Owner of a Lonely Heart

Rainbow Dash felt herself breathing again, the pleasant feeling of air rushing into her aching nostrils. She could feel light press against her eyelids, but her eyes were not ready to open. She was too sore. As she began to regain her senses, she realized how uncomfortable the position of her body was. Rainbow tried her best to remember why she was here, but her head felt like a disaster, thoughts going everywhere. She laid there until she felt ready to expose her eyes.

The initial brightness of the sun blinded her, and only made her brain blurrier. Now more aware of her surroundings, she slowly and cautiously began to open her eyes, blinking often to keep them from drying out. She was eventually able to open them completely, but the sun’s glow kept her from seeing anything but a massive yellow ball defining the sky. She turned her gaze away from the sun, and looked ahead of her. It took a minute to finally get a picture of where she was.

A tree. Another tree. More trees! She was completely surrounded by trees, towering over her head like skyscrapers. She looked around, noticing the cold grass below her, and the miles and miles of woods in front of her.

She was lying on her side with her face in the grass, her back against one of the massive trees, and her legs spread. She felt the cool sensation of wind stroke through her +tattered hair, a few strands blocking her view.

Deciding to stand up, she moved her back legs, which shriveled in pain as her limbs registered the brutal new sensation of sheer pain encompassing her body. The pain caused Rainbow to shriek.

However, one place in particular hurt a lot worse than anywhere else: her upper back region. It was throbbing intensely, and Rainbow couldn’t really describe how weird and sore it felt.

For ten minutes Rainbow Dash writhed in pain, weeping with the only moisture left in her dry eyes. She was eventually able to move a muscle in her front hoof, using it to push up her weak body in an attempt to stand. At first, her hoof was too wobbly, and she fell down several times, causing her even more agony. But soon, she was able to get all four hooves on the ground.

She stood up, hooves trembling. Her victory wouldn’t last though.

She was too exhausted to even walk, and she felt dizzy. Dash slowly shut her eyes, and fell over.

The shriek caused several birds to vacate the trees they had been resting in. Rainbow was hyperventilating from the excruciating pain coming from her upper back. Dash felt blood stream from the injury, causing her to panic even more. But then she felt it. The cuts, the bruises, the scrapes. They were all over her body.

Rainbow, as quickly as possible, twisted onto to her belly, sobbing uncontrollably. She had her mouth clenched tightly, occasionally opening it to scream in an attempt to ease the excruciating pain. She was banging her hooves on the ground, trying to deal with the awful sensation that racked her body.

As time went by, the stinging in her back finally subsided to a point where Dash could actually figure out what was causing the torture. Rainbow Dash opened her tear filled eyes, and ever so slowly began to twist her head. She didn’t want to put any more stress on her body. She couldn’t take it anymore. From the corner of her eye, Rainbow caught a glimpse of the area causing her so much pain.

Her screams could have ruptured somepony’s’ eardrums.

“My- my wings!” Dash was wailing over and over again. They looked as though they were destroyed. Feathers were torn off, they were covered in scratches and cuts, and they were bent in an awkward position. They were very obviously broken. Blood at the base evidenced that she had at some point fallen right on top of them.

Rainbow Dash was in shock. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She was going crazy, terrifying thoughts rushing into her broken mind. What if she lost her wings? What if nopony found her? What if somepony was doing this to her on purpose?

Then it clicked, her memory returning.

She remembered that she had been attempting a Sonic Rainboom, when all of a sudden… she stopped. Stopped everything. Her body, her thoughts, her control. All because of Gilda! She had ruined Dash’s reason for living. All because of the- the- Dash didn't want to think of it now.

She remembered being shot violently back into the air, and not even caring. She went soaring to who knows where, and then lost consciousness.

“HELP! SOMEPONY PLEASE HELP ME!” cried Dash in agony. She was frightened. She hadn't even been this frightened at Romeo Delight. In Dash’s mind, a slow and agonizing death was, by far, the worst possible way of dying.

Dash called out for help for what felt like an hour, and when nopony came, she lost faith that anyone was going to. She couldn't walk. She had likely injured a leg so badly it prevented her from taking even a single step, and her wings were definitely out of the question.

She cried. With all of the energy left in her she bawled. She was leaving the world in the worst way possible: being remembered as an awful pony, losing her prized wings that she loved, and being tormented by time as the pain got worse and worse.

She felt her head going black. She became motionless…

“Oh my, oh my, what do we have here? Could it be a sickened pony, or an antlerless deer?”

That voice. She recognized it. She just couldn’t remember who it was.

“I must help this pony who is in need, before she becomes delectable animal feed!”

Help. Help! Someone was rescuing her! But Dash was weak, and losing consciousness, unable to notice what was going on. Then she finally lost all awareness of the world.

The taste of some terrible liquid filled the mouth of the awakening pegasus. Dash was regaining her sight, feeling much better than when she had woke up suddenly in the sunny woods.

Rainbow heard strange, unique music. It was only conga drums, but they were playing an intense beat.

Dash could now see where she was. It looked familiar.

It was a hut with a very outlandish style to it. It looked as though it was inside of a log. As she looked around she realized it was. Bookshelves crowded with books and potions filled the spaces inside the area, and she noticed bubbling liquid spurting from glass bottles. Chilling masks were hung about the structure, staring down at Dash.

