//------------------------------// // Just Give Me A Reason // Story: Shut The Blinds // by The Rainbow Blunderbolt //------------------------------// Chapter thirteen: Just Give Me A Reason “Is everything alright, dear? You seem quieter than usual.” Always being the one to keep her promises, Rarity had invited Fluttershy to the spa for a little get together. However, when Rarity had initially offered, the pegasus had declined, but after some careful prompts, Fluttershy had given in. After all, she had been inside her house long enough, the pegasus figured. Besides, there was no need to break the weekly tradition the two friends shared. This particular tradition had been in place ever since Fluttershy had moved to Ponyville from Cloudsdale several years ago. Once every week they would get together for some relaxation at Aloe and Lotus’ spa. It had always been like that, except for last week. Last week they didn’t have any time for trips since their friend was in life-threatening condition for a few days, then in a coma for the next few days. It had taken a toll on both of them, not to mention their other friends, but Fluttershy had taken it the hardest. That was understandable. Who wouldn’t be sad if their oldest friend basically died then became blind, and they believed it was all their fault? Rarity knew she would feel horribly depressed. Still, that wasn’t an excuse to wallow in pity and not get out and do something. She was one to talk, wasn’t she? The two were sitting in the steam room of the building, and it had been much too quiet for Rarity’s tastes. In fact, it had been like that for most of the trip. Not that it wasn’t quiet usually, this time it was… more or less silent. Almost no words came out of Fluttershy’s mouth. In a way, it unnerved Rarity to see one of her best friends like this. But, it made her even more determined to make right what had been wronged. “Fluttershy?” she asked again. “Are you feeling alright?” “Um…” Fluttershy began, looking down at the ground intently. Well, it was a start. “Yes?” Rarity pressed on, hoping that she could prompt the answer out of her yellow friend. It had worked this morning, so it was worth a try. “Um…I’m feeling fine, Rarity. Thank you for asking,” Fluttershy said. “And thank you for taking me to the spa…I know that you’re probably very busy, so it was very considerate of you to – ” “No, no, it was my pleasure,” Rarity assured, gently touching her friend on the shoulder. Sadly, Fluttershy shied away from the touch just a bit, but seemed to tolerate it. “Besides, I’m not very busy right now; I made sure of that this week.” Fluttershy knew what she was talking about, but Rarity couldn’t see her react to it. So, she decided to keep the conversation going to the best of her ability. “How have you been lately? I imagine that staying inside your house for that long has really taken a toll on you,” she assumed. “Staying inside for too long is never good for any pony’s complexion; I mean, you’re just cooped up inside without any fresh air. Ugh, I could never do that…” Rarity rambled, turning this into a rather one-sided conversation. Fluttershy didn’t really mind though. She never minded. As long as her friend was enjoying herself. But, while Rarity was going on and on about random things involving fashion and one’s figure, she decided to think for a little while, or at least until Rarity was done. She knew what Rarity had brought her here for. It was about Rainbow Dash. It was about getting her to talk to Rainbow Dash, something she had not done in over a week. To be frank, Fluttershy had just tried to avoid THINKING about Rainbow Dash for the week. She was ashamed over that fact. She should be there for her friend in this harsh time for her, but she just couldn’t make herself do it. Fluttershy had tried so hard, but she just couldn’t do it. She was too scared, she was just too scared to face the friend she had involuntarily killed, and then blinded. “Fluttershy the scaredy-pony; she can’t even stand up and help her friend,” she thought bitterly. “What do you think about that?” Rarity asked suddenly. She had her front legs crossed over her chest and had an irritated look on her face. Fluttershy blushed. “Um…could you repeat that…?” she asked timidly. “If that’s not too much trouble for you, t-that is.” Rarity sighed. “You weren’t listening, were you?” she asked matter-of-factly, as if she already knew the answer before Fluttershy even said anything. “…no, I wasn’t,” Fluttershy sighed, biting her lip. “I’m sorry, Rarity, I’ve…just been so distracted recently. Maybe I need more sleep,” she suggested to herself, shrugging her shoulders and leaning back against the wall of the steam room. The cold wood felt awkward on her skin since the surroundings were so warm, but she quickly got used to the strange sensation. “That’s quite alright, darling. I fully understand,” Rarity nodded, sitting back in the same manner that Fluttershy had. She jumped a bit, and Fluttershy guessed that she had felt the sudden coldness of the wood as well. The only difference was that Rarity joked