//------------------------------// // Opening Old Wounds // Story: The Walls Came Tumbling Down // by Dianwei32 //------------------------------// The Walls Came Tumbling Down Chapter Seven Opening Old Wounds By the time Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash reached the former’s home, Celestia’s sun was approaching its peak in the sky. The flight back from Sweet Apple Acres had taken longer than the trip there, primarily due to the lack of urgency in reaching their destination. As the pair alighted in front of the cottage, they were greeted by a displeased Angel Bunny furiously tapping his foot. “Sorry, Angel.” Fluttershy apologized. “I know I forgot to set out your food before I left. It’s been... an eventful morning.” She cast a glance over her shoulder at Dash, who promptly blushed and looked away. The pink-maned mare giggled to herself. She’s cute when she’s flustered. You do realize you can’t put off talking about yesterday forever, right? The treacherous voice rose in her head. Can’t I just be happy for five minutes without you coming in the spoil it? Is that really too much to ask? Fluttershy let out an inaudible sigh and opened the door to the cottage. She trotted inside and headed for the kitchen to prepare Angel’s breakfast. Halfway across the living room, she noticed that Dash was still standing outside. “Are you coming in Dash?” Fluttershy turned and cocked an eyebrow. “Uh, yea. Sorry, it’s just that...” Dash shuffled her hooves across the threshold, trailing off into silence. Her eyes rose and fixed on the sheared rope still hanging from the ceiling, then determinedly fell back to the floor. See? Be quiet. Fluttershy scolded herself. “Let me get Angel’s breakfast ready and then we can talk, okay?” She turned to head back to the kitchen. She was preparing a carrot salad for Angel when a question floated in from the living room. “Hey ‘Shy, what are these letters out here? This one’s addressed to me and the other...” A slight rustle of parchment sounded as Dash picked up the suicide notes from the table. Fluttershy’s eyes shot open as she realized what was going on. She sprinted back into the living room, swiping the letters out of Dash’s hooves. “Ha ha ha... those are... nothing. Nothing at all.” The canary pegasus promptly sat on the letters, preventing any further attempts to read the contents. Angel Bunny reappeared in the doorway to the kitchen, a scowl on his face. “Fix your own bucking breakfast Angel, momma’s busy.” Fluttershy hissed. The rabbit threw his paws up in frustration and hopped into the kitchen. Dash watched the exchange with a bemused smirk. “Oh... those are...” Rainbow’s smirk faded as she realized what the notes were. Her whole body slumped as she remembered the purpose of coming back to the cottage. The prismatic mare slowly walked over to the couch and laid down. She sighed. “Well... no sense putting it off. Let’s talk, ‘Shy.” Dash patted the couch next to her. Oh, I’m sure this will go over well. Shut up shut up shut up! Fluttershy shook her head to clear it as she walked over to the couch, leaving the notes crumpled on the floor. She climbed onto the couch next to Dash, but both looked off to the side, unable to meet the other’s gaze. The silence stretched on uncomfortably, only to be broken when Dash muttered something inaudible. “What was that? I... I couldn’t hear you.” Fluttershy placed a hoof on the brash pony’s shoulder, surprised to feel her shaking slightly. “How could you?” Dash turned to face Fluttershy, tears running down her cheeks. Her face was a mask of unfiltered pain and anguish. “How could you do something like that to us? To your friends? To me?” Rainbow’s voice was barely a whisper by the end. “Dash...” Fluttershy pleaded. “I’m so sorry, I never wanted to hurt any of you. It’s just...” The nervous yellow mare’s ears flattened back. She took a deep breath, gathering her determination. “Look Dash, I know we agreed not to talk about Flight School after... what happened, but I think we need to.” “What for?” A shudder passed through Rainbow's body at the mention of Flight School. “We were both there, ‘Shy. What is there to talk about? It was horrible, we stuck it out as long as we could... and we left. End of story.” Dash’s tone quickly became cold and angry, a jarring shift from the hurt in her voice moments ago. Fluttershy placed a hoof on Rainbow’s foreleg. “It’s not the end of the story, Dash. At least, not for me. Everything that happened back then, it’s never really left me.” She paused, getting ready to pour out her heart to Dash. Fluttershy was prepared to tell her everything, but her prismatic-maned friend interrupted her. “And you think it ever left me?” A hint of malice crept into Dash’s voice. “Ya think I don’t remember everything that happened back then?” “No! I didn’t mean...” Fluttershy recoiled from Rainbow, who kept going. “Ya think I don’t wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat? Ya think I don’t have nightmares about it?” Dash’s voice grew louder and angrier. “Rainbow... I...” Fluttershy felt a dreadfully familiar tightness beginning in her chest. Her breathing became rapid and shallow as the edges of her vision tinged with darkness. “Ya think I don’t remember what Thunderlane said?” Dash was shouting now, pointedly not looking at the mare beside her. “Ya think I don’t remember what he almost did?” Fresh tears traced damp trails down her cheeks. “Dash... please...” Fluttershy begged. She could feel the walls pressing in on her. