I hate being alone… Although Rainbow Dash would have never admitted it to her friends, it was very true. She hated solitude and loneliness, unless, of course, it was an evening nap. She hated being interrupted during those. In fact, she was almost always with her friends.
So she was frustrated with the fact that her friend still hadn’t arrived. She was never late. Every Saturday at noon, they would hang out in this same valley. It was usually the crowning point of her week, as it was just the two of them for a few hours. While she certainly loved all her friends, their friendship wasn’t like the one she shared with Fluttershy. It was probably based on the fact that they grew up together, and were never really apart for long. She always managed to brighten up her week, even if she was in a bad mood.
She finally caught sight of Fluttershy, coming from the nearby Everfree forest. Wondering what she could possibly have been up to, she jumped up from her cloud and rushed over to her. “You’re late! You’re never late!”
Fluttershy gave her a kind, innocent look. The kind and innocent look you would find on a rabbit or squirrel. It was the kind of innocent you would only ever find in an animal, as ponies were far too cruel to be like that. Fluttershy was the one exception; she was the sweetest, most caring pony she had ever met. “Sorry Rainbow, but I had to stop off at Zecora’s hut; there was some medicine I needed to get for a chipmunk.”
Finding it impossible to be mad at her friend, she grinned back. “Naw, It’s fine! I’ve only been here for a couple minutes anyway!”
“Oh, well, that’s good. I would hate to upset you…”
That’d be impossible, she thought, Fluttershy always made her happy. Always…
It was another picture perfect day in Ponyville. The birds chirped happily as they flew through the cloudless, sunny sky. A variety of squirrels and chipmunks raced across the lush green grass, darting up trees and scurrying about. The only disturbance in the endless blue sky was a rainbow that seemed to be zigzagging back and forth with supersonic speed.
Rainbow Dash smiled as she pulled herself into a barrel roll, leaving a rainbow corkscrew in her wake. She simply loved flying, more than anything in the world. The wind rushing across her face and through her mane, the feeling of pulling out of a sky dive at the very last second; it was unlike anything she had ever experienced. It was exhilarating, scary and exciting all at once.
Meanwhile, a light yellow Pegasus hummed to herself while she lounged on the grass. She was perfectly content with watching the many animals run about, taking a glance up at her erratic friend every once in awhile. While she liked flying, she would much prefer a day with nature then one in the sky.
“Hey Fluttershy, watch this!” The cyan colored pony shouted, turning herself upwards to gain altitude. When reaching a sufficient height she faced back down, and dropped with incredible speed. As she fell she began twirling her forelegs, flying in an awe inspiring 360 degree corkscrew. Nearing the ground, she extended her wings and broke the dive, stopping a mere foot above the hard earth. She landed perfectly on all fours, raising her head as if expecting a score keeper.
“So? Am I amazing or what?”
“Huh?” The yellow Pegasus perked up, having her eyes set on a bunny that was hopping along nearby. “Oh, it was wonderful!”
“You didn’t even see it!”
“Oh, um, I saw it! Some of it, I guess… But I’m sure it was amazing, you’re always good at flying!” Fluttershy replied weakly, flashing a smile at her.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at her. “Whatever…” She was just about to race back into the sky before she was stopped.
“Rainbow Dash, we should probably get going now. Twilight should be expecting us any minute now.”
“Ugh, it’s just some stupid picnic. We can be a few minutes late.” She flapped her wings and rose into the sky, returning to her precious flying routine.
“But, umm… Oh… It wouldn’t be very nice if we showed up late…”
Rainbow Dash stopped a moment to take a look at her best friend, and she just couldn’t say no to her painfully cute, innocent face. “Fine… Let’s get going then…”
A small, cool stream rushed alongside a red checkered blanket, and sitting on top was a picnic basket and a purple unicorn. The pony was skimming through a list as she used her magic to levitate items from the basket simultaneously. “Let’s see, bread…cheese…lemonade…” She said quietly to herself as she checked the many items off her long list.
“Ugh, can we eat something already?” Her purple assistant asked from behind the picnic basket, eyeing a particularly delicious sandwich.
“No Spike. Not until everypony gets here.” She replied, using her magic to levitate the sandwich away from his outstretched claw.
“Aw, but I’m starving!”
Twilight shook her head at him. “I’m sure everypony will be along soon. Look, there’s Rarity now!”
The dragon immediately took his eyes off the plain old sandwich and instead turned his attention to the unicorn coming down the nearby hill. She was beautiful; dressed in a brilliant white dress that was rather unfitting for a common picnic. But that was Rarity, always dressing fabulously, no matter the occasion.
“Hello Twilight dear, how are things going?”
“Good, I’m pretty sure I have everything we need.”
“You triple checked the list at home…” Spike frowned at her.
“Well, yes, but I could have missed something!”
Rarity took a seat beside Twilight, giving a smile to Spike. The baby dragon clutched his chest painfully, nearly passing out from her smile. Twilight playfully shook her head at him before turning back to the basket and her list.
The rest of their friends were already chatting happily when Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy arrived. Spike looked like he was about to die from hunger, but at the sight of them, he immediately grabbed his sandwich and began eating.
