on anything before, but there was a deadly look in her eye as she gunned down each of the zombies. It was kind of endearing actually, in that weird sort of way.

Of course once the game was over she had immediately apologized for acting weird, but I couldn't be angry at her in the slightest. If anything, I was really glad to see her being better at me in something, especially since it wasn't something I really needed to be good at. Video Games were about having fun after all, and I was glad she'd had fun.

I took her out on nature walks as well, just like old times. I still had fun turning them into mini-adventures while she just enjoyed the serene quiet and the woodland creatures that would come up and greet her.

I still get a little freaked out whenever a deer just walks up to her, that's not normal.

Summer vacation had been exactly what we needed though. Fluttershy was in her natural element and so she was so naturally vibrant again. She even stopped wearing her long-sleeved jackets and ankle-length skirts and wore her tank tops and knee-skirts again. It had been so long since I saw her bare arms that I had to at least tease her about them a little.

Seeing her bare arms though reminded me of the bruise I had seen on her during the funeral. I still had no idea where it had come from, and the memory of squeezing it without knowing still haunted me a little. I wanted nothing more than to ask where it had come from, but I didn't want to ruin what we had now.

If I brought up old, painful memories like that, she might leave me again. She might yell at me and tell me to leave her alone.

I didn't want that.

So I left well enough alone, wondering if I would ever know what had really happened to her, but at the same time perhaps I was better off not knowing. I didn't want anything to ruin what we had now, something that felt like it could vanish just as easily as it did so many years ago. So I never spoke up about my concerns or worries, and just focused on having a good time with my best friend.

And we did have a great time. Better than we'd ever had before.

Fluttershy was so genuinely kind and wonderful, I began to wonder just how I had gotten by without her before. Her smile shined so brightly, her eyes were always so open and welcoming, her voice was soft like an angel's, her skin was perfect and free of blemishes, her hair accentuated her natural good looks, and I was acutely aware of just how much her figure had filled out from puberty.

At some point just looking at her had started to make me smile and blush. I had just been with her for so long and enjoying her company for so long, that I hadn't even realized that I'd began to feel something for her that was more than friendship.

She had always been my friend for so long that I just thought these feelings were natural. I thought that when two girls were friends as close as we were, that it was only natural that she would make my heart flutter, or make me want to hug her and kiss her, that this was something every pair of super great friends went through.

So I never told her how I felt, and I just continued to spend every moment I could with her. But even if I couldn't admit it openly, my heart knew the truth.

I had fallen in love with Fluttershy. I hadn't even known I was attracted to girls, as no one else made me feel the way she made me feel. I didn't look at other girls and drool at how sexy they were, I didn't think boys were hunks that could be dated, I didn't even really want to do anything romantic or mushy like all those other girls did.

I was Rainbow Dash, I was just a little too good for romance. That was what I told myself.

Romance was more of a thing Rarity did, where she would squeal and dress up all fancy and spend money on dates that were completely unnecessary. Why spend money on someone you don't know if you're going to spend more time with when you could spend time with someone you know you cared about?

Like Fluttershy.

After what had been a whirlwind summer vacation, we spent the last day of it having a sleepover at my house. Early on I had suggested having a few over at her house, but she always shot me down saying that her Father wouldn't ever let anyone over. I had quickly learned to stop asking and to just invite her over to my house. She always took every opportunity she could to say yes.

We were in my room, dressed cozily in our PJs and sharing an oversized beanbag chair. A movie was playing on my TV while we shared a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. Her head was leaning against my chest and shoulder, while I leaned back into the plush cushiony goodness. Our hands would occasionally brush against each others as we reached for popcorn, and she would occasionally mumble an apology while I assured her it was okay.

It was bliss, honestly.

I don't think I even paid attention to the movie much. We had picked out a selection of movies to watch that night and just marathon them back to back. After a movie I had picked was finished, a movie Fluttershy had picked would play. We'd go back and forth like that until we had run out of movies or we passed out for school tomorrow.

I'm pretty sure we were in the middle of one of my movies, but I had honestly zoned out at that point. I was just relishing in having Fluttershy leaned against me, my arm wrapped around her so close. It was a moment I wish could last forever.

