Chapter 1 - Of Sunsets and Rainbows

Hearts Aflutter - Chapter 1
Of Sunsets and Rainbows

It was a cheery day in Ponyville. The sun hung low in the sky, the bright afternoon soon to be broken by an evening thunderstorm – which a certain rainbow maned pegasus had yet to set up.

She was busy, however, with a different matter, of a more personal nature – and Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville’s resident librarian, was a pony she was sure could help her out.

Any beating around the bush normally made Twilight try to tell you what kind of bush it was, the best ways to take care of one, and many of the uses this bush could have. Thus, Rainbow Dash decided to get straight to the point.

"Hey Twilight, have you noticed anything… weird about Fluttershy lately?"

"What do you mean?” Twilight asked, having spent nearly three days cooped up in the library, studying Celestia knew what... though she probably does, on second thought, Rainbow muttered silently.

"How should I know? I haven't been able to talk to her all week! You know how she acts around strangers?" she asked, continuing at Twilight’s nod. “It’s like that, but... a little different. At least she outright runs away from strangers – with me, she kinda just... keeps her distance.”

"That does sound a little strange… Alright, I'll see what I can do. Maybe I could find some time tomorrow… or the day after," Twilight said, peering over at her schedule to try and find some spare time – she hoped Rainbow didn’t see her grimace.

"Thanks, Twilight,” Rainbow said. “Anyway, I’ve gotta get Cloudkicker to help set up that thunderstorm. I'll see you later."

"Did you say thunderstorm?” Twilight exclaimed, shooting over to the weather calendar on her wall. “Oh my, you’re right! Of course you’re right...”

“Uh... yeah. Bye, and thanks again!” Dash said gratefully, leaving quickly by the library’s window.

Cloudkicker was waiting at the usual spot, already prepared. “Hey, Dash! Heh, what a surprise – you’re not too late for once.”

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, fuzzball,” Dash cackled, pointing a hoof at Cloudkicker’s mane, which was standing completely on end from the thunderclouds’ static. The other pegasus glared for a moment, giggled, and then they got to work.

As Dash began to put the dark grey clouds in place, she found her thoughts drifting towards Fluttershy, her long-time best friend.

