I woke up, not of my own accord. My eyes greeted by the pillow I had rammed my face into last night after a struggle of wills between myself and her. I didn't know who she was, Fluttershy herself, a ghost, something else that wanted me to act differently, I didn't know. This whole world had changed everything I had believed in. I could walk on clouds. I had the potential to fly. At every turn I felt a new cut at my heart and a pony to help me with it, unlike back at home. On earth, when I was bullied, no one cared. That was the biggest part that killed me.
I pushed off the pillow, the dried tears I had made had latched the fabric of the pillow against my fur and I let my own force pull it off. The girls were already running off doing their own business, some I had noticed were slightly wet from water and had towels wrapped around their flanks. I did think a shower or bath of some kind could help me. To wake up as one excuse, and two, to straighten out a plan of attack to get out of camp. I was not going to get anywhere while I was stuck here, and I had to learn that the difficult way after just one day.
I had walked towards and then pulled away from the door of the washroom, inside were other ponies getting showered and cleaned. I tried to remain calm, act natural, and for the love of Celestia, not act like a coward! I hung my head down and made sure not to make any eye contact with any of the girls as I went into the furthest stall away and pushed the button in front of me. Just then a rumble rose above me, prompting my head to look up.
"Of course, it's a cloud," I whimpered and felt the full force of rain go down on me. The occasional light thunderclap escaping it, making me stop myself from continuing my wash for a moment before I attempted to continue. So far the listing of my checklist was looking bare. Sure, I got to establish connection back home at least once, but I had no effective assistance that I could trust, I didn't have any of the necessary parts needed to make a Transmatter Ray, and the one thing, I needed now more than ever, is to get my head to stop this nonsense involving love, or kindness, or sparkles and rainbows
"Fifteen minutes before aerial flight lessons begin!" I heard the sound of Sunset Boulevard call. Could I trust her? She was technically older than I was, and she did know about Fluttershy's condition, so I only shook off the thought like the water that clung to my wings. Thankfully, none of the girls in the dorm wanted to talk to me, which was fine by me, but they did like to whisper a lot.
"I think she's got something cookoo with her head," I overheard one say.
"-and can you imagine? Her father's in prison and awaiting the banishment sentence," another hushed out.
Worthless garbage, those words. It made me think back to when rumors were spread as I was young and in school that I was a recluse homosexual. I wasn't mad because it was wrong, per se, I was just mad because none of them bothered to actually speak to me or even bother to see if it was true.
"Hi!"
My thoughts were jarred from my brooding as I saw two golden eyes, one looking at me and the other eyeballing one of the whispering ponies. First reaction? Jump under the nearest cover, being the underside of the bunk bed. If I wasn't going to be called weird or out of place now, I was going to be.
"Huh? Where'd she go?" The grey pegasus with the eye disorder asked, she looked extremely shocked at my land speed for finding immediate cover.
I sincerely hoped that flying as a pegasus was going to be just as easy as running. Perhaps it was just an instinctual thing, and the camps were just as simple as a summer camp that just had dumb little games and junk.
***
"Uh... my flight needs work..."
I was back in front of the camera, hidden in the unused room from... well, everypony.
"I may also need to be more careful with what I do, apparently the members of Bad Horse and Captain Clamor were observing my movements. They were waiting for me during the flight lesson across the bridge and I was only starting to warm up and I wasn't..." I tried to swallow some saliva to make my throat less dry.
"Captain Clamor threw an ice ball at my head." I was so mad and disappointed, Sunset was not there to see such a crime and it only served to put more fuel in my fire for escaping this camp and world.
"Not to worry, though, because-" I was interrupted from the click of the door and in a panic, threw a cover over the camera and hid in the corner, hoping to not be noticed. My lips slammed shut and breathing had become optional as I watched the intruder begin to step inside and scan the room with each eye looking different ways. IT WAS THE GREY PEGASUS, AGAIN!!
"Hello? Are you in here, Fluttershy?" She called out to me, didn't look like there was malicious intent around her, but I refused to come out. "I saw what Gilda did, and it was really mean, but I know you're in here." She was being sympathetic, I could feel it all around me and it only served to make myself feel worse.
Silence. She stood there in the dead silence as both her eyes scanned the room and went to the camera covered blanket and looked ready to step on it! With no second thought, I tackled the clumsy filly before she could destroy the last piece that kept me from becoming a shivering wreck. I had her pinned for a moment before I ran back into the shadowy corner and started shaking badly. She only got up and slowly went to the door.
