A First Glanceby IsolationChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5EpilogueChapter 1“It looks kinda funny.” “Oh man up Fluttershy! Just wash it all down and you’ll be fine!” “U-umm…okay, if you say so.” With a strong but firm swing, Fluttershy lifted her glass and emptied its contents. She paused for a moment, hoping to get acquired to the taste. She did not. “It’s…nice.” Rainbow Dash looked in disbelief. “Nice? That’s it? C’mon Fluttershy! That’s like your…second answer to everything!” “But I have never seen this drink before.” “Neither have I. That’s why I brought you here to try it with me. Somepony told me that this was a totally awesome drink. So for someone as totally awesome as me, I just had to try it!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a hint of pride. “So tell me how it’s like Fluttershy!” “I…I don’t know how to describe it.” “Well can you at least tell me if it’s okay?” “It’s…nice.” Losing her temper, Rainbow Dash shoved aside her stool and hovered above the pink maned Pegasus. “You know what Fluttershy!? You’re such a-!” The rainbow maned Pegasus could already see tears forming in her friend’s bright blue eyes. Immediately Rainbow Dash killed her rage and descended onto the ground. “…No don’t cry Fluttershy…It’s just that I-I’ve been really stressed lately and… You know what; let’s drink it together on the count of three.” “But I’ve already-” “Yeah I know, but it’ll be more fun if we have it together.” “But!” “One, two,” “Wait-” “THREE!” Wasting no time, Rainbow dash swiftly drank all the contents followed closely by Fluttershy. The contents of both cups went down quickly, without either of them uttering a word. Fluttershy was the first to break the silence. “It’s kinda nice when you get used to it.” “NICE? This thing’s horrible! Now I understand why you didn’t-” “Ummm…. Try it again.” Fluttershy interrupted. “It really is quite nice when you try it…the second time.” Rainbow Dash could hardly believe the words she was hearing, especially it coming from Fluttershy. “If you say so…” Rainbow Dash refilled her glass quarter full with the orange, yellow coloured fluid. Hesitating, expecting the worst. She drank all the fluid this time with a different expression displayed upon her face. “Well…It has a nice strong aftertaste.” Fluttershy’s face lit up. “That’s exactly how mine felt too!” Sharing their same experiences, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy continued to gulp down bottle after bottle of the same liquid, each time losing sanity as each bottle was emptied. With difficulty, Fluttershy hastily counted the number of beer bottles laid out across their table. “Ummm…Ra-a-ainbow Dash, how many have we drunk…?” “Dunno…Count them yourself.” Fluttershy realised she did not feel like herself. She had an overwhelming sensation of passing out. She could hardly keep her balance too. What is this feeling? She thought to herself. Never have I had this feeling from doing, well anything. She took a glance at her friend who was experiencing the exact same thing. “Rainbow, how do you feel?” “Well…I’m…fine…” “Are you…sure?” “Yes…I-” There was a long pause. Eventually nothing came out of the cyan coated Pegasus’s mouth. “Well…, it’s getting late and if it’s okay I’ll be heading home now.” “Yeah! You do what you like!” Surprised by Rainbow Dash’s reaction, Fluttershy promptly left her seat. She didn’t even remember the name of the building, or how she got there in the first place. Upon reaching the exit she could not help but notice a huge florescent sign displaying the buildings name. “…bar” She could barely read out the words. She took a shaky look at Rainbow Dash who was still guzzling down bottles of the liquid. She stepped outside onto the cool night. She felt a little stronger now. Fluttershy clumsily proceeded onto her journey home enjoying the soft breezes brushing along her mane and face. A gurgling sound came from her stomach. She did not know what it was. Paralysed by the feeling, she stood upon the walkway, frozen. An overwhelming feeling of nausea swept across her head. Almost immediately she found herself spewing gallons of orange-yellow liquid, along with many other unidentified solids. Chapter 2The first thing she tasted gaining consciousness was dirt. Dirt? She thought. Why is it always dirt? Grumbling, Rainbow Dash slowly picked herself from the ground. She looked around and failed to meet anypony. “Where am I?” She whispered. Amongst the darkness, Rainbow Dash could see a huge florescent sign above the entry of the building. Cursing, unable to focus her eyes, Rainbow Dash proceeded towards the exit only to find the hinges of the door would not budge. “Locked.” She mumbled. She turned to find a back exit. “Yes!” she cried. Instantly the rainbow maned Pegasus took off but as with the entrance the hinges of the back door would not work. “Well it looks like-” she cut herself short eying two large panes of glass surrounding the entrance to the building. She could not control herself. In a flash she was galloping and gaining speed, wings already spread out. With a powerful jump, Rainbow Dash travelled through the glass, almost like a ghost, but in the process sent thousands of pieces of fragmented glass shattered in all directions. Onlookers tried to dive for cover, either from the tiny glass fragments or from the fast moving Pegasus. Rainbow Dash disappeared from sight bolting off into the clouds. ~***~ The clouds hung over Ponyville quite low, almost low enough to touch. Throughout town, ponies of all types were rushing from point A to B, fearing that rain may have been imminent. One figure however remained still amongst the chaos. The figure had not moved since the moon rose the night before. Fluttershy hastily opened her eyes allowing in painful glints of sunlight even as they were covered by clouds. She shut them once more. Instead she moved her right front hoof hoping to gain balance. Struggling, she eventually managed to emerge on all fours. It wasn’t long before she took a look at the orange-yellow mixture still lying beside her. Did I do that? Obviously not. She told herself. Unable to recall anything that had happened in the past 24 hours, Fluttershy proceeded into what she believed was her journey home. It was longer than expected. SMACK! Fluttershy walked straight into a lamppost. Immediately her head started throbbing again. Her sensation of nausea had come back and she wasn’t feeling herself again. Trembling, she fell upon the pavement once more. “Fluttershy?” A voice said. “Are you…alright?” Fluttershy looked up seeing a blurry face. “Yeah, I’m…fine.” She could hardly recognize the face. “You sure?” The voice continued. “Because you’ve been walking around that lamppost for ages. Plus it’s pouring out here and you don’t even have an umbrella.” The voice was starting to sound a little condescending. “Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy hesitated, “Is that you?” “No silly! It’s your aunty Pinkie Pie!” The pink maned, pink coated mare almost shouted. “Come on; let’s get out of this rain.” It’s raining? How could I not know its raining? She was working up a storm of questions in her mind. If this “beer” is so nice, then why does it make you feel this way? Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw the face of Pinkie Pie staring at her again. “Fluttershy? Why are you walking, like that?” Fluttershy could not make sense of her friend’s question. “Walking like what Pinkie?” Pinkie Pie looked on in fascination. She had never seen Fluttershy act this way before. As if in a trance, the Pegasus was always clinging onto a wall, head drooped and googly eyed. Every fifteen seconds Fluttershy knocked over a trashcan or two. Pinkie Pie, with no intentions whatsoever, decided to join in on the act. “WOOOAAAHHH!” Pinkie Pie managed to let out as she purposely fell over. “Fluttershy! You’re a laugh!” “No…! I need…to see…Rain-” Fluttershy’s eyes failed. Her body went limp and she forcefully came crashing down onto the cold sidewalk. Pinkie Pie however could not make sense of the sentence. “You need to see rain? We are in the rain! Wow Fluttershy! Sometimes I think I’m weird but now YOU’RE just being weird!” Pinkie Pie had just begun one of her many pointless conversations. “Isn’t it weird that they say ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’? Well that rule doesn’t apply when you spell ‘weird’ because the ‘i’ is after the ‘e’…” Subconscious, Fluttershy could hear Pinkie Pie’s voice slowly disappearing into the distance. Pinkie Pie, without a care in the world, did not realise she had left her good friend unconscious, on the sidewalk being bombarded with rain. Chapter 3A cyan coated pegasus hastily made her way through the skies of Cloudsdale. C’mon Rainbow, stay awake… Unaware, the pegasus made clumsy dives almost crashing into elegant homes made entirely out from clouds. Slapping herself, Rainbow Dash picked up her pace. I need to get to this conference! Upon reaching the doors of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, the world suddenly faded away from her. She felt herself being swallowed by an infinitely huge, void black hole. What the hell…is going- A sharp pain emerged from her head. Opening her eyelids, it was revealed she had flown straight into the doors of the weather factory. A shadow appeared towering over her. “Miss Dash?” the shadow could talk. “Umm…they are requesting your presence-” “I know I know.” Rainbow Dash