FlutterDash Prequel: Lean On Me

by Emerald Flight

Rating: teen
Tags: Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Slice of Life, Sad, Romance
Length: 5968

I fixed it!

The change happened slowly. Her friends picked up on it a little too late - by then, the problem was definite. Fluttershy was depressed.
~~~~~
God-DAMN, this was a project. I need to go update things now. Bye.

Published 2012-08-14 22:24:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-08-14 22:24:01 UTC

Lean On Me

"Doctor, I'm depressed."

That single sentence shattered the silence that had been ongoing in the small, drab office for the past minute or so. Dr. Sprouts' attention was caught quickly by the way the young mare used her words. He glanced up from the computer screen. Unlike with other patients, there wasn't an 'I think' or 'I might be'. She just was, and she knew it.

Sprouts blinked twice at his patient, still taken a bit aback by her abruptness. He could feel the abnormal tensity that reverberated around the room. He sighed shortly. "... Are you absolutely positive?"

"Yes."

"Well, I, uh - I'll still ask the necessary questions, of course," he replied unsurely. "Are you ready?"

Fluttershy nodded, no emotion apparent on her face.

"Have you felt overly tired or lethargic recently?" he began.

"Yes," came the quiet reply.

Quick, he thought. She really is sure of herself. "Have you, um, felt unhappy or emotionless at all durin the past few weeks?"

"Yes."

"Have you felt depressed or contemplated suicide?"

The words echoed around the small room as the yellow pegasus struggled with her answer. The tension was palpable. "...Yes," she replied, almost in a whisper.

Sprouts remained, physically, as professional as he could, but he couldn't supress the feelings of shock. He knew Fluttershy personally. They'd been friends for the past year or two. She was always such a bright and cheerful pony. Always optimistic. And here she was, coming to him as a patient, confessing such a terrible thing.

He sighed, and turned away from the modem. "I... really do hate to break it to you, Shy, but you're right. If you're telling me the truth - and I haven't known you to lie - you've entered depression."

Fluttershy nodded again, slowly, and Sprouts' heart sank. He cleared his throat and continued: "I'll direct you to a specialist, Dr. Weather. He works here in the hospital; he's a friend of mine. You're in good hooves, sweetheart," he added, managing a weak smile and jotting down Dr. Weather's information on a bit of paper. "I'm sure you'll get better soon."

Fluttershy stood, and nodded once more, accepting the slip of paper from Sprouts with a quiet 'thank you' and turning to leave.

"Wait for a moment," Sprouts said, standing as well and following her to the door. She paused and turned. Sprouts sighed and took off his glasses. "Look. As a friend. When did this start happening?"

Fluttershy looked away. Obviously, she didn't really want to talk to anypony. "It was at a party last month," she replied weakly. "I... I was standing around a group of other ponies, and I looked out at all the guests playing around and - and talking and laughing, and - and I just had a thought. None of it mattered to me," she finished quietly.

Sprouts looked her over, empathy rising in his chest. He leaned over and gave his friend a brief hug. "I'm positive that this'll end soon, Shy. Promise."

Fluttershy's mind was next to empty as she left the hospital. A few stray thoughts bounced around her mind, some making her think more than others. All the trees and animals... why are they there? Do they affect me? If I love them, do they love me back? Does Bean really care, or does he just pretend so I won't feel worse? She shook her head and sighed, her eyes tingling.

She looked up to the sky as she began her walk back home. Just fly, Fluttershy. Take to the air. Feel free, she mused briefly, but was torn out of her thoughts by her friend's voice from behind her. She turned her head around, keeping her slow pace.

"Hey, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash shouted, touching down right behind her and laughing. "Where were you yesterday? Everypony else was in the valley with me and Wildwing. We were racing, and, obviously, I totally -" she paused. "Fluttershy?"

"Yes?"

Rainbow chuckled nervously, trotting ahead of her friend and walking backwards to face her. "You okay, Shy? You don't - you don't look too good," she said. "Are you sick?"

Fluttershy debated momentarily on whether it was too early to tell her friends about her problem. It was. "No."

Dash waved a hoof in front of her face. "Where do you live?"

"12 Blueberry."

"What's my middle name?"

"Danger."

"What's your mother's middle name?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "I don't have time for this. I want to get home." She pushed Rainbow's hoof aside and kept walking. She didn't want to be near anypony right then.