Fluttershy's weird behaviour had all started right after one of Pinkie Pie's parties. It had begun just like any other – a couple dozen ponies, lots of food, particularly cake, and hay-loads of fun – but after the majority of the guests had left, Pinkie Pie managed to swindle Dash and the others into making it a sleep-over party.

~~~

The top floor of Sugarcube Corner was easily large enough to house the six ponies occupying it.
They were arranged in a circle, camped out around an imaginary fire – another of Pinkie Pie's ideas – as if it were a Filly Scouts Jamboree without the tents or outdoor bedding. For some reason, it brought Dash memories of Summer Flight School.

Pinkie Pie sat astride a large navy blue beanbag; to her left was Rainbow on a small cloud, followed by Applejack and Fluttershy on small cushions, Twilight Sparkle on a second beanbag and Rarity on her red velvet loveseat. How it managed to appear wherever there was a need for being overdramatic, Rainbow had no clue.

Must be a unicorn thing, she thought.

Despite already putting herself to bed twice – for no real reason – Pinkie had managed to keep everypony – including herself – going with a favourite party game."Applejack, truth or dare, truth or dare!" she cried, bouncing into the air.

"Oh gosh, uh… Dare?" the earth pony replied.

The game had begun.

"Okie dokie! I dare you to…" Pinkie Pie beckoned Applejack over and whispered in her ear. Suddenly Applejack burst out laughing.

"What is it? What'd she dare you?" Rainbow asked – if it was a prank, she had to know. If at all possible, she wanted in – a good prank was the best way to have fun.

"Well, alright, Ah'll tell you," Applejack said. She sidled up next to Rainbow Dash and whispered loudly, “She said Ah should replace all of Rarity's mud maskin' stuff with real mud. Ah reckon everypony'd get a good laugh outta that-"

"Well I certainly won't, Miss Applejack!” Rarity cried indignantly. “I am appalled! Not only did Pinkie Pie come up with something so... atrocious," she said with a shudder, "But that you would agree to it! And I thought we'd finally made up our differences…"

Applejack looked away. “Ah really should learn how to whisper...”

"Oh, but Rarity, we spend all day at the spa lying in real mud," interceded Fluttershy.

Rarity flushed lightly, but stopped her attacks on the apple farmer. The awkward silence was broken quite easily by Pinkie Pie, who continued the game at full stride. "Applejack, it's your turn!"

“Well, alrighty then. Rarity, truth or dare?"

"Oh darling, truth, of course! A pony never knows what her friends," she said, looking pointedly at everypony in turn in an underhanded – and pointless – attempt to psych them out, "Might try to make them do."

"Alrighty then… is it true that in one of your school photos you were wearing a dress made from a towel?"

Rarity was on her feet instantly, a shocked look on her face. "P-P-Pinkie!” she sputtered, her voice nearly at shriek volume. “You promised me that you would never tell anypony!"

Pinkie Pie gasped, putting her hooves over her mouth. She looked guiltily at the unicorn and hung her head in shame, a single tear rolling out from her eye. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“I even destroyed every copy of that photo...” the unicorn moaned agonisingly. Pinkie immediately began digging through her now slightly-drooping mane, producing a cupcake.

It was a mean cupcake - black cake, black frosting, and enormous black spikes that rose like the towers of Canterlot. Everypony gasped as they realised what the crazy party pony was about to do.

Rarity straight away tried to stop her, urgently saying, "Pinkie, please don't! I forgive you! It wasn't really all that important to me!"

Pinkie raised her joyless eyes slowly to Rarity's, guilt and shame having taken all life from them. In a solemn monotone, she said, "I must regain my honour and yours, Rarity. It's cupcake, or seppuku."

Four pairs of eyes turned to Twilight, who despite the atmosphere told them everything about the ancient Samurai method of ritual suicide.

All five of the ponies nodded at each other, coming to a unanimous decision. "Cupcake."

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Pinkie said, nodding slowly. She then placed a hoof in her mouth, opened her left eye as far as she could and plunged the deathly cupcake straight into the centre, screaming into her foreleg.

Everypony winced or turned away, fearing the pink pony had finally lost her grip on what little sanity she possessed – the screaming had quickly transformed into enormous gales of laughter. Then Pinkie stretched her tongue out, enveloping the cupcake with it, and proceeded to swallow it whole, still giggling maniacally.

“Oh, you guys! I got you so good!” she cried, rolling around the floor, literally laughing her pants off.

"Uh, Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked, more than slightly confused. "What just happened?"

"Well, I never said you couldn't have eye protectors when you stick the cupcake in it!" She removed a very thick, clear plastic ellipse from her eye, placing it on the ground next to her.

Five ponies facehoofed in unison, all the while filing that information away for future reference – and still wondering where Pinkie’s pants had come from. There were at least seven pairs littering the floor where she’d been rolling, yet not a single pony had seen her put them on.

"Your turn, Rainbow Dash!"

“Alright, my turn!" she’d come up with a great idea, but she’d need another pegasus’ help.

"Fluttershy, truth or dare?"

Dare, dare, dare, dare…

"Um... truth." Aw, darn...

Rainbow, racked her brain to find some question, any question she’d ever had about Fluttershy, but her thoughts came up blank in the heat of the moment. Finally, she settled on one of the most pitiful fall-back questions ever invented... but she had to ask something, right? She definitely didn’t really care about her answer. Not at all.

"Who do you like?"

Fluttershy's eyes shot wide open and she blushed deeply, looking at everypony in shock. Woah.

"Darling, you can tell us," Rarity said, suddenly interested again. "It is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of."

Fluttershy gulped, took a few deep breaths and said, "I-I-I-I-I-I..."

"Uh… What was that?" Applejack asked, leaning forward.

"Um... I...” she mumbled, descending into an impossibly low volume.

"Come on, speak up!" Rainbow Dash urged. She’d never known Fluttershy to be interested in anypony in that way, but her reaction clearly said otherwise. "Who do you like?"

"Me! Me! Tell me, oh please please please please please please!" Pinkie yelled, cart-wheeling around the room in her excitement.

Fluttershy, her face as red as Applejack's apples, could only squeak in reply.

"Alright," Twilight Sparkle interrupted. "I think that's enough everypony. She's starting to get distressed."

The realisation hit the other four ponies like a piano from above, and they noticed just how much they’d been pressuring the most timid pony they knew. While it was certainly an interesting subject, the answer wasn’t worth the pressure they were putting on their friend.

"Sorry for puttin' you on the spot like that, Fluttershy," Applejack said, lowering her ears and looking down at her hooves.

"I am too, dear,” Rarity put in. “I shouldn’t have let something so petty get the best of me like that."

"Yeah, me too. Sorry Fluttershy," Rainbow said, not to be left behind.

"Next time we should go bobsledding!"

Five ponies turned to the excitable pink one, blinking away their confusion.

"…What?"

---

Not long after that party, all of the trouble with the yellow pegasus began.

At first it didn't bother Rainbow much – it was easy to pass it off as Fluttershy just being... well, Fluttershy. She was normally shy anyway, and Dash thought that maybe she’d just been having some trouble talking to ponies lately or something.
But as the weeks went on, it became clear that the unusual behaviour was directed towards her – and unusual it was. But even then, it wasn’t the behaviour that bothered Dash – it was what it implied. Something had happened that had changed something between the two of them, and she couldn’t even talk to the other mare to figure out what.

After a whole week, the lack of contact with Fluttershy was really getting to her – it hurt, considering how close they were.

Not long ago, they’d started going out flying together – there was something about two pegasi, best friends taking to the sky together, that sent Rainbow’s heart soaring.

Just like Applejack’s apples, or Twilight’s magic, flying was everything to her. It was what she did, it was who she was – and it was something she wanted to share with her friends. It was a sad stroke of fate that most of her closest friends weren’t pegasi, but that just made the one who was that much more special.

Fluttershy was her best friend ever, the one friend who could fly, the one friend that she could share everything with – well, almost everything.

They’d been together since Summer Flight School, before they got their Cutie Marks, before Rainbow had even known what it meant to have friends...

…But now Fluttershy wouldn't come anywhere near her. Dash shook her head and pushed her troubles away as she put the last cloud into place for the thunderstorm.

She's just... I dunno, sick or something. Fluttershy'll be back to her old self in no time!

Feeling mildly reassured and suddenly drowsy, she said her goodbyes to Cloudkicker and began to search for a good place to take a nap in the afternoon, before heading back home.

---

Fluttershy paced along the edge of the Everfree Forest frantically, nearly panicking, wondering what to do.

Angel… of all the places to run off to, why here? It was one thing to go into a dark, scary forest full of Celestia knows what with all of her friends to stop Nightmare Moon, but it was another thing entirely to go into a dark, scary forest all on her own…

Adventure had never been her thing – while everypony else seemed always ready to go out, risk it all and save the day, she was perfectly content to have a nice quiet day at home, happy to limit her day’s excitement to a tea party, or perhaps a trip to the spa.
While she certainly never had a lack of adventure with Rainbow Dash and the others, she never quite got over the uncertainty that it brought her, and today was no exception.

She'd tried to ask for help, but everypony was too busy; Pinkie Pie had a huge order of cupcakes to fill, Applejack had a substantial amount of apples to pick, and Rarity was busy with a particularly intricate set of dresses. Even Twilight, normally eager to help her friends, was also busy – Spike had said she didn’t want to be disturbed, so Fluttershy hadn’t pursued the matter.

That left just Rainbow Dash, and that left Fluttershy with a problem – two in fact. For one, nopony had any idea where Rainbow Dash was – Cloudkicker had said she’d disappeared right after they finished setting up the thunderstorm, and hadn’t been seen since.

The second problem was her recent trouble speaking with the pegasus. For a short while now, every sight of Rainbow Dash had had her blushing like a schoolfilly, and squeaking like a mouse. She could barely work up the courage to look at her.

Fluttershy found her reaction to Rainbow quite irritating; she didn’t know what she or Dash had done that made her feel this way, but she didn’t like it.
They’d been friends for so long, having something so... petty come between them was quite painful to bear.

"Angel!" she yelled. Not a leaf stirred, and even a squirrel, asleep at her feet, didn't seem to mind the noise.

She pawed at the ground, wondering if it was okay to call a bit louder – a determined glint entered her eye. She had to find the bunny, at any cost.

Taking a deep breath, trying to be a little louder, she yelled, "Angel!" It was louder indeed – a bird looked up from its preening nearby, tweeted happily, and then got back to its business.

Fluttershy looked at the sky, which had dimmed significantly from just moments before. A heavy cloud cover loomed above.

I guess I have to go find Rainbow Dash.

---

"Um... Excuse me, but have you seen Rainbow Dash anywhere?" she asked timidly, pawing at the ground.

"Nope, sorry," Carrot Top replied, continuing to pack up her market stand, eager to get home before the storm hit.

"Um..."Fluttershy mumbled, turning towards Daisy’s stand.

"Uh, no, me neither," the other mare replied apologetically.

So it went, from pony to pony, and not a single clue as to Rainbow Dash's whereabouts. She’d checked all of her friends' houses, all of her usual napping spots, and even had Apple Bloom and the Cutie Mark Crusaders search a substantial amount of trees at Sweet Apple Acres – “Cutie Mark Crusaders, Search Party! YAY!!!”

She wandered through the streets of Ponyville, looking for any sign of her friend. The yellow mare had just about given up hope when she noticed the name of a shop down an alleyway.

Could it really be so simple?

Apparently it could – there had clearly been no better place for a nap than Quills & Sofas.
That was where Fluttershy found Rainbow Dash, snoring away on a large luxury couch in the corner - her face lit up inexplicably with a slight blush as she noticed the pegasus, but she shook her head to push the feeling away, trying to soothe her nerves – she couldn’t let something like this get between them, especially not when Angel might be in danger.

She entered the store, heading towards the sleeping pegasus. "Rainbow Dash," she whispered.

Snore...

"Rainbow Dash." This time she nudged her friend ever so slightly.

Snore...

The shop assistant noticed Fluttershy's plight and came to assist, coming to a stop right in front of the large sofa. He took a deep breath, coughed slightly, took another breath, and began.

"GOOOD MORNIIING, RAINBOOOOW DAAASH!!!" roared the brown earth pony as he leapt high into the air and body slammed into the cushion, right next to where Rainbow was napping. His landing ejected the pegasus into the air for a rather rude awakening.

Barely catching herself before hitting the ground, wings fluttering madly, Dash glared at the assistant, enraged.

"What the hay is wrong with you, man? I've been here like, five minutes!" she complained loudly.

"Uh, it's closer to two hours, actually. Your friend was here trying to wake you up, so I came to help out." Rainbow looked around, noticing Fluttershy.

I knew she’d come around, Dash thought.

"Oh, hey Fluttershy. What'cha doin'?” she asked, trying not to show her surprise at seeing the yellow pegasus, succeeding to a degree. “I haven't seen you around much lately."

"W-Well, um... You see..." Fluttershy mumbled to her hooves, not meeting Dash’s eyes.

"What's that?” Whoops – don’t wanna sound like I don’t care... “Uh... Could you speak up a little?” she asked, sounding slightly apologetic.

Fluttershy took a deep breath before continuing, telling her the whole story of Angel’s runaway as quickly as possible. "... and now I need your help to find Angel Bunny. The last place I saw him was when he was running into the E-Everfree Forest, and the thunderstorm could start any minute!"

"Oh, is that all? We'll find him in ten seconds flat!” Rainbow put in encouragingly. “Come on, let’s go!”

"O-Okay. Um... Thanks for your help, um..." Fluttershy said, shying away from the brown colt a little.

"Any time," said the smiling attendant.

The two pegasi left quickly, flying towards the Everfree Forest as quickly as Fluttershy could manage.
Upon arrival at the outskirts, however, they found a white rabbit waiting for them, tapping one foot rapidly and holding up a pocket watch, which he also tapped.

Rainbow facehoofed as Fluttershy trotted towards the bunny, scolding him for running away. "Angel Bunny, what have I told you about running off on your own? Do you know how worried I was?"

Undeterred by his caretaker’s stern voice, Angel simply looked between the two pegasi slowly, smiling secretively before hopping over towards the cottage nearby.

"Why doesn't he listen to you like all the other animals?" Dash asked.

"Um..." she murmured, looking away again. Now that Angel was out of danger, all the guts she’d had earlier had left – she once more found it difficult to be so close to the rainbow maned mare. She once more found herself fighting off a blush.

“Sorry?"

"..." Inwardly, Fluttershy cursed herself – she didn’t want this to be happening either, but it wasn’t under her control. Still, the feeling was slightly different now – rather than apprehension alone, or whatever it was, it now felt a little more like indecision. She wanted to be... closer. She wanted Rainbow to be closer.

"Oh come on! What's going on? I haven't seen you in ages! This is probably the first time we've spoken in weeks."

She tried once more, somehow finding the nerve to speak up again. "W-well, you see... I—"
She squeaked, cut off by a far-off flash of lightning and a loud peal of thunder – they hadn't noticed the wind picking up around them, and only then noticed the rain that had begun to fall, lightly for now. Fluttershy sighed, unable to keep the sentence going.

Rainbow Dash decided to break the awkward silence, trying not to be exasperated with the way Fluttershy was acting. If Fluttershy wouldn’t talk to her, there wasn’t a lot they could do together…

She took off in a quick boost of speed, flying a few circles around to try and get a thought process going. She broke through the cloud cover at one point and stopped completely, hovering in mid-air, staring enthralled at the horizon.

She immediately flew back to where Fluttershy still sat. "Hey, let's go up there,” she said, pointing towards the sky. “I want to show you something.”

"Um... Okay," the Fluttershy squeaked.

Rainbow leapt into the air and waited for the other mare to follow, then flew straight into the dark grey storm clouds again.

Fluttershy faltered – was she serious? Flying into a thunderstorm was the sort of thing only good fliers did, and she was about as far from that as a pegasus could be!

Just as suddenly as Rainbow had disappeared into the grey canopy, a small window of opportunity made itself available in a gap between the clouds. Not wanting to let her down, she flew through it and into the clear skies above the storm.
Looking about, she spotted the mare perched atop an outcropping of white fluffy clouds, looking west towards the sunset.

Rainbow beckoned Fluttershy towards her with a wing, her magenta eyes glued to the beautiful scene in front of them. As Fluttershy looked towards the same point, her wings nearly stopped flapping, and she had to steady herself quickly. She flew over to where the pegasus sat, joining her on the cloud bank.

"Have you ever seen a sunset from up high like this? Wait, nevermind. Of course you have. You grew up in Cloudsdale, same as me."

Dash laughed and fell to her side, watching the sun move further down the skies.

Fluttershy did the same, leaning forward to rest her head on her hooves. She looked as the sky changed in shade from a bright orange-gold to a glorious purple, and found herself silently thanking Princess Celestia for creating the beautiful sunset.

It wasn't just the colours, though – the swirling clouds below, the odd peal of thunder rumbling, or a flash of lightning which briefly illuminated everything around them... It was a perfect contrast. A tranquil twilight, warm and bright, offset by a strong, yet peaceful storm below them.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said solemnly, watching the sun lower itself at last past the horizon. All of her inhibitions were gone – it was just her and Rainbow Dash up here. Was that what she’d been afraid of? Was she scared of other ponies seeing her with Dash?

Why would that be?

"This is what it's like nearly every day from up here. You see all the colours follow the sun down behind the clouds, and then you look over behind you," she said, doing so as she spoke, "And then you see all the stars popping up, and the moon rising nice and slow over the mountains... I could sit here forever, just watching.”
Fluttershy was seeing a part of Rainbow that didn’t often show itself – Rainbow wasn’t often the sentimental type, but when she got that way, she meant every word she said.
“But you know what the best thing about it is?" she asked, looking over at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy could think of a few things, but a real answer eluded her. Soon Rainbow Dash answered her own question, and the answer stunned the yellow pegasus, bursting through her heart like a blooming flower.

"It's that you're here with me. You're my best friend. I can share things with you that nopony else could possibly understand. I could never bring Twilight or Applejack here – that’s why this is so awesome. It’s something just the two of us have, like a secret that only we know. It’s just me and you, ‘Shy."

Fluttershy sat, eyes wide – Rainbow had never expressed her feelings so openly before. It was… nice.

Dash looked towards the moon, which was beginning to rise higher into the sky, shining its kindly light on them. “Sunsets are probably my favourite thing in the world, besides maybe doing a Sonic Rainboom...” she trailed off, as if deciding whether to continue.

“...And besides being friends with you.” she finished, placing a hoof over Fluttershy’s shoulders and lay down, resting her head on the other. It took Fluttershy a moment to realise that she’d gone to sleep.

She was speechless - more so than usual at least. She sat in silence for what seemed like hours, contemplating her best friend's words as she looked towards the skies and listened to the soft tooting of the sleeping rainbow pegasus and the rumbles of thunder from below. Placing a wing tentatively over Rainbow Dash and feeling the tug of sleep herself, she fell into the night’s embrace, and into the arms of a dream full of sunsets and rainbows.

Chapter 2 - Nightfall

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Hearts Aflutter - Chapter 2
Nightfall

Rainbow Dash awoke at first light. Something was different.

As she gained more awareness of her surroundings, blearily opening her eyes to the world around her, she immediately noticed what broke the norm – her face was just a breath from Fluttershy’s.
The yellow pegasus breathed in and out so softly, it looked like she wasn’t at all, but Rainbow could feel the tiny puffs of air as they blew quietly past.

Fluttershy mumbled something about birdseed, her voice even softer than usual. Rainbow could feel hooves enveloping her, and one of the mare’s wings stretched out over her back. Normally, wings were kept to yourself – only really close friends ever shared a winged hug.

...Not that Dash minded. They were best friends. A wing-hug was nothing. It didn’t make her feel anything at all.

Yup. Absolutely nothing.

The memory of their conversation the night before washed over her and she felt her face grow a little warmer – she normally didn’t let herself get so... sentimental. But there was nothing more to the blush than that.

Careful not to wake her best friend, Rainbow extricated herself from the other pegasus’ hold, wondering if she’d get a chance to see her again that day.

She had a lot to do. It was her clean-up shift today – the remnants of last night’s thunderstorm had to be cleared away. With Cloudkicker off duty today, that would take a while – not to mention her daily practice routines, and nap time...

Peering over the edge of the cloud she laid upon, Rainbow looked at the storm, which had by now subsided to a small pattering of rain below them, though the clouds were still quite large.
She looked back over at Fluttershy, feeling a little guilty for taking off without her. But they could catch up later, right?

She’d clear the skies, take a nap, and then see if Fluttershy wanted to hang out. Maybe they could go flying again. Remembering the previous night, she wondered if there were other things that they could do together like that. It had been a nice change of pace.

Dash charged quickly into work mode, attacking the clouds with the skills of both an expert weather-pegasus and an expert stunt-flier.

---

Fluttershy opened her eyes slowly, rolling onto her stomach. Yawning adorably, she took note of where she was. This wasn’t her cottage, that much was obvious.

But why was she on a cloud?

She suddenly remembered the events of the night before – the thunderstorm, Angel running away, finding Rainbow Dash...

Her heart pattered, remembering the stunning sunset, and the equally stunning words Rainbow had said. She was shocked yet again – they’d been about her!
She hadn’t been told in a long time just how much she meant to somepony – that that pony was Rainbow Dash was even more amazing.

I wonder where she is now... she thought. Walking to the edge of the cloud, she looked down, hoping to see a glimpse of blue, a streak of rainbow, but the stormclouds from last night had been cleared, and there was no sign of Rainbow Dash.

She squinted, looked up at the sky, and nearly shrieked.

It’s noon! How can it be noon?! Oh, this is terrible, how could I have possibly slept in so long, all the animals will be hungry and...

She took a deep breath, calming herself down. Panicking would help nopony at all.

She made her way down from the cloud, which had barely drifted at all from its perch high above her cottage, gliding slowly towards her cottage. She landed to find Angel Bunny glaring at her, along with a couple of the other animals. Even from here, she could hear their tummies rumbling.

“Oh dear! I’m so, so sorry Angel!”

Frowning deeply, he pointed to his watch, then with a series of gestures asked where she’d been.

“I was with Rainbow Dash last night, and we...” she trailed off when she saw the sly look the bunny was giving her, and suddenly she blushed again.

“It was nothing like that, Angel!” she admonished, shocked at the bunny’s implications – while trying not to blush. “I’m disappointed that you would even think that way.”

He gave an indifferent shrug, and gave her a look that said I don’t care – I still missed breakfast.

“Oh, right! I’ll get it right away!”

---

“Fluttershy? Fluttershy! You in there?” Dash called, feeling fresh and happy after waking up from her nap. After a few minutes waiting at the door, however, she'd been just about to leave – when suddenly she heard a light creak, and a tiny voice say, “W-Wait.”

“Hey 'Shy, what took you so long?” Rainbow asked Fluttershy, floating back down to the cottage’s doorway.

“I-I was... um... feeding my friends,” she semi-lied. While she had also been doing that, Fluttershy had really been working up the courage to open the door. Despite her success, there was something about Rainbow that had her knees shaking like Granny Smith’s, and her face lighting up like Hearth’s Warming Eve.

“Right... Well, anyways, I’m about to go practice,” Rainbow said. “You wanna come watch?”

“Um... Well...” I’d rather watch another sunset with you, she thought, but she couldn’t tell Rainbow that.

...Why not? It couldn’t be bad, right? Oh, but what if it makes her sad that I want to do something so boring? Or even worse, if she gets annoyed? I couldn’t possibly...

The silence dragged on too long. “Nevermind,” Rainbow said. “I’m okay on my own. See ya, ‘Shy.” She flared her wings, preparing to fly away.

What? No! She couldn’t let Rainbow think she didn’t want to spend time with her. That would be terrible! An outright lie!

“Wait!” she cried as she bolted out the door, unable to disappoint her friend, knowing she must look as red as an apple but stoically pushing her feelings aside. Rainbow Dash noticed the blush, but didn’t mention it, glad to have her friend along.

---

The sun shone down on Rainbow Dash’s practice field, its warmth offset by a nice breeze rolling in from the nearby mountains. The long grass swayed in the wind, rolling green waves rippling across the vast green field. Supposedly the sheer amount of the thick vegetation would help to cushion a fall, Twilight said, but Dash wasn’t eager to test it – at the speeds she flew at, grass probably wouldn’t make much difference.

As good as the day was, the practice session was even better! Everything was perfect! The Buccaneer Blaze, the Filly Flash... hay, every trick she knew besides the Sonic Rainboom, she was completing with absolute awesomeness!

If she had to guess, she’d have to say it was because Fluttershy was there – something about having friends watching her and urging her onwards always seemed to help her achieve better results. Sadly, performing for a crowd didn’t do the same. So she’d get everything perfect before she even bothered – that way, there was less chance of mistakes.

She’d been watching the other pegasus from the corner of her eye during a few of her slower tricks, seeing how she’d bounce in the air a little when she got a particularly tough one right, hearing that absolutely adorable “Yay!”

Adorable? What? No! Not like that! she thought, defending herself pointlessly against an imaginary foe.

She mentally shook her head – it would screw up her flying to do it physically – and completed the series of corkscrews and barrel rolls she’d been in the middle of, coming out at the top with a thin sheen of moisture from the cloud she’d used to make a truly awesome picture of... whatever it ended up being. She hoped it was something legible – she’d lost track halfway through.

Rainbow shifted her concentration back to her tricks, beginning a new routine she’d had Applejack help her out with, pushing her feelings aside for the moment. She’d come back to them later.

---

Fluttershy watched in amazement as Rainbow Dash completed a routine with a cloud drawing, which depicted both of their Cutie Marks. It was masterfully artistic, seemingly flawless – if only clouds had more colours than grey or white! She shuddered with a sudden chill, remembering one other colour, but that would never be coming back. Hopefully.

She'd been doing her best not to be too loud while she was cheering, but at some point she'd stopped bothering. While she was no expert, she knew how hard some of those tricks were, even for the best of fliers – clearly the standard Rainbow was pushing was top-tier. Some of them had only ever been completed by a hoof-ful of ponies, and yet Dash had torn through them, completing them with near-perfect accuracy. Fluttershy applauded as loudly as she could manage, the skill Rainbow displayed deserving no less.

But as the afternoon wore on, she had found herself not watching Dash’s tricks so much as Dash herself. She was entranced - the wind streaming through that beautiful mane, the subtle shifts in her muscles and body, the look of sheer euphoria that graced her face when she completed a stunt...

Fluttershy began to wonder just what it was that she was feeling – surely, even best friends didn’t feel like this... did they? Had her friendships with Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, or even Twilight ever felt this... different?

She didn’t think so, and that bothered her. What was so different about her and Rainbow Dash that made her feel so shaky, so hesitant, made her want to be so close, and so far away at the same time? Fluttershy shook off her reverie – with some trouble – and started cheering for her friend once more.

Her feelings could wait.

---

“Oh man, I’m beat!” Rainbow said, leaning on Fluttershy a little for support. “That last one really took it out of me.”

Both of the mares looked exhausted. Rainbow Dash had clearly pushed herself just a tad too far, her mane frazzled – she looked like she needed to cry, not because she was sad, but because her eyes appeared ready to shrivel up. Fluttershy looked no better, but she was happy. Somehow in the excitement, she’d lost her blush, and seemed to be able to talk to Rainbow fairly easily, for the while.

The yellow pegasus looked at the sky, guessing that it was about four o’clock. She supposed she should probably get home soon. “Oh, but you were so good! I particularly liked it when you drew our Cutie Marks together!”

“Is that what it came out as?” Dash asked absently. “I mean, uh... Hay yeah! It was nothing!” Both of their tummies suddenly rumbled, and they glanced at each other, giggling.

“I guess we know where to go next,” Rainbow said.

A short while later, they found themselves in front of Sugarcube Corner. "Hey Pinkie," Dash said as she and Fluttershy entered the bakery, then stopped dead in their tracks. "... What in the hay happened here?" she asked incredulously, noticing the smoky aura the bakery had, as well as the heavily blackened kitchen.

"Oh, hi girls!” Pinkie said happily, launching herself right into the story. “I went to ask the Cakes if I could use the gas oven, because they said I could never use it again if I didn't ask permission because of what happened last time, and they said yes and I got so excited, so I started to make a whole bunch of cupcakes to put in it, and then I realised that it was basically time for the batch that I put in there without asking permission for to come out, but just before I got there to take them out because they were starting to burn a little bit, the rest of the oven caught fire, and it nearly blew up except that Pound Cake did a huge projectile-puke all over it and put out the fire, and now I'm not allowed in the kitchen again for a whole month!"

Rainbow and Fluttershy glanced at each other, unable to determine whether or not to laugh or die from brain overload. Presumably, that story had been meant to explain what happened, but the words had come so fast, anything she said was lost on reception.

"Um... Pinkie Pie... isn't that kind of a bad thing?" Fluttershy said, immediately regretting it as she saw the tears begin to form in Pinkie’s eyes.

"I was really trying not to think of it that way... but yes," she cried, bursting into tears, which stopped nearly instantly as she continued, chirpy as usual. "But that's okay! The cupcakes turned out great! Somehow Poundy’s puke didn’t get onto any of them! I managed to make six of them, and I thought that because there's six of us friends, I'd decorate one for each of us... But I already ate mine," she finished conspiratorially.

Rainbow Dash facehoofed as Fluttershy asked, "Do you mind if we have ours? I mean, if it’s okay?”

Pinkie Pie came out with a pair of cupcakes, one decorated with light blue and rainbow frosting, the other with banana yellow and pink.

After saying their thanks and goodbyes, Fluttershy began to head back to her cottage, Rainbow following her. They talked and ate on the way, Fluttershy showering Rainbow with praise. Rainbow drank in every word.

Eventually, silence fell on both of them. It was broken, surprisingly, by the yellow mare.

"Rainbow Dash... a-... about what you said last night... did you really mean it?” she asked hesitantly, her voice nearly a whisper. “I’m... I really mean that much to you?" She glanced with large blue eyes towards where Rainbow hovered alongside her.

“Every single word,” Dash replied. “We’re best friends – that’s not going to change.” Never, ever. Ever. “Hey, I was wondering - what was up with you last week? You said maybe three words to me the whole time, except for yesterday.” Fluttershy seemed to have gotten over it a little, but just what was it?

“Well, um...I don’t really know,” she replied. “It was just… oh, I can’t really explain it.”

“Was it something I did?” Rainbow asked, hoping desperately that it wasn’t.

“Oh, um…” she began, not noticing the door of her cottage rapidly approaching. Fluttershy, deep in thought, walked straight into it, yelping softly. Dash looked up at the sound, guessing what happened –she’d been deep in thought herself, not seeing the door either.

Fluttershy held her head while Dash rolled on the ground, cackling with laughter. What an easy way to get out of there – she really didn’t want to know the answer to her question anymore. “’Shy, you’re the best,” she said, holding her sides. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye!” And then she was off.

Fluttershy watched her go for a moment before entering her house. Well, that was... abrupt.
Her friend’s sudden departure had left a surprisingly large emptiness in her, and it took a lot not to go back outside so that she could spend some more time with Rainbow Dash.

As she went about, doing various chores, tending to the animals and finishing other tasks, she thought about Dash’s question, which had gone unanswered.

She’d never experienced anything like it before. At the very sight of Rainbow Dash, her heartbeat sped up and she’d choked on every word she tried to say – and when Rainbow wasn’t in sight, her mind would always wander back to the cyan pegasus, daydreaming of that beautiful rainbow mane, that gleaming blue coat…

With a start, Fluttershy realized that it was almost time for her weekly get-together with Rarity - quickly completing the last of her chores and hurried out the door and off towards the Luxury Lotus Spa Clinic. While she was exhausted, she knew if she could relax anywhere, it would be there.

---

“Rarity, do you think… if it’s okay… could I ask your advice?” A yellow pegasus and a white unicorn lay in the spa together, letting the bubbling water take away all their troubles.

“Well, of course you can, darling! Whyever not?” Rarity replied, motioning for her to continue.

Fluttershy explained the whole situation with Rainbow Dash – not mentioning the pegasus by name, of course – telling Rarity of the issues she was having, both when in Rainbow’s company and out of it.

“I’m just so confused! It’s almost like I don’t want to be around them, but I really really do! Oh, it’s so frustrating, I could just shout!” She did so – nopony minded.

“Feel better?” Rarity asked, trying not to laugh at the squeak she’d heard.

“A little,” Fluttershy replied. “Not really. Oh, and I even daydream about her!”

Rarity’s eyes lit up wildly at the slip-up. “Oh-ho! So this is about a mare!” she cried gleefully.

Fluttershy blushed heavily, but was, for some reason, very glad that the unicorn didn’t seem to have an issue with it. “Um... yes... So, um, what do you think?”

“Well, if you really want to know...” Rarity replied demurely, absently playing with her mane.

“Oh, I do! I mean, if you don’t mind telling me...”

Rarity paused a moment before answering. “I think you have a crush, dear Fluttershy. Oh, I can barely imagine the pony who could sweep little old you off your hooves!” She sighed, dramatically throwing a hoof over her forehead and looking at Fluttershy with huge, twinkling eyes. “Oh, but now you simply must tell me who it is!”

“Um... I’d rather not...” Fluttershy cringed, hoping she hadn’t hurt her friend’s feelings – especially after she’d given her all that advice.

Rarity brushed it off easily, saying, “Oh, well alright. Maybe another time. I have my suspicions anyway,” she winked, smiling slightly.

[

i]---

Rainbow Dash lay in bed, thinking about Fluttershy. She was too tired to try and deny that.
After spending a whole day with the pony, there still seemed to be something odd about her. Throughout the day, despite trying to hide it, she’d seemed very... hesitant. Or maybe cautious, like she was trying to hide something.

She’d taken so long to answer the door, Rainbow had thought she wasn’t home. Then she’d seemed hesitant to watch her practice, but came to cheer her on anyway. The day had gone well enough afterwards, but there was something in Fluttershy’s actions that seemed a little too... distant.

“Did you really mean it? I’m... I really mean that much to you?"

‘Every single word,’ she’d replied... but there were so many more words that Rainbow wanted to tell her... but she had to keep denying them.

Rainbow hated it all. She was living a lie, and she knew it – her mask was so perfect, her friends even thought that was the real pony! Everything she did – all of her tricks, her boldness, her tomboyish attitude – all were just a way to hide her feelings, from her friends... and herself. Of course, she still loved racing, stunt-flying and the liked. It was her special talent, after all. But her true personality was different from what most ponies ever saw.

She’d almost let it all slip anyway, drawing their Cutie Marks in the sky. She didn’t even know if it was an accident anymore, but it didn’t matter. Fluttershy had just passed it off as another cool trick, nothing more.

Rainbow knew how much the world hated fillyfoolers – if she ever told Fluttershy, the mare would hate her too, for sure.
No. No, she wouldn’t hate her, but it would certainly change things.
For their friendship’s sake, to make sure things stayed as they were, she had to hide it all. She couldn’t even let herself think of it, to ensure that nothing changed.

She settled into her sheets, ready to fall asleep...

...But in her current state of mind, sleep just wouldn’t come. She tossed and turned, annoyed – the night above the clouds had changed things anyway. She’d been slack, and the mask had slipped – and she couldn’t quite get it back on. Her state of denial had been near-perfect, but tonight even Dash couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing from her side.

Something yellow.

---

Fluttershy too, lay in bed, thinking about what Rarity had said.

“You have a crush, dear Fluttershy.”

A crush? Could that really be it? It seemed so simple to say it like that, even though everything seemed so complicated. But finding Rainbow the day before had seemed impossible, and she’d ended up in one of the most obvious spots there was – was that what this was, too? Was it really so obvious that she just hadn’t even thought of it before?

She mentally retraced her steps, trying to remember the point at which the whole situation had started, and realised that it had been right after Rainbow had asked her who she liked.

Do I like Rainbow Dash? she asked herself. No – I love her.

Love – that word just seemed to fit. The blushing, the squeaking, the longing...
It was amazing how three simple words changed everything. All of her actions the last while, all made so much sense with those three words.

She began to giggle. Then she began to laugh. It was a huge weight off her shoulders. Rainbow Dash was her best friend – it had been hard on both of them to be pushed apart by something so simple.
Well... not quite simple, she added, but at least now that she knew what was going on, she could actually do something about it.

Fluttershy drifted quickly into sleep, a deep contentment washing over her, waiting to see what the new day would bring.

---

Sadly, the new day brought nothing significant, besides an enormous workload for Rainbow Dash to handle. A week later, Fluttershy had seen little more of the pegasus than her blue and rainbow silhouette against the midday sky, flitting about as the weather calendar dictated – she noticed that the amount of changes that had to be made throughout the days was far higher than normal.

Still, that didn’t stop her from trying – she’d decided that she would try to tell Rainbow about her feelings. She didn’t know whether or not it was the right time yet, but she wanted to anyway.

“Um... R... Rainbow... I... um... uh... Y-you see...” Fluttershy mumbled.

This was terrible. She’d expected to be nervous. She’d expected to be shy, to have the jitters, even to be unable to say very much at all... but this...

...wasn’t even the real thing.

This was Angel Bunny wearing a rainbow wig. All those things could be expected if she were talking to the real Rainbow Dash, but this was just pitiful. Mentally berating herself for her inadequacy, Fluttershy sighed and removed the wig, shooing Angel off to go play or eat a carrot, or... something. He glanced back as he hopped out of her bedroom, his expression saying, You have issues.

Nearly every day this week, she’d woken up inspired, determined - ready for anything! She’d prepare, work up the nerve to tell Rainbow... and then she would fail.

Of course, it didn’t help at all, once she started to take Rainbow’s own feelings into account – being her closest friend, Fluttershy knew exactly just how much she’d been bullied.
They’d called Dash a fillyfooler so much, it was nearly a household belief in Cloudsdale now. That was the whole reason she’d moved to Ponyville, and, Fluttershy suspected, part of her motivation to become a Wonderbolt. No pony ever crossed the Wonderbolts. Ever.

She had to wonder - what would Dash think of her, when she realised Fluttershy was a fillyfooler? Fluttershy knew Rainbow hated being called that – she seemed to hate the entire idea of homosexuality. It just didn’t seem possible that the mare herself would actually be one.

Rainbow had said that they would be best friends forever, that that wouldn’t change... but would that promise hold, if Fluttershy ever told her what she really felt?

She just didn’t know. Still, despite all that, it was no longer interfering with their friendship like it had been the week before. Their days went mostly like usual, and it was both a blessing and a curse that she hadn’t actually seen very much of Rainbow the last few days. While she longed for her best friend’s presence, she thought that hiding her feelings was not far off lying.

Fluttershy didn’t like lying to her friends.

Sighing again, she began her chores for the day, wondering what to do. She thought she might go and see Rarity later on, to ask for her advice again.

---

It had been just one disaster after another, and Rainbow Dash had almost felt like bucking something. She’d felt more and more irritated over the last couple of days, the stress of the last few days beginning to take its toll on her – she didn’t think she could take much more of... well, anything, before she’d explode, or do something she’d regret.

And then Cloudkicker had kicked her out of the weather station, threatening to tie her wings down if she came back. While Dash was technically her superior, she let the slight pass – she shuddered, remembering the last time. That pony always followed up her promises, that was for sure. She supposed ‘Kicker was right, too. She’d been getting too worked up, too stressed out.

Rainbow didn’t like it when this happened, but the pegasus had a point. She’d been doing the vast majority of the work, preferring to do it on her own, but Cloudkicker had seen how riled up she was starting to get over it all. It wasn’t as if she was leaving her to do all the work, either – they’d just been waiting for the support team to come in and help out when the ‘Kicker decided to live up to her nickname, so she wouldn’t be working alone.

The only regret she really had was leaving Fluttershy on her own – they’d finally seemed to make up for... whatever it was, and it seemed as if they’d finally gotten back to normal, despite how ‘Shy had seemed a little distant.

Dash floated lazily towards Ponyville, exhaustion from the last few days finally setting in, hitting her like a Sonic Rainboom. Looking around for a decent spot to camp, her eyes came to rest upon a cloud bank floating just above the town hall. She remembered seeing it in ruins, and sincerely hoped that Derpy didn’t crash into her this time.

She settled in, shut her eyes and drifted off to a light sleep.

---

“Oh, hello Twilight. What brings you over?” Fluttershy had opened the door, about to leave for the Carousel Boutique, to see the lavender unicorn standing there with a hoof raised and ready to knock.

Recovering from her mild surprise, Twilight replied, “Well... Rainbow Dash came to me last week and had some interesting things to say. Do you mind if I come in?” she seemed apprehensive, her voice slow, mellow.

“Of course. Um... so why are you here then?” Fluttershy asked, allowing the unicorn inside and offering her a seat, still left wondering why the unicorn had come to visit.

“I’ll get to the point. Rainbow said that you’d been avoiding her, and asked for my help. So... here I am. Um... is anything going on between you two? Rainbow didn’t say something that offended you, did she? Or...?”

Fluttershy couldn’t hold back a soft giggle. Poor Twilight – always so worried about her friends that when something came between any of them she’d try to fix it. Luckily for her, that had been settled... sort of.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry anymore, Twilight,” she said, trying to soothe her friend, who was clearly trying not to show how worried she was. It must’ve been eating at her for a while.

“Are you sure?”Anypony could have heard the hope peeking through in Twilight’s voice.

“Yes,” she replied. “It’s been... dealt with.” It was technically a half-truth. The entire situation wasn’t quite over yet, but what Twilight was worried about had been dealt with – at least, Fluttershy thought so.

“Thank Celestia,” Twilight said, relaxing visibly, her expression changing from one of confusion and discomfort to one of curiosity. “So, what was going on then?”

Fluttershy mentally cringed – that was exactly the question she’d been dreading. She didn’t think she was ready to tell Rainbow about her feelings yet, but...

“I’m in love,” she said simply. It felt surprisingly good to say it.

Twilight blinked, uncomprehending. “Oh, um... ok. But what does that have to do with...” she trailed off. She looked at the yellow pegasus. “...Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy nodded. “So by ‘dealt with’, I mean, are you two...?”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh, no not yet, I mean, um... eep!”

Twilight giggled. “Oh, ok. It may not be my place to say this, but you should let her know soon. It isn’t good to hide things from your friends – remember when you were modelling for Photo Finish, and how that turned out? You and Rarity went through so much for something so silly!”

Fluttershy alternated between paling and blushing, and Twilight continued. “Oh, but don’t mind me, I’m sure this is different. Anyway, I have to go – I’m really quite busy, but I’m glad it’s all sorted out. I’ll see you later, ok?”

At Fluttershy’s request, Twilight Pinkie Swore to not tell anyone about her crush, then left to get back to the Library.

---

Rainbow dreamed of endless pink thunderclouds.

She flew through the storm and pouring rain, avoiding bright lightning bolts and volatile glasses of chocolate milk, screaming for help, for somepony, anypony, to save her.
All hope seemed lost when she was suddenly enveloped by a different kind of pink, embraced by yellow hooves, looking into blue eyes, and suddenly everything was okay.

There was a flash of white, and she woke up.

She bucked the cloud she was resting on angrily – she hated nightmares. Great... Now I’m even dreaming about her. Why does hiding have to be so hard?

It was both good and bad that she’d been so busy with her weather jobs – she didn’t have to worry about hiding her feelings so much around Fluttershy if she wasn’t there, but... it felt just like a reversal of the previous week, and now she was the one doing the avoiding.

She wished everything could be simpler, that there was an easy way to tell how Fluttershy would react if she just told her, but life was never so simple.
She suspected that ‘Shy would simply find the kindest possible way to say, “I can’t love you like that, so it’s better if we stop being friends.”

She bucked again, hating herself for thinking so negatively. This was why she hid from it all – because this was what she started to be like. Anyway, Fluttershy wouldn’t stop being her friend just for that... right?

Eager to find a different subject, Dash wondered what she could do. Any other day, she’d just go to work and make a little storm somewhere to vent, but she really didn’t want to get on Cloudkicker’s bad side – she could be downright frightening sometimes.

No, she couldn’t work it off. Not today. Besides, if ‘Kicker thought that work was causing the strain, then obviously it wouldn’t be very good at relieving it this time.

Remembering something Twilight had said once about stress being a trigger for nightmares, she decided to ask Rarity how she got rid of it. She always seemed to be under enormous workloads, and never seemed too under-the-weather... most of the time. Obviously naps weren’t ‘de-stressing’ enough, either.

She flew over the town, looking for the telltale chequered patter that decorated the Carousel Boutique, eventually finding it and diving down towards the white unicorn’s home.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique!” a sing-song voice called out from a back corner. Rarity trotted up towards her, then stopped in shock. “Oh my! Rainbow Dash, what have you been doing? You look like you were flying through a tornado!”

“Heh... yeah, not far off,” she said, shuffling uncomfortably, remembering the nightmare.

“Well, what can I do for you, darling? Anything you need, just say it!”

“I was kinda wondering what you do to get rid of stress. I’ve been under the ropes a bit the last few days, and it’s been getting to more than it should.”

Rarity suddenly got quite excited. This was an evidently taken as an opportunity to beautify the pegasus. “My favourite way is most certainly a trip to Aloe and Lotus’ spa clinic, dear.” She slowed down a little, explaining, “You don’t know how much it helps me when Fluttershy and I go there together – the massages there are simply divine... not to mention the benefits of having something to look forward to throughout the week.”

Rainbow looked flatly at Rarity, saying, “I don’t need any of that fancy stuff, Rarity. I just need to wind down.”

“Well, that is certainly my favourite way, but if that’s the case you should go and ask Fluttershy...” she stopped talking, looking at Rainbow Dash intently, as if searching for something.

“Uh... Rarity?”

The unicorn shook her head, continuing. “Oh, of course. Yes, you should go and ask Fluttershy for help. Her specialty is caring for animals, and in certain areas that expertise extends to ponies as well. Stress-relief is most certainly one of them.”

“Awesome,” Rainbow said, heading out the door. “Thanks!”

---

Rarity pondered.

Could it be? Could Rainbow Dash be the object of Fluttershy’s crush? It did make sense, she thought, but those thoughts were interrupted as Fluttershy herself entered the Boutique.

“Hello Fluttershy, what a surprise! Rainbow Dash was just here looking for you, you know.” There it was, as faint as could be – a blush. Rarity laughed inwardly. Her suspicions were confirmed, apparently, though Fluttershy’s skill at hiding it was to be commended.

“What can I do for you?” she asked kindly.

“Oh, well, you see, um... I want to ask for your advice again,” the pegasus said.

“Oh?” Rarity replied.

“Well, you see... Remember how I have a crush? Um... I kind of... want to... let her know!” she squeaked.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I just don’t know how to do it! And then, what if she stops being my friend? What if it changes everything? And... I think it would hurt her.”

Rarity immediately understood Fluttershy’s plight. If it was indeed Rainbow Dash that the mare had fallen for, that did change things a little.
Rarity, too, knew of Rainbow’s troubles in Junior Speedsters and the like, of bullies and... fillyfoolery.

She hated that some ponies could be so callous, so... cruel. She didn’t know Dash’s own preferences, though – she’d never seemed to show any interest at all in such things – so her insight was based on what she did know of the pegasus. Rainbow Dash was far too loyal a mare than to let anything like that come between her and her friends.

“I suppose you’ll just have to take the chance, won’t you darling? You can’t leave this hanging above you forever. And between you and me,” she said, leaning forward, “I don’t think Rainbow Dash would end a friendship for something as simple as that. She is the Element of Loyalty, after all.”

She giggled into her hoof as Fluttershy nearly hit the roof in shock. “H-How...?”

“My dear Fluttershy, I am the Fashion Queen of Ponyville,” she lauded. “It is my job – no, my passion – to look for subtle changes in complex systems and adjust for them when I create my dresses. It isn’t a far stretch to see the subtle changes in relationships either.”

“You must know that our dear Rainbow is far more loyal than you seem to give her credit for – hasty she may be, but not so much that she would end a friendship simply because of your feelings for her. And if she did, I’m sure she would lose more than just your friendship.”

“But... so what should I do?”

Rarity laughed again. “Why, just tell her, of course! Mare up, show her your stuff! The sooner, the better, I might add.”

---

Rainbow Dash lay back on a cloud, bathing in the rays of the sun. This was exactly what she needed – a day off. Some well needed rest and relaxation was as good as anything else she could think of.

She’d gone to Fluttershy’s house, but it had been empty, so she’d decided to try her luck at just chilling out. Nopony would interrupt her this time...

Except herself. She kicked her legs into the air, rolled over to her side and straight over the side of the cloud, free-falling down directly towards the ground. There was no fear, just the thrill that always came with being in the air – she slowly unfurled her wings, let them catch the wind, and levelled out just meters from the ground, letting out a whoop of excitement as she rose again.

This was just awesome. The sky was her domain – who could possibly be stressed out when you’re this awesome?

She flew at incredible speeds, her blue coat and rainbow mane leaving behind a beautiful swathe of coloured after-images. She imagined it looked similar to Celestia’s mane, flowing behind her in ethereal grace. Princess Rainbow Dash… that would be radical!

She moved around the clouds placed around the sky earlier that day, spinning some, poofing others into oblivion. One particularly large cloud she shaped into a large cupcake – Pinkie Pie would have a blast with that one, she thought, laughing.

She felt invincible. She could do anything she wanted.

Anything at all.

---

Fluttershy flitted around town, hoping to find Rainbow Dash. She had something to say, something important, and she would definitely be able to say it. It had to happen now, or it could be weeks before she had courage like this again. More of the droll lifestyle she’d been living. More lies, more hiding.

She would get it out, no matter what happened.

Rarity had told her, “Just be yourself. Put on no performance, no show – all that needs to happen is for you to tell Rainbow Dash that you have feelings for her – and all that takes is three words. Nothing more needs to occur until you succeed in that.”

So that was what she’d do... as soon as she found her. Just three words... Take a deep breath and say it. Be assertive – you can do it!

Having searched the majority of town, she went to Rainbow Dash’s practice field hoping to find her there, but there was no trace of the other pegasus.
She flew high into the air, looked about her in a circle, trying to find any telltale sign of her friend – a rainbow streaking between clouds or buildings, a blue shape in a bush or tree, or against the sky.

Where could she possibly be? She’d even checked Quills & Sofas again, just in case, but she was nowhere!
Fluttershy continued to flit about the practice field, deep in thought. She tried to relax a little, knowing that it wasn’t quite as urgent as she was making it seem.

She’d just have to keep looking.

Just three words.

---

She flew up. Up and up, higher than ever before. The air began to thin, and she had to breathe deeper than usual. She hovered for a moment – looking about her, she could see everything, all the way to Manehattan. Even the mountains’ summits were below her.

It was amazing – Dash wondered briefly what Fluttershy would think, if she was up this high – most probably, something along the lines of ‘AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!’

Who’d ever have thought – a pegasus, afraid of heights. Poor Fluttershy...

Rainbow growled, growing annoyed, even angry, at the constant reminders of the feelings she definitely didn’t have. But what, or who, was she angry at? Was she angry at the feelings? Or was she angry at the world, for not letting her show them? There were so many things to be angry at...

She growled again, this time frustrated that she’d let her thoughts get away from her and start to ruin her day.
She’d have to go faster if she was to outrun it all today – so she began to dive.

The ground raced towards her, the air buffeted her face. Rainbow Dash streamlined her body, becoming a blue needle shooting through the sky. Of course she could do this. She was the fastest flier in all of Equestria. Nothing could stop her now.

She felt her hooves pushing against an invisible barrier, slowly stretching past her. Pure exhilaration swept through her, and she pushed one last time against it...

Time came to a stop as a blur of yellow and pink shot into her path.

She was going too fast to stop. She couldn’t adjust her course, nor decrease her speed.
Everything came into sharp focus as she saw a look of both happiness and dread come to rest on her best friend’s face – a smile at seeing Rainbow again, and fear in her eyes, seeing Rainbow about to hit her. There was no room for thought anymore – Dash could only feel and watch.

Horror as she broke through the barrier, her world exploding as she slammed into Fluttershy at the speed of sound.

Guilt, as she realised what had just happened, and that she hadn’t been able to stop it.

The Sonic Rainboom, tinted strongly with the colours of her best friend.

Colour, sweeping across the sky above them – yellow, pink... and red.

Chapter 3 - Darkest Hour

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Hearts Aflutter - Chapter 3
Darkest Hour

Wind screamed in her ears – or was that Flutteshy?

The grass rushed past below them, growing ever closer. She held the other pegasus close, trying to shield the yellow mare from the impact with her own body, but a sudden roll put Fluttershy between Rainbow Dash and the ground instead.

The screaming was her own – with mere meters between them and their impending doom, there was no time, nothing she could do but watch in horror as they crashed into the ground, the fragile yellow pegasus taking most of the impact.

They dug a huge swath through the field’s long grass, bouncing with a dull thud, cushioned only slightly by the thick vegetation. When she finally stopped moving, the only thing she felt was pain.

No, not pain – utter, mind-numbing agony. The excruciating pain blotted out nearly every thought she had, leaving nothing but misery. She cried, her body aching all over from the impact, but nowhere more than her head. It felt like somepony had smashed it with a rock.

She hoped her friends could find her – she didn’t think she had it in her to move.

Friends?

Fluttershy! Rainbow suddenly found herself filled with strength. What do I mean I can’t move?

