//------------------------------// // I Miss You, Rainbow Dash // Story: Friendship is Forever // by pabrony //------------------------------// 'Huh?' thought Rainbow Dash as she woke up slightly confused. 'My wing is healed? But it was shattered a little bit ago...' She sat up on the edge the bed, grabbed her robe, stepped into her turtle slippers and headed for her morning shower. She turned on the water and noted that it went straight to her preferred temperature without having to fight with the knobs. 'Okay, this is getting weird,' Rainbow thought becoming more confused. 'I have never had my shower go straight to the perfect temperature.' She hopped in the bathtub and let the warm water flow over her multi-colored mane. She extended her left wing straight up and began preening her feathers. While he didn't mind the preening because it was normal for pegasi, the fact Rainbow did it in the shower and left the damaged feathers in the drain, a habit she had done for years, drove Thundercloud nuts. After finishing her left wing, she carefully moved her right wing expecting to have a searing pain from it being broken, but was surprised a the lack of pain after fully extending it. 'Okay, while this is awesome that I have no pain in my wing, there is something really weird going on,' she realized. She finished her preening and subsequently left her feathers in the tub. Rainbow then lathered her body up in her favorite mixed berry scented shampoo before rinsing off and climbing out of the tub to dry off. She nearly flew into the ceiling in shock when she opened the bathroom door, because standing outside the door was Princess Luna. "I am sorry for startling you, Rainbow Dash," Luna said as Rainbow Dash landed and bowed before her. "I noticed that you are having some difficulty figuring out what is going on and I'm here to help you out." "Ok, so what is going on?" Rainbow impatiently asked. "I gotta be dreaming if you're here, right?" "Not exactly..." Luna replied, somberly. Fluttershy stood next to Rainbow Dash's parents as a line of ponies stopped by each one to give their condolences. Even though she technically wasn't family, Rainbow's parents asked her to stand with them, Thundercloud and Thunder Dash during the wake because of how close her friendship was to their daughter. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were stained from the amount of crying she had done throughout the day. After the wake was over, Fluttershy went to home to get some rest so that she would be rested up for the funeral tomorrow afternoon. "I'm going miss you, Rainbow," she quietly said as she looked toward the sky. Fluttershy then slowly made her way into her cottage where she was greeted by all her animals. While she fed them, she couldn't shake the words that were said to her three days earlier. It was a stunt that went wrong. Nothing more. She misjudged her distance as approached the ground. That's it. I suggest you leave... NOW! The thought of her god-filly attacking her over a simple question had been giving her nightmares for the last few days. Her friends had been there for her at the hospital after the incident to calm her down, but since then they've seemed to forget about her since. After feeding the animals inside and removing her funeral gown, Fluttershy walked outside to feed the chickens and that's when she noted the rope swing hanging from a nearby tree. Luna had just left Rainbow's house after delivering the morbid news, when Rainbow Dash heard a crash come from her kitchen. 'What the hay is going on now?' she wondered as she got up from her armchair. She entered the kitchen ready to pounce on whatever was in there. Although from what Luna had told her, nothing should be in her house that she didn't want. So when she saw the source of the crash, it nearly knocked off her hooves. "Fluttershy? Is that really you?" Rainbow asked the pony in question. "Um, yes," the shy pegasus replied. "What are you...?" Rainbow inquired before seeing something catch her eye. "What is that mark around your neck?" "Well you see, um, I was outside a few days ago after your wake and, um, well..." Fluttershy nervously told her. Tears began to form in the eyes of the former Wonderbolt as she interrupted her friend. "Flutters, you didn't try doing what I'm thinking, did you?" she asked. "Yes, I did," Fluttershy responded, quieter than normal. "But... why?" "When you were still in the hospital, Thunder Dash