//------------------------------//
// Iron and steel will bend and bow. 
// Story: Vaguely Familiar. 
// by Reptilicus 
//------------------------------//

	Cinnamon.

That's definitely cinnamon.

Rainbow Dash's nostrils woke up before the rest of her. Her brain followed suit. There was food nearby. But that wasn't right. She almost never kept food inside the house, considering how little of her spare time she actually spent within. Her ears woke up next, but rather than gradually coming to life, were rudely awakened by a soft pinch. As if a pair of pliers had seized them gently. Instinctively Dash flicked her floppy ears, turning over and making a small grunt. With great difficulty she opened her eyes. The tears from the night prior had dried into a sticky crust of mucus and salt, nearly cementing her eyelids together. 

A pair of dark brown pupils were boring right into her. They sat on either side of a wrinkly green beak, twisted upwards into a comical grin. Behind that was a long wrinkled neck, merging with a green and turquoise plastron. The beak parted in a happy rasping noise as the creature acknowledged that it's master had awaken.

"Hey there, Tank." Dash whispered happily, yawning loudly as she drew the tortoise in for a hug. "I bet you think I've lost my marbles with all the crying I've been doing, huh?"

The tortoise nodded. It was difficult to tell if he really understood anything Dash ever said to him. She had heard once that it was rumored that turtles and tortoises were deaf. Fluttershy had claimed with certainty that they were not, but Dash was never fully convinced. Whether Tank nodded because he was acknowledging the loss of aforementioned marbles, or was simply happy his owner was speaking to him remained a mystery.

"I bet you're hungry, huh?" Dash asked.

His nodded again, quite vigorously this time. Dash rolled her eyes. She was about to call him a bottomless pit when she suddenly came to realization she'd been out of commission for more than half the week already. She herself hadn't eaten in days and most likely neither had Tank.

"Aw, I'm sorry I haven't been around, buddy." Dash gave the tortoise a small pat on his flat head. "I got really hurt. Like really really hurt. I'll get up and make us something. Maybe something with cinnamon." 

Dash laid her weary head back onto the soft sheets on the couch. She felt herself nodding off when suddenly a rather urgent thought entered her brain. CINNAMON. She'd smelt it just a little bit ago and had never even investigated the source. Her eyes flicked open and her ears perked up. There was a quiet crackling sound coming from somewhere. A light sizzling from the stove in the back of the room. Dash let out a small grimace as she used her good leg to push herself onto her haunches. Every part of her felt like it was floating, separate from her body. When she finally managed to get into a balanced sitting position, she slowly leaned left to glance over the backrest of the couch.

The kitchen in Dash's cloud house had been added as a necessity. But being a rather outdoors-y pony, Dash had only used it maybe a dozen times. Generally for heating up frozen foods or as a convenient way to warm the house during winter. Her eyes slowly focused as she watched the activity in her kitchen. Every grill, every boiler was turned on, covered with various pots and pans, each undulating and boiling with food substances. And happily rummaging between them all was Pinkie Pie. Her normally outrageous curly mane was tied up in a ponytail to avoid hitting any foodstuffs. She was quietly singing a happy tune as she walked from pot to pan, stirring their contents with various ladles and spoons, swinging her hips in time with the song she was singing. Entirely absorbed in her own little world. Dash watched in silence, afraid of disturbing the relative pleasantries. Of course, since Pinkie was in her house cooking food....then.....that could only mean.....

"Last night wasn't a dream, was it?" Dash asked quietly to herself.

"Which part, dear? The part where you got the morphine or the part where you had an emotional nervous breakdown and we had to console you?"

Dash turned as quickly as she could, feeling sharp pains jolt from her injuries as she turned to see Rarity sitting comfortably in one of Dash's rocking chairs, small red spectacles on the end of her perfectly clean snout, lifting her eyebrow as she raised her head from an issue of the "Pony Pilot" magazine that Dash was subscribed to. A small mischievous smile was on the white unicorn's face as Dash stared at her for a moment. Her surprise subsided into glumness, and Dash flopped back into a laying position on the couch.

"Well, great. So everything I remember from last night did happen."

"MMmm Hmmm!" Rarity nodded getting up from her chair to sit beside Dash.

"So now everyone knows I'm a big whiny sissy."

"You don't know what whining is, darling. I could show you real whining. Also you are hardly a sissy."

"I don't see how."

"Well for starters, we all knew you were a big softy. You're just like Applejack. Oh sure, you consider yourself very tough, but inside is a caring and loving individual. Simultaneously, we all feel quite special and honored at how you reacted during your episode."