She threw herself to her hooves, toppling down onto her side. She managed to stand on the second attempt and searched frantically for her friend, the torturous pain from seconds ago suddenly easy to push aside. She was no wuss. There was nothing more important than Fluttershy – no simple pain would keep them apart.

Where is she? Where is she?!

She saw a yellow form some way away and galloped towards it, not stopping to wonder why her stride was lopsided, why each step on her left hindleg shot pain straight through her – she meant nothing at all. Fluttershy was everything.

She reached her best friend’s body, pushing away the grass to see not just yellow and pink, but red. No...

White, serrated daggers of bone protruded from her wings and torso, leaking blood everywhere. No!

She wasn’t moving. NO!

Rainbow got on her knees in the dust, putting her ear close to the mare’s mouth. Her best friend exhaled, quietly, softly, shuddering as the air escaped her lips – she was still alive!

You can’t do anything to save her yourself. “Hold on Fluttershy!”

You need to get help, or Fluttershy will die. “Just hold on!”

Dash began to gallop towards Ponyville, stretching her wings and flapping them – she didn’t care that she couldn’t get off the ground, that one wing was flopping in a way that wings shouldn’t. She brushed those thoughts off, simply pressing on at full speed towards the town.

“Somepony help! Get the Nurse!” A pony began shouting, but Rainbow didn’t listen.

Just keep moving, keep moving. You’re in town now.

“Someone, help!” Pony shapes came towards her from the houses around her – a vague muttering reached her ears, and some far more urgent shouts.

Tell them. “Fluttershy’s hurt! At my practice field! Go!”

Blackness seeped into the edges of her vision – she began to feel lightheaded, cold. “Now!” she screamed.

Then she toppled over, landing on her side. The blackness covered everything.

---

Complete chaos consumed the citizens of Ponyville, every single available hoof galloping towards Rainbow’s field to search for Fluttershy. Some feared they would not reach her in time.

“Is she over there?” shouted somepony urgently.

“Come on, everypony! We need to find her!” Applejack shouted, but her voice was lost in the chaos.
Everything was a blur, a pandemonium of ponies searching for Fluttershy with frenzied speed and energy.

“Everypony, get down!” Twilight shouted, her voice carrying far over the fields, augmented by her magic. Everypony dropped to the ground moments before a magical scythe swept across the grass, slicing it as low to the ground as she dared. “Any pegasi, get up there and look for yellow!” she ordered urgently.

Soon there was a shout, and the paramedics, Twilight and Applejack converged on the location, gasping at the sight of their friend.

“Move! Move!” shouted Nurse Redheart, amidst directing the emergency ponies. “She’s still alive! Get her onto that stretcher – and make sure somepony’s holding her neck and spine – we don’t know the extent of the damage!”

Applejack and Twilight galloped alongside her as they carried her to the paramedic’s wagon, unable to tear themselves away. There had to be something they could still do to help.

“Hold on there, Fluttershy. Y’all gonna get through this, y’hear?!” Applejack said, trying to comfort her as much as possible.

“Rainbow...” she whimpered, her voice almost nonexistent. “I... lo...”

“Rainbow Dash isn’t here, Fluttershy,” Twilight said sadly, a tear rolling slowly down her face. “You have to hold on, ok? Hold on, until you can tell her yourself.”

“I’m going to have to ask you all to leave now,” Nurse Redheart said. “There’s nothing more you can do for her.” She slammed a hoof against the side of the wagon. “Get her to the ER, now!”

The wagon took off, heading straight for Ponyville Hospital. Nurse Redheart already had somepony writing letters to Canterlot, requesting the best surgeons available, but the situation was grim.

Nothing was certain – she might not yet be saved.

All they had was hope.

---

Rainbow Dash watched through the viewing window as ponies in white worked on Fluttershy. Her own injuries were severe, but not urgent – all available ponies were doing all they could to help however they could in the operating room below.
She was covered in blood, but nearly none was her own – after a quick check-over, she was asked to wait until somepony could come and tend to her.

Where’s that other surgeon?... teleported in by now... Let’s do what we can – somepony...

She watched as the unicorn surgeons shouted orders, scrambled frantically about the room, levitating various tools, utensils, bottles and more to each other, some using magic to heal her lesser injuries or prevent the greater ones from degrading, all trying to save Fluttershy’s life. Their words blurred into each other, faded in and out of hearing, so she waited.

We need to get that lung patched... How are her wings looking?

She waited for them to say they were finished, that Fluttershy was okay. She waited for Fluttershy to be alive.

Spinal column is undamaged... not off the hook yet... damage to... –ve clusters...

It was all her fault – she’d failed. Fluttershy might die because of her – because she wasn’t strong enough to protect her. She’d put her best friend between her and the ground, and then slammed her into it at nearly the speed of sound.

She should be the one on that table. She should be the one who nearly died – might still die – to protect her friend.

...Doc, she’s waking up! Oh Celestia... Give me that sedative! It’s not... don’t we have anything stronger?!

Fluttershy began screaming in pain – horrific, guttural screams that had no place coming from the sweet, timid pegasus.
It was too much – Dash’s vision began to fade, a mixture of stress, fear and physical trauma finally overcoming her.

Sweet Luna... not working... into shock! She’s dying! ...induce a coma...

Dash lost consciousness.

---

The hospital waiting room was empty, save for four ponies, who sat together on the cushions provided at the side of the room. The bright, earthy colour scheme of the room was in stark contrast to the mood - they shivered, feeling a chill. Whether it was from the air, or shock at what had happened, couldn’t be said.

Nurse Redheart had already told them the situation – they had been forced to put Fluttershy into a coma in order to save her life. Rainbow Dash was still undergoing treatment, but her injuries were not nearly as bad.

Applejack broke the awkward silence. “Hey, Twilight, what’d Fluttershy mean, back at the field? You looked like you knew what she was trying to say.”

Twilight glanced away, towards Pinkie, who’d been silent the whole time, sitting close to the corner. She was crying softly, but hadn’t responded to any attempts at comfort. “I Pinkie Promised not to say.”

“You know, just before the... accident, both of them came to me at my Boutique,” Rarity said, trying to be as airy as she usually was. “It’s quite sad, really – the both of them are so different from one another, but they-”

Twilight glanced up angrily. “Rarity! How can you just sit there and gossip like that about our friends? We don’t even really know if they’re alright and yet you-”

“Stop fighting!” Pinkie cried, breaking into tears. “We shouldn’t be fighting...”

Rarity sighed, keeping calm. “The simple truth is this, Twilight – whatever happens, we must continue to be strong for our friends. When we go in to see Rainbow Dash, she must see her friends standing tall, making the most of the situation. We must keep up the appearance of normality.” She coughed. “In her view of me, ‘normality’ tends to make me a gossip.”

Twilight nodded understandingly, backing down.

Silence came across them again. Twilight and Rarity cast concerned glances towards Pinkie, who seemed to have gotten worse because of their disagreement - her hair was drooping heavily, threatening to straighten completely. They tried to think of ways to comfort her, but there was nothing that could really be said by any of them. Pinkie needed to see for herself that her friends would be alright, that everything would be ok again soon.

Rarity was more worried about Rainbow Dash, however – what if Fluttershy had confessed her feelings before the accident? That would entirely change the way that Rainbow would react to the situation, and not for the better. She’d never seen any sign of Rainbow liking Fluttershy the same way – come to think of it, she’d never seen the pegasus show any interest at all in such things. But a direct confession could have changed that...

For Rainbow’s sake, she hoped Fluttershy hadn’t succeeded, hadn’t managed to tell the pegasus her feelings. It was too soon to tell, but...

Rarity knew firsthand the pain of survivor’s guilt fuelled by love.

She had to make sure it didn’t come to that. She would not allow Rainbow Dash to take it upon herself.

Finally, Nurse Redheart came down the hallway, beckoning them to follow her. They walked in silence towards the ward Rainbow and Fluttershy were staying in, but the quiet bothered Applejack.

“How’s Fluttershy?” she asked, with a small glance towards Pinkie.

“I’m sorry, girls, but it’s still too soon to tell,” Redheart replied. “She’s in intensive care, and until her condition stabilises she will that way.” They reached the room as she finished speaking. A curtain hung in between the two beds in the room - two machines could be heard beeping, one for each of the pegasi inhabiting the room.

“I’ll take my leave- I’m sure you all want some time alone,” Redheart said, beginning to exit the room.

Rarity thanked her for her hard work. “Oh, and do give our thanks to all of the good doctors who worked on Fluttershy?”

“Of course. And please, watch Rainbow closely – we believe she may have a concussion. Please remember that I am only moments away at any time.” She nodded, then trotted back up the hallway.

Rainbow had been cleaned up and tended to, her wing relocated and her leg placed in a cast, while her lesser injuries, mostly cuts, scrapes and other such smaller wounds, had been bandaged or simply healed by magical means.

Rainbow sat up for her friends, who all enveloped her in a hug. Pinkie looked particularly glad to see her.

“Are you okay, Dashie? And how’s Fluttershy, really?” Pinkie whispered, her forehooves locked around the pegasus’ neck.

“...I’m fine,” Dash breathed. The others backed off, giving her some space to breathe. She continued, saying, “Fluttershy’s... alive.”

It was all that could be said right now.

“That’s some o’ the best news I’ve heard all day,” Applejack said, trying to be cheerful.

Dash glared. “Yeah?” she replied slowly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I guess you’re right. Let’s celebrate! She’s alive!”

“Don’t be like that, Rainbow,” the earth pony replied, a little hurt. “You know that’s not what I meant, and twistin’ it all ‘round like that just ain’t fair.”

“Stop,” Pinkie whispered, but she went unnoticed.

“Fair? What about this is fair? If any of this was fair, it would be me on that hospital bed!”

“Stop fighting...” Pinkie said, but she went ignored again.

“Applejack is right, darling,” Rarity said. “Such rudeness has no place in situations like these. And you must face facts – it isn’t you.”

Her words just seemed to increase the pegasus’ anger. “Are you saying I’m wrong? Redheart just said exactly the same thing,” Dash growled. “But you’re both wrong. It was my fault.”

“That isn’t-” Twilight tried to say, but she was quickly interrupted.

“Please, stop fighting!” Pinkie sobbed, her voice shaking from the crying. “Even if she’s asleep, Fluttershy can still hear you! You’re making her sad!”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed, and wincing in pain, she got up from the bed and tore the curtain away.

---

Rainbow had dreamed of screams.

Just like Fluttershy had, tied down to the operating table - thrashing, screaming.

“Why, Rainbow Dash?” she’d screamed. “Why did you do this to me?”

“I’m so sorry,” Rainbow had cried.

The screaming had turned feral, terrifying. “It’s your fault! Why couldn’t you protect me?”

Then Dash was too. Screaming.

Her sudden awakening had startled the Nurse, who, once she recovered, said a whole pile of medical horseapple, and then said her friends were waiting to see her.
A few moments later, they all came in, and none of them except Pinkie even seemed to care that Fluttershy was hurt.

How could they? How could they just stand there and not give a damn about Fluttershy?

But the worst part was that they didn’t think it was her fault. How could it not be her fault, when Fluttershy herself had said so?

And then she’d opened the curtain. She saw her best friend, just... lying there. Covered in bandages and plaster, her wings splayed out sideways. The bandages shifted slightly as Fluttershy breathed – shallow breaths, without much substance. Tubes ran from various places into a contraption by the bedside, which beeped incessantly.
It was an abomination. She shouldn’t be there. She shouldn’t be there, connected to a life support machine which kept her heart beating, kept her alive.

She shouldn’t be there.

Rainbow hated it - her best friend was clinging to life by a pony-made thread, and she’d gotten off almost completely unscathed.
Dash looked again at her friend, the yellow pony’s chest rising ever so slowly. She was scared – what if it fell, and didn’t rise again? What would she do? What could she do?

And yet, even as she looked, through the bandages and tubes, she could see the barest hint of a smile on Fluttershy’s face – the same one she always wore as she brushed off a small wrong she’d been dealt, a kind, forgiving smile.

Rainbow hated that smile. She deserved no forgiveness - she’d done this. Every injury Fluttershy had was her fault.

It’s your fault! Why couldn’t you protect me?

It just wasn’t fair. Why was Fluttershy the one on that bed? What had she ever done to deserve this? She was sure of it now – it hadn’t been an accident. She’d panicked. She’d done everything she could to ensure her own survival, nopony else’s. She’d put her friend in harm’s way – no.

She’d tried to kill her.

It should have been me.

---

“Get me out of here,” Rainbow whispered. It took a moment for it to register that she’d spoken – her friends were still surprised that she’d gotten up, so soon after the accident. She was standing on her broken leg like she couldn’t feel it, like it was nothing.

“Rainbow, darling, what is it? You can tell me anything,” Rarity said.

“I want to get out of here,” she replied, louder this time, the volume steadily rising. “I can't be here – you have to get me out!”

“Rainbow Dash, listen to me,” Rarity said, growing urgent. “You must understand that this is not your fault – do you hear me? You cannot-”

“Then whose bucking fault is it?!” Dash shouted. “It’s all because of me – I couldn’t stop myself in time. I couldn’t protect her!”

“You did all you could-”

Rarity was interrupted by a physical blow – Rainbow charged past them as fast as she could, limping and in pain though she was. Applejack moved in to stop her while Twilight began to call for the Nurse – Pinkie Pie began to sob once more, shying away from her friend. There was rage, pure and unadulterated, on Rainbow Dash’s face.

Rarity suspected it was all directed solely at the mare herself. She began to make her way through the tussle, trying to regain Rainbow’s attention, but her attempts at comfort were in vain.

A flailing hoof came out of the blue, striking her temple, and she dropped out cold.

She regained consciousness much later, in her bed back at Carousel Boutique. Applejack was in a chair beside her, sleeping soundly.
After what had happened in the hospital, she was left with a profound sense of guilt and sorrow.

She’d failed.

---

“It's my fault!” Rainbow cried.

“That isn’t true!” Twilight admonished. “Rainbow, that isn’t tr-”

“Shut up!” she interrupted. “It’s exactly true! I hit her with a Sonic Rainboom - that’s not something you can do by accident! I hit her, and I couldn’t protect her, and when I tried, I hurt her more!”

“It was an accide-“

“I said, shut up!” she screamed, flaring her wings. “You don’t have any idea what it’s like!”

A tear rolled slowly down Twilight’s cheek. “Rainbow Dash, she’s our friend too. We’re all going through the same thing – we need to go through it together.”

Dash stared Twilight right in the eye, a steel glint shooting daggers into the unicorn. “Going through the same thing? You didn’t nearly murder your best friend,” she growled, before shooting into the air and out the library window.

She never noticed Twilight’s tears, trailing down her face, nor the mare sliding sadly to her rump as she left.

Stupid Twilight, she growled mindlessly. How could she say that? How could possibly she try to sympathise while saying it wasn’t Dash’s fault? It wasn’t just her fault – it was a betrayal.

She bore the Element of Loyalty – her friends should be able to depend on her, should know that she’ll always be there for them. How could Twilight honestly say that it wasn’t her fault, when she’d gone against everything she stood for and nearly killed her best friend?

She should have been better.

It was raining heavily, thunder brewing and lightning preparing to strike. She flew through the storm at top speed, her coat soaking wet, her feathers shedding sheets of water. Normally risks brought adrenaline, brought a thrill... but now they just brought pain.

Look what ‘thrills’ did to Fluttershy.

She reached her house, entering and slamming the door behind her, falling to the floor crying.

Unbidden, the image of Fluttershy on the hospital bed came to her mind, and she screamed, slamming her hoof against the wall next to her. The fragile cloud gave way and Dash stared, holding her hoof in front of her.

That had felt... right.

Why did you do this to me? the Dream-Fluttershy had screamed. Fluttershy had lost everything, and might not get it back, and it was Dash’s fault.

Wouldn't it be right to mete out the same thing as a punishment to the one who caused it all? Why should she not lose it all too?

This was nothing like anger, or guilt. This was balance.

Fluttershy lost her home, right?

She slammed her hoof again, more of the cloud wall disappearing into vapours.

And again.

And again, and again, and again, for so long that by the time she stopped, she no longer had a home either. But she didn’t care – floating in the rain, alone, in tears and homeless, she felt something close to happiness for the first time since the accident.

She’d begun her apology, finally starting to feel worthy of Fluttershy’s forgiving smile.

---

Thud.

“What’s that sound, Gummy?” Pinkie Pie asked, the unblinking pygmy alligator stoic in his refusal to reply. He’d been like that ever since Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had had their accident, and while she was feeling sad too, Gummy seemed to have taken it to a new extreme.

“I miss her too, Gummy. Dashie, as well. She hasn’t been the same since...” she said quietly. But no, she had to be strong. Gummy needed her to be strong. Everypony else needed her to be strong too.

But the alligator merely blinked, moping silently in the corner.

“Fine, be that way. I know you’re angry about that cake, but you really shouldn’t be so pouty.”

She began to search the room for the source of the thudding, eventually pinpointing it to the corner of a wall. “That’s weird,” she said. It seemed to be coming from outside – but who would be such a super-silly-filly and go outside in rain like this, and then thud on her wall?

She looked out her window and saw a blur of multi-coloured mane. “Oh, hiya Dashie-“

Thud. Her eyes widened, seeing the pegasus rear back for another thud.

Thud. What was going on? There was a grim determination in Rainbow’s eyes, completely ignorant of the pain she must be in – or completely unfeeling of it.

Thud. “Dashie, what are you doing?” she asked, her eyes brimming with tears. Dashie, why?

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Crack.

Rainbow cried out, but merely turned around and began thudding the wall of Sugarcube Corner with her other side, smashing her side viciously against the bakery.
Pinkie Pie was outside in a flash, trying to hold Dash back – she gasped in horror as she realised that the pegasus had broken her own wing.

“Get off me, Pinkie,” Rainbow said, her voice cold, dark.

“No! I won’t let you!” Pinkie’s hooves wrapped around the pegasus’ torso, gripping tightly in an attempt to stop her from hurting herself further, but to no avail.

Thud. Pain lanced up Pinkie’s foreleg. Thud.

“Dashie, stop this right now!” she cried, then shouted for help. By now the rain had soaked her too, and the blustery winds buffeted her, sending freezing shocks through her body.

“No. It’s my fault, so now I’m saying sorry.”

Thud. “Please, Dashie, stop! None of this was your fault – you don’t have to do this, so please stop!”

Thud.

“No.”

Thud. Thud. Thud. Crack.

Pinkie cried out in pain, but kept her grip on Rainbow Dash despite her broken leg.

“This is something I just have to do.”

Pinkie wouldn’t let it be like this – she got between Dash and the wall, placing herself in harm’s way to try and protect her friend. She was far more frail than most earth ponies, but she hoped that she was strong enough for this.

No – she had to be strong enough for this.

Thump. Pinkie held in a scream.

Thump. Pinkie ignored her pain.

Thump. Pinkie would not let Rainbow down.

---

Crack!

Rainbow recoiled, holding a hoof to her cheek, which was already swelling from the heavy blow.

“What the buck is wrong with you, Rainbow Dash?” Applejack spat. “You call yourself a pony? Ah can’t believe you – you couldn’t just hurt yourself, but Pinkie too? You darn near shattered her leg, not to mention your own wing!” She growled. “What the buck is wrong with you?”

She slammed her hoof into Rainbow’s face again. Crack!
The pegasus merely stood, taking it, not looking Applejack in the eye. She sure as hay wasn’t expecting it, but this, too, was something that had to happen.

“Answer me, or so help me, I’ll...!” Applejack yelled, raising a hoof again.

“It’s for Fluttershy.”

Applejack blinked. “How d’you figure that?”

“I nearly killed her. I betrayed her. It’s all my fault, so I’m putting it all right – everything that happens to Fluttershy is going to happen to me as well.”

“This is you sayin’ you’re sorry? You don’t reckon there are better ways than ruining yourself an’ hurtin’ your friends? That sure as hay had nothin’ to do with Pinkie!”

“It’s just the way it has to be,” Rainbow said.

“Oh yeah? So what’ll you do if she doesn’t make it? Just fly up nice an’ high, an’ then stop flappin’?”

“I was wondering the best way to do that, actually,” Rainbow said mockingly. “Thanks for the idea.”

Crack! Applejack’s hoof hit her again and she dropped to the floor of the barn. “Ah can’t believe you.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh yeah, well guess what? That don’t matter one big shiny horseapple, ‘cuz Ah sure as hay understand that you’re doin’ is wrong. Apologisin’s all fine and dandy. Makin’ it up to your friend is alright, understandable even, though it is an accident – but this ain’t right. Imagine what Fluttershy’d think? What would she do if she knew you’d been hurtin’ yourself so bad – or worse, that you’re plannin’ to die if she does?” Applejack roared furiously. “Ah reckon she’d be right there behind you, holdin’ you still so Ah can beat ya easier.”

“I nearly killed her, when I should have been able to protect her. She should have been able to trust me, to depend on me.”

“Shut your mouth right now. Depend on you? Trust you? What about us, Rainbow Dash?” she motioned with a hoof back towards Ponyville. “What about us? You think this is about protectin’ your friends? Then just what made you keep goin’ when she tried to stop you? What in our Princesses’ names made you bust yourself up like that, bust Pinkie up the same, and abandon everything? Y’all got loyalties to other things than Fluttershy, and that’s the honest truth. If this is about loyalty, then why's Pinkie Pie in the hospital? What, you tryin' ta put her in a coma too?"

Rainbow looked up with death in her eyes, and Applejack realised her mistake. "I didn't mean that," she said. "I swear-"

"SHUT UP!" Rainbow screamed, launching herself at the earth pony.

Applejack knew she'd brought this one on - she took every punch Rainbow threw, letting the mare take it out on her. At least she was strong enough to take it.

Eventually, she finally stopped Rainbow, grabbing her torso and throwing her to the ground, pinning her to the floor until she finally stopped struggling.

"Look at you, Rainbow Dash. Look at what you're doin' to us all - it ain't right. It ain't the way to make things right, either."

“Well what can I do then? How else am I supposed to make it up to her? Everything is my fault!”

“I still think that’s a lie, but since you seem so tied to that idea - you do whatever you can to live how you always have. That’s the pony she’s friends with.” Applejack lifted Dash to her hooves. “You honour her by movin’ on, not making everything right.”

“I can’t just move on that easily.”

“Who said it was gonna be easy?” Applejack replied. “But you still gotta do it. An’ I think for this one, you gotta figure out how yourself.”

Rainbow sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“You’re damn right I am! To think, you even – wait, what?”

“I’m sorry. And thanks.”

Applejack grinned wildly. “For beatin’ your flank? Heh, never had nopony thank me before.” She looked Dash dead in the eye and continued steadily. “Y’all ever go pullin’ something like this again, ya can expect a whole lot more o’ th’ same, y'hear?”

“Oh yeah. Looking forward to it.” Trust Applejack to get her on the right track again, she thought. But now she had a new problem – she couldn’t fly, and she’d destroyed her house. And she still felt that she had to make it up to Fluttershy...

“Y’all got a place to stay? Don’t think I didn’t see you doin’ alla that to your house, neither.”

Rainbow had an idea.

“Yeah... Yeah, I’ve got a place to stay.”

“Well, good.” Crack!

“What the buck, AJ?! I said I’m sorry!”

Applejack laughed. “That was for Rarity, after you did the same to her in the hospital.”

---

“I miss you,” she whispered. She could have sworn Fluttershy’s ever-present smile grew larger – she longed for the day when that smile would be real, when she could look into those blue eyes and see her friend gazing back, all hurts forgiven.

“All hurts forgiven,” she repeated, a tear escaping her eye.

Rainbow looked out at the window at the sunset. It was a similar sunset to the one they’d shared all those weeks ago, above the clouds. A tear escaped her eye as they shared this one, everything completely different.

She fell asleep, as they had before so long ago, in a happier time.

A/N - Come to the dark side - we have cookies.
You may have noticed, this story doesn't have a dark tag. This is as bad as it will ever get.

On a happier note - Congratulations (and thanks!) on (for) reading this far! If you haven't yet, please comment and rate. Occasionally a good comment will inspire me to greater things, and ratings are nice.

- Midnight Specter

Chapter 4 - Brightest Light

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Hearts Aflutter - Chapter 4
Brightest Light

“Angel, get down here! Time for breakfast!” she called.

The bunny stood at the top of the stairs, glaring down at Rainbow Dash with a look that said, We both know whose fault it is she's not here.

Rainbow grew sombre. “I know. I know, alright? But she isn’t, and that’s why I am – I’ve gotta take care of you guys while she can’t, and you sure as hay can’t do it of yourself. It’s what she’d want.”

When she’d first arrived, Angel Bunny had been as skinny as... a rabbit. There was an enormous mess in Fluttershy’s living room, carrot ends and other detritus littering the whole area. He’d somehow managed to open the door to her pantry, getting into the stocks of animal feed, which had promptly been spread all throughout the house. He and the other animals had swiftly depleted the food, and Angel wasn’t the only one that seemed a little malnourished.
She had a lot of work to do before she could really start taking care of the animals like Fluttershy did.

Not the least of the obstacles in her way was getting the animals used to her presence – at first they’d run away at the sight of her, and she’d had to leave their food out and hide around a corner until they were done. They were slowly becoming accustomed to her presence – imitating Fluttershy seemed to work, a lower volume, slower speaking and smaller, softer actions somehow helping... though any sudden movements would still send them scurrying away. Still, it was an improvement – at least now Dash could properly look out for them.

Angel himself was another obstacle. He never took her presence in his home lightly. Every action he made seemed designed to infuriate her, as if he was trying to kick her out.

It was a test of patience - a challenge, bunny to pegasus.

Luckily, Rainbow Dash never backed down from a challenge.

A short while later, she was chasing him through the house, shouting and yelling the whole time.
“You... Get back here!” she panted, lunging towards Angel once more, finally catching the little white ball of fluff.
This was the last straw – waking her up during the night had been... annoying. Hiding the bags of feed in the chicken coop, an alright prank... but this? This was just....

Rainbow suddenly had a much greater respect for the timid yellow pegasus, who’d somehow managed to deal with the bratty little rabbit almost every day of her life. It was crazy.

Angel glared at her, writhing in her grip.

“I know how much you miss her! I know it’s my fault! But what the hay do you think you’re going to get by drawing her on the walls, tearing up the couches and smashing all her stuff?”

Angel didn’t meet her eyes, wriggling in an attempt to get away.

“Nuh-uh! No way!” she said.

A thought struck her as to how she could coerce the bunny into... at least an uneasy truce. “Tell me, Angel. What does Fluttershy do when you draw on the walls?”

He paused, then tried to tell her that Fluttershy gave him a hug and told him how good he was. Rainbow couldn’t actually decide whether or not he was telling the truth – that seemed just as likely as a small punishment from the mare. She decided to ask about something else.

“What about all the things you’ve broken? What would she do? What would she think if she woke up right now and came home to this?”

That got him. A brief spark of remorse hit him, and he stopped writhing for a moment. He was, after all, just being rebellious towards Rainbow Dash. He liked his home as much as Fluttershy did. All he wanted was Rainbow out, by any means necessary. But just because he stopped wriggling didn't mean she stopped talking.

“I know what she’d think,” Rainbow said, bluffing her way into peace with the bunny. “Fluttershy has been my best friend for years, and I know this stuff. She wouldn’t be angry, or sad, or even annoyed at what you’ve done.”

She leaned in close to the bunny, large magenta eyes to beady little black ones. “She’d be disappointed.” The bunny cringed, and Rainbow saw she’d hit the mark.

“She’d be disappointed that you aren’t being a good bunny, especially while she’d not around. You’ve let her down, Angel, just because you don’t like rainbow pegasi.” Rainbow sighed. “And after all that work she does, taking care of you and trying to teach you how to be better than this...”

Angel was crying now, just a little, and she wondered if she’d overstepped herself. She knew that he missed Fluttershy as well, probably as much as she did. She’d always been closer to him than many of her other creatures.

“Now do you see? We’ve gotta be a team, you and me.”

Angel gave her a confused look, wiping his eyes of tears.

“Yeah, that’s right. You and me. We have to work together, keep it up, stay strong together until she comes back. So what do you think? Do we have a deal?” Didn’t Twilight say exactly the same thing?

He considered her offer for a while, eventually giving in and nodding his head.

Then he shot her a look - it clearly said, I still hate you.

---

She raised her hoof to knock, then lowered it. Raised it again, paused, and lowered it once more.
Could she do it? Could she face what she’d done to one of her closest friends, not out of sadness or anger, but of a complete lack of care?

The accident with Fluttershy was her fault – she’d failed to protect her, and now she was paying the price.

What happened with Pinkie Pie was no accident. It was like Applejack had said – she should have been there for all of them during this, and not have exploded like she had. Somepony could have helped with her own feelings, she was sure. But this wasn’t an accident – this was a cold-blooded attack on Pinkie, one which had put her in hospital for four days while she recovered enough to stand again.

Could she ever face such a breach of friendship? She didn’t want to – it would be so easy to just run away, like she had the first time. But running away is what caused this in the first place.

She had to face what she’d done.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in, Rainbow Dash.” she opened the door, entering Pinkie Pie’s room.

“How did you...?”

“My Pinkie Sense told me,” she replied.

Rainbow stood in place, looking around. The room hadn’t changed much since the last time she’d been here – streamers and ribbons still webbed the walls, confetti lay all over everything, and pink was the only colour scheme, besides Gummy sitting on a chair in the corner.

Then she focused on Pinkie Pie, and her world started to crash around her again. The mare was in bad shape – large bags hung under her large, bloodshot eyes - she’d clearly been crying herself to... well, not sleep, that was for sure. Her hair was dead straight - Rainbow counted herself lucky she hadn’t been replaced by Mr Turnip again. Oh, and she had a cast on her foreleg, running all the way up to her shoulder, and an enormous bruise darkening her coat, which spread from that same shoulder all the way to her Cutie Mark.

Courtesy of Rainbow Dash.

I did this - and this time it wasn’t an accident. The first time, it had all happened so quickly, there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it. It was still her fault, but it was starting to hurt less.

This time she could have stopped at any time. But she didn’t. She’d been slow, methodical, and vicious in her attacks on herself – and consequentially, in her attacks on Pinkie Pie. Seeing the mare, she realised that what she’d done to Pinkie had been far worse than what she’d done to Fluttershy.

“Why are you here?” Pinkie asked.

“Pinkie, I...”

“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it,” Pinkie said in mock sweetness, cutting her off. “Lies are the fastest way to lose a friend.”

Rainbow hesitated. Pinkie’s words cut deep, but they weren’t unwarranted. After seeing this, if Pinkie had bucked her in the face she would have taken it – though her jaw still smarted from Applejack’s thrashing the few nights before. She looked at her hooves, unable to meet Pinkie’s eyes.

“I just want to-”

“Want to what?” she interrupted again, still in that not-quite-nice voice. “Want to finish the job? Here,” she said, offering her uninjured foreleg. “Go ahead. ‘It’s just something you have to do,’ right?”

Okay, that hurt.

“Pinkie-”

“‘Oh, don’t mind little Pinkie Pie. She’ll just laugh it off, like she does for everything – she probably just thought it was a game!’ Well, come on then. Do it! Or don’t you wanna play anymore?” she seethed, the semi-sweet voice wearing very, very thin.

Rainbow tried not to cry – Pinkie was tearing her heart out.

“Let’s play, Dashie! I’ll go first” Pinkie laughed – extremely shallowly. “Thud! Thud! Thud!”

Suddenly it wasn’t just Pinkie saying it. There was a thudding sound in the room, and Rainbow looked up from her feet to see Pinkie smashing herself into a wall, just as she’d done before.

Thud. Was this seriously happening?

Thud. Rainbow cried, unable to hold back.

Thud.This is what she’d done?

... No more.

She rushed over to the pink pony, wrapping her legs around her. “Pinkie, stop.”

“Get off me, Dashie,” Pinkie said, her voice cold, mimicking Rainbow’s words from that night.

“I won’t. I won’t let what I did hurt you anymore,” she cried. “So just stop.”

“No.” Thud.

Rainbow wrapped her legs tighter, but it was no use. She was more athletic than Pinkie, but she still wasn’t strong enough to stop her from slamming into the wall. “Pinkie, you have to stop right now!”

“No.” Thud.

Okay, that’s it, Rainbow thought. This time, she would protect her friend. This time, she’d do it right.

She timed it perfectly, getting in between Pinkie and the wall, shielding her friend from the wall with her own body.

Thump. She was still going - she didn’t even seem to notice Dash was there. She just kept going, just as Rainbow had that night. Rainbow timed it again, tackling her friend as she pulled back, slamming her to the ground and embracing her writhing, screaming form in a tight hug.

“I meant all of it – everything I said, everything I did. But I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted to see you turn it around like this.” Rainbow said, her voice barely carrying over Pinkie’s wrenching sobs.

“I’m sorry, Pinkie,” she whispered, crying into the cotton candy mane. “I’m so sorry.”

She repeated it until Pinkie stopped struggling.

Eventually, Rainbow looked up, to see a pair of big blue eyes and a small smile that, while pained, was pure, genuine.

“I forgive you, Dashie.” Pinkie hugged her back at last.

Oh, how those words made her ache.

She wanted to hear them so badly... but from a different mare, in a different voice, from a different set of beautiful blue eyes...

But that she’d heard them from anypony was good enough right now. She didn’t deserve it yet.

Rainbow lowered her head again, crying into Pinkie’s mane.

They cried together.

---

“Heya Spike. Is Twilight here?”

“Nope,” he replied quickly. Too quickly.

“You sure?”

“Uh... yes?” he said, beginning to roll on his feet. “Uh... Anyway I have some uh... stuff to do, and...”

“Alright, well, can I come in?”

“No! I mean, Twilight isn’t here, so...”

Rainbow looked to her right, seeing a small piece of paper. It was definitely within the Library’s business hours, and if she wanted to be technical, Spike counted as a librarian too.

“I want to borrow a book.” Yeah, that got him.

“Oh... uh, okay... wait a sec.” He shut the door. She could hear muffled whispers, catching a few words.

“...wants to borrow a book... go upstairs... won’t let her past...”

Of course... The door opened, and Spike beckoned her inside before rushing to his place at the bottom of the stairs. She began to peruse the shelves, pretending to look for a book – Hey, that one actually looks interesting – and eyeing Spike out of the corner of her eye. He was edgy.

“So... Why doesn’t Twilight want to see me?”

Spike shot her a double-take. “W-why do you say that?” he fake-laughed.

“I’m not an idiot. Tell me or I’ll ask her myself. I know she’s here.”

His eyes grew wide, and he looked like he was trying not to ask Twilight for help – which would, of course, defeat the purpose of his subterfuge.

Rainbow huffed. “Fine. Move over or I’ll push you.”

To his credit, Spike didn’t move, lowering his stance and preparing to fight Rainbow’s entry to Twilight’s room – he even seemed to be holding his breath, in case it came to a serious fight.

Luckily for the both of them, Twilight broke it up. The mare and baby dragon both sighed, relieved.

“There you are, Twi’! Where you been?”

She didn’t answer, turning away to hide her face, hoping the pegasus didn’t notice how exhausted she was. She pretended to read the book she’d brought down the stairs with her.

“Come on! Don’t leave me hangin’,” she tried again.

Twilight sighed – she could guess why Rainbow Dash was here, and though she’d already forgiven her, she had to make sure Rainbow learned her lesson. Survivor guilt was no excuse for what she’d done to Pinkie. Or herself, Twilight added.

“Rainbow Dash... I just don’t know what to think of you. It’s just that... after the accident...” She felt terrible for lying to her friend, but it was necessary. “I don’t know what to think of you. Should I be scared? You destroyed your house. You hurt Pinkie Pie. Should I be afraid that you might hurt me too?”

She winced, hoping that Dash couldn’t see. That must have hurt terribly.

“Trust me, Twilight. That’s not going to happen.”

Well, that’s a start. She may not have been Applejack, but Twilight could tell when somepony was lying. Rainbow was not.

“I know what I did was wrong – all of it. It was my fault this time – I hurt Pinkie because I just didn’t care. I can’t blame this on anything but me – not like the Sonic Rainboom. That was an accident, and I couldn’t have changed what happened. It’s all my fault, and I could have been better. I wasn’t... but the past is the past, and I just have to be next time.”

There was a pause. “I’m sorry, Twilight, for everything. Will you forgive me?”

Finally!

Twilight turned away from the book, which had never really been open in the first place. “Of course I do,” she said, smiling.

---

As she expected, and hoped, Rainbow Dash quickly left, leaving Twilight to ponder her list of ingredients in peace. She wished there was more she could do to help Rainbow, but therapy for survivor guilt might take as long anyway, and this would have a far more beneficial effect.

But there was no way Rainbow could find out. If it didn’t work...

No. It would, she was sure. She looked at the recipe again, wondering at the strange materials needed.

Scale of dragon, she could find easily enough, but... Eye of cockatrice? Sea-serpent’s moustache? And where in Equestria would she find a newt? She barely even knew what half of these ingredients were!

She really hoped Zecora would know most of these... And why were they all written in rhymes?

‘Supernaturals’ was such a weird book...

---

“Well howdy, RD!” Applejack called, trotting up the path to Fluttershy’s house. Her loud voice instantly startled the birds Rainbow had been trying to feed, and she laughed as she heard the pegasus curse loudly at her as they flew away.

“Been feelin’ any better since Ah beat your flank?”

“You bet,” Rainbow replied. This was one instance where she was proud to say that, if she’d had to repeat it all, she’d take every hit again, and more.

“So uh... What’cha doin’?” Applejack asked.

“Well, after your little pep-talk, you asked me if I had a place to stay,” Rainbow said, rubbing her mane, “And I didn’t, but then I was thinking about Fluttershy, and I realised that nopony was taking care of all her little critters. So I came here to try and make it up to her that way – keep everything the way she’d want it for when she wakes up.”

“Well alrighty – I just saw Pinkie. Would ya believe she’s almost poofy again?”

Rainbow sighed with relief, whispering, “Oh, thank Celestia.”

“I dunno what went on when you tried to apologise, but Ah’m sure Ah saw a bruise that weren’t there last time Ah saw her,” Applejack said sternly. “She didn’t tell me anything about it, but I want to hear you say it – that you apologised right, and that you didn’t hurt her again.”

“No.”

“What?”

“I can’t say that – it was my fault she ended up that way. I went to apologise, and she started to do exactly the same thing that I did to her.” Applejack’s eyes widened. “Yeah, that’s what she does when she’s like that, remember? She twists everything around just to hurt people.”

“Horseapples...”

“I can’t say I didn’t hurt her again, because it was my fault. I can’t say that I apologised right, because I don’t know. You saw her just then, so you tell me. How is she?”

“She’s fine, RD. An’ Ah’m sorry. But you realise that it’s hard to earn back lost trust, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. You don’t have to tell me twice. Anyways, I was gonna come see you next to say sorry, so... I’m sorry. I'm sorry for lashing out at you like I did. I’m sorry it took you doing that to get me back on track, and that I couldn’t stop myself before I hurt all of you so much. Will you forgive me?”

“Y’all think nothin’ of it now, y’hear? As far as Ah’m concerned, as soon as I planted my hoof in your be-hind, you already were.” she said. "Besides, Ah kinda deserved it on my end too."

“Thanks, AJ. It means a lot.”

---

“Coming!” sounded the sing-song voice, the door of Carousel Boutique opening.“Oh, Rainbow!” Rarity exclaimed. “Could it be? You want me to make you a dress, don’t you!”

“Uh... no. Not really.”

The unicorn deflated visibly in an almost Pinkieish fashion. “Oh. Then why are you here?”

“I’m here to apologise,” she said, scuffing the ground in a Fluttershy-esque way.

“Darling, whatever for?” Rarity asked, though it was obvious from her voice that she already knew.

“I’m sorry I was such a jerk. This whole time, I’ve been horrible to all of you, and none of you deserved any of it. Oh, and for hitting you in the hospital.”

“Well, if you really need me to say it, then I will. I forgive you.”

Rainbow blinked. That was quick.

“But... there’s something I myself should apologise for, Rainbow Dash.” She took a small breath, composing herself. “I know better than most how much pain you must be in, Rainbow. You blame yourself for what happened. You’re trying to make everything right, trying to atone for your sins. I know that feeling. I went through something much the same, a long time ago. I’m sorry for not helping you when I realised you were going through the same thing.”

“Uh... Well, I forgive you.” Rainbow was surprised at Rarity’s insight, but found it hard to believe that she’d been through the same. Her expression must have said as much, because Rarity continued.

“Have I ever told you that Sweetie Belle and I have an older brother?”

Rainbow shook her head.

“Well that’s because we don’t... not anymore. It was all an accident, you see – my family owned a small home in the south of Fillydelphia – just before we moved to Ponyville.” She looked away, memories of a far-off time glazing her eyes. She snapped suddenly back to reality.

“I’ve never looked at a flame the same way, but that’s a story for another time. I know now that it wasn’t my fault, but for the longest time, I thought that his death was my fault. I know exactly how you’re feeling, Rainbow Dash. I know why you’re doing all of this, but you must realise something – you don’t have to.”

Dash blinked.

“Understand that your situation is... different, my dear. Fluttershy is still with us, just not at the moment. You have hope, something I never did. And hope is something most precious, especially in such situations as these, and for such... close friends as you and Fluttershy...”

Dash blinked again, confused. Why the emphasis on close?

Rarity picked up on Dash’s confusion, nearly gasping. “Darling, what...? She didn’t tell... Oh dear, I think I might have... Oh no, this simply won’t do... Ah!” she tapped a hoof on her head to stop herself from rambling.

“What’s the big deal?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all!” Rarity said suspiciously.

“Right... Whatever.”

“I want you to know, Rainbow, that you can talk to me about anything. If it helps at all, I too found peace telling somepony about how I was feeling.”

“Who did you talk to?” Rainbow asked.

Rarity sidelong at the pegasus. “Our dear friend, Fluttershy.”

---

Rainbow sat by Fluttershy’s bed, gazing at her friend, supporting her head on her hooves as she watched Fluttershy just... lie there. Her chest rose slowly, fell so slowly. Her hooves rested by her body, her mane covered most of her face – but from what she could see of her expression, she seemed happy. At peace. Rainbow took solace in that.

She was just so beautiful... Dash sighed regretfully, remembering a time when she’d stopped thoughts like those right in their tracks, but it no longer mattered to her. She’d been too content with the way things were - too happy with what they had, too afraid of change to act.

Now that chance was gone, and, despite all of their hopes, there may not be another. She cried softly, both for times past and the pain in her wing.

At least one pony was happy. Rainbow reached over and lightly brushed the errant hair away, exposing her best friend’s beauty - so pure, so innocent... so fragile. Like she could be taken away at any time by the slightest impact.

Dash’s impact hadn’t just been slight.

It was now a whole month since the accident.

The most severe of Fluttershy’s injuries had still not healed – a rib was still broken, taking longer to heal than normal, but the doctors were confident in its recovery.

Several more were still cracked. Her wings lay in splints, splayed out at her sides.

The wounds from where her broken bones had protruded left terrible scars that were only now beginning to grow a fuzzy yellow coat – they’d heal eventually, but for now they were blemishes, ever-present reminders of what Dash had done.

And yet for all the hurt she suffered from, the pain she hid from in her deeper-than-deep sleep, Fluttershy still looked the very image of serenity, her small smile ever-forgiving.

It had taken her so long to finally confront it, to face what she’d done to Fluttershy, but she’d barely left her best friend’s side since. Besides a daily outing to the cottage to keep the place clean and take care of the animals, she practically lived in the hospital room with her. The visitor’s chair was decked out with cushions and blankets, a place for Dash to sleep – even past visiting hours, she was there. Despite all of Nurse Redheart’s attempts to get her to leave, she’d always found a way back in.

Whether it was leaving the window open just a tiny bit so she could climb through from outside, or sneaking past the Nurse’s desk while she finished up the paperwork - any scheme Rainbow could come up with to get back into Fluttershy’s room, she did.

She did it all, because she would be there when Fluttershy woke up. She would be the first face Fluttershy saw, the first pony Fluttershy would speak to.

Because Fluttershy would wake up - of that, Rainbow had no doubt. And she would be right there, when those beautiful blue eyes saw the world again.

Who’d have thought Rarity might have the one to be able to empathise with her? The prissy white drama queen of the Carousel Boutique had actually had a troubled past?
But Dash wouldn’t complain. Somepony actually understood! She wasn’t just sympathising – she actually knew! That was something to cherish.

And Rarity had even given her an idea. Ever since the accident, Rainbow had been trying to find some way to make it up to Fluttershy, whether it was necessary or not. When Rarity said that Fluttershy had helped her overcome her own grief, Dash decided to try it too.

And so here she was, telling Fluttershy everything, whether she could hear her or not.

She’d just finished telling her about the apologies. She wondered what else she could talk about – she was practically up to date with the stories, not much else happening past the apologies besides Pinkie getting poofy again and Rarity being peculiarly interested in her activities.

Rainbow stopped talking for a while. It was getting late – Nurse Redheart would probably try to kick her out soon. She stashed her cushions and blankets under Fluttershy’s bed, making sure they couldn’t be seen, and then waited.

Just as she thought, Nurse Redheart came in moments later.

“Hello again, Rainbow Dash. I guess you know what time it is?”

“Yeah yeah, visiting hours are over.” She placed her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Bye, ‘Shy.”

They’d played this game before, her and the Nurse. It was one she tended to win.

She left the hospital, turning in the direction of Fluttershy’s house, and then doubled back after she was sure the Nurse couldn’t see her. She’d never been sneaky enough to not be found inside in the mornings, but despite the hospital staff’s many attempts to keep her from sneaking in, namely, locking windows, locking doors, and blocking the other ways in they found, she always managed to get back in. Yesterday, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had showed her a way into the vent system from outside, which conveniently led to an exit in Fluttershy’s room.

She had to hand it to those fillies – they knew their stuff.

She climbed through the vents and landed softly in the room, quietly re-decorating her chair with the cushions and blankets.

As night fell, so too did Rainbow Dash, falling into sleep’s warm embrace.

She hoped that, just like in her dreams, Fluttershy would wake up.

And then I’ll tell you...

A/N - Thanks for reading! Don't forget to comment and rate - also, don't be afraid to point out any issues you have with my work. I welcome criticism with open arms, both positive and negative.

- Midnight Specter

Chapter 5 - Look to the Skies

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Hearts Aflutter - Chapter 5
Look to the Skies

She breathed deeply, slowly opening her eyes. She lifted herself slowly from the hospital bed she’d laid her head on, looking blearily around the room. Nurse Redheart stood to the side, a scowl on her face. “You know what I’m going to say, Rainbow Dash. Visiting hours were over... well, hours ago – just like the day before, and the day before that, and-”

“Yeah, yeah...” Rainbow sighed. She hated leaving Fluttershy. She brushed a strand of hair from the sleeping pony’s face, saying, “I’ll come back soon, okay?”

Of course it’s okay, Rainbow.

Dash exited the hospital’s doors, flaring her wings – they’d finally gotten their casts off after... that... and she had to be honest – it felt good to be able to fly again.

She flew around the hospital’s side to peek in the yellow pegasus’ window before returning to the cottage. Nurse Redheart was performing a routine check-up – she looked up, glancing at Rainbow, and sighed at the cyan pegasus, who floated in place, raising a hoof in mock salute, before flying off away from the sunset towards Fluttershy’s house.

Three months.

Three months, Fluttershy had been lying there, dead to the world, and it was all her-

She hit herself over the head. Hard. She was not going to start that again, whether it was true or not. Rarity had said every time she thought that, she’d feel a little worse, and then a little worse again. So she just didn’t think it.

Rainbow didn’t want to think what might have happened if Rarity hadn’t been there for her over the last couple of months since... all of that. If she hadn’t had somepony to talk to, who really understood, like Rarity did... Would it all have happened again?

Thank Celestia for Rarity, she thought.

---

Elsewhere, two unicorns, lavender and white, sat the library. Their conversation spread over topics far and wide, but eventually came back to the inevitable. It was always on their minds.

“Twilight, dear... do you think I’m doing the right thing?” one of them asked. “Do you think I’m actually helping Rainbow Dash, or just making it worse?”

Twilight lowered her book, looking at the white unicorn over the rim. “Well, that depends – is she doing any better?”

Rarity sighed. “That’s my problem – I can’t tell. She’d never show it around us, but I think our dear Rainbow is still hurting, from both the accident and... what happened afterwards. Between you and me, I don’t believe she’s been getting much sleep lately, either. I think she has nightmares about what happened. But I believe the most pressing issue is... well, have you seen her lately? All she does is work, take care of the animals and visit Fluttershy in the hospital.”

“There isn’t anything wrong with that, Rarity – it could just be her way of coping. She’s told us before that she feels closer to Fluttershy when she’s doing things like that.”

“Well, you’re right of course, but that’s not quite what I meant,” Rarity replied, wondering how to put it in a way Twilight would understand. She then told Twilight all about her previous suspicions about why Rainbow had fallen so far into her misery after the accident.

“But when she came to me to apologise, it was obvious that Fluttershy hadn’t succeeded – and now I am completely lost. I’ve still been helping her, of course – she comes to me often to ask questions, or for comfort – but I have no idea what drove her to such extremes, and it’s making it quite difficult. If it isn’t love, then what?”

Twilight’s eyes began to shine at the rare opportunity to let loose her academic side. “Oh Rarity, that’s where you’ve made a mistake. Fluttershy might not have managed to confess, but that doesn’t change anything at all.”

Rarity was utterly confused, and said so, asking Twilight to elaborate.

“You know as well as I do that Rainbow Dash is quite likely the most loyal pony in Equestria. She wouldn’t ever let anything come between her and her friends – any of them. Therefore, this occasion is outstanding from her usual behaviour – an anomaly.”

“You still haven’t told me what you’re trying to say, Twilight.”

The lavender unicorn’s eyes lit up again. “I read about it nearly every day, whether it’s in a work of fiction or a history book from thousands of years ago. Just ask yourself, Rarity. What is the one driving force that has shattered unbreakable bonds of loyalty, time and time again? What is the one thing that could have made Rainbow Dash disregard everything she’d previously cared about, to earn the forgiveness of the mare who she...”

“...Loved most,” Rarity finished, the realisation finally dawning on her. “It is love! But then, how-”

Twilight groaned heavily, interrupting her. “You still don’t get it? It means that Rainbow already loved Fluttershy at the time of the accident – or began to love her then.”

“...They do say that you only realise what you had when you lose it... But it isn’t lost yet,” Rarity said, a hopeful smile on her face. “Oh, imagine it! Fluttershy awakens to see Rainbow Dash by her side, and they tearfully confess their feelings, embracing each other finally, not as friends, but-”

“Rarity, please - you’re getting off track, I think. Though, that would be a happy ending to this whole ordeal,” she added.

“True, true – I really must thank you for your help somehow, Twilight!”

Twilight laughed. “It was nothing – but really, I’m surprised you didn’t figure this out on your own. Anyway, none of this really means much while Fluttershy’s... away.”

“Yes... Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

“That being said,” Twilight added, leaning inwards. “You might want to hear what I’ve been up to lately...”

---

Rainbow arrived at the cottage, entering to find it completely dark. The darkness seemed malevolent – Angel was up to something again.

Darn it, I forgot – it’s prank night.

She lifted slowly into the air, floating over the tripwire at the door, and turned on the lights. Angel sat on the couch, his eyes showing absolute hatred at her easy avoidance of his trap – which, as she looked around, had actually been pretty good. She floated over and removed the pie that had been waiting to swat her out of the air, took a bite, and eyed the rabbit mischievously.

“Nice try, bunny.” It was then that the pie’s flavour became apparent. Angel rolled around the room holding his sides as Rainbow Dash tried and failed to get shaving cream off her tongue.

After a brief chase, she slowed down. It had been a pretty decent prank, and the first one he’d actually gotten her with in a while. As she stood, a squirrel chattered at her, tugging her foreleg and pointing at his food bowl. She instantly switched to Fluttershy mode, feeling a little guilty for staying at the hospital for so long this time.

“Oh my,” she said. “Just wait right here! I’ll get you some dinner right away.” She went off to the kitchen, fixing up some food for all the furry little creatures she’d neglected by getting a decent nap by Fluttershy’s side.

It was really weird, Rainbow decided, that she could imitate Fluttershy so well. But it was a good kind of weird. It made her feel like Fluttershy was right there with her, even though she was really still at the hospital. It was like, by living like ‘Shy did, Rainbow could bring her back to life for just a little while, have her best friend by her side again. Not that she was actually dead, either.

After doing the rounds, she wasn’t in the mood for small talk with the creatures, so she continued floating, up the stairs and into bed. She was still tired, despite her nap at the hospital, but she didn’t go back. Once she’d spent nearly every second at Fluttershy's side, but now she spent more time doing things, rather than moping by the bedside.

Fluttershy wouldn’t want her to put her life on hold just because she was hurt, and so she wouldn’t.

A while later, tossing and turning, Rainbow decided she couldn’t sleep, so she lay there, thinking. She wondered at what point she’d started to feel like she wanted to be there with Fluttershy, to be by her side all the time.
She remembered late nights, much the same as this one, full of tossing and turning, missing the touch of the yellow pegasus... she wanted it to be like that night above the clouds together, so long ago...

But that was a dream for the future, not now.

The tossing and turning began again.

---

“I love you, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said.

A cool breeze swept through the field, red tulips swaying as softly as Fluttershy’s reply.

“Oh.”

“Um... yeah. So, uh...” Dash ruffled her hair. She’d never been good at things like this. “Um... how do you feel about me?”

“Oh, um, you see... I...” Fluttershy mumbled, avoiding Rainbow’s gaze and shying away slightly.

“It’s okay, you can tell me, ‘Shy,” she said, reaching a hoof out towards the other pegasus.

Before it even got close, Fluttershy screamed, “Don’t touch me!”

Rainbow froze. She’d always known this would happen – she’d always known that nopony could love a fillyfooler.

“I’m so sorry, Rainbow, I don’t know what came over me-”

“It’s fine,” she said. “Don’t worry about it. Just forget it.”

“Forget me,” she said, flying off. The farther she got, the more she cried, until finally she woke up, her bedsheets soaked with tears.

She kicked the wall angrily, hastily apologising to the animals she’d woken up.

Why did all her dreams have to be this way?

At least this one had seemed nice at the start.

Rainbow got herself a glass of water from downstairs, unable to get back to sleep. As she sat on the couch, staring through the window as the sun began to rise over the horizon, she wondered just when she’d actually started to love Fluttershy.

A memory made its way to the surface of her thoughts.

