The Storm Breed: The Rising Storm Anthology

Over oceans green

And mountains of blue

Find me there

Walking the moon

Mareseille, Prance

Fluttershy

Rainbow isn’t here. Rainbow Dash isn’t here!

Fluttershy kept trying to tell herself that. She kept shouting the phrase inside her head, trying her best to raise the sound of her thoughts higher than the sound of the screams outside the tent. It wasn’t working, and she was only giving herself a headache.

She didn’t give up, though. She didn’t give up because Rainbow Dash would never give up. She didn’t give up because she couldn’t afford to lose focus. Too many ponies were relying on her right now.

“Fluttershy!” a Prench accented colt called to her from the opening of the tent, breaking her from her distraught trance.

“Yes?”

“We’ve got another for you. He is badly wounded. Can you handle it?”

****

Fluttershy wondered what that fiery light could have been. They saw it earlier, just below a massive floor of fog, shining in the distance like a lantern beam. As far she knew, they were still high above the Sapphiron Ocean, miles away from land, so she couldn’t think of anything that it might have been.

Now, the two phoenix-drawn chariots were diving through the clammy ocean-water fog. Fluttershy thought it was frightening enough--flying through the air over open water with the light of four blazing birds announcing your location--but when Twilight and Pinkie Pie had decided to investigate, it became just plain dangerous. Though, the cyan pegasus beside her seemed to be enjoying the high-speed flight over the ocean.

The phoenixes finally broke through the clouds, carrying the chariots into the clear air with just the slightest bump of turbulence. Fluttershy looked ahead, towards the direction of the light, and what she saw seemed to bring all of time to a screeching halt; even Rainbow Dash gasped beside her.

Below and just a mile ahead, a grand coastal city, which fanned out from a large harbor, stretched out along a heavily populated shore. Its white, Prench renaissance buildings lay bathed in that brilliant orange light, its source finally revealed. It was fire; a towering, long wall of it illuminated the city’s mountainous horizon; the eastern portion lay in burning ruin and looked bleak and skeletal. Massive pillars of black smoke rose up from the smoldering ruins, filling the night air and smothering Fluttershy with its stifling smell—a smell she didn’t want to guess the origin of. The western half of the city—the part closest to the shore and furthest from the fire—looked totally lifeless from so far up, the various structures dark and hollow, as if abandoned. Fluttershy couldn’t help but think that the worst had happened to the poor ponies of that city.

From their carriage, Twilight and Pinkie Pie looked on in horror, and Fluttershy could tell they were thinking the same thing.

“What should we do?” Twilight asked, having to shout over the whipping sound of the wind.

“We should go on ahead!” Rainbow answered, her eyes still locked on the apocalyptic sight.

Twilight pursed her lips and returned her gaze to the city. Fluttershy hoped that Twilight wouldn't listen to Rainbow. They knew what these ponies were going through. The Elysians had done the same thing in Equestria. What kind of monsters would the be if they simply abandoned them?

Twilight shook her head. “We can’t do this, Rainbow!”

Rainbow removed her eyes from the city and snapped her gaze to Twilight. “Twilight, we ca—“

“Twilight’s right, Rainbow,” Fluttershy began sweetly and placed a hoof on her friend’s back. “We can’t just watch.”

“We don’t have time for this!” the cyan pegasus complained.

“There are ponies down there that might need our help.”

“There are ponies in Equestria that need our help, too, Fluttershy!” Rainbow snapped.

Fluttershy knew she was right. They needed to hurry. Still though, she knew they couldn't ignore this. If they simply passed over this city, they would be no better than the Elysians. They couldn’t abandon their allies, especially at a time like this, when so many were losing their homes, just as they had. And just like the Equestrians, they deserved compassion.

“We’re helping them, Dash!” Twilight declared with a tone of finality.

Rainbow Dash’s shoulders slumped and she groaned. “Fine.”

With that, they took the reins and ordered the phoenixes toward the city.