"I just want to talk to you," she mumbled.
"Please," I stopped her leaving as I came from the dark, the nasty black eye from the hard ball of water was now clearly visible. "Just talk."
***
I had learned a lot more about the camp and what we were all here for. This camp was not a summer camp, but a summer school for young pegasi that had difficulty flying or were exceptionally misbehaving. Rainbow Dash was a pony that followed rules, but was often lazy and only cared about her own personal affairs. Ditzy (as I had been able to learn her name), informed me that Dash was not really a bad pony, she just was with a bad crowd.
Now, Gilda was apparently an interesting case. Transfer student, an athletic beast(I know, go figure, right?), and most importantly, very spiteful to ponies that she wouldn't be able to control or use to her advantage. This griffin was, as both of us agreed, the worst kind of individual that Rainbow Dash could be around.
The rest of the day was a blur, my eye being looked at, Sunset Boulevard once again asking if I wanted to be a cabin captain, the discussion I had with the muscle-bound madpony that called himself Snowflake about the 'prank', all of it was gone in an instant as I again found myself in front of the camera again.
I just looked ahead, silently looking at it as it ran. What could I say?
I was worried for Rainbow Dash, a pegasus that I didn't even talk to, let alone know?
I felt relieved that I had another friend to talk to about how I wanted to get out of this torture?
I wanted to do... more?
I didn't care if it was after hours, I had to walk.
Any colt with half a brain
Can see my pony mind has gone insane
To the point where I don’t know
If I’m upset, I do not show
If I think of evil it begins to strain
Listen close to my own very heart
And hear that beating sound
Love and kindness, tearing me apart
I'm crashing to the ground
I will not believe my eyes
That this world slowly breaks this guise
But it’s plain to see
There's good inside of me
That's on the rise
From my stupor, I heard a familiar voice. None other than the one I was feeling concern for, Rainbow Dash.
Look around
We’re hanging with the awesome crowd
Just when you feel to turn around
Another prank of yours, profound
And you believe
There’s cool in everypony’s heart
Know it will abound
With hope, we can do our part
To turn this dump around
I will not believe my eyes
That this place we can help revise
‘Cause it seems to me
Some kind of prank you see
That's on the rise
I finally managed to find the source of the voice and also the 'base' of Bad Horse. None other than a hole in the clouds that could easily be hidden by a flap. She was looking over at Gilda, almost looking longingly at her. If I didn't know, I'd have believed that she was actually in love with her.
Any colt with half a brain
Time to grow
Could spend their whole life going down a drain
She looks at me and seems to know
‘Cause the light is everywhere
The things that I’m afraid to show
And Dashie doesn’t seem to care
And suddenly I feel this glow
That soon the dark in me will leave me like a stain
And I believe
Listen close to my own very heart
There’s cool in everypony’s heart
And hear that beating sound
Know it will abound
Love and kindness, tearing me apart
With hope, we can do our part
I'm crashing to the ground
To turn this dump around
I will not believe my eyes
I will not believe my eyes
That this world slowly breaks this guise
That this place we can help revise
But it’s plain to see
Cause it seems to me
There's good inside of me
Some kind of prank you see
That's on the rise
***
The days started melting together, time felt as if it passed at a faster rate. I could see myself being able to fly momentarily, having words with Sunset Boulevard about Gilda and what my concerns were. But, everything seemed to halt when I was face to face with Rainbow Dash, with no Gilda in tow.
"Hello, Rainbow Dash," I softly murmered. My head tilted slightly away to get some sort of protection, and only got the agile and athletic pegasus to face me again.
"Heya Fluttershy, I've been meaning to talk to you, ya know, about Gilda's ice ball." She rubbed the back of her head, "I didn't think she'd do that, hurting other ponies just isn't cool."
I gave a small smile, this was it, the moment to warn her, to say that Gilda was a horrible animal and she deserved to have better friends than her. What came out was not my own words. "It's fine, really, she can't go back in the past to stop the problem, and I don't even know her or how griffons play. She could've been throwing a baseball and it would've been the same difference then."
Those words made Rainbow Dash feel more at ease, but served to make me tense up. Another rebellion against what needed to be done, and as hard as I tried, I couldn't say a single mean spirited thing about Gilda or her actions that were screaming out in my mind.
"If its not nice to say, then its better to not say anything at all."
The voice again, I couldn't stay with Rainbow Dash, I had to get away.
The top of a building was a nice start...