“Hey, Rainbow?” Fluttershy murmured quietly, almost drowned out by the sound of the action sequence taking place on screen. I'd learned to pick up on her quiet voice though, able to hear it through a lot of loud noises.

“Yeah Shy?”

“Do you think we'll always be like this?”

It was a strange question for sure. After all, I wanted the answer to be yes, but things had changed so dramatically so quickly when we were younger, I couldn't say it with any confidence.

“I'd like it if they could.” I spoke honestly. “I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing than spending my night with you.”

“Really?” Fluttershy tilted her head to look up into my eyes. My face flushed, but I could see the emotions in Fluttershy's eyes. She wanted to believe what I said was true. “You... Really don't mind spending all this time with me?”

“Of course not.” I smiled at her, gripping her shoulder and pulling her a little closer. I closed my eyes and gently pressed my head against hers, “I didn't realize how much I missed you when you left all those years ago. I got by, sure, but it wasn't the same without you around. If I can help it, I'm always going to be by your side from now on.”

Fluttershy's hand gently squeezed at my shirt as she nestled deeper into me. “You mean it?” She asked in her quietest voice yet.

“I do. I want us to always be together.” I smiled, feeling my heart thud in my chest. I wondered if she could hear it, but if she could she didn't make any indications of it.

We sat there like there for a few minutes, the movie drowned out in our own sappiness. If anyone ever asked if I was such a sap, I'd probably sock em one and deny it forever. But for Fluttershy, I was willing to push my pride aside for a little bit.

“I'd like that.” Fluttershy finally responded quietly. I just smiled and held her close.

At some point the movie finished playing, but neither of us felt like moving to put the next movie on. We just held each other close, and I couldn't have been happier.

Chapter 4

Sophmore year was probably the craziest year CHS had ever seen.

At first everything had been the same as when summer vacation had started. Sunset Shimmer was ruling the school, everyone was generally miserable, and my only real friend was Fluttershy. And it seemed like things were just going to keep going down that path until we graduated, and I hated it.

That was until another new girl showed up and in the span of a week, dethroned Sunset Shimmer and saved the fate of another world.

Twilight Sparkle was one hell of a girl.

Pony.

One hell of a pony princess.

Thanks to her our circle of friends was as strong as it had ever been. Sure, there was a close call of almost being obliterated by a giant fireball, but we survived and were stronger than ever for it. I even got to fly on a pair of wings, how cool was that?

It was even cooler that Fluttershy had wings with me, like it was destiny or something.

Having the group back together was everything I had dreamed it would be too. Having it just be me and Fluttershy was awesome, and I probably could have lived the rest of my life with just her by my side, but there was something that you couldn't get by only having one other friend. Just that small bit of spark that made living so much fun.

Twilight would've probably called it the magic of friendship or something. As corny as it was, it was certainly effective.

The strangest part of it all was the promise we had made to her, and the addition of a new friend to our group. Sunset Shimmer wouldn't have been my first pick for a new friend to the group, but everyone deserves second chances.

...Well not everyone, but the worst thing Sunset Shimmer had done (or I assumed at the time) was be a high school bully. And if nothing else, Fluttershy was the first one who had given her a chance to redeem herself. So if Fluttershy was cool with her, then I would be too.

And to be honest, hanging out with Sunset wasn't all that bad. I expected her to still be haughty and egotistical, ready to be manipulative and sneak her way back to the top if she could.

But no, she seemed genuinely remorseful for her action and was actually trying hard to be a nice person. As if she had been a nice girl all along, just she had been blinded by power, fame, and greed. Her actions were the result of who she thought she wanted to be, not who she actually was.

That was pretty cool honestly. It's not often you find people who can take off their mask and just present themselves as who they are.

I did that of course, because I was awesome, and that's what made me respect her. If she was going to put herself on the firing line like that, then I was going to give her a chance.

Not enough of one to have her sing in the band just yet, she still had to earn that spot. But if things kept going the way they were, it was only a matter of time for sure.

About two weeks after the Fall Formal, it just ended up working out that Sunset and I were hanging out alone after school. Pinkie had started part time at Sugarcube Corner, AJ had farm work (as usual), Fluttershy was needed at the clinic, and Rarity had been inspired to work on a new line that demanded her undivided attention.