After flying a mile inland, the chariots began descending towards a large open space on a cobblestone road, which ran behind a row of darkened ornate buildings. The only light that shone was the inferno burning several miles ahead. The distant inferno illuminated the streets, but the alleyways and corners were drenched in shadow. The emptiness of this place filled Fluttershy with an uncanny sense of dread. She could only guess that the citizens had been evacuated soon after the attack. She reasoned that this was a good thing, but the hollowness still sent chills up her spine.

As they drifted lower—now only sixty feet above the road—a sudden hint of movement in an alleyway ahead of them caught her eye. Several shuffling, amorphous shadows were running down the narrow path between two buildings straight towards them. Fluttershy couldn’t make out what they were; she could only see small and fleeting specks of glimmering silver, like metal churning in the dark. That sense of dread intensified, creating a tickling sensation in her belly—the beginnings of a terrified scream.

Just as she was about to cry out, the shadows poured out of the alleyway and onto the street. The light of the high flames fell over the figures, revealing a group of ponies and griffon, all clad in dark blue and gold uniforms. Strapped to their sides, were spears. They didn’t look happy to see them.

Fluttershy peered over at Twilight with a worried expression. The purple unicorn was watching the soldiers. When Fluttershy saw Twilight’s own concerned appearance, she knew they were both thinking the same thing. Phoenix-drawn chariots were famous for their speed and deadliness in combat—as they had learned—and because the phoenixes were so hard to tame, they were almost exclusively used by Elysians.

She swallowed hard. With every inch, they were closer to landing; with every centimeter, Fluttershy’s breath grew shorter while the soldiers and their barbed spears grew larger. She hoped they gave them time to explain, but images of the worst-case scenario flickered in her head.

She felt like she was going to faint.

The wheels of the chariots barely had enough time to touch the ground before the soldiers bolted forward, instantly descending upon the Equestrians, enclosing them in a cage of spears and shouts. They shouted at them in Prench, but the only words Fluttershy could hear over their rising voices and the rattling of their spears were “rester” and “Elysian.”

Fluttershy yelped, and pushed herself against Rainbow Dash, who was scanning back and forth over the mob. Dirt and ash covered all their faces; three of them wore torn uniforms covered with blackened burnt holes, and they all looked dreadfully tired and fiercely angry. Fluttershy trembled—they all looked as if they were accusing her of something terrible. An unwarranted pang of guilt shot through her heart, leaving her breathless.

“We didn’t do anything!” she cried pleadingly. She couldn’t take the eyes on her, so she shielded her face with her forelegs. It didn’t work—she could still see their wild stares in her mind.

“We’re not Elysians!” she heard Twilight shout from the neighboring chaise. “We’re Equestrians!”

“E-quest-ri-ans,” Fluttershy heard Rainbow growl beside her.

“E-ly-si-an,” a soldier rebutted in a haughty tone.

“You know what!” her friend spat.

Fluttershy felt a startling jerk and a blast of wind as the pony she was leaning against disappeared, leaving her to fall back into the seat. Fluttershy removed her hooves from the front of her view, and saw that Rainbow was now hovering above the chariot, glaring down at a griffon. The Prench soldiers closed in tighter and directed their spears at her. Rainbow bowed up, tensing her muscles, her gaze locked onto the soldier.

This is it! Fluttershy thought. Rainbow was ready for a fight. Her friend’s short temper was going to kill them all.

“Rainbow, stop!” Twilight cried desperately.

Pinkie Pie waved her forelegs up and down, urging Dash to sit.

Rainbow ignored them both.

The griffon Rainbow had challenged braced himself against the ground, and pointed his spear up towards her chest. The other soldiers kept shifting their eyes between her and the others, carefully watching for any sort of movement. Fluttershy’s heart pounded; breathing became an intense struggle. They were only there to help, but they were now going to die because of an innocent misunderstanding. She refused to believe this was happening. She watched on in horror as the pegasus and the griffon stared each other down, the tension and anger drifting off them like heatwaves from a fire. Fluttershy's face began to feel numb, and a high-pitched ring began to chime in her ears. She was going to faint--she was going to faint, and they were going to die.

“Arrêtez!” a sharp, commanding voice roared a few yards ahead of them, snapping Fluttershy out of her sickened state.