"Oh?"

"Well think of it like this. You thought you were dying. Right then and there. And your first desire was to spend your final moments with your friends. You didn't call for a doctor or ask us to try magic or any of the usual things ponies do in mortal panic. You wanted your final thoughts to be of us. Your friends. I think that's very special and I'm proud of you."

Dash could feel her eyes starting to water again. She cursed inwardly and rubbed her eyes. She was very tired of crying. So very very tired. She felt the sticky residue from last night's tears being smeared across her face.

"Oh look at your eyes. All crusty and gross. Here hold still!" Rarity levitated a small lacy napkin from her purse and wiped Dash's face with it. "There we are. Presentable once again, thanks to yours truly."

"Thanks, Rarity...you're....a good friend." Dash gave her a small sad smile. "I'm sorry about how I acted last night....and what I did....to myself, I guess."

"No need for apologies. You've had a rather large number of ghastly things occur to you in a very short timeframe. I'd be more worried if you had just shrugged it all off. Besides now you have Pinkie here to watch over you."

"To make sure I don't go crazy and try to tear myself apart again, eh?"

Rarity frowned. Dash's tone was getting sadder and sadder. "Yes, dear. It's just...Dash I know what real panic is like. It's an awful emotion. Second only to Loss. Every pony has their own way of dealing with it. Your way is just......"

She trailed off and went silent, unsure of what else to say. Dash snorted and glanced at the cone around her neck.

"So when do I get this insane asylum thing off of my neck?"

"In time, Dash. Once we know that you'll be alright without it."

A brief look of something appeared on Dash's face. Rarity tried to read it. She was very good at reading ponies. It looked like anger or resentment. Not a good thing for her to be feeling. Not now, when keeping her mood up was important.

"We all love you, Dash. You know that right? We're only trying to keep you safe."

Dash sighed angrily and hung her head. "Yeah I know. I wish I wasn't crazy."

"You aren't crazy. Stop thinking that way. You're only going to make yourself sick, again. You're going to be fine, Dash. Even Celestia thinks so. Surely you don't doubt the word of our fair queen?"

Dash grinned. It was the first time she'd really smiled in what seemed like forever. "Nope. Guess I can't argue with that."

The two turned to watch Pinkie as she skipped around the kitchen, seemingly unaware that Dash and Rarity had been having a conversation. Not that it could really be heard over the din the pink party pony was making as pans and pots clashed and a loud sizzle filled the air as she poured steaming contents into a bowl and stirred furiously.

"Where'd Pinks get all this stuff anyway, Rare?"

"She brought it up from Sugarcube Corner. Along with a bunch of other things to help pass the time."

Dash fell silent again, watching Pinkie dance and cook. It was weirdly mesmerizing how multitalented the pink pony was. She was flipping whole pots over her head, full of cooking food and not spilling a drop. Every time some broth or batter seemed ready to splatter onto the tile floor, the mare would catch it in a pan expertly and return it to its origins. And all the while singing to herself and swinging her hips. Dash didn't notice Rarity's large blue eyes were glancing between the seemingly awestruck Dash and the dancing Pinkie. She also didn't notice the knowing grin that passed over Rarity's muzzle as the white unicorn leaned back and adjusted her spectacles.

"She looks really cute with a ponytail, wouldn't you say?" Rarity said in as disinterested of a voice as she could, burying her nose back into the magazine.

"Yeah....she really does." Dash mumbled. The logical part of her brain hadn't been injured in the accident, but it was rather slow. Half a minute later Dash's eyes went wide as she realized the implications of her words. She shot a quick defiant glance at Rarity. "UH....I mean yeah that hairstyle looks good on any pony, ya know? I mean it looks great on Applejack so it should look great on Pinkie too."

Dash congratulated herself on defending her dignity. She was truly a master of words. And the god-king of excuses. Truly there was nobody in the land as capable of dodging a bullet as Rainbow Dash.

"Applejack looks better with her hair down." Rarity muttered from the depths of the magazine. "Not that she ever listens to me."

"Applejack what now?"

"Nothing."

"HEY THERE SLEEPY HEAD!" Pinkie shouted, appearing upside down in Dash's peripheral vision and quickly flopping over the couch to flash her typical oversized smile. "I thought you were gonna sleep all day! Did you sleep well? Do you feel any better? Did Rarity wake you up?" Pinkie gave Rarity a cold glance.

"No, actually Tank woke me up. I think he's hungry. And I sort of am, too. What are you making, Pinks?"