about it. “Cold, isn’t it?” “Oh, yes,” Fluttershy agreed, chuckling for just a moment. Then it occurred to her. That was the first time she had smiled this week. For some reason, she felt ashamed of herself. “Now…you most likely know the reason I brought you here, correct? Other than to relax and catch up?” Rarity asked, getting straight down to the point of the little escapade. The unicorn had figured that the small talk had reached the end stage , and she set out to accomplish what she had originally come here for. “Yes…” Fluttershy confirmed, audibly gulping in anticipation. Already she could just hear what kind of comments Rarity would make. She wasn’t ready for this, not by a long shot. However, she knew that she had to face this eventually, and now was just as good a time as any other. She couldn’t just avoid Rainbow Dash forever. “Good,” Rarity smiled, though she seemed hesitant to continue. Fluttershy sighed, this was just going to be like the conversation she had with Twilight, wasn’t it? It would start out nice and friendly, but then it would end with some pony (most likely her) breaking down into tears and sobbing for all of five minutes or more. But, she went along with it. There was no use in failing another friend. With that thought in mind, she listened intently as Rarity began. “Now, before I begin, I want to say that we all care for you, and that we love you, no matter what may have happened. And I’m sure that Rainbow Dash does not blame you for what happened. Even if she does, I am sure that she’ll be able to forgive you if you just talk to her, ” Rarity assured, scooting closer to her friend. Fluttershy sighed. She found that hard to believe. “I-I know…I just think she hates me now…” the pegasus muttered, moving her head away from her friend. Rarity sighed heavily. She knew she had to take this slow, and to help Fluttershy through this dark time, but how she was going to do that escaped her. Even though she wasn’t quite sure how just was going to do this, she knew that it was going to take hard work, determination, and, above all, patience. But, she had a feeling that it was all going to pay off in the end if she just kept working at it. “Of course she doesn’t. What makes you say that?” Rarity asked softly. “Well…I took away everything important to her. I took away her flying, and her sight, and…and I killed her, Rarity. She’s only alive…because of Twilight…” Fluttershy sighed, her lower lip trembling with her efforts to keep her emotions locked together. This was becoming increasingly difficult for her, however. The entire week had tested her patience and emotions greatly, and they were all threatening to spill over the fragile dam she had so bravely built. “Oh,” Rarity gasped, grasping the meaning of what Fluttershy was trying to say. “And while Twilight was busy saving her…I…I did nothing. I just say there crying and-and useless, and scared out of my mind…I just didn’t know what to do…” By the time she was finished, her voice had trailed off into desperate whimpers, and she began shaking, her eyes filling to the brim with wet, salty tears. She remembered how helpless she felt, holding onto the hoof of the recently deceased Rainbow Dash while Twilight began to use the spell she said would save Rainbow Dash from utter destruction. She remembered those dead, dull eyes staring at her, torturing her with their horrid judgmental stares. She remembered how cold Rainbow’s limp hoof felt in her own. She remembered just how terrified she was. She remembered how much she wanted to run away, to leave this place and find a shelter to cry all her troubles away and shield her from the harsh reality that was life. But she also remembered how she couldn’t do that, how she wouldn’t do that. Rainbow Dash would never do that to her, so why should she do it? She had to be brave, she had to stay there with her closest friend. She remembered everything so clearly. But there was nothing more that she wanted than to just forget that whole disastrous night. The whole time Fluttershy was caught up in her memories, Rarity had been sitting there, watching her patiently and silently. It had been news to her that Twilight had saved Rainbow Dash, and she was growing rather curious about that little tidbit of information, but she would ask Twilight about that later. As she sat there, she was given some rare insight as to what Fluttershy was truly feeling underneath the surface. By the way her lip was trembling, how her eyes were slowly starting to become red with tears, and how her cheeks were starting to moisten from the tears flowing down the pegasus’ face, it was starting to become clear to Rarity what exactly the pegasus was thinking. She was trying to be brave for all of them, but knew that she was fighting a losing battle. It was only a matter of time until the barricades came crashing down. She had to fight against the urge to run up and sweep her shy friend into a hug right then and there. The unicorn wasn’t sure whether or not Fluttershy wanted to be touched, and Rarity would not make her friend uncomfortable by giving her