“Sorry we were late Twilight, Rainbow Dash and I lost track of time.”
“Oh, it’s alright Fluttershy, you weren’t that late…” Twilight smiled as they joined them. They all began eating now, sharing a few laughs and smiles as they talked.
Rainbow Dash was hovering above them, munching on a huge, dark red apple. The picnic was great and all, but all she really wanted to do was fly. So, after throwing away her fruitless core, she spun up into the air and began darting about like before.
“So, how’s that chipmunk doing, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked her, sipping at a tall glass of ice cold lemonade.
“Oh, he’s doing great now. That soup you told me about worked wonders, so he wouldn’t be better without you!” The shy Pegasus responded with glee.
“Oh, it was nothing really, just an old recipe I found. I’m just glad that he’s all better now; you know, it’s really nice what you do for all those animals. I sometimes find it hard to believe that you and Rainbow Dash are such good friends.”
“Huh? Why is that?”
“Well, it’s just that you two have such conflicting personalities. You’re always so kind, gentle and sweet, while Rainbow Dash is well… different, to say the least…”
“You’ve got to remember, me and Rainbow Dash have know each other since we were just little fillies. She stood up for me whenever the bullies picked on me, so I owe her a lot.”
“Still, it’s funny how two completely different people can be friends.” Twilight dropped the conversation here, instead turning her attention over to Pinkie Pie, who was happily eating a large stack of apple pies.
Their conversation brought an old memory back to Fluttershy’s mind. The day she and Rainbow Dash had first met…
Cloudsdale was beautiful in the winter. The only thing Fluttershy could think about as she paced down one of the roads was how breathtaking the cloud city was this time of year. The tightly packed masses of clouds that formed the brilliant pillars and houses were covered in a thick layer of ice. Being so high in the clouds, it gathered a lot of sunlight, making it seem like the city itself was sparkling. One of the ‘Great Wonder’s of Equestria’ the Pegasus would often call it.
Fluttershy herself was still a few months short of her cutie mark, with only two ponies in her class having one. She had been waiting patiently for it, knowing that it would come in time and time alone.
Suddenly, as she turned the corner, she caught sight of two colts. One was a light brown one with bright green eyes; he was the one of two that had a cutie mark in her class. The other was dark brown with a shaggy grey mane. The two were fooling around, throwing snowballs as they hovered in the frosty air. The shy Pegasus was about to back away when one of them shouted. “Hey look, it’s Fluttershy!”
Before she could scurry off they were around her, smiling cruelly. “Whatcha doing around here Fluttershy? Only fliers are allowed in Cloudsdale!” The light brown one laughed.
“Yeah, you should be down on the ground with them filthy earth ponies!” His friend mocked.
Fluttershy just shrank under their stares, not having enough courage to say anything back. Instead she turned and tried to get away from the cruel colts. They just simply followed her, being more then fast enough to keep up with her. She hated being bullied, but there was nothing she could do about it. She had no friends to stand up for her, so she just took it.
“Where do you think you’re going Fluttershy?” The light brown one asked, flying right beside her.
“Hehe, she ain’t flying, that’s for sure!” The shaggy haired one chuckled, trailing behind his friend.
Suddenly they were both smacked in the face with snowballs. After recovering they flew into the air, scanning the area, hoping to find who attacked them.
“Hey! Why don’t you two knuckle heads pick on somepony your own size!” A voice suddenly yelled out, echoing through the deserted street. They turned their attention to a nearby building that had a mysterious shadow perched on top. It suddenly jumped from the roof and zoomed down to them, sending up a cloud of snow as she landed. After it cleared, they realized that, standing before them, was a cyan pegasus. Her tail and mane were colored like a rainbow, and her hair was a shaggy mess that looked like it hadn’t been combed in months.
“Oh, yeah? Just who are you?” The light brown one questioned.
“Rainbow Dash! Soon to be greatest flyer in all of Equestria!” She replied, flicking her mane to the side, letting her dark pink eyes show.
“Ha! A little pipsqueak like you would never even get two feet in the air!”
“Ugh, why I oughta…!” Rainbow Dash yelled furiously, charging at him with all her speed. However, she hadn’t taken account of the ice, and she began slipping as soon as she touched it. It threw her off course and she smashed into a nearby ice covered pillar.
“Ha! More like Rainbow Crash! Come on, man. Let’s get outta here. I’ve had enough of hanging out with these wimps.” The both of them left, laughing up a storm.
Fluttershy cautiously walked up to the injured pegasus, who was just getting to her hooves. “Um, I uh… Thank you…” She said very meekly, not remembering the last time she had talked to a stranger.
“Oh, it was nothing. Idiots like them need to be taught a lesson.” She got to her feet and smiled at her. “So, what’s your name?”
Fluttershy felt safe around the cyan pegasus; she felt protected. “Fluttershy.” She said with a returning smile.
“Fluttershy, eh? Well, come on, let’s go hang out!” The both of them continued down the street. That was the day she met Rainbow Dash, and the day she made her first friend.
“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy called, and the pegasus flew down to her.
“Yeah?”
“Um, I was wondering… I’ve got to do a count of all the bunnies later today, and it’s going to be a lot of work. So, um, if you wouldn’t mind, would you want to help me please?”