The soldiers—and Rainbow Dash—immediately turned their heads with bewildered expressions on their faces. Fluttershy couldn’t see who it was, as she had fallen lank in the seat, and could only see the backs of the troops, but she figured it must have been an officer.

The soldiers turned in unison and snapped straight to stand at attention. With the commotion suddenly halted, all Fluttershy could hear was the flapping of Rainbow’s wings, the whisper of the distant waves, and the slight clop of hoofsteps—and they were getting closer. She didn't know whether to be relieved yet, or to remain frightened out of her wits.

She chose the latter, opting not to risk disappointing herself.

The soldiers stepped to the side, clearing the view of the front of the chariots. There, in front of the phoenixes pulling her chaise stood a stoutly built pegasus with midnight black fur and a neatly combed blue-black mane. The numerous badges and medals that decorated his dark uniform glistened in the far off blazing light, which framed him in an intimidating way. He took a few steps forward and stopped just feet from the emblazoned birds. He looked them up and down with a calm, austere look etched onto his face, which made him uncomfortably hard to read. His presence and cold demeanor did not make Fluttershy feel much better.

“These are very well behaved.” He spoke with a sharp Prench accent, but his speech was clear and refined. And he was right, too. The phoenixes hadn’t moved or even shown a sign of distress during the whole event. “If only we could figure out the secret to taming them, then maybe we could have the same field prowess as you Elysians.”

Even he thought they were Elysians. If a commanding officer thought that, then Fluttershy knew there was no way it would end well. In her panicked state, Fluttershy imagined them being chained and taken as prisoners… at best. For the first time, she hoped that Applejack and the others had fallen further behind. She worried what might happen if the others showed up right now. This stallion would probably think they were reinforcements, or part of some small attack force they had led.

“We’re not Elysians!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Don’t you ponies listen?”

“Sir,” Twilight began in a soft and careful tone, “my friend’s not lying. We’re from Equestria. We stopped to see what we could do to help.”

Pinkie Pie nodded with a smile.

The officer’s eyes shot wide and he cracked a wry grin. “Equestrians? My, my, aren’t we far from home? Tell me, then, Equestrians, why you are here.” His eyes scanned over the four ponies, and his tone became increasingly harsh. “Why are you here, a mile within Prance with phoenixes pulling your transport? Why aren’t you in Equestria, using these chariots to fight off the hordes of enemies that, I’m sure, are ravaging your lands, burning your cities, and killing your fellow ponies? You’re not convincing me of anything!”

They all fell silent. Even Rainbow Dash lowered herself back into the chariot, and sat down slowly, a helpless look upon her. Pinkie Pie stared in confusion at Twilight, who sat there with her mouth agape. That look of wide-eyed bemusement told Fluttershy that Twilight was thinking the same thing she was: this pony wouldn’t listen to them, no matter what they said. They were helpless and at his mercy.

“What do you have to say for yourselves now?”

Fluttershy looked back and forth between Twilight and the officer. He stared at her and she gawked at him. It seemed like all other sounds had suddenly stopped. The tension and fear had grown to a hazardous level. With either one order from the pegasus, or one wrong word from them, they would be killed or arrested. She felt her breathing becoming ragged again. Twilight had to say something! Somepony had to say something. Fluttershy wanted to. She could feel a lump in her throat where a sentence—some spoken word, and she didn’t know what it was—had formed. She just couldn’t let it out. The yellow pegasus’s nature fought against her better judgment and won, frustrating her to the point of tears.

This isn’t the time to be a coward!

But she was.

Pinkie Pie nudged Twilight. When the dazed unicorn didn’t respond, the pink pony nudged harder.

Twilight snapped out of her daze and looked at Pinkie. “What is it?”

Pinkie Pie raised both her forelegs to her head, and made a gesture as if she were holding a bowl and eating from it.

“What?” Twilight asked perplexedly.

Pinkie gave a frustrated huff, and changed the gesture to one that resembled the act of stirring a pot.

Of course!