Rainbow was left standing awkwardly in the middle of the street. "Are you mad 'cause I was afraid you were possessed?" she called out to the retreating yellow mare. "It's a legitimate fear, you know!" She sighed and put a hoof against her forehead as Fluttershy disappeared from view. Was she just in a mood again? What happened to her friend?

She needed to know more.

The empty library rung with the echoes of a few sharp knocks. Rainbow Dash floated impatiently outside, muttering and thinking to herself. Am I getting myself all worked up over nothing? Again? Like when I thought Rarity was dying, or Applejack was kidnapped? She sighed. Probably. But my friends are worth the risk of looking stupid.

She touched down when she heard Twilight behind her. "Hey, Rainbow Dash. Uh... trying to check out a book? 'Cause the librarian isn't in. Yet."

Rainbow turned around quickly. "No, no, no, look. I need to talk to you. It's about Fluttershy. I think she's sick, or something, and I really need your help to -"

"Wait, wait," Twilight interrupted, smirking and unlocking the heavy wooden door with her magic. "Is this like the time you thought Rarity was dying? Or the time Applejack was doing business in Canterlot and you thought sh-"

"No!" Rainbow groaned, following her friend into the treehouse, suddenly deathly serious. "Okay," she said, her tone catching Twilight's attention. "There's something wrong with Fluttershy. I need you to help me figure out what it is."

Twilight looked surprisedly into Rainbow's eyes. "This isn't a prank. You really think there's something wrong with Fluttershy." She recovered from her shock quickly. "W-Well, why don't you just ask her?"

"I did."

"And...?"

"It looked like she didn't want to talk to me. She walked away as soon as she could." Rainbow shook her head quickly. "That's... not Fluttershy."

"Wh- y- I don't -" Twilight stuttered. "Have you asked her doctor?"

"You know you're the one I always go to first," Rainbow replied quietly.

"Yeah, always," Twilight murmured, concerned. She'd never seen her friend like this. There was disappointment and - fear in her eyes. Twilight quickly levitated herself a thick medical book from one of the higher shelves. "Alright. Search by symptoms. What would you call how she was acting?"

"You have the better vocabulary, Twi."

"Did she seem angry?" Twilight asked, quickly flipping through the pages.

"No, it was like..." Rainbow looked away. "I don't really know. Like she was emotionless. It just wasn't normal."

Twilight sighed. "There are too many variables. I think we should go visit a real doctor..." She paused, putting her hoof against her forehead. "I don't want to do anything wrong. If we visit her and mess something up, I would feel horrible."

"Are you saying we shouldn't try to help her?" Rainbow asked. "At least we could go over and-"

"No, Dash. Seriously. If this is what I think it is, a psychological thing, than there isn't much we an do but let her work it out and try to encourage her. We should just... leave her alone for now," she finished, almost wincing when she sensed the doubt in her own voice.

The library was silent for a few moments. "...Maybe, tomorrow, I'll find a reason to drop by and see whether I can gather some information," Twilight said softly, trying to sound reassuring. "If I understood everything you told me, you're right to worry. And, really, I'm worried too. But I think, in general, we should just leave her alone." She sighed, and walked over to her friend, who was still wearing a scowl. "I'll be careful with my words and stuff, Dash. I promise everything's gonna be fine."

Dash smiled after a moment. "You're right as usual, egghead. If anypony else tried to help, we'd mess stuff up. You better know what you're doing," she added as she floated out the door.

Twilight shut the door softly behind the pegasus. She needed to find out firsthand what was wrong with Fluttershy - because she had a growing hunch that she just couldn't ignore. And if her hunch was right, things could get very bad, very quickly.

Fluttershy remained in her little bubble of a world over the next few days. Her morals and reflexes were the only things really guiding her life by that point. She remembered to feed her animals every day, and had the withheld decency to let her friends in when they stopped by.

One by one, each pony in her life that was even distantly important to her dropped by. Minus her parents, of course. But that couldn't be helped.

Twilight was first. By the questions she was asking, Fluttershy knew exactly what she was doing. She wasn't stupid. She deflected as much conversation as possible, until things got awkward enough for her to leave. Then came Rarity, less obvious in her approach, but Fluttershy still picked up her motive behind her questions. Why couldn't everypony see that she wanted to be alone?