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She screwed her eyes shut in a fit of terror, trying to fight off the impending darkness. A single sound forced its way through the darkness, a choked sob. Suddenly everything was back to normal. The walls were in their proper places, and Fluttershy could breath normally. A second sob broke the overwhelming silence. The nurturing mare cracked one eye open, then the other. She was shocked by the sight in front of her. Rainbow Dash, who had been so furious and bitter moments ago, had her face buried in her hooves, openly weeping. Talk about mood swings... The sly voice jeered. Now is really not the time. Fluttershy placed a hoof on Dash’s shoulder, trying to comfort her. “It’s alright Dash, just let it out.” She began stroking the crying pony’s rainbow mane. “I... I’m so sorry.” Dash choked out, the words slightly muffled. “It’s my fault... all of it.” “It’s not your fault, Rainbow. None of it is.” Fluttershy kept stroking her friend’s mane, keeping her voice as level and soothing as possible. “No... it is my fault ‘Shy.” Dash picked her head up from the couch. She looked straight into Fluttershy’s eyes. The glint of fear that was present before the timid mare’s confession of love had returned, more pronounced than last time. “There’s something I need to tell you ‘Shy. Something I should have told ya a long time ago.” “What is it, Dash?” Fluttershy let her hoof fall to the couch, a mixture of terror and worry rising in her chest. Every thought in her mind screamed at her to break eye contact, to hide behind her mane, but she held her gaze steady. “All the taunts... all the rumors at school...” Dash began, her voice shaking. “They... they were my fault.” Her resolve finally crumbled and she dropped her eyes to stare at her hooves. “What?” Fluttershy’s mind ground to halt, unable to process what she had just heard. “No, it was all the other fillies and colts in class. They were the ones that made fun of us. It was Thunderlane behind it all.” She tried to rationalize it, but a nagging part of her mind questioned the truth of her words. “Heh. Thunderlane.” Rainbow spat the name. “He couldn’t taunt his way out of a paper bag without help. No... it was me. I... I’m the one who started the rumors about us.” Dash slumped into the couch, utterly defeated. Fluttershy, got up and hopped to the floor. “Rainbow?” She asked, her voice wavering. “What do you mean it was you?” Isn’t it obvious? Her mind quipped. Or does she have to spell it out for you? No... Dash... Dashie would never do something like that. “I don’t know how else ya want me to say it...” Rainbow’s voice was barely above a whisper. “It was me. I’m the one who started spreading the rumors about us being... fillyfoolers.” A fresh stream of tears fell down her cheeks at the admission. “No...” Fluttershy felt as though she had been kicked in the stomach. “How could you? Those rumors made our lives a living hell for four years! I tried to kill myself because of them!” She screamed. A white-hot anger sprang up in her chest, combating with an overwhelming sense of sadness and confusion. “Please Dash... tell me it’s not true. Tell me you didn’t do it.” Moisture pooled unbidden in Fluttershy’s eyes as she begged her friend. “Please don’t do this.” “It’s all true ‘Shy.” Dash did not even look up from the couch. “I never meant for it to go as far as it did, and I tried to stop it once I saw it was hurting you, but it was too late.” She wiped a hoof across her nose, sniffing. “Get out.” Fluttershy whispered. “Fluttershy... please. Let me-” Rainbow tried to speak but the angry pegasus cut across her words. “I said get out!” She shrieked. Hot tears stung at her face, blurring her vision. “Get out of my house! Get out of my life! I never want to see you again!” Fluttershy turned to run up the stairs to her bedroom. “Please, let me explain!” Dash scrambled off of the couch, stumbling for a moment. Her voice broke as she called after the furious mare. “I know it won’t help, but ya have to let me explain. Please... Flutters.” Fluttershy froze at her old nickname. Rainbow had not called her “Flutters” since they were in Flight School. Nopony else knew about the nickname, except for Pinkie Pie inexplicably knew many things she should not. The canary pegasus knew that if Dash was using her old nickname, the normally confident pony was on the verge of a complete breakdown. “Alright.” She sighed. She forced her anger down to a roiling knot in her stomach. Fluttershy turned back to face Dash. “You have two minutes.” “Thank you so much, ‘Shy.” A visible wave of relief passed over Rainbow. She lifted a hoof and scratched the back of her head. “I guess the