"This!" Pinkie reached behind her body and pulled a small glass goblet out from seemingly nowhere. There seemed to be a fruity compote, bright red, covered with yellow goop and a think brown crust on top. Dash gave it a small sniff. It smelled heavily of strawberries.

"What's this?" Dash asked, peering into the goblet.

"This is a trifle! It has lots of strawberries and orange peel in it. And then on top of it is custard! Alot of ponies think custard is like mustard but its not! Even though they are both yellow and both sauces! And then on top of that is little bit of whipped cream, egg and cinnamon crust!"

"Is that what you've been making?"

"Yuppity-yup! That and a whole bunch of other things. Your oven sure is clean, you dont use it very much huh? I've been cooking up a storm all day, then Rarity came by to visit!"

Dash looked up from the goblet at Pinkie. The mare's smile had changed. It was no longer the wildly huge crazy smile she normally wore in her constant state of joy and ecstasy. This smile was smaller and different, considerate, comforting, maybe even a little bit sad. She bent over and pushed the goblet up to Dash with her snout, watching her friend expectantly.

"Well go on. I made it for you. I bet you're a real Hungry Hooves by now." Pinkie said quietly.

"You know, Pinkie." Rarity interrupted, folding her spectacles. "I don't think something so sweet and sugary is going to be best for Dash after taking her medications. Maybe something with......oh never mind."

Whatever advice Rarity had for her two friends had fallen on deaf ears. Dash had dove into the creamy dish, cramming her snout into the goblet and taking large bites greedily, smacking a chewing loudly with small gasps for air between swallows. Pinkie bit her lip, trying and failing not to squeal with glee as crumbs flew everywhere. Rarity watched unamused as Dash emerged from the goblet, her face covered in custard and cream, licking her muzzle to try and eat any remnants that remained on her face.

"Maybe its because I haven't eaten in a few days but I feel like that's the best meal I've had in forever."

"So unladylike." Rarity said with a grin as she levitated a paper towel over to clean all the food from Dash's face. "You've gotten crumbs all over the couch now as well. I suppose I might as well change these sheets. Pinkie you should change the bandages on her face, they've got sugar and fruit bits in them now."

With a pained grunt Dash slowly slid off the couch, standing on her sore legs. Despite the medication, every step was agonizing, sending a sharp pain up through her body as each hoof hit the floor. She'd gotten no more than a foot from the couch when suddenly her vision was filled with pink.

"I could carry you, if you want."

"I don't need help walking, thanks." Dash grumbled as she took another tender step forward. She felt bad about it. Pinkie only wanted to help and now she was being short with her friends. Particularly after such a lovely lunch. 

"Okie Dokie Loki!" Pinkie chirped as she moved ahead and grabbed some medical supplies.

As Dash reached the restroom, she suddenly felt at great unease. There was a pony in the bathroom she did not recognize. She felt a sense of alarm as she often did when confronted with the unknown, turning with a scowl to face her intruder. A chill ran across Dash's body as she noticed her intruder mimicking her movements perfectly. So this is what she looked like now. Dash felt a lump forming in her throat as she watched her reflection in the mirror. The night she had tried to tear her feathers off she had been too upset to even notice her reflection. Now she stared into an altered doppleganger. Her face was covered in small scratches and scabs, pink bandaids covering the larger of these. The long prismatic locks that had earned her the monicker given by her mother was torn and burnt, curling and bending and sticking out in every direction, uneven and unkempt. There was a gash above her lip, nearly reaching her nostril, that hurt whenever she moved her mouth too much. Torso and neck both had a long red laceration going down the center of her chest and ending on her right side, below her ribcage and above her flank. Bruises showed clearly along the extent of her form, much of her cyan fur having been burn or shaved off on her underside so the stitches and staples could be used to keep her innards inside. Her legs were swollen, with their own stitches and bruises to go with the splint on her left foreleg. Dash had never been a vain pony. On a good day she usually just gave her hair a quick brush and wash and ran out the door, ready to start the day. But now she stared into the visage of horror. And it was all her own.The worst part of it all was the cone. It stood there on her neck, like a shackle, as if advertising to the world 'hey look at me! i'm self-destructive and unstable!'. If she turned her head too far in a particular direction her face would bump into the outer rim of the cone. 

"Well I see I look like flank now." Dash whispered as she felt hot tears springing to her eyes. 

"You still look pretty to me!" Pinkie said as she entered the room, a large bag of things clasped in her teeth.

