Angel Wings, Broken Rainbows

"Now now Angel Bunny. You have to eat. I don't want to have to make you," Fluttershy said to the ill-tempered rabbit as he pushed aside the lettuce and carrot double ice cream sundae. It had been a while since she had learned to control The Stare, but she still hated using it on Angel. He deserved it most of the time, but all she had to do was threaten and he would usually comply. "That's a good boy Angel."

Fluttershy continued her morning routine, feeding all her animals, cleaning up her house, and taking a quick shower to make herself ready for the day ahead. After all, she did have another date with Rainbow Dash. With that thought, Fluttershy's mind went back the talk she had with Rainbow last night. She meant everything she said. She wished more than anything that Rainbow would forget about her and find somepony who deserved her. It's not like she didn't think about it sometimes, how it would be to be with Rainbow Dash. She imagined it would be just wonderful, but she just didn't feel that way about her. She sometimes even thought that maybe there was something wrong with her that she didn't want to be with Rainbow Dash. She thought back to the day long ago when Rainbow first told her how she felt.
___________________________

It was a week after the big race that earned Rainbow her cutie mark and knocked Fluttershy off the cloud which ultimately got her her cutie mark as well, thanks to the Sonic Rainboom.

"Oh Rainbow, you are absolutely amazing. I can't thank you enough for standing up for me. I wish I wasn't so weak, but if I was stronger I wouldn't need you as much. You are the best friend somepony like me could hope for."

"Fluttershy, I don't stand up for you because you're weak. I do it because you don't know how strong you are yet. The truth is, its me who needs you. I front all this awesomeness, but really I'm the weak one. You are the reason I can make it through these hard times. You are kind, gentle, beautiful, you never hesitate to put others before yourself. You are everything good about the world 'Shy."

"Rainbow-"

"Wait, just let me get this out. I want every day of my life to have you in it. I.....I love you Fluttershy."

Fluttershy was stunned. This was something she never expected. Rainbow Dash, the coolest, most awesome pegasus in all of Equestria, in love with somepony as pathetic as her.

"Fluttershy? Don't leave me hangin' here."

"I just....I don't know what to say."

Rainbow Dash tried to hide the concern on her face but it was still very apparent. "Well, lets start with the basics. How do you feel about me? C'mon 'Shy. I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time. Just level with me."

"Of course I love you Rainbow. You are the best friend I've ever had, but.....just a friend. I'm so sorry. I just don't think of you that way. I wish I did but.....I....." she'd been fighting the tears that whole time and they finally won over. She gave up and let them fall freely, her sobs growing ever louder. Suddenly, a pair of strong forelegs wrap around her and a protective voice tinged with sadness came with them.

"You are a strange pony Fluttershy. I was rejected, and you're the one who's crying."

"I'm sorry......I....." her voice cracked through the sobs.

"I know you are Fluttershy. I'm the one who's sorry for putting you in this position. I'm glad you are my best friend. Never stop being you Fluttershy."
__________________________

"What is wrong with me?" Fluttershy said to herself, familiar tears creeping up on her. She quickly shook them off. "I'm not gonna make Rainbow sad anymore." She turned toward the door, ready to head to the regular practice ground-

-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-

The violent pounding nearly gave the timid pegasus a coronary. She opened the door to an out-of-breath Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie, oh goodness, what's wrong?" Fluttershy noticed the wetness under Pinkie's eyes.

Is she crying?

"Fluttershy -huff-huff- you have to get to the hospital! It's Rainbow Dash! She was.....attacked last night!"

The yellow pegasus stared at the cerulean eyes before her as new tears appeared on the pink pony's face, unable to process what she just heard.

"Fluttershy! Go now!"

Pinkie Pie's scream snapped Fluttershy out of her daze and she launched forward, her wings taking her faster than she'd ever gone before. She coaxed even more speed from her wings, pushing well beyond her limits. Any faster and she may have even done her own Rainboom.

Rainbow Dash, I'm coming.
____________________________

The hospital doors burst open and Fluttershy had lost all control of her voice.

"RAINBOW DASH!" The entire lobby jumped in unison. Fluttershy had not screamed that loud since the night of the Gala.

"Whoa whoa, calm down Fluttershy!" Nurse Redheart put her hooves up to try and stop the rampaging pegasus, "I'll take you to her, but first you have to calm down."

Fluttershy slowly regained her composure and met eyes with the nurse pony holding her back.

"I'm sorry. Is she okay? Pinkie Pie said she was attacked."

"She has a concussion. Somepony knocked her out and took her somewhere and....."

"And what? What happened to her?"

"I'm going to be brutally honest here. She.....she was sexually assaulted."

"No....." Fluttershy felt new streams of tears fall down her face. She made absolutely no effort to stop them.

"She needed quite a few stitches to close the wounds. The police were notified, but this type of brutality is unprecedented in Ponyville. Its more common in the seedier parts of bigger cities like Fillydelphia or Baltimare, but not Ponyville. Celestia is going to send the head of her royal security force to oversee the investigation."

"Can I see her?" Fluttershy said, her heart giving her a moment's reprieve from the sobs.

"Yes, but she's still unconscious. We expect her to make a full recovery physically, but we don't know the extent of the mental damage. She will need you now more than ever. She's only had one conscious moment since she got here, and she used it to ask for you."
________________________________

They walked down the silent hallway, the only sound being Fluttershy's heart pounding in her ears. The door creaked open and she nearly collapsed right then and there.

.....Beep.....Beep.....Beep.....

The machine kept its monotonous tones a the wires ran over into cerulean fur. Tufts of prismatic hair poked out from under thick bandages. Fluttershy had seen her sleeping before, and apart from the machines and the bandages, she didn't look much different now. This thought horrified her beyond reason.

The canary colored mare approached the side of the bed. She took a blue hoof in hers and fell to her knees.

"I'm so sorry Dashie." As she said that, the cyan hoof began to stir.

"You know 'Shy, I wish you'd call me Dashie more often." A weak voice came into Fluttershy's ears, and even amidst the tragic circumstances, she had never been happier.