After that, the next morning, actually, Fluttershy was awoken from her dreamless sleep by the most hyperactive of her friends - Pinkie Pie. Pinkie and mornings don't usually go well together, especially for somepony in her situation. She didn't feel at all good about it, but she got rid of her as soon as possible. That afternoon, just as the second bimonthly rain was beginning, Applejack stopped by, being as direct as anything. It was in her nature, really.

She had a terrible feeling after the orange mare left that she understood everything. She didn't want it to get out to her friends yet - all kinds of worry and drama and pitiful attempts at raising her spirits. She didn't have time for that. She didn't have time for much at all. After Applejack left, things began to grow fuzzy in her mind. After Applejack left, she retreated to her bed and finally allowed herself to cry.

That night, the rain had grown into a downpour, as scheduled. It did nothing to help Fluttershy, of course. Her tears had stopped hours ago, but the feeling hadn't left. She thought momentarily to herself that it never would, that she would remain like this forever, but she pushed that thought out of her mind as quickly as possible.

She had mixed feelings as a sharp knocking rang throughout the house. On one hoof, it tore her out of her thoughts, but on the other, she didn't feel like answering it at all. But as the knocking persisted for another ten minutes, Fluttershy decided she'd had enough. She lit a candle, frustrated, and walked down the stairs to the front door.

"Fluttershy?" a voice called out from the rain. Fluttershy shook her head. The fifth and final. She pulled open the door, greeting Rainbow Dash with a neutral stare.

"H-Hey, Shy," she greeted her, glancing around the room nervously. She looked away, and sniffed. "Uh, I shouldn't have come by so late. I'm sorry. I was just thinking, and, uh... I mean, it's raining out, and I wouldn't want to..." she trailed off weakly, leaving an uncomfortable silence in her wake. "Um... can - can I -"

"Of course," Fluttershy replied quietly, stepping aside to let her friend come in.

Dash shook her head a bit, wiping the rain out of her eyes. She motioned to the couch, and, when she didn't get a response from her friend, sighed. "You and I both know why I'm here. I shouldn't be showing up so late, I know, and I'm sure you e already had problems with everypony else, but..." She sighed again. "I'm worried about you, Shy."

Still silence from her friend.

Dash glanced at her sadly before walking over to a reading chair across the room and sitting down, motioning for Fluttershy to follow. She began speaking again when Fluttershy was sitting across her on the loveseat. "I... I'm really upset, actually, that you're acting like this. If you'd tell us what was wrong, we could all get through it."

"I'd rather not," came the near-monotonic reply.

"Shy, really, we don't wanna play guessing games. We all want to help out in some way or another, just open up and let us in. We want you -" she caught herself. "I want you to get better."

The silence in the room was deadening. Dash put a hoof to her forehead. Did she say the right things? Did she make something, anything better? "That's all I got," she muttered admittedly. "That's it."

Fluttershy looked across at her friend, thinking slowly. Finally, after a tense minute of silence, Fluttershy spoke. "I'm depressed."

Dash looked up quickly, her mouth open. "Shy, wh- how- wh- that's terrible!" she said, jumping to her hooves and beginning to pace. "We gotta do something about this! We go to be doctor's and get you some pills or something! What were they called? Antidepressants? We-"

Suddenly, there was a short gasp and a quiet sob that echoed around the den. Dash turned back to her. "Shy?" She trotted over and turned to sit next to her friend on the loveseat. "Shy, are you okay?"

"Yes."

"No, you - you -" Dash paused. "I just want some kind of emotion from you, Shy. Anything. A laugh, tears, anger - get mad at me, at least!" Her voice was beginning to rise. She threw a hoof in the air and sat up rigidly. "Do something! Please! Talk to me!"

"It's funny," Fluttershy said quietly, edging away from the other pegasus.

Dash stopped mid-motion, her previous energy visibly depleting. "Wh-what's funny?"

"You keep saying 'we'."

"And?"

Fluttershy sniffed, and turned away. "Nopony really cares."

The room was silent again. Dash felt her friend's words stab her through the heart, felt her emotions begin to bleed. She took a hoof and gently turned Fluttershy's face back to hers, and stared at her with an unintentional concentration. "Fluttershy," she said quietly.

Her eyes became soft, and she leaned her head slowly forwards, feeling a compulsion she thought she'd never feel. Without another word, she pulled Fluttershy in for a kiss.