interrupted. She took a glance at the shadow talking to her. It was a young colt smartly dressed in black, mane combed sideways. Realising she was still on the floor, Rainbow Dash bolted upright looking a little embarrassed. “So, where do they need me?” “Just turn right from the second hallway. That’s the conference room they want you in.” Watching him disappear, Rainbow Dash hurried to the conference room ‘right from the second hallway’. This was indeed a very important conference as it discussed the Equestrian weather plans for next year. As she travelled, she felt stronger. Her vivid memories of drinking something with Fluttershy and waking up on the ground of a bar disappeared. “Right from the second hallway, Aha!” she exclaimed. “Found it.” Rainbow Dash was surprised nopony acknowledged her entry. All around her she could hear furious shouting of the assembly trying to decide what to do. She took a seat close to the entry. Simultaneously, a huge amount of pain swept through her head. “AAGH!” she cried out loud. She proceeded to then bury her head under her hooves and furiously pound on it. What…is…this…feeling!!! Why does it hurt so much! Rainbow Dash was already violently tugging her head side to side. Shuffling of hooves had emerged. She lifted her head. No! It’s over?! She could not believe she had just missed the most important conference of her carrier. In silent panic, Rainbow Dash calmly trotted towards the exit displaying a worried expression. I need to see Fluttershy about this! It must be something to do with that drink last night! She told herself. To her dismay, Rainbow Dash knew she had to take care of the weather at Ponyville first. I’ll just put some clouds over she decided. Bursting out of the doors, Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could to Ponyville in which in her standards were very slow. She could not find a reason for the blurred vision and sudden dives in her flight. She also found herself spiralling out of control for most of the time. Eventually she reached the skies of Ponyville. Positioning a single cloud onto the very edge of town, Rainbow Dash felt herself being swallowed up again into the same black hole. As if doing a signature move, the pegasus elegantly fell out of the sky and torpedoed towards earth. It was not a soft landing. Rainbow Dash crash landed onto plain earth with no obstacles to cushion the impact. Counting stars, she shakily picked herself up. That’s it! I’ve had enough. Taking off, the now googly eyed, dirt covered, cranky pegasus climbed into the clouds, located her home, disappeared inside it and isolated herself from the rest of Equestria. ~*~ “It’s called a hangover.” Fluttershy stared in disbelief. “A hangover?” she asked. “What is a hangover?” “A hangover is an unpleasant feeling after drinking too much alcohol.” Fluttershy tensed her eyes unfamiliar with the vocabulary. “What’s alcohol?” The nurse looked on in frustration. She had been at this for almost twenty minutes. Does this pony know anything? Why it’s like Ponyvillians have no clue about- “Alcohol,” She managed to say abandoning her thoughts. “…is an intoxicating liquid found in beer, spirits, wine etcetera.” Fluttershy lowered her head trying to make some sense of the sentence. Beer she thought. Didn’t I have some last night? “You’ll be fine.” The nurse continued. “You may experience slight dizziness and headaches, but just rest and-” Her patient was making a strange face. Realising what was to come; she quickly diverted her head and shut her eyes expecting a huge gust of wind. It did not. Instead a soft sounding “choo” was produced. “Ugh…bless you?” “Thank you.” whispered Fluttershy. “Now, all you need to do is take this medicine for your cold and just rest up.” The nurse let out an enormous sigh. “You’re free to go.” Bursting out of the doors of the clinic, Fluttershy quickly made her way back to her cottage running into Pinkie Pie. “Hiya!” shouted Pinkie Pie. Ignoring her, Fluttershy flung open her cottage doors and placed her medicine atop her dining table with Pinkie Pie closely tailing her. “What’s all that for?” “It’s the medicine for my cold!” Fluttershy snapped back. Pinkie Pie simmered her energy. “Oh okay…how did you get a cold?” Fluttershy reached her breaking point. “You left me in the rain remember?” Pinkie Pie could sense something very wrong. Fluttershy’s voice possessed a deep grind barely audible. It all came back to her. “Gee, I’m terribly sorry about that. It’s just you know me, I sometimes just go on and-” “Never mind.” whispered Fluttershy. “It’s okay.” After some eerie silence, Pinkie Pie managed to ask a single question. “Where you headed Fluttershy?” “I’m going to Rainbow Dash’s. I need to um, see her.” “Can I come with you?” “Umm…sure Pinkie…but you’ll need to take-” Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. “Yes I know the balloon.” Within minutes the two ponies had reached the doorstep of Rainbow Dash’s home. “Hurry up Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy called out. “Hey!” She called back. “This thing can only move as fast as the wind!” Pinkie Pie had no idea why Fluttershy wanted to see Rainbow Dash in such a hurry. After a few minutes of waiting, both mares were directly in front of the porch of Rainbow Dash’s. Hesitantly, Fluttershy gently knocked on the door. It immediately swung open. Two pegasi colts of great size towered over them dressed in business suits looking like lawyers. They scanned the two mares chuckling as they came across Pinkie Pie. “You better get down before you hurt yourself.” “HEY!” A sharp voice called from inside. “Don’t you ever make fun of my friends, understand?” Fixing their eyes on Pinkie Pie, the two colts calmly took off into the distance still chuckling. Fluttershy was first to speak. “Hey Rainbow-” She immediately realized Rainbow Dash had been crying. “Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash pulled Fluttershy inside. “I’ve been fired!” A sentence failed to make its way out of Fluttershy’s mouth. “Come d-d-down to the bar tonight and I’ll tell you… about it.” Rainbow Dash said choking on tears. As if magic, Fluttershy remembered why she had come here in the first place. “Yeah that’s what I wanted to talk to you about-” “Do not tell Pinkie about this, Pinkie Pie swear!” Fluttershy was having trouble taking it all in. “Okay okay! I won’t.” Still on the porch in her balloon, Pinkie Pie stood in awkward silence trying to figure out what her pegasi friends were talking about. She was too far away to hear anything. What is wrong with them? They’re up to something, and I don’t like it. Chapter 4A rose eyed pegasus idly waited on the inside of a bar as a single flashback raced through her mind. “We regret to inform you Miss Rainbow Dash but-” The rainbow maned pegasus quickly interrupted her two guests “Inform me what?” “You have been relieved from your duties as being responsible for the weather of Ponyville.” “Come again?” The two colts shared an annoyed look. “You, are no longer, responsible, for Ponyville’s weather.” Rainbow Dash let out an enormous laugh. “I’m sorry but you’re telling me Cloudsdale’s greatest flyer is not-” “We don’t care about that. It’s just that you have failed to follow the Equestrian-” “Well then who will take care of the weather?” “Somepony else!” The colts snapped back. “The Equestrian Weather Conference was indeed a very, very important conference. Did you not attend?” “I did!” pleaded the mare. “I sat through the whole thing!” “Did you not pay attention to the weather plans!?” Rainbow Dash looked away, tears already racing down her checks. “Then that explains it then! Starting tomorrow somepony else will be taking your position.” The colts gave each other a finishing nod. “Good day Miss Rainbow Dash.” ~*~ “Pinkie Pie, I’m leaving the shop in your hooves.” The voice of Mrs Cake was distant. “Okie dokie lokie!-” Mrs Cake quickly butted in. “I just hope nothing like last time will happen…again.” “You mean when I brought Applejack over? Oh don’t worry. I won’t bring anypony over this time! I’ll make sure this place is super duper quiet and I won’t let nopony, anypony at all-” Mrs Cake glanced at the wall clock. Realising she was short on time; she managed to let out a “Goodbye Pinkie Pie!” and in a flash, she was gone. “-And I promise you everything will be exactly the way…” Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and found she was isolated. That fast huh she thought. She too took a glance at the clock. She let out a sigh of relief as she figured it was almost closing time. Pinkie Pie retreated to the thoughts of her mind. The only thing I heard is that they are meeting tonight. I can’t believe my best friends would keep secrets from me… They were indeed. That same afternoon Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had kept Pinkie Pie waiting on the porch so long she got fed up and left herself. She only made it to the grounds of Ponyville half an hour ago and Mr and Mrs Cake were ecstatic to see her. The clock struck seven o’ clock. Instantaneously Pinkie Pie headed upstairs. Something caught her hoof and made her tumble. “Sorry Gummy. Didn’t see you there.” Pinkie Pie quickly picked herself up and gathered her disguise which consisted of a pair of black glasses and a fake nose. “Time to do this PINKIE PIE STYLE!” After only one minute of hearing the clock strike, Pinkie Pie was well onto the street of Sugarcube Corner trying to locate her target. She