“Of course!” Twilight blurted out Fluttershy’s thought gleefully. She turned back to the pegasus, and with a brilliant smile on her face she pointed towards him and shouted, “Mareseillaise!”

The officer tilted his head, clearly confused. “What?”

“Mareseillaise! Pouring the blood of your enemy on the furrows of your fields is known as sauce Mareseillaise!” Twilight spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, as if she had known this information her whole life--or even knew what it meant. Fluttershy knew better though, and she was glad her friend remembered what her mentor had told her to say.

The stallion broadened his stance, and the stern look on his face intensified. “Who told you that?”

“Celestia, sir,” Fluttershy said quietly, finally able to speak. “She told us that any Prench soldier would know what it meant.”

He strained his eyes, trying to see Fluttershy as she was still laying low in the chariot. “And you are?”

She gulped, uncomfortable with the stallion’s cold, searching glare. “Um… Fluttershy, sir.”

He didn’t say a word; he only looked them over. Fluttershy wished she could tell what he was thinking. It seemed to her that, ever since she met the Elysian Royal Family, she was meeting more and more ponies that could look as cold and as menacing as an iceberg.

An eternity passed—or so it seemed to Fluttershy—before a wry smile broke on the officer’s face.

“Of course I know what it means!” In an instant, the black stallion turned into a completely different pegasus. The cold, uncaring commander flew out the window, dragging the tension—and their fear—with him. “Welcome to Prance, my friends!”

Fluttershy sighed and let every knotted muscle in her body come uncoiled. The lump in her throat finally sank as she began to bat away the tears that hadn’t yet fallen.  Everypony else seemed much happier as well. Twilight and Pinkie both smiled ear-to-ear; Rainbow Dash bolted into the air above the chariot again, that familiar bold look dressing her face.

Thank Celestia.

“Thank you, sir,” Twilight said with a tone of exaggerated appreciation. She and Pinkie Pie climbed out of the chariots freely and eagerly.

Fluttershy followed their lead, and gladly sat all four hooves onto the cobblestone road. She hated flying, especially so fast and for so long. After a day, it was good to finally have that familiar feeling of solid earth beneath her hooves again.

The officer approached them, still smiling like a young colt with candy. “I am Captain Aloys Noble. I hope you won’t let this mishap shape your impressions of us Prench soldiers.”

Twilight absently waved her hoof in the air. “Not at all. We understand, given the circumstances.”

Aloys shook his head in agreement. “Indeed. It’s a dangerous time. Now, who are your friends?” he asked, smiling at each of them.

Twilight introduced herself first, and then moved down the line, gesturing towards each of them as she spoke their names. “Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and—“

“Fluttershy,” he interrupted, bowing his head politely in her direction.

“Yes, sir,” she answered and returned the gesture, reveling in the company of her new friend. “There are more of us, too, but we had them follow a ways behind while we came to investigate.”

He nodded again. “I see. Well, you say you’ve come to help, right? Why not follow me to my outpost, and I’ll have these soldiers stay here to signal for your friends when they arrive?”

“Thank you. That sounds wonderful,” Twilight said, and the ponies all nodded in agreement.

“Good! Then follow me.” Aloys turned and they followed him into the alleyway the soldiers had emerged from. “Now, why are you here in Prance?”

“We’re going to Deimos Island,” Twilight answered.

Aloys turned his head to look at the unicorn. He seemed dumbfounded. “Deimos Island? Why there of all places? Nopony goes there; not even the Elysians.”

Fluttershy shuddered. That’s exactly what Zecora had told them before they left Equestria. She had said the Elysians went there once, but never returned. Nopony else from any other kingdom on Astria had dared to venture there, either. Deimos Island was the single most feared place in all of Gaea. And they were going there off a guess, with their only clue being a lullaby.

“There might be something there that could help everypony in the war.”

“Really? What is it?”

Twilight sighed. “That, I can’t say.”

Aloys’s face fell slightly, but he still looked to be in a positive mood. “I understand. Celestia never does anything without a good reason—even keep secrets.”