Rainbow Dash stared at her for a minute, pondering on what to say. She had planned for another day of flying, and then a nice nap in the evening. Counting bunnies sounded kind of dull… “Uh… well, I was kinda planning to go over my flight routine again…”
“Oh! Well, that’s okay then. I understand! I can do it myself, I have before…” Fluttershy responded with a weak smile.
Rainbow Dash gave an awkward smile before turning away. She hated to refuse her friend’s kind offer, but it really was dull work. Fluttershy had done it alone tons of times, so she would be fine.
“Hey Sugarcube, why you leavin’ so soon?” Applejack questioned after Fluttershy announced that she would be heading off.
“Oh, I have a lot of work to do today, what with all the bunnies and all… Also I have to check on the birds, and the chipmunks could probably do with some more food…”
“Well, take a few muffins with you. We have plenty!” Twilight grinned, digging into her picnic basket. However, she came out with an empty hoof. “What the!?”
Knowing exactly who the cause of this was, she twirled around and shot a glare at her assistant. “Spike! Did you eat all of the muffins?!”
“Huh?” The dragon looked up, having been lying on his back as he rubbed his full stomach. “Uh, n-no! Why are you blaming me?”
“You have crumbs all over you…”
Spike let out a nervous laugh and Twilight shook her head at him.
“Oh, its okay Twilight. Really, I’m fine!” Fluttershy grinned.
“Well, okay, see you later then Fluttershy!” They all waved her away as the pegasus disappeared behind a hill.
Within an hour, the sky was beginning to darken, and Applejack looked up in confusion. “Hey Rainbow Dash! What’s with this here? We’re not supposed to be gettin’ rain today!”
The pegasus broke out of her routine and turned her attention to her friend. “I have no idea! Unless the weather ponies made a last second decision, because I didn’t do this!” She shrugged. Just as she said this a light rain started.
“Rain?! What?! My beautiful dress, it’ll be ruined!” Rarity cried, jumping up from the ground. “Rainbow Dash, what is the meaning of this?”
Rainbow gritted her teeth. “I don’t know! It must be an accident!”
Suddenly a green flame filled the air, leaving a single scroll floating to the ground. Not wanting it to get ruined, Twilight quickly snatched it up and rushed for cover under a nearby tree. “I wonder what the Princess wants.” She scanned over the letter, and a look of horror crossed her face as she finished. “This is bad… very, very bad…”
Her friends turned their attention to her, worried looks crossing their own faces. Applejack was the first to say something. “Well, come on Twilight! Spit it out already! What the hay is goin’ on?”
“It says there’s been a problem at Cloudsdale! A major hurricane is on its way to Ponyville!”
“What? Hurricane?! That can’t be possible!” Rainbow Dash blurted out, landing beside them.
“Well, it says right here… We’d better get back to town and warn everypony. They need to be prepared for when it hits.”
“Now, what in tar-nation’s a hurricane? Ah never heard a one of them.” Applejack scratched her head.
“A hurricane, or tropical storm, is a storm system that is composed of-”
“Twilight, just give us the short explanation…” Rainbow Dash cut off her long and scientific description. The book pony just sighed.
“It’s a very big storm, with lots of wind, rain and lightning. I’ve only ever heard of them being seen outside of Equestria, never here where the pegasi control the weather!”
“Well, it must be some accident then… We should get going!” They all nodded and headed off to town. However, on the way, something occurred to Rainbow Dash. She’d forgotten about Fluttershy. Quickly explaining the situation to her friends, she sped off, going faster than she ever had before.
Fluttershy would be in danger in the storm; she wasn’t a very good flyer. She never had been…
“Oh, I can’t do this! I stink!” Fluttershy declared, falling to the soft ground in a heap. She looked up at the ever darkening sky, which, when she had arrived, had been much brighter. Giving a pout, she laid her head against the cool grass, enjoying the breeze that blew through the valley.
Rainbow Dash was speeding above her, just catching sight of her yellow friend as she sped by. Wondering what her friend could possibly be doing, she hurried towards her. “Hey, Fluttershy! Whatcha up to?”
“I’ve been trying to fly all day, but I just can’t stay in the air for more than a few seconds… Maybe I’m not meant to fly…”
Seeing her friend so sad hurt her, so, wanting to cheer her up, she made a smile and shoved her face against hers. “Don’t worry! You’ll be flying and zigzagging just like me in no time!
Fluttershy let out a weak chuckle, “Yeah, right… You’re an amazing flyer, but I’m terrible… I’ll never be anywhere near as good as you…”
“How do you know? As soon as you get going on those wings, I’m sure you’ll be fine! You could become the greatest flyer in Equestria for all we know!” Rainbow Dash urged, trying to raise her friend’s spirits.
Fluttershy resisted and instead just fell on her back, slumping her head back so that she gazed into the endless sky. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better…”
“No! I remember back when I couldn’t fly, and boy, did I stink! I couldn’t even get any air! At least you can! But look at me now!” The cyan pegasus grinned, raising herself into the air and doing a flip. However, she didn’t pull out in time, and splashed into a pile of mud, completely drenching herself.