tried as best as she could to remain hidden, but there were too few objects to hide behind in the deserted street. Not long after something had caught her eye. A certain pink maned, lightly yellow coated, cyan eyed pegasus had appeared and was leading her to a path to somewhere. “Bingo.” ~*~ Fluttershy entered the same building with the huge florescent sign hanging on both sides of the building, the entrance and the exit. What am I doing here? She asked herself. She paid no attention to the occupants of the bar and they didn’t pay any attention to her, however this reduced Fluttershy to back into a corner and hopelessly try to find her friend. Among the sea of ponies, Fluttershy noticed a very obvious shattered pane of glass surrounding the entrance. “HEY FLÜTTERSHY!” a voice called out with a distinct accent. “Photo…Finish?” “No it’s me! Rainbow Dash!!” Fluttershy was confused. Rainbow Dash never sounded that way. Never sounded so hung over she thought. Delighted to see her friend, Fluttershy quickly made her way across the room. Upon approaching she froze. “Rainbow, what is that you’re drinking?” Rainbow Dash gave a smirk “It’s the same stuff we had last night remember?” “Um, if it’s okay I want to talk to you about tha-” “Get us another round!” she screamed to the bartender. “Yes so go on Fluttershy.” “Well, you see,” she paused unable to phrase it out. “I-I went to the clinic today…” “Yes, yes.” Rainbow Dash showed little interest. “S-s-so I went to the clinic today and they told me, that it was um called a hangover.” “What the heck is a hangover?” “Well that’s what I said, except for the heck part, but they told me it was sorta like an unpleasant feeling you get after drinking too much alcohol.” “Well I’ve been feeling completely fine.” Rainbow Dash lied. “By the way, what’s alcohol?” Fluttershy was trying her best to remember the facts. “Um alcohol is…something found in…what you’re drinking…” Half finishing her sentence, she eyed that Rainbow Dash had gone from her first bottle to her third bottle. “Umm, I think you should stop drinking now, if it’s okay with you…” A slap was suddenly delivered across her face. “YOU THINK YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT TO DO FLUTTERSHY?” the bar was silent now. Paralysed, she refused to say anything. “I’ve just been fired Fluttershy! And here you are telling me what to do?!” No response. “ANSWER ME!” Silently sobbing, Fluttershy managed to croak out a sentence. “I-I-I just think it’s not healthy that-” “So you wanna fight now?!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t control her temper. “N-No I don’t want to fight!-” “Hit me! Hit me with your best shot!” Completely appalled and utterly terrified of Rainbow Dash’s behaviour, Fluttershy made a run for the door but was tripped by one of Rainbow Dash’s hooves and fell face first onto the ground. She tried to pick herself up but found that Rainbow Dash was continually pounding at her body with her two front hooves. Fluttershy tried to avoid dodge the beatings but her athletic friend overpowered her. “Get up, GET UP!” screamed Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy felt a bone breaking pull on her front hooves forcing her to barely stand. Like a well co-ordinated dance she felt hits on her head, chest, shoulder then leg. It repeated itself like an endless cycle. Powerless, Fluttershy collapsed onto the ground coughing up blood bruised from head to hoof. Why? She asked herself barely able to hear her own thoughts from the cheering of the bar crowd. Why has my friend become like this? Moments from passing out, Fluttershy somehow acquired additional strength. Clumsily and hastily, she managed to crawl out towards the exit of the bar leaving a tangled mess of blood and hair. Watching her prey escape, Rainbow Dash casually returned to her seat and continued to wash down her fourth bottle of orange-yellow alcohol mixture. Standing outside the bar eying a figure crawling pathetically out of the building, Pinkie Pie stood emotionless, unable to react to the events that unfolded in front of her. Chapter 5Rainbow Dash gained speed. Zipping from cloud to cloud over the skies of Ponyville, She performed spectacular manoeuvres which consisted of dives, spins and break-neck speeds. “I am the best flyer in Equestria!” she screamed at Ponyville. Rainbow Dash felt good. She felt like herself, a feeling which she had not felt in a long time. Rainbow Dash prepared for another drag race with herself. Still in the air, she turned around, ready to fly as fast as she could in the shortest time possible. She spread out her wings realising they had small cuts on them. “How did I-” she paused feeling discomfort. “Ow.” Her wings were feeling sore. How can I be tired already? she said to herself. “I’m Rainbow Dash! I have the stamina of a-” Her eyes widened in horror as she saw a single figure manipulating the weather over town. Furious, Rainbow Dash raced towards the figure ignoring the pain. “Who are you?!” Rainbow Dash said with a start. The figure timidly looked toward the rainbow maned pegasus. “Oh, we haven’t met before. My name is-” “What are you doing?!” Rainbow Dash butted in. “Oh, uh I’ve been sent from Canterloct to take care of the weather in Ponyville.” Rainbow Dash hovered higher above the figure. “By who?!” “The uh…um…Equestrian Weather Bureau?” The figure was already shaking, intimidated by Rainbow Dash. It all came back to her, that fateful evening when she got fired. All her fury, rage and anger visibly materialized. She hovered higher above the figure noticing that it was already backing away from her. Rainbow Dash delivered all her rage, anger and fury in the form of a powerful hoof swing to the poor pony. No more than a few seconds later it was clear that the powerful blow had knocked the pony out. Plummeting, the figure disappeared from the skies as it hurdled towards Ponyville. Once it was low enough, the figure disappeared among a patch of trees. Rainbow Dash felt a brief moment of pride, but soon enough guilt struck her. “What…have I done…?” Slowly approaching the patch of trees, eyes were fixed on her as she lowered herself to the grounds of Ponyville. Everypony had just seen what happened in the sky and were horrified as to how violent Rainbow Dash had become. Rainbow Dash lowered her head in guilt. All around her she could hear sounds of disgust and worry. What have I become? Just look at me, beating up others for no good reason. She took a good long look at the figure still unconscious. It was a young colt, probably a year younger than herself. An obvious black mark was already forming on the side of his face. Hmmm, he actually looks kind of good… Rainbow Dash desperately tried to get rid of her guilty conscience. …especially with that black eye. A tugging came from her tail. Turning around, she saw distressed faces of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Listen girls,” Rainbow Dash paused trying to hide the strain in her voice. “I didn’t mean to hit him…that hard.” Scootaloo broke the silence. “Wow…you rock Rainbow Dash!” “Scootaloo!” came the synchronized voices of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. “Sorry! It’s just how the way you hit him was so…awesome!” Surprised by the reaction, Rainbow Dash’s guilt instantly obliterated. “So uhh, what are you fillies up to?” “We’re on a secret mission!” yelled Sweetie Belle. “But we can’t tell you ‘cause it’s secret!” screamed Apple Bloom. “If you don’t mind, we have to go now.” came the voices of all three fillies. “Bye Rainbow Dash!” “Stay awesome!” Scootaloo managed to yell back. Feeling a little more at ease, Rainbow Dash turned around to the pony she had knocked out. She was relieved to find he was awake. “Listen, I’m really sorry that I-” “STAY AWAY FROM ME!” The young colt screamed in terror before quickly taking off into the distance. Hmm, he’s a pretty good flyer. The crowds began to disperse. Rainbow Dash awkwardly looked to the ground waiting to be isolated. She made a face. There was something red on her hooves. Drawing closer she realized it was blood. What? Where did this come from? They felt a little sore also. First my wings now my hooves? A huge sweep of realisation and guilt struck her. “Oh no! Fluttershy!!!” ~*~ Fluttershy subconsciously drifted in and out of reality. She tried her best to force her eyelids open but they would not budge. All around her she could hear voices, but wondered where they came from. Where am I? Why can’t I wake up? Why do I feel so cold, but comfy? Fluttershy tossed to the left feeling more pain. She did not have the strength to yell, only whimper. Just like that Fluttershy lost consciousness and disappeared into the realm of her mind. Author’s note: There may have been an OC in this chapter. Anyway any comments would help greatly. Epilogue“I’d like to see Fluttershy please.” “Sure, just hold on a sec.” It was the second time Pinkie Pie had visited Fluttershy at Ponyville Urgent Care. Idly waiting by the reception desk, she looked at the gifts she had to present to her friend, a bundle of roses, a box of chocolates and a “get well” card. It wasn’t much but it would do for now. The receptionist re-appeared. “You may see your friend now. Just follow him.” Pinkie Pie gave an acknowledged nod, picked up her bag and quickly tailed the figure. Countless thoughts raced through her mind. The biggest one was if Fluttershy was okay. The last time she had saw her, Fluttershy was in a deep