They exited the alleyway and onto another road, this one bordered on both sides by tall, beautiful buildings. To Fluttershy, the entire city looked beautiful, but the pleasure of sightseeing was greatly lessened by the sounds of war, now barely audible, which drifted through the streets on a cold, stale coastal breeze. The young pegasus found it hard to keep sight of their reason for being here. And though she didn’t want to believe it was the reason why, she knew it was because Prance wasn’t Equestria. The thought made her feel uncaring and selfish. The feeling nipped at her heart.

They turned south and began walking towards what looked like a collection of large, brown circus tents set up in the middle of the street. As they drew closer to the outpost, Fluttershy could finally make out an order to everything. Several separate brown canvas tents—some large, some small—extended down both sides of the road for a hundred yards. Griffon and pony soldiers ran in and out of the tents, darting down the narrow aisle between the two rows, shouting and appearing run ragged. The sounds of pained screams came from a few of the tents, no doubt from soldiers wounded during battle. It hurt Fluttershy to hear those poor ponies suffering, but she clenched her teeth and kept moving forward.

“The Elysians attacked the city a day ago,” Aloys started, “and they want its harbor.”

“Where are we, anyways?” Rainbow asked, looking around at the strange, marble-white classical structures. “I mean, what city is this?”

“The sauce pan,” Aloys said jokingly, eliciting a chuckle from each of the ponies.

Except Rainbow, who tilted her head. “I don’t get it.”

Aloys chortled lightly before becoming serious again. “We’re fighting hard, but the Elysians have been taking ground way too quickly.” When the group reached the first two tents, he stopped and turned to face them. He suddenly looked very grim and much more like a soldier. “You said you came to help. Now, what can you do?"

****

There was so much blood.

The soldier on the table had finally stopped moving, but he still screamed in pain while Fluttershy searched frantically for the needle; all while struggling to keep her hoof pressed against the massive wound. The hole in his stomach was the size of her hoof, and it bled profusely. Sweat dripped into her eyes and stung them, making it hard for the poor pegasus to see. The heat of the tent was unbearable, and the table they had brought in for him to lay on took up half of it. And now she had lost the needle!

She was panicking and losing focus. She could treat animals, but there was something different about holding a pony’s life in her hands. It seemed too surreal for her, as if it were a bad dream that she couldn’t wake up from. She kept wishing for strength. She kept remembering her best friend. She could imagine Rainbow Dash, somewhere, out there in the city, fighting for everypony. She was strong; she was brave, and for some reason, Rainbow saw the same things in her. Fluttershy knew Rainbow would be disappointed in her if she could see her now, searching desperately for something she had misplaced in a moment of panic. Rainbow would probably even scold her.

She tried to be strong. And she tried to be brave. But she just couldn’t find it.

Her hoof suddenly slipped. Out of pure instinct, she pressed harder on the white unicorn’s abdomen, eliciting both a terrible shriek from the colt, and a massive gush of blood. He began wildly kicking and thrashing. His raving fit rocked the blood-soaked table; it was everything she could do to keep her balance on the now slick crimson cobblestone floor.

“Please! You have to stop moving!” Fluttershy’s voice cracked as she begged. “You have to hold still!”

He didn’t listen. The pain was too great; he only writhed more. Fluttershy could barely hold him down. She couldn’t stitch the wound like this.

If only I were stronger. If only I were more like her, I could fight and win.

She blamed herself for the pony’s suffering. She blamed herself for being weak. She could feel her heart beginning to break.

The unicorn’s struggling lessened; his screams grew ragged and hoarse. He let his flailing limbs fall to the table with a dreadfully wet thud. He gasped for air, trying over and over to scream but failed each time. His eyes began to look tired and dim, and he stopped sweating, despite the burning heat inside that tent.

No… Something was wrong.

She put her hoof to the side of neck to check his pulse. It was fast—incredibly so—but weak. Fluttershy’s heart sank.

No. No… She cried out as loud as she could—so loud, it stung her throat—“Somepony! Help me!”

****

They stood around the table inside that tent; a map of the city stretched out before them, and took in their individual roles.

“Is everything understood?” Aloys asked after letting them contemplate their tasks.

