Rainbow Dash frowned. Applejack should have been here by now. If something were to happen her, Rainbow didn't know what she'd do. If her body was lying in a ditch, bruised and bleeding...
Seriously, Dash, get a hold of yourself. There's no way that could happen in Ponyville, of all places.
Her ears perked at the sound of approaching hoofsteps. Rainbow squinted, and was just barely able to make out an orange pony appearing on the horizon.
Oh, thank Celestia! I thought she'd never show up!
She unfurled her wings, tested the wind, and flew straight at the earth pony, who yelped in surprise as she was tackled to the ground. Both mares were panting heavily, and Applejack mustered a deep breath. She spoke five words, full of aged wisdom and clarity.
"Yer... crushin' mah ribs... sugarcube."
Rainbow blushed as she quickly got off Applejack's chest.
"Whoops, my bad. Hehe..." She trailed off. "Uh, Applejack? Are you feeling okay?"
Grunting, the orange mare straightened her legs and stood up, wincing slightly as she breathed in. "Ah'm fine, you ol' rascal. But what in tarnation was that for? You knew perfectly well that Ah was comin', so Ah don't reckon you have a good reason for knockin' me down." Applejack sighed wearily. "You owe me for that, Rainbow. That was downright painful."
Suddenly, hundreds upon thousands of mental images came rushing back to Rainbow Dash, and she felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu coming on. She remembered something an old friend of hers had told her, once upon a time, when Rainbow couldn't bear to not know.
I understand now, Fluttershy. I know you said I would, but I never believed you... until now. I understand why you couldn't tell me... why you were surprised that I knew, that I had known all along. Why you had tried so hard to hide it...
It's hard to be hurt by somepony you love.
"Fluttershy, it's time for dinner. I don't want you staying out too late."
"But, um, mother..."
"No 'buts,' missy. It's dangerous outside, especially for a pegasus who doesn't like to fly."
"Oh... um... if you say so..."
"I do say so. Now come on!"
Fluttershy slowly made her way inside, head hanging low. Ever since her mother found out that she was scared of flying, Fluttershy was always under her mother's watchful eye. Fluttershy had failed to make any friends in Cloudsdale, and she could blame her mother for that. If only she could move away from this place... her social issues might be solved once and for all, and she could finally face her fear of flying.
"Fluttershy! Where are you?"
"I'm right here."
"Oh! For Celestia's sake, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Wash up, young lady. I don't want your father to see you in this state when he gets home. After all, it was his idea to... erm... loan you to the weather factory. I'm sure you remember that, right?"
Tears welled up in the young filly's eyes. How could she ever forget that? It was the worst day of her life. The betrayal by her father... the cruel laugh of the doctor... and the pegasus who volunteered to take her place. She was the only reason Fluttershy was here right now.
After eating dinner, the young pegasus sat down on the floor. It was not her choice to do this; it was simply what she had been taught - or rather, forced - to do ever since she could remember. Gazing around the room, she sighed heavily, hoping that she wouldn't be punished tonight.
A navy blue pegasus suddenly burst through the cloud door. "Honey, I'm home!" he called loudly. Not bothering to wait for a response, he dug around in a colder section of the cloudy house. "Where did I put my...? Ah!" The pegasus triumphantly brought forth a jug of hard cider from the cloud, and lazily flew over to an overstuffed armchair, where he promptly sat down, quaffed the jug, and belched. He sighed happily. "That hits the spot. Where's my wimpy little filly at?"
The pegasus in question gulped before presenting herself to her father. "R-r-right here, sir," she managed.
"Glad to see you've remembered your manners, young lady. Dismissed!" her father bellowed. Fluttershy scampered away upstairs to her room, where her mother was waiting.
"Shh, it's okay, Fluttershy. Your father had to fly across the ocean today, and you know how he grouchy he gets with his long commutes. In the morning, he'll be fine, don't you worry," soothed the elder mare. "Did you clear away the table like I asked?"
"Y-yes, m-mother."
"And washed your hooves and brushed your teeth?"
"Yes, mother."
"Good." The mare looked questioningly at her daughter. "There's that look in your eyes, again, Fluttershy. Is there something you wish to tell me?"
Fluttershy fidgeted. "Um... well, yes... but I... I-I mean..."
"Let it all out. Don't worry about how it sounds."
"Mother... I'd like to move out of Cloudsdale."
The elder pony froze. Slowly, she made eye contact with her daughter, who had also stopped, apparently not wanting to risk losing her case.
"Would you care to repeat that, Fluttershy?"
"Um... I'd like to move out of Cloudsdale, mother," she repeated, her rare assertiveness shining through.
"And what in the Spark's name makes you believe, for one measly second, that I will allow you to do that?" her mother yelled, anger and shock punctuating every syllable. "You don't even like to fly! Where would you go? The ground?"
"Actually... yes."
That caught the mare off guard. She let out a breath. "I was afraid that this would be the day. I suppose that if you really want to leave, I don't have a say in the matter. Just remember, you'll always be my baby until the very end, Fluttershy."
"FILLY!"
Fluttershy yelped and bolted downstairs, leaving her mother sitting upstairs, who did her best to cover her ears to block the shouts she knew would come from her husband and daughter.
*****
"Please, Fluttershy? I won't tell anypony else! Promise!"
"No means no, Rainbow Dash!" The normally passive filly stomped her hoof on the ground. "Besides," she added, "it's not that big of a deal."
"Yes, it is!" Rainbow Dash blurted. "Everypony's gonna wanna know where you got those... things from, Fluttershy."
"I'll tell you when I'm ready, okay?"
Rainbow huffed in frustration. "Fine, fine, whatever."
Looking back on it now, it was so blindingly obvious as to why Fluttershy was as timid as her name, and also why she represented the Element of Kindness. How Rainbow Dash could have missed it at the time was unbelievable, and she mentally chided herself for her density. Of course, Fluttershy's parents had moved on since then, although not in the way the yellow pegasus had hoped.
Rainbow Dash shivered, and there was suddenly a hoof on her back.
"Hey, you okay, Rainbow?" asked Applejack.
"Y-yeah, I think so. Goose walked over my grave, I guess. Uh, no offense," she added quickly.
"None taken," said a nearby goose, who proceeded to spread his wings and fly away.
*****
"Did you know it was all going to go so wrong for you?" inquired Rainbow Dash, not without a touch of sympathy.
Fluttershy slowly shook her head. "Of course not. I thought my father loved me up until he sent me to flight camp. It was then that I realized he had never wanted me in his life. I was just an accidental by-product, something that was never meant to be." Fluttershy took a deep breath. "I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all!" she wailed.
"Hey now, that's no way to think! Your friends are here for you, and we all love you."
"I-I suppose..."
"Look, Fluttershy. I get that you had a hard foalhood, but you really need to let it go. I mean, I had two moms! That raised a lot of questions when I was a filly, and I didn't know how to handle it. But then I became my awesome self and accepted the fact, and people stopped bothering me about it."
"But I'm not awesome... or agressive..." Fluttershy objected.
"I know that," said the cerulean pegasus, "but you are special in your own way, and nopony can take that away from you. Not your mom, not your dad, and especially not anypony else! Your dad's gone now, right?"
"W-well... yeah..."
"Then what are you worried about? Your mom's not hanging around you all the time anymore, is she? Learn to let it go, Fluttershy. You're the only one who can do that for you."
*****
"Dash!"
"Bwuh?" Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion. "Land ho! I'm awake, Applejack!"
"It's the memories again, isn't it?"
Dash squirmed. "Yeah..."
Looking beyond the embers
Of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green
It was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but
Sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force
Of some inner tide