So, seeing as I hadn't gotten to spend any time with reformed Sunset one on one yet, I figured this was a perfect opportunity to gauge how far along she had come so far. Then once I was done, I was planning to have Fluttershy over for a family dinner. My parents loved having her over, it made it really easy to invite her on a whim.

“So, Dash...” Sunset spoke up after our last conversation had died down and we'd been quiet for a bit, “You're really close to Fluttershy, right?”

“I've known her since we were kids, so you could say that. She's been my best friend longer than anyone else.” I spoke fondly, taking a sip of the shake I had ordered.

“...So, you two are really close. She tells you everything?” Sunset tilted her head, a sad look crossing her face.

“Uh, maybe?” I raised an eyebrow confused, before getting defensive, “Who wants to know?”

“Look, I promise, I'm not trying to start any trouble here, so if you don't want to tell me anything you don't have to. I'm probably crossing some line here with asking this but...” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck and looked away awkwardly. She took a deep breath and leaned in closer, speaking quieter so that only I could hear her, “Do you know anything about her bruises?”

My heart stopped. Those were not the words I had expected to hear from Sunset Shimmer. That was a topic even I was avoiding with Fluttershy, but she had brought it up.

“What do YOU know about them?” I glared at her, not liking where this was going.

Sunset shrunk back at the gaze, but stayed level enough to keep chatting. “I don't actually know, and that's why I'm asking. I really am trying to be a good friend to all of you, and I'm asking out of genuine concern. I don't know where she got them, and they looked... Bad.” Sunset rubbed the back of her hand as she looked away ashamed.

“I didn't even know she had new bruises.” I put my shake down harder than I intended, but I didn't care about the spots of drink on the table. I leaned in glaring, “How do you know she had new ones?”

“It was back during my first few months at CHS, when I was still... You know, being a horribly awful person and trying to get as much dirt on people as I could.” Sunset winced at her own admission. I could tell she was feeling the guilt, but I wasn't about to give her any sympathy over it. “I don't think you ever knew, but... Fluttershy was someone I... Ashamedly picked on too. And one day I was...” Sunset groaned, lowering her head as she ran fingers through her hair. “I was feeling crueler than usual and I cornered her in the bathroom. I kind of liked the way her new jacket looked and I... Was planning on taking it from her.”

The hand holding my shake squeezed the glass so tightly I thought for a moment it might break. Sunset quickly held up her hand, as she must've felt my intense gaze on her.

“And I'm sorry I did it! But I'm bringing it up for a reason!” Sunset shook her head, lowering her hand as she continued, though she never met my gaze. “I did take it, I ripped it off of her. But that was when I saw them... Dark bruises on her arm and back...” Sunset bit her lip as she looked back up at me, pain clear in her eyes. “I was so taken aback by them I didn't even really know what to do. She just begged me for her jacket back and I didn't feel like having it anymore. I tossed it back to her and left.

“She hasn't worn any long-sleeved jackets in a while though, and I haven't seen any bruises recently. But she definitely had them, and I'm worried that... Maybe I wasn't the only one picking on Fluttershy.” Sunset shook her head and shrunk in her seat more, “Back then I didn't care much... But now that I'm her friend... I'm genuinely worried about her getting hurt like that again.”

I stared at Sunset Shimmer, mulling her story over in my head. It had to take a lot of guts for her to have told me that, seeing as if I had known she was bullying Fluttershy during her reign, I would have happily gotten expelled defending Shy's honor.

If anything I was loathing myself for not realizing sooner that, of COURSE Sunset had been picking on Fluttershy. She would've been an easy target. But the anger I was feeling for all of that was melting away, and being replaced with another dread.

Someone was hurting Fluttershy.

And maybe they hadn't hurt her recently, but she'd had bruises for a long time now.

Ever since we were kids.

“Sunset...” I whispered, “Do you have any ideas as to who it was?”

“I... Thought about investigating it once but...” Sunset winced, “I thought about doing it to try and blackmail her. I decided against it because, as bad as I was, I didn't want to be a monster. I didn't want to go that far.” She shook her head. “So... No, I never looked into it. I was... Kind of hoping you might know, so that we could make sure they don't hurt her ever again.”

Someone that could hurt Fluttershy. Someone that she would deny hurting her, or would cover up what they had done to her.

There was only one person in my mind that fit that description.

Someone that had been with her for all these years.