Rainbow attempted to move, but a strong force brought her right back down. Leather straps. She was lying on her belly on a table, with a muzzle wrapped around her snout. A strange sense of fear swept through Rainbow’s body. She was sure something bad was going to happen.

But then the weird taste of fluid washed around inside her mouth. It tasted absolutely awful, so, within a second, Dash spat out the disgusting liquid. She began to breathe heavily, and as she did, a door slammed open, a mysterious figure covered by a cloak walking in.

“Hey you! What are you doing to me!? What the hell is up with this table!? This is-”

The figure grabbed onto its cloak with its hoof and in an instant revealed herself to Dash. She knew this place looked familiar.

“Zecora!” Rainbow shouted in delight. “Oh my gosh! Thank you! I- I- I have no idea- how I could ever repay you but-“

“Hmmm, this is indeed very strange. How is it that you know my name?”

Rainbow looked at Zecora extremely confused.

“Don’t you remember me? I’m Rainbow Dash! Friend of Twilight Sparkle!” she said hoping to jog Zecora’s memory.

“That my friend is not true. For Rainbow’s coat is a different hue.” She said promptly.

Rainbow was quite bewildered by Zecora's words.

“Zecora! What are you talking about!? What do you mean a different hue!?”

Zecora also looked puzzled, though not as much as Dash, who now beginning to look frightened. Zecora glanced over at another table. There was a mirror was placed directly on top of it. The zebra slowly walked over to it and grabbed it. She then walked back over to Rainbow Dash, looking at her with powerful eyes.

“If what I say you do not believe, then see for yourself that I do not deceive.” Zecora turned the mirror toward Dash showing her her whole reflection. Dash just stared. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Dash’s gleaming, breathtaking cyan coat had turned into a stunning shade of brown that covered her entire body. Her gorgeous rainbow styled hair had turned jet black, and was even messier than it was before, as well as her long, muddled tail. Her deep, beautiful eyes had turned to a glowing white color, beaming with brightness as they stared directly at the eyes in her reflection.

Dash began to hyperventilate as a rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins. She thought she was in a dream. Maybe nopony rescued her. Could this be… death? No, it was all too real to be her imagination. But what happened?

Dash was speechless. She tried to speak, but the only thing that came out were gasps and stutters. She kept looking back and forth between Zecora and the mirror, trying to find the right words to say.

“But… this isn’t right! This… it can’t be right! Zecora! Something must’ve happened! I’m telling the truth! I’m Rainbow Dash!”

Zecora stared at Dash, looking perplexed. What she was saying was sounding pretty convincing from her pleading tone, but obviously Rainbow did not look like this.

“Your words seem very convincing to me. Wait here pony and let me go to where you were brought to me, and I will tell you what I see.”

Zecora immediately turned and rushed toward the door, grabbing a semi-large bag from a nearby table. She hopped up the steps, and went outside. She slammed the door shut behind her. Dash considered following her to see where she was going. She raised herself up but was brought roughly down to the table. Zecora had forgotten to untie her.

“Zecora, Wait! You forgot to…! Forget it…” Rainbow called, giving up.

Dash could hardly move her body at all in her situation. It was uncomfortable, and was driving her crazy. She could only move her head a few inches in each direction. She tried to wiggle her wings, but when she tried her back screamed in pain, and she remembered what happened.

Dash panicked. Given what she could remember, her wings were probably still badly damaged. She twitched and shuddered just thinking about them. She realized she was waving her wings around. When she moved even a feather on her tattered wings, a feeling of discomforted came over her. She continued fidgeting, despite being strapped down, for several minutes, maybe even hours, until she heard the sound of rushing hooves coming from outside. Freedom was near.

The door barged open as Zecora, with a very worried look, ran in, almost tripping on the floor trying to reach Rainbow Dash. She was carrying a bag in her mouth that she quickly spat on the floor near Rainbow Dash, and ran toward her strapped down body. The relief was apparent on Rainbow’s face, thinking Zecora may have found an answer to her problem.

Trying to catch her breath, Zecora attempted to speak to Rainbow.

“What seems to be coming to my ears have been giving me the worst of fears.” Zecora said worriedly.

Dash’s expression turned to apprehension. That wasn’t what she had wanted to hear.

“Zecora… what are you talking about!? What’s happening-”

Zecora placed her hoof inside the bag, and pulled out some weird looking plants that Rainbow had never seen before. They all bore colors of white, pink, and purple, somehow depicting faces with different expressions and emotions. Dash didn’t look too sure of what was happening.

“This plant is known as the reminiscence clematis. A very rare plant indeed, none the less. It bears colors of no harm, but be warned; these flowers often cause great alarm.”

Rainbow stared at the zebra uncomprehendingly.

“So… what do they do?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, if I’m not mistaken, these plants of disaster can give your appearance quite a shakin’.”

'No! Really!?' Rainbow thought to herself.

“What’s the cure, Zecora!? I can’t go back home looking… like…” Rainbow couldn't finish her sentence.

There was no home.

The town hated everything about her now, probably even more so after what happened at the competition. Judging by their expressions, her friends no longer accepted her in their world. They were probably doing just fine without her messing things up, she thought to herself. Moving back to Cloudsdale wasn't an option. Everypony there knew about what happened. There would only be more hatred. Moving to other cities across Equestria wouldn’t help either. Even if she wasn't popular across Equestria, Gilda would just follow her and ruin her reputation wherever she went.