“Yes,” Twilight answered, “we understand.”

A young, brown colt suddenly tore into the tent looking panicked and worn thin. His uniform was covered in dirt, and portions of it were black and charred.

“Capitain! Capitaine!” he cried, rushing over to Aloys’s side, breathing and sweating as if he had just run the length of the city.

Aloys looked down at the young colt with a worried expression. “Oui?”

“Capitaine,” the colt paused and took a wheezing breath before continuing. “Ils ont violé nos défenses à Les Trois Ailes.”

The Captain’s countenance suddenly fell, and Fluttershy could tell it was bad news. After a second of silence, he set his jaw and nodded nervously. “Je comprends.”

The young pony bowed to Aloys then slipped back out of the tent, just as quickly and he had entered.

Aloys turned his attention to the map and looked it over for a moment. “They’ve broken through our defense at Les Trois Ailes.”

“And that means?” Rainbow demanded.

He looked the four Equestrians over with a pitifully desperate gleam in his eye. “It means they’ve gained more ground. There’s going to be open fighting in the streets for at least a mile… which also means more civilian deaths.”

“So we need to move now,” Twilight noted with a bit of reluctance.

“Yes. Pinkie Pie will stay here to help with food. Twilight will accompany me to Jardin des Vestiges to help me organize a contingency plan with General Gauthier. Fluttershy, you will stay here and care for the wounded. And, Rainbow Dash,” Aloys pointed to a location on the map, “they’re going to need your help here.”

The four ponies nodded.

“Good.”

The four ponies turned to look at each other. Fluttershy could see the pain in all of their eyes, hidden behind their weak smiles, and she was sure that same hurt was in evident in hers. With the recent events, every parting meant a potential farewell forever. The world had suddenly become so uncertain, so every time they went off to do their part in that fight, they were never sure if they would see each other again. Everything they did was out of necessity; they never wanted to leave each other’s side. So, with each goodbye, their hearts broke a little more.

“Well,” Twilight began with a shaking wavering voice, “we all know what to do.”

Fluttershy frowned, stung by the pain in her dear friend’s voice. Twilight wasn’t meant for this. None of them was, but Twilight in particular had lost so much in this war. Fluttershy couldn’t help but admire her strength. If it were anypony else—anypony else that has seen what Twilight had; been through what she had been through, and suffered her loss—Fluttershy knew they would not be standing there, like Twilight was, ready to fight for total strangers.

Twilight hugged all of them, but didn’t say another word. She followed Captain Aloys out of the tent with her head hung low.

Pinkie Pie gave Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy a quick—yet violently strong—simultaneous bear hug before following after them. Her tent was on the other end of the outpost, so Fluttershy wouldn’t get to see her that much at all; there was no telling how long they’d be there. But, she knew when she did, Pinkie would find a way to bring a smile to her face. That part of her would never fade, no matter what happened, simply because nopony could ever touch or harm that aspect of her spirit. It was something incomprehensible, and something they all cherished.

After Pinkie left, it was just Rainbow and her.

They stared at each other. The look of reluctance on Rainbow’s face was heartbreaking—though Fluttershy was sure she had the very same expression. They were best friends. Rainbow had defended her and stood by her side when nopony else would. They had their differences, and sometimes they would cause them to fight. Rainbow would become impatient with Fluttershy, too, but she always tried to help make Fluttershy a better pony. Ever since they were little fillies, Rainbow never once stopped trying to pull that braver part of her out. She saw it there, somewhere, hidden behind the meek pony that stood before her. But Rainbow didn’t have to try so hard. If only she knew how much Fluttershy looked up to her, and how much she inspired her. Fluttershy never told her that, though. And now, they were in a foreign land, going their separate ways to fight a battle the best way they knew how. If she lost Rainbow without getting to tell her that…

“Well,” Rainbow finally spoke; an excited smirk formed across her lips, “time to kick some alicorn butt!” She turned and began trotting towards the opening of the tent—towards a fiery light.

I could lose her.