"You'll be looking your best again in no time, Dash." Rarity agreed, levitating a small hairbrush and combing Dash's mane. "Once you're having an easier time getting around we can all go to the spa and get ourselves made up. Hmm? That would be fun wouldn't it?"

"I guess." Dash stared at the floor. She could see a red stain in the grout between the tiles near the bathtub. The area where she'd decided to try and remove her own special talent, in whatever way was necessary. A graveyard for feathers. The lump in her throat was getting painful and Dash soon found herself sobbing quietly, her tears spilling to the floor. She hated this feeling. This constant feeling of sadness that refused to leave her alone even for a moment.

"Oh no! Don't cry, Dashie!" Pinkie yelped as she quickly started unwrapping the bindings from Dash's head, throwing the bandages into a bag. They were stained red, both with dried blood and strawberries. She took a moist rag and started cleaning the dried blood from the fur on Dash's face. "I'll be done in just a second and then we can do something you'll enjoy!"

"I just want to go back to bed." Dash rasped, trying not to bawl.

"There, there. Just let it all out." Rarity cooed as she continued pulling small pieces of dirt and marble out of Dash's burnt and frazzled mane. "You'll feel much better if you don't hold those feelings in."

The white unicorn glanced at Pinkie, admiring how the pink earth pony was being so cautious with her friend and the cone. Doing her best to wrap fresh gauze over the moist and crusty wounds on her friend's face without moving the cone, causing her discomfort. The look of concern in Pinkie's eye gleamed, as she kept giving Dash a small sad smile before finally stepping back to admire her work.

"There. Better than the doctors even did, I think." Pinkie said looking Dash up and down. "Do you wanna go back to bed now?"

Dash nodded, still keeping her eyes to the floor. Slowly the trio made their way back to the couch, now covered with fresh linens. Dash slid herself into the sheets, trying again to bury her face into the soft surface. Again, the cone impeded any progress she made at hiding. Pinkie leaned forward, briefly giving Dash a comforting nuzzle. The broken mare drew back from the touch, screwing her eyes shut and making a small annoyed grunt, as if the gesture was some sort of unwelcome plague she wanted to avoid dearly. Rarity sighed sadly as she watched the two. With a small burst of blue magic she draped the lower half of the linen sheet over Rainbow's shuddering form, a makeshift blanket for the time being.

"Rainbow, I'm afraid I need to go for now." Rarity said in a grievous tone. "Sweetie Belle will be home from school soon. I need to make sure she's alright and cook dinner. I may not be able to return tomorrow but I will visit as soon as I can, as will the others."

Rarity stroked Dash's foreleg with her hoof. Expectantly Dash withdrew the leg and turned away, sniveling quietly. She beckoned to Pinkie to follow her as she made her way to the front door. Whatever she had to say was interrupted before it came out. 

"Rarity, I'm not sure I can do this." Pinkie said in as low a voice that a pony as naturally loud as her could muster. "How can I make her happy?"

"Just do your best, Pinkie." Rarity said with a nod. "If anything goes wrong you climb down and contact me or Fluttershy right away. Keep an eye on her."

"That doesn't help at all!" Pinkie whined.

"She likes you alot already, Pinkie. You're one of her best friends. Once the grief starts to subside, you'll be able to get through to her. I know you will. But for now don't try to force her to be happy. Don't remind her about the crash. Let it come naturally. Just try to be...you know....understanding."

"Okie dokie. I'll try my best."

"That's all we can ask. If things get worse we can always move her into one of our houses where she can have more constant supervision. But I don't think we need to worry about that." Rarity gave Pinkie a confident smile. "I know you're a very smart and capable pony. Ta ta!"

Rarity leaped into the small wooden platform and pulley that sat outside the front lawn of Dash's cloud cottage. She gave a small wave to Pinkie before the small enchanted axle of the pulley began to turn on it's own, slowly lowering the fashionable mare to ground level where she could get home and attend to other matter. Pinkie sat deep in thought, wondering if she'd made a mistake doing this. Her whole aim was to help Dash. Dash always helped her, even when Pinkie was at her saddest. So she couldn't give up now. Not when Dash needed her most. Pinkie would just have to pull out every stop and try every trick in the book to keep her friend happy.

"Ow!"

A shout of pain from inside the house quickly derailed Pinkie's train of thought. The train tipped over, crashing into a fiery thought mountainside and billowing fiery thought smoke into the air. The pink mare galloped inside, worried that Dash was hurting herself yet again. But the injured pony was still lying on the couch, her face twisted into a grimace of pain, small beads of sweat forming on her forehead. A quiet gurgle filled the air as Dash made another small yelp of pain.