~~~

It was Summer Flight School, many years ago.

“Alright fillies, time to feather up! Three laps of the ring circuit, on the double! You miss a ring, you restart the lap!”

“Uh, sir? We’re not all fillies...”

“What’s your point, Dead Weight? Makes no difference when some o’ these fillies can fly better’n you anyways,” he replied gruffly. Rainbow had to hide a snicker – nothing good ever came of laughing during Sergeant Typhoon’s classes.

“On your marks!” Typhoon shouted.

“Get set!”

“Go!”

There was a sudden blur of colour as the colts and fillies began their race. Moving far ahead of the crowd was a blur of all colours, Rainbow Dash far outstripping her classmates, never missing a single turn.
Her three laps were over in an instant, and she was sent to the benches to rest until the next activity was ready.

Eventually she was joined by some of her other classmates, but she paid them no notice, watching and critiquing those still on the track as they went around.

Her eyes were constantly brought back to the yellow filly who’d just joined their class the other day. The filly was terrible at flying – she was still on her first lap, always tripping over the first ring, or never managing to make it to the second on.

One of the cruellest of her classmates noticed her looking, sneering, “Oh, what’s this? Checking out the new flank, fillyfooler?” She and her cronies laughed, high-hoofing, but Rainbow paid them no notice. What wasn’t true couldn’t hurt her.

She looked back to the pegasus – who wasn’t there anymore. Where’d she gone? Maybe she’d dropped again and missed the cloud – Nevermind, there she was, further down the track, with two colts.

What was her name again? Butter Pie? No, no, it was-

“Nice going, Klutzershy!” No, that wasn’t it either... wait, what? “They ought to ground you permanently!”

A steely glint entered Rainbow’s eyes as she realised what was going on – she could handle bullies, but the yellow filly looked about to cry.

The other colt laughed. “My baby brother can fly better than you!”

That’s it.

“Leave her alone!” she shouted, flying into the fray despite the Sergeant’s shouts for her to get back to the bench. This was a cinch. Standing up to bullies was easy.

During their brief exchange, she noticed in the corner of eyes that the filly’s eyes never left her. As the colts flew away to tell Typhoon that they wanted a race, she turned towards the other pegasus and smiled.

“Oh um... Thank you so much! They were....”

“Aw, they’re just bullies. You just gotta learn to fight back!”

The filly’s eyes widened. “Fight back?! Oh, I could never...”

“Well alright. How about we make a deal then - you be my friend, and I’ll fight back for you.”

“... Ok,” the filly said. “...I’m... um... I’m Fluttershy.” Yeah, that was it.

“I’m Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria!”

And she was just about to prove it, defending the honour of a filly she’d just met. She looked into Fluttershy’s blue eyes, coming to a realisation.

Rainbow Dash would always be there for her, no matter what happened.

---

Yeah, that’s when it started.

Of course, on the surface she just thought they were closer friends than anypony else, but deep down... Rainbow supposed she had always known about it. But she’d hidden it away, buried it all under a mass of goals and lifelong dreams – a mask, to hide herself behind forever.

Was it to protect herself from her classmates, because she knew being called a fillyfooler, and knowing it was true, would hurt so much more?
Or was it to hide from Fluttershy, fearing that her best friend wouldn’t feel the same way – or worse, would stop being her friend?

She no longer cared. She wouldn’t hide anymore.

It hadn’t been a long time since she’d realised she loved Fluttershy, but it had been a long time since she started to love her. So much time spent hiding her feelings – and now she might never get the chance to tell her-

She smacked herself over the head again.

Whatever happened, Fluttershy wouldn’t die.

---

“Heya, Cloudkicker,” Dash called, gliding tiredly towards the other weather-pony. “What have we got today?”

“Clear skies ‘til eleven, growing cloudier until a three o’ clock shower, then a nice sunny evening again,” the pegasus replied grumpily.

Rainbow sighed. Occasionally they would get high-maintenance days – this was one of them. As the only two active weather-pegasi in Ponyville, so many changes meant both more work and smaller breaks. For the bigger storms and such, more pegasi would fly in, but most of the time it was just the two of them.

She wouldn’t get to visit Fluttershy today at all - not if Nurse Redheart had anything else to say about visiting hours.

She came to a conclusion. Today would suck.

---

Yup. Today sucked.

There’d been so much work, and she couldn’t even take a nap... her eyes felt like they’d fall out of her head if she didn’t get some shut-eye soon.

It was early evening - the shower had been cleared up, leaving the evening sky free of clouds. Stars were beginning to peek through the slowly dimming sky, the moon just about to start its own journey through the sky.

She flew around town, ignoring most of her usual haunts – she felt like a change, and none of them were particularly great anyway. She passed over the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and then circled around, diving down towards them.

“Ohmygosh! Hi Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo squealed.

“Hey girls,” she replied. “I just wanted to say thanks again for uh... you know. All the times you helped me get past Nurse Redheart. It means a lot to me.”

Apple Bloom chimed in, saying, “Aw, don’t mention it. Any friend o’ Applejack’s is a friend o’ ours!”

“Yeah! Besides, you’d never know if we’d get our Cutie Marks from helping you be sneaky,” Sweetie Belle added.

“Well, I had to say thanks anyway,” Rainbow replied. “So what’re you three doing out so late?”

“We’re planning,” Scootaloo said. “Tomorrow we’re gonna go to Zecora’s and see if we can get a monster hunting Cutie Mark!”

Dash blinked. “What? Zecora doesn’t-“

“Cutie Mark Crusader Monster Hunters, YAY!” they cried, scampering off into the night.
Rainbow sighed and shook her head. Those fillies...

She briefly wondered when Scootaloo would learn to fly – she was sure the little pegasus was old enough by now.

She took off into the air, beginning to search again for a place to crash for an hour or so before heading back to Fluttershy’s.

Eventually she found a tree branch that looked comfortable enough, settling in slowly, sleep already beginning to empty her mind. She laughed drowsily at her last thought before she drifted to sleep.

Fluttershy wanted to be a tree...

---

The hospital room was white as the sun. Fluttershy laid on the bed, the machine that kept her breathing beeping slowly, steadily, at much the same rate it had been for the last three months.

Suddenly, there was a fluctuation in the slow rhythm – another beep, in between where the first and second beeps should be. Then another, and another. It took Rainbow a minute to realise – Fluttershy’s heartbeat was speeding up.

The yellow pegasus’ foreleg twitched, her eyes showing rapid movement under them – and her heart-beat sped up again.

She’s waking up!

Rainbow nearly cried tears of joy right there, but something wouldn’t let her. There was something wrong. Fluttershy’s heartbeat kept speeding up – up and up and up, far past where it should be – and her body started to shake, the seizure causing her to start thrashing wildly... and suddenly, she stopped.

She lifted her head slowly, her eyes opening to a blank white stare. “It’s your fault, Rainbow Dash,” she says sorrowfully.

Then she fell.

Rainbow woke up screaming.

“No... No!”

Suddenly she was on the ground, looking up at the branch where she’d gone to sleep – her wing ached, but it wasn’t too bad. It didn’t seem broken. That would suck so much...

She shuddered, glaring at the sky, vowing to find whoever made dreams and hurt them – that dream had been too cruel. She bucked the tree she’d fallen out of angrily, hating that she couldn’t sleep without Fluttershy nearby. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She could sleep, sure, but sleeping well was an entirely different issue.

Ever since the accident, her nights had been plagued by nightmares of guilt, shame and horror – Fluttershy said that nearly every time. “It’s your fault.”

Rainbow told herself it wasn’t true. It was just a dream – until Fluttershy herself woke up and told her the same thing, she would hold onto the hope that it wasn’t her fault, or that if it was, that she could still be forgiven. She wouldn’t give up hope that one day, she could again be with the mare she loved.

---

Applejack was nearly speechless. Everything that Rarity and Twilight said was true – from all she’d seen of Rainbow Dash since the accident, everything the pegasus had done... it all made sense now.

It wasn’t just guilt or loss that had made Dash ignore everything and everypony else - Rainbow loved Fluttershy.

Pinkie Pie, also told the news, merely laughed, immediately adding it to her new list of ‘Things-That-Parties-Can-Be-For’, and planning to have one as soon as possible – until she was told by the other three that, for Rainbow’s sake, it would probably be best not to. She didn’t understand, but she stopped her planning nevertheless.

“So uh... Ah don’t mean to be rude, but why bring us all the way here just to tell us that? I mean, do you even know if it’s true?” Applejack asked. While it was an enlightening piece of information, it was also just plain gossip, unless they had a better reason for telling her and Pinkie.

“Well, we suspect it is, Twilight and I. The main reason we told you is probably so that we can show her our support if, and when, the time comes for them to finally tell each other. We all know she’s been hurt by other ponies due to this exact subject.” Applejack conceded her point – that seemed like a good enough reason. “The other reason is that I thought you might find it interesting.”

Applejack facehoofed while Pinkie Pie burst out laughing again.

Why did Ah expect anything else?

“The other reason we’re all here is for Rainbow Dash’s birthday the day after tomorrow,” Twilight said. “I have a plan – a surprise.” She looked gleefully at everypony before continuing. Twilight met each of their eyes, a euphoric glint in them.

“I’m sure you all remember our dear friend Zecora?”

Pinkie Pie and Applejack’s eyes widened like saucers as Twilight laid out the plan, the four staying up late into the night working out the details and things that needed to be done. If this worked as planned...

Everything would be perfect.

---

Rainbow stood at the precipice of a cloud, wrangling a dilemma she’d been dealing with since the accident.

Should she continue trick flying? Was the thrill of racing, the adrenaline accompanying high-speed manoeuvres worth the risk of hurting her friends? Hurting Fluttershy again?

Would it even feel the same anymore? Risks aside, would the joy she got while flying still be there, knowing what she’d done, how she’d failed?

Did her Cutie Mark, a thunder cloud and rainbow lightning signifying her love of flying, even mean anything anymore? Or would it just be a reminder of everything she’d done wrong, tattooed on her flank for all to see forever?

She sighed. What would Fluttershy think?

She laughed mirthlessly, imagining the conversation.

“Hey, Fluttershy, I’m not gonna fly anymore, because I’m scared I’ll hurt you again.”

“No! I won’t let you! I mean um, you can’t stop flying! What about all those years of practice, everything you’ve ever lived for, gone just because of a silly accident? What about your dream?”

“It wasn’t just a silly accident – you nearly died, and it was my fault!”

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare, Rainbow Dash, even think that it’s your fault! The Rainbow Dash I know would never hurt me on purpose – it was an accident, and accidents leave no room for blame.”

“That-” Dash tried to say, but she was interrupted.

“What would have happened if you’d managed to ‘protect’ me, and our places were reversed when you hit me? You’d have been injured just as badly as I was. But Rainbow, would the Fluttershy you know have had the strength to walk to Ponyville on a broken leg, unable to fly, and in shock from what happened? Would she have been able to get help in time to save you? They had to put me in a coma to stop me from dying on the operating table. Would the pegasus you love have been strong enough to save you? It’s like they always say – everything turns out for the best, somehow.”

“But... Why did it have to be like this at all? Look at everything that’s happened since, all because of me.”

“It isn’t your fault, Rainbow Dash. Nopony blames you at all – not Twilight Sparkle, not Pinkie Pie, not Applejack, not Rarity, not me - because you were doing something you love, Rainbow. Something that nopony can ever stop you doing, because that is who you are. Accidents happen, and mistakes are made, but you can't let one mistake define your entire life. They happen so that they can be learned from. So, Rainbow Dash – what have you learned?”

Rainbow blinked, the imaginary Fluttershy’s words hitting her like a ton of bricks... or a piano.

Could I really have imagined that? She shook her head – of course she could. She must have. But that sure did seem real... It must have been time for another nap... and maybe a trip to Twilight’s for some therapy. Hallucinations couldn’t be good.

Everything turns out for the best, somehow. Dream-Fluttershy was right. Fluttershy wouldn’t have been able to save her, if their places had been reversed.

Nopony blames you, Dream-Fluttershy had said. It isn’t your fault.

Was she right? For three months, she’d endured, unable to accept that she’d done the best she could. Fluttershy was still comatose. Was that really the best Dash could have done?

Everypony seemed to think so. Was it really not her fault?

...She’d have to wait and see.

So, Rainbow Dash – what have you learned?

The whole ordeal had changed her, that much was certain. She’d realised what she was capable of when she stopped caring about her friends. She knew now that those friends were there for her, no matter what she did, no matter how hard she fell. They’d always be there to pick her up again.
She was fast, determined, loyal to the core, and imperfect – yet, with the help of her friends, those imperfections were made meaningless.
She loved flying, and her friends loved that about her. None of them would want her to give that up for a single mistake, no matter how big. She loved her friends, and would never let them down again, no matter what happened. She loved Fluttershy, and wouldn’t hide that from herself or anyone else anymore.

Who was she?

I’m Rainbow Dash – fastest flier in Equestria!

She dove over the side of the cloud, the moonlight giving way slowly to a bright orange from the east. Dawn that morning was much, much more colourful than usual, a loud bang greeting the appearance of the sun over the horizon, a flash of rainbow spreading out, augmenting the sunrise with a spectrum of colour not seen in three months.

Rainbow sped away, filled with joy and contentment, all grief dissipated, the burden of blame off her shoulders.

She sped around the skies, enjoying flight in a way she had not for a long, long time.

Her Cutie Mark shone brightly with an otherworldly light, emerging with a glistening sheen never before seen on a pony flank – if one listened closely enough on a quiet night, they might imagine hearing thunder sounding from the cloud. Touching it, they might feel a slight electrical tingle from the lightning.

And, looking closely, they might also notice three tiny pink butterflies, at rest on a corner of the cloud.

A Cutie Mark symbolised everything a pony was, everything they lived for, not just their special talent. Fluttershy was now part of Rainbow’s very identity.

She wouldn’t have it any other way.

---

“Oh, hey Dashie! What can I getcha?” Pinkie chirped as Rainbow entered Sugarcube Corner.

“Just a cupcake,” she replied. “I’m heading to the hospital to check on Fluttershy soon.”

“Ok! I might come too, I’ve been super-duper busy lately and I haven’t even seen her in like, so long, it seems like forever, and we’re all super busy getting ready for the-” Pinkie stopped realising that she had to say something else. Rainbow couldn’t know what they were planning – or even that they were planning! That would ruin everything! “I really liked what you did this morning, Dashie! Were you and Celestia planning it? That Sonic Rainboom went with today’s colours so well!”

“What were you doing up that early?”

Pinkie handed Rainbow her cupcake, saying, “Oh, silly. A baker always has to be up before dawn! It’s like... the rule! Every baker does it!” Especially when they have to make such a big cake!

Suddenly Pinkie’s shoulder twitched rapidly, and she came out from behind the counter to circle Rainbow, sniffing around the pegasus as if searching for hidden sugary goods.

“That’s weird,” she huffed. “You don’t look any different... Twitchy shoulder means somepony’s different than usual.” She suddenly perked up, her ears standing on end and her eyes glued to Dash’s flank.

“Where did you get Fluttershy on your Cutie Mark?” Pinkie shouted. “That’s so amazingly awesome I can’t even describe it! It’s like when I put vinegar and baking soda together to shoot Gummy into the air on a bottle rocket, except it doesn’t shoot you into the air! It’s just so cool! And romantic! Now you and Fluttershy can be together forever! Just like Gummy and his rocket, until they fall down!”

Rainbow blushed, rushing forward to stop Pinkie from saying anything else. Luckily there were no other ponies around to hear it – word would get out eventually, but she wanted it to stay quiet for now.

“Pinkie, hush! You can’t tell anypony about this yet!” She paused for effect. “Promise me!”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Oh, this is gonna be SO SUPERIFFICALLY SUPER!!!

“Ok, thanks. I’ll see you later, Pinkie!”

---

Applejack was just getting her stand set up when she saw a pegasus zipping through the town square. She managed to catch its tail in her teeth, depositing the mare on the ground.

“Now where y’all off to in such a hurry, Rainbow Dash?”

“I’m going to the hospital to see Fluttershy, now lemme go!”

She released Rainbow, backing off thoughtfully. Applejack couldn’t put her hoof on it, but something about Rainbow had changed. She seemed happier than she had in months, and there was something else too...

“Uh... ya know how early it is right now? Visitin’ hours ain’t till noon.”

That seemed to stop the pegasus in her tracks. Applejack fought the urge to facehoof – clearly that hadn’t crossed Dash’s mind.

“Tell ya what – why don’t ya head over to Rarity’s. You might not like it, but gettin’ a make-over sure does pass time pretty quick. Or gettin’ measured fer a dress.”

Rainbow blinked. “And you would know, because...?”

Applejack’s eyes widened, and she started mumbling to her hooves, “Ah shoot, I’ve gone and done it again.” Looking up, she said, a bit more firmly than she intended, “Y’all run along, I got apples to sell.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah yeah... I’ll be at Rarity’s then, if you need me for anything.”

“Sure.”

Well, that’s my part done. Now Rarity’s gotta stall her fer a few hours - like she'll have any trouble.

Applejack’s eyes widened again as Rainbow flew away to Carousel Boutique, catching a glimpse of the pegasus’ flank, adorned with a thunder cloud, rainbow lightning... and three pink butterflies.

Sweet mother of Luna...

---

“Come in!”

“Hey Rarity, what’s up?”

“Oh, Rainbow Dash! What a pleasant surprise! Oh, and speaking of pleasant, you certainly look happy – much more so than lately, at any rate.” It was true, of course – despite that horridly unkempt mane and a coat that really could use some better conditioner, Rainbow shined.

Was she always like this on her birthday?

“Uh... thanks, I guess. Applejack said I should come here, that you can pass time really quick,” she replied, trotting up to the corner of the shop where Rarity was working.

“Why I should certainly think so! You would not believe how often I have gone for an hour-long spa treatment, only to fall asleep and have it seem over in seconds!”

“I just want to pass the time until the hospital opens for visiting, not some hoity toity...”

This dress can wait.

“I’m not too busy at the moment, dear – would you like to come to the spa with me?”

Say yes, say yes, say yes...

“...Fine. But nothing fancy, alright?”

“Oh, certainly not!”

---

“Aloe, Lotus - give her the Sky Princess.” The twins shared a glance and a very wide grin – they didn’t often get requests for that one.

“Hey! I said nothing fancy!” Rainbow cried, struggling as Aloe and Lotus led - dragged - her to the spa.

“Oh, hush. Just let them work, dear – I’m sure you won’t dislike it,” she said, laughing through her hoof.

---

A pair of hooves worked various shampoos and conditioners through her mane, massaging her scalp at the same time, while another drew a brush through her tail. It was simply... divine.
Rainbow didn’t know how Rarity had talked her into this, but sincerely regretted not being persuaded sooner. Who knew being fancy felt so good!

After hours of pure, blissful relaxation, Rainbow felt better than she had in years! After the massage ponies had had their way, she felt muscles relax that she didn’t know were tense – or even that they existed. Her wings, especially, had been particularly stiff, which she hadn’t even realised – she wondered how it had been affecting her flying, and she was eager to take to the skies again – but later. This was too good.

“Rarity... I don’t know how to say thank you.”

“Oh, think nothing of it, my dear! And think nothing of payment, either. Call it a birthday present, if you must.”

“Birthday?” What? “What day is it?”

“Your birthday. I just said so.” Rarity looked at Rainbow, any trace of expression hidden behind a mud-mask and cucumbers.

“Wow... I completely forgot! Hehe... wow!”

It was Rarity’s turn to be confused – she’d thought Rainbow had been happy because it was her birthday, but that was just proven false. “You didn’t even know?”

“Nope. Not a clue.”

The mares both laughed.

A short while later, Rarity and Rainbow walked back to Carousel Boutique slowly, careful not to dirty themselves – an oddity for Rainbow, for sure.

The unicorn looked at her pegasus friend, noticing – like she’d always suspected – just how beautiful the mare could be if she actually took care of herself better. She’d thought she shone earlier, but now...

Rainbow Dash was simply breathtaking. Rather than her mane looking like a rainbow, it practically was one – the colours flowed seamlessly into one another, and with her mane clean and properly cared for, so many more hues could be seen in the shimmering strands of hair.
The Sky Princess treatment was known for bringing out the best in a pegasus – quite possibly making them look the best they ever would, in Rarity's opinion. Similar treatments were available for earth ponies and unicorns, but Rarity had always found the natural grace of pegasi to far outstrip their earthbound siblings.
It was often said that those who underwent the treatment had the appearance of real Princesses, but that was taken to a far higher level with Rainbow Dash.

Rarity imagined her friend as she was at this moment with a horn – the image was mind blowing.

This perfection had to be captured, somehow. Not to mention, Dash still had to be kept occupied. If she somehow came across Twilight, it could all be over right there and then. “Rainbow, dear, I’d like you to stay a little longer – I want to make you a dress.”

“No, I- I couldn’t. I saw how expensive that treatment was, there’s no way I could...”

“I insist, darling,” Rarity said, putting her hoof down on the matter. “Call it... another birthday present. I insist.”

“...Fine.”

They finally reached the Boutique, and Rarity immediately began to take measurements – when she reached the flank, she nearly bucked herself for not noticing earlier.

Rainbow’s Cutie Mark had an interesting addition.

How sweet, she thought. Well, I suppose Twilight was right.

---

“Now come along, Rainbow – we must get there quickly,” Rarity said, leading a blindfolded Rainbow Dash through Ponyville’s streets. They were nearly there.

“Why do I need a blindfold anyways? It's just at Sugarcube Corner like always, isn't it?"

Rarity didn’t want to lie to her friend, so she continued to beckon her forward, ignoring the question. It was clearly avoidance, but Rainbow was too busy fussing with the blindfold to care.

“I don’t like blindfolds,” she moaned placidly.

“Well, that’s good – we’re here!” she sang, taking off the bandana over Dash’s eyes.
Rainbow opened her eyes, finding herself in Fluttershy’s hospital room. Pinkie had set up a small party inside, and all of her friends were there.

“Surprise!” they called.

She noticed a couple of others in the room - Nurse Redheart left, saying she'd allow the party to go past visiting hours on the condition that she get some cake and they keep quiet, and Zecora, who... Dash didn’t know and couldn’t guess why she was here.

“Thanks, guys,” she said.

The party got underway, Pinkie Pie forcing her – rather forcefully – to open the presents first, practically throwing them at her in her eagerness.
They were cool presents, for sure, but she didn’t know what Pinkie was going so crazy for... until she opened the last one.

Inside was a small glass bottle, corked and labelled with a large pink butterfly.

“Can you guess what it is, Dash?” Twilight asked. Rainbow looked around – everypony suddenly had tears in their eyes. “Zecora and I worked so hard to make it - nearly since the day of the accident.”

Why? “What is it?”

“Your friend, for too long has been asleep - has it not caused all of you to weep?” Zecora said. “But now, this potion, bid her take, and dear Fluttershy shall soon awake.”

Rainbow looked up, torn between disbelief and hope. “Will it really work?”

“Dashie, you should just accept what’s given to you. Everything always turns out for the best!” Pinkie said.

Holding the bottle as if it would break at the slightest touch, Rainbow walked to Fluttershy’s side, the other five ponies – and zebra – looking on solemnly.

She tried not to laugh as Applejack whispered to Twilight, “Why didn’t we just do this in the first place?” Twilight said something in reply, but Dash wasn’t even listening anymore - she was too nervous.

She opened the bottle, preparing herself for what would come. Fluttershy would be awake. She would be here; not a dream or hallucination - the real Fluttershy.

Twilight noticed something. “When did Rainbow’s Cutie Mark change?” she whispered, awestruck.

There was silence, complete and all-encompassing – besides the life support machine’s beeping - and then Rainbow gave Fluttershy the potion. She hoped it would go down the right way.

Seconds passed in silence, then minutes. Minutes stretched into more minutes, the silence broken only by the beeping of the machine, steady as always...
But no – not as always. It was slowly, ever so slowly growing faster. Fluttershy’s heart rate was speeding up – she was waking up!

“It’s your fault, Rainbow Dash.”

She felt a brief jolt of fear at the memory of that dream, but quickly pushed it away.

I’ll let the real you decide that.

Finally, the beeping steadied once more, at the normal rate of a sleeping pony.

Then Fluttershy’s eyes flickered. Then again. She breathed in, much more deeply than she had while on life support. It came out again in a deep sigh, and then her eyes opened. Rainbow looked into those oceans of blue, unable at the last to keep her tears in check. She buried her face into Fluttershy’s mane, great heaving sobs of joy escaping muffled into the air.

“R...Rainbow?" That voice – oh, she had longed to hear it!

"Hey, 'Shy," she said, crying softly now.

"Wh...What’s wrong?”

“Nothing... Nothing at all,” she whispered.

“A-Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked, her voice distant, timid, but caring nevertheless, ever full of concern.

“Nothing could possibly be better," she said - the truth, as it had never been heard before.

“Then... Why are you crying?” Fluttershy asked, laying a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder.

“Because there’s something I should have told you so long ago, but I never did while I had the chance – and now I can try again.”

Taking a deep sniff-breath, she raised her head to look deep into those deep blue oceans again.

“I love you, Fluttershy.” Embracing her tightly, crying fresh tears of happiness into that beautiful pink mane, Rainbow realised that this was probably the best moment of her life.

“I love you.”

Chapter 6 - Daybreak

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Hearts Aflutter - Chapter 6
Daybreak

She awoke slowly, from probably the deepest sleep she’d ever had, to a pair of tender hooves around her, a pair of large magenta eyes gazing deep into hers, tears threatening to pour out like rain – and then they did, disappearing into her own mane. She could feel the dampness beginning to seep throughout it, but for some reason she didn’t mind.

She looked around, seeing most of her friends standing at the foot of her bed, a large pile of opened presents littering a small table, around an enormous blue cake. She realised that she was in a hospital room – she didn’t know why, but she was sure her friends would tell her.

It was then Fluttershy realised that the eyes had belonged to Rainbow Dash, and that Rainbow was crying.

Why is she crying?

“R... Rainbow?” she asked.

"Hey, 'Shy," Rainbow replied, sobbing a little.

"Wh...What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Rainbow sniffed. “Nothing at all.”

“A-Are you sure?” she asked, not sure whether to believe her. She was crying so hard...

“Nothing could possibly be better,” Dash replied, squeezing Fluttershy a little closer.

“Then... Why are you crying?” she asked, laying a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder.

“Because there’s something I should have told you so long ago, but I never did while I had the chance – and now I can try again.”

Those beautiful violet eyes came back into view, looking deep into her own, still pouring tears – but Rainbow was smiling! She definitely wasn’t sad, but... what...?

“I love you, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, lowering her forehead to touch Fluttershy’s. “I love you.”

The world stopped moving.

Suddenly, Rainbow’s hooves around her weren’t just tender – they were loving. Her tears weren’t happy or sad – they were rapturous. Her face was not even a breath away.

“You... love me?” she whispered, blushing heavily. “You... really...?”

Suddenly, this wasn’t just Rainbow Dash embracing her as a friend – this was Rainbow Dash holding her as a lover.

“Like nopony else, ‘Shy. I love you.”

Suddenly, it didn’t matter that her friends were watching, or that she didn’t remember anything after leaving Rarity’s, or that she didn’t know why she was in the hospital. She could see the fear in Dash’s eyes, and knew that what she did now could break her.

She’d never dream of it. Fluttershy tenderly rose from the bed. Just slightly, ever so slightly – but that rise was all she needed.

Her lips met Rainbow’s, so softly, so gently – but that single touch was everything. She saw Rainbow’s surprise and fear melt away as her best friend, her lover, fell into the kiss at last. It seemed like the whole world was watching them, but for once, Fluttershy didn’t care.

She and Rainbow Dash were together.

They separated at last, flushing red as they saw the other four mares staring – some slack-jawed, others grinning, and one who was trying not to cry.

They all rushed forward then, headlong into a joyous group hug. who joined the embrace laughing and poking fun at the two.

After so long, it was all okay again.

Pinkie Pie told one of her highest-tier jokes, and Applejack laughed raucously, nearly falling off her seat. Rarity, too, was beside herself, her dainty image slipping further and further away as she laughed, her sense of self-image nearly completely washed away by the sheer delight of the moment. Even Twilight couldn’t hold herself back, allowing herself to laugh like she hadn’t since she was a filly. Fluttershy giggled, her voice timid as always, but she could still be heard.

But above the laughter, there was silence – for Rainbow Dash, it was a moment of sheer ecstasy, and all she needed was a smile.

Fluttershy was back. All was right with the world.

Eventually they broke off, gathering around the sides while Rainbow snuggled up besides ‘Shy, who moved over to accommodate her.

“It’s so good to have you back, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, heading back to her seat.

“Yeah! And now we can have a party for Dashie’s birthday and you waking up and you guys being in loooooooooove!” Pinkie cried, dancing around the room until a scathing look from Nurse Redheart stopped her.

Fluttershy barely registered any of it. She was still caught up in the afterglow of her first kiss - she met Rainbow’s eye for a few seconds before they both broke off, blushing heavily, before looking fleetingly back again.

I can’t believe I just did that... but I did! I was so assertive! And it was so... nice.

Rainbow actually loved her too? It seemed impossible, but it was no lie – the way she’d kissed her back just now left no room for ambiguity.
She reached over and held Dash’s hoof, making sure it wasn’t just a dream – but no, she was there alright.

“Hey, where’d that Zecora go? We oughta thank her fer makin’ that potion thingy.”

Twilight leaned over and whispered something in her ear, and Applejack mouthed, “Oh,” saying nothing more on the matter.

Rarity cleared her throat politely, getting everypony’s attention. “Well, now that we’re all here,” she said, looking at Fluttershy with a jovial twinkle in her eye, “We must bid Rainbow Dash a happy birthday, and then have some cake!”

“Oh, yeah, I totally forgot about the cake! Even though I spent all morning making it, and the frosting was so hard to put on, and then I had to put Dashie’s face on the top, and then Gummy ate the top half, so I had to make it all again, and then we got here, and Fluttershy woke up, and-”

“Ah think we get it, Sugarcube,” Applejack interrupted. “Now how’s about we get to singin’?”

Pinkie led the proceedings, repeatedly being quietened by the Nurse, who insisted that the hospital, like a library, is a sacred place, not to be disturbed by loud noises. Pieces of cake were distributed quickly, Fluttershy’s stomach rumbling loudly at the sight of what was surely one of Pinkie’s masterpieces.

“Aw, shucks,” Dash muttered, rustling her mane.

Rarity looked at her indignantly for so quickly destroying the spa ponies’ work, but quickly relented. “Oh, of course! How could I have forgotten?” She gathered everypony around, pulling out a sheet of paper, showcasing the new design she’d based off of Rainbow Dash earlier.

“What is it?” Pinkie asked. “It looks so pretty!”

“This,” she replied, “Is to be Rainbow Dash’s other birthday present! Belated, of course,” she added, stashing the papers away again. “Oh, and besides her earlier time at the spa.”

This caught Fluttershy’s attention more than the dress’ design had – which had been absolutely breathtaking. “Rainbow went to the spa?”

“Hay yeah I did!” she exclaimed, earning a look from Redheart, who was content to sit in the corner, munching happily on a piece of cake. “I mean, uh. Yeah. I did. It was pretty cool.”

Fluttershy had thought she’d noticed something different about Rainbow since she’d woken up, but she’d passed it off as a trick of the light, or a result of the nice big sleep she’d had... or something.

“Only pretty cool, Rainbow? Surely you’ve looked in a mirror since earlier today!” Rarity’s eyes twinkled. “Doesn’t she simply shine?”

Fluttershy nodded agreement, causing Rainbow to blush. It was definitely a nice improvement.

Suddenly, she felt like something was out of place, or missing. When it came to her, she gasped. “Oh no, oh my, um... Oh, this isn’t good...”

Everypony looked at her in sudden concern, including Nurse Redheart, who was suddenly right by her side.
“What is it? Does something hurt?”

“Oh, um, no... It’s just that...” She blushed. “I... I didn’t get Rainbow anything...”

Her friends heaved sighs of relief, and then began laughing. Rainbow nuzzled her softly. “‘Shy, you already did!”

“Huh? But, what-”

“You woke up. You got better.” Dash held her hoof again, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, which reddened said cheek immensely.

But... why would that be a good birthday present? Oh, but what if... no, that wouldn’t be... How about... oh, no, not that either...

Suddenly, a thought struck her.

Rainbow’s birthday shouldn’t be for months yet! Why would they be celebrating it so early?

“Um... everypony...”

“What’s wrong, Sugarcube? Ya don’t have to worry ‘bout gettin’ RD a present, if that’s what you’re wonderin’”

“It’s... not that,” she said. “Well, what I’m wondering is... oh... Don’t worry. It isn’t important.”

“Oh, don’t be silly, Fluttershy! You can ask us anything.”

“Well, um... okay.” She took a deep breath. “What happened? Why am I in hospital, and why is it Rainbow Dash’s birthday three months early?”

Dash stiffened, and Fluttershy didn’t miss the concerned glances their friends sent her way. It was at this point that Nurse Redheart spoke up again.

“What’s the last thing you remember before waking up?”

“Oh, well, I was just leaving Rarity’s house, after we talked about... Um... Me and Rainbow.”

The Nurse turned to Rarity. “When would this have been?”

“That would be just a few moments before... the accident,” Rarity said, her eyes growing somber.

“Please, Nurse, just tell me. I’ll be okay.”

Redheart sighed, unsure where to begin. She decided that she’d leave the storytelling to her friends, and told Fluttershy only of the injuries she’d acquired in the accident.

Her eyes widened. “But... Wouldn’t injuries like those be...”

“Fatal, yes,” the Nurse finished. “They nearly were.”

“But then, they should have taken a long time to heal,” Fluttershy said insistently. She wasn’t sure she liked where this was going, but she had to find out.

“They did, Fluttershy. Today is Rainbow Dash’s birthday, exactly three months and two days after... an accident, in which you nearly died, except for the efforts of Rainbow herself.” Fluttershy was too shocked to notice the grateful smile Rainbow gave Nurse Redheart.

Three... months? But how could I have...

“No...”

“Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, crying just a little, wrapping her hooves around the yellow pegasus. “You’ve been in a coma for three months.”

It was too much – she dropped like a piano into Dash’s embrace, her head lolling onto the blue mare’s shoulder.

Rainbow held her for what seemed like an eternity. When she finally decided that she’d merely fainted, Dash laid Fluttershy carefully back onto the bed, tucking the blankets around her.

She wiped her eyes and returned to where her friends stood watching, all of them teary-eyed themselves.

“Thanks for the help,” she said to the Nurse, who nodded.

“And you guys,” she said, enveloping all of her friends in a Pinkie-esque hug, “Are the best friends anypony could ever have.”

---

Fluttershy woke up again, this time alone.

Looking out her window, she could see the grey, twilit skies, calm and serene in the pre-dawn light. By her bedside, she noticed a bouquet of flowers on the table - her stomach grumbled loudly, and she wondered how long she’d been out this time.

Taking the bouquet, she breathed deeply – then sneezed softly. She supposed that three months must have made her nose unused to pollen. She took a rose from the arrangement, chewing thoughtfully.

Three months was a long time to be gone. So many things could change, and so much could have happened that she wasn’t even awake to see...

Oh, and what about Angel Bunny, and Chip Squirrel, and...

No. Her friends would have made sure they were okay – they must have!

She looked back out the window, absently taking a red carnation from the bouquet. Rainbow...
She could still feel the caress of her hooves, the touch of their lips on each others’ - she smiled. The sun peeked over the horizon just as Fluttershy began to feel drowsy again. She was asleep by the time it rose in full.