There was no love. No second chances.

Zecora walked over to her bookshelf and grabbed a book that looked shockingly familiar to the one that had the cure for poison joke. It looked like it hadn’t been opened in ages. Dust filled the air as Zecora blew on the cover She then opened it up, flipping through the pages looking for the specific plant.

When she stopped, a look of extreme terror filled Zecora’s now sweating face…

“This can not be good…” Rainbow said aloud quietly.

“If these words are not mistaking me, the cure is a complete mystery.”

Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat when she heard Zecora say those life-changing words.

It was all too much for Dash to hear. Her life was being torn apart right in front of her. Her identity was gone. Forever! Nopony would ever know what happened to her when she disappeared. Her life as the energetic, comical, heroic pony… ended on such a terrible note. Rainbow slowly brought her head down to the wooden surface. She began to sob. She just couldn’t accept the information being presented to her.

“However…”

Dash immediately opened an eye at the sound of the voice that spoke of hope. She raised her head and stared directly at Zecora who looked as if she had found something.

“There is an old riddle here that is believed to be a cure for it, but listen up, for it’s hard to get.

Say you don’t want to chance it,

You’ve been hurt so before.

There’s no real reason to be lonely,

Give your free will a chance,

It will give a better start.”

Rainbow looked at Zecora with uncertainty.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Rainbow thought to herself. 'Of all the ways to explain a cure for an unusual sickness like this, it had to be a stupid proverb!?'

“If you are Rainbow Dash, as you speak, then true memories are what you seek.”

'Wait… she actually understood that!?'

“How does that make any sense!?” Rainbow yelled in frustration. “I already lived my memories! And I'm not doing it again!”

“A recollection doesn’t have to be a memory of a specific time, it could be a place or thing giving you a sign.”

Rainbow went silent. She was thinking. Hard.

“But how? How? How!?” Rainbow was now yelling. Zecora backed away from the shouting Pegasus, who was now breathing deeply.

“That can’t be serious! It makes no sense. Why did… how could it…” Rainbow gave up. She just couldn’t understand the message.

Zecora walked up to Rainbow Dash, placing her hoof upon her tied up body.

“I cannot tell if you are truly Rainbow Dash, but let me tell you this before you crash.” Dash’s teary eyes looked into Zecora’s sympathetic ones. She saw optimism, and it gave her a feeling of confidence.

“Sometimes it takes forever, to truly understand why we were brought here whatsoever.”

A tiny but bright smile lit upon Dash’s gloomy face.

Suddenly a bell rang. It was some sort of clock that made a weird, loud, and alarming sound. There were no numbers on it, but Zecora shot her head in the direction of the contraption.

“Oh how time has wasted away, it seems to be the middle of the day. My sincere apologies, but I think it's time for you to leave.”

Dash gave Zecora a stubborn look, attempting to breaking free from her bonds. Zecora returned it with an embarrassed one.

“Oh. My mistake. Give me a minute and those ropes will break.” Zecora walked over to what looked like a wooden cupboard. She reached in and took out an extremely large and sharp butcher knife. Dash could hear her own heartbeat.

Almost blindly, Zecora slammed down the knife in five different spots near Dash. Dash yelped with every hit, but was soon able to rise. Blood returned to her extremities as she gingerly began to step down, her back facing Zecora.

“Might I add young Pegasus, do not use your shattered wings, and please don’t forget.” cautioned Zecora. “For if they’re put in any stress, they might have to be put to rest.”

Dash remembered her damaged wings, and the thought of them being like that almost made her lose her balance. She turned her head, and instead of seeing her destroyed attachments, she saw a large bandage wrapped around her entire midsection.

“When will I be able to use them again!?” Rainbow asked very anxiously.

“Come to me say… one day per week, and I'll tell you the answers you seek.” Zecora said delightfully. Rainbow came up to her and gave her a massive hug.

“Thank you so much for saving my life Zecora!” Rainbow said with tears of joy, but there was one thing that bothered her.

“Zecora… what was that awful stuff that was in my mouth when I woke up?” asked Dash, puzzled. Zecora smiled and blushed.

“Why are you smiling?” Dash asked.

“Oh, it was something just some medicine to ease the pain…”

Dash gave a sigh of relief.

“…made up of insect skin and beetle brains.”

Dash nearly hurled.

Rainbow knew her way back to Ponyville from Zecora’s hut, but being grounded didn’t exactly make it easy. She walked, which felt really strange, since she usually flew everywhere.

For once in Dash’s life, she began looking around and admiring the scenery.

She had began trotting on the long and winding trail, which only led to more never ending dirt roads, but something in the back of her head just kept troubling her.

Say you don’t want to chance it,

You’ve been hurt so before.

There’s no real reason to be lonely,

Give your free will a chance,

It will give a better start.

It meant nothing to Dash. It didn't, in any way, spark anything within her. Dash was no poet, but that stuff was just too confusing. It could mean so many different things, and she didn’t know where to start. She began thinking about all of the events that had just recently occurred.

She stopped in the middle of the road. The flashbacks. They were returning! They were haunting her! She tried her best to get rid of them. The embarrassment, the torture, the misery. Dash closed her eyes. She couldn’t break free from the grief her mind was giving her. She lay down on the ground, putting her hooves over her eyes.

More memories. They were flooding in! Her mother, Gilda, her friends. They were tearing her apart! Dash was now shaking. The pain was overpowering her.