A smile grew on Fluttershy’s face and she giggled. Rainbow Dash pulled herself out of the mud pit and shook herself off, walking back over to her friend. “So, you feeling better?”
She laughed again before nodding.
“Well then, let’s get you flying! Just grab my hooves; I won’t let go, I promise!” She linked forelegs with Fluttershy and looked into her friends deep, blue eyes. “Alright… One… Two… Three!” She shouted, kicking off along with her friend.
Fluttershy immediately began flapping her wings, catching a few seconds of air. Her smile immediately left her face as she dropped, letting out a small scream. Luckily, Rainbow had a good grip on her and kept her from falling. She eased her friend back up, who was calming back down. Her wings slowed down into a rhythmic beating, causing her to hover perfectly in the air.
Her face instantly lit up. “Oh my gosh! I’m doing it! I’m actually flying!” She squealed, smiling the whole time.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but smile seeing her friend so happy, so gradually she let go of her and flew back. She grew even more delighted when she realized she was flying on her own, with no assistance from her friend. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash!” She grinned, going to give her friend a hug. She, however, misjudged her speed, and instead smacked right into her, causing the both of them to tumble to the ground.
Fluttershy gave her a weak smile and mumbled a quiet apology.
“You could use a little more practice…” Rainbow Dash replied, helping her friend up with a grin.
“FLUTTERSHY!” Rainbow Dash roared, her voice barely audibly over the storm. “FLUTTERSHY!” She yelled again, trying her best to fly through the heavy winds.
Rain poured down relentlessly from the dark storm clouds above, obscuring her vision and the world around her. The heavy winds whipped around her, throwing her left and right. She had no idea if she was at the cottage yet, or if she was even in the right direction. The storm was so strong it could have easily thrown her off course.
But still she pressed forward through the darkness, knowing that her friend was out there and that she needed her help.
After what seemed like forever, Rainbow Dash saw what she had so desperately searched for. Through the dark of the storm she could see the outline of Fluttershy’s cottage. Using the last of her strength, she burst forward and threw the open door. Rolling across the floor, she came to a stop when she crashed into a wall.
Her head spinning, she looked around, and she realized it was empty. “Fluttershy?” She yelled, her voice echoing through the empty house. She was glad to be out from the rain and cold, but her heart nearly stopped when she heard no reply. She wasn’t here, and that only meant…
“FLUTTERSHY!” The cyan pegasus dashed into the air and once again flew outside. It was just as before; dark, wet and loud. She couldn’t see any sign of the shy pegasus, but just like before, she would search until she found her. Nothing would keep her from finding her friend.
Rainbow Dash turned left sharply and scanned the area as best as she could. She didn’t even try yelling; it wouldn’t be heard over the storm. After ten minutes of flying and looking, she still hadn’t found any sign of her. She felt like crying. It was like the storm was not only ripping her body to pieces, but her heart too.
Suddenly, a massive gust of wind came by, easily picking her up despite her struggles. All of her flying in this rough storm had left her exhausted, and she could barely fight the wind. She closed her eyes; it was over.
Landing hard on the ground somewhere, she struggled to get to her hooves. The wind was a lot weaker here, so a cliff or something must have been blocking it all. She shook the rain from her hide, and for the first time she could see clearly. She wish she couldn’t.
Lying in front of her was a broken and crying yellow pegasus who was drenched from head to hoof in rain. Her wings were broken, which was clearly visible from the white bone jetting out of her skin. There was a pool of dark blood visible beneath her, which was growing larger with each agonizing second.
“Fluttershy…” Rainbow Dash could barely make out. She rushed over to her, kneeling so she was beside her head.
The shy pegasus looked up, and a light smile crossed her face. “Ra-Rainbow Dash…” She said weakly, barely able to keep her head up.
“Wh-what happened?” She asked, trying to fight the tears that tried to manifest in her eyes.
Fluttershy coughed harshly, blood splattering in front of her. “I-I was looking for Angel… He got out during the storm and I went out after him…”
Rainbow Dash shook her head. This couldn’t be happening! “N-no! I’ll get you out of here, and we’ll go back to Ponyville and you’ll get all better!” She tried to prop her up, but the broken pegasus cried and fell back to the ground.
“M-my legs… I think they’re broken…”
“I-I-It’s okay Fluttershy… I’ll get you out, so don’t worry…” Rainbow Dash tried to say in a comforting voice, but she wasn’t even fooling herself. She tried to lift the pegasus on to her back, but it hurt her far too much. Finally, she gave up and started stroking her mane.
“Thank you, Rainbow Dash… For everything…”
“No! Don’t talk like that! You’ll be fine…” She couldn’t hold back the sobs as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I can’t lose you Fluttershy… I-I just can’t…”
The yellow pegasus struggled to take in air, and very soon she began to stop moving. Her weak struggles stopped, and she just laid there with her friend.
“Please, Fluttershy… I-I don’t know what I’d do without you… you can’t leave me… you can’t…” She wheezed, tears flowing down her face like rivers. There was a crack of thunder, and the wind continued to howl above their heads.