coma looking anything but well. “Here’s the room,” came the voice of the doctor. “Have fun.” Wondering what that last statement meant, Pinkie Pie carefully opened the door to room #13. Creeping in, she lifted her head eying Fluttershy still in the same position as when she saw her last night. She inched closer. To her disappointment, Fluttershy was still in her unconscious state. Pinkie Pie did not bother to try and wake her up because she knew it would be a waste of effort “I hope you wake up Fluttershy...” Pinkie Pie whispered to her beloved friend. She set down her gifts on an end table and gave a soft kiss to Fluttershy’s forehead. Finishing with a smile, Pinkie Pie left the room as quickly as she had entered. ~*~ The usually quiet streets of Ponyville were interrupted by loud gusts of winds and the fast moving velocity of an object. Bystanders rushed to flee the great force fearing of getting knocked aside or pummelled by Equestria’s greatest flyer. “OUT OF THE WAY PLEASE!” Rainbow Dash tried to sound as nice as possible, however she had bigger things on her mind. I’ve got to see this for myself. Before it appeared to her, Rainbow Dash had crashed into the doors of Ponyville Urgent Care landing a bullseye onto the reception desk. Why does this always happen to me? Scolding herself, Rainbow Dash quickly picked herself up and looked towards the receptionist. “Um…” She could not find any words. “I’d…like to see…, Fluttershy?” “You are a piece of work aren’t you?” The receptionist said sarcastically. “Come again?” “Nothing.” She ended abruptly. “What is your name?” Rainbow Dash looked puzzled. Everypony in Ponyville should know me! “Rainbow Dash.” she muttered. “Well I’m sorry but you do not have the permission to see Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash became furious. “What? Why not?!” The receptionist rolled her eyes. “I have been given instructions to specifically deny you access-” “By who?!” Rainbow Dash cut her off. “By Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash’s heart sank. Fluttershy, doesn’t want me around anymore. What have I done so bad that it has become like this? Rainbow Dash tried one last desperate plea. “Can I just at least-” “No.” “But I need to-” “No.” Giving up, Rainbow Dash was soon reduced to tears. She dug into her mind to try and find a reason but found nothing. “’Can’t believe you did that to her.” Rainbow Dash was once again puzzled. “What?” “Last night at Clitheroe’s Bar, boy you beat her up pretty good.” “What?!” “I’m sorry but it’s the talk of the town honey.” Rainbow Dash emerged into a state of disbelief and shock. I, beat up, my best friend? She was unable to make any sense of what she just heard. Rainbow Dash broke into more tears sobbing loudly, attracting the attention of the lobby. Not knowing what to do, she eyed the reception desk. By luck she saw Fluttershy’s file. Rainbow Dash quickly scanned it. Patient: Fluttershy Condition: Coma, stable Arrived: 13 hours ago Departed: N/A Location: Room #13 Got it! Room thirteen. Rainbow Dash did not bother to read the rest. Instantly taking off, she quickly flew down the hospital hallway and quickly located the room in which Fluttershy was in. She descended onto the ground and reached for the door handle, however at the same time she felt a strong grip on her two hind hooves sweeping her off balance and falling onto the ground. She felt another strong grip on her front hooves restraining her from any movement. Pinned to the floor, Rainbow Dash struggled hopelessly to try and escape her restrainers but it was no use. She kicked and swayed as hard as she could but the forces pinning her down were too great. Panting, a huge foal condescendingly lectured Rainbow Dash. “I thought that nice receptionist told you-” His partner made a face. “NICE! She’s the devil!” “Shut up!” Looking up, Rainbow Dash saw the faces of her restrainers. Damn it! She called the security on me! She felt herself being lifted from the ground still restrained. Once more she tried to free herself by flapping her wings but it had no effect. “…S-stop…that!” came a voice in front of her. Rainbow Dash was literally carried out of the hospital. Upon reaching the exit she was shoved and tumbled down a block of stairs. “Dude! We don’t’ push-” “Who cares? She deserved it anyway.” The two colts disappeared inside the building. Groaning, Rainbow Dash got up and tried to devise a plan on getting into Fluttershy’s room. She sat on the rock hard pavement hoping for anything to flash into her mind. After almost twenty minutes without success, Rainbow Dash got up. What’s the use? She told herself. The damage has been done and- Out of nowhere she saw Pinkie Pie happily trotting by her usual hangout place. Face lighting up, she raced toward Pinkie Pie hoping to get any information out of her “Hey Pinkie!” Pinkie Pie’s smile disappeared and refused to respond. “Pinkie? Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash was confused. “Heeellooo?” Pinkie Pie continued to ignore. Unable to figure out why, Rainbow Dash decided to perform a blind apology. “Okay, listen I’m sorry for whatever I did okay?” Still no response. Rainbow Dash grew irritant. “Just hear me out okay? I think I did something terrible to Fluttershy and it’s been killing me to find out what I did to her.” She relaxed her tone. “I-I went to the hospital but they wouldn’t let me in a-and-” “I can not believe you did that to her.” Pinkie Pie finally spoke. “See! That’s the thing! I’m not sure if I really did that to her so that’s why I need to see Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash was desperate. “So can you just please, please come with me to the hospital?” It took some time, but Pinkie Pie finally found forgiveness in her heart. She knew Rainbow Dash was quick witted and at times very irrational, but she would never turn her back on her friends and would always be willing to accept whatever she had done. They both headed as fast as they could towards Ponyville Urgent Care and re-entered the messy lobby. To much disappointment, Rainbow Dash saw the same face of the receptionist and was a little embarrassed. “We’d like to see Fluttershy please.” The receptionist sighed a little. “Will you be supervising her?” Pinkie Pie nodded happily. “Just hang on.” The receptionist disappeared once more with unpleasant thoughts in her mind. Oh them pegasi, why do they cause so much trouble to us ordinary folk. She flipped a switch and made a page. Yesterday, a half hour talk of alcohol with this ‘Fluttershy’, and now some ‘Rainbow Dash’ comes and screws up the lobby? She reappeared with a deep frown. “Sure, just follow him,” She took a long pause. “And stay in Cloudsdale where you belon…!” Before she could finish her sentence she was already on the floor knocked out cold. “Rainbow Dash! Why did you do that?” “I don’t know! It just happened! That receptionist has been saying stuff like that all morning!” Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash quickly followed the doctor to room #13 hoping nopony would notice a knocked out mare on the floor. “Here’s the room. Have fun.” Both wondering what that meant, they each crawled inside, Rainbow Dash first. The moment she saw that Fluttershy was awake she burst into tears, relieved. Rainbow Dash eyed the battered and bruised pony. She wanted to run up and give her a big hug but she knew it would only cause her more pain. “How are you feeling? said Pinkie Pie. “Pretty good.” replied Fluttershy. Just the sound of hearing Fluttershy’s voice was the most comforting thing Rainbow Dash had heard all week. Fluttershy turned her head towards Rainbow Dash. Immediately fear crept into her. She tried to pull the bed sheets over her but it hurt too much to do so. “Fluttershy, It’s only me, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy was already whimpering, unable to say anything. “Your pal? Your buddy?” Fluttershy drooped her ears and shut her eyes. Rainbow Dash with nothing more to say, could only allow vast amounts of tears to escape from her eyes. It rolled down her face, onto her hooves and dripped endlessly onto the floor without a single noise. Gaining more courage, Fluttershy managed to briefly open her eyes and see that her friend was silently crying. She turned to Pinkie Pie who was watching with worry. Digging deep into her thoughts, miraculously she found a way to forget everything bad that went on between herself and Rainbow Dash. Staring at her sobbing friend in the eye, she extended out her hoof. “Friends?” Rainbow Dash displayed a wide smile on her face. “Friends.” Their moment was interrupted by Pinkie Pie. “Awww!!!! Group hug!” ~*~ It had been a very eventful week. From what started out as a harmless adventure to try something new ended up in so much drama and hurt. Rainbow Dash is fired? That thought would not leave Pinkie Pie’s head. “What are you thinking about Pinkie Pie?” Pinkie Pie snapped out of it. “Umm… nothing Fluttershy.” They walked alone onto the deserted streets of Ponyville under the moonlit sky. As they crossed the bar with the huge florescent sign, Pinkie Pie could not help but sneak a glance inside. Something caught her eye. A certain cyan coated pegasus, guzzling down bottles of orange yellow mixture. “What are you looking at Pinkie Pie?” “Nothing! Nothing…” Pinkie Pie went back to her thoughts. That isn’t her, it can’t be her! Reassuring herself, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy continued on with their journey, disappearing into the night.