Dash screamed at the top of her lungs. This was going to be harder than she thought. She was going to have to deal with her new body for a while until she could find out the answer. Dash began to run, trying to escape the recollections of her past. More and more. She couldn’t take it!

“Anything. Oh anything! Just make it stop!” Rainbow was now yelling out loud.

Just then a bright light streaked across her eyes, some sort of reflection was blinding her. It startled her, making her jump back in surprise.

'What was that?' she thought.

Rainbow Dash stared at the top of the trees. Something red was flapping in the wind. A flag maybe? But there was something below it. A yellow top? It had to be a building, Dash was sure of that much. But what was it? A closer look answered her question.

There was a metal pony, painted bright purple, circling the peak of the structure. The building was Carousel Boutique. She had arrived at Ponyville.

A feeling of suspense entered Dash’s sweating body. How would they react to her? And more importantly, how would they react to the large white bandage that was on her? Rainbow was fearful of seeing the eyes that had once degraded her, and she wondered how life and reality was going to treat her this time. She made a decision, and walked forward to the end of the trail, and the entrance to Ponyville.

As she entered town, she began to walk along the guiding roads. The town seemed so… different than when she was Rainbow Dash. She walked on the streets, still not too sure on where to go. But then she had an idea. Why not pay a visit to somepony special?

Sugarcube Corner was the best place in town and her best friend’s business. It was a special chance to see an amazing friend again. But Dash wasn't thinking of what had changed.

Ponies were staring at her. It only made sense that they would. Her shiny brown coat gleamed in the setting sun, and her messy black hair bounced as she walked the streets. In addition to being new, the giant wrappings around her midsection were very noticeable. Ponies walked by with faces of sorrow, most likely feeling sympathetic of her injury. Surprisingly, none of them laughed or looked at her in disgust this time.

She knew her way to the bakery blindfolded, she used to go there almost every day to talk to Pinkie Pie, who always had a smile on her face. There was never a dull moment with her, always turning something into a joke or something just completely random, even when it didn’t make sense or didn't fit the mood.

The store looked open, so Dash trotted in with a smile on her face. It felt like she was playing the ultimate prank on her friend. Pinkie would have no idea it was her! Dash opened the door with a spirited smile and glanced around the fine store. She tried to find her blissful friend, knowing she would be here, but then the smile was wiped off her face.

Dash couldn’t explain the horror of what she saw behind the counter.

Pinkie rarely looked sad. In fact she never looked sad, but right now Pinkie was looking miserable. Her hair was even crazier than her usual Pinkie style, and it looked like she hadn’t cared for it in days. Her lips showed an expression of true depression, taking up a lot of room on her dejected face. Her ears were turned down, and she had bloodshot eyes, which probably meant she hadn’t slept in a while.

Pinkie didn’t even lift her head when she heard Dash come in, the bell ringing on the door. Dash tilted her head to the side in confusion.

'This can't be good…' Dash thought.

Rainbow decided to find out why Pinkie was acting like this. It just wasn’t like her to be depressed like this. Rainbow Dash slowly walked up to the table, and placed her brown hoof on top. She thought of something on the spot, though even she had to admit it sounded cheesy.

“Uh… excuse me… but uh… are you Pinkie Pie?” Dash said as nicely as possible.

Pinkie raised her discouraged face to look at Rainbow, her eyes shot through Dash’s like a canon.

“Yes…” Pinkie mumbled dishearteningly. Rainbow Dash could barely make out what she was saying.

“You look kind of… well… sad. Is everything all right?” Dash said.

Pinkie’s head rose with confusion, she didn’t know what to say to that.

“I… I… was just wondering if there was anything I can do to help… I’ve heard you’re usually so happy… and well… if that…” Dash began to regret what she was saying. Pinkie’s eyes started to shine as her lips began to tremble. Dash could now hear sniffles coming from her once happy friend. Dash felt horrible about herself.

Pinkie’s face looked down at the ground, and Dash could see tears’ coming down Pinkie’s torn face.

“Sorry! Please I'm sorry! I- I didn’t mean for you to-” Dash couldn’t finish her sentence. She felt a cold sense of guilt rise in her for what she had just done. She made her best friend… cry! She made an prompt decision and quickly walked away from the scene. Thank god the bakery was vacant. She couldn’t afford another bad reputation in this town.

Dash had no idea where she was going to go. The sun was setting, and she still didn’t have a place to sleep for the night. Her top priority of going to the town hall to receive a place to stay was unaccomplished to say the least. Dash knew of a place, though it wasn’t her first choice of places to go. The Ponyville Inn. An unsightly, run-down old place where few travelers went when they came to town. First nights were always free, but if she didn’t have a place to sleep by tomorrow, she'd be on the streets.

She walked inside the booth where a beefy colt stood behind the counter.

“Welcome to the Inn. First nights are free. Yeah, yeah. Would you like first or second floor?” he said in monotone.

“Anywhere’s fine.” Dash replied.

“Whatever. Room 21 it is.” He said back, grabbing a key. Dash snatched it from his disgusting mouth.

Dash headed toward her room, which included only a bed, a table, and a broken lamp. She crashed onto the bed feeling extremely guilty for what she had just done to Pinkie. A horrible feeling that burned her body.