Someone that would have started doing it when we were kids.

“I have to go.” I said getting up. I couldn't be here any longer, I needed to see Fluttershy.

I think Sunset said something as I left, but whatever it was I didn't care. I needed to see Fluttershy. I needed to talk to her.

I knew where she was today, volunteering her time at the animal clinic. Unlike the shelter, I couldn't help her much there as I wasn't any good at caring for animals. Cleaning up was easy, but making them feel comfortable to get the help they needed, that was all Shy's thing.

It wasn't a long trip to the clinic though, I was there before I even knew my feet had taken me there. I walked into the front room and the receptionist recognized me. I'd been there plenty of times to pick her up when her shift had ended, but they were surprised to see me so early.

I asked to see Fluttershy if she wasn't busy, and the lady went back to check. Soon enough, she appeared through the side doors, wearing the white scrubs and a smile on her face. She looked at my face and must have seen my mood, as her smile fell into a frown.

“Rainbow Dash? What's wrong?” She asked quietly, walking up to me.

“I just...” I tried to speak as a lump formed in my throat. I shook it off and took a deep breath, clearing my thoughts. “We need to talk Shy. Somewhere private. It's important.”

“Oh... Well, it is quiet at the clinic right now, I was mostly organizing things in the back.” She looked back at the receptionist who gave her a smile and nod, letting her know it was okay to take a break. “I guess it's fine. We can talk in one of the rooms.”

Fluttershy led me to one of the animal check-up rooms, closing the door behind us. I knew from experience that the rooms were designed to prevent as much noise from escaping, so it was the perfect place to have a quiet conversation.

“Well uhm... What is it Dash?” Fluttershy asked nervously, scrunching up the edges of her scrubs in her hands. She could tell what I wanted to talk about wasn't going to be anything good. An instinct from years of friendship.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and went for it. I had to know the truth.

“Fluttershy... Has someone been hurting you?” Blunt and tactless. It's what people came to expect from me. I was never any good with words.

Fluttershy opened her eyes in shock, squeezing her scrubs tighter as she looked away. “N-No? W-Why would you ask that...” She was nervous, way more nervous than she had been before. She was already shrinking away, hiding from me. I wasn't going to let her.

“Fluttershy... It's been something I've been avoiding for a long time now.” I tightened my hands into fists, forcing myself to keep talking. “When we were kids... You ran away from me because of a bruise on your arm. When we met again, you were still wearing those long sleeved clothes from when we were young. At first I didn't think anything of it, but the thought of what happened when you ran away still haunted me. And now...

“And now... Sunset told me that she saw those bruises on you again last year. That means someone's been hurting you, and could still be hurting you.” I stepped forward. “Now are you going to tell me or not?”

Fluttershy was visibly shaking, withdrawing into herself. Her hands were gripping her arms as she looked away. “N-No, you're wrong...” She stuttered, tears threatening to escape. “I-I just fell-”

“I've fallen more times than I can count! I know what a bruise from a fall looks like!” I raised my voice more than I intended, and she shrunk back, muttering apologies under her breath that I didn't hear. “You don't get those kind of injuries unless someone is hitting you Fluttershy! You have to tell me!”

“NO!” Fluttershy cried, curling up where she was, “No one is hurting me! I'm fine! Everything is fine! I deserve it anyway! Just leave me alone!”

Those words were like a dagger that hit me in the heart. But I couldn't ignore what she had just said.

She had just admitted it.

In her sobbing panic, she admitted that he had been hurting her.

“Fluttershy, Fluttershy!” I called out, gripping her shoulder as she squirmed. She was hysterically sobbing as I tried to calm her down, leaning in close to her. This time I wouldn't leave her, this time I would be there for her.

“Fluttershy, you don't deserve to be hurt.” I pulled her into a tight hug, pressing her head against my chest. I felt her shuddering breaths hit my chest as her arms squeezed tightly around me. Her whole body shook as she struggled to take breaths, hiccuping between her sobs. “I don't care what you did or what happened, there is no excuse for anyone to have laid a finger against you.”

“Y-You're wrong...” Fluttershy hiccuped, her tears still flowing strong. “I do deserve it. I did something wrong, something I can't ever take back.” She shuddered, squeezing me tight. “I can't take it back... I can only accept this.”