short version is... I was scared.” Fluttershy cocked a quizzical eyebrow but remained silent. The chromatic-maned pegasus continued. “I know, I know. It’s stupid... foalish, but that’s what it boiled down to.” “You were scared, so you made up terrible, soul-crushing, and ultimately life-threatening rumors?” The cautious yellow pony ventured, her voice laced with disbelief. “Well, anything will sound bad when ya put it like that.” Dash forced a fragile smile that crumbled under Fluttershy’s glare. “Sorry... bad joke.” Her ears flattened back nervously as she pawed at the floor. A sharp pain stabbed through her chest as she pulled up the painful memories of the past. “It’s true though. I was scared because you were my only friend in Flight School. I was afraid that you would get tired of all the glares and whispers and you would leave me.” Fluttershy tried to speak, but Dash interrupted her. “No. I need to get this out. Nopony liked me in Flight School, we both know that. I don’t know if they were jealous I was better than them, or if it was my penchant for showing off.” A tired smirk pulled at the corner of Rainbow’s mouth. “Whatever the reason, nopony in class wanted to hang out with me. You and I were already friends from before school, and I saw how some of the other fillies like Flitter and Cloudchaser would try and talk to ya when I wasn’t around. As soon as I showed up, they treated us like we had the Pony Pox.” “Dash... I-” Fluttershy started, a slight blush flooding her cheeks. “It’s OK, ‘Shy. I get it.” Dash waved off the pink-maned pony’s impending apology. “It never really bothered me that I wasn’t little miss popular, but it tore me up inside that you suffered because of it. Once we started training together, I thought it might get better. I hoped everypony else would see how great you could be and they would come around, but things only got worse. That’s when I really got terrified you would abandon me. I was afraid you would see how all the other fillies and colts in class were looking at us and what they were saying behind our backs and decide that I wasn’t worth it.” “But... they...” Fluttershy stammered. “They were calling us fillyfoolers the whole time, even before the incident with my locker, weren't they?” She fell to a sitting position, her head whirling as her entire fillyhood replayed in her mind. “No, not initially they weren’t.” Dash continued. “It started off with them saying we were trying to suck up to Instructor Swift and that we were teacher’s pets. They didn’t get the idea that we were... involved until I dropped a couple hints.” The hurt and regret in Rainbow’s voice was unmistakable, and her eyes were glued to the floor as though even looking at Fluttershy was painful. “Honestly, it didn’t take much. Just a glance at you that lingered a little too long... an artificial wing twitch when you would accidentally bump into me. Everypony got the picture pretty quickly.” “You were always so angry at the rumors...” Fluttershy said. The two minutes promised had long since passed, but she could not bring herself to leave. “Yea...” Dash sighed, finally looking up. “At first I was just pretending. I didn’t want ya to think I... felt that way about ya.” She held up her hooves defensively. “Don’t get me wrong, back then you were my best friend and I loved ya, but as a friend. I didn’t start thinkin’ about ya that way until after we got here to Ponyville. I thought that if you thought I felt that way about ya, you might freak out. Anyway, once I saw how much the rumors were messin’ you up I tried to stop them, but it was too late.” “So all the fights...” The yellow mare thought aloud. A small spark of compassion flared up in Fluttershy’s chest, but it was still massively overwhelmed by her feelings of anger and betrayal. “The fights were all against ponies who were talkin’ about you.” Rainbow declared. “I didn’t give a flying feather what they said about me, but I went to war against anypony who said something about you. You even patched me up afterward.” Dash chuckled at a private thought. “Although, you never saw the worst of it. If I ever got it real good I would limp my way down here and go to the Ponyville Hospital. Usually that only happened if something broke, I didn’t want you to have to see that.” “Broke?” Fluttershy whispered, aghast at the newest revelations. “Yea.” Dash nodded. “I broke my collarbone twice, four different ribs, and my left foreleg. Luckily, there was a unicorn doctor at the hospital who was an expert with bone mending spells, he could set and heal them without needing to put me in a cast.” Fluttershy could only sit in silence, her mouth hanging open in shock. “Well, I think that’s about it.” Dash stood up and stretched, working out the stiffness in her legs and wings. The pain in her eyes was still there, but there was a tiny glint of hope as well. “Thanks for lettin’ me explain ‘Shy. I know it’s nowhere near enough, and I’ll understand if you never want to see me again.” The cyan pegasus trudged towards the door, pulling it open and flaring her wings to take off. “Dashie...” Fluttershy’s