Fluttershy lifted her head so she was looking into her friend’s tear filled, rose eyes. Rainbow Dash looked back into the dark blue eyes of her friend. “Thank…” She struggled to say as tears poured from her eyes. “T-thank you, Rainbow Dash… For being my friend when no one else would…”
The cyan pegasus could hold it no more, and she broke down, crying uncontrollably. “No! Fluttershy, you’ll be okay, I promise… Just hold on a little longer! Please!” She nudged her body and tried desperately to get her to her hooves.
Fluttershy shook her head and looked up at Dash. Her face was so innocent and pure, just like it always had been. “Thank….you…” She whimpered, laying her head back against the cold ground. Slowly, she closed her eyes and laid still.
Dash just stood there looking at her for several minutes, completely forgetting the storm that was raging around her. “F-F-F-Fluttershy?” She asked through sobs, gently poking her body with one hoof. It didn’t move.
“FLUTTERSHY!” Dash fell on top of her friend’s unmoving body, sobbing uncontrollably. This couldn’t be happening, she told herself. This was just some awful, horrible dream. Fluttershy, her childhood friend, was still alive and well, and when she woke up she would see her dear friend, just as happy and innocent as she always was. She just needed to wake up.
Thirty minutes passed. Then an hour. She still hadn’t woken up. By then, Rainbow Dash was shaking, it was so cold, and her body was completely drenched in rain. Finally, the realization dawned on her. Fluttershy, her best friend, was dead. She gazed at the body beneath her, seeing her peaceful yet vacant face made her cry out into the night.
Her body was ice cold; even colder then the shivering pegasus on top of her. If she stayed out her any longer she would die from the cold. But maybe that would be a good thing. She couldn’t handle not having Fluttershy around; her best friend forever gone. Being dead would be a far better fate then living the horrible life that lay in front of her.
Fluttershy wouldn’t want that… A voice told her. It was right; Fluttershy would want her to be alive and happy. She would want her to continue on with her life. But how could she when her best friend was gone? Her life would never be happy without her! At least if she was dead the pain would be gone…
“T-thank you, Rainbow Dash. For being my friend when no one else would.”
Fluttershy’s words echoed through her mind, causing her lip to quiver. She needed to survive, if only in memory of her friend. Rainbow Dash got to her hooves and breathed deeply, her voice raspy and dry. She took another look at the body and fresh tears flowed down her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and red from crying for so long, and her face was covered with dry tears. “Fluttershy…”
Her mind flashed through all of those years they spent together. When they first met… When they had graduated flyers school… When they had moved to Ponyville... All of their adventures with Twilight and the rest of her friends… All those days they spent just hanging out, talking, and laughing…
They would be gone forever, taken so suddenly by death’s cold embrace. Rainbow Dash sniffled, and tried to stop crying. She had to leave, and not just because it was so cold out. She couldn’t stand looking at the dead, broken body of her friend any longer. So, with one last look at the yellow pegasus, she shot into the air, flying as fast as she could to Ponyville. “Goodbye, Fluttershy….”
Rainbow Dash burst through the door of the library with such a speed that some of the books flew of their shelves. She looked around to see all the worried faces of her friends.
“Rainbow! We were worried sick about you! Where’s Fluttershy?” Twilight questioned, turning to the door to see if the shy Pegasus was behind her.
“I…” She looked at all of them, her eyes bloodshot from all the crying she’d done. She had stopped crying, and tried her very best to fight back the tears. Her friends couldn’t see her like that. She wasn’t weak, she was strong.
“Rainbow… What’s wrong, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked, laying a comforting hoof on her shoulder. She could tell something was amiss; the pegasus just wasn’t acting normal.
“Fluttershy… She’s… she’s…” Rainbow Dash stopped, unable to continue. She stared down at her hooves. It was taking every ounce of her self control to keep from bursting out into tears. The picture of her deceased friend refused to leave her mind, almost as if it was burned into her memory forever.
“She’s… dead…” Dash said, her voice sounding distant and foreign even to herself.
“Wha-what?!” Twilight squeaked with a horrified look on her face.
“N-n-no…” Applejack mumbled, biting her quivering lip as she looked to the ground. Pinkie Pie and Rarity were speechless, and merely stood, watching Rainbow.
She couldn’t hold back anymore, as there was no stopping the thoughts of her dead friend. “She’s dead, and it’s all my fault!” She cried out, collapsing against the floor of the library. “If I had just gone with her, I could have helped her! She’d still be here right now!” All of them jumped in surprise at her sudden outburst. They had never even seen her shed a tear
before, so they could hardly believe she had just broken down crying.
“Now, Rainbow… You don’t know that! It’s not your fault at all; you did everything you could!” Rarity said quietly, her attempts to comfort her failing horribly.
“No! You weren’t there, you didn’t see her!” Rainbow wailed. “If I hadn’t been so selfish, she’d still be h-h-he…” She couldn’t even talk, and once again broke into tears.
“I-It’s okay, Rainbow, we’ll get through this, as friends…” Applejack mumbled, laying a hoof on the crying pegasus’s shoulder.
“No! You didn’t know her like I did!” Dash suddenly yelled, knocking the hoof away from her. “She was my best friend! …And now… she’s… she’s…”
“But Dash, we-” Twilight went to say something but was cut off.