She was extremely tired; the whole day had just been insane. She had forgotten to ask Zecora when she had rescued her from her near death experience. She assumed a very long time. Injuries like that don’t just disappear a few short hours after happening. She could’ve been under that tree for days! Keeping a low profile was hard enough when you were new, even without walking blindly from the chilling forest with a big bright bandage around your back.

Dash was soon fast asleep. Nothing was there to disturb her.

Or so she thought.

A vision, of a sort, of something Dash found… odd. It was just a cloud, with a severe downpour of rain. The cloud triggered something in Dash’s thoughts. She’d seen it before. She’s seen it so many times it was almost a part of her.

The rain droplets began changing color. Red… now orange… now yellow. The colors were changing in the pattern of the rainbow. The vision of the rain was closing in on the inside of the cloud. Like an opening portal, the colors began to form a picture. Gilda.

She was smiling at Dash amiably. Then Gilda’s eyes began to twitch. They were turning angrier, gazing down at Dash. The toothy grin was slowly turning into something evil. A wicked sneer was blossoming on her face. Her sharp claws raised into the air, appearing larger than normal. A cry of anger came from Gilda’s insane face. The claws swiped down right in front of her. It was like she was actually living it. The force brought red streaks in her hallucination, evolving into a frightening dark black color as Dash heard laughter from Gilda.

“NO!” Dash yelled, waking up in her bed. Her body was covered in sweat, the dim light of the morning sun causing every bead to stand out against her coat. In her entire life she had never had a dream as real as that. Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember the last time she even dreamt at all.

Dash looked around in panic, still making sure she wasn’t dead. She was relieved, and as her mind focused, she remembered something important. Today she had to try to get her cloud house back. Or at least a better place than this to live in. She couldn't stand, nor afford, another night in this dump.

She promptly got out of bed and landed on the ground. She stretched her body out, popping her aching bones, and began to walk to the door.

When she placed her hoof upon the knob, she began thinking about the dream.

'What the hell was that? I've never experienced anything like that before.'

She turned the knob with ease, and eased open the door, letting a little more light into the hideous room.

'Maybe that's the solution to this crisis! Maybe it has to do with Gilda! What if-'

“SURPRISE!” called out an extremely energetic voice.

Dash cried out in fear as she was brought to the ground unexpectedly by party noises and confetti, nearly landing on her devastated wings.

The sight blinded her, and she moved her hoof above her face to block the light from reaching it. She squinted her eyes to try to depict what was going on.

Dash felt a tight grip on her shoulder as she was lifted swiftly into the air, and whisked outside. She looked around to see confetti still in the air, and who she saw standing around her left her awestruck.

It was so unbelievable, she wasn't completely sure she had stopped dreaming. The smiling faces of her four friends that she thought hated her. But she realized she wasn't Rainbow Dash anymore. Twilight, AppleJack, and Rarity, with Fluttershy standing slightly apart from the others, her hair covering parts of the nervous expression on her face. They all had their eyes on her, their faces, with the exception of Fluttershy, full of delight.

Rainbow feigned surprise, looking stunned and full of curiosity at the sight. She felt a tug on her shoulder as she realized there was somepony's hoof around her neck. Using just her eyes to look to the side, she noticed the hoof was hot pink.

“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie, and this is your welcome and thank you party! I'm so excited that you could make it!” Pinkie explained vigorously.

Dash was perplexed. She thought she made Pinkie miserable just a few hours ago. Why was she throwing a party for her?

“I… I don’t understand? Why… I thought you hated me.” Rainbow Dash said shyly.

“Why would I hate the pony that turned my frown upside down!? You really helped me out yesterday by saying those words. I mean, I don’t even know your name and you offered to help me in my time of need! I owe you, and I'm repaying you by giving you a big awesome party!” Pinkie explained in true happiness.

Typical Pinkie Pie, Dash thought to herself.

“I would like to introduce you to my friends. Um, oh, this is tricky. I don’t suppose I know your name. Hmm… let me guess by that cloud cutie mark you got there!

Dash’s eyes opened, stunned, fear creeping into her body.

She hadn’t even thought about looking at her cutie mark! She had no idea if it had changed or not. She turned her head toward it, trying to catch a glimpse of what it showed.

Her jaw hit the floor.

It was just like her old one, except now the thunder was gone! It was just more clouds that all looked like… oh god. The one that from her nightmare! She confirmed that that dream was special.

'Nice going, Dash! You had hours and hours to think but you didn’t come up with a name!?' she chastised herself.

“Hmmm, Trotty!?” Pinkie guessed.

'Come on Dash, you gotta think of something quick!'

“…Rain Storm!?” Pinkie guessed again.

'Think of something clever!'

“Fire house!?” guessed Pinkie.

'Bleach! No! Chicken Foot… that sounds lame!'

“Ok, I give up! What is it!?”

“Shutter Cloud!” Dash blurted out.

“Cool! It’s very nice to meet ya Shutter! Hey! That rhymes with butter! And butter is in the cake I made for you at my shop! C’mon everypony, let’s party at Sugar Cube!” Pinkie screamed.

Another shot of confetti shot from the party cannons that were placed in front of the door, and everypony cheered. Pinkie signaled for Dash to follow her, and Dash did as she was told. Before she knew it, all of her once great friends were walking beside her with contentment and enthusiasm. They were treating her like she was part of the group again.

Pinkie started the conversation.

“So! Back to the introductions, that purple brainiac over there is-”

“Twilight Sparkle…”

Everypony stared at her…

'oh no… you weren’t supposed to know that!' Dash thought.