It was slow, but passionate. Dash's eyes closed as the world drowned out. She felt warmth wash over her, running through her body tingling like electricity. Fluttershy was with her, next to her, up against her, deep in a kiss with her - something she'd only thought about in passing, in a daydream. But it seemed so natural, so true, so real, that there was no way she'd stop. Not now.

It'd been minutes. An unspoken attraction, after all these years, drawing to a close. Dash felt a prickling behind her eyes. Once she pulled away, it was one choice or the other. Yes or no. Whether this was right or not. All up to Fluttershy.

Just do it. Dash broke off unceremoniously, with a shuddering sigh. "Sh-Shy..." she began, still looking deep into her eyes. "I care."

Fluttershy's eyes twinkled for a moment, her mouth slightly open. Dash could feel her chest shudder as the twinkle disappeared, and she moved away from her hoof. "I... I... Shy?" she asked quietly, feeling the first tears of many to come forming in the corners of her eyes.

Fluttershy stood unsteadily, and looked across at Dash, a flicker of emotion crossing her face. She turned slowly and walked shakily to the staircase. She paused halfway up and looked down at Dash. "...Can you lock the door when you leave?"

With that, she disappeared into the second floor.

Dash gasped, her feelings crashing together in her chest, tying her stomach in a knot. She shuddered, feeling her throat begin to dry. There weren't any words at all for how she felt. She felt a bubble of guilt in her throat, the pressure of shame in her chest; Did you really think that would work? she thought to herself angrily. You think she would be all better because of that?

There was also the nagging realization that everything was true. What she said wasn't a lie - she really was depressed. She was even a little bit glad - a little bit hopeful - that she seemed to finally get her friend to open up a bit, but...

She was crushed.

A choked sob came from her throat. She didn't understand. What was going on in Fluttershy's head? Did she affect her? Was she rejected? All these questions swarming about in her head - it was like a veritable typhoon of confusion and hurt.

She wiped her face quickly, and stood, blowing out the few candles that lit the room and walking over to the door. "...Get well soon," she said quietly before taking off into the rain.

Twilight sighed, shifting the weight of the saddlebags on her back. She offered a glance to the street in front of her. This degree of intense study on anything would've made anypony give up by now. Not Twilight, though. Helping her friend was more than important enough to keep her focused.

She caught a glimpse of rainbows across the street form her. Rainbow Dash was sitting with her head on the table at an outdoor cafe. She allowed herself a small smile, and made her way over to the raised cafe platform, more than ready to sit down.

"Hi, Dash," she called, climbing up the steps and walking over to her friend.

"Oh, um, hey, Twi," she replied quietly, lifting her head just enough to give her a weak friendly smile before burying it between her forelegs again.

"I think I've got it," Twilight said proudly. "From what I can tell, it-"

"Don't waste your time," Dash interrupted monotonically.

"Wh-what?"

"She's depressed."

Twilight stared at her friend, her mouth open in shock. "I - I - you didn't - did she tell you?"

"Mm-hm."

Twilight glanced around the cafe, as though looking for an answer. She sat down slowly next to Dash, letting her saddlebags fall to the floor. "We should do something about this. We have to go to somepony, or something. See, I knew we should've talked to a doctor or something first! I talked to Fluttershy for a few minutes before I could tell she wanted me to leave. I didn't... get anything out of it, though." She paused. "I told the others," she said quietly.

"I know."

"Do you think they tried to talk to her, too?"

"Probably."

Twilight sighed, looking across at her friend whose head was still buried between her forelegs. She reached a hoof over and patted her back in an attempt at comfort. "You're a compassionate pony, Dash."

No reply.

Twilight almost gasped when she saw a familiar color in the street. She turned to Dash, and opened her mouth as if to speak. She decided against it. Maybe there was something going on beyond her understanding. She couldn't take her eyes away from Fluttershy as she walked down the street, though. It felt terrible to think about one of her friends - especially Fluttershy - going through that.

"Just go," Dash mumbled.

"Sorry?"

"Go and talk to her. You know you want to. Just go."

Twilight glanced at Fluttershy and back at Dash. "I don't - I wouldn't know how to - well-" She cut herself off. "You know what? It's probably for the better." Without another word, she stood and began making her way over to her friend. "Fluttershy!" she called, stumbling onto the street and past a larger stallion. "Sorry - excuse me - Shy?"