"Dash? What's wrong?" Pinkie rushed to her side. "Do I need to call the doctor?"

"I think....ow....that Rarity was right.....about eating....OW....with the medication."

Pinkie grabbed the linen cover in her teeth and pulled it aside. Dash's stomach made a loud gurgle and shivered, as if it had life of it's own. Dash coughed loudly as she tried to curl up to alleviate the pain. Pinkie thought for a moment. She had a solution for dealing with this sort of thing but would Dash be willing to go through with it?

"Here, hold still." Pinkie said, sitting on her haunches at Dash's side and rubbing her hooves together. "I know a really good way to get rid of tummy-aches."

She place her pink hooves on the side of Dash's stomach and pressed gently down, causing Dash to shout in pain again and struggle to move. Pinkie took a deep breath and began to move her hooves in a clockwise circle, slowly easing up on the pressure she was placing on her friend's abdomen. 

"Pinkie stop whatever you................." Dash's face of twisted fear slowly faded away into a much calmer state as the gurgling noises of her stomach grew more muffled. "Oh. That feels ok, actually."

"Told ya." Pinkie whispered as she continued her circular motions, minding not to accidentally hit the stitched gash on Dash's underbelly. "This works on the twins at home. And when I was little and I got a tummy-ache from eating too many sweets, Mrs.Cake would always hold me in her arms and rub my tummy. It always made me feel better. But I'm too big for that now."

"I guess I'm not." Dash said with a small snort and a grin, her bad mood slowly melting away from the impromptu massage her midriff was receiving. "Thanks, Pinks. And thanks for the food as well."

"You're very welcome! Making ponies happy is what I do."

"So I guess you were serious then. About the whole....living here thing, huh pal?"

"Yep! I'm not gonna leave til you are back to normal! Or as close to normal as I can get you before you fly away."

"Why?"

It was a simple question. But one that carried an infinite amount of possible answers. For a moment Pinkie stumbled, feeling her perfect circular motions suddenly interrupted as the word entered her ear. Why HAD she volunteered to stay in Dash's cloudhouse? They could have had Dash live with Applejack or Fluttershy for a while. They both had room. But Pinkie had been so eager to do this. Why had she been so eager? Pinkie felt a twinge of guilt. Originally she thought she was doing this to be helpful. But now that she dwelled on the question she began to wonder if she was doing it to satisfy her own need to be near this particular pony she cared for so much. Did that make her selfish? Did that make her a bad pony? Pinkie's head reeled as these thoughts flooded her mind for a brief moment. But it all came down to a very simple conclusion. The question of "why" was a very simple question. And it deserved a very simple answer.

"Because you're my best friend!" Pinkie said happily as she hopped off the couch. She pulled the linen sheet back over Dash. "And now you should get some rest."

"Yeah I guess I will. Thanks, Pinks. I promise I'll pay you back for the party. And all this you've been doing." 

"Oh! You don't have.....to." Pinkie smiled as she noticed Dash had passed out completely. She glanced down to the floor to see that Tank the tortoise was sitting near a chair looking at the now empty trifle goblet with a sad expression.

"Hey there turtley-poo!" Pinkie lay on the ground so she could be eye-level with the round reptile. "I bet you're real hungry huh!"

The tortoise nodded. No truer words had ever been spoken in the history of anything.

"Well I got some extra strawberries in the kitchen! You want those? They're really yummy and they've been basting in brown sugar so they're all gooey and sticky and sweet! They're really ripe too! Want 'em?"

The drool dripping from Tank's mouth said more than words ever could. Pinkie giggled and hoisted the creature onto her back, trotting happily into the kitchen and laying the rest of the strawberries and compote before him. She loved watching this tortoise eat. Every bite he seemed to open his mouth as wide as possible to bite as much of the strawberry as he could. His little beak curled into a smile. She realize she'd probably never understand what it was to be as happy as a tortoise eating a strawberry. 



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"This is all so fascinating, Fluttershy. I never realized how similar pegasi were to birds."

Twilight had been curious about Dash's condition ever since the night the five had engaged in a very serious conversation with Celestia. Anatomy books weren't too common in the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville, but Twilight had managed to get Celestia to send her a few books via her personal transit system. It had been difficult for Spike to cough the books up. Particularly the hardback covered ones. But it had proven fruitful as Twilight was now pouring through the pages of "The Tipping Point of the Wingtipped Pony" a book about psychological disorders that commonly befell griffins, hippogriffs, and pegasus ponies. A few self help books lay nearby, having already been read and re-read quite thoroughly.