“NO! You can’t help me!” She screamed at her. “None of you can!” She rose up into the air, and through weary eyes glared at all of them.
“Dashie, were you’re friends, and we just want to help you…” Pinkie Pie said with not a grin or smile on her face.
“Well you can’t, so don’t even try!” She burst through the door and out into the still roaring storm.
She was glad it was raining; her tears looked like raindrops as she flew through the rain and wind. She didn’t know where she was going, she just wanted to fly. To be happy, like old times. The storm had died down a bit, but it was still raining heavily.
Before long, Rainbow Dash found herself outside of Ponyville, flying over the huge, sweeping valleys. The storm was a lot less intense out here, with only a light rain and weak winds signaling anything of the hurricane.
Catching sight of her home in the clouds, she directed herself towards it. She knew what she would do…It was the only way.
The pegasus landed on her doorstep and turned around. Looking down, she could barely see any sign of the ground, as her home was quite high in the air. It would do fine. She let out a heavy sigh. This was it. “Goodbye, cruel world…” She took one step off the cloud and was immediately falling headfirst towards the hard ground.
It felt like she was falling forever. She was too afraid to open her eyes and merely kept them clamped shut, waiting for the inevitable impact. She would be with her best friend soon… so very, very soon. And they would laugh, and talk, and be together. Each second passed like a lifetime to her, and images of her and her friend started to fill her mind.
“T-thank you, Rainbow Dash. For being my friend when no one else would.”
Once again, it was like Fluttershy was talking to her; like she was falling right beside her and just whispered in her ear. She couldn’t do this. Fluttershy wouldn’t want it. She had to continue on with her life and get over the fact that her best friend was gone forever.
Rainbow Dash extended her wings and broke the dive, and looking down, she realized she couldn’t have done it sooner. Had she waited even a second longer, she would have been dead. She would have been with her friend… happy…
It had been two days since the disaster. Rainbow Dash had locked herself up in her home, and hadn’t left once. She had eaten next to nothing, and merely laid in her bed all day, remembering better days. Every night she would cry for hours, eventually falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning. She just wanted Fluttershy to be there, to comfort her, to be with her…
Rainbow’s dreams were filled with Fluttershy. Some were happy ones, like the day when they first met, or just random encounters they had during the day. Others were sad and depressing, like when she found the dead body of her dear friend. It was always lifeless and cold at her touch, and showed no sign of the happiness and innocence that once filled her.
Her friends had tried visiting her on several occasions, but she always told them to go away, and never said more than a few words to them. She just wanted to be alone; they didn’t understand what she was going through, and because of that they couldn’t help her. This was her problem and her struggle, and she’d deal with it on her own.
They had been friends with Fluttershy; that much was true. But they had never known her like she did. She had seen Fluttershy in her worst moments, and had comforted her when she was hurt. Fluttershy had made her happy when she was sad, and now that she was gone, Rainbow just wished she could be there to repay the favor.
“Rainbow Dash?” A yell came at her door, and the pegasus instantly recognized the owner of the voice to be Twilight.
“Go away!” She yelled back, not taking a step off of her bed.
There was silence, and she expected that she had left. Glad that she was alone again, she laid her head against her pillow. It was as soft as a cloud. She looked back through her window, which offered a magnificent view of the vast, endless sky. It reminded her of her depression… deep and endless…
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled, startling the pegasus.
“I said go away!”
“Dash, please; will you just talk to me for one second?”
Rainbow Dash sighed, burying her face into her pillow. She knew Twilight; she was persistent. If she shooed her off right now, she would just be back tomorrow. The unicorn just wanted to help her, like a good friend. Finally deciding she should talk to her, she rolled out of bed and made her way to the front door.
Rainbow Dash threw open the front door to find her lavender friend waiting there for her, a look of horror crossing her face as she looked at her.
“Rainbow, you look…horrible...” Twilight commented, noticing the deep bags under her friend’s blood shot eyes. Her mane, which looked even more unkempt than usual, was filled with knots and stray hairs.
“What do you want?” She mumbled, unable to look her so-called friend in the eye.
“Oh, yes! Rainbow, you need help! You’ve haven’t talked with anypony since the disaster! I now you’re taking this terribly, and you must feel awful now, but… you need to let your friends help you. That’s the only way you’ll be happy again!”
Rainbow Dash growled at her. “…And just how are you supposed to make me happy? Huh?! Unless you can bring Fluttershy back, I’ll never be happy again…”
A painful look crossed Twilight’s face. “Rainbow Dash… I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling right now, because you’re right, I didn’t know her like you did… But you can be happy without her! You need to see that! It takes a lot of hard work and time, but eventually you’ll get over it! Things will be just like old times!” She reached out a comforting hoof and laid it on her friend’s shoulder.
