The Angst in My Veins

Fluttershy stared into the mirror hung on her bathroom wall. For as long as she could remember, she'd been timid; afraid of everything down to her own shadow. The effects of her anxiety had become increasingly isolating. Aside from her few close friends, she almost never spoke to anyone. When she could find the courage to voice her thoughts, they were barely audible. Every attempt to modify her behavior had failed. She would either become too aggressive or be completely resistant to the treatment. As a filly, she had become dependent on Rainbow Dash to take the stand for her. The more she recalled this fact, the more like a burden she felt. As she was now, she could hardly leave her home enough to earn the money she desperately needed. Her animal companions were all she felt she had left. The idea of suicide had crossed her mind several times before, but being who she was, she was too afraid to act on those thoughts. This time was different, though. She had mentally readied herself and accepted what consequences may come as a result. She figured if she went to hell, it couldn't be any worse than what she had already endured. Taking the sleeping pills from her medicine cabinet, she opened the bottle. She began taking them in large doses, washing them down with water as she did so. When the bottle was empty, she left the bathroom and slowly made her way to her bed. She got under the blanket and closed her eyes. This was to be her last sunset...

Rainbow Dash knocked on the door of Fluttershy's cottage. Her intention was to ask her childhood companion to borrow a few ingredients for food. She wanted to accomplish this task quickly, as a storm was approaching.

"Fluttershy? You in there?"

Rainbow attempted to turn the knob. To her surprise, it was unlocked. She stepped inside.

"Hello?"

The blue Pegasus saw her friend lying on the bed near the rightmost wall. Like anyone else would had they entered the scene instead, Rainbow assumed Fluttershy was sleeping. She tried to shake her awake.

"Wakey Wakey, Sleepyhead."

Fluttershy was unresponsive.

"Fluttershy...?"

When Rainbow stopped to try to figure out why her yellow-coated counterpart wasn't stirring from her slumber, she noticed Fluttershy wasn't breathing.

"Fluttershy...!?"

Rainbow tried to shake her friend harder, but to no avail. She was left with no other option but to check for a pulse. To her horror, she couldn't feel anything. Fluttershy was gone. Rainbow backed away before falling to the floor. The shock dramatically increased the strain her body put on her legs. She couldn't bring herself to move or speak. The rain started falling...

When news of Fluttershy's death reached the ears of the townsfolk, everyone was heartbroken. The autopsy revealed the drugs in her system. Many suspected Rainbow of causing her demise, but those suspicions were quickly put to rest after a search of Fluttershy's cottage was conducted. The guards found the empty pill bottle and water glass. They determined the cause of death was self-imposed.

After all the necessary information had been collected, the grieving process began. Fluttershy was buried in the small yard behind her home. Many tears were shed in the wake of her loss. All her friends and the animals she watched over attended. Rainbow took her passing particularly hard. She had known Fluttershy longer than anyone else. Now all she had were memories.

"Will you be okay," Twilight had asked her.

"I don't know..."

Weeks passed without anyone hearing from Rainbow. After she felt enough time had elapsed, Twilight went to visit her friend in mourning. Things took an ominous turn when Rainbow was nowhere to be found. After asking around Cloudsdale, Twilight discovered Rainbow had resigned from the weather team the day after the funeral. Twilight, Pinkamena, Applejack, and Rarity orchestrated a search for their missing compatriot. To their dismay, they were never able to track her down. When Rainbow resurfaced, they would learn the true extent of her misery...