Fluttershy turned around unhurriedly. "Twilight," she said, flapping a wing unconsciously. "Hello."

"Um - hi, Fluttershy," Twilight began. "Look, I get now that you're... ill, for lack of a better word, and -"

"Rainbow Dash told you, right?"

Twilight paused. "Y-yeah, she did. Was she not supposed to? I'm sorry," she said awkwardly, looking away. She placed a hoof on her forehead. "That's not really the point. The point is it's important you get better, Shy. Everypony's worried about you. You stopped talking to us, you - you're not out and about as much as you used to be..." She let out a little noise of frustration. "You need to talk to a professional, or something!"

Fluttershy nodded. "I did," she said quietly. "I saw the doctor today. He gave me antidepressants," she said, motioning to her saddlebag.

"...Oh."

There was a moment or two of silence between them. Twilight looked down for a moment. I shouldn't have said anything. She placed a gentle hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "I don't want to see you like this anymore, Shy." She smiled. "Hopefully the pills do their job."

Twilight's hope flew for a moment when she saw a smile tugging at the corners of her friend's mouth. No cigar. Fluttershy nodded, turned, and walked away, leaving her disappointed and upset. Her face fell. No matter how many times she saw it, she was always shocked by Fluttershy's new frame of mind. It was... scary. She'd never seen depression before, at least not to such a degree. It didn't seem real.

As she turned to walk back up to the cafe for her books, she allowed herself a stupid thought. It would be weirder if it were Pinkie. She paused where she was, unsure of whether to laugh or scold herself, but shook it off and continued on her way.

The carved wooden door shut with a soft creak. It was only midafternoon - nopony should sit at home in the middle of the day.

Fluttershy sighed at this thought. Then I'm nopony. She set her saddlebag gently on the couch, getting caught up for a moment in the way the colorful blankets, fabrics, and pillows shifted beneath its weight in the golden afternoon light that filled up the living room. It was nice to not think every once in a while.

She stared at it a moment more, brow creased. She reached in and slowly drew out the almost-opaque orange pill bottle. These are supposed to help me get better, she thought off-handedly. She looked at the cylinder in her hoof a second more. The fresh white sticker with her name on it, the plastic manufactured smell that she could pick up even at foreleg's length... it gave a numbing effect. A tranquilizer for those the bottle was meant for, much like a hospital itself. She hated it.

She continued looking it over on her way up the carpeted stairs - almost walked into the banister once or twice. She began to approach her bedroom door before finally being drawn from her in-depth daydream. She shook her head slowly, clearing it as well as she could. The truth came to her again: there isn't time for much but sleep.

She nudged the door open, her silence-sensitized ears picking up the gentle whoosh of the air in front of it and the quiet creaking of the hinges behind it. She looked tiredly at her bed, covered with comfortable (albeit unmade), velvety blue sheets and pillows upon pillows. A smile nearly found its way into her face: she felt as thought she wanted to jump into it.

Try as she might, she couldn't get that one night out of her head. She'd easily convinced herself it didn't matter, but there was a lone optimistic thought in the back of her mind: What if it meant something? Anything at all? Even...

No. That wasn't possible. It was too far-out. Coincidences like that just didn't happen. She'd had a crush on her friend for years, and it was only when she hit adulthood that she realized it wasn't just a crush.

She loved Rainbow Dash. She'd been content with being her best friend, but that night was magical, whether she wanted it or not. It wasn't just her first real kiss, it was her first real kiss from Dash. Why did it have to happen when she didn't care? She wanted to care. She just couldn't.

She set the bottle down at her bedside, almost wincing as the tap of plastic and wood rang out in the silence, and laid down slowly. Giving a last glance to the bottle, and reaching out to move it a bit so that it didn't shine so much in the sunlight, she closed her eyes and finally let out a short but fulfilling smile.

Hush now, quiet now...

The lump of white was split cleanly in two before vaporizing with a poof. A dim rainbow hung in the air where the cloud once was.

Dash turned around midair, beginning to pant. Her duties were finished for that day. The skies above the fields were clear, at least until that afternoon when the Delta patrol moved the light rain in. For now, though, no more work.

