My Friends

The wine glass glinted in the overhead lights, Fluttershy could see her reflection, her mane was perfect, like she had made it the morning of her arrival, she knew that her friends wouldn’t care about her appearance either way, but she had made sure to look especially good to impress her friends. Her eyes glinted like normal, shining a sapphire blue, sparkling in the light. The mare smiled at her own reflection, loving her appearance.

“Fluttershy!” Rarity shouted, taking a sip of her wine elegantly. “Stop dozing, darling!”

“Oh, was I dozing?” She asked, “I’m sorry...”

Fluttershy looked from behind her mane, all of her friends and Spike had gathered around the table, eating their food and talking amongst themselves, laughing occasionally, all was normal.

“Shy, did you see all of the soldiers working around the castle?” Rainbow Dash asked, “They’re not fighting anything now, so I had them help with the repairs or other things.”

“That’s nice, Dash.” Fluttershy said with a smile. “But why... oh, nevermind.”

“What is it?” Rainbow insisted, moving closer to the shy mare.

“Why would you need so many?”

“So we can take out any threats in our way.”

Fluttershy gulped, fighting herself to go on with the conversation.”Couldn’t you just ask them to go away?”

“Ponies won’t listen Shy, it doesn’t work like that.” The cyan mare shouted, slamming her hoof down on the table and making the plates and glasses rattle.

“Oh... I... I didn’t mean to make you angry...” The yellow mare said, ducking her head down and hiding behind her pink mane.

Fluttershy knew that her friends had been under pressure since some of the Changelings had been seen on outskirts of towns, stealing what little they could and disappearing. But she didn't know Dash, her best friend since flight school, would treat her like this, for the second time.

The mare closed her eyes, remembering the last time she had visited Canterlot, she had interrupted the rainbow maned pony and she had gotten angrier than ever before, screaming at Fluttershy to leave her alone and get away from her.

Fluttershy had not returned until now, five months after what Dash had said, she knew she didn’t want to have to go through it again, so she didn’t speak.

“...Rainbow Dash has to make hard decisions for the well being of everypony, Fluttershy.” Spike said, speaking up. “She doesn’t do it because she can.”

Fluttershy didn’t listen, she just resumed eating her meal behind her mane.

The pink mane suddenly flashed out of her face, Rainbow Dash stared at Fluttershy with a vicious look on her face, “He’s talking to you, answer.” She ordered.

Fluttershy felt a burning feeling in her chest, her heart hurt, she felt tears glaze over her eyes when she pulled away from Dash.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity shouted, grabbing the pony by the hoof with her magic, “She is not one of your soldiers! Be nice to her!”

“Dash, really, it’s fine.” Spike said, “Leave her be.”

“Rarity, I treat ponies how they deserve to be treated, and when she is rude enough to not answer, it’s justified!” Rainbow shouted, pulling her arm down.

Fluttershy got up, she knew she wanted to stay away from the conversation to avoid Rainbow Dash.

A vase shattered on a wall at the yellow mare’s side, spraying glass and water around like shrapnel, the pegasus turned around with tears in her eyes, Rainbow Dash had a wing raised, breathing heavily at the table.

“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted sternly. “The vase!”

“Get the hell back here.” Rainbow demanded, pointing to Fluttershy’s seat.

Fluttershy ran for her room, tears breaching her eyelids and pouring out like water from a broken dam, making damp lines on her fuzzy cheeks. She knew she shouldn’t have come, she knew that something had changed, her friends would have never done, or let that be done to her.

Fluttershy reached her bedroom door pulling th-

Her mane was caught by a speeding pegasus, who picked the smaller mare up by the mane, pressed a hoof to her chest, and pushed her into the wall.

Fluttershy panicked, swinging her hooves out in front of her, until they too were held down by the more powerful mare, Rainbow Dash.

“Dashie, stop!” Fluttershy squeaked, trying to use her back legs to kick at the standing mare.

“No, I asked you to sit down, and did you listen?!” The mare shouted in the other pony’s face, inches away from her.

“I-”

The rainbow mare pulled back and slammed Fluttershy back into the same position, the drywall behind her cracked with the force that was used.

“DID YOU LISTEN?!” Rainbow screamed, dropping the sobbing pony at her hooves, the kicking her once as she curled up into a ball, making a squeak come out of her.

Fluttershy cried and shook as Rainbow Dash left her line of sight, leaving her there to bathe in her own tears. The mare sniffled over and over, then took a breath, then cried some more. She had experienced crying, but never like this, she knew she was hyperventilating.

“She’s fuckin’ pathetic!” Rainbow Dash shouted from a different room.

“She doesn’t understand, Rainbow.” Twilight said, “she won’t understand.”

Pinkie Pie laid down next to Fluttershy, holding the sobbing pony close.

“Sh-She... Pinkie...” She sobbed, crying into the other pony’s shoulder.

“Shh, Shh, Shh...” Pinkie said. “She didn’t mean it...”

“My... my head...” Fluttershy whispered, holding it in her hooves.

Fluttershy’s heart, and head hurt badly, Dash had done a number on her in physical, and mental ways, the mare wanted to think that it wasn’t her friend who had done that to her, but she couldn’t.

Thinking hurt enough as it was.