voice was barely a whisper. Her expression was pained, but also thoughtful. “I... thank you for being honest with me. I promise I’ll think about what you said.” Her eyes dropped to the floor. “I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to forgive you... but I’ll try.” Rainbow felt a weak smile force its way onto her face. “Honestly ‘Shy... that’s more than I deserve. Thanks.” She coiled her legs and prepared to leap into the air. At the last second, she paused and looked over her shoulder at her fillyhood friend. “I still love you, ‘Shy.” “I know.” Fluttershy murmured, a slight blush flooding her face. With that, Dash leapt into the air and rapidly faded into the distance. The canary mare whispered to the empty air. “I love you too, Dash.” * Gee... that went over well. Dash mentally scolded herself as she flew aimlessly around Ponyville. We went over there to discuss why Fluttershy tried to hang herself, and ended with me crying my eyes out and admitting that pretty much every horrible part of her past is my fault. A rumble from her stomach pulled Rainbow out of her thoughts. Celestia’s sun was dipping towards the horizon, casting the sky in brilliant hues of red and orange. Is it seriously that late? No wonder I’m starving. A faint aroma caught Dash’s attention. Hello... what do we have here? She stopped, hovering in place to get a better sniff. Definitely something I want in on. Now to find the source. The rainbow-maned mare lazily flapped her wings, attempting to follow the tantalizing aroma back to its source. To her astonishment, the smell seemed to be emanating from a window of the Ponyville Library. The library? Seriously? Twilight is a horrible cook. Dash thought as she alighted on the ground in front of the library’s door. She raised a hoof to knock before remembering that Fluttershy had confided the events of her past and her feelings for Rainbow to Twilight the other day. A sudden panic gripped the bold pony’s chest. Well... she’s heard one side of the story, she might as well hear the other. Dash knocked on the door. Moments later, hoof steps sounded on the other side and the door swung open, surrounded by a faint purple aura of magic. “Oh, hey there Rainbow Dash.” Twilight greeted the prismatic pegasus, a distinct nervousness in her voice. “Spike just made a delicious-looking oat and spinach quiche. Do you want some?” “Sure...” Dash replied. Something about Twilight’s demeanor was off, but she could not put a hoof on it. The unicorn’s smile was a little too big, her voice a little too cheery. She was definitely hiding something. “So, how are things?” The studious mare tried to make idle chit-chat. “Everything alright? No big, life-altering ordeals?” Again her smile was slightly too big to be believable. The clatter of plates came from the kitchen as Spike served up dinner. “Uh... yea, actually.” Dash trotted over to the table and sat on a floor cushion. “I just came over here from Fluttershy’s cottage. We had... an interesting talk.” She picked up her fork and poked the quiche with it, trying to distract herself from the rampaging emotions in her head. “Really?” Twilight’s smile somehow grew even bigger. “Whatever could you have had to talk about that would be so interesting I wonder?” She sounded more like Rarity than Twilight, trying excessively hard to be nonchalant. A slight redness creeps into Dash’s face, hidden by her blue coat. “Actually, we were talking about Flight School.” She spears a bite of quiche, glaring at it as though it had somehow offended her. “It wasn’t a pleasant conversation.” She added before popping the food into her mouth. “Wait... you... what?” Twilight lost her affected casual demeanor. “Flight School? I thought you two had an agreement not to talk about it.” Her eyes shot open as she realized what she had said. “Oh! I’m sorry, I... I don’t know if you knew that Fluttershy told me. I-” “It’s alright Twi’.” Dash cut across Twilight’s rambling. “I figured she probably told you about it before she started talking to you about everything that happened back then.” The chromatic pegasus pushed her plate away, her appetite suddenly gone. “Well... you’ve heard Fluttershy’s side of the story. I guess it’s time you heard mine.” For the second time that day, Rainbow Dash dredged up her darkest secret and bared it for another to see. The sharp stabbing pain in her chest was still there, but it was blunted compared to the first time. By the end of the story, she felt like she should be crying, but no tears came. Ever the curious student, Twilight asked a seemingly endless series of questions about Fluttershy and Dash’s time at Flight School. By the time Dash’s story was done and all of Twilight’s questions were answered, the sun had long since passed beyond the horizon and Spike could be heard snoring lightly from the other room. Twilight finally tore herself away from the task at hand long enough to glance at the clock, it read half past eleven. “Oh my gosh! How did it get to be so late?” The purple unicorn looked around the kitchen. The dishes from dinner were still on the table, the