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// Chapter 3. Fluttershy 
// Story: It's a Wonderful Dashie 
// by Sparky Brony 
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Rainbow Dash looked around, she saw the bubbling brook that was always in front of Fluttershy's cottage. But the little bridge over it wasn't there, and most upsetting, the cottage itself wasn't there. She trotted to where the front door was and looked around. There was no sign it had ever been here.

"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash whimpered as she sat on her haunches to ponder this development.

"She never moved to Ponyville, Loyalty," came a voice from behind Rainbow. Causing her head to jerk around.

The midnight blue alicorn sat next to Rainbow and put a wing over the distraught pegasus, pulling her into a hug.

"Why didn't she come here? She takes care of all the critters in the area."

"No, she doesn't. She's never been grounded. You never had your race with those two bullies in Cloudsdale, she never fell to the ground, and never discovered she can talk to all the small animals."

Rainbow Dash pulled away. "Well, if she's still in Cloudsdale, I had better go find her," She took off like a rocket, leaving Luna behind.

It took her roughly three hours, but she finally landed in the floating city of Cloudsdale. She glanced at one of the clocks, it was past eleven. Yet ponies were out and about. "Pretty late for ponies to be out," she did note that the streets were all well lit, far better lit than they ever were when she lived there. She trotted up and down the streets, trying to remember where Fluttershy's parents lived.

After some searching, she found the right street, and she tapped gently on the door. There was no answer. She looked around at the ponies milling about like it was a normal day, steeled her resolve, and knocked louder.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, the door opened slightly, and a timid blue eye framed by a pink mane peeked out.
Rainbow Dash jumped through the door and tackled her friend.

"Oh, Fluttershy, I'm so happy to see you. Everything has gotten so weird today." She was interrupted by Fluttershy struggling to get away, she let her friend up, and the yellow pegasus backed away from her as quickly as she could.

"W-who are you?" Fluttershy was able to gasp out as she was getting away from the crazy rainbow maned mare in her entryway.
Rainbow Dash advanced on her, with a very confused look on her face. "Fluttershy, we've known each other from flight camp."

Her friend lay down, curling upon herself, trying to make herself as small as possible. She lay there trembling.

Rainbow put a hoof on her friends withers, flinching at the sob coming from her friend's throat as she did so. She sat on her haunches and looked at Fluttershy.

"Flutters, we've known each other a long time, I may be a few years younger than you. But we became friends after you came up from groundside after my race. Don't you remember me?"

It was hard to discern her trembling from her shaking her head no, but Rainbow was able to figure it out.

Rainbow lay down in front of her friend, putting her muzzle right in front of her friend's. "My name is Rainbow Dash, and you and I have been friends for years now." Tears started to leak from her eyes, "Please remember me."

She looked around the house, there were a few birds hopping around, some with bandages expertly applied, some looked like they were being nourished by practiced hooves. But only birds. She looked back at her friend, and her jaw dropped in shock. She pointed  a shaking hoof at her friend.

"What happened to your cutie mark, Fluttershy?"

Something seemed to ease up in the yellow pegasus. The focus wasn't on her, it was on her passion, her special talent, she was able to find the confidence she felt when helping birds. She started talking, some part of her mind was able to make it through her terror, "I have always had a robin for a cutie mark, I got it when I nursed a poor defenseless robin that had been injured, and it made it up to Cloudsdale. On the day I was able to help it fly again and it took off, I could understand it's chirping, I understood that I could talk to birds. And they can talk to me. My cutie mark appeared as he was flying away."

"But groundside, you've got hundreds of critters that you take care of. Everything from a big brown bear, to Angel Bunny. You've got birds too, but you talk to all the critters."

Fluttershy shook her head emphatically, "No, I've never been groundslide, I only know of those animals from books."

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. "Where are our friends? Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle?"

Fluttershy shook her head, "I don't know anypony by those names."

"Who do you know then?"

"I know my birds."

"And?"

"That's it."

Rainbow Dash dragged her hoof down her face in frustration, "So, you are saying that you only know your birds, you don't have any other friends? Nopony else?"

Fluttershy hid behind her mane at Rainbow's increased volume, and slowly shook her head no, "You're not going to make fun of me, are you?"

That caught Rainbow Dash unawares. Her jaw dropped. "Fluttershy, I've been your friend for a long time. I would never make fun of you. I've teased you sometimes, but it's always been to make both of us laugh."

The terrified pegasus let out a deep breath, and her terror subsided once more, "Oh, goodness. I've been teased for so long. 'Fluttershy can't hardly fly, Fluttershy, crazy bird pony.' It's been horrible." She stopped for a moment and looked at Rainbow Dash, for a moment the old Fluttershy was there, "Rainbow Dash, I'm glad to have met you, and there is something about you that seems familiar. But you, I don't remember you. I'm so sorry."

Rainbow let her tears fall. "Are you sure you haven't heard of our friends?"

A quick shake of the head.

Rainbow Dash hung her head and turned to the door. "I guess I'll go now."

She heard a tiny voice behind her as she walked out, "You can visit anytime."