Deeper Than Friendship

by JustaninnocentPony


Danger(Part 2)

Chapter 7
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“Fluttershy? Fluttershy, can you hear me?”

Fluttershy’s eyes slowly opened as blood rapidly rushed to her head. She sheepishly rose, rubbing her eyes and shaking her mane out. The blurriness in her eyes prevented her from receiving and interrupting any clear vision what so ever. After a few blinks and another shake of her mane she managed to break the spell sleep casted on her eyesight. Upon receiving clear vision once more she was able to notice something peculiar.

She wasn’t in her house.

For that matter, she wasn’t in anypony’s house; or the forest, or the spa, or in her garden. She wasn’t even in Ponyville. Fluttershy rapidly moved her head from side to side, trying to gather where she was. The only things able to be seen for miles were white and fluffy clouds. No blue sky below them, no objects upon them, no cities, ponies, or buildings. Just…clouds. Fluttershy gradually picked herself up off of the cloud carpet, having trouble standing as she began to fall to her side. Before she made contact with the clouds (As if it would even hurt) a Pony-Like barrier stopped her. She could feel its gentle hooves slowly raising and supporting her, ensuring she wouldn’t loose her balance again.

Fluttershy slowly turned her head to what appeared to be the only other living thing for miles besides her. Her eyes were greeted with a lovely and strong looking figure. It’s frazzled, yet still somehow fashionable, mane falling behind its head and resting upon its sky-blue coat.

“Are you okay Fluttershy?” The figure asked worriedly. Fluttershy shook her head again in an attempt to bring focus back to her mind.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy screamed in pure joy as she nuzzled her head into the Pegasus’s neck. Her heart soared into the sky as her confused frown was slowly replaced by a humongous smile that even Celestia herself would be surprised to see. Even after what Twilight told her about Dash, she didn’t care. She knew it was a harmless prank on her part. She loved Dash, no matter what had happened. Her wings began to spread out again, going as wide as they were able to stretch without snapping off. Rainbow Dash contently smiled as she returned the gentle nuzzle with care, lovingly wrapping her foreleg around Fluttershy’s.

“Heya ‘shy” Rainbow Dash spoke in a light tone which softly signaled her joyfulness to the shy pony. Fluttershy stayed silent, the only noise she made was her soft breathing on Dash’s neck. She could feel the heat radiating off of Dash’s body, keeping her warm. Her heart continued to rapidly speed up with every nuzzle, how she could feel her friend’s fur rubbing against hers, she could feel every tuff of it gently caressing her body and engulfing her in complete ecstasy. She closed her eyes tightly and made a silent wish to Celestia and Luna that this moment would last forever.

Fluttershy slowly pulled her head out of her companion’s neck, longingly staring into her eyes. Rainbow stared back, her heart feeling like it was going to burst out of her chest as butterflies formed in her stomach. As they gazed into each others eyes the length between their muzzles closed inches at a time; neither one of them daring to brake the deep and peaceful silence that only served to emanate the love radiating from them. As their muzzles touched Fluttershy could feel a wave of warmth rushing through her, she could swear that if her wings kept stretching out like they were they would break off like little twigs. She tightly closed her eyes again, feeling Dash’s lips pressing against hers. Going slowly and gently at first, then sped up and full of passion. She could sense the heat of The Rainbow Maned Pegasus’s breath on her lips as Dash’s tongue licked the tip of her them, teasing them to open. Fluttershy complied and opened her mouth, allowing Dash’s tongue to enter and explore It. The feeling was exhilarating and amazing, every time she felt Dash’s tongue touch hers a wave of pure bliss through ran through her head, down her spine and ended in her hooves.

Fluttershy pulled pack, her eyes still closed as a heavy blush appeared on her face. Rainbow Dash smiled and she hugged the shy Pegasus closely, securing her in a tight embrace.

“D-Dashie… where are we?” Fluttershy asked with uncertainty plaguing her voice. She had been so caught up in seeing her Rainbow Maned friend (If she could even call Dash that anymore) that she forgot all about her surroundings. Fluttershy cringed at the sight of complete nothingness around her as she stayed as close to Dash as ponily possible. A thin blush appeared on Dash’s cheeks as she squeezed tighter, attempting to make her friend feel safe in her hooves.