And Rainbow Dash, perched in a tree overlooking Fluttershy’s window, began to fly back to the cottage, satisfied that Fluttershy didn’t freak out when she woke up alone.

She’d been up all night watching over her, ready to jump in the moment ‘Shy needed her. She’d had a whole arsenal of comforts prepared, but they didn't seem to be necessary.

She smiled as she got into her own bed, glad that she wasn’t needed – that Fluttershy had some inner strength of her own, as well. It was good to remember that.

---

“Fluttershy, it’s time to wake up!” somepony called.

She opened her eyes, squinting at the light. It was about noon now, judging by the brightness. Her second normal day in three months.

“Oh, hello Nurse Redheart,” she said. “What brings you here?”

“Well, this is a hospital,” the mare said, laying her clipboard down on a bench in the room. Fluttershy mentally chided herself for her silliness. Of course she’d be here.

“It’s time for a routine check-up – now that you’re awake, we need to determine if there are any extraneous injuries that slipped through our checks while you were out, as well as any potential damage to your psyche. I’ll be asking you a variety of questions about your physical and mental state, which you should try to answer to the best of your abilities.”

Fluttershy nodded, and the Nurse began, asking routine questions such as “Do you feel at all in pain or uncomfortable?” or “What’s the last thing you remember before waking up yesterday?”
A one or two had been addressed the night before, but for procedure’s sake they had to be asked again.

A short while later, the mare laid down the clipboard, apparently finished with her questions. “And now we come to the hard part – I’m sure you have some questions of your own,” the mare said.

She nodded. “Well, um... What really happened? What was the accident?”

“You and Rainbow Dash had a very serious accident – from what she’s told us, you were hit while she was performing a Sonic Rainboom.” She paused. “As I said last night, your injuries were quite nearly fatal.”

She could see why they didn’t tell her this last night - she’d been shocked enough just hearing she’d been comatose for three months. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop her being shocked now.

“A Sonic... Rainboom?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“But then... was Rainbow hurt?”

“Not so much physically as she was emotionally.”

Fluttershy paused for a moment, pondering the possible reactions Rainbow might have had.
Knowing her, she probably wouldn’t think it was an accident.

“She barely left your side once while you were asleep, except to take care of your animals and a weather job every now and then. Even after visiting hours, she always managed to sneak back in – I’d find her here in the mornings in that chair right there, covered in blankets and cushions. She wanted to be right here when you woke up. Luckily, that didn't last too long - she moved into your place a couple of months ago.”

She did all that...? Even taking care of all my little friends? But... why?

“I love you, Fluttershy,” she’d said. But hadn’t Dash always said she didn’t think of mares like that? Had that really changed, or was it just a reaction?

Does she feel guilty? Oh no... maybe I got to tell her, and then she crashed into me? Oh no... is Rainbow’s love just a way of making it up to me for the accident?

Oh no...

“Fluttershy, it’s time we had a talk,” Nurse Redheart said, breaking her out of her reverie.

That sounded scary. “Um, okay...” she peeped.

“We’ll be releasing you from the hospital tomorrow morning. There is no point keeping you here when all of your injuries have been healed.”

“Oh, well, um, that’s alright. It sounded like you had something bad to say,” she replied, relieved.

The Nurse’s face fell, and Fluttershy realised her assumption had been correct. “We’ll need you to come back within the week with an answer to the question I’m about to ask you. Your wings were damaged during the accident as well. You’ve been in bed the whole time you’ve been awake, so you probably didn’t notice, but... well, come on out of bed, and try your them out.”

Tenderly, Fluttershy slipped out of the covers and set hoof on the floor. She wobbled slightly, unused to the feeling after so long, but steadied herself eventually. Then she tried to move her wings, expecting them to unfurl easily – but they didn’t.

At all.

“Your wings were heavily injured in the accident, and the nerves were damaged, rendering them unusable. There is also some muscular atrophy in the wings due to three months of disuse."

“You mean...?”

The Nurse nodded. “You were never a strong flier, but right now you aren’t one at all.”

“There is an operation you can undergo, which can fix the nerves using magic - but it is a very painful process. Then, after that, you would still have to exercise them to regain their strength, and also... you would have to learn to fly all over again. The rehabilitation will be very difficult, very painful, and very long - so now, you have to make a choice.”

“Would you rather live like an earth pony, or a pegasus?”

---

“Come on, girls!” Pinkie shouted gleefully, bouncing around them in a decidedly silly attempt to get them to come with her to the hospital, where she planned to glomp Fluttershy in another huge group hug, like the one from the night before.

Despite their slight annoyance at her antics, her friends were glad. They’d never realised it until it was gone, but it turned out that Pinkie Pie’s crazy behaviour was as relaxing as it was stressful – it always brought them a laugh, whether they wanted one or not.
Over the months previous, that had been missing. She could hide it under a mask, but they knew that she’d been much more torn by the incident with Rainbow than she let on - but everything was alright now.

This Pinkie was the Pinkie they remembered. This Pinkie, that could do anything. This Pinkie, that could laugh in the face of... well, everything, really. This Pinkie, that could stay cheerful, no matter what happened, and cheer anypony else up too.

This Pinkie, that was now tying them together with a rope, hanging them off her hot-air balloon and taking to the air, despite their cries of alarm, and soon landing on the hospital’s roof.

Clearly, this Pinkie, that was also a little impatient.

---

Fluttershy was startled by the sound of five ponies crashing through her door, immediately followed by the weight of five ponies pressing her further into the bed.

Nurse Redheart tsked, but stood to the side, hiding a laugh at their antics. She smiled and left the room - maybe Fluttershy’s friends could help her figure out what to do.

“Hey Fluttershy, look!” Pinkie cried, producing a box of cupcakes. “Remember when I nearly blew up the gas oven in Sugarcube Corner, and then the Cakes said I couldn’t use it for a month, but I managed to make some good cupcakes anyway because Poundy’s puke didn’t get on them?”

“Oh, um, yes,” replied the flustered mare from beneath a pile of her best friends.

“Well I made more! Lookie!” She opened the box, showcasing the cupcakes for everyone to see. Inside the box were six cupcakes, each decorated generously with frosting to match the mares they were based on. They even had sprinkles shaped like their Cutie Marks, giving them an edible flair which rose far above even Pinkie’s usual standards.

As she handed them out, Fluttershy had an idea.

“Um, Rainbow Dash,” she asked, “if you want to...”

“Yeah? What is it?” Dash replied, urging her on.

“Do you maybe... want to swap cupcakes with me? Um, it’s okay if you don’t...”

Rainbows laughed, handing hers over and taking Fluttershy’s.

“Aren’t they so cute together?” Twilight whispered to Pinkie.

“Oh yeah – they’re cuter than Appmffm mmf mmfmffm!” Pinkie replied, shoving a hoof in her mouth to keep herself from spilling a secret.

Fluttershy giggled and took a bite of her cupcake, wondering idly at the butterfly sprinkles on it. Maybe some had dropped off of hers during the exchange? Still, they looked remarkably well placed for a coincidence.

As the mares chatted, filling her in on some of the goings-on during her absence, she found herself constantly drawn back to something Nurse Redheart had said.

“Not so much physically as she was emotionally.”

What had happened while she was recovering? It sounded like Rainbow had been hurt pretty badly by the accident.
She hadn’t missed the subtle avoidance of the subject – every time somepony said anything regarding the incident, they’d brush over the details, or simply change the topic entirely. It was like they wanted to forget it.

Something bad had happened, she was sure... But... how bad?

Do I even want to know?

Yes. Yes she did. She had to.

“Um... Girls,” she said.

They all paused and looked towards her, waiting for her to continue.

She took a deep breath. “Um... would you... I mean, you don’t have to, if you don’t want to talk about it, but...”

“Aw, come on, ‘Shy. You know we ain’t got nothin’ to hide.”

She nodded. “Okay... Um, would you please tell me what really happened while I was gone?”

Rarity sighed. “It had to be asked eventually – it’s better that she find out from us.”

“I suppose it would be best to give you some context, darling. You remember the day I came to Ponyville, yes? When I was grieving over my brother’s death?”

Fluttershy remembered – Rarity had moved here from Fillydelphia not too long after Fluttershy had. Their whole friendship had begun with a simple hug and some kind words.

“Well, Rainbow Dash, after the accident, was feeling much the same as I was back then. The whole thing went far too quickly for me to have helped, unfortunately - I’d planned to go and see her as soon as possible, but the very night after the accident, she was released from hospital. I didn’t see her again until after... certain other events.”

Fluttershy had a basic idea now - back then, Rarity had felt like the world was against her. It had been her fault that her brother died, she’d once said, and that everypony hated her for it. She’d wanted to make it right somehow, any way possible, and it had taken some time for her to help Rarity realise that it had not been her fault. If Rainbow had felt like that too...

“It was worse for me though,” Dash said. “I’m the Element of Loyalty. It was my fault that you were hurt, so it was like I betrayed you. I got so angry, I started thinking things I probably shouldn’t have, doing things I definitely shouldn’t have. After I got released from the hospital, I basically went on a rampage – I wanted to make it up to you so badly that I started doing to myself everything I thought I’d done to you.”

Fluttershy was speechless as Dash listed the things she’d done, from destroying her house to breaking her own wing.

“It was Pinkie who stopped me from breaking the other one, but...” She looked away. “I hurt her, and it wasn’t even an accident this time. I really did betray her.”

“It’s alright, Dashie,” Pinkie said, her large round eyes brimming with tears. “Everything’s okay now.”

Fluttershy laid her hoof over Dash’s, silently urging her to continue.

“Then Ah beat her up!” Applejack put in cheerfully.

She shot a double-take at the grinning earth pony, unable to tell if she was serious or not.

“Eeyup! Set ‘er back on the right track with a swift kick in the flank. And a few punches too.”

“B-bu-but... Why?”

Applejack’s expression turned serious. ‘Trust me, Sugarcube, if it weren’t necessary, Ah wouldn’t have done it – but RD was in a bad way, and she needed some tough love. ‘Sides, after what she did to Pinkie...”

“I deserved it,” Dash said. “But that was it - that was the end.”

She then went on to tell her about how she’d apologised to everypony – Twilight mentioned that about that point was when she’d discovered the potion which had woken her up – and also how Rarity had helped her overcome her guilt.

“Actually... I really only got over that yesterday.”

Everything was silent for a while.

So much had happened... all because of her?

No, no - of course not. Not because of me, just... but I could have done something better... right? Oh, isn’t there any way I could have saved them so much pain?

“Fluttershy, don’t cry,” Rainbow said, stroking her mane and nuzzling her. “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s all over now, all in the past. Let me tell you what you told me, when I was feeling down - It was an accident, and accidents leave no room for blame.”

She sniffed. “I know... It’s just...”

“Hey, come here,” Dash said, holding her close. Rather than let her cry, however, Pinkie decided that all the sad parts were over and stood up on her chair, preparing to tell a joke – but her hoof slipped, and she went tumbling to the floor, laughing the whole way down.

Through her tears, Fluttershy giggled. She knew Pinkie had fallen on purpose just to cheer them all up. Though she’d seen real sadness in her eyes throughout the conversation, the mare seemed to have accepted what happened and moved on. No matter what, she was always still the same old Pinkie – she’d never fail to earn a few laughs.

---

Nurse Redheart came a while later, telling them that they’d all have to leave soon to let her have some rest.

Given the things she wanted to talk to Rainbow Dash about in private, Fluttershy decided, just this once, to impose on them just a little.

“Um... girls...” she mumbled, looking away. “Um... If it’s okay with you, would you mind very much if you gave Rainbow and I a little... time together?”

“Oh, but of course!” Rarity said, hiding a wide smile behind her hoof. “Don’t let us take up your precious time together.”

The other girls said their goodbyes and left, leaving Rainbow and Fluttershy alone together. Dash laid down next to her, holding her hoof, and shut her eyes, savouring how close they were.

This is... nice. It was silent for a short while, broken by both of them at the same time.

“Rainbow Dash, I...”

“Fluttershy...”

They laughed. “You go first,” Rainbow said.

“Oh, okay, um, if you don’t mind me asking... Um, how are all of my little friends doing?”

Dash answered in the same change of character she’d put on when tending to the animals.

“Um... Well, they’re doing quite well... You see, I just copied you – oh, I hope you don’t mind. But, well, you’d be surprised how easily they warm up to anypony who acts anything like Mama Fluttershy,” she said timidly.

Fluttershy’s eyes boggled, and she burst out laughing.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m any good at it,” Rainbow said, returning to normal. “I kept ‘em alive though, right? It’s just easier when they’re good. Ugh, except for Angel. That’s bunny’s a real pain in the rump.”

It was then that Fluttershy noticed that there was something... different about Rainbow Dash. She was still Dash, that was for sure, but she’d... changed. There was less of the pride and superiority that had once embodied the mare – it was still there, but it was toned down. Rainbow had always had trouble taking proper care of things - she knew she’d never have been able to do it before. She’d overcome arrogance, one of her greatest weaknesses, in order to help a friend in need.

In her opinion, it was a good change.

Still, it begged the question. “Why would you go so far for me?” she whispered.

There was a short pause, before Dash casually replied , “Because I love you.”

And here it was - exactly what she'd been trying to bring up, laid out before her on a conversational silver platter.

"Rainbow... do you really? I mean, um... well, you see, I really liked you before, um, the accident, and I was going to tell you, and that’s when it happened, and so... and now you've done all this for me...”

“You want to know if you got to tell me and then... then the accident happened? If all of this is just my way of saying sorry?"

“...Yes.”

"Well... yeah, that’s probably what I’d think in your horseshoes... Or bed. Whatever. You know what I mean.”

She turned away, unable to meet Rainbow’s eyes.

“Look at me, ‘Shy,” Dash said, gently turning her head to look into those heavenly blue jewels. “I love you, not because of what I did, not because of what you did, not because of what happened. It’s not because you’re a pegasus, or anything else like that. I love you because you’re you - sweet, shy, caring and kind, but above all, my best friend. I love you. And... I have for a long time. I just didn’t have the guts to admit it until now... even to myself.”

Fluttershy began to cry. It was all real.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Oh,” she sniffed. “It’s just... I’m sorry!”

Dash gave her a quick squeeze. “What for? You haven’t done anything wrong at all.”

“I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you. It’s just so hard - everything that’s happened to all of you, and that I’ve been gone for so long, and...”

“Shh,” Rainbow cooed, stroking her mane. “It’s okay. I don’t blame you at all, ‘Shy.”

This was it - the perfect time to tell her.

"I..." Come on, you can do it!

"I love you too, Rainbow Dash." Yes!

Dash chuckled and kissed Fluttershy softly, hugging her tight. “That was the first time you’ve ever told me that. Thanks, ‘Shy.”

The tears still wouldn’t stop. Dash held her as she cried, letting it all out - the last couple of days had overwhelmed her, learning that so much had happened, and so much had changed - but not all of the tears were sad. She was with Rainbow Dash, who loved her. Really, truly loved her. And as the two of them finally separated, she took the opportunity to look at Dash with new eyes – not as a friend, but as a pony in love looking at the one she loved. She failed to hold back a gasp when she saw Rainbow’s cutie mark, and what had happened to it.

“Rainbow,” she whispered. “What...”

“Alright, come on, you two,” Nurse Redheart said, barging into the room and driving a stake right through the moment’s heart. ”I’ve let this go on as long as I could, but visiting hours were over an hour ago. You can come and see Fluttershy again in the morning when we discharge her.”

Dash sighed. “Alright.”

She turned to Fluttershy. “No more crying, you got it? There’s nothing to be sad about anymore.”

The yellow pegasus sniffed and nodded. Rainbow gave her one last kiss on the cheek, then left. She followed with her eyes as the rainbow-maned pegasus left once more, promising to see her again tomorrow.

---

Rainbow hadn’t been able to stop by in the morning because of another big weather job, but she didn’t mind much.
She had a lot to think about – how things had changed, how they hadn’t, her new relationship with Rainbow Dash, and biggest of all... what to do about her wings.

Still, first things first. It had been three months since she’d been home, and despite Rainbow having apparently taken good care of her home and her furry little friends, Fluttershy was anxious to see them anyway.

She walked down the road towards her cottage from Ponyville, having stopped by Applejack’s cart for a quick breakfast of one of Granny Smith’s apple pies.
It was interesting to see other ponies’ reactions to her presence – not surprisingly, most were surprised to see her out and about, and all were glad.

As she walked, humming a happy little ditty softly to herself, birds and little critters began to poke their heads out of their warrens and nests as she passed them on the road, tweeting and squeaking their surprise and happiness. She greeted them as she passed, briefly checking up on a few – Rainbow seemed to be much better at this than she thought. These birds were as good as they’d ever been under her own care.

She continued on up the road, a small crowd beginning to form behind her.

At last, she turned the corner that led into her little glade, smiling as she saw her tranquil little piece of heaven for the first time in... well, it didn’t seem like that long to her, but she knew it had been - and yet, it looked for all the world like nothing had changed.

---

Angel sat on his cushions, eating a carrot and feeling bored. Well, bored was an understatement.

This was just torture. There was nothing to do but wait around, all day every day.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true, either. There was a multitude of things he could have been doing – setting up traps for the Rainbow One, or taunting the baby mice again, but there just wasn’t any satisfaction in it anymore.
He’d never had so much free reign before Fluttershy stopped coming home, and though he loved the yellow bird-pony, it had been a blast being able to do whatever he wanted.

Then the Rainbow One came, and it was still a blast – their rivalry was a sight to behold, a legend among the Furries.

But it had been three months, if Fluttershy’s calendar wasn’t lying to him. Or his pocket watch. Or his own calendar.

Yeah, it was three months. Three months that Fluttershy... that Mama... hadn’t been there.

He held back a sniff.

Rainbow hated him, he knew. He wanted her to. There was no way she’d ever sit down with him and pet him like Mama did, or sleep curled up with him like Mama did...

She wasn’t even as easy to make fun of as she had been when she started. Back then, if he so much as threw a walnut at her, she’d probably be willing to chase him all through the Everfree Forest, but now... she was just boring.

He sighed, hopping up to the windowsill and looking out. It was a nice enough day, but he really didn’t feel like going out . He knew the other animals felt similarly, though none of them seemed to mind Rainbow much nowadays.

Stupid Fluttershy mimic. Isn’t even here to feed us today.

“Hey Chip,” he called, seeing a squirrel outside scampering up to its hovel. “Where’s Rainbow?”

“Dunno,” the furry bastard chittered. “Probably went to find some rope for her next bunny trap.”

“Ha. You’re funny.” Stupid squirrel.

...I miss you, Mama, but Chip's going down.

While he was deciding on the best way to get his revenge, he noticed something in the corner of his eye. All the birds over by the path were going berserk.

Probably just a snake. Stupid birds – thick as a hydra’s d-

Wait – what was that? He could have sworn he saw something yellow...

There it was again – a flash of pink, through the trees.

Then she turned the last corner.

Yellow coat? Check.

Blue eyes? Check.

Butterflies? Check.

Pink Mane? Check.

Why am I listing? Check – wait, what?

Who am I, that freakin’ horny librarian?

“Fluttershy’s back!” he cried, throwing himself right through the open window. “Mama’s back!”

---

It was like everything that lived anywhere near Fluttershy’s house suddenly converged on the mare herself – because, well, they did. Every creature for nearly a mile charged towards her – even the big ones, which was a little scary, but when Mother Bear enveloped her in a bear hug, she couldn’t help but be happy.
Six generations of field mice burrowed into her mane, tiny paws grabbing onto her. A snake wrapped lovingly around her leg, a turtle bopped her hoof with its shell to greet her.

Suddenly, the throng of animals parted, and a space was cleared all the way up to where a single bunny stood, wiping his eyes and trying to look tough.

He kicked the ground with a paw, sniffing loudly.

Fluttershy smiled. Of all her animal friends, if she could call any her own, it would be Angel Bunny.

“Angel,” she said lovingly.

“Mama’s home.”

He leapt forward, right into her waiting hooves, leaving behind a sparkling trail of light where his tears fell. She nuzzled him for a moment, standing on her hind legs, then lost her balance and fell over.

She laughed as Angel hugged her tightly with his tiny arms, still trying not to cry.

---

Later, once she’d settled in, Fluttershy pondered the dilemma she’d been left with by the Nurse. She didn’t want to admit it, but she’d been a little hurt when she fell over during her reunion with Angel. Not physically, of course, but emotionally.

When Angel had jumped at her, she’d tried to fly up and catch him, like she’d always used to. To baby him in the air like she’d always done - that was what she’d wanted, right then.

It seemed for all the world like nothing had changed, but that was a lie. She’d lost her ability to fly, and a rift had been opened between their friends which had hurt them, whether they’d bridged it or not – and she’d played a major part in causing that rift.

It wasn't her fault – she knew that much. But could it have been avoided?

Yes. Perhaps if she’d worked just a little harder back in Summer Flight Camp, or did a little exercise now and then, she might have been strong enough to survive the accident – well, she did survive, but she hadn’t really been there for three months.

Maybe if she’d just listened to Rainbow that one time she’d tried to get her in shape, or Twilight, when she'd said it was good to keep fit, whether you're physically active or not, this whole mess could have been avoided.

“Would you rather live like an earth pony, or a pegasus?”

Looking at her wings, she wondered – how much had she ever really liked flying in the first place?
It had always been enjoyable – she’d always liked the feeling of wind ruffling through her feathers, the freedom the skies always seemed to offer. But that same freedom had always seemed available on the ground, too. It was just more... horizontal.

Almost nothing she’d ever used her wings for could not be done without them – it merely lessened the burden. Her wings were barely used at all, except to more easily reach higher corners when dusting, to get to the birdhouses in the taller trees, and other such trivialities.

With the ability to fly actually gone, though, she started to realise how much she really liked it.
Though it had never been much more than a novelty to her, some of her favourite things, like flying with Rainbow Dash, might now be lost for good.

From what Nurse Redheart had said, the rehabilitation would be more than hard, or gruelling, or difficult – it sounded outright excruciating. Would it be worth such a frightful procedure, for the sake of something that had never meant much to her before?

Would it be worth the pain, to be able to fly again?

Suddenly, her vision was filled with a pair of beautiful magenta eyes. She blushed heavily, shrinking away, until she heard the sound of Rainbow’s laughter filling her bedroom.

“I still don’t know how that one scares you every single time,” she cackled.

“...Um, what brings you here, Rainbow?”

“Well, I’ve been living here for the last while as well - because of my house, you know... so... Anyway, I finished all my weather jobs and figured you’d be here – and it’s like, seven o’clock. It’s nearly time for smaller ones to go to bed, right? Just before sunset. I thought... maybe... we could do it together?”

Fluttershy blinked. Rainbow was exactly right – just before sunset was when all the baby animals were put to bed, and even some of the older ones.

...And her idea sounded amazing.

They got to work quickly – there were a lot of cute, tiny critters that had to be cradled to sleep, and the sooner they got started, the better. She looked up from a sextet of mice to see Rainbow petting a little baby bunny, cooing to it softly as it went to sleep, then laying it to sleep on a cushion and tucking it in with a fluffy table napkin. It threw her mind into a whirlwind of emotions – amazement, gladness, and utter delight at the cute, heart-warming scene – not to mention love.

This was Rainbow Dash, a pony who used to be so brash, loud, and, well, awkward, more or less, at anything not sports related, helping the little ones as well as she herself ever had. She was like a whole new pony, based off the old one, but without the flaws.

And that just made Fluttershy love her even more.

Two squirrels, a shrew, forty-eight mice, six bunnies and a wallaby later, Rainbow sat on the couch while Fluttershy brewed some tea, wondering if she should speak up about her problem yet.
She also wanted to find out about the addition to Rainbow’s Cutie Mark.

“Would you like some tea as well, Rainbow?”

“Oh, uh, no thanks.”

She sat down beside the blue pegasus, leaning into her slightly. It would take some getting used to – the feeling that they were more than friends wasn’t something she’d ever experienced before.

“Um... Rainbow?”

“Hmm?”

“Well, um, I was wondering – you see, I saw it when Nurse Redheart asked you to leave yesterday at the hospital – um... what happened to your Cutie Mark?”

Dash smiled and nuzzled her. “Shove over for a second – lemme show you.”

There it was, in all its glory – a thunderhead shooting rainbow lightning, with three little butterflies resting at the edge of the cloud.

“It’s... nice,” she said.

“Hay yeah it is. I got it the day before yesterday – the day you woke up. Best birthday present ever.”

“How did it happen?”

“Well... uh...” she mumbled, seeming unsure of where to start. “Well, you know how I was... you know... and so I was up on a cloud, at the edge of it, and...”

Fluttershy gasped, shocked that Rainbow would even consider that. Rainbow’s expression turned puzzled for a moment, before the realisation finally hit her.

“No! No! Not like that – I wasn’t going to do that!” She ruffled her mane. “I was trying to figure something out. See, I still thought it was my fault, and I was scared. My flying had hurt somepony, and I wanted to decide then and there if I’d ever want to fly again, or if I didn’t want to risk hurting anypony again. And then I started to imagine you talking to me – and you told me I shouldn’t stop flying. That it wasn’t my fault, because it was an accident – because I was doing something I loved.”

“And I realised then that, yeah, I love flying. It’s everything to me – my dream. But that wasn’t everything - I love you, ‘Shy, even more than I love to fly. So when I jumped off the cloud, it was like I'd chosen to live for you as much as for me - to love flying because I loved you. Then I did another Sonic Rainboom, and... it was like coming full circle, you know? Everything turns out for the best - that's what else you told me. The you I imagined. You know what I mean."

Fluttershy turned her head, meeting Rainbow's eyes as she told the story.

"If it wasn't for my very first Rainboom, we might never have become friends after Flight Camp. If it wasn't for the one three months ago, I never would have stopped telling myself that I didn't love you - and if it wasn't for the one a few days ago, I would have lived with my guilt forever... If it wasn't for you, I don't know what my life would be like right now, but I wouldn't change this one for anything. Anyway, when I did that last Rainboom, I got you on my Cutie Mark, and that's about it! It’s actually pretty cool.”

That's more than pretty cool. Fluttershy leaned forward, kissing Rainbow softly. She saw Dash's surprise melt away again, and this time there was nopony to interrupt them. They stayed like that for a while, simply enjoying one another's touch.

When at last they separated, Fluttershy noticed that Dash looked more thoughtful than happy, like she was.

"Oh, um... did... didn't you like it?"

Rainbow shook her head, shaking herself from her trance. "Huh? What?"

"Um, didn't you like it?"

"Like it?" she laughed. "That was awesome! Do you see these wings? I won't be able to get these down for weeks!"

They laughed, the brief moment of tension broken.

Fluttershy leaned back into Rainbow Dash, enjoying the feeling of being cuddled up with her best friend... lover...

...But she found that it was hard to be happy for long when there was such a huge decision to be made.

“Um... Rainbow...”

“Hmm?”

“Well, um... What if I said that I’m trying to choose whether or not to fly as well?”

“Huh? Why would you want to decide something like that?”

She proceeded to tell Dash everything that Nurse Redheart had told her – The fact that right now, she couldn’t fly, all about the surgery, and how hard the rest of the rehabilitation process would be.
She told Dash all of her worries and fears – if it would be worth the pain to regain her flight, or if she should just let it go – if her friends would judge her decision one way or another.

Dash remained silent, thoughtful through all of this.

Finally, came the question. “What do you think I should do?”

Rainbow chose her words carefully, for once. “...You already know that we’d support whichever one you choose, Fluttershy. I’ll support you whichever one you choose. I love you, Fluttershy. Whether you ever fly again is your decision, but I’ll be right there with you, whichever way you go. No matter what.”

For some reason, that answer wasn’t enough. She was at a crossroads - she didn’t know where either road went, only that they were both tough, and full of hardships. It wasn’t enough to just have somepony walk it with her – she needed somepony to help her choose which road to take.

“I love you Rainbow Dash – but I’m scared. They're both so hard, and they’ll both be painful - do I just give up a part of myself, or go through hell to keep it? What if I make the wrong choice? I can’t really take it back – Nurse Redheart said that the nerves are deteriorating. Some day in the near future, my wings will be lost forever, and there won’t be any going back, and it frightens me.”

“I love you, Rainbow, and I need your help.” There was a long pause.

“What do you want me to do?”

The silence seemed to stretch on to infinity.

So Fluttershy waited... and then, Rainbow answered.

Chapter 7 - Radiance (Part 1)

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Hearts Aflutter – Chapter 7

Radiance (Part 1)

“It’s gonna be okay, ‘Shy.”

“A-are you sure?”

This made her pause. “…Yeah. I’m sure.”

The room was cool – not cold, but chilly all the same. They hugged each other, not for warmth, but for comfort.
There wasn’t much they could do at this point but wait – and there wasn’t a chance in the world that Rainbow Dash would let her wait on her own.

Fluttershy was shaking a little – she held the mare tighter, kissed her cheek.

“Hey, what’d I just say? You’ll be fine.”

“But… last time…”

Right. Last time. It made sense – of course she’d be scared.

“Hey, remember that time when we put all the animals to sleep together?” she asked.

“Oh, um yes. That was… really nice.”

“Hay yeah, it was! Man, it seems like forever ago that that happened…”

“Um, well, it was only a couple of nights ago, actually.”

“Oh. Right.” Dash chuckled, faking embarrassment. They both knew it was just a front to take Fluttershy’s mind off of it – to stop her being afraid.

She’d been so afraid...

“What do you think I should do?”

She promised to support her no matter what decision she made, but didn’t realise what she was actually asking. The mare in front of her – the mare she loved – was scared, frightened out of her wits, being asked to make a decision that would change her life.

“I love you, Rainbow, and I need your help. What do you want me to do?”

What do I want you to do?

...It was hardly a contest. Of course she should fix her wings. Every pegasus likes flying, whether they do it much or not – and pegasi make terrible earth ponies.

She remembered a sunset above the clouds, so many months ago, before all of this.

"You're my best friend… It’s just me and you, ‘Shy."

But...would it be fair to tell her to do the operation and everything just because of something like that? Heck no – that’d just be selfish. How could she possibly tell Fluttershy to put herself through so much pain just because Dash liked flying with her, or liked watching sunsets together?

Fluttershy wanted her to choose. She trusted her to make the right decision – however hard that might be.
The thing was, she had no idea what the right decision was.

There was Fluttershy, close to tears from the stress of the decision, waiting for an answer that was far too difficult for one mare... or was it?

“What would you do, ‘Shy?” she asked, laying a hoof around her marefriend. “What would you do, if you do go through with this – if you do get your wings back? Or if you don't?”

It was like she'd suspected - Fluttershy didn't seem to have really thought that far ahead.
If there was anything Rainbow had ever learned, it was that it’s never enough to focus just on a decision – you always have to think about its consequences. That was one of the first rules of flying, too. If you yaw to the right, but don’t notice the library window in the way, you clearly weren’t thinking far enough ahead.

...So I’m not too good at it myself.

But it still applied to everything else - cause and effect, cost versus quality. Fluttershy had to figure out her reasons for going through with this – or otherwise – or else there wouldn’t be a point to the hardships she might face.

“...Okay.” There was a long pause. “...Okay,” Fluttershy repeated to herself.

“Did you figure it out?”

“Yes, I did,” she said. “I’m going to do it.” She leaned over, nuzzling her, before she blushed and moved back again. “Oh, um... was that too much?”

“Aw, come on!” she laughed. “We’ve kissed already, why would that be too much?”

“Oh, um...” They laughed.

“So uh... Why? What’s in it for you?”

“You are.”

Huh-what-but-wh-
“…Huh?”

“Oh, um, I mean… Well, I... I did mean that. You’re my best friend too, Rainbow Dash. When I’m with you, I always feel like I can do better at things, like I can work my way through anything, just like you do. When we’d go flying, it wasn’t just something I could do anymore – it was something I enjoyed, because you were there with me. When we watched that sunset together… I was so happy.”

“Those are things I could never do again without my wings. These memories that I treasure, I’d never be able to experience again - simply because I couldn’t put up with a little pain? I’ve always tried my hardest to be stronger than that. I want to be wherever you are Rainbow, and your place is the sky – it always has been. And I want to be there with you again someday, no matter how hard I have to try to get there.”

“Wow… Are you sure, though? It isn’t just a little pain.”

“… If it fixed my wings, I’d go to sleep for another three months. I’m doing this, Rainbow – I’m sure.”

They simply sat, holding each other for a while.

“...Will you help me?” ‘Shy whispered.

She kissed her forehead, holding her close. “You know I will.”

Fluttershy was scared to death - which was entirely understandable, considering how much pain she’d been in the first time they’d operated on her. Not even mentioning the fact that last time she’d gone under, she hadn’t come back up for a large part of a year.

She’d taken a couple of potions, made to lessen the pain as much as possible – they couldn’t just put her to sleep for this operation. Something about the ‘nature of magic involved’ needed the patient to be conscious, or else... well, bad things would happen, they said. It was probably a whole bunch of unicorn mumbo-jumbo, but it was probably best not to question it.

Unicorns tended to be right about these things.

They both rested on Fluttershy’s new hospital bed – temporary, of course – waiting for the potions to kick in. When they did, she’d be wheeled off to the operating room, where Dash would have to leave her. They wouldn’t let her watch this time, but that was okay.

She knew they’d take care of 'Shy properly. She knew they’d make it as painless as they possibly could.

She knew that by the end of it, Fluttershy’s wings would be back.

After a while, Nurse Tenderheart trotted in, carrying a clipboard. She was followed by Redheart, who Dash had requested to be part of the whole operation. Redheart was like a close friend now, after all she’d done to help her during in her hospital-hobo days – despite trying to kick her out every night, she’d always been nice... enough.

“Hey, ‘Shy – they’re here. It means I’ve got to go, okay?”

“Oh... uhmmm... okhay,” the mare replied – the potion’s effects had taken, and her speech was heavily slurred.
“It’s time,” Nurse Tenderheart said tenderly. “We’re going to have to ask you to take your leave, Rainbow Dash.”
“Okay, okay. Just gimme a sec.”

She kissed Fluttershy right on the lips. “You’ll be fine,” she said, after breaking away. “You’ll be better than ever!”
“Ohkhay... Were you kisshing me...? Becaushe I didn’t feel a thing.”

---

Okay, maybe it had been a little too early to be laughing. Yeah, it definitely was.

She knew now that she’d been trying to convince herself it’d be okay, not Fluttershy...

But they’d been in there for ages! And there hadn’t been so much as a peep!

What if something’s gone wrong? What if they can’t actually fix it? What if they got the medication wrong and she’s in a lot of pain and now they can’t do the operation right and her wings end up not working an-

Stop. Just stop.

She resumed pacing the waiting room – there was nothing else to do but wait.

Had she ever been so anxious before?

Maybe at the Best Young Fliers Competition or something – she tried not to remember that. Besides, you know, the Sonic Rainboom, because it was awesome.

The same thing that had gotten them all into this whole mess in the first place, because-
NO. Bad Dashie. Bad.
Yeah, bad Dashie. We’re here because of-

She growled, headbutting the wall beside her – colouring slightly at the confused glances of the other ponies in the waiting room.

This had to stop.

---

Pain.

No, not pain. Utter, mind-numbing agony.

The wind in her mane, billowing around her as she soared through the skies for the first time with her-

A searing hot needle of magic was being repeatedly jabbed into her at a rapid pace - thousands of tiny, singular points of terrible, tingling, itching pain being sent directly into all of her senses at once.

Her feathers swaying in the airflow, the miniscule adjustments she needed to send her higher or lower, side to side, or straight to the side of a rainbow maned-

The horrific pain spread out from her wing joints, where they were operating, into the wing itself and all the way up her spine and into her head. Before, when she’d just woken up, she’d only ever felt a dull ache, or nothing at all – but now it was nothing but torture. Her body was filled with nothing but pure, scathing torture.

Orange, yellow, purple, red-

She didn’t scream, gritting her teeth against the gauze they’d given her to bite on. She didn’t cry, holding onto the happiest memories she had.

Stormclouds far below, the occasional boom of thunder roaring up towards them. A fluffy white one served as their-

It hurt. It hurt so much - but this wasn’t the bad kind of pain. This pain meant that the operation was working – that soon, when it died down, her wings would be able to feel.And soon after that, they’d be able to move.