“Stop that!” I demanded, harsher than I wanted to as I squeezed her tight. “Stop saying you deserve to be hurt. You don't. You're the sweetest, kindest, most gentle person I know. You try to help everyone, even those that have hurt you. Don't try to tell me you deserve this...”

Fluttershy went quiet, save for the hiccups of her sobs. I gently stroked the back of her head, trying to calm her down. It was several minutes before she calmed down enough to speak. But when she did, I don't know if I was ready to hear it. She squeezed my shirt tight, and in a muffled voice, she said quietly,

“...I killed my mother...”

“W-What?” I blinked, unable to even properly register what she had said.

“I did it...” Fluttershy shuddered again, fresh tears leaking onto my shirt. “I went to her room, to let her know that Dad was almost done with dinner... And she...” Fluttershy sobbed and squeezed my shirt tighter, “She said she was so tired, and that there was only one way to fix her.” She buried her face deeper into my shirt. “So she gave me a pillow and told me to hold it over her face... That it would help her sleep...”

The air caught in my throat, realizing where this was going.

“It didn't feel right... But I did as my mother asked...” Fluttershy sobbed, though I was certain I heard a laugh with it. “I was so stupid... I knew better and yet I did it anyway. I killed my mother Rainbow Dash... I killed her.” Fluttershy laughed again, though her tears didn't stop. “And so Dad started beating me. Because that's what a parent does. When their child is bad, they punish them.” She laughed again, harder this time. “I'm an awful child, who deserves to be hurt. He's doing the right thing. I deserve it. Don't you see? Now you know the truth.”

I was stunned at first, unable to really process it.

All of the questions I had been asking myself since childhood suddenly had answers. What happened to her mother, where the bruises came from, why she disappeared one day, why she stopped talking to me, why she looked so empty, even why her father moved away from Cloudsdale.

Everything made a sick, twisted sense. It was like a lead weight in my stomach. It made me want to be sick.

“I'm sorry... I never told you...” Fluttershy hiccuped again, her sobs growing more desperate as she continued, “I just... I knew that... If I told you... You wouldn't... Want to be friends... Anymore...” Fluttershy shook her head, not looking up at me. “I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...”

That was enough. I'd heard enough of Fluttershy apologizing.

“Fluttershy...” I spoke, my voice hitching, “There's... Something I've been hiding from you too. Something I've been hiding because... I thought if I told you, we wouldn't be friends anymore...”

“W-What?” Fluttershy asked confused, pulling her head back to finally look up at me. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she sniffed at the dribble from her nose.

“Listen. I don't...” I gulped down the lump in my throat, “I don't agree with you at all. We were kids back then, not even preteens. We didn't know what was going on in the world around us.” I gripped her shoulders and gave her a smile. I'm not sure when it happened, but I felt my cheeks had gotten wet. “We had to listen to our parents, and what you did... You did it because you trusted your Mother. You loved her Shy, you did it for her. And what your father did...” I scowled, “What he did was the kind of thing only a monster does.”

“B-But-” She tried to counter, but I didn't let her.

“You can't blame yourself for what happened back then, and you can't claim that being hurt is something you deserve.” I shook my head and sniffed. “I won't let you. I won't let you believe any of that for a moment. And I won't let him lay a finger on you ever again.” I smiled at her.

“I won't let anyone hurt you ever again Shy... Because I love you.” I chuckled, “And not like 'I love you like a friend' or 'like a sister' or anything like that... I love you, from the bottom of my heart. And I've been afraid you wouldn't feel the same way.

“But I don't care now. You can love someone else, you can hate me with all of your might, you could never want anything to do with me ever again.” I lifted my hands and ran them through her hair, smiling at her, unable to stop the tears from falling down my face. “But I won't ever let him touch you again, you hear me? You're Fluttershy. The kindest, sweetest, most wonderful girl on the planet. No one is ever going to lay a finger on you again, okay? I swear that to you.”

Fluttershy stared at me dumbfounded, unable to say anything.

Then her face twisted, and her lips quivered. She hiccuped again as the tears started again, her face contorting into sobbing before she buried her face in my shirt again. I held her close, stroking her hair as I cried with her.

I'm not ashamed to admit I cried with her.

There was so much that had been pent up for so long, between the both of us, and it was all out in the open now. We let it out, and we hugged each other tightly.