Chapter 1“It looks kinda funny.” “Oh man up Fluttershy! Just wash it all down and you’ll be fine!” “U-umm…okay, if you say so.” With a strong but firm swing, Fluttershy lifted her glass and emptied its contents. She paused for a moment, hoping to get acquired to the taste. She did not. “It’s…nice.” Rainbow Dash looked in disbelief. “Nice? That’s it? C’mon Fluttershy! That’s like your…second answer to everything!” “But I have never seen this drink before.” “Neither have I. That’s why I brought you here to try it with me. Somepony told me that this was a totally awesome drink. So for someone as totally awesome as me, I just had to try it!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a hint of pride. “So tell me how it’s like Fluttershy!” “I…I don’t know how to describe it.” “Well can you at least tell me if it’s okay?” “It’s…nice.” Losing her temper, Rainbow Dash shoved aside her stool and hovered above the pink maned Pegasus. “You know what Fluttershy!? You’re such a-!” The rainbow maned Pegasus could already see tears forming in her friend’s bright blue eyes. Immediately Rainbow Dash killed her rage and descended onto the ground. “…No don’t cry Fluttershy…It’s just that I-I’ve been really stressed lately and… You know what; let’s drink it together on the count of three.” “But I’ve already-” “Yeah I know, but it’ll be more fun if we have it together.” “But!” “One, two,” “Wait-” “THREE!” Wasting no time, Rainbow dash swiftly drank all the contents followed closely by Fluttershy. The contents of both cups went down quickly, without either of them uttering a word. Fluttershy was the first to break the silence. “It’s kinda nice when you get used to it.” “NICE? This thing’s horrible! Now I understand why you didn’t-” “Ummm…. Try it again.” Fluttershy interrupted. “It really is quite nice when you try it…the second time.” Rainbow Dash could hardly believe the words she was hearing, especially it coming from Fluttershy. “If you say so…” Rainbow Dash refilled her glass quarter full with the orange, yellow coloured fluid. Hesitating, expecting the worst. She drank all the fluid this time with a different expression displayed upon her face. “Well…It has a nice strong aftertaste.” Fluttershy’s face lit up. “That’s exactly how mine felt too!” Sharing their same experiences, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy continued to gulp down bottle after bottle of the same liquid, each time losing sanity as each bottle was emptied. With difficulty, Fluttershy hastily counted the number of beer bottles laid out across their table. “Ummm…Ra-a-ainbow Dash, how many have we drunk…?” “Dunno…Count them yourself.” Fluttershy realised she did not feel like herself. She had an overwhelming sensation of passing out. She could hardly keep her balance too. What is this feeling? She thought to herself. Never have I had this feeling from doing, well anything. She took a glance at her friend who was experiencing the exact same thing. “Rainbow, how do you feel?” “Well…I’m…fine…” “Are you…sure?” “Yes…I-” There was a long pause. Eventually nothing came out of the cyan coated Pegasus’s mouth. “Well…, it’s getting late and if it’s okay I’ll be heading home now.” “Yeah! You do what you like!” Surprised by Rainbow Dash’s reaction, Fluttershy promptly left her seat. She didn’t even remember the name of the building, or how she got there in the first place. Upon reaching the exit she could not help but notice a huge florescent sign displaying the buildings name. “…bar” She could barely read out the words. She took a shaky look at Rainbow Dash who was still guzzling down bottles of the liquid. She stepped outside onto the cool night. She felt a little stronger now. Fluttershy clumsily proceeded onto her journey home enjoying the soft breezes brushing along her mane and face. A gurgling sound came from her stomach. She did not know what it was. Paralysed by the feeling, she stood upon the walkway, frozen. An overwhelming feeling of nausea swept across her head. Almost immediately she found herself spewing gallons of orange-yellow liquid, along with many other unidentified solids.
Chapter 2The first thing she tasted gaining consciousness was dirt. Dirt? She thought. Why is it always dirt? Grumbling, Rainbow Dash slowly picked herself from the ground. She looked around and failed to meet anypony. “Where am I?” She whispered. Amongst the darkness, Rainbow Dash could see a huge florescent sign above the entry of the building. Cursing, unable to focus her eyes, Rainbow Dash proceeded towards the exit only to find the hinges of the door would not budge. “Locked.” She mumbled. She turned to find a back exit. “Yes!” she cried. Instantly the rainbow maned Pegasus took off but as with the entrance the hinges of the back door would not work. “Well it looks like-” she cut herself short eying two large panes of glass surrounding the entrance to the building. She could not control herself. In a flash she was galloping and gaining speed, wings already spread out. With a powerful jump, Rainbow Dash travelled through the glass, almost like a ghost, but in the process sent thousands of pieces of fragmented glass shattered in all directions. Onlookers tried to dive for cover, either from the tiny glass fragments or from the fast moving Pegasus. Rainbow Dash disappeared from sight bolting off into the clouds. ~***~ The clouds hung over Ponyville quite low, almost low enough to touch. Throughout town, ponies of all types were rushing from point A to B, fearing that rain may have been imminent. One figure however remained still amongst the chaos. The figure had not moved since the moon rose the night before. Fluttershy hastily opened her eyes allowing in painful glints of sunlight even as they were covered by clouds. She shut them once more. Instead she moved her right front hoof hoping to gain balance. Struggling, she eventually managed to emerge on all fours. It wasn’t long before she took a look at the orange-yellow mixture still lying beside her. Did I do that? Obviously not. She told herself. Unable to recall anything that had happened in the past 24 hours, Fluttershy proceeded into what she believed was her journey home. It was longer than expected. SMACK! Fluttershy walked straight into a lamppost. Immediately her head started throbbing again. Her sensation of nausea had come back and she wasn’t feeling herself again. Trembling, she fell upon the pavement once more. “Fluttershy?” A voice said. “Are you…alright?” Fluttershy looked up seeing a blurry face. “Yeah, I’m…fine.” She could hardly recognize the face. “You sure?” The voice continued. “Because you’ve been walking around that lamppost for ages. Plus it’s pouring out here and you don’t even have an umbrella.” The voice was starting to sound a little condescending. “Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy hesitated, “Is that you?” “No silly! It’s your aunty Pinkie Pie!” The pink maned, pink coated mare almost shouted. “Come on; let’s get out of this rain.” It’s raining? How could I not know its raining? She was working up a storm of questions in her mind. If this “beer” is so nice, then why does it make you feel this way? Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw the face of Pinkie Pie staring at her again. “Fluttershy? Why are you walking, like that?” Fluttershy could not make sense of her friend’s question. “Walking like what Pinkie?” Pinkie Pie looked on in fascination. She had never seen Fluttershy act this way before. As if in a trance, the Pegasus was always clinging onto a wall, head drooped and googly eyed. Every fifteen seconds Fluttershy knocked over a trashcan or two. Pinkie Pie, with no intentions whatsoever, decided to join in on the act. “WOOOAAAHHH!” Pinkie Pie managed to let out as she purposely fell over. “Fluttershy! You’re a laugh!” “No…! I need…to see…Rain-” Fluttershy’s eyes failed. Her body went limp and she forcefully came crashing down onto the cold sidewalk. Pinkie Pie however could not make sense of the sentence. “You need to see rain? We are in the rain! Wow Fluttershy! Sometimes I think I’m weird but now YOU’RE just being weird!” Pinkie Pie had just begun one of her many pointless conversations. “Isn’t it weird that they say ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’? Well that rule doesn’t apply when you spell ‘weird’ because the ‘i’ is after the ‘e’…” Subconscious, Fluttershy could hear Pinkie Pie’s voice slowly disappearing into the distance. Pinkie Pie, without a care in the world, did not realise she had left her good friend unconscious, on the sidewalk being bombarded with rain.