The hues of her friend's mane flowed easily into one another, the full spectrum of the rainbow swaying in the high-altitude winds. The beautiful violet of her eyes, reflecting the orange sunlight, gazing right into her-

And soon after that, she’d be able to fly.

---

“Oh, Rainbow Dash! What a surprise – you know, you’re just in time, the latest-”

“Twilight, I need everything you’ve got on pegasus physiology and anatomy and physiotherapy and stuff.”

The librarian blinked. Rainbow Dash had just used big words, while simultaneously asking for books with more big words in them.

“Twilight, come on! Books! Big books!” Why would she want things about physiotherapy...? Unless...

“So Fluttershy’s going through with it?”

“Yep. And I’m helping her.”

She seemed frantic and nervous, flitting randomly about the library – far more than normal, at least.
“They’re operating now, aren’t they.”

“Yep – now get finding! I want those books!”

Twilight giggled – more words she’d never have expected to hear from Dash, before the ‘Egghead Incident’ that while back... But this wasn’t Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone she was asking for, either. Nevertheless, she got to work sorting through the shelves, picking out the occasional book to be added to a slowly growing pile.

“So... If you don’t mind me asking, why is Fluttershy going through with it? I know about the magic they’re using in this operation, and it’s no simple thing. Why is she putting herself through so much?”

Dash paused, looking out the window.

“I guess...”

She told Twilight everything she and Fluttershy had spoken about the few nights before – as much as she remembered at least. It was hard to think when she was so worried, but talking about it seemed to help a little.

“Wow,” Twilight breathed. “That’s… really brave of her. I’m glad.”

“Hehe, yeah – she was still shaking like a leaf in the hospital – well, at least she was until those potions kicked in – but anyway…”

It was quiet for a while, as Dash floated around the room aimlessly, while Twilight added more books to her compilation.

“You know, if you’re looking at coaching Fluttershy through her therapy, you have a lot of work to do – you’ll have to work together with the doctors to put together a proper routine for Fluttershy’s recovery, as well as learn all of the massages and therapies that relate to Fluttershy’s condition - maybe the spa ponies could help with that.” She paused to catch her breath - she’d been dragging on a little. “You need to know basically everything about her, and everything that you can do to help her through this – especially if something goes wrong. It’s a big responsibility.”

“You sayin’ I can’t handle it?” Dash said, eyeing Twilight suspiciously.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Good,” she replied. “Because ‘Shy asked for my help herself. I’m not gonna let her down.”

“That’s definitely good to hear,” Twilight said as she dropped an enormous stack of books in front of Rainbow. “Because you’ll have to know all of this by about the end of the week.”

Dash dropped to the ground, her mouth agape, her eyes boggled, and her expression showing absolute despair.

And then her boggled eyes got reading.

---

They tingled.

They itched.

They ached.

They twitched.

They hurt, so badly.

...And they felt, so strongly.

She could feel them swaying in the air, held up loosely by a wiry scaffold. It was a little humiliating, but the hyper-sensitive nerves were apparently making up for three months of lost time. When every breath of air sent pins-and-needles tearing through her entire nervous system, she didn’t want to imagine what an actual touch would feel like. The doctor had thought similarly, using a simple adhesive spell to tie the support wires to her wings without actually touching them.

It would die down in a few hours, they’d said, before giving her something to help her sleep - but it wasn’t working. While the operation had taken most of the afternoon, and most of her energy, the irritating pain was still keeping her awake.
Nurse Redheart had been right about the operation.

But it was worth it.

It was so worth it.

---

“Uh, Twilight?”

“Yes?” she replied cheerily. Considering how dedicated Dash was to all of this, she was happy to help however she could.

“What’s a ‘palpation?’” Oh, that one is a little tough.

“That’s when you feel for abnormalities in the skin, or muscles, or bones, or... anyway, things like cramps, knots in the muscle, or a crack in the bone - you feel around for it, because often you can’t see it. You’ll actually be doing a lot of that.”

“Right.”

As Dash read, Twilight wandered around, swishing two dusters around the shelves while rearranging the odd out-of-place book. Occasionally, she looked over to where Dash lounged on the stairs, eyes flitting back and forth across the pages swiftly. She was really into it.

“Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“What’s Hydrotherapy?” Okay, I’ll give her this one...

“That’s when you use water to assist in rehabilitation exercises - like, if you were working on a regimen designed to strengthen Fluttershy’s wings, you might take her to the lake near her house and perform some exercises in the water. It helps, because water’s about ten times denser than air, so the added resistance-”

“Right, thanks.”

Twilight sighed. If she wanted help, she could at least wait until she’d finished explaining...

Finally done with her chores – it was Spike’s night off - Twilight chose a book from her own collection, sitting down at her reading desk. It was nearly perfect - two friends, reading books, nice and...

“Twilight?”

...quiet.

“...Yes, Dash?”

“Why’s this talking about rice?” Wasn’t there an explanation of that earlier in the same book?

“You mean R.I.C.E? That stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. It’s for things like sprains, to help reduce the swelling and assist recovery. Uh... just hope you won’t have to use that, though it will be necessary to learn.”

Over the next hour or two, to Twilight’s growing agitation, there was far less peace and quiet than she would have liked. Every so often - far too often, really, Twilight was interrupted from her studies by a question that, more often than not, was about a concept already explained in the book, or even something that should just be self-explanatory.

Finally, something snapped. She readied her secret weapon, waiting for the next time she heard...

“Twili-”

“Here! Use this!” she cried, telekinetically throwing a large book at Rainbow.

Dash looked at the cover: A Mule’s Guide to Therapeutic Terminology.

“Hey!”

“Oh, for the love of Celestia, Dash - It’s like a dictionary for the words in those books. You won’t always have me around to help.”

“Alright, fine... you could have just said so...”

---

“Alright, Fluttershy,” said the Doctor. “I’ll be taking away the support wires now, unless you have any objections.”

Objections? How could she possibly object?

The pain had gone hours ago – her sleep had been shallow and broken all night, due to the agonising tickling sensations – but then it had died down... and returned later, just slightly different.
Her wings had been extended for far too long – despite being held up by the wires, they were burning from overexertion and a tiny bit numb from a lack of circulation.

The instant the wires came loose, her wings contracted and fit snugly into her sides – which was weird, because she couldn’t have done that by herself. She noticed then the magical aura around them, tucking them nicely into place.
“Does that feel alright?” the Doctor asked, casting a curious gaze towards her.

“Oh, um, yes – it’s fine.”

“Are you sure? You know what can happen if your wings aren’t sitting right.”

“Well, maybe the left one could go up just a little...” As the adjustments were made, something struck her. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you only using magic to move my wings?”

“That’s easy. Right now, you’re all nice and happy, right? All that pain’s gone, no more pins-and-needles – everything’s back to normal, at least until we get your therapy underway.”

“But isn’t that true?”

“Well... Not exactly, no. How can I explain it... Have you ever tried to tickle yourself?”

Fluttershy nodded, slightly confused.

“Just doesn’t work, does it? No matter how hard you try, if you use a hoof or a feather, or anything – it just doesn’t work. That’s what's happening to you – it’s the reason you aren’t writhing in pain right now, because of the tip of that feather touching the bed-sheets. It’s not a perfect analogy, but it’ll do.”

“You mean... if anypony touches my wings...”

“Think of the most ticklish you’ve ever felt, multiply it by ten and add the words 'Horrible, terrible pain!' in a slightly dramatic voice.”

Fluttershy blinked. “Um, how long will this last?”

“Hmm...” He put a hoof up to his muzzle, staring absently out the window. “It’s hard to say. It could be a week, or it could be months from now – though it’s quite likely that the effects will die down somewhat as time passes.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you for taking the wires off.”

“Just doing my job- speaking of which, I’d better be going. There’s a fair few other patients to see before the day’s over, and I should be getting over to them soon.”

As soon as he left, she occupied her thoughts with a familiar - but somehow entirely new - feeling.

She could feel her wings tucked snugly up against her side. That tip of a feather the Doctor had mentioned was flitting softly against the sheets still, in time with her breathing. The breeze from the window swept over her, and she felt it.
Curious, she tried to move them, but she it was hard to actually find them. They were there, she just couldn’t quite figure out how to actually do anything. It was a weird feeling, but that was alright. She couldn’t have expected things to move that quickly - that was the entire point of the therapy.

Still, that didn’t stop her thinking about all of the things she’d do when she could move them again. There were so many things – cradling Angel Bunny and the other animals while floating through the air, or the simple joy of flight itself.

One memory in particular kept coming back, again and again and again - a sunset above the clouds, a Rainbow Dash right beside her, the feeling of laying a wing over her and falling asleep together.

---

“Hey Doc’,” Dash said, entering the hospital.

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash. I’m sure I can guess who you’re here to see.”

“Okay – so where is she?”

“June Bug is over this way,” he said – he was unable to keep from laughing at the look on her face.

“I really hate you,” she grumbled, but then laughed as well. She’d kinda walked into that one. Although, she had been trying all morning not to just smash straight through Fluttershy’s window to see her.
Those days were over, however, and she’d merely waited – very anxiously – for visiting hours to begin.

“Lucky for you, I’m just heading past her again.” As they walked up to Fluttershy’s ward, the Doctor asked, “So, Rainbow Dash, tell me - what’s with all the books?”

She turned to look - her saddlebags were stuffed absolutely full of them. “It’s for Fluttershy.”

He turned to her, confused. “You know she won’t be here that long, right? She’s just here so we can make sure that everything’s in order after the operation, and-”

“No, not for her, for her – I meant they’re for me, so I can help her out.” She dug out one of the titles and handed it to him.

He took a long, sceptical look at it, saying, “You don’t think this is a little... advanced for you?”
“Well, yeah – that’s why Twilight said I should work with you and you guys and the spa ponies to make sure I’m doing it right, and I’m working really hard to know all this stuff so that I can help out.” She stopped to take a breath. “Oh, and because Fluttershy wants me to help her. So I am.”

“That’s very astute of you, Rainbow, but there are some things that should really be left to the professionals.”

“Oh yeah? Ask me stuff.”

“Stuff?”

“Yeah – like, things that ‘Shy has to do to get better.”

The Doctor took a moment to think of a few questions.
“Okay, how’s this – will Fluttershy have to change any of her eating habits to help her recovery?”

“Well duh – we’ll be trying to get back all the strength she lost while she was asleep, both in her wings and the rest of her, and for that we need lots of protein as well as her normal food. Stuff like nuts and berries and fruits and things, because grass and flowers aren’t nutritious enough to gain back the proper muscle mass. And drinks – lots of drinks. Like apple juice and stuff, because they’re healthy and good hydrators. Need to keep her hydrated, right?”

The Doctor eyed her suspiciously, and then looked around for anything she might have gotten help from – Celestia knew how many posters the hospital had up about these sorts of things – but there was nothing.

“Alright... What’s the main barrier between Fluttershy and flying at this point?”

“Well right now, it’s because she’s stuck in a hospital bed,” she said flatly. The doctor laughed.

“Actually, it isn’t a matter of strength as much as it is one of dexterity – a three-month long coma on its own might have shafted her flying a little bit, but taking into account her injuries and the damage to the nerves, she’ll actually have to learn to fly from scratch, and that’s after learning to move her wings properly again. They’re different things. I’m helping with that, too. You can’t stop me.”

“I’m not sure I want to – You’ve surprised me. Those answers were quite satisfactory. Have you been studying up?”

“Yeah, since last night. How’d you guess?”

She kept walking, not noticing the Doctor falling behind in surprised paralysis.

---

“Fluttershy!” she cried, charging into the room.

The bed-ridden mare looked around from the window, smiling warmly as she saw Rainbow in the doorway.
“Oh, hello Rainbow Dash.”

“Are you okay? Did it hurt? Was it as bad as they said, or worse? How are you?” She took a moment to look her over. She’d been fretting so much over the operation, wondering if it had been as bad as they’d thought, or maybe even worse. She’d expected ‘Shy to have at least a couple of bandages, something to show that she’d just been operated on - but there wasn’t a mark on her. She just sat in bed, beaming happily at her rainbow maned visitor.

“Uh... They did do the operation, right?”

“Oh yes,” she replied, her eyes narrowing a little at the memory – but she snapped out of it quickly. “It hurt a little, but it wasn’t as bad as they said it would be.”

Dash sighed heavily in relief, not noticing the ever-so-slight wince that betrayed Fluttershy’s little white lie – but it was better that way.

“Guess what?” Dash said. “The Doc said he’s ‘seriously considering’ letting me help out with your therapy, because I started hitting the books like Twilight does – man, she’s like, the best teacher. Would you ever have guessed? Anyway, that means I might be able to help you learn how to fly again!”

“Oh my, that’s wonderful!”

“Well, he only said he was considering it, so I dunno... but look at all the books I still have to get through – and this is only half of everything Twilight gave me. The half I haven’t read yet. I’m not even sure if I’ll be good enough in time.”

Fluttershy looked at Rainbow’s saddlebags, overflowing with books on physiotherapy. She’d already read this much? That in itself was pretty unbelievable... but it was only half? It suddenly struck her that she’d never seen Rainbow reading once since she’d woken up. When had she started all of this?

“I think you’ll be fine,” she said, edging sideways and patting the sheets next to her.

Rainbow shuffled out of her bags, jumping up onto the bed and snuggling in next to her. Fluttershy made sure to keep her wing away, just in case.
Closer up, she realised that Rainbow didn’t actually look too good – she was a little pale, and she looked fairly downbeat.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m just tired. I was up all night studying – who’d ever have guessed, huh? The Dash, studying? Now I really am an egghead.”

“Oh, that’s not good at all!” she laughed.

They giggled, but she noticed that there was something still on Rainbow’s mind – she knew her friend enough to tell when she’d avoided a question.

“What’s wrong, really?” she asked. “Um, it’s okay if you don’t want to say, but...”

Dash sighed. “Are you sure you want my help?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“But what if I screw up, or I’m not good enough? I could just make it worse.”

Fluttershy paused, wondering how she could make Dash realise...

The books! Maybe if I show her how hard she’s been working, she’ll see.

“Rainbow, you said you brought half of the books Twilight gave you to read, right? The half you hadn’t read yet.”

“Uh, yeah. What about it?”

“And you said you were studying for all of last night?” she continued.

“Yep. I started reading up last night, while you were... you know. In here. I needed something to get my mind off it.”

She’d only started last night? She repeated the question, receiving an affirmative nod from Rainbow.

“Oh, don’t you see? Look how many you’ve read in just one night!”

“Well, yeah – the Doc’ was testing me about it just a little while ago. He said I was good, but I still don’t believe him.”

“Oh, you should! I mean, maybe... No, you really should believe him. Twilight has probably given you everything in the whole library that might help, and you’re almost done already!”

“...Yeah. Yeah, maybe you’re right. Maybe I can get this done in time!”

“In time for what?”

Dash blinked. “Your therapy, of course. That’s why I’m studying – so I can help you properly. I think we probably have about a week before it really starts. You should have a couple of days when you don’t move your wings because of the operation – that’s today and tomorrow – and then you just start off with some simple stretches and things before we really start to get you back into shape.”

Fluttershy giggled. “See? How can you say you aren’t ready, when you already know so much? I thought we’d be starting right after we got out of hospital.”

They sat quietly for a while, happy that that had been sorted out. Something still bugged Fluttershy though. How did Dash actually finish so many books in just one night?

When asked, she replied, “I’m a fast reader.”

“Oh, but so is Twilight. I don’t think I’ve seen her read so many at once though...”

“Come on, you know I do everything fast. One time, I tested myself on one of the Daring Do books, and I got through like, all six hundred pages in about an hour and a bit, and still remembered most of what happened. I was reading these from yesterday afternoon ‘til about an hour before I came here, so I probably finished like... Twenty of them, maybe? A couple weren’t as big.”

“That’s amazing!”

“Yeah... I’m so tired now though...”

Dash wiggled a little further down the bed, laying her head on the pillow – she was asleep the moment she did.

Fluttershy watched her for a while. It wasn’t sunset yet, but the bed was pretty poofy, just like a cloud. It was... nice.
If only she could move her wings... no.

No, there would be other chances for moments like that – and so many more besides. Content, she snuggled up with Dash – careful of her wings, of course - and she too fell asleep.

Chapter 8 - Radiance (Part 2)

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Hearts Aflutter – Chapter 8

Radiance (Part 2)

All of a sudden, the loud, reverberating blare of an air-horn filled the room, giving the pair an unforgiving and somewhat mean wake-up call.

“It’s time to wake up, you two,” the Doctor said, ceasing the noise for a blissful moment of partial silence. “I know, I know - I’m great company. But neither of you really want to be here any more than you should, am I right?”

Fluttershy opened her eyes, squinting in the light, and sat up, only to see Rainbow beside her, unmoving despite the rude awakening. And she was awake, despite overtly trying to hide it.

“Um, Rainbow," she mumbled, poking her lightly on the shoulder. "It’s probably better if we do as he says. They might need the beds for somepony else, and we’re in the way, or...”

“Yeah yeah... just a few more minutes...” Dash replied grumpily.

She winced as the Doctor blasted the air horn again - which was also confusing. Weren’t there patients that would be affected by the sound? When asked, however, he merely shrugged the question off and resumed his attempt to eject them from the premises.

“Rainbow Dash, will you please just get up?” he pleaded. “I’ve been on call for hours, but I can’t go home until you two are out of here.”

With a heavily muffled groan, Dash pushed herself up and plopped over the side, barely landing on all four hooves. “Alright, alright... I’m...”

She started to lean sideways, and from the corner of her eye, Fluttershy noticed the horn being readied again.

“Um, please don’t,” she said, before stepping up in front of Rainbow, leaning forward cautiously. A simple kiss was all it took – she shot up completely straight, wide eyes frantically searching the room before focusing on Fluttershy, who had jumped backwards and

“Um, it’s time to go.”

“Uh... Oh! Oh, right! Heh, sorry Doc’!”

He cleared his throat, moving stiffly aside as they left the room, heading out past reception. He followed them briefly, if only because there was another patient he had to see before he left. Yes, yes, other patients to see.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t hold back a happy whistle.

---

...these muscles are shared by both the wings and the forelegs - therefore, in order to effectively regain the optimum physical output of the wings, the patient must also undergo physical training to rebuild the...

She yawned.

...Darnit! To rebuild and strengthen the supercora- wait, no, supracora...coid...eal... Supracoracoideal muscles, the pectorals, and others surrounding the scapula in the shoulder. This can be done in a variety of ways, but a simple and effective method is that of regular exercise and a proper nutritious diet, as is the case for earth ponies and unicorns – the only significant difference here is that these exercises are to be focused on the wings, rather than the forelegs.

So tired...

...In addition to regular exercise, the patient must also undergo regular therapeutic massage... man, I could use a massage... beginning with light rainbow, progressing slowly towards deeper massage techniques as the treatment begins to exert more strain upon the patient's wings.

The patient’s diet should include a large variety of high-protein foods such as rainbows, berries, certain kinds of beans, most kinds of nuts, etc. Wait, what? Since when were rainbows high in protein? Anyways... While apples should be avoided as a food, not having the proper nutritional requirements for this purpose, as a substitute for water the apple's juice is highly-

“Rainbow Dash!”

With her concentration finally broken, and her pride also fractured thanks to her fall from the kitchen stool, Rainbow Dash looked blearily at the mare who had been trying to get her attention, slightly annoyed at the abrupt interruption of her studies.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, it’s just that you were concentrating so hard, but I really needed to tell you something, and...”

As Fluttershy rambled, Dash got up off the floor and kissed her cheek, immediately shutting her up. “It’s fine. Uh... so what were you saying?”

“Well, you see,” ‘Shy replied through her blush, “It’s kind of late, and I know how hard you’re working for me, but... well... you shouldn’t spend all night reading again.”

“But I have to!” she said, stubbornly holding the book open, despite Fluttershy’s tender attempt to close it. “You know how soon I have to know all of this – we start the day after tomorrow!”

“So, um, why can’t you finish all of these books tomorrow?”

“Uh... Well, you know, it’s just better to-”

“No, Rainbow,” she said, shaking her head. “You’ve had about two hours sleep in as many days, and that’s not good for anypony. We both need to be at our best over the next few weeks, and you need to go to bed.”

“But-”

“No buts,” she asserted, her voice taking on a slightly sterner tone. “Listen to yourself – you’re croaking more than Mr Toady. I know you’re doing this because you care about me, Rainbow – and I’m doing this because I care about you. It’s time for bed, Rainbow Dash.”

"...Alright," Dash sighed, marking the page and closing the book. Fluttershy smiled sweetly, nuzzling her before they both went upstairs, and despite her earlier protests, she was out like a light the moment she hit the mattress.

---

It wasn’t too early in the morning, but neither was it late when Rainbow Dash had woken her up, telling her that through this week they’d be getting up earlier and earlier in preparation for the physiotherapy. Fluttershy could tell she was serious – she was wearing her white coaching headband again, and she was speaking in a gruff, gravelly tone lower than her usual speaking voice. She sat her down at the kitchen bench, then began digging around in her enormous pantry and selected a few things, putting them in a pile beside her.

“What do you normally eat for breakfast?” Dash asked, poking her head out from the abyssal food-storage unit.

“Oh, um, I mostly eat some Cheerileos or-”

“Wrong!” Dash cried, slamming a variety of items onto the bench before Fluttershy. “This is what you eat for breakfast now. Your wings are weak and puny-”

“But-“

“Weak and puny! It’s because you slept too long! You need them big and strong for when you start learning to fly again, and the only way to do that is to make them big and strong! You’re not an animal caretaker anymore, ‘Shy – you’re a bodybuilder, and now you have to eat like one!”

She got out a large bowl and filled it with oats...

“Um, that doesn’t really look like-”

...then a bag full of various dried fruits...

“Oh, um-”

...and then she added an enormous helping of nuts – nearly every shape, size and variety she could think of went into it.

“This is breakfast,” Dash said.

“I really have to eat all of this?” she replied incredulously.

“Not today you don’t – but you’ll wish you had.”

“Oh my...”

As she tucked into the huge bowl of muesli, Fluttershy smiled inwardly. Dash had spent so long worrying, but now, before they’d even started the treatment, she was already doing an excellent job of coaching. She was just like Typhoon back in Flight School, voice and all – though maybe a bit less traumatising. But still, Fluttershy had to admit, she’d done nothing more than make breakfast and shout a little bit. Maybe it was too soon to tell.

She nearly choked on a mouthful, laughing as Dash was both physically and verbally assaulted by Chip Squirrel, and she suddenly knew where Rainbow had gotten all of the nuts. She sat amidst the chaos, chewing thoughtfully as Rainbow careened about the living room behind her, every attempt to get Chip out of her mane failing catastrophically. For such a small creature, the squirrel was highly skilled at attacking pegasi.

While normally she would have helped, there wasn’t much she could do because of the speed Dash was flying at – which, admittedly, was not a good indoor speed. Besides that, she doubted Chip would calm down for quite a while. He always was a little... impulsive, when it came to his belongings. If it came down to it, she could use the Stare, but that was for special cases.

“Oh, Angel,” she said, turning to the bunny sitting on the stool beside her. “You will help Rainbow get Chip off of her, won’t you?”

Soon, he gestured in reply, but patted his pocket watch gently, as if waiting for the right time. Now eat up. I pity the foal who don’t eat her breakfast.

---

“Chip, I want you to apologise to Rainbow Dash right away.”

There was an outburst of angry squeaks and chitters, stretching on for a quite a while before she finally replied, “Now now, don’t be so pouty. I’m sure she didn’t know that your stash was on the third shelf of the pantry, while my own was on the second shelf.”

He let loose some more squeaks.

“I can understand that,” she said ruefully, “But that doesn’t excuse your behaviour. A few nuts-”

More angry chitters erupted. “...A lot of nuts, while they may have been important, are not necessarily grounds for a squirrelian blood-feud between the two of you. It was an accident that is easily fixed, Chip Squirrel.”

He tilted his head questioningly.

“I’ll give you the rest of the nuts in my pantry, and we can go out and buy some more later. Oh, and you mustn’t forget – she didn’t take any of your acorns, either.”

This he seemed to take quite amiably, and he soon bounded away, hopefully with plans to apologise to Rainbow for attacking her. With that settled, Fluttershy trotted off to find Elizabeak, to speak to the chicken for her 'help' in removing the squirrel from Dash’s mane, given through a small supply of eggs launched at Chip in vengeance for a grievance long past. While it had quite easily gotten Chip out of Rainbow Dash’s mane, apparently egg wasn't Rainbow's hair-product of choice. Not to mention her entire living room now smelled like eggs, and her walls would look a little splotchy for a long time to come.

It had taken Fluttershy’s intervention in the end, if only to stop it from escalating into a full-blown war. She’d wanted to see how Rainbow handled it all, but... she didn’t. Not too well. But that was okay – while she regretted the mess it had made in her house, it was worth it – this morning had probably been one of the liveliest and most fun mornings of her entire life.

According to her marefriend, ever since Fluttershy had come back, the more... vivacious animals had stopped listening to her like they had - besides Angel - for the past few months.

"But it's fine," Rainbow said. "I mean... you're back!"

They'd laughed, but even now, Fluttershy could see a trace of disbelief in her eyes, and maybe even a touch of fear, too. But it was all over now - she was here to stay. Nothing could take that away.

After clean-up, the rest of the day passed them by rather quickly – Rainbow had her books to read, and like she’d mentioned earlier, Fluttershy went out shopping. Dash had given her a list of things she should probably be eating that she didn’t have – some of them were decidedly odd, like those buns filled with red-bean paste from the Neighponese shop at the market corner, or a large quantity of wood sorrel from Zecora’s stall – she’d set it up rather recently, realising that while nopony hated her anymore, they were still frightened enough of the Everfree Forest that she didn’t get too many customers for her herbs and potions.

Finally, with the list complete, she headed back home. She was surprised to find that she was out of breath - while she’d never been very active, a day out in Ponyville hadn’t been a problem before. It was almost frightening, when she thought about it – this was only a short walk around town.
She shuddered a little at the thought of the struggles ahead, but cheered up some as she came around the corner of a street and saw the Ponyville Library standing tall before her, its great hollow trunk beckoning invitingly to her. She paused, wondering if Twilight would be busy, but remembered that, busy or not, she always tried to make time for her friends

She hated to impose, but trotted up to the door, deciding to accept that invitation – if not for Twilight’s sake, then for her burning lungs’ instead.

---

“She really...?”

“Oh yes – I don’t think I’ve ever put Beady to sleep as quickly as she did! It was beautiful, really.”

“Wow,” Twilight said. “I haven’t seen her much these past few months – collecting the ingredients for your potion, and keeping it secret of course – really kept me out of the loop. But I’d never have guessed that Rainbow Dash would be that good at taking care of little critters.”

“Well, um, to be perfectly honest, neither would I,” she admitted.

“I’m so glad you came over, Fluttershy,” Twilight said happily. “Since you’ve been awake you’ve been in and out of hospital all the time, and it’s been so long since we’ve really caught up.”

“Oh, it hasn’t been that long- um... nevermind,” she sighed. She was only slowly getting used to the fact that she’d lost so much time in a coma – it honestly felt like just a few days ago since she’d spoken to Twilight about her feelings for Rainbow Dash, and yet here they were, over a quarter of a year since then. It was hard to remember that sometimes.

“It’s alright,” Twilight said kindly. “I know what you meant. And now that you’re here, it is easier to forget how long you’ve been gone. It’s just... really good to have you back.” Eager to change the subject, she asked, “So how far has Rainbow managed to read so far? That was a lot of books.”

“Oh, she’s nearly finished,” Fluttershy replied. “I think she’ll be done today.”

“...Huh?” Did she say ‘nearly finished?’

“Um, I said she’s nearly finished.” Okay, yes she did.

“This is still Rainbow we’re talking about, right?”

“Well, she said that you told her to be finished by the end of the week, so she decided to get a head start, I think.”

“Amazing,” she said. “I always suspected that with proper motivation she could be an excellent student, but... Wow!”

“Oh, and she also said nice things about you too, Twilight – she said you were ‘the best teacher ever.’”

Twilight blushed. “I’m sure she’s just saying that...”

“Oh no,” Fluttershy said. “She was very clear – she wouldn’t stop talking about you for about an hour, and she said so many things about a spell that you did, and how much she’s remembering now.”

“Hehe...” Twilight blushed again, remembering the night before...

“Are you sure about this, Rainbow?”

“Yeah, yeah – just get it over with.”

She flipped the book open to the page, reached deep inside herself and found the wellspring of ethereal energy she poured into her spells. Tapping into it, she manipulated its ‘shape’ – words like ‘memory,’ ‘speed,’ and more flitted about in her head as the spell became a consistent wave of magic – and then she released it.
A violet light poured out of Rainbow Dash, lifting the pegasus into air... and then fizzled out.

It was a dud. She frantically made a mental checklist of everything that she’d done wrong, and realised that she hadn’t – for some reason, that spell just didn’t work. But the only reason that could be was that Rainbow...

No! That couldn’t be. Rainbow Dash didn’t already have an eidetic memory... did she?

“Well, actually the spell didn’t do anything. But…” Actually, there was only one question in Twilight’s mind, and it wasn’t about her spell’s failure. It was about Rainbow having the wonderful gift of a perfect memory, and... “Why not me?”

She was brought back from her musings by a soft voice mumbling, “Um, Twilight? I have to be getting back.”

“Alright – have a great day, Fluttershy,” she said, holding the door open for the grocery laden mare. “It was really good to see you again.”

“Twilight?” Fluttershy asked again, standing in the doorway.

“Yes?”

“Um, if you wouldn’t mind... I mean, I don’t want to impose, but...”

“Go on,” she urged.

Fluttershy scuffed the ground, then shook her head. “Nevermind, it’s nothing.”

“Huh... Well, okay. See you later!” She shut the door, waving goodbye, and then trotted into the centre of the library.

I wonder what she was going to ask... Oh well. Now, what to read first?

---

It had been good to see Twilight, too, Fluttershy thought. She supposed she’d go and say hello to all of her friends sooner or later – but not today. All of this walking was taking a lot more out of her than it probably should have, and carrying so many groceries probably didn’t help much...

Or did it? Maybe walking with weights could be a good way to build up her strength? She’d have to ask Rainbow.

She soon found her way to her cottage, which seemed to be readying itself for another beautiful night. All the birdies were trilling sweet lullabies to their chicks in the evening light, and Mama Bunnies stood outside their hutches, waiting for their babies to come inside.

Looking up to the sky, she saw a cloud floating roughly above her cottage, right where it had been that other time. If there had been a thunderstorm, it would have been nearly identical. It would be a hard road, but she’d be able to lie atop that cloud again, one day.

Her reverie was shattered by a cry, and Rainbow Dash rushing out of the house to greet her, bellowing obscenities happily... Oh, nevermind. She wasn’t happy at all.

“Fluttershy!” Dash shouted, “I told you! I told you not to carry all this stuff yourself!”

“O-Oh, b-but-”

“ Why didn’t you ask Big Mac, or Applejack, or even Pinkie or Twilight for help?”

“U-um, well, I-I didn’t w-want to i-impose...”

“Nevermind about that,” Dash said, scowling. “I told you! You just can’t do anything yourself!”

“Well then why weren’t you there to help me?” she asked, getting to her hooves and walking slowly forward. Suddenly, her eyes weren’t wide anymore – they were sharp as a blade’s edge.

“Where was the Element of Loyalty when her marefriend was in so much danger?

“I was-”

“Oh, of course - you were studying; scared that poor little Klutzershy will hurt herself again, but too busy with your books to care.”

“That’s not-”

“Are you sure?” she retorted – she saw Dash’s eyes widen and look away to the side, and knew she’d hit a nerve. “Just because I asked for your help doesn’t give you the right to yell at me – I may be weak and puny, but I can still carry my own groceries home!”

“Fluttershy, stop.”

“Why should I? What’s the difference between you and me? What makes you just so special that you can put yourself above everypony else as if you’re better than them? I know better than anypony the failings you have, Rainbow Cra-”

"Shut up," Dash growled, and something in her eyes made Fluttershy pause mid-word. Both were surprised at her ferocity, like that of a cornered animal trying not to lose control. "Nopony calls me that - especially not you... Never you. Just... look at your wings."

Fluttershy did so, and she saw them long before she expected to – rather than being tucked snugly to her body, they were fully outstretched – a pegasus’ standard fight-or-flight reaction stance. She tested them experimentally, wiggling one, then the other. They were both sluggish and tired, but they were moving!

She turned back to Rainbow, momentarily distracted from the anger, and she realised what she’d wrought. Dash’s eyes were sad, not angry. It was the tears in her eyes, and it was the look of a confused mare who couldn’t decide whether to cry, scream or laugh it off.

She was hurt, and she’d lashed out, and it was Fluttershy’s fault; but at least she’d managed to hold herself back.

It was a look of pain, and she’d caused it.

Her wings tucked themselves back into place, and she sat down heavily. Fluttershy had done it again. She’d promised herself that she wouldn’t get angry like that ever again, but she’d...

Dash saw the change in her expression. This argument was over. She came up close, laying a hoof over Fluttershy’s, but she didn’t respond, merely turning her head away and closing her eyes.

“Fluttershy, please don’t cry,” Dash said. There was no reply.

“Don’t cry,” she pleaded. “It’s not your fault. I’m so sorry I shouted. I was just so worried about you...”

The yellow mare nodded.

“And don’t worry about what you said. You’re right – I should have been there to help you. I should have been there for you, and I wasn’t.”

She nodded again.

“...Will you forgive me?”

“I should be asking that,” Fluttershy whimpered. Everything she said came flooding right back through her, and she cried after all. “I’m so sorry – what I nearly called you-”

“That didn’t happen. Everything you said was true, and as far as I’m concerned, you’re the better mare here.”

Rainbow Dash, always the protector.

Fluttershy sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes, got up – without her bags this time – and walked slowly over to Rainbow.

“I do forgive you,” she said, giving her a quick hug. She then went inside as Rainbow gathered the bags and followed her.

But do you forgive me?

---

Fluttershy laid her head onto her pillow, sniffing quietly, listening to the rain tapping at her window.

It suited the mood, she thought; it was as it the sky was crying with her.

Arguments were painful. Nobody won.

Rainbow Dash had been justified, if not for shouting then at least in fearing for her safety. Had she been justified in such a cruel retaliation?

Meanness is never justified.

She’d seen Rainbow angry at things before – seen Rainbow scared before, too. Not often had Rainbow been angry or scared for her, but that was besides the point. She hadn’t been mean. Nearly everything she’d said had been true, except that she couldn’t do anything on her own, but again, it didn’t matter. She knew where Rainbow was coming from – what if she had gotten hurt? What if it had happened halfway to her cottage, and nopony found her for hours, or...

Rainbow was right – she had to be more careful from now on.

But everything she’d said had simply been out of spite, and for what? She hadn’t snapped like that since Iron Will, or even the Gala. She‘d been cruel, mean... unkind. And Rainbow had taken the full force of it all.

Fluttershy sniffed again. She was a terrible, terrible-

Knock, knock, knock.

“Fluttershy?”

“O-oh, um, one second,” she replied, wiping her eyes quickly. She opened her bedroom door, finding Rainbow standing there – she didn’t look too good herself, really. Had she been crying too?

“Uh... hey,” Dash mumbled, ruffling her mane. “I was just... uh... you know...”

Fluttershy leaned forward slowly, touching her shoulder, silently asking her to continue.

“Um... A-are we okay? Because you know, if... if you don’t...” She gulped. “Don’t want my help anymore, or... or if... if you want me to go away, I’d understand.”

She was stunned into silence.

This was entirely new to her; she had power. If she wanted her to, Rainbow Dash would leave without a second word. She was just that loyal, just that sorry for being right, even after what Fluttershy had done…

“I get it,” Dash said softly, taking her quietness as a yes. “I’ll be gone by morning.” With that, she turned, leaving the doorway open – a window to a past life, brief but wonderful, with Fluttershy looking out from behind it.

“Never.”

Dash stopped instantly.

“I would never ask you to go away.”

She stepped around to the front of the downcast mare, lifting her head so that they were eye-to-eye, and wiped the tears from her face. “Don’t even joke about going away. If you weren’t here, I couldn’t... I...”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t know what I’d do without you, either. All that time you were gone, I had you waking up to look forward to, but if you were…”

“Rainbow,” she said, shushing the pegasus and stopping any further talk. She hugged her then, and Rainbow hugged her back. There were no sounds for a long time, except the soft snores of animals and a light pitter-patter of rain on the roof.