Rainbow Dash looked to the ground, her lip quivering. “I-I-It’s all my fault, Twilight… If I had just gone with her… if I had put off my stupid flying routine… I would have been there with her, and she’d still be here with me…”
“Don’t say that! it’s not your fault. What happened to her was an awful accident, and none of us could have changed that. That’s how life works! It takes things from us when were least expecting it…”
Rainbow Dash looked up into the bright purple eyes of her friend, smiling slightly. “A-alright Twilight. I’ll let you help me. I want to be happy again… Just, please let it be just you and me… I don’t think I can face the others again... ”
Twilight looked back into the dark rose eyes of her friend and smiled. “Alright… and Rainbow? Thank you.”
“So… Describe exactly how you’ve been feeling the past week. I know it’ll be painful, but I need to know this…” Twilight said, making sure her notepad and pen were at the ready.
Rainbow Dash was laying on a couch, with her friend looking inventively down at her. “Well… I’ve been feeling really lonely, and depressed… I just… I want Fluttershy to be here with me… to make me happy. Like she used to…
”
The purple unicorn quickly jotted down several notes before turning back to her. “Alright, now have you been getting any sleep at all?”
The pegasus gently nodded her head. “Sometimes… I’m afraid to sleep… Some of the dreams are happy. But some are…” She paused a moment, breathing sharply. “Horrifying… I see her d-d-dead body there… and I can’t do anything but watch… Twilight, it hurts so much… I c-can’t go on like this anymore…” She buried her face in the pillow, not wanting her friend to see her tears.
Twilight gave her a very worried look before laying a comforting hoof on her. “It’s okay, Rainbow. I’m here…”
The pegasus lifted her head from out of the pillow and looked into her friends face. “I don’t even know why I’m still alive… I don’t see any happiness in life anymore… I just want to end it…”
“Rainbow, life is worth living. Even if you can’t see the reason.”
She gritted her teeth and suddenly her expression turned to an angry, pained one. “That’s easy for you to say! You barely even knew her! Life is cold, harsh, and unforgiving! There’s no point in living it! We just fool ourselves everyday by saying things will get better, but they won’t! I see that now! Life is a lie, all it can be is pain!” She knocked her friend’s hoof away from her and rose into the air in one fluid motion. She growled at her before flying out of the library.
“Rainbow!” Twilight called out, chasing out the door and after her friend. Seeing that the cyan pegasus was already half way across Ponyville, she immediately gave up. “Rainbow…”
Rainbow threw open the door to her bedroom, rushing over to the bed. She collapsed onto it. She should have never listened to Twilight. She couldn’t be happy without Fluttershy. She had been stupid to think otherwise. What she needed was to be alone. Alone… that’s what she was… and that is what she’d always be now...
Turning her head over, she glanced at her bedside table. Sitting there, quite lonely, was a hairclip. A butterfly hairclip to be exact, colored pink and light yellow. It reminded her of Fluttershy. In fact, Fluttershy had given it to her as a gift; she could still remember that day…
“Can you believe it? I finally graduated! After all these years, I’m an honorary flier!” A pegasus hollered in excitement, zipping around the sky with lightning speed.
“I know! It seems like it’s been so long since we first joined!” A light colored pegasus responded, smiling at her energetic friend.
“Oh yeah! One step closer to the Wonder Bolts!” Rainbow Dash said, pulling into a few loop de loops.
Fluttershy pulled a beautifully wrapped box out from under her wing and waited for her friend to finish. Within a few minutes, she finished her victory flight. She landed and walked over to her shy friend. Seeing the gift, Rainbow Dash immediately grinned. “Whatcha get me?”
“Oh, well, it’s just a little something I found. I hope you like it… It’s in honour of your graduation!” She handed it to her friend, who quickly snatched it and began ripping it open.
When Rainbow finally got the box open a disappointed look crossed her face. “Oh, it’s, uh… great!” She gave a fake smile as she held up a butterfly hair clip.
“Oh… you don’t like it…” A frown crossed Fluttershy’s face.
“What? When did I say that? I uh, love it! In fact, I’ll put it on right now!” Rainbow quickly put it into her multi colored hair, stepping back so her friend could see her better. “How do I look?”
Fluttershy giggled. “It looks wonderful on you! I’m glad you like it!” The clip looked very out of place on the Pegasus. While her mane was a mess, the clip stood as a single piece of perfection.
Rainbow Dash laughed back, knowing that it must look ridiculous on her. Still, it was her friend. She couldn’t be so mean to her. What she had given was a very caring gift, so she might as well return that kindness.
“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” Rainbow Dash roared, throwing herself against the nearby wall. While clouds were generally very soft and comfortable, when they were packed together like this they were very hard and smooth. Pain seared through her body as she repeatedly rammed herself into the thick wall, finally falling to the ground in a crumpled mess. “It’s all your fault… You could’ve helped her…”
She looked into the mirror that was pressed against her face, anger surging through her body at the sight of her reflection. "Idiot!" She bashed her face off the cool glass. "You killed her!" Another strike and she felt the cool blood run down her face as she was pressed against the cracked and splintered mirror.
It was her fault her friend was dead… Had she just gone with her… had she not been so selfish… The old memories made it hurt even more, with her wishing she had cherished them better. Back then, she didn’t know what she truly had. Only now, when Fluttershy was gone, did she understand things fully.