Chapter 3A cyan coated pegasus hastily made her way through the skies of Cloudsdale. C’mon Rainbow, stay awake… Unaware, the pegasus made clumsy dives almost crashing into elegant homes made entirely out from clouds. Slapping herself, Rainbow Dash picked up her pace. I need to get to this conference! Upon reaching the doors of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, the world suddenly faded away from her. She felt herself being swallowed by an infinitely huge, void black hole. What the hell…is going- A sharp pain emerged from her head. Opening her eyelids, it was revealed she had flown straight into the doors of the weather factory. A shadow appeared towering over her. “Miss Dash?” the shadow could talk. “Umm…they are requesting your presence-” “I know I know.” Rainbow Dash interrupted. She took a glance at the shadow talking to her. It was a young colt smartly dressed in black, mane combed sideways. Realising she was still on the floor, Rainbow Dash bolted upright looking a little embarrassed. “So, where do they need me?” “Just turn right from the second hallway. That’s the conference room they want you in.” Watching him disappear, Rainbow Dash hurried to the conference room ‘right from the second hallway’. This was indeed a very important conference as it discussed the Equestrian weather plans for next year. As she travelled, she felt stronger. Her vivid memories of drinking something with Fluttershy and waking up on the ground of a bar disappeared. “Right from the second hallway, Aha!” she exclaimed. “Found it.” Rainbow Dash was surprised nopony acknowledged her entry. All around her she could hear furious shouting of the assembly trying to decide what to do. She took a seat close to the entry. Simultaneously, a huge amount of pain swept through her head. “AAGH!” she cried out loud. She proceeded to then bury her head under her hooves and furiously pound on it. What…is…this…feeling!!! Why does it hurt so much! Rainbow Dash was already violently tugging her head side to side. Shuffling of hooves had emerged. She lifted her head. No! It’s over?! She could not believe she had just missed the most important conference of her carrier. In silent panic, Rainbow Dash calmly trotted towards the exit displaying a worried expression. I need to see Fluttershy about this! It must be something to do with that drink last night! She told herself. To her dismay, Rainbow Dash knew she had to take care of the weather at Ponyville first. I’ll just put some clouds over she decided. Bursting out of the doors, Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could to Ponyville in which in her standards were very slow. She could not find a reason for the blurred vision and sudden dives in her flight. She also found herself spiralling out of control for most of the time. Eventually she reached the skies of Ponyville. Positioning a single cloud onto the very edge of town, Rainbow Dash felt herself being swallowed up again into the same black hole. As if doing a signature move, the pegasus elegantly fell out of the sky and torpedoed towards earth. It was not a soft landing. Rainbow Dash crash landed onto plain earth with no obstacles to cushion the impact. Counting stars, she shakily picked herself up. That’s it! I’ve had enough. Taking off, the now googly eyed, dirt covered, cranky pegasus climbed into the clouds, located her home, disappeared inside it and isolated herself from the rest of Equestria. ~*~ “It’s called a hangover.” Fluttershy stared in disbelief. “A hangover?” she asked. “What is a hangover?” “A hangover is an unpleasant feeling after drinking too much alcohol.” Fluttershy tensed her eyes unfamiliar with the vocabulary. “What’s alcohol?” The nurse looked on in frustration. She had been at this for almost twenty minutes. Does this pony know anything? Why it’s like Ponyvillians have no clue about- “Alcohol,” She managed to say abandoning her thoughts. “…is an intoxicating liquid found in beer, spirits, wine etcetera.” Fluttershy lowered her head trying to make some sense of the sentence. Beer she thought. Didn’t I have some last night? “You’ll be fine.” The nurse continued. “You may experience slight dizziness and headaches, but just rest and-” Her patient was making a strange face. Realising what was to come; she quickly diverted her head and shut her eyes expecting a huge gust of wind. It did not. Instead a soft sounding “choo” was produced. “Ugh…bless you?” “Thank you.” whispered Fluttershy. “Now, all you need to do is take this medicine for your cold and just rest up.” The nurse let out an enormous sigh. “You’re free to go.” Bursting out of the doors of the clinic, Fluttershy quickly made her way back to her cottage running into Pinkie Pie. “Hiya!” shouted Pinkie Pie. Ignoring her, Fluttershy flung open her cottage doors and placed her medicine atop her dining table with Pinkie Pie closely tailing her. “What’s all that for?” “It’s the medicine for my cold!” Fluttershy snapped back. Pinkie Pie simmered her energy. “Oh okay…how did you get a cold?” Fluttershy reached her breaking point. “You left me in the rain remember?” Pinkie Pie could sense something very wrong. Fluttershy’s voice possessed a deep grind barely audible. It all came back to her. “Gee, I’m terribly sorry about that. It’s just you know me, I sometimes just go on and-” “Never mind.” whispered Fluttershy. “It’s okay.” After some eerie silence, Pinkie Pie managed to ask a single question. “Where you headed Fluttershy?” “I’m going to Rainbow Dash’s. I need to um, see her.” “Can I come with you?” “Umm…sure Pinkie…but you’ll need to take-” Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. “Yes I know the balloon.” Within minutes the two ponies had reached the doorstep of Rainbow Dash’s home. “Hurry up Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy called out. “Hey!” She called back. “This thing can only move as fast as the wind!” Pinkie Pie had no idea why Fluttershy wanted to see Rainbow Dash in such a hurry. After a few minutes of waiting, both mares were directly in front of the porch of Rainbow Dash’s. Hesitantly, Fluttershy gently knocked on the door. It immediately swung open. Two pegasi colts of great size towered over them dressed in business suits looking like lawyers. They scanned the two mares chuckling as they came across Pinkie Pie. “You better get down before you hurt yourself.” “HEY!” A sharp voice called from inside. “Don’t you ever make fun of my friends, understand?” Fixing their eyes on Pinkie Pie, the two colts calmly took off into the distance still chuckling. Fluttershy was first to speak. “Hey Rainbow-” She immediately realized Rainbow Dash had been crying. “Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash pulled Fluttershy inside. “I’ve been fired!” A sentence failed to make its way out of Fluttershy’s mouth. “Come d-d-down to the bar tonight and I’ll tell you… about it.” Rainbow Dash said choking on tears. As if magic, Fluttershy remembered why she had come here in the first place. “Yeah that’s what I wanted to talk to you about-” “Do not tell Pinkie about this, Pinkie Pie swear!” Fluttershy was having trouble taking it all in. “Okay okay! I won’t.” Still on the porch in her balloon, Pinkie Pie stood in awkward silence trying to figure out what her pegasi friends were talking about. She was too far away to hear anything. What is wrong with them? They’re up to something, and I don’t like it.
Chapter 4A rose eyed pegasus idly waited on the inside of a bar as a single flashback raced through her mind. “We regret to inform you Miss Rainbow Dash but-” The rainbow maned pegasus quickly interrupted her two guests “Inform me what?” “You have been relieved from your duties as being responsible for the weather of Ponyville.” “Come again?” The two colts shared an annoyed look. “You, are no longer, responsible, for Ponyville’s weather.” Rainbow Dash let out an enormous laugh. “I’m sorry but you’re telling me Cloudsdale’s greatest flyer is not-” “We don’t care about that. It’s just that you have failed to follow the Equestrian-” “Well then who will take care of the weather?” “Somepony else!” The colts snapped back. “The Equestrian Weather Conference was indeed a very, very important conference. Did you not attend?” “I did!” pleaded the mare. “I sat through the whole thing!” “Did you not pay attention to the weather plans!?” Rainbow Dash looked away, tears already racing down her checks. “Then that explains it then! Starting tomorrow somepony else will be taking your position.” The colts gave each other a finishing nod. “Good day Miss Rainbow Dash.” ~*~ “Pinkie Pie, I’m leaving the shop in your hooves.” The voice of Mrs Cake was distant. “Okie dokie lokie!-” Mrs Cake quickly butted in. “I just hope nothing like last time will happen…again.” “You mean when I brought Applejack over? Oh don’t worry. I won’t bring anypony over this time! I’ll make sure this place is super duper quiet and I won’t let nopony, anypony at all-” Mrs Cake glanced at the wall clock. Realising she was short on time; she managed to let out a “Goodbye Pinkie Pie!” and in a flash, she was gone. “-And I promise you everything will be exactly the way…” Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and found she was isolated. That fast huh she thought. She too took a glance at the clock. She let out a sigh of relief as she figured it was almost closing time. Pinkie Pie retreated to the thoughts of her mind. The only thing I heard is that they are meeting tonight. I can’t believe my best friends would keep secrets from me… They were indeed. That same afternoon Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had kept Pinkie Pie waiting on the porch so long she got fed up and left herself. She only made it to the grounds of Ponyville half an hour ago and Mr and Mrs Cake were ecstatic to see her. The clock struck seven o’ clock. Instantaneously Pinkie Pie headed upstairs. Something caught her hoof and made her tumble. “Sorry Gummy. Didn’t see you there.” Pinkie Pie quickly picked herself up and gathered her disguise which consisted of a pair of black glasses and a fake nose. “Time to do this PINKIE PIE STYLE!” After only one minute of hearing the clock strike, Pinkie Pie was well onto the street of Sugarcube Corner trying to locate her target. She tried as best as she could to remain hidden, but