wouldn't tell anypony what happened," Fluttershy began. "When I visited the second day, I tried asking again what happened. She got really mad, pinned me against the wall by my neck and yelled at me to go away. Everypony else tried helping me calm down but I've been having terrible nightmares ever since then. I just couldn't take it anymore." "Okay, first, I'm really sorry about Thunder Dash," Rainbow said as a couple stray tears landed on the floor. "Second who found your body? Because there's no way it time for you to go." "How do you know I'm not supposed to be dead?" Fluttershy asked. "Because Luna just explained to me that when it's your time to die, all injuries you aquire when you're alive are instantly healed. That includes bruises and scars." Rainbow Dash told her. "And considering you have a bruise around your neck, this isn't your time." "How will I know when it's-" Fluttershy started to say before a bright light filled her vision. "I have a heartbeat," someone shouted, sounding relieved. "Let's get her loaded up." Fluttershy had just enough strength to lift her right eyelid about halfway to see a sea blue pony in a white coat carrying her on a stretcher and Vinyl Scratch standing by the medical wagon with a distressed look on her face. What happened? Fluttershy asked herself in her head. I went Rainbow's funeral... I came home... I talked to Rainbow Dash in her house... and now I'm on my way to the hospital... "She gonna be okay, Yo?" she heard Vinyl say before losing consciousness once more. "I think so," one of the medics told her. "The doctor will be able tell you for sure after we get her to the hospital." "Can I hitch a ride with ya?" Vinyl asked the medics. "I'll stay outta the way, my stallion." "Only if you are family," the second medic responded. "She's my marefriend," Vinyl told them after taking a deep breath. "Bout time you woke up, Critter Lover," said a relieved Vinyl Scratch. "I've been freaking out hoping you'd be cool." Fluttershy was still extremely weak and the pain around her neck prevented her from saying more than a couple words at a time. "Can I have..." Fluttershy whispered in a hoarse voice, "quill and parchment... to talk." "Okay," Vinyl answered excitedly. "Back in a flash." That was odd. Why did I see Rainbow Dash after I jumped out of the tree? she wondered. She almost seemed mad at me for being there. Vinyl returned a few minutes later with the items Fluttershy requested and set the parchment on her chest and set the quill in Fluttershy's mouth so she could write what she wanted to say. How long have I been in here? "I found you two days ago," Vinyl told her. "The medics said if I was any later, they wouldn't have been able to revive you." That explains why Rainbow Dash said I wasn't supposed to die right now. You found me in the nick of time. "Rainbow Dash talked to you? That's some heavy stuff," Vinyl said in disbelief. Yeah, she did. We were in her kitchen and she was completely healed up. It was so surreal. "That freakin' rocks you talked to her though," replied Vinyl. I'm getting tired. Can we talk later? I love you, Scratchie. "I love you too," Vinyl told her as she gave Fluttershy a soft kiss on the lips. "Sleep tight my critter lover." "Thank you for visiting me while I was recovering for the last moon, Scratchie," Fluttershy told her special somepony as she rode through waiting room. "I don't know why I didn't think about talking to you. You're my marefriend." "You can always confide in me with no worries," Vinyl told her as she nuzzled her cheek. "I've been driving Tavi nuts at night trying to get a song written for you." Fluttershy felt a tear of joy trickle down her face when the love between the two ponies showed through the warm smile of the white unicorn. "I gotta idea Flutters," Vinyl continued. "Let's head on over to Sugarcube Corner and get you one of your favorite cupcakes." "That would be wonderful," Fluttershy softly said. "I haven't had any fresh sweets except those donuts you smuggled in a couple days ago." After the two ponies made their way Sugarcube Corner for a light snack, they back to Fluttershy's cottage so she could settle into her new routine. "I want thank you and the girls for taking care of the animals," Fluttershy said as she nuzzled Vinyl Scratch's neck. "Hey, you're worth it, critter lover," Vinyl responded as she nuzzled her back. "Eeep!" Fluttershy squeaked after viewing the scene inside her cottage.