“I…I honestly don’t know Fluttershy. There’s nothing here, nothing but clouds. I flew for miles and miles. I even did a Sonic Rainboom across this thing. There’s nothing, and the clouds are unbreakable, I kicked and kicked and kicked” Rainbow Dash stopped talking to kick a cloud; the cloud responded with a jello-like shockwave that rippled through it and energetically transferred to other clouds. “But I found you lying here. And then…you know the rest.” Rainbow Dash finished, squeezing Fluttershy tighter. Fluttershy’s nerves calmed down as she laid her head against Dash’s chest. She closed her eyes, letting each one of Dash’s heart beats calmly echo through her ears.

But the beating seemed to increase, and it was rippling through her ears now. Faster, and faster and faster it increased until Fluttershy couldn’t stand it anymore. She pulled her head out of Dash’s chest as she discovered the beating wasn’t coming from Dash’s heart…but from something worse.

The world around them was collapsing! Clouds were falling out of the sky and exploding into thin air, leaving a void of black nothingness where they used to be. Everything around them was falling apart!

“D-D-Dashie!” Fluttershy cried out as she hugged her companion deathly tight, imprinting hoof marks onto her back where she pushed and pulled. She pulled tighter and tighter, receiving no response at all from Rainbow Dash. She put her head against Dash’s chest, hoping that she would hear the calm heart beat she so longed to hear.

Nothing…

She heard nothing! Not a peep was coming from Dash’s chest. Fluttershy shook her head and tried again, the only noise being received the still exploding and falling clouds around them. She pulled back and frantically shaked Dash, who had a blank stare in her eyes.

“Dashie! Dashie wake up! Don’t go Dashie! Stop joking around! Dash!!” Fluttershy screamed in pure terror as her light shaking slowly turned violent, the lifeless Rainbow Dash swinging back and forth. Rainbows coat now turned from a gorgeous sky-blue to a dark and saddening grey. Her mane was fairing no better, the beautiful colors of the rainbow it was so famed for slowly dissipating. Fluttershy’s watery eyes began to leak several tears as she continued to shake Dash, hoping for something, anything! Complete and utter terror circled around her heart, encasing it in an aura of urgency. Fluttershy’s arms grew weak and tired as she let go of the lifeless and limp Dash. Clouds around them continued to explode, the pattern rapidly approaching their section. Fluttershy looked around in panic for an exit, a way out. But there was nothing; nothing but vast darkness as far as her eyes could see. And it only seemed to spread and spread with every second, showing no sign or letting up. The Dark void now taking over the once blue sky as the clouds continued to disappear. The clouds continued to vanish one by one, leaving only a small circle around Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

“Fluttershy…” Fluttershy turned her head to see Rainbow slowly coming to, color dimly returning to her coat and mane. Fluttershy’s ears instantly perked up as she rushed as close to Dash as she get. She buried her face in Dash’s coat, feeling her calm heartbeat once more.

“I’m so s-scared Dashie!” Fluttershy squealed out as she cried into Dash’s mane, soaking it in tears. Rainbow Dash wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy’s back, squeezing tightly.

“I know you are Fluttershy…” Rainbow Dash quietly whispered in her ear “This is pretty freaky…” Dash stopped to look around at the scene unfolding in front of her. Fluttershy further buried her head in Dash’s neck, attempting to seek comfort in her. “But I need you to be strong Fluttershy…”

Fluttershy perked up and slowly pulled her head out of Dash’s neck so she could look her in the eye. “W-What…?” Fluttershy asked in confusion as the noises around her seemed to dim out, the only one coming forward at full volume being Rainbow’s voice.

“You heard me Fluttershy. Be strong” Rainbow Dash gave her a serious look “Be strong no matter what happens to us or you. And remember, no matter what does happen. I will always love you with all of my heart and soul. Even if there isn’t a world to love you in…” Rainbow stared Fluttershy in the eye. Fluttershy felt her breath escape her as the words bounced around in her mind, she never had any idea Dash loved her this much. The fiasco taking place around her seemed to dim down to a faint buzz now as she stared back into Dash’s eyes, her beautiful, crimson