"It says here that various races of pegasus ponies each have their own pitched-calls they make to attract possible mates. Like how birds tweet and coo to communicate to each other."

"Yes....well....I'm pretty sure no one does that anymore, Twilight." Fluttershy said, trying not to roll her eyes. In truth, most of the ideals in the book were very old-fashioned from a less civilized time. Some were even comical now.

Twilight looked up from her book with a very serious face. "Do you have a bird noise that you make, Fluttershy?"

"I...suppose I do. I used to make it to call my mother over when I was little and too shy to speak. How come?"

"May I hear it?"

"Oh I'd really rather not."

"Please, Fluttershy? You and Dash are the only pegasus ponies I know and I have to know what this sounds like. Just this once?"

"Oh.....fine." Fluttery took a small gasp of air and let out a small warble, not unlike that of a blackcap bird, full of small high pitched trills and short pleasant notes. She gave a sheepish smile after the song had ended. "That's it. I haven't done that in a very long time."

"How very pretty!" Twilight grinned happily, applauding for her friend. "Thank you, Fluttershy. Anyway, I believe I've found a passage that explains Dash's somewhat irrational behavior these last couple of days."


_______________________________________
"Self-plucking and the destruction of feathers and skin in pegasus ponies was at one time diagnosed as an effect of trichotillomania. A disorder that leads ponies to pull the hair out of their manes, usually caused by a compulsive urge like OCD. The pegasus version is more commonly a variant of equine self-mutilation, often occurring on the flank for earth ponies. It can be caused by overstimulation, anxiety, breeding frustration, allergies, altered testosterone levels or sometimes something as simple as dry skin. Most commonly it is seen in pegasi who have undergone trauma, or are experiencing depression or social isolation. While the compulsion is similar to those experienced by earth ponies, the pegasi self-plucking compulsion is far more dangerous, and can be deadly. If the pegasi breaks too many blood feathers (feathers which remain attached to a follicle) it may result in a fast loss of blood, and if untreated, can very well be fatal. Another side effect is that the feathers that grow in to replace the removed ones are often stunted, and tough, making flight a hassle.
Depending on the trigger, there are various ways to treat such things. Younger ponies may simply outgrow it, if given time. Adults may need behavior reversal training to redirect the impulse into something more constructive. Though this can lead to equally unhealthy impulses, leading to the high rate of cigarette and cigar smoking young pegasi living today. Hypnosis and medication have both been shown to help remove the impulse. However, perhaps the best way to solve the problem is simply to remove stressful triggers from the immediate physical environment. Companions and family in constant contact with the sick individual has also proven to have very positive results, often having the quickest recovery times out of all the various treatments."
_______________________________________



"Hmm. Well from the sounds of it......we're doing the right thing." Twilight mused. "Dash always did seem to prefer her privacy. That coupled with this awful accident have clearly triggered this behavior. But with Pinkie there keeping her company, it should help. We just need to keep her social for now."

"Well that makes me feel much better." Fluttershy sighed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "The last thing I'd want to learn is that she'd be stuck this way forever."

"Hey.....Fluttershy....." Twilight looked up from the book with a serious expression. "I know your life is somewhat stressful due to your....uh.....timidness and....."

"Cowardice?" Fluttershy said quietly, looking at the floor.

"I was going to say fear. You aren't a coward, Fluttershy. You're just very cautious. But I know you tend to get worked up alot. And I do as well, it usually kind of drives me batty. You've all experienced it. But with you.....I'm just wondering.....you've never been a very strong flier. Did you ever.....erm.....pick at your feathers?"

"Oh! Oh my goodness no!" Fluttershy's eyes grew wide as saucers. "Having a feather get removed hurts alot, Twilight. It's as bad as having a tooth pulled. Even if I ever felt like doing it, which I haven't, I'd be far too frightened of the pain to go through with it."

"Oh well, good." Twilight smiled and looked back into the book.

"Actually....it hurts my feelings a little that you'd think I'd even be capable of that." Fluttershy looked down at the floor. Being accused of such a violent act was rather shocking for someone as peaceful as her.

"Don't take it that way, Fluttershy!" Twilight leaped over the large tome to hug her friend. "I'm just worried about us all. We're all kind of crazy in our own ways. I don't want to lose anyone. If one of us is hurting I want to be able to help."

"Oh, ok." Fluttershy returned the hug. "I just hope we can help Dash."