“Sorry,” Dash sniffed.

“It’s okay,” came Fluttershy’s muffled reply, her face pressed into Dash’s mane. “We’ve both made some mistakes tonight.”

“Heh, yeah - If this is the worst argument we ever have, we’re probably the luckiest mares in Equestria.”

They laughed awkwardly together, each fervently hoping that was true; hidden in there was a silent acceptance that there would be more, but it was best not to think about it.

“Uh... Right!” Dash said, breaking the slightly tense moment with some difficulty. “Uh, we should be going to bed now, because we have to get up early, and stuff, because you need to learn some new stretches, and...”

“Oh, okay,” she replied. “Well, um... Goodnight.”

“Yeah... see you in the morning.”

Fluttershy returned to her room and closed the door, opening it a second later to see Rainbow trotting down the stairs. “Rainbow?” she called, softly so as to not wake up any creatures.

“Yeah?”

“I love you. Please... Don’t forget that.”

Dash was completely silent as she zipped back up to Fluttershy, giving her a quick kiss before the yellow mare even knew what was happening. “I love you too.”

And then she was gone, leaving Fluttershy standing at her door, longing for more.

She knew she didn’t deserve it though.

Eventually she returned to her bed, laying her head on the pillow once more. She tossed and turned; with Rainbow Dash seemingly… okay again, and the rain drying up, there was nothing else crying with her.

Suddenly, a tiny paw rested itself on her hoof, two beady eyes looking at her in worry and sympathy. Oh, Angel…
He hopped up beside her, stroking her mane as she poured out her soul onto her pillow, until finally, at long last, she fell asleep. But even in sleep she cried, tears rolling slowly down her sleeping face as her heart screamed in apology.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

Chapter 9: Overcast

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Hearts Aflutter – Chapter 9

Overcast

Rainbow woke up later than she probably should have, but after… that, she supposed a little rest might be in order. Not being a morning pony, she groggily trudged downstairs, meeting Fluttershy at the foot.

Fluttershy had said she’d been forgiven, but Dash didn’t quite believe her. She did, however, believe her completely when she’d told her never to go away, and with a quick look in her eyes, she confirmed to herself that Fluttershy was, at least for now, alright.

As for her own wounds… She’d be fine. She’d been through far worse than that; she was just surprised for it to have come from Fluttershy, of all ponies. But it was nothing; Fluttershy was her closest friend.

A friend who was easily forgiven.

---

Time passed them by quickly as they prepared for the day; Rainbow told a joke, and Fluttershy giggled as a field mouse came to greet them, scampering up Dash’s foreleg to scruffle around in her mane, to her mild annoyance, before hopping across to rest on her own head. They moved to the kitchen, talking, laughing, like the argument the night before had never even occurred.

All in all, it was a good show, but only that. But as long as she kept it up, she’d be alright.

Rainbow Dash seemed not to want to admit that they’d argued at all, but it couldn’t be ignored – Fluttershy had hurt her, and she was trying not to let it show. No matter how well they hid it, and despite their attempt to make up afterwards, there was a void between them, and Fluttershy didn’t know if she’d be able to bridge it on her own.

She shook her head, trying to get back into the flow of conversation. Something about-

“…wings!” Dash exalted, stealing Fluttershy’s attention while setting out breakfast. “Now that you can move your wings again, that pushes our schedule up a lot; we were going to spend most of today trying to get them working again, but now that that’s done it means we can get started for real.”

Extending a tentative wing, just to make sure they hadn’t regressed while she was asleep, Fluttershy nodded, putting on a smile. “What did you have in mind?”

“Because this week is mostly just for preparation, we’re gonna warm up, and then go for a run around town. Then I want you to take a break for an hour, and do some more stretches after that.”

“Where will you be?” she asked.

“I’ll be at the spa,” Dash replied, nearly laughing at Fluttershy’s look of surprise.

“But you never go to-”

“I know, I know. It isn’t for relaxing, anyways.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “I’m learning how to massage.”

Fluttershy’s eyebrows rose as slowly as the flowers on her windowsill grew; her cheeks glowed just as pink.

“Yeah. Now eat up; we’ve got to get started!”

In short order, they stood side-by-side, next to the lake just outside Ponyville. They looked ready for a race, or at least some heavy exercise; which, of course, they were, though today wasn’t meant to be particularly difficult.

“Now,” Dash said. “The first thing we’ve got to do is stretch up; just like Flight Camp, remember?”

Fluttershy prepared herself, not remembering at all. She took a couple of steps backwards so that she could easily see Rainbow in her peripheral vision, and soon found herself following along. It wasn’t difficult to pick up. Soon she was feeling significantly better, physically at least; her limbs felt less sluggish, and she was nice and warm in the cool morning air. It was… nice. It made it easier to pretend.

With that done, and a short rest later, Dash trotted off, Fluttershy in tow, and they began to trot along towards... somewhere.

Rainbow seemed to know where she was going though; when she asked, Dash replied that they were taking the scenic route through Whitetail Woods. Whenever she got tired, they’d walk, but the point was to be able to finish it without slowing down, as soon as possible. Besides all that, it looked nice, and gave them something to do while they ran.

As they trotted along, a couple of critters came to say hello, but she only bothered to greet a few of them. Then she realised that whatever she was feeling, that was no excuse to ignore them, and she quickly apologised and began to enjoy their company. She realised quickly that saving her breath would save her some pain later on; even now, not quite half-way through, she was starting to get a little tired, and her legs were starting to hurt. But it was a good pain. It took her mind off… other things.

“You doing okay back there, ‘Shy?”

“Oh,” she puffed. “Um, yes…”

“Nope. We’re walking now. Try and get your breath back soon, okay?”

Both thankful, and not, for the opportunity to do so, she slowed down, taking long, ambling steps forward and breathed deeply in and out.

Find something…

For the first time since they’d started off, she really took the time to look around her. The Whitetail Woods had always been one of Fluttershy’s favourite places to be; instead of deep, dark and scary like the Everfree Forest, it was light and carefree. All of the animals here were so nice and friendly, and the trees, though close together, weren’t nearly as oppressive. And on a day like this, with nary a cloud in sight, it was truly spectacular. Bright sunlight streamed down through the leaves above, giving everything a beautiful golden hue. She took a particularly long breath, smelling the earthy fragrance of the trees and flowers around her.

Now that she was walking, she decided to say hello to a few more of the animals that gathered around her. A few butterflies, a bunny, and even a hummingbird, all became her new friends. And then there was the scenery, which was nice. Everything here...

Oftentimes, in her strolls through the forest, she felt undeserving of it, to be able to be a part of nature like this. Today, she felt that more strongly than ever. But if her animal friends could still accept a pony like her... Could Rainbow Dash, as well?

---

Rainbow was worried about everything.

How’s Fluttershy holding up? Is she okay? She needed a break, but does she need to stop stop, or is she okay walking? And what about the... no, that will be okay... Is she gonna be alright while I’m at the spa, or should I get… I dunno, Pinkie or somepony to help her?

She huffed, expelling everything from her mind. She’s not stupid, and after… last night, she knows to get help if she needs it. She’ll be fine.

But the thoughts came back repeatedly, like Tank in that very first race; slowly, steadily, arriving just when they’d have the greatest effect.

Finally, she decided to just ask, remembering something the books had all said; ‘Communication is key.’

“Hey ‘Shy, you feeling alright? We can stop on that hill if you need...”

It was as if time stood still; as she’d turned and asked the question, she saw Fluttershy just… walking, but with her eyes closed, and a little smile on her face. It looked like she was listening to everything going on; maybe just the wind in the leaves, or the birdcall from the treetops. Little butterflies flitted around her, and she had a hoof raised towards a little bluejay who’d come up to her, and it was all just so… Fluttershy.

And that was perfect. She was happy, even after having her whole world turned upside down; overnight, for her at least.

She was happy, and Rainbow Dash was so glad to be a part of that. It made it all worth it; no matter how much trouble they had to go through, if Fluttershy could keep smiling, it was worth it.

Then that little smile turned in her direction and might have gotten just a tiny bit larger, and Fluttershy’s blue eyes met her own, bright, joyful, and kind.

And suddenly, Dash wasn’t worried anymore.

---

Scratch that.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine on your own?”

“Yes.”

“Really sure? I mean, it’s probably best not to, but if you want I can stay…”

“Oh, I’d like that. But you’re right; it’s best not to.”

Rainbow sighed. “Fine. But you make sure to get someone to help you this time, alright? I don’t want anything happening to you and nopony knows where you are. Go and find… Hey, yeah! Go find Ace; he’s always doing some sort of exercise around this time. Just tell him what’s up. He’ll help. And if he doesn’t I’ll make it rain on his house for a month.”

Fluttershy pretended to stifle a laugh with her hoof. “I’m sure he won’t mind. Have fun, Rainbow!”

With that, she started walking; Rainbow Dash would stay there forever making sure she’d be alright, and even though it might be necessary, it wouldn’t do to hold up the schedule. Dash just needed a nudge to get her moving, that was all. Not to mention, it was getting harder to hide her feelings from Rainbow, and she didn’t think she could explain why she wasn’t happy if she was asked. She just couldn’t find the courage to apologise. It was just pathetic.

She looked back, hoping that Rainbow was still there watching her, that maybe her being there would mean she was forgiven, and also that she wasn’t there, so that she would be able to stop hiding for a while. She looked, and saw to her surprise that Dash was actually following her.

Seeing her questioning, if nervous, gaze, Rainbow said, “Spa’s this way too.” She pointed it out, and Fluttershy had to laugh; her first real one all day. It was like something just wouldn’t let them leave each other today. She could just walk another way, having no real destination herself, but maybe... just maybe...

“So… what do you think so far?” Rainbow asked as she trotted up beside her.

“Of what?”

“You know. The whole...” she stopped walking, waving her hooves around for effect. “Therapy thing.”

“Oh. Well, it’s alright. Besides the surgery, it hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be, besides making sure things don’t touch my wings-”

Dash started, turning on her. “What? Why?”

“U-um,” she stuttered, “Nothing really. They’re still just a little… sensitive. From the operation.”

Oftentimes, while recovering after nervous reconstructive surgery, there will be excess magic residue from the operation itself giving rise to hypersensitivity which, in the worse cases, can be debilitating and halt the recovery process, and in the worst be incredibly painful, to the point of-

“How sensitive?” Dash asked, with a touch of fear and suspicion.

“N-not very-” Dash reached out to touch a wing, and saw Fluttershy flinch away.

“Don’t lie,” she muttered. “Darn it, ‘Shy, you should have told me – this changes lots of things!”

And how many times did I nearly set her off? That hug last night, or this morning, warming up… Hay, even that mouse that jumped on her! Anyway, how’s she managed to stay safe this long? It’s almost been a whole week!

“What did the doctor say will happen if you touch it, and how long will it last?”

Fluttershy thought back, trying to remember the exact words. “Um, he said… he didn’t say how long. But he said… it’ll hurt.”

“A lot?”

She nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but you were so busy, and it would only have put more stress on you, and…

“It’s alright,” Rainbow said, putting a hoof on her shoulder; making sure, of course, that it was only her shoulder. “We’ll talk to Twilight. Maybe she knows something that could help.”

“I can talk to her while you’re at the spa,” Fluttershy suggested.

“No, that’s- actually, yeah. Do that. We don’t have to let this hold us back.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Um… have fun,” she said again, before trotting away awkwardly.

This time, Rainbow didn’t follow her.

---

As she walked to the library, Fluttershy smiled bitterly, holding back a tear.

The instant she’d mentioned her wings, it had become just another thing that she had to be protected from; another thing she couldn’t do on her own. She didn’t mind being treated delicately; she preferred it, even.

But delicacy was different to fragility; there was a difference between being sensitive and being overprotective. How many times did she have to prove it to people that she wasn’t helpless, and that she just liked being helped?

It was depressing; it was so much nicer when Dash would just hug her, and she could ensure on her own that nothing would happen. Now there was just one more barrier between them, just another thing they had to watch out for.

But maybe Dash was right. Maybe Twilight could figure something out.

Though she still felt weak from the stroll that morning, she picked up the pace a little, wanting to see Twilight about it as soon as possible.

---

Dash cracked her hooves on the spot, standing just outside the Ponyville Day Spa.

This was it; no more books, no more studying. Just her, and a massage dummy, and maybe those spa ponies too, in case she went wrong. But as if anything could go wrong - she’d only read like, a million books about it, and as far as anypony else could tell, she was already a therapeutic genius - now, she’d be a masseuse, too.

She walked slowly in the door, not as a customer, nor being reluctantly dragged inside via telekinetic vice-grip for her birthday, but actually, voluntarily, going inside, to learn about the art of massage.

It hadn’t been too long since she’d had one, actually, and she could still remember it like it was yesterday; pounding hooves on her back, light strokes on her wings, and above all, absolute awesomeness.

And she was about to learn how, all so that Fluttershy could fly again; though, with the new revelation that her wings couldn’t be touched, it would perhaps have to wait.

Aloe, standing by the reception, turned around at the sound of the bell, coming up to greet her with a smile and a greeting barely intelligible through her thick accent. While trying to figure out what she’d said, Dash realised that Aloe was still talking, evidently not noticing her confusion.

“Woah, hold up a second. Could you slow down a little, please?”

The spa pony blinked, then smiled and said, “Of course. This is your first time doing the massage, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, good. Then I’ll send you to Quake. You learn well from him.”

“Uh... Gotcha.”

Who was Quake again? she wondered, as she dawdled along into the massage area. Coming around a corner, she heard a very stuttered moan, and saw a pony being practically pummelled into the massage bench by a beige and highly androgynous pony; stallion or mare was probably just something to be left to the pony receiving the massage’s preference. On second thought, it was probably a good business ploy.

The contrast between the seemingly brutal beating this pony was dishing out, and the look of utter joy on the recipient’s face was quite confusing, and there was one thing Dash knew for sure; there was no way Fluttershy would enjoy that. It was a bit... extreme. Not to mention the deal with her wings.

She went back to find Aloe, and said, “Hey, uh... You know I’m here to learn massage, not martial arts, right?”

“Yes, of course! Is why I send you to Quake.”

“Well, the thing is,” she replied, resisting the urge to facehoof, “I’m not actually trying to kill Fluttershy, you know what I mean?”

Instantly, a change washed over the pink spa pony. “Oh no, I forget! Yes, Fluttershy is different matter. No Quake.”

“No Quake,” Dash repeated.

“Come this way.”

She followed Aloe to another area inhabited solely by a familiar-looking grey pegasus, but Dash ignored the other mare for the moment. There was a disturbing lack of dummies here, and she wondered what she’d be learning with.

“So what exactly am I doing today? Do I just get right in and do stuff, or are you gonna demonstrate, or...?”

“I watch. You go; she is waiting.”

Oh. So I just start right off.

She walked over to the pegasus, who was laying on the massage bench with her face turned away, but with every step she took, her dread only grew. She noticed her Cutie Mark, and there was something about those bubbles that was vaguely frightening.

And then she saw those eyes, swivelling in all directions even as the mare turned to look at her, and knew they could only belong to one pony.

“Oh, hi Rainbow Dash! I’m getting a muffin for helping!”

Sweet Celestia on a stick.

---

After knocking at the door, it was only a moment before Spike answered, calling, “It’s Fluttershy!” to the unicorn currently engrossed in her studies.

In a flash of magic, Twilight Sparkle was at the door; surprised by her sudden appearance, Fluttershy disappeared almost as quickly. Twilight poked her head out the door, finding the pegasus hiding behind a pot plant.

“Hey, Fluttershy!” she called, but still the pegasus trembled. “What’s wrong?”

Spike groaned. “You can come out – she just teleported is all.”

Fluttershy emerged from behind the plant, blushing embarrassedly as she did. Seeing Twilight’s apologetic grin, she smiled too; she didn’t quite feel it, but it was contagious. They went inside, and Twilight moved her chair around to face her, saying, “It feels like you’ve been coming to see me every day; not that I’m complaining, of course. It’s so good to see you out and about again.”

“Oh, yes, I suppose. Um…”

“Yes?”

She paused for a moment. “If it isn’t too much trouble, I… need your help with something.”

“You know I’ll do anything I can to help you,” Twilight stated, offering her hoof in support.

With that, Fluttershy began explaining the situation in full, from her wings’ lack of movement to their incapacitating sensitivity, and then how it would hold back her recovery. “…and Rainbow said you might have an idea of something that could help.”

Twilight pondered, pulling a few books off the shelf seemingly at random as she did, and perused their contents in a flash. She stopped that quickly, clopping her hooves as she came to a conclusion. “Spike, could you please bring me Supernaturals again?”

“Aw, geez, Twi’,” he groaned. “You’ve been using it a whole heap lately; don’t you always say you should use more than one book as a reference and all that?”

”I’m sorry?" Twilight said with a gleeful glint in her eye. "I couldn’t hear you over that dragon pox remedy we found in it.”

Grumbling, he handed over the book and got back to his chores.

“He’s right though,” Twilight whispered, eliciting a giggle.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you think might be able to help?”

“Ever since I found the awakening remedy that we used to wake you up,” the unicorn explained, “I’ve taken a much greater interest in the various cures and tonics to be found in this book. Needless to say…” She trailed off, leaving Fluttershy completely confused. Obviously it wasn’t quite that needless.

“To say what?”

Twilight chuckled sheepishly. “These remedies are 'simply super'.”

She watched as Twilight sped through the pages, smiling thankfully at how easily Twilight had dropped everything she was doing just to help her. She was really lucky to have friends like these. Within a short time, they’d found a number of relevant recipes, but like the awakening potion, many of them would have taken longer than they really had to create. None would possibly be available in the timeframe they needed. Finally though, they found one that looked plausible.

“It looks like this one is meant to drain extra magic from baby unicorns while their horns are growing in, but I’m sure it would work the same on your wings,” she explained, and then noticed something. “Oh, but this one isn’t a potion, it’s an oil. That means that its effects come gradually, not instantly like the potions do, and it has to be applied... directly to the... area...”

They were silent for a while. “That means it’s going to hurt a lot, doesn’t it.”

“At first, yes,” Twilight replied sympathetically. “But it will hurt less and less every time. We can’t hold up your recovery for as long as it would take to do anything else, but you’re strong enough to endure it, Fluttershy. I know you are.”

Fluttershy smiled, but dropped her head.

“Thank you, Twilight, but I’m not so sure.”

“Now Fluttershy, just be brave, alright?” Twilight put a hoof over her shoulders, careful, but not overly so. “Like I said, the pain will go down with each successive use of this oil. You have to trust Rainbow Dash; you know she’ll do everything she can not to hurt you.”

“I know... it’s just…”

“You’re doing great,” Twilight said. “Just think about the operation; the pain won’t be any worse than that.”

That wasn’t really helping.

The operation had been terrible, but she didn’t want to refute her. Fluttershy just nodded, remembering the medicine they’d given her to stop as much of the pain as possible; without that, she feared that this would be much, much worse.

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she looked at the clock on Twilight’s desk. Have I really been here for that long?

Maybe it had taken longer than she’d thought to find that recipe in Supernaturals. On second look, it was a pretty big book. Thinking about the work Twilight was doing to help her got her wondering how Rainbow Dash was faring over at the Spa.

...Hopefully she was having fun.

---

“Gah! Hold still, Derpy! You have to lie down!”

The excited pegasus did just the opposite, flailing her wings about as if they were covered in baked bads. “But it tickles!”

“It doesn’t matter! You’re not... supposed... to move!”

She was promptly ignored.

This is impossible.

She would wrestle down one wing, only for the other to rise again; then when she’d finally manage to get both to a reasonable height, Derpy would roll over, and she’d have to get her all the way back into position again.

In the corner, she could swear she saw Aloe smirking.

“You kinda threw me in the deep end here, you know. You don’t think you could help at all?”

“No, no need. You’re doing very well. Make her relax; it is the first thing, always.”

Dash tried to facehoof, but before she could, Derpy did it for her, knocking her clean off her hooves and giving her a heck of a welt.

“Oops. My bad.”

That’s it. Time for some extreme measures.

Getting slowly to her hooves, Dash looked furiously into Derpy’s eyes, glad that at least one was looking at her. “Look at me,” she said. “I will buy you a dozen muffins if you will just, stop, moving.”

Immediately, both of Derpy’s eyes focused on her with a look of awe, giving her an odd sense that she was some sort of muffin-bearing deity to be worshipped and obeyed. Well, yeah, she kinda was. The pegasus proceeded to lock all of her limbs in place; some were at odd angles, so Dash pushed them down into a more normal position.

Finally!

With that settled, Aloe came over to assist her. Derpy laid still, and Rainbow really hoped that she’d continue to do so.

“Follow along,” Aloe said, then reached a hoof out to the space right between the wings. Dash watched closely for a moment, seeing how the spa pony did it; she made contact and brushed her hooves lightly across the area, stroking in circular motions. Up, then down. Up and down. Rinse and repeat.

This can’t be too tough.

Dash followed suit, placing her hooves on the side Aloe wasn’t working on, then pressed a little harder-

“No, like this. See? Now you try.”

Er, right.

Not pressing at all; just touching. It was easy enough; she mimicked the pattern Aloe used, and a nod from the spa pony told her she was doing well.

They each covered a side of Derpy’s body, coming at last to the wings.

Seconds later, while trying to hold down the maniacally laughing, wildly spasming pegasus, Dash bemoaned her situation once again.

This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

---

Fluttershy got to her hooves as Twilight researched the ingredients needed for the solution, trotting awkwardly in a little circle before finally coming to a stop. “Twilight, can I ask you something?”

“Of course you can! As long as you think I can answer it, at least.”

“Well, um… the thing is…” She pawed the ground, still unsure if she wanted to go through with it. “Last night, Rainbow and I… we… had a fight.”

Twilight’s demeanour instantly dropped from cheery to both concerned and sad. “Oh my- but you were-”

“Um, it was really… because she was scared. Remember all of those bags I was carrying? Well, I… I should have asked for your help. It was all my fault.”

“Oh, Fluttershy…” Twilight stopped her from pacing with a hug. “Would you like to tell me what happened?”

By now Fluttershy was sniffing, tears threatening to breach her eyes. “Well, um, we both yelled at each other, but I think… I think what I said was much worse. She was only shouting because she was scared for me, but I was angry at her, just like at the… at the Gala, or at Pinkie and Rarity that other time. I’m a terrible-”

“No. It’s not your fault.” She rubbed her mane to calm her down. “It’s not really anypony’s fault. It’s just a stressful time for the both of you. Did you really mean any of what you said?”

“…I did then, but I want so much to take it back,” she mumbled, unable to hold the tears any longer.

“Hey now, come on. It’s okay. I’m sure she had good intentions, but… Well, she’s Rainbow Dash,” Twilight laughed. “We both know she’s not the best at controlling her temper.”

“But I’m not either!”

“That isn’t true at all. You just control it too well, I think, and it all comes out at once.”

“But all the things I said...”

Twilight shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

“…I’m not a bad pony?”

“Never. Even the Element of Kindness can be angry sometimes. It isn’t your fault, or anypony’s, and if I know Rainbow at all, this is already water under the bridge.”

“Twilight,” she sobbed. “Thank you so much.”

“You know I’m here for you any time, Fluttershy.”

They stayed in the embrace for a while, Twilight holding her until she felt alright again. “Feel better?”

“A little.”

“Is there anything Rainbow told you to do today?”

“Um, well, she said to find Ace and ask him to help me with some exercises.”

With a quick glance at the clock, Twilight guessed Ace would still be at the courts; it was only a few hours into the afternoon.

“Let’s go together then. I’ll help you find him.”

With a final sniff, Fluttershy put on a brave face. It was amazing how many masks somepony could wear in just one day. “Alright.”

“Spike! We’re going out for a while. Would you mind watching the library?”

A reply that sounded like either a hearty affirmative or a vehement curse word disguised as such trailed down from somewhere above them. Twilight took it as the former, holding the door open for Fluttershy, and together they walked out into the Town Square and were immediately accosted by two fillies.

“Hey Twilight, you haven’t seen Scootaloo anywhere, have ya?” Apple Bloom asked, running up to the pair and coming to a sliding stop only just before hitting them.

“Nope, sorry!”

Sweetie Belle groaned, coming up from behind Apple Bloom. “Think you could keep a lookout for us?”

“Sure,” she replied, then turned to Fluttershy. “If you’d like, I’ll stay with you while you’re with Ace. Not that I don’t trust him, but if something happens to your wing I can teleport us straight to the hospital. Uh, not that I think anything will or anything, but…”

“I’d like that,” Fluttershy said. “Thank you, Twilight.”

“Let’s get going then!”

---

Remind me to never massage Derpy again, Dash moaned to herself while holding her hooves over the welts she’d received. That mare had definitely not earned those muffins.

She hovered slowly out the door of the Spa, her hooves aching from the hard work. She’d never have believed how exerting it was to give a massage; it was like taking all the stress out of them and putting it all on the masseuse.

Or maybe it was just Derpy. Who knows.

She drifted through the air, searching leisurely for her favourite pegasus, all the while trying to soothe her marks of valour. Eventually she found her leaving the tennis courts, accompanied by Twilight.

Good girl.

“Hey Fluttershy, Twilight,” she called. “You doing okay, ‘Shy?”

“Oh, yes. Ace was nice enough to help out. ‘A second warm up never hurt anypony,’ he said.”

“Got that right.” She dreaded the question she was about to ask, but it was all for Fluttershy's sake. “You up for another run?”

“Oh, um, I could try, but, um, I'm kind of…”

“Nah, we won’t bother then.”

Yes!

“Rainbow,” Twilight said sternly. “Fluttershy told me about the argument you both had last night.”

Oh, here we go. She's probably got the wrong idea - it was just a little thing. Nothing major. At all.

But Twilight softened a little, then continued. “I’ll let you two work through it on your own, but I’d like you to know that you can always come to me with any of your problems. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

Dash ran a hoof through her mane and sighed. “I gotcha. But we’re fine now anyway, right ‘Shy?”

As soon as she asked the question, multiple things happened all at once.

Fluttershy hesitated to answer, driving a stake through Dash’s heart. Maybe more damage had been done than she’d thought. Was it so impossible that Fluttershy had lied, just so she’d feel better, and had not forgiven her as easily as she’d thought? Of the pegasus now making herself as small as possible, it was not a far-fetched idea.

At the same time, Twilight jerked her head to the side, her ears twitching at the call of “Gangway!” from just down the road.

Scootaloo, too focused on not hitting the ponies she could see, did not even register that a third pony was directly in her path between her idol and the librarian, and assumed the path was clear, realising far too late that Rainbow Dash's best friend was curled into a ball right in front of her.

Fluttershy’s mask had slipped, and she’d hurt Dash again by the fact that she’d not yet forgiven herself for the things she’d said; head turned downwards and eyes shut, she heard the call, but could not get out of the way in time.

Twilight quickly attempted to make a magical shield around them, but the scooter had already made it through and there was no time to try anything else.

And Rainbow Dash, still reeling from Fluttershy’s painful reluctance to answer, watched in horror as Scootaloo collided into Fluttershy’s side, sending the two pegasi sprawling on the ground.

And then Fluttershy screamed in agony, the impact setting her ablaze, sending blinding shots of pain searing up her wings and all over her body, throbbing, aching, burning, hurting, unbearable, excruciating pain.

Then Fluttershy, thankfully, blacked out.

Chapter 10 - Cleansing

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Hearts Aflutter – Chapter 10

Cleansing

Extreme.

That was a good word. To take everything right to the top, push as far, as fast, as hard as you could, until it just wasn't possible to do anything more.

Today was the day.

No matter what happened, she’d get it done. She’d said the same thing yesterday when she and the girls had gone kayaking, and the day before when they’d tried learning brass instruments, and the day before that, when they’d tried to help Bon-Bon make candy.

But despite their constant failure, she kept her spirits up; one day, something they tried would get her that most coveted of prizes - her Cutie Mark. Her special calling in life, the thing she was most good at, for like... ever.

Sometimes one of them would be surprisingly good at something they tried, but you could just tell it wasn’t their thing. Apple Bloom was pretty good at building and fixing stuff, but she still didn't have her Mark, so it was obviously not right for her. Same with Sweetie Belle and singing - boy, that filly had a voice, but again, the lack of a Cutie Mark was evidence enough that she was not a pop-star to be. Similarly, there were things they tried that clearly none of them were cut out for. Sweetie Belle was never meant to be a hang glider, and Apple Bloom was in no way good at caring for animals.

But Scootaloo could just feel it. Every time she took to the air on her scooter, and every time she almost managed to glide instead of fall, she just knew.

She was meant to be a flier.

She was meant to be extreme.

Scootaloo tapped her helmet, making sure it was in place and steady. Today was the day for sure.

Weeks of preparation had gone into this day, and not even the girls knew about it; she was gonna get her Mark today, and it was gonna be the best surprise when she rocketed up to the clubhouse with awesome branded all over her flank. She’d mapped out the perfect route through Ponyville to get to the highest speed, without having to worry about dodging ponies or turning heaps of corners; she’d go from here, the tall hills just outside town, right through the straightest low-traffic streets in Ponyville, and then onto Mane Street where hopefully, this late in the afternoon, there wouldn’t be so many ponies around. But it was a wide street, anyway - she could just dodge them. Easy peasy. From Mane Street, out the other side of town, and a little to the right, there was a huge cliff with a fairly big drop to the ground below, but nothing she’d get too hurt by if that thing happened that she wouldn’t let herself mention.

As an extra precaution, she’d asked Derpy to lay some clouds there in exchange for a muffin, so if it didn't work she could at least aim for them and not have to worry.

Yeah. This is it. Not gonna fail today – gah! I said it anyway!

Oh well. It’s not happening. I won’t even need those clouds - I'm not gonna fail.

With that, she flared her wings, traced a hoof across the ground, and took off with a buzz, gaining good speed thanks to the steep slope. She knew that, if she flapped hard enough, she’d be able to keep all of the speed she gained here as she scooted the level roads of Ponyville, and she could already tell; if she kept pace she’d be flying by nightfall.

In moments she’d entered the town’s boundaries and, as predicted, the streets were practically deserted. It was a strain to keep up her speed on level ground, but she couldn’t lose any momentum or it wouldn’t work. And it would be so worth it.

Soon enough she found herself on Mane Street. There were a few ponies around, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle - she found it easy to weave a path through them, keeping her turns wide to avoid losing precious speed.

This was definitely her day; she could practically feel herself starting to float into the air, or at least become a little lighter. If she concentrated, she could almost feel the scooter taking a little more time to touch the ground each time it bounced.

Maybe if she just shut her eyes and tried, she’d take off, just like... No, have to keep focused, or else-

Ah horseapples. This might be tight. “Gangway!” she called, but she was already too close to swerve around them without crashing; it was go between them or lose speed. On second look, she saw that it was Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. She knew Dash would understand. Especially once she came back and showed off her new Cutie Mark.

Yeah, so worth it.

Positioning her scooter just right in order to zip between the two ponies, she realised her mistake - far too late. There were three ponies, not two; Fluttershy was right there between them. There was no time to waste; Scootaloo reversed her wing-beats and hit the brakes as hard as possible. She could be sad later, she guessed. Right now, she had to make this crash as small as it could be.

There was nothing dramatic about it, really. She'd slowed down as much as she could have, and she'd been in a couple of collisions worse than this one would be. She felt her scooter hit Fluttershy, watched as she flipped over the other pegasus' back and grimaced as her scooter slammed her head hard into the ground with a crack. That was about it, really.

Her ears rang, but that didn’t stop her. She got up again, swaying and disoriented, but still trying to come up with a decent apology. She should have been more careful. If she’d just been quicker on the brakes...

She began to head back towards Fluttershy, bracing herself for a scolding from probably everypony. Then she realised that the ringing hadn’t stopped, and that... that wasn’t ringing. That was Fluttershy screaming. She was hurt, a lot.

“Whoa, are you okay?” she called, rushing straight to the older mare’s side, but she could barely hear herself speaking. “What’s wrong? Come on!”

She reached out with a trembling hoof, offering what little comfort she could, when suddenly Rainbow Dash leapt straight towards her, an expression of fear and unrepressed anger twisting her face. “Out of the way!” she growled, shoving Scootaloo harshly away. “And don’t touch her!”

She fell hard on her side and didn’t move again, feeling numb, helpless and cold. Fluttershy’s shrill cries of pain chilled her to the bone. A normal crash didn’t turn out like this; she’d hit way harder things going way faster than she had been, and come out with nothing more than a scratch... or maybe a broken leg.

So what happened this time? Why was Fluttershy in so much pain? And why was Rainbow so angry at her?

Why? she asked herself, as she watched Rainbow panic, flitting haphazardly around the screaming mare, calling her name again, reaching out to touch her and pulling her hoof back at the last moment.

Then Rainbow Dash turned her way again.

And Scootaloo was afraid.

---

“You!” she’d shouted. "It's your fault!"

What came after that?

Rainbow Dash barely remembered. It had all been a blur. One second she’d been fretting over Fluttershy, as helpless as she’d been when she started this whole mess – the next second, with a single stroke of her wings, she’d been towering above Scootaloo. The filly’s eyes had narrowed in fear as she looked up at her lifelong idol.

With her hooves raised, angry at everything, furious at the one who had hurt her Fluttershy - the next step had been obvious, if brutal. Hurt the filly, too. She’d been so close to doing it. And she'd wanted to - to really hurt her.

She remembered thinking, if only Twilight hadn't stopped her...

Thank Celestia and Luna that she had.

She jerked, beating her wings a few times to steady herself in the air. After everything she’d been through, she should have known better... and yet she’d been just one more second from hurting somepony again. Somepony who looked up to her. A friend.

She could still feel Twilight’s gaze on her as she was gripped tightly with magic, torn away from Scootaloo and forced to meet the eye of the most powerful unicorn there was, as far as Dash knew. “I’m going to count to three,” Twilight said, keeping calm in the face of adversity; keeping cool for her friends’ sakes. “Then I’m taking Scootaloo and Fluttershy to the hospital."

"And Rainbow Dash...” Her eyes weren’t cold, weren’t angry, as they might have been. Or even should have been, given what she’d been about to do. It definitely wasn’t the reaction Rainbow had expected. No, Twilight’s eyes were full of sadness and compassion as she said, “Come and see them later, when you’re feeling better.”

Twilight had counted out three seconds, looking her dead in the eye - three agonisingly long seconds, showing guts Rainbow had only seen in her a few times before - and then with a flash, she was alone in the street with nothing but aimless fury, and maybe a little later some bystanders who came to see what the screaming was about. But by the time anypony else arrived, the place would have been empty. Twilight, Fluttershy and Scootaloo were gone, and she’d been in up in the air, flying away to... wherever the heck she was now.

Technically, she had tried to follow them, to make sure Fluttershy was okay, and see her into the hospital. But she’d been angry, and Twilight hadn’t let her.

“Is this really how you want them to see you?”

"...No."

Now afternoon had turned to evening; the sky was growing darker and the light grew more golden as time wore on. As she flew through skies she'd rarely ventured into before, she found herself exploring parts of herself that she thought she could hide, too - and even parts she hadn't realised were there.

Now, with some cool air in her lungs, some energy used up and some innocent clouds brutally murdered, she understood. Twilight didn't stop her from hurting a friend. She saved her from hurting herself.

She found herself pondering the same questions, over and over. Could she have forgiven herself if she’d gone through with it? Could Scootaloo or Twilight?

...Could Fluttershy?

And now, she'd come full circle. Fluttershy...

What was it that had come between them this time? She’d seen it in her eyes - and in the way she had glanced away, hesitating to answer. “We’re fine now, right ‘Shy?”

Anypony could have seen how much she'd wanted to say yes. How desperately she wanted that to be true. She probably hated that she couldn’t, but something had stopped her anyway. Dash remembered thinking that maybe ‘Shy didn’t forgive her at all.

She couldn’t think of anything else it could be. For one thing, ‘Shy was pretty much the nicest pony in existence. No way in heck would she ever let anypony off for being mean. Adding to that the fact that all of Fluttershy's problems since she'd woken up had been her fault, one way or another... Dash could just tell. This was her fault too.

There was nothing worse than waking up in a hospital. Except maybe waking up in a hospital, only to find that you can't move your wings anymore, you’ve had about ninety good night’s sleeps straight - not including the days - and that one of your best friends nearly destroyed herself. And she was pretty sure little could come close to waking up and finding out that the same friend had been a tear-streaked, psychotic stalker pony the whole time you were gone, sneaking in to watch you sleep for the past few months. Then to find out she’d been living in your place, too. And then she goes and tells you that she loves you.