“How did ya know that?” AppleJack spoke up.

“Oh- I mean- who doesn’t know the Princess’s star pupil! I mean... everypony in Cloudsdale talks about her!”

“Looks like you got yourself a fan base coming along Twilight dear!” Rarity said jokingly. Everypony laughed, including Rainbow, but she was laughing because they actually bought it!

“So what convinced you ta move along here to this fine little town Shutter?” Apple Jack asked.

“Oh, uh, I grew up in Cloudsdale, and I stayed there for almost all of my life. It was a tough decision, but I guess my own problems forced me here.” Dash explained, confident in her lie.

“Problems? What type of problems?” Twilight asked. Rainbow showed Twilight her bruised back and the bandages.

“How did you get that?” Twilight asked in shock.

“Twilight! It's rather rude to ask somepony about their personal problems!” Rarity said in disgust. But then Rarity turned her head to look at Rainbow’s bruised up back.

“My apologies Shutter, but may I ask how did you get those injuries on your back?” Rairty asked embarrassed. Everypony except Rainbow turned their head toward Rarity in anger, knowing that Rarity could be such a hypocrite sometimes.

“Oh this? An accident. A rather rough one, too.” She said not really knowing what else to say.

“Will it be there… for good?” Rarity asked, her friends giving her even angrier looks at her question.

“I’m not to really sure. They might-“

“Okay! Let’s change the subject! Oh no! I forgot to introduce everypony else! This pony right here with the funny accent is Apple Jack, she works on that farm you probably saw on your way here. That fancy schmancy pretty pony over there is Rarity. She owns that huge building near the end of town called Carousel Boutique. And this pony… wait… where’s Fluttershy!?”

“Here,” came a small voice from behind them. Everypony turned their head as they noticed the quiet Pegasus was trailing behind the group. Faces turned to sympathy, as they knew their friend was extremely introverted when meeting new ponies, even when she was around friends.

“It’s okay Fluttershy! Come on up here! I’m sure that Shutter here doesn’t bite. You don’t do you?” Pinkie asked.

“What? Of course not.” Dash said, chuckling. She moved a bit to the right as Pinkie brought the timid Fluttershy right up next to Dash.

“Um, hi.” Fluttershy said, giving a nervous squeal at the end of her sentence, afraid she may have done something wrong.

“Shutter Cloud, this is Fluttershy! She’s literally the best pet sitter anypony could ask for in all of Equestria! She even helped me find my pet alligator that I still have today! His name is Gummy!”

Dash gave Fluttershy a friendly smile, who returned it with a nervous glance.

Dash took a while to realize she could be living a better life, with a whole new identity. She began to consider telling Zecora to blow off the whole “find a blast from the past” idea, and maybe stick around as Shutter Cloud. Yeah, she liked the sound of that. She had already become friends with all of her old friends, who seemed to love her more than ever. Nopony had changed a bit since she had left as far as Dash could tell.

“We’re here!” Pinkie shouted out in glee. While Rainbow had been lost in thought, they had walked all of the way to Sugar Cube Corner, and within a second, Pinkie rushed toward the door and opened it to allow everypony in.

“This place should look to familiar to you Shutter.” Pinkie said as Rainbow walked in.

'Oh… you have no idea.' Dash thought to herself.

As was typical for a Pinkie Pie party, the music rang through the ears of the partying ponies as they feasted and danced. A large cake with the words “Welcome and thank you so very much” spelled out in decorative frosting adorned a table in the middle of the room. A feeling of enjoyment and relaxation flooded through Dash. It was as if she didn’t have a care in the world anymore.

“Psst. Excuse me darling. Shutter Cloud, could you come here for a quick second?” whispered a voice coming from a point near Dash. She was standing next to the staircase that went up to a hallway of rooms, where Pinkie slept and did many of her planning activities while she wasn’t working or out having fun.

Dash’s looked up, seeing bouncy, purple hair and a face full of satisfaction look down on her.

“Up here. I need to tell you something.” said Rarity.

Rainbow felt anticipation run through her veins. She was talking to a pony that hated her in one form, but respected her in another. It felt weird, but at the same time good.

Dash turned toward the stairs and climbed them as fast as possible, being led into a hallway with Rarity.

“This way. I don’t want anypony seeing us.” Rarity said. Rainbow followed Rarity into the only room with an open door, which turned out to be Pinkie’s bedroom, and Rarity closed the door behind her. She turned back at Dash with a smile and watery eyes.

“I cannot thank you enough for what you did for Pinkie. You made her the happiest pony in the world because of the things you said.” Rarity said, very happy herself.

“No problem. I had no idea she was just so… sad like that.” Dash replied, and she really meant it.

Rarity’s face changed to a painful frown and she moved toward the window. Staring out at the afternoon sky, she began to talk with a rough voice.

“There was a Pegasus here, not too long ago, who betrayed all of us by not telling us information that we could’ve really needed to know about her.”

Rainbow’s heart jumped. She was talking about… her.

“She was a great friend to us, especially to Pinkie. They did practically everything together, but then something came out. A story that revealed the dark side of her that ruined her life… and I believed she deserved it.”

A rush of grief went through Dash’s body. Did she deserve it?