something she didn’t want. So, she gave Fluttershy time. So they stayed like that for a while. One friend trying hard not to cry her eyes out, and the other just trying to be a good friend. But, finally, Fluttershy took a deep breath and started to speak once again. “I-I was just so…s-scared that Rainbow would die, and she DID. She DID die. And…and I couldn’t do anything…I-I’ve never ever been so terrified in my life, but I’ve never wanted to help some…some pony more than I did then, but I was scared that I would mess something up if I did,” Fluttershy gulped. Her front hooves were hovering above her cheeks and her eyes were screwed shut in what looked like concentration. “I tried to help before Twilight got there…but I...couldn’t do anything! I’ve never d-d-dealt with anything as serious as this before…so…I froze,” the pegasus said, crying heavily, but not sobbing quite yet. Rarity slowly moved over and wrapped her front legs around the heaving pegasus. Luckily, Fluttershy seemed utterly grateful for the comforting embrace, and grabbed Rarity with all she had, desperate for something to cling onto. Rarity was more than happy to be that source of comfort for her dear friend. “Is everything alright in here?” an accented voice called out, followed by a series of knocks on the door. “Yes! Everything’s fine!” Rarity called back, not letting go of her crying friend. After she said this, she heard something that resembled a ‘yes’ and some hoofsteps outside the door. Whoever was there must have gone away. Rarity sighed and turned back to Fluttershy. To her relief, the pegasus was wiping her eyes with her front right leg and sniffling quietly. “Do you feel any better?” Rarity asked, reluctantly letting go of her friend. Slowly and unsurely, Fluttershy nodded in confirmation. “Yes…I think I feel a bit better,” Fluttershy said, smiling through the last residue of her tears. Rarity smiled and scooped Fluttershy into another, much stronger, hug. “Oh, that’s wonderful, darling! I’m so proud of you.” The way she said that was much like the tone she used when Sweetie Belle did something incredibly cute. At least Fluttershy found it amusing. “Thank you, Rarity,” Fluttershy smiled, returning the hug to the best of her ability in Rarity’s vice-like grip. Once the unicorn let go of her, Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Ummm…how is Rainbow Dash anyway?” she asked nervously. “She is okay, right?” Rarity had a bemused smile plastered on her face. “Yes, she’s just fine,” she assured. “I do believe that Twilight brought her home from the hospital today, actually.” “Home? But, she can’t go up to her cloud house, can she?” Fluttershy asked, a bit confused. Rarity raised her eyebrow, but that quickly vanished to wherever it had initially come from. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. What I meant was that Rainbow Dash will be staying with Twilight from…now on,” Rarity explained. It still felt weird whenever she said that. Things just seemed so different now, but that was perfectly justifiable. Fluttershy gave a genuine smile. “That’s nice that she’s out of the hospital…she doesn’t like hospitals at all,” she said. “I don’t blame her. Have you seen those curtains?” Rarity laughed. The unicorn smiled even more when Fluttershy joined in. It was nice to hear the shy pegasus laugh again after it being missing from her eardrums for so long. “I hope she’ll be fine without flying. It meant so much to her…” Fluttershy said sadly after their little bout of laughter. She then gazed at her own wings with a thoughtful smile. Even those she didn’t use them like Rainbow Dash or most other pegasi did, she still valued them. They helped her tend to the birds and other sky-dwelling critters. She couldn’t imagine what would happen to those poor animals if she couldn’t get to them to help them. Rarity coughed just once. She was getting tired of saying this so often. “Actually, she’s able to fly, just not as well as she used to. Besides, Twilight and I are thinking up ways to help her fly again,” she said. Fluttershy gasped and her mouth formed into a small ‘o’ shape. “Wow…have you told her yet?” Fluttershy asked. “Not just yet. We plan on doing that a little bit later. Perhaps…when she settles in a little bit more,” Rarity replied. “That’s really kind of you, Rarity. I think she’ll like that very much,” Fluttershy smiled dreamily. The unicorn nodded and was just about to change the subject, when she suddenly thought of something that would most likely benefit all of them. It was a longshot, but it was worth a try. “Fluttershy?” she began. “Yes, Rarity?” Fluttershy replied, gazing at the unicorn curiously. “Do you think it would be possible if you helped us with this…project, of sorts?” Rarity asked cautiously. When Fluttershy’s surprised expression didn’t fall after a few seconds, she continued. “A pegasus like you will help immensely with this kind of thing. You have wings, something of which neither Twilight nor myself have, and you know Rainbow Dash better than all of us.” Fluttershy looked like she was thinking it