food having gotten cold hours ago. With a flare of light from her horn, Twilight gathered up the discarded plates and levitated them into the sink. “I’m so sorry to keep you so late, Dash. You probably need to get home and get to bed.” “Actually, Twilight...” Dash muttered. “Would... would it be cool if I stayed here tonight?” She looked up from the table she had been studying for the past hour. The normally bold mare met Twilight’s gaze, her eyes filled with worry and hurt. “I... I just don’t want to be alone tonight.” The socially awkward unicorn felt like she should do something, but she had no idea what. A pat on the back? A hug? Offer a shoulder to cry on? Ultimately, the moment passed and Twilight felt that any opportunity she had to comfort Dash had slipped away. “Of course you can stay here Dash.” She offered. “I’ve got an extra mattress in the basement. Let me go grab it.” A small part of Twilight’s mind screamed to turn the blue mare’s impromptu overnight stay into a slumber party, but she figured that the last thing Rainbow needed right now was girly shenanigans. As she trotted into the basement, the librarian flared her horn to life and retrieved the extra mattress, taking an extra moment to inspect its cleanliness. “Alright, here we are. One extra mattress.” Twilight dropped the bed on the floor with a soft thump. She walked over to the staircase leading up to her room. “Goodnight, Rainbow.” She called over her shoulder. “Night, Twi’.” Dash replied halfheartedly. She was physically tired, but her mind was still buzzing with activity. For the most part, the lovesick pegasus simply wondered what the object of her affections was doing, and whether or not Fluttershy would ever be able to forgive her. Eventually, Rainbow was able to fall into a fitful, nightmare-filled sleep. The next two days passed in a haze for Dash. She spent each day wandering aimlessly around Ponyville, only stopping when her stomach announced it was time for food. As night fell, she would make her way back to the library to sleep. While the lethargic pony was afraid she was wearing out her welcome at the library, Twilight assured her that is was no trouble and she could stay as long as she needed. On the morning of the third day, Rainbow stirred from her sleep to a new sensation as a warm breath played across her face. “Good morning, sleepyhead.” A familiar silky voice sounded from nearby. Dash bolted up as she placed the voice’s owner. “Fluttershy!” She cried out. “When did you get here?” Dash’s heart beat was thundering in her ears, her breathing rapid and shallow. Fluttershy simply giggled at her friend’s reaction, laying a comforting hoof on her cheek. The prismatic pony instantly calmed down at the touch, relishing the contact. “Hi, Dashie.” The canary mare sighed. A bashful smile danced across her face. “Fluttershy, I’m so sorry I-” Rainbow tried to apologize, but was silenced as her friend placed a hoof over her mouth. A knot of worry formed in the rainbow-maned pony’s stomach. “Shh...” Fluttershy whispered. “You’ve said more than enough Dash. Today it’s my turn to talk.” Despite her soothing tone, something in the kind pegasus’ words put Rainbow on edge. “You were honest with me, so I’ll be honest with you.” Fluttershy’s voice was low, but firm. “I wanted to hate you after what you said to me. I wanted to be angry at you, to despise you, for what you did back in Flight School.” The mare on the mattress tensed up involuntarily. Fluttershy looked into Rainbow’s eyes, and her own eyes held no anger or malice. “I couldn’t do it. I tried to. I wanted to... but I just couldn’t.” Tears welled up in the gentle pony’s eyes, threatening to overflow and run down her face. “I love you, Dashie. I love you, and I forgive you.” Fluttershy leaned forward and kissed Dash. The brash pony did not respond at first, unable to wrap her mind around the events that just occurred. After a moment, the yellow mare’s words sunk in and Rainbow reached up to pull her love deeper into the kiss. The two pegasi shared the blissful moment before Dash reluctantly pulled away. “Are you serious, ‘Shy?” A single tear rolled down Dash’s cheek. “You... you don’t hate me?” The worried blue pegasus grabbed her friend’s hoof and held it between her own as though she was afraid Fluttershy would float away. “Of course not, Dash.” The calm mare replied. A brief look of pain flashed over her features. “I’m still hurt about... what you did during Flight School, but I’m not willing to throw what we could have away over that.” She reached up and wiped the tear off of Rainbow’s cheek. “Fluttershy, you really are amazing.” Dash pulled the pink-maned pegasus into a hug. “What did I ever do in my life to deserve somepony as wonderful as you?” She wondered aloud. A sudden idea struck her as she pulled back from her friend. “Hey... ‘Shy?” Rainbow traced a pattern on the mattress, unable to look up. “Would... would you like to go to dinner with me?” Fluttershy placed a hoof on Dash’s chin and pulled her head up to look in her eyes. A blush rose in the shy pegasus’ face. “That sounds lovely, Rainbow.”