“Everypony you see down there tried not to believe the hard truth, but I mean, who didn’t see that ugly as dirt pony with the scar on his arm walking around town!? Not to mention the pictures that were shown… wait, you probably don't understand what the story was… let’s just say it ended badly.”

Rainbow nodded.

“The ponies down there were worried… that their friend would do something to herself that she would regret… and one day… she did… in front of everypony.”

The information of the scene from Rarity’s point of view interested Rainbow Dash. She finally understood why Rarity looked so angry at the competition.

“She disappeared… for good… and right now she’s dead. I mean… it has been two weeks since it happened, and there’s been no word of her… even when they searched for her.”

Dash was surprised to hear that they had searched for her. She thought nopony would even raise a hoof to help her. Then again, they were probably forced to find the corpse. It only made sense.

“My apologies. You probably still don’t understand what I’m blabbing about. You see, she was a sports pony, and she was doing this very complicated move at a competition… and she failed. She was then thrown back into the woods, and hasn't been seen since. I thought everypony would have been glad to see her go, and most of them were. But many actually felt sorry for her, can you believe it!? I mean seriously, I wouldn’t raise a hoof for her even if she did make it out alive!” Rarity began rambling.

The sudden mood shift from calm to anger on Rarity’s face frightened Dash, and she took a step back. Rarity looked at the scared pony.

“I’m getting off topic… aren't I? My apologies. It’s just… let’s just say you would have probably reacted the same way as me if you were in my horseshoes.” Rarity said, calming down. Dash returned to her previous position, and Rarity took a deep breath.

“Pinkie just lost it, and everypony knew why. She locked herself in the bakery for four days! She lived off disgusting fatty foods for 96 hours… oh gracious just imagine her breath!”

Rainbow smiled at Rarity’s overly dramatic complaints, but the smile soon left her.

'Four days?' Rainbow thought.

“She came out one day, her hair was a mess, she was as dirty as a dog, but mostly she was void of all emotions, and became this awful pile of… depressing, broken pieces. She ignored everypony that made an attempt to greet her, and if she did reply, it was nothing more than a rude mumble. A raincloud stood over her head for days, until I decided to visit her at the shop and knock some sense into her. When I came in, it was like a fountain was coming from her eyes. She was holding a picture… of her and… the pony that disappeared.”

Dash stood there, stunned beyond belief. Pinkie… had missed her.

“She was calling out the name of the Pegasus that departed, and I left there as fast as I could. I started worrying about her to the point where I thought she would just end it all for herself. That is until you came.”

A smile planted itself on Rarity’s face.

“Now whatever you said last night must’ve triggered something in her head. Whatever it was, I could never thank you enough for it. When she came knocking on my door with the happiest expression I’ve ever seen anypony have, saying “we have to go to the Inn”, I thought a miracle had just happened. You made my friend happy in her time of need, and for that, you’ve earned my respect as a friend.”

Dash still couldn’t get over that somepony cared for her. Somepony she thought she had lost.

“Thank you Rarity. I can’t wait to see you more.” Dash replied, almost speechless. The story came close to making her cry.

“No problem. Come, let us go enjoy the rest of the blissful celebration!”

Nopony was really sure how long the party lasted, time seemed to lose track of itself it went by so fast. Dash had never enjoyed hanging out and socializing with her friends as much as she did that night. It was weird discussing things she’d heard millions of times from her friends, but it was cool hearing them again anyway. Then Pinkie made an announcement.

“Okay everypony! I’ve hoped you all enjoyed yourselves tonight! And I’m proud to say Shutter Cloud is our new truly best friend in the whole wide world now! But I’m afraid it is time to leave! Have nice trips home.”

'Home… oh no! A home!' Dash thought. Dash had missed her chance to get a new one from the town hall! This was very bad.

“Oh no,” Dash said aloud. Everypony’s eyes turned to her in both confusion and curiosity.

“Oh Shutter, I know you’ve enjoyed your first great party, but I promise there’ll be more where that came from.” Pinkie said trying to cheer her up.

“No, it’s not that, not that at all. It’s just… I don’t have a place to stay… at the moment,” she admitted. Everypony let out a short gasp, and began discussing this, trying to see if any of them could give Shutter a place to sleep for the night.

“The library is too messy!”

“Mah little Apple Bloom is havin’ another one of those sleepovers. I don’t want to put Shutter through that. She might go crazy and move outta town.”

“The Boutique is getting fixed up!”

“I gotta clean up this party!”

Rainbow Dash sighed. Looks like it’s to the streets.

“I could do it… if that’s all right with Shutter.”

Everypony turned their heads toward the volunteering voice. The kind and shy face of Fluttershy appeared from the corner of the room as she began to talk.

“I don’t think the animals will mind her at all. Plus, I love sleeping on the couch. She can have the cozy bed.”

Throughout the duration of the party, Fluttershy had only spoke to Rainbow three times, and then had only discussed her passion for animals. If Rainbow had not already known about Fluttershy’s social problems, she would have thought Fluttershy was a very odd and helpless pony. But she was her childhood friend that she stood up for. She may have treated her like dirt at times (feeling very bad about it afterwards), but she was the kindest pony anypony could ever meet.

“What do you think Shutter?” asked Twilight.

“Yeah, that would be wonderful Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy smiled, probably feeling good about what she had done for her new friend.

Fluttershy walked up to Dash.

“I’ll show you the way. It’s right next to the Everfree forest, and is very peaceful,” Fluttershy said in a quiet, passive tone.