Rainbow slowly got to her hooves and paced over to the table, grabbing the clip with one hoof. She just stood there and gazed at it a long time. This was the only thing she had to remember Fluttershy by. Its color pattern was like that of her old friend. This only brought a fresh wave of tears as she slumped against the ground.
“Fluttershy… Why…?”
Another yell came at her door. Rainbow groaned. Why couldn’t they just leave her alone in her mourning?
“Open up, Rainbow! We need to talk!” She immediately recognized the thick country accent of Applejack.
“Yeah, Dashie! You haven’t come out in days!” An energetic voice said, which was obviously Pinkie Pie.
“Why can’t you guys just leave me alone?! You don’t know what I’m going through…” She yelled back to them from her bedroom.
“Well that doesn’t mean we can’t help you, darling. The tragedy has affected us all, and as your friends, we just want to help you.”
Help… Like they could possibly ever do that… “I’m not coming out, so you may as well just give up…”
“Alright Rainbow, if you don’t come out in the next thirty seconds, Ah’m bucking down this door!” Applejack threatened.
She wouldn’t… This was just some cheap trick her friends were using to try and get her to come out…
The next thirty seconds passed by painfully, and, just as she finished counting, true to her promise, the cowpony bucked down the door. The door, which had been made of clouds, burst into pieces and the four ponies rushed inside.
Rage sweltered in Rainbow as she heard the crash. Her friends not only refused to leave her alone, they were now breaking down her doors! “That’s it…” She mumbled, shooting out of her bed and into the main room. She found all four of her friends staring at her.
“You have to let us try and help you!” Twilight pleaded. The pegasus glared at her.
“Help?! How many bucking times do I have to tell you?! You can’t help me! None of you can!” She roared at them, her voice far louder than usual.
“Well, how do you know that? You can at least let us try!” Rarity yelled back.
Rainbow turned her head from them. Her breath was coming out in deep heaves. “Because… The only pony that could make me happy is dead, and it’s all my fault…”
“But it’s not your fault, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie urged, suddenly popping in front of the pegasus. “It’s not your fault at all, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you’ll be happy!”
The pink pony’s voice was different than usual; sure she still had her usual excitement, but it was somewhat off… She was much more serious, and Rainbow could tell that she had shed a tear or two at the news of her friend’s death.
She wasn’t in this alone. She had always thought it was just her, and that it was her burden alone to deal with Fluttershy’s death. But as she looked upon the smiling yet worried faces of her friends, she realized she wasn’t alone. She could carry the weight with her friends, and with they’re help, she would be happy again.
“But… but…”
“Were you friends, Rainbow. We’re with you through the good and the bad.” Twilight said to her, a light smile crossing her face.
She was right. Though they weren’t like Fluttershy, and though they didn’t share the same connection, they were friends. Friends stood beside each other, through the good and the bad. Rainbow lowered herself to the ground and walked over to her friends. “Th-thanks, you guys… We’ll get through this… As friends…”
They all smiled and embraced the pegasus in a comforting hug. For the first time since the disaster, she felt happy. Not alone, nor sad. Though she still mourned her friend’s death, her friends were there with her. They had always been there, but she had just been too blind to see them.
A light drizzle fell at the edge of the Everfree Forest, mirroring the mood and atmosphere of everypony there. All of her friends were there, along with many other ponies, all of which came to pay their respects to the deceased pegasus.
Rainbow Dash stood alone, away from the crowd that was forming. She looked through all of them. The same sad, pained look was across all of their faces. They had all come for the same thing; to mourn the loss of a dear friend. She never realized just how many ponies cared about Fluttershy. Even the royal Princess’s had come.
She glanced away from them and up at the slightly dark sky. Though thoughts and memories of Fluttershy still seemed to haunt her, she had found solace. Her friends were there to comfort and help her, and with time, she’d be happy again. Things would return to normal, even if the shy pegasus wasn’t there. Life would flow on without her.
“Rainbow?” A voice came from behind, startling her.
“Huh?” She spun around to see Twilight standing there. “Oh… hey Twilight…”
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yeah…”
“Well, everything’s just about to start… If you don’t want to watch, I’d understand completely…”
“No. I can get through this. I need to in fact.” Rainbow mumbled back. “Let’s go…”
The two of them hurried down to the crowd, where the funeral was just beginning. She stood silently as the crowd quieted down and a pony dressed in black began talking. She really wasn’t listening to what he was saying, because truthfully it didn’t matter to her. They hadn’t known the yellow pegasus like she had, and Fluttershy would always have a special place in her heart. She didn’t need some stranger to tell her that.
She had been through so much with Fluttershy. She had been with her and comforted her so many times. Through thick and thin, they stood together as friends. Even despite her being gone, she knew that Fluttershy was happy wherever she was, And that one day they’d be together.
The sun shone through the clouds, casting brilliant rays of light down on the forest and the funeral. Rainbow knew that hard times were ahead, but she had her friends to help get through them. She’d get through the storm, and let the sun shine on through.
“T-thank you, Rainbow Dash. For being my friend when no one else would.”
“No…” She thought silently to herself. “Thank you for being my friend and staying with me all those years… Even though you’re gone now, I wouldn’t take any of the time we shared together back. I’ll miss you, Fluttershy… You were a good friend…”