I already knew that this wouldn't fix everything. I knew that we still had to make sure her Father never touched her again, and that she would deal with this guilt and pain all of her life. I knew all of that, but I didn't care. I wanted to be her guardian, I wanted to protect her.

Fluttershy means everything to me. And I will always be there for her.

“T-Thank you...” Fluttershy quietly murmured once we had both stopped sobbing. We just sat there in each others embrace.

“Any time Shy.” I smiled, gently resting my head against hers as I rubbed her head.

“I uhm...” Fluttershy fidgeted, scrunching up her scrubs in her hands again, “I... Don't know if I feel the same way as you...” She spoke up, and I felt a little twinge of pain in my heart. I knew rejection was a possibility, but I could take it with stride if I had to.

“But uhm...” She spoke again, gulping her own nervousness away, “I-If you don't think it'll hurt our freindship...” Her cheeks burned as she looked away, “I-I might be willing... T-to try...”

My heart skipped a beat. This was one hell of an emotional roller coaster.

“R-Really? You mean it?” I said, not trying to sound too excited.

“Mhmm.” She nodded with a sniff, rubbing at her nose with the back of her hand. “I'm sorry, this probably wasn't how you wanted your love confession to go.”

“You kidding?” I chuckled squeezing her tight, “You know how I am. I probably would've never gotten it out if we didn't have some kind of emotional breakdown like this.”

Fluttershy giggled a little, “I suppose that's true. We can't make a habit out of this though. A relationship is built on trust, so... We should be more honest with each other in the future.” She said those words softly. I could tell she was meaning it as much for me as she was herself.

“Yeah. Yeah, we will be.” I nodded, gently stroking her hair. “One thing at a time. We don't have to rush it. Not when there are more important things to take care of now.” Like how was I going to beat her father within an inch of his life without getting thrown in jail?

Ah, no judge would convict me once they heard the full story.

“Uhm... How long have we been in here?” Fluttershy asked, rubbing at her puffy eyes. I pulled out my phone and checked the time.

“About an hour.” I chuckled.

“Oh... Uh, they're... Probably wondering what's going on.” Fluttershy cleared her throat as she stood up, straightening out her scrubs as best she could. “This might be awkward to explain...”

“It's not like we did anything naughty.” I chuckled, standing back up and brushing my own shirt. It was soaked and clinging to my chest pretty tightly.

“N-No, but that doesn't make it any less awkward.” Fluttershy shook her head, her own cheeks burning.

“Well, we'll just go out and explain that we had a bit of a 'girls moment' together.” I grinned, wrapping my arms around her. I could stare into her eyes all day if given the chance, even if they were red and puffy from crying. “And then maybe we can explain later that we started dating.”

“Dating...” Fluttershy sounded out the words as she blushed. “We... We really are then aren't we? I just agreed to that, didn't I?”

“You sure did.” I said with a proud grin. I couldn't have been happier that she said yes.

“Gosh... It almost doesn't feel real.” She put a hand up to her chin in thought as she blinked. “So much happened all at once... Are you sure I'm not dreaming?”

“Here, let's find out.” I chuckled and leaned in to her. I pressed my lips gently against hers, feeling the warmth of her mouth again mine.

It really was everything I could have ever dreamed of. It was soft and cushiony, and tasted so perfectly sweet. It was like pressing my lips against a heavenly cloud.

And to my joy, Fluttershy kissed me back. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but when we broke apart, we were both smiling.

“That was... Nice.” Fluttershy whispered.

“And more where that came from.” I said back.

That was the day that I officially started dating Fluttershy. It was one of the saddest days of my life, but also one of the happiest. Even now I can't really described what happened, other than that something happened.

And I'm glad that it did.

Author's Note

Would you believe I wrote all of this within 24 hours, when inspiration to write for the Change contest hit me? I would believe it.

Don't really have much more to write on this, as it's supposed to mostly be a headcanon of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's past in the EQG series, based on my own previous Silent Ponyville headcanons as well (as some of you might have noticed). But the emotions and inspiration are all there and I have been wanting to write this fic idea for a while, so I finally did it!

I hope you all enjoyed it though. The subject matter is tough, but I feel the emotions are appropriate and where they need to be. So I hope that's alright.