there were too few objects to hide behind in the deserted street. Not long after something had caught her eye. A certain pink maned, lightly yellow coated, cyan eyed pegasus had appeared and was leading her to a path to somewhere. “Bingo.” ~*~ Fluttershy entered the same building with the huge florescent sign hanging on both sides of the building, the entrance and the exit. What am I doing here? She asked herself. She paid no attention to the occupants of the bar and they didn’t pay any attention to her, however this reduced Fluttershy to back into a corner and hopelessly try to find her friend. Among the sea of ponies, Fluttershy noticed a very obvious shattered pane of glass surrounding the entrance. “HEY FLÜTTERSHY!” a voice called out with a distinct accent. “Photo…Finish?” “No it’s me! Rainbow Dash!!” Fluttershy was confused. Rainbow Dash never sounded that way. Never sounded so hung over she thought. Delighted to see her friend, Fluttershy quickly made her way across the room. Upon approaching she froze. “Rainbow, what is that you’re drinking?” Rainbow Dash gave a smirk “It’s the same stuff we had last night remember?” “Um, if it’s okay I want to talk to you about tha-” “Get us another round!” she screamed to the bartender. “Yes so go on Fluttershy.” “Well, you see,” she paused unable to phrase it out. “I-I went to the clinic today…” “Yes, yes.” Rainbow Dash showed little interest. “S-s-so I went to the clinic today and they told me, that it was um called a hangover.” “What the heck is a hangover?” “Well that’s what I said, except for the heck part, but they told me it was sorta like an unpleasant feeling you get after drinking too much alcohol.” “Well I’ve been feeling completely fine.” Rainbow Dash lied. “By the way, what’s alcohol?” Fluttershy was trying her best to remember the facts. “Um alcohol is…something found in…what you’re drinking…” Half finishing her sentence, she eyed that Rainbow Dash had gone from her first bottle to her third bottle. “Umm, I think you should stop drinking now, if it’s okay with you…” A slap was suddenly delivered across her face. “YOU THINK YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT TO DO FLUTTERSHY?” the bar was silent now. Paralysed, she refused to say anything. “I’ve just been fired Fluttershy! And here you are telling me what to do?!” No response. “ANSWER ME!” Silently sobbing, Fluttershy managed to croak out a sentence. “I-I-I just think it’s not healthy that-” “So you wanna fight now?!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t control her temper. “N-No I don’t want to fight!-” “Hit me! Hit me with your best shot!” Completely appalled and utterly terrified of Rainbow Dash’s behaviour, Fluttershy made a run for the door but was tripped by one of Rainbow Dash’s hooves and fell face first onto the ground. She tried to pick herself up but found that Rainbow Dash was continually pounding at her body with her two front hooves. Fluttershy tried to avoid dodge the beatings but her athletic friend overpowered her. “Get up, GET UP!” screamed Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy felt a bone breaking pull on her front hooves forcing her to barely stand. Like a well co-ordinated dance she felt hits on her head, chest, shoulder then leg. It repeated itself like an endless cycle. Powerless, Fluttershy collapsed onto the ground coughing up blood bruised from head to hoof. Why? She asked herself barely able to hear her own thoughts from the cheering of the bar crowd. Why has my friend become like this? Moments from passing out, Fluttershy somehow acquired additional strength. Clumsily and hastily, she managed to crawl out towards the exit of the bar leaving a tangled mess of blood and hair. Watching her prey escape, Rainbow Dash casually returned to her seat and continued to wash down her fourth bottle of orange-yellow alcohol mixture. Standing outside the bar eying a figure crawling pathetically out of the building, Pinkie Pie stood emotionless, unable to react to the events that unfolded in front of her.
Chapter 5Rainbow Dash gained speed. Zipping from cloud to cloud over the skies of Ponyville, She performed spectacular manoeuvres which consisted of dives, spins and break-neck speeds. “I am the best flyer in Equestria!” she screamed at Ponyville. Rainbow Dash felt good. She felt like herself, a feeling which she had not felt in a long time. Rainbow Dash prepared for another drag race with herself. Still in the air, she turned around, ready to fly as fast as she could in the shortest time possible. She spread out her wings realising they had small cuts on them. “How did I-” she paused feeling discomfort. “Ow.” Her wings were feeling sore. How can I be tired already? she said to herself. “I’m Rainbow Dash! I have the stamina of a-” Her eyes widened in horror as she saw a single figure manipulating the weather over town. Furious, Rainbow Dash raced towards the figure ignoring the pain. “Who are you?!” Rainbow Dash said with a start. The figure timidly looked toward the rainbow maned pegasus. “Oh, we haven’t met before. My name is-” “What are you doing?!” Rainbow Dash butted in. “Oh, uh I’ve been sent from Canterloct to take care of the weather in Ponyville.” Rainbow Dash hovered higher above the figure. “By who?!” “The uh…um…Equestrian Weather Bureau?” The figure was already shaking, intimidated by Rainbow Dash. It all came back to her, that fateful evening when she got fired. All her fury, rage and anger visibly materialized. She hovered higher above the figure noticing that it was already backing away from her. Rainbow Dash delivered all her rage, anger and fury in the form of a powerful hoof swing to the poor pony. No more than a few seconds later it was clear that the powerful blow had knocked the pony out. Plummeting, the figure disappeared from the skies as it hurdled towards Ponyville. Once it was low enough, the figure disappeared among a patch of trees. Rainbow Dash felt a brief moment of pride, but soon enough guilt struck her. “What…have I done…?” Slowly approaching the patch of trees, eyes were fixed on her as she lowered herself to the grounds of Ponyville. Everypony had just seen what happened in the sky and were horrified as to how violent Rainbow Dash had become. Rainbow Dash lowered her head in guilt. All around her she could hear sounds of disgust and worry. What have I become? Just look at me, beating up others for no good reason. She took a good long look at the figure still unconscious. It was a young colt, probably a year younger than herself. An obvious black mark was already forming on the side of his face. Hmmm, he actually looks kind of good… Rainbow Dash desperately tried to get rid of her guilty conscience. …especially with that black eye. A tugging came from her tail. Turning around, she saw distressed faces of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Listen girls,” Rainbow Dash paused trying to hide the strain in her voice. “I didn’t mean to hit him…that hard.” Scootaloo broke the silence. “Wow…you rock Rainbow Dash!” “Scootaloo!” came the synchronized voices of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. “Sorry! It’s just how the way you hit him was so…awesome!” Surprised by the reaction, Rainbow Dash’s guilt instantly obliterated. “So uhh, what are you fillies up to?” “We’re on a secret mission!” yelled Sweetie Belle. “But we can’t tell you ‘cause it’s secret!” screamed Apple Bloom. “If you don’t mind, we have to go now.” came the voices of all three fillies. “Bye Rainbow Dash!” “Stay awesome!” Scootaloo managed to yell back. Feeling a little more at ease, Rainbow Dash turned around to the pony she had knocked out. She was relieved to find he was awake. “Listen, I’m really sorry that I-” “STAY AWAY FROM ME!” The young colt screamed in terror before quickly taking off into the distance. Hmm, he’s a pretty good flyer. The crowds began to disperse. Rainbow Dash awkwardly looked to the ground waiting to be isolated. She made a face. There was something red on her hooves. Drawing closer she realized it was blood. What? Where did this come from? They felt a little sore also. First my wings now my hooves? A huge sweep of realisation and guilt struck her. “Oh no! Fluttershy!!!” ~*~ Fluttershy subconsciously drifted in and out of reality. She tried her best to force her eyelids open but they would not budge. All around her she could hear voices, but wondered where they came from. Where am I? Why can’t I wake up? Why do I feel so cold, but comfy? Fluttershy tossed to the left feeling more pain. She did not have the strength to yell, only whimper. Just like that Fluttershy lost consciousness and disappeared into the realm of her mind. Author’s note: There may have been an OC in this chapter. Anyway any comments would help greatly.