“Bye everypony.” Shutter said.

They all said their farewells, Pinkie saying goodbye with a mouth full of cake, as Dash and Fluttershy went outside into the fading day. There was an awkward silence between the two while they were walking home, neither of them having the courage to start a conversation. However, Dash didn't notice. She was too busy in her thoughts.

She was thinking of herself. Of how she was being loved by the best friends anypony could ask for. She was being treated with respect and they all seemed to have accepted her into the group. She thought about leaving Rainbow Dash behind, and moving on as Shutter Cloud.

If her wings healed, Rainbow thought, beaming, she could go back to competing! She would once again become the best flyer, and blow everypony away. It was a dream come true, she was being given a second chance.

“I know Angel is just going to love you” Fluttershy spoke up, and Rainbow lost her train of thought.

“Uh, wha?” Rainbow replied. Fluttershy looked embarrassed.

“Oh. Sorry, um, he’s my pet bunny.” Fluttershy said. Then Rainbow remembered Angel.

“Oh yeah! He’s a cool animal isn’t he?” Rainbow said, realizing too late her mistake.

'Shoot! I wasn’t supposed to say that!' she began to think

“Um, what? You’ve met angel before?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“Uh, No! I meant to say they’re great. Those rabbits… they’re really cool things.” Rainbow said with a bad poker face.

“Oh I know! Aren’t they just the cutest things ever! One time I tried giving one as a pet to my friend Rainbow Dash but…” Fluttershy froze, an expression of gloom beginning to show.

Rainbow stopped and looked into Fluttershy’s eyes. It seemed like she was reliving a memory. They stood there for many moments.

“Uh, Fluttershy?” Rainbow spoke in a cautious voice.

“Yes?” Fluttershy replied in a strange high pitched voice. Something was up.

“Are you…?”

“I’m fine!” Fluttershy replied in a sharp tone, her expression turning to anger.

Fluttershy had never spoken like that to Rainbow before. An awkward feeling permeated the air. Fluttershy’s face began to fill with grief.

“I’m… I’m so sorry! I… I never do that! Oh please-“

“It’s all right Fluttershy. I’ve done that to a friend before too, only I went too far.” Rainbow said remembering that instance with Twilight.

As Rainbow and Fluttershy reached the cottage, Rainbow was greeted by all of the animals that Fluttershy kept outside. The birds flew around her body. The woodland creatures snuggled up to her legs, drawing a chuckle from Rainbow.

“I knew you would love it here Shutter.” Fluttershy said with a smile on her face. She opened the door and allowed Rainbow into a room filled with even more animals. Just like she had remembered; so peaceful, so nice.

“It’s still a little early, but I can show you where you sleep if you like.” Fluttershy said.

Rainbow still had animals covering her body.

“Sure! That would be awesome!” Rainbow replied with a smile. Fluttershy signaled her animals to get off of the guest, and told Shutter to follow her as she flew up into the staircase. Rainbow had never been in the bedroom before.

The staircase led straight into the quiet, lovely room. On one side of a window that looked into the forest was a rather bland fireplace, and on the other was a standard sized bed with butterfly covers, and bird houses and nests dangling over it. To the side of that was a nightstand which held a few books and a lamp.

“Do you like it? I know it’s not fancy but I promise you’ll sleep like a rock.”

“It’s amazing Fluttershy. I can’t thank you enough for this.”

“Oh it’s nothing. that’s what a friend is for. I mean, you really helped Pinkie out so this is the least I could for you!”

Rainbow started walking around the place. It was the nicest thing anypony had ever done for her. Providing her with shelter and food. She wished she could do more for Fluttershy.

And then she saw the picture. Right on Fluttershy’s nightstand.

It was her, when she was still Rainbow Dash, with Fluttershy. They were fillies and Rainbow was in the air, both hooves on Fluttershy’s back with the happiest look she had ever seen on herself. Fluttershy had an adorable filly smile looking at Dash, who was looking right back. It was back when they first met each other. They were the best of friends.

Rainbow’s heart melted for the third time.

A tear rolled down Dash’s face as memories of when she and Fluttershy hung out assaulted her mind. She quickly wiped her eyes with her hoof.

“Oh Shutter, if you like the style in this room, oh just wait until you see the garden! It is just… um, Shutter? What are you looking at?” said Fluttershy, noticing Shutter was concentrating on something.

Rainbow didn’t reply. Fluttershy walked toward her, not saying a word. When Fluttershy noticed what Shutter was looking at, she too went silent.

A few moments passed, the quiet night breeze coming through the window. Silence filled the air. Fluttershy slowly moved her hooves toward the photo. She picked it up, and brought it toward her body. Rainbow watched Fluttershy, curious as to what she would do.

A small sob escaped Fluttershy’s mouth, tears filling one eye, then the other. Fluttershy sniffed, closing her eyes and allowing tears to stream down her face. Her arms began to tremble as her cries grew louder and louder.

A moment of silence, and then she broke down.

She began to bawl as streams of tears escaped her blinking eyes. Her ears fell, and the sounds she made told of true sorrow. Rainbow just watched in astonishment.

Fluttershy fell onto the bed belly first and covered her eyes with her hooves, her head buried in the covers. She would look up at the picture from time to time, the words “Rainbow Dash” barely audible in the cries. She was being torn apart, and there was nothing Dash could do about it.

'What… have I done?'