She smiled and floated over to the small grove of sycamore with the huge canopy: the one where a pegasus could easily hide a small cloud. She pulled the cotton-ball-of-a-cumulus out of the leaves as gently as she could, so she didn't rip it. She always saved a chunk of the most comfortable cumulus for her afternoon nap, and always stuffed it in that little grove right there. Simple routine. She put her hooves up and fell back on it with a contented sigh.

It'd been nearly five minutes until her thin smile faded. No matter what position she was in, she just couldn't get herself comfortable. Something started itching, or her legs started sticking together - it was always something. Maybe it was just sore muscles?

No. She'd exercised more before. This was nothing compared to the training she did for the Banko Yearly race, for example. Suddenly, a disconcerting thought was thrown to the front of her mind.

Fluttershy.

She closed her eyes tightly. When trying to convince herself she wasn't thinking about Fluttershy failed, she tried to convince herself she was just feeling empathetic for her. No such luck: she knew what it was.

She leapt off the cloud with a start, unceremoniously bucking it into particles and taking off over the trees. The familiar senses of flying shot energy through her: the whipping of the wind in her face, the bracing cold of the air she breathed in - all fueling her need to escape from her thoughts.

Just admit to yourself it isn't happening, Dash!

But I need it to happen! This single thought set off a chain of revelation and regret in her mind. I've loved her forever. Why didn't I time myself better? It's like proposing to somepony with pneumonia! Idiot, idiot, idiot...

An almighty pop drove back the wind to reach her ear. She didn't feel the pain until she registered the sound a few moments later. She felt gravity's pull all of an instant: without warning, she was sent tumbling toward the earth.

With a groan of pain and despair, she pulled herself up just enough to keep from breaking against the ground. She rolled five, six, seven ones across a dusty dirt road before slamming with a terrible smack into a signpost.

She winced as she pulled herself back upwards, her mind working furiously. From what she could tell, and what she could remember from past injuries, she either pulled or dislocated her left - right? - no, left wing. But she'd never done it to such a degree: fire swam through her veins and stars swam before her eyes. She bit he lip to keep herself from moaning in pain.

She heard the sound of hoofsteps somewhere down the road. Without thinking, she tried to play it off for whatever stranger was about to pass by. She pulled herself to her hooves and flexed her good wing, sniffing and wiping the dirt off her forehead. The blush on her cheeks and the rate of her pulse weren't amended when she caught blurred yellow and pink out of the corner of her eye.

She turned with a start, her eyes wide open in momentary shock. She shook her head quickly, regaining her stoic demeanor, before turning away and looking at the ground.

Fluttershy stopped when she saw her friend by the road, and began walking over cautiously. "Dash?" she asked quietly. "... Are you okay?"

Dash sniffed again. "Yeah, I'm - I'm fine," she replied, not turning towards her, straining to keep the pain from showing in her voice.

Fluttershy whimpered almost silently when she heard Dash's voice crack. She walked over, looking her friend over. "Did you... fall? -"

Dash looked at her out of the corner of her eye quickly, before looking off into the forest again.

Fluttershy nearly gasped when she saw Dash's wing joint at such an odd angle. "Dash, I think you may have dislocated tour wing..." she paused, waiting for a response from Dash. After a few seconds of silence, she continued. "Can - can I help?"

Out of surprise, Dash finally turned her head to face her friend. "You... want to help me?"

"Um... yes?"

Even such an unsure answer brought a smile to Dash's face. "Shy, have you been taking anything?"

"Two antidepressants in the morning, two in the -"

Dash cut her off with a laugh. "Thank Celestia! I missed your -" she stopped short, her smile fading away. She sighed, and rubbed her mane unconciously. "Listen, Shy, I... I'm sorry for putting you in that - that kind of situation the other day. I didn't really mean to, I just, um..." she trailed off, blushing deeply.

Fluttershy remained still and silent, staring into Dash's eyes one at a time. Dash couldn't help but notice the way her irises were like mirrors: reflecting everything in them, including her own badly cut, badly blushing face. Blue-green... turquoise? Nah. Would that be, like, an aquamarine or -

"... I said, do you want me to help you put your wing back in order?"

Dash coughed, shaking her head quickly. "Um, yeah, if you would. Thanks."

Fluttershy sat down, pulling Dash down along with her quickly. In one smooth, deft movement of the hoof, there was a loud pop as the ball socket snapped back to where it was supposed to be. Dash winced, and her back arched. There were a few seconds of silence before she muttered, "Ow."