Looking back, Dash knew it had all been pretty dumb on her part. And hard to justify.

Heck, for all she knew, Fluttershy might just have been playing along this whole time. Element of Kindness, and all that - Shy’d never do anything to hurt her friends if she could help it. However much she didn’t want to admit it, it was possible that everything up till now had been trying not to hurt her feelings.

With a jolt, Dash remembered how much time Fluttershy had spent hanging out with Twilight in the last few days. She’d even told the unicorn all about their... situation.

Did Twilight know something she didn’t?

She resolved to ask her about it later, when she saw her. But first, she had to thank her; not only for intervening, but for helping Fluttershy get straight to the hospital. She knew there was no other way they’d have gotten her there without hurting her even more.

And maybe... maybe for helping Scootaloo, as well. She'd heard a pretty loud crack, just a moment after the crash itself. While she’d only had eyes for Fluttershy, Twilight must have seen the whole thing. Protection from the crazy rainbow pegasus couldn’t be the only thing that made her take Scootaloo, too.

Rainbow sighed, doing a barrel roll to clear her thoughts. She took a deep breath of the cool, fresh air, forcing a smile onto her face. Pinkie Pie said even a fake smile can turn into a real one sometimes, and Celestia knew she could do with a real smile.

Ah, Squirt...

Scootaloo was just like her. Headstrong, excitable, obsessed with coolness. She’d always laughed at how closely she saw herself reflected in the little filly, but that made the differences between them all the more prominent. She’d been an excellent flier all her life, and she was good enough at everything else that she didn’t need to worry about much at all - she could work hard at what she wanted to, do the work she had to do and then spend the rest of a day sleeping in a tree without anypony being worse off for it. But Scootaloo was different; while she dreamed of the Wonderbolts, the Squirt just dreamed of being able to fly. And if anything, that made her more determined than Rainbow Dash - absolutely adamant that she could be as good as anypony else. Not being able to fly, she pushed herself to prove that she could be just as strong, just as fast - that she had a right to be just as proud, even with her disadvantages.

And Dash knew exactly who the younger pegasus wanted to prove herself to the most. All the times when Scootaloo came to watch her practice, or gushed on and on about how awesome she was - Dash could just imagine the thoughts running through her head at the same time.

Look at me, Rainbow Dash! You’re everything I want to be. I can’t even fly yet, but you just wait! One day, I’ll fly higher than you, faster than you, better than you. I'll prove to everypony that I can be as good as them; but I’ll to prove to you that I can be better. And I’m gonna do it. You watch. Soon, I won’t be that little orange filly you used to know - I’ll win my first race, my tenth, my thousandth. I'll be the next Best Young Flier, and I'll be the next Captain of the Wonderbolts, too! After you, of course. So you just wait.

Rainbow Dash was still waiting, but maybe Scoots was right. Maybe she would be beaten eventually, surpassed by the same kid who used to get covered in tree sap all the time. It was a competitive world, but if anypony could surpass her, it'd probably be Scootaloo.

To be honest, she wasn’t really the best pony to look up to. That filly thought she was the best of the best, but really - what did she have to her name but a boring job, a bad temper and a marefriend who she couldn't stop hurting? She was no hero. She wasn’t even a Wonderbolt yet.

But maybe it wasn’t about that.

And so she decided. She'd be the best she could be, even if that wasn’t as good as some other ponies. Because what really mattered was that that little filly said she was the best and she meant it - cause there was no way in heck that Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to at least try to live up to that kid’s expectations of her.

Even if she didn’t quite believe it herself.

---

It was dark. Shadows danced on the walls, flickering in the soft glow of the moonlight that sifted through the leaves of the tree outside. Judging by what she could see, she was in the hospital again. And she was all alone.

The solitude made the dark seem... darker. Not oppressive, though. She wasn’t scared. But in the quiet, with nopony to talk to and no solace in their company, the light seemed to just drain out of the room, and so did the warmth.

Fluttershy wished Rainbow Dash were there with her. She wished she had been able to tell her that they were ‘fine now,’ especially when Rainbow had so clearly been hiding her own uncertainty all day - pretending to be happy for her sake. What would she think now? That she didn’t forgive her at all?

She regretted being the cause of so much pain - her cruel words ran over and over in her mind, echoing back and forth off the walls of her mind. She was the reason she was alone. Not even Rainbow Dash could stand to be around her, now.

She remembered the explosion of agony as something hit her, and could only wonder if it was some sort of justice; the world’s special way of telling her that if others couldn’t forgive her, she shouldn’t even try to forgive herself.

But suddenly, none of those things mattered.

As she lay alone in the empty hospital room, she just wished it would all be over.

Everything was happening so quickly. She just wanted to run and hide; back to her cozy little cottage and under her comfy little blankets so she could just lay there, where nopony could find her, and take a big, long break.

She also wanted her friends. She wanted Angel Bunny to tell her she’d put too much cucumber in his salad, and Rarity to tell her she was oh-so-beautiful with all her ‘natural grace’. Pinkie Pie would make her laugh - she always did, somehow. And maybe Applejack would bring over a bushel of apples and say hello, like she often did. And Twilight... she could talk to Twilight, and be treated with respect rather than judged. And Twilight would almost always give her a straight answer.

But most of all, she wanted Rainbow Dash. She wished that she could be the mare Rainbow deserved. She wanted to catch up to the filly who’d changed her life, who’d turned her world upside down in a single flash of colour. She wanted to be with her, to fly beside her - to be able to keep up with her and not have to worry that she’d be left behind one day. That, or she wanted to be the solid, dependable thing that Rainbow would always remember and come back home to. One day, she wanted to be able say ‘I love you’ and know that Dash already knew that. That it was everything they were, so much that the words themselves were just a habit and didn't even need to be said.

Soon, her eyelids began to droop, but it seemed sleep wasn’t on the schedule. She busied herself with counting the shifting faces made in the shadows on the wall. Some were happy, some sad. Most were neutral, or barely resembled faces enough to tell. But the faces soon became entire ponies, and the ponies became branches, and the branches became trees, and the trees became clouds, and onto those clouds she flew, in the dead of night, waiting patiently for the sun to rise and become a rose, while a Rainbow made its way towards her.

And with a start she awoke, alone in the wards once more with nopony to greet her. Nopony to throw her a party, or tell her she was loved, or just comfort her with their presence. Nopony to sleep at her bedside and wait for her to wake up. Alone, with nothing but endless thoughts spinning in circles forever, and the faces on the wall that wouldn't let her sleep.

---

“M… ight…”

Twilight wandered through Ponyville, wondering why the rain was falling only on her. There were no clouds in sight, and thus the rain itself was an anomaly which really deserved to be studied. But she had other things on her mind, and her stomach agreed.

“…ss… wilight…”

Oh, what she would do for a daisy sandwich. Those delectable, scrumptious white petals, and some good mayonnaise… But no. This rain would never allow it. Maybe when she got back to the Library, Spike would offer to make her one from the goodness of his cold, draconic heart…

“Miss Twilight!”

She jerked herself awake, looking about the same as any other pony who’d woken up from an uncomfortable sleep; drool leaked from the corner of her mouth, her eyes were somewhat bloodshot from trying to stay awake, and her hair somewhat resembled a porcupine. Of course, only the young nurse-in-training knew that - Twilight herself was ignorant of her new appearance.

The filly shuffled on her hooves, doing her best to remain professional and not laugh, as Twilight’s bed-mane swayed lazily in the air currents circling the waiting room. “You asked me to make sure you were awake exactly one hour before you were allowed to see Fluttershy and Scootaloo, remember? And, uh, there’s uh... There’s a bathroom down that hall and to the right, if you want to, you know. Fix yourself up.”

She saw where the Nurse-To-Be’s eyes were trying not to linger, and past experience told her exactly what it was. She looked up, struggling to catch a glimpse of her mane, knowing already that it was futile. “Is it that bad?”

“Well... yeah. You look like a squatter.”

Twilight Sparkle - Town Librarian, Bearer of the Element of Magic, and newly appointed Squatter of the Hospital Waiting Room - headed straight to the bathroom, led by the younger nurse. What was her name again? Oh well. It didn’t matter.

As she made herself presentable, Twilight reflected on everything that had happened the previous afternoon. In a show of loyalty that Rainbow Dash might be proud of – loyalty, or just plain stubbornness – she had planted her plot and refused to move when they’d said she had to leave. They could at least be grateful she wasn’t sneaking in; in truth, she was there to make sure Rainbow didn’t try exactly that in the middle of the night. She’d decided that to best not disturb the other patients, the first thing she’d do if she saw Dash would be to teleport away with the pegasus in tow, multiple times if need be. She’d been ready to do so all night, just in case. Luckily, it hadn’t been necessary.

Twilight soon found her thoughts wandering to her other friends. Fluttershy was perfectly fine – aside from the obvious, of course. The doctors said that besides the pain she had only sustained a couple of bruises, and nothing that couldn’t be easily take care of - news that Rainbow would no doubt be glad to hear. Scootaloo’s condition had been a bit more serious; as she’d had suspected, the younger pegasus had gotten a concussion, and going into shock couldn’t have helped either. Both of them were fine now, more or less; a good night’s rest was all they had needed.

With her mane at least partially pacified, she left the bathroom and began the long trek back to the waiting room to squat for a while longer. Not long into the journey, a flash of rainbow streaked up beside her.

“Hey,” Dash said, and with a sudden flash of purple magic they found themselves not far from Sugarcube Corner.

Oh no... Twilight sighed as she realised that she’d gone ahead and teleported anyway. She could have said good morning first at least. As soon as the slight disorientation went away, she could see Dash charging up for something. She interrupted whatever it was with a cheery, “Good morning!”

Dash paused, exhaled, and whatever irritation she’d had seemed to dissipate quickly enough. “Yeah, hi. For Celestia’s sake, Twi’, what was that?”

“That was me being startled after spending all night prepared to teleport you out of here - there - so that you don’t wake anypony up. Judging by what nearly just happened, I’d say I wasn’t entirely wrong. ” She laughed as a small blush sprang up on Rainbow’s face. “So, how are you feeling?”

“Better. Besides, that was your fault. I was fine until you zapped us like that.” Suddenly, Rainbow let out a small chuckle. It was a good sign. If she could laugh now, she wasn’t still angry - or she had it mostly under control, which was just as good as far as anypony was concerned.

“They’ll let us in to see them in a little while. You were a bit early.” Nodding to Sugarcube Corner, she asked, “Would you like to get something to eat?”

After a long glance in the direction of the hospital, Dash sighed. “Sure.”

They walked in silence, and as they did Twilight took a moment to observe. There was definitely none of the anger from last night there - at least none she could see. Aside from seeming a little more introspective, Dash appeared to be more or less back to normal.

The bell rang as they walked in, and Rainbow was immediately glomped by a pink ball of joy. “Dashie!”

“Uh, hey Pinkie,” she managed to say, after giving up on any thoughts of escape.

“It’s been so long since I saw you! Where’ve you been? Wait, never mind - you’ve been with Fluttershy. I remember because I was gonna come and visit, but Rarity said you guys needed some special alone time and if anypony knows anything about special things it’s me, and I could just tell that Rarity knew what she was talking about too! So instead of going to visit you I made a surprise party instead, and it’s tomorrow!” Something about that didn’t sit right with her though, and after realising that she’d completely spoiled the surprise, she launched into a tsunami of apologies to herself.

“Pinkie,” Twilight interrupted, breaking her out of the odd little funk she’d been in. ” Do you think you can get Rainbow and I something to eat?”

“Sure!” She put on a gruff workhorse’s voice. “What can Ah do ya for, missy?”

Put off by the sudden change, Twilight took an extra moment to decide. “I’ll just have a cupcake.”

Suddenly Pinkie slipped back into her normal voice, and turned to face her winged compatriot. “And how about you, Dashie?”

“Uh... Do you have anything other than cupcakes?”

“Not today!” Dash facehoofed. “I could make you something if you want.”

“Alright - how quick can you make an apple pie?”

“As quick as a ninja-pony can turn into a lamp!” With that she sped off into the kitchen, leaving her friends to wonder...

“What the heck was she talking about?”

“I have no idea.”

They moved on from that soon enough, instead returning to the subject that had been swirling away in their minds since the day before. Twilight decided to take a seat at one of the tables, while Dash stood nearby, looking around at nothing in particular.

Twilight broke the silence. “Would you like to talk?”

Dash sat down beside her and sighed. “Alright. What do you want to know?”

“First of all; why were you so angry last night?”

“I guess I was just afraid.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, pretty much this whole time I’ve been trying to protect Fluttershy from everything - and then just yesterday I find out that she’s had this problem with her wings since her operation, and she’s been hiding it from me. It kinda changes everything; her recovering is important. She should have told me, instead of trying to do everything herself. I mean, that’s my job! I’m supposed to do everything for her!” She tapped her flank, where the relatively new addition to her Cutie Mark still sat - three small, pink butterflies, just like Fluttershy’s. “Anyway, right after she told me, this stupid crash happened and I couldn’t even do anything about it. And then I blew up.”

Twilight nodded. She had been doing some thinking after all. “But what were you angry at?”

Dash sighed. “Me, I guess, and... maybe with Fluttershy just a little.”

“And Scootaloo?”

“...Yeah.” She looked away, not meeting her eye, and Twilight could sympathise.

“But I’m not angry anymore! It was an accident; she’s too much like me, and I wouldn’t crash into somepony on purpose. Something happened, or she made a mistake, and it just sucks that she hit ‘Shy instead of me or you. But stuff happens that we can’t really control – I know that better than anypony, I guess.”

“What about before that? You asked Fluttershy if you two were ‘okay,’ and she couldn’t answer.”

“I don’t know. I was hoping you’d know – she did tell you what was going on, right? I mean, she didn’t just... you know, say it happened and then chicken out on the story?”

“She told me everything,” Twilight replied. “I know why she couldn’t answer you, but to be honest, I don’t think you’d believe me.”

Rainbow Dash flatlined, levelling her eyes as if to say, ‘Are you kidding me?’

“If I could guess I wouldn’t have asked you for help in the first place.”

“Okay, let me put it this way; you two had an argument and, as a result, something isn’t right between you - things aren’t quite as good as you want them to be.”

Rainbow nodded. That was easy to follow.

“Let’s say, also, that whatever the cause of your trouble is, it lies with either you or Fluttershy. Whose fault is it, whatever this is?”

“Mine.”

Twilight smiled wryly, hardly surprised at all. “How do you figure?”

“She could never do anything I wouldn’t forgive her for. It has to be something I did.”

“Of course. And in any other case, that might be true. But she also forgives you, Rainbow Dash.” She nodded and took a bite from her cupcake, thinking intently about how to prove what she was trying to say. “The thing is, you have moved on. But has she?”

“I don’t know! Geez, why can’t you just tell me straight out?”

“I’m in the process! Just listen. I’ll lay it out again; you argued, you kissed and made up, and you both forgive each other and love each other, and everything should be perfect.”

With a grumpy huff, Dash said, “So, what’s wrong? We should be cool, right? The whole thing is in the past.”

“That’s where you’re slightly wrong. It’s just water under the bridge for you, but for her, it’s different.”

“What do you mean?”

“Fluttershy is, for all intents and purposes, the Spirit of Kindness, Rainbow Dash. She can’t just say something she considers cruel, or even simply unkind, and let it go like you can. She still hasn’t forgiven herself.”

“...Oh.”

For a while, Rainbow didn't reply, just letting it sink in. It was a lot to think about.

It was also incredibly obvious. She’d thought earlier about how ‘Shy never let anypony off for being mean - it just hadn’t occurred to her that Fluttershy had done something mean, because it wasn’t even her fault in the first place. But of course she’d be the one to get angry at herself over it, even if she wasn’t to blame. As a matter of fact, that was probably a fault in itself – one of very, very few, as far as she was concerned.

Minutes passed, and she pondered all the implications of that. She realised that, between this and her thoughts the night before while she was cooling off, she was learning a lot about Fluttershy and their relationship - things that had really skipped her mind the first time around. It was just sad that this had to be the reminder for it all.

Suddenly, Pinkie popped up and dumped a steaming hot apple pie at their table, smiling as she said, “One pie, a bunch of apples and a whole lot of heart! At least, that’s what Applejack says apple pies are made of. I put some sugar and honey in there too, just in case.”

“Thanks,” Dash said. “Do you have a bag or something? I want to take some for ‘Shy, too.”

“Uh-huh!” As she scurried off, Twilight stood.

“We should probably go. We’ll be able to visit Fluttershy and Scootaloo soon.”

“Oh, right.” They headed towards the door, waiting for Pinkie to return.

She did, and as they said goodbye and left she called out, “Dashie! Forget everything I said about the surprise party tomorrow!”

Dash struggled to remember it in the first place. To be honest, she hadn’t been listening anyway. “Uh... what surprise party?”

Pinkie winked. “I like the way you think.”

Sure...

As they walked back to the hospital, Twilight asked, "So what are you going to do?"

"Huh?"

"With Scootaloo,” she continued. "I'm leaving it up to you to handle it. After all, you’re practically a big sister to her. She’ll listen to what you say. So again; how are you going to deal with this? That filly needs to learn her lesson - a trip to the hospital might do the trick for some ponies, but if she's as much like you as we both know she is..."

Dash nodded. "If she's anything like me there's no way she'll learn just from a bump on the head.”

"Right. I trust you'll do the right thing."

It wasn't often that these sorts of things fell on Rainbow Dash's shoulders, but she knew why why it had to be the case this time. Being one of the few people Scootaloo truly looked up to, whatever she said would be taken seriously. Anything she told the filly to do, she'd likely do it; any advice she gave, or any criticism, would be taken to heart for better or worse. She wondered if this was how parents felt all the time. It was an odd feeling.

A thought struck her, and she turned again to the unicorn beside her.

"Are Scootaloo and Fluttershy in different rooms?"

"I think so. Why?"

Darnit.

"Uh... who should I go and see first?"

“That's a tough question. You need to talk to both of them, I think, but at a guess I'd say you'll choose Fluttershy anyway."

She was probably right. There were things that needed to be worked out between them - and, you know, she really wanted to see her marefriend again. She wasn't even gonna deny it - no matter what Twilight or anyone said about it just being a scare, or told her that ‘Shy was okay, she had to see for herself. Also, while she wasn’t worried about anything she herself had done anymore, she was definitely worried about ‘Shy. That filly filly had been getting too worked up about everything - they both had, really. They just needed to slow down and take a breather. get things back on track.

And then there was Scootaloo. There was no lack of things to clear up there, either; she'd just about scared the feathers off the poor filly. And who could blame her for being afraid, when her hero blamed her for something that was really just an accident? Aside from that she'd actually been injured, not just hurt. Beneath her mostly dissipated frustration was a film of worry, which she’d only noticed hours after the incident. It had been too late then, though - she'd been off in the sky, while the Squirt was sleeping all her troubles away.

It was a large responsibility that Twilight had given her - to teach a filly a lesson. To tell the truth, she had no idea what to do about it. She needed time to think - and who better to think with than Fluttershy? After they cleared the air between them, Fluttershy could help her figure some stuff out. Or if not, even just having her there would probably help.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm seeing 'Shy first."

Twilight chuckled. "Then I'll go and keep Scootaloo company until you get there."

Dash nodded, and they continued on to the hospital, where their friends were waiting.

---

Rainbow Dash would be here soon. And when she was, everything would be okay. Rainbow made everything okay, and even if things went bad she always tried her best to fix it.

Fluttershy had been up all night, she realised. Waiting, waiting, watching the sun rise slowly. Promising herself that Rainbow would come. Because to be honest, she really wasn’t sure anymore. The sunlight was like the exact opposite of her thoughts; pure and clear, as opposed to murky and muddled.

What could she say? She'd hurt Rainbow Dash because of something she couldn't deal with herself, and doing so found yet another way that she could wound her closest friends.

What kind of comfort could she offer? How could she apologise? "I'm so sorry, Rainbow - it's not you. It's me." True, but terrible. It was like one of those badly written romance novels she and Rarity loved to laugh at on their spa days. Nothing that cheesy could ever achieve anything worthwhile - it’d probably just make things worse.

Perhaps a simple "I love you," might do. But no - It wasn't as if those three words fixed everything. If only it were that simple.

She wished her thoughts were like the sunlight was now, aside from the headache it was causing her. Maybe if she could think straight, she could figure out what to do. Or maybe, she thought, as her eyelids began to droop and she felt the onset of sleep again, it would all become clear after a short nap.

...Or not.

"Knock knock," Dash called, entering the room slowly.

She came!

She looked around for a moment, before her eyes finally rested on her marefriend, bedridden and probably a mess. But, while she couldn't keep the worry out of her expression, a small, weary smile still crept onto her face. Fluttershy was okay, and nothing else mattered right then.

"Hi," she replied, immediately regretting it - it sounded so awkward. "Um... How has your day been?"

For some reason Rainbow's smile got a little bit bigger, and she let out a little laugh. How she could smile at all when she was standing in the same room as a pony she had every right to ignore, Fluttershy had no idea.

"Better, now that I'm with you." That made even less sense. Nevertheless, Dash trotted around to the bedside and gave her a tentative but warm hug. "I love you."

Her breath hitched. I love you.

That was a good thing, right? But then, why did it seem... bittersweet? It was lovely to hear them - those three words she’d come to adore, the ones she looked forward to every day...

But for some reason she couldn’t explain, she felt afraid. Suddenly, she didn’t want to let go, and so she didn’t let Rainbow pull away from the hug.

"I love you too." For a while they just held each other. It was nice, not having to worry about anything. But of course, it couldn’t last forever.

"Uh... Well...”

Rainbow was here, and she was going to make everything better... or was she? It seemed like she was avoiding something. A very important something. Maybe something she didn’t really want to talk about.

“I... uh.”

It must be something terrible, she thought, scrunching her eyes up and trying to prepare for the worst.

“I got you some apple pie.”

Fluttershy’s jaw nearly dropped at the absurdity of that statement, even as Dash managed to leave her hooves, serve a slice of pie, and put it on the table beside her. The polite thing to do was to thank her - which she did. But she could tell she was still avoiding whatever it was.

“Uh... yeah. Oh man, how do I say this?"

"Say what?" Fluttershy was so nervous that even those two words were hard to get out. She was really afraid now; what was it, that Rainbow Dash herself was scared to talk about?

"Well, I think..." Rainbow took a breath, trying to choose her words carefully. "We need to talk about some things, I guess."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she took a moment to reply. "Um, w-what sort of things?”

"It's just... just something that I need to do, okay?"

That wasn’t helping at all. A lump formed in her throat, and she looked away. She feared that if she looked into those pools of magenta and saw rejection...

"I'm sorry," Rainbow said. "Not for yesterday, or the day before - well, yeah, I still am sorry for that. But I mean for... well, for pushing you so hard, so fast."

She tried to keep a level head, even as thoughts of terrible, terrible things blitzed her tired mind. She and Rarity had always laughed at how badly written those romance novels were, but this was exactly how the break-ups always went. If just one of them was even a little bit realistic...

“I’m sorry I took things so quickly,” he said, but his apology had come far, far too late, and she humphed, turning away so that she didn’t have to look at his big ugly face. For what had come after his ‘quickening,’ there could be no forgiveness. Ever. “I never should have drunk all of your booze, or slept with your sister. I realise now that I’m really not fit to be with anypony, so... I’m leaving. I hope you find somepony better than I was. This is goodbye.”

Goodbye. The thread of fear wound itself a little tighter. If this became like one of those stories... If Rainbow Dash said that word...

She might never be able to laugh again.

"Twilight's helped me realise some things, and I’ve had a lot of time to think anyway. Kinda. Can you believe that with all that’s gone on, we've only been marefriends for like a week or two? After I nearly lost you, I told myself I'd tell you I love you no matter what, whether you loved me or not. It was pretty much the first thing I said to you, after three months. How were you meant take that, when you pretty much just came back from- you know, just woke up?”

“B-but I did love you,” she said, but she still couldn’t look out from behind her curtain of pink. “I... I do love you.”

“It still wasn't fair on you. You needed some time to adjust to everything; you were gone for so long, and with everything that happened... I mean, you still can’t even fly! And then I had to go and put myself into all that, too? I haven’t exactly been thinking of you as much as I should have been, and I’m sorry."

“I-it’s not your fault,” she replied. Like so many times before, she was glad of her mane’s length - but she was sad, too. She’d never expected to have to hide from Rainbow Dash.

“It wasn't the best thing to do. I rushed you into everything - being with me, deciding to have the operation, your therapy stuff - I was even rushing myself, trying to get you back to normal as soon as possible. And you wanted that too. We just went speeding ahead together, off to who knows where. And look where a tiny little bump in the road has gotten us. Thing is, ‘Shy… I think we need to slow down a little."

“I wasn’t thinking of you at all, and that’s my fault. So, you know, I think we should take some time off. You know... not with each other.”

The lump in her throat suddenly became a good deal larger, and her eyes began to tear up. Those poorly-written stories were more realistic than she’d ever realised - here she was, taking the brunt of something she’d laughed at so many times before, and it was heartwrenching and painful.

Rainbow laughed and patted her on the back. "One day we’ll get you back in the air, for sure. But it doesn't have to be any time soon. What do you say we just take it easy? Heck, look how tired we are just getting everything ready for you to learn to fly again. And we didn't even hit the hard stuff yet. For now you just need to rest. Go see Pinkie Pie or Rarity. They’ve been wondering where we've been all week."

She didn’t want to ask. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, and have them dashed. Was this breaking up and trying to be nice about it, or was it just like Rainbow said - that they just needed a breather? She didn’t want to ask. But she did anyway.

"W-what about us?"

"Well, I think I sorta skipped a few steps when I moved in with you before we even started dating, and I kinda technically still have to rebuild my place as well.” Dash laughed suddenly, quite happily. "There's another thing we should be doing. Going on dates and stuff! We haven’t done that even once. Seriously, what kind of marefriend am I? I'm screwing everything up."

Fluttershy sniffed, prepared to cry, and then stopped dead in her tracks. Should be going on dates?

She couldn’t help it - she peeked out from behind her mane, looked into her best friend’s eyes, and all of her fears unwound themselves. This time, to Dash’s worry and astonishment, she did cry. But she definitely wasn’t sad. As Rainbow fretted, wondering what the heck she’d done this time, Fluttershy hugged her again and smiled.

“I love you.” That was all that really needed to be said.

Rainbow Dash relaxed, then leaned in a little and kissed her forehead. “I love you too.”

Perhaps those three words were more powerful than she’d thought. They might not fix everything, but they were definitely a good starting point.

Deep down inside, there was a part of her that was still sad and bitter and regretful - locked inside a cage with everything she wished she never done. It was the same part that still cried about what she’d done at the Grand Galloping Gala, and that time with Rarity and Pinkie Pie and all those other ponies she’d been horrible to, the day she learned ‘assertiveness’ from Iron Will.

But something was changing.

She loved Rainbow Dash. And what was love? Trust, maybe? It definitely needed that to last long. If love was offering up her heart and soul, trusting somepony else with everything she was, good and bad, wasn’t that just like giving them the keys to that cage of regret? If she wanted to give all of herself to somepony, didn’t that give them right to forgive her… for her?

Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she’d have to live with her regrets for a while longer. But at least, in Rainbow’s warm embrace, they were easy to ignore. Rainbow Dash didn’t care what she’d done - she loved her, regardless. Rainbow Dash would protect her, and make everything better. She’d not been wrong in thinking that.

And soon, melting into Rainbow’s arms, Fluttershy at last fell into a good, long sleep.

---

"Hey," Dash called as she walked inside the room. At the sound of her voice both Twilight and Scootaloo looked her way. They both looked happy enough, but Scootaloo also seemed a touch apprehensive. It wasn't all that surprising.

Normally she might have squealed, or yelled, or been otherwise excited that Rainbow Dash herself came to see her in hospital - but there was none of that now. Just a passive look that probably hid a whole storm of worries.

"I'll leave you two alone then," Twilight said, moving from the bedside to join Rainbow at the door. "I hope you're feeling better soon, Scootaloo!"

With that she left, and Rainbow made her way into the room, looking around before meeting Scootaloo's eyes and smiling a little too widely. Even after working out her own worries with Fluttershy, this was far more awkward than she'd imagined it would be.

"Heya kiddo." At least that had come out right.

Scootaloo was looking a little the worse for wear, but nothing terrible - a little pale, maybe, with a fairly nasty bruise on the back of her head. She could relate; she'd had no shortage of those.

"Hey Rainbow Dash," came the reply at last, after a pause that was a bit too long.

"Look, uh... I..." Darnit. This really wasn't going well. Even worse, Scootaloo was meeting her eye - it was hard enough to apologise face to face, but this... Something about today and awkward topics was killing her usually sterling social abilities. But maybe if, like with Fluttershy, she could at least get the important part out, then it might get easier afterwards.

"I'm sorry. For last night. And I'm not angry with you - it was wrong that I was angry at all. Uh... yeah. Sorry."

Scootaloo sat observantly, scrutinising Dash’s sincerity from what could only be every possible angle.

"It's cool, I guess. I'm sorry for hitting Fluttershy, too. Is she alright?"

"She's fine - she's just down the hall actually. And it's not your fault - we both know it was an accident, so we'll just leave it at that."

There was a slightly awkward pause in the conversation. "Saying sorry is tough," Rainbow huffed.

Scootaloo broke into a smile. "Who cares about all that anyway? Stupid namby-pamby apologies." She faked a gag, and then sat back proudly. "You came to see me! That's awesome."

"Yeah," Dash said half-heartedly - and then, realising that was a good thing, she adjusted her tone. "I mean, heck yeah!"

"You know what? This totally makes my headache worth it."

They both laughed. "So we're cool?"

Scootaloo sputtered, as if it was something completely incomprehensible to her. "You're like, the top of the Cool Chain! How can you not be?"

"Heh, got that right!"

They were silent again for a while, but it was friendlier this time. Both of them were genuinely enjoying each other's company, now that the air was clear between them.

Dash was actually thankful it had all gone smoothly. She still hadn't decided what to actually do about all this – her own worries had been fairly prominent all day long. Seriously though, how could she teach a lesson she'd not really learned herself? She'd always learned through evasion; if the streets and cramped airspaces of Ponyville weren't the best places for flying, then a field on the outskirts would have to do instead. No reason to change her behaviour, only where she practised - and for the most part, it worked. And she couldn’t really punish the filly that badly; accidents were accidents, and even when she'd been hurt herself, Scootaloo had tried to help Fluttershy as well. This wasn't something that bad - it just needed to not happen again.

"What were you scootin' through the streets for anyway?"

Scootaloo blushed lightly, her slightly pallid face showing a little more red than it probably would have, if she'd been in better condition. "I was trying to fly."

Dash already knew where the story was headed. Regardless, she played oblivious to lighten the mood a little. "You know scooters don’t fly, right?"

"No! Gah!" The filly sat back, before meeting her eye, and they both started to laugh. "You know the cliff at the edge of Ponyville? You saved that foal in the carriage there one time, remember?"

"Yeah, I know the one."

"I was gonna go over it at top speed, and maybe learn to fly. Maybe get my Cutie Mark too."

Dash nodded. She'd suspected something like that. Anyway, this was perfect - maybe she couldn't teach a lesson after all. Maybe she didn't have to. What worked for her would definitely work in Scootaloo's favour too - all they had to do to make sure she never crashed into anypony on her scooter again was to take out the scooter. If she could fly, there was nopony in her way to worry about - most of the time at least. And maybe this could work to her advantage as well.

"Thing is, Scoots... Pegasi aren't like birds. We don't learn to fly by falling out of trees, or off cliffs in your case. You might have gotten some pretty good air, and I know you can glide a little, but it wouldn't have worked. You need to have your wings at just the right angle, with just the right spread - you've gotta adjust for air currents and all that. It takes time. It takes practice. Stupid birds can do it from like the day they're born, but we're just ponies with wings. We don't need ours to live like they do. So anyway, moral of the story; no more jumping off cliffs."

Scootaloo blushed again. "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

"Good. Second thing is that this can't happen again. Twilight explained what happened with Fluttershy, right?" At the Squirt's nod, she continued. "That's not always gonna happen. Probably. But you still can't go scooting through the streets like that, because crashing into other ponies just really isn't good."

"I know."

"Good. Last thing - even though you were hurt as well, and you tried to make it better, there's still gotta be some consequences. Nothing major, of course - it's not like you killed anypony or anything."

"What is it?"

"Me and Fluttershy are in the middle of some serious stuff - she can't fly, so it's my job to help her learn how again. And the way I figure it, I could probably use an assistant. That's you, kiddo."

She fought to keep a straight face as Scootaloo pouted, then shot her a look about as flat as Applejack had been when she planted her face into the ground from the top of that tower.

She barely held back a laugh at the memory. Celestia, that was funny.

"How could I help? I can't fly either you know."

Okay, back in gear.

"That's just the thing, isn't it? I'm pretty sure you're gonna help me no matter what goes down, but you're right - I can’t really use anypony who can't fly."

When the filly's face suddenly turned crestfallen and not just slightly hurt, Dash decided to stop fooling around and get to the point. "Yeah, that settles it I guess. No can do - no way, no how. Not when you’re stuck on the ground like you are.”

One final pause, for awesome dramatic effect.

"So we're just gonna have to fix that."

For a moment, neither pony said a word. Their eyes were locked together for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was just a few moments.

Scootaloo raised her eyebrows disbelievingly.

The best pony in existence nodded.

All was right with the world.

---

With a flurry of nervous activity, Redheart roused herself from what had previously been a rather slow day. Something was wrong - seriously wrong.

“Somepony’s screaming! Where’s it coming from?”

Nursery Rhyme, the youngest nurse on staff, beckoned her over and pointing up a hallway. “It’s coming from over here! Come on!”

They rushed corridors, unsure what they’d find - but they feared the worst. That scream was... bloodcurdling. When they stopped in front of Scootaloo’s room, Redheart spoke, her nurse’s authority kicking in. “Rhyme, go and get the doctor. I’ll see what I can do here.” The filly galloped off, and she nodded, preparing for whatever she’d find in there.

Just as she entered the room, the screaming stopped. What she saw definitely hadn’t crossed her mind as a possibility, but upon seeing the room’s other occupant it wasn’t really a surprise.

Rainbow Dash was stretched as far forward as she could possibly go, her hoof shoved into the filly’s mouth to shut her up and a shocked expression plastered onto her face. Scootaloo herself looked trapped in complete and utter bliss, her eyes wide and sparkling like the night sky.

Nopony moved. Slowly, the shock drained away from Dash’s face, leaving it mostly blank. She removed her hoof carefully, but the screaming started again and she put it back.

Redheart stood still, caught in a mixture of astonishment and frustration, and watched as a moment later Rainbow tried again - but it was no use. A moment later, she tried again. And again. And yet again.

Finally, she appeared to give up, and turned to the open window.

Redheart didn’t even bother trying to stop whatever ridiculous plan was forming Rainbow Dash’s mind. She doubted she’d achieve anything, even if she did.

“Scoots,” the pegasus said. “I’m gonna take my hoof away one more time.

The filly nodded, seeming to calm down just a little.

“Whatever you do... Do. Not- COME ON FILLY, GET ON MY BACK! WE GOTTA SCRAM!”

Out the window and into the air they flew, laughing like foals. Redheart sighed, went back to her desk, and checked the filly out from the hospital’s books. Scootaloo would’ve been allowed to leave soon anyway.

Elsewhere Dash dipped in the air, repositioning her passenger to balance herself. She looked back at the filly, who grasped her tightly even as she looked down at the ground so far below in wonder. Finally when they were a good distance away, they set down in the grass. There they sat motionless for a while, until their eyes met.

They just couldn’t help it - they broke out laughing.

Laughter was good.

~~~~~

A/N~~

How's that, folks? A chapter ended nicely for once!

I'd like to extend a huge hand of thanks to Ariamaki, Professor Piggy, ALSilvertongue, and of course, each and every one of you for sticking with me so long - especially after such a bad cliffhanger.

I do apologise.

Also, if anyone's interested, ALSilvertongue is putting his services as an editor up for grabs:
"First story free to all writers! Anything but scat! Tasteful vore only! Dark okay, but prefer happy endings! Pie!"

Thanks so much for reading, everyone - it wouldn't be the same without you.

- MS