“Wait!” Fluttershy cried. Her voice cracked due to the lump that had formed in her throat just moments ago. “Rainbow…”

Rainbow turned and looked at her expectantly with those rose-colored eyes. “What is it, Fluttershy?”

She couldn’t help herself. She ran as fast as she could, and with each step, a memory of their life together came to the surface. She remembered Summer Flight Camp; Rainbow teasing her with storm clouds as fillies; the butterfly migration that Fluttershy had drug her to; the sonic rainboom—every cherished memory brought to light by the realization that it all could end with so much left unsaid. Every moment Rainbow Dash had challenged her, she realized, had been leading up to a day like this—a day where Fluttershy would be forced to, at last, stand without her.

She lunged towards Rainbow with tears blinding her eyes. When she felt her body collide with the cyan pegasus, Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs tightly around Rainbow’s neck and pulled her close. Rainbow stumbled with her slightly, but quickly regained her balance.

“What the? Fluttershy, are you okay?”

“Rainbow Dash, I…” Fluttershy swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to control her sobs. “I wanted you to know that you’re my hero!” She felt Rainbow’s breath catch in her throat. “You inspire me to be brave. I couldn’t do any of this without you, so you have to come back. You have to!”

She felt Rainbow’s forelegs wrap around her, and she gently pulled Fluttershy closer. “I’m not going anywhere, silly filly,” she whispered softly, and there was a weightiness to her voice, “I promise.”

Fluttershy knew she couldn’t make a promise like that, but it still eased the ache in her heart and the worry in her mind.

Rainbow sniffled once before gently pushing Fluttershy away. “Stupid,” she chuckled, “you made me cry.”

Fluttershy looked back into Rainbow’s eyes and smiled. She was crying; a small stream of tears slowly ran down her cheeks, leaving dark blue streaks in her fur.

“Thank you, Rainbow.”

“Don’t thank me!” She ran her foreleg across her face then laughed. “Apologize! You should never make me cry before a fight.”

Fluttershy giggled softly. Rainbow was never one for emotional moments, and she doubted that would ever change.

“We both need to go, though. There are ponies that need our help out there.”

Fluttershy grinned, remembering Rainbow’s reluctance. Her friend never failed. Though she would sometimes falter, Rainbow Dash always showed her mettle, and proved herself to be unwaveringly loyal. “Yes there are.”

The two pegasi walked out of the tent, and back into the chaos of the outpost. They embraced one last time amid the noise and the movement. Then, after one final look into Fluttershy’s eyes, Rainbow show off into the air above the towering architecture, and streaked towards the fire, a fading rainbow left in her wake.

With that, she was alone. They all had their own battles to fight now. An emptiness filled her heart as she began walking down the aisle of tents, towards the sound of screams.

****

Fluttershy tried to get up, but she couldn’t move. Every time she tried to stand, her weak legs would give out, and she would fall back onto her haunches. She couldn’t see, her eyes burned so badly from the tears. Every gasping sob felt like a kick to her chest. She gave up trying to move, and just lay on the cobblestone floor by the table where that poor pony died.

Why couldn’t I have been stronger? If I were stronger, he would have lived. Whose child or loved one had I watched die while I screamed and wept?

I’m sorry… I’m so very sorry…

She hurt so much. Something cold had gripped her heart, and now would not let go. She wanted so much to be back home, in Ponyville, and inside her cottage, where everything safe and familiar had been. She wanted to hold Angel Bunny; she wanted to see the apple orchards, and visit Twilight’s library. Fluttershy longed for a time before this ravenous storm took hold of their world and tore all that away.

She could hear the sounds of steel. The thunderous rumble of their march was growing closer. The gathering screams rose and fell and the light from the inferno grew brighter as the hours passed. All the while, she just lay there, alone, letting the tears fall softly from her heavy eyes.

The world has become a dark and scary place. It’s a world I never wanted. There’s so much doubt, pain, fear; so much hate and confusion everywhere. Every face I see is tired and hurt. They’re always crying, hopeless and afraid. There are no more tears of joy; no more happy moments. There’s only sadness and loss everywhere I look. It’s a world without kindness—a world I never wanted to know.

I wish this would all just end.