over. “Please, Fluttershy? I know that you and Rainbow Dash aren’t on the best terms at the moment, but this could really benefit the both of you,” she urged, almost begging at this point. She was sure that this could work if they all tried to do it, but if Fluttershy didn’t approve of this, their chances of success might have just lowered a bit. But, to her happiness, Fluttershy nodded in agreement a few tense moments later. “Okay, I’ll do it…but I’m not sure how much help I’ll be; you know I’m not that strong of a flyer,” Fluttershy said hesitantly, biting her lip and looking back down at the ground. “Oh, thank you so much, Fluttershy!” Rarity smiled, looking relieved. “You have no idea how happy Twilight will be when she hears this, and let us not forget Rainbow Dash!” As she went on, she seemed to miss the look of pain that occurred whenever Rainbow Dash’s name was mentioned. It wasn’t incredibly noticeable, but it wasn’t quite unnoticeable either. Fluttershy was just trying her hardest not to let her friend notice it. When Rarity was finished, Fluttershy was smiling softly. “That sounds wonderful, Rarity. I’m sure Rainbow will love it,” she nodded. Then, she got up off the bench she was sitting in. “Can we leave now? I think we’re a bit over our time limit.” Rarity’s eyes widened. She gasped audibly and followed the pegasus’ example by standing up as well. “I do believe you’re right,” she said, lifting a hoof up to her face. “And I’m getting all pruny too…” Fluttershy giggled softly. She turned around and pushed the door open softly. The rush of cold air that hit them as the door opened fully was overwhelming and freezing. But mostly freezing, even though it was room temperature. Then again, they had been in a hot, steamy room for over thirty minutes, so any pony in their situation would have thought it was cold. As they exited, Lotus came over to them. “So, how was it? To your liking, yes?” the spa pony asked, taking the towels that were wrapped around the two ponies heads and putting them away quickly. “Yes, it was lovely…t-thank you very much,” Fluttershy said, Rarity nodding in agreement. “It was our pleasure, Ms. Fluttershy! Anything to help the customer, as we say,” Lotus smiled. “Are you two finished?” “Yes, I believe we are,” Rarity said for both of them. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “How many bits do I owe you?” “Oh, zat will be…” Lotus thought, trotting over to the register and punching something in. After she had found whatever it was she was trying to find out, she turned back to them. “Zat will be twenty bits.” Rarity nodded and took out the required amount of cash from her saddlebags lying neatly in the corner of the room. She gave them to Lotus and began making her way to the front of the spa with Fluttershy following closely behind her. As she opened the door she saw Lotus wave goodbye from the corner of her eye. She responded with a wave of her own, and soon they were back in the center square of Ponyville. “Would you like to come over to the boutique for an early lunch?” Rarity asked, batting her long eyelashes innocently. “Sweetie Belle’s out with her friends and I’m awfully lonely.” Fluttershy agreed without hesitation. “I’d love to, Rarity,” she said as they began walking towards their destination. “Wonderful!” the unicorn replied, smiling happy to her. They both chatted quietly as they walked slowly to Rarity’s boutique. But, as they passed one particular building, Fluttershy stopped suddenly and her ears shot back against her skull. Rarity was startled by the behavior the pegasus was showing her, but she quickly understood when she saw what Fluttershy was looking at. There stood the Library, right in front of them. To any pony else on the street, this wouldn’t seem intimidating, but to Fluttershy it was. Because in that building stood the product of one of the biggest mistakes of her life. She couldn’t bear to look at it for more than a few more seconds, before quickly turning her head in the other direction and taking off at a trot towards Rarity’s boutique. Surprised by her quick getaway, Rarity followed suite, though much more sloppily. However, Fluttershy was way ahead of her. So she had to speed up to a canter to catch up to the pegasus. When she finally caught up to her, Fluttershy had her head pointed straight and her eyes focused on where she was going. “Are you alright, Fluttershy?” There was really no point in asking that since she already knew the answer. “…I’ll feel much better when we get away from there,” Fluttershy answered quietly. “I’m just not ready yet.” Rarity narrowed her eyebrow slightly as they reached the front door of the boutique. She held the door open for the pegasus, who gratefully stepped inside. After she had let herself in, Rarity closed the door and turned back to Fluttershy curiously. “Darling, I’m afraid I have to ask…” she began hesitantly. “If you aren’t ready now, when will you be?” Fluttershy looked caught off-guard for a few moments, but recovered quickly. After a long sigh, she finally spoke. “I don’t know, Rarity. I just don’t know.”