Epilogue“I’d like to see Fluttershy please.” “Sure, just hold on a sec.” It was the second time Pinkie Pie had visited Fluttershy at Ponyville Urgent Care. Idly waiting by the reception desk, she looked at the gifts she had to present to her friend, a bundle of roses, a box of chocolates and a “get well” card. It wasn’t much but it would do for now. The receptionist re-appeared. “You may see your friend now. Just follow him.” Pinkie Pie gave an acknowledged nod, picked up her bag and quickly tailed the figure. Countless thoughts raced through her mind. The biggest one was if Fluttershy was okay. The last time she had saw her, Fluttershy was in a deep coma looking anything but well. “Here’s the room,” came the voice of the doctor. “Have fun.” Wondering what that last statement meant, Pinkie Pie carefully opened the door to room #13. Creeping in, she lifted her head eying Fluttershy still in the same position as when she saw her last night. She inched closer. To her disappointment, Fluttershy was still in her unconscious state. Pinkie Pie did not bother to try and wake her up because she knew it would be a waste of effort “I hope you wake up Fluttershy...” Pinkie Pie whispered to her beloved friend. She set down her gifts on an end table and gave a soft kiss to Fluttershy’s forehead. Finishing with a smile, Pinkie Pie left the room as quickly as she had entered. ~*~ The usually quiet streets of Ponyville were interrupted by loud gusts of winds and the fast moving velocity of an object. Bystanders rushed to flee the great force fearing of getting knocked aside or pummelled by Equestria’s greatest flyer. “OUT OF THE WAY PLEASE!” Rainbow Dash tried to sound as nice as possible, however she had bigger things on her mind. I’ve got to see this for myself. Before it appeared to her, Rainbow Dash had crashed into the doors of Ponyville Urgent Care landing a bullseye onto the reception desk. Why does this always happen to me? Scolding herself, Rainbow Dash quickly picked herself up and looked towards the receptionist. “Um…” She could not find any words. “I’d…like to see…, Fluttershy?” “You are a piece of work aren’t you?” The receptionist said sarcastically. “Come again?” “Nothing.” She ended abruptly. “What is your name?” Rainbow Dash looked puzzled. Everypony in Ponyville should know me! “Rainbow Dash.” she muttered. “Well I’m sorry but you do not have the permission to see Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash became furious. “What? Why not?!” The receptionist rolled her eyes. “I have been given instructions to specifically deny you access-” “By who?!” Rainbow Dash cut her off. “By Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash’s heart sank. Fluttershy, doesn’t want me around anymore. What have I done so bad that it has become like this? Rainbow Dash tried one last desperate plea. “Can I just at least-” “No.” “But I need to-” “No.” Giving up, Rainbow Dash was soon reduced to tears. She dug into her mind to try and find a reason but found nothing. “’Can’t believe you did that to her.” Rainbow Dash was once again puzzled. “What?” “Last night at Clitheroe’s Bar, boy you beat her up pretty good.” “What?!” “I’m sorry but it’s the talk of the town honey.” Rainbow Dash emerged into a state of disbelief and shock. I, beat up, my best friend? She was unable to make any sense of what she just heard. Rainbow Dash broke into more tears sobbing loudly, attracting the attention of the lobby. Not knowing what to do, she eyed the reception desk. By luck she saw Fluttershy’s file. Rainbow Dash quickly scanned it. Patient: Fluttershy Condition: Coma, stable Arrived: 13 hours ago Departed: N/A Location: Room #13 Got it! Room thirteen. Rainbow Dash did not bother to read the rest. Instantly taking off, she quickly flew down the hospital hallway and quickly located the room in which Fluttershy was in. She descended onto the ground and reached for the door handle, however at the same time she felt a strong grip on her two hind hooves sweeping her off balance and falling onto the ground. She felt another strong grip on her front hooves restraining her from any movement. Pinned to the floor, Rainbow Dash struggled hopelessly to try and escape her restrainers but it was no use. She kicked and swayed as hard as she could but the forces pinning her down were too great. Panting, a huge foal condescendingly lectured Rainbow Dash. “I thought that nice receptionist told you-” His partner made a face. “NICE! She’s the devil!” “Shut up!” Looking up, Rainbow Dash saw the faces of her restrainers. Damn it! She called the security on me! She felt herself being lifted from the ground still restrained. Once more she tried to free herself by flapping her wings but it had no effect. “…S-stop…that!” came a voice in front of her. Rainbow Dash was literally carried out of the hospital. Upon reaching the exit she was shoved and tumbled down a block of stairs. “Dude! We don’t’ push-” “Who cares? She deserved it anyway.” The two colts disappeared inside the building. Groaning, Rainbow Dash got up and tried to devise a plan on getting into Fluttershy’s room. She sat on the rock hard pavement hoping for anything to flash into her mind. After almost twenty minutes without success, Rainbow Dash got up. What’s the use? She told herself. The damage has been done and- Out of nowhere she saw Pinkie Pie happily trotting by her usual hangout place. Face lighting up, she raced toward Pinkie Pie hoping to get any information out of her “Hey Pinkie!” Pinkie Pie’s smile disappeared and refused to respond. “Pinkie? Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash was confused. “Heeellooo?” Pinkie Pie continued to ignore. Unable to figure out why, Rainbow Dash decided to perform a blind apology. “Okay, listen I’m sorry for whatever I did okay?” Still no response. Rainbow Dash grew irritant. “Just hear me out okay? I think I did something terrible to Fluttershy and it’s been killing me to find out what I did to her.” She relaxed her tone. “I-I went to the hospital but they wouldn’t let me in a-and-” “I can not believe you did that to her.” Pinkie Pie finally spoke. “See! That’s the thing! I’m not sure if I really did that to her so that’s why I need to see Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash was desperate. “So can you just please, please come with me to the hospital?” It took some time, but Pinkie Pie finally found forgiveness in her heart. She knew Rainbow Dash was quick witted and at times very irrational, but she would never turn her back on her friends and would always be willing to accept whatever she had done. They both headed as fast as they could towards Ponyville Urgent Care and re-entered the messy lobby. To much disappointment, Rainbow Dash saw the same face of the receptionist and was a little embarrassed. “We’d like to see Fluttershy please.” The receptionist sighed a little. “Will you be supervising her?” Pinkie Pie nodded happily. “Just hang on.” The receptionist disappeared once more with unpleasant thoughts in her mind. Oh them pegasi, why do they cause so much trouble to us ordinary folk. She flipped a switch and made a page. Yesterday, a half hour talk of alcohol with this ‘Fluttershy’, and now some ‘Rainbow Dash’ comes and screws up the lobby? She reappeared with a deep frown. “Sure, just follow him,” She took a long pause. “And stay in Cloudsdale where you belon…!” Before she could finish her sentence she was already on the floor knocked out cold. “Rainbow Dash! Why did you do that?” “I don’t know! It just happened! That receptionist has been saying stuff like that all morning!” Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash quickly followed the doctor to room #13 hoping nopony would notice a knocked out mare on the floor. “Here’s the room. Have fun.” Both wondering what that meant, they each crawled inside, Rainbow Dash first. The moment she saw that Fluttershy was awake she burst into tears, relieved. Rainbow Dash eyed the battered and bruised pony. She wanted to run up and give her a big hug but she knew it would only cause her more pain. “How are you feeling? said Pinkie Pie. “Pretty good.” replied Fluttershy. Just the sound of hearing Fluttershy’s voice was the most comforting thing Rainbow Dash had heard all week. Fluttershy turned her head towards Rainbow Dash. Immediately fear crept into her. She tried to pull the bed sheets over her but it hurt too much to do so. “Fluttershy, It’s only me, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy was already whimpering, unable to say anything. “Your pal? Your buddy?” Fluttershy drooped her ears and shut her eyes. Rainbow Dash with nothing more to say, could only allow vast amounts of tears to escape from her eyes. It rolled down her face, onto her hooves and dripped endlessly onto the floor without a single noise. Gaining more courage, Fluttershy managed to briefly open her eyes and see that her friend was silently crying. She turned to Pinkie Pie who was watching with worry. Digging deep into her thoughts, miraculously she found a way to forget everything bad that went on between herself and Rainbow Dash. Staring at her sobbing friend in the eye, she extended out her hoof. “Friends?” Rainbow Dash displayed a wide smile on her face. “Friends.” Their moment was interrupted by Pinkie Pie. “Awww!!!! Group hug!” ~*~ It had been a very eventful week. From what started out as a harmless adventure to try something new ended up in so much drama and hurt. Rainbow Dash is fired? That thought would not leave Pinkie Pie’s head. “What are you thinking about Pinkie Pie?” Pinkie Pie snapped out of it. “Umm… nothing Fluttershy.” They walked alone onto the deserted streets of Ponyville under the moonlit sky. As they crossed the bar with the huge florescent sign, Pinkie Pie could not help but sneak a glance inside. Something caught her eye. A certain cyan coated pegasus, guzzling down bottles of orange yellow mixture. “What are you looking at Pinkie Pie?” “Nothing! Nothing…” Pinkie Pie went back to her thoughts. That isn’t her, it can’t be her! Reassuring herself, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy continued on with their journey, disappearing into the night.