Her ears pricked up at the sound of a soft giggle. She turned quickly towards Fluttershy, the pain disappearing. "Shy, did you just... laugh?"

Fluttershy's ears flattened against her head, and she looked away. After a second or two of thinking, she leaned forwards quickly and threw her forelegs around her friend.

Dash gasped. Sudden warmth spread across her chest. She could feel the soft coat, the comforting grasp, each individual heartbeat of the only pony she really loved. Her face lit up before heating up. She was positive that by then she looked like a tomato.

Slowly, cautiously, she moved her forelegs down Fluttershy's back, holding her tightly. Her heart jumped into her throat when she heard a single whisper:

"I'm sorry."

Much to her regret, she pulled away, looking Fluttershy in the face once more. "Don't be. Nothing you did was your fault. It was all the - your - the depression's fault, okay?" she stumbled over her words, feeling a prickling run through her body and settle in her eyes and wings. "Don't be sorry."

She almost started to cry when she felt her wings begin to rise. No, Celestia, please, not again. Just let this be a friendly th-

Fluttershy was close to her.

Abnormally close to her.

She looked down hurriedly. Her eyes were half-closed, and she was looking at her with a look she'd never seen before, on anypony. There was a streak of dark red painted across her face, and her mouth was just barely open. She moved herself a bit closer, a bit closer, a little at a time.

Dash felt an insane heat in her chest. She'd never felt anything like it. She began noticing every detail of her: the highlight in her mane, the sparkle in her eye, the flicker of her ear, the rose-pink tail spread out across the path. She fell into the emotion, releasing every thought she had.

Her heart flew as their lips sealed. She could feel goosebumps flow across her body as their chests touched. This wasn't any ordinary kiss. It was heaven on earth. Short gasps here and there and the feeling of her hoof on her neck did nothing but enhance the experience. She began to run her hooves down Fluttershy's back unsurely, stopping when she heard something she thought could be a protest. Eventually, though, the closer they got, the more courageous she became.

After forever, their lips parted, and their eyes opened slowly. Dash couldn't do anything but smile. She felt a pressure on her chest as Fluttershy smiled back. She opened her mouth, maybe to say something witty, but her tongue wouldn't allow her to form words. She sat with Fluttershy in silence for minutes on end, still struck by everything.

She was still close.

Finally, she found the words to speak. "... I'd love to take you out to dinner tonight, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy smiled again, leaning forwards slowly and nuzzling her. "I'd like that."

Dash wrapped her foreleg around Fluttershy, nuzzling back. "... Shy?"

"Dash?"

"I love you."

Sprouts looked over the rim of his glasses at the mare sitting in front of him. Smiling. He shook his sad again, breaking into a wide grin. "How on earth did you pull it off, Fluttershy?" he asked, chuckling.

Fluttershy looked out the window for a second, thinking over everything. "... I guess it was just a miracle."

Sprouts chuckled again. "Well, from my questions, I believe you've shortened your likely depression period... thingie... by almost six months. You have three to six months, maybe less, before all those bad thoughts should just disappear." He paused. "At the rate you're going, I wouldn't be surprised if you came back next week and said everything was all better."

Fluttershy giggled. "Maybe."

Sprouts nodded, smiling and twirling a pencil on his desk. "Well, keep taking those antidepressants and your symptoms are gonna start showing up less and less. You're good to go. Thanks for stopping in!"

Fluttershy nodded, and walked confidently out the door.

Sprouts chuckled to himself, leaning back and staring at the old wooden ceiling fan. His ears pricked up when he heard conversation outside in the hallway.

"You ready?"

"Mm-hm."

"Remember, tonight is my treat. Try to get 'out of your element' tonight. Leave it all up to me."

"I can't thank you enough, Dash."

"Mmm."

*smack*

Sprouts looked up, and around the room, not sure whether the urge to laugh he was feeling was politically correct. He picked up the pencil he was twirling and began to scribble on a scrap piece of paper:

Surefire cure to depression

Love

He picked it up and squinted at it. "No, that's not it, too cheesy," he muttered.

Surefire cure to depression

Love

Lesbians

He leaned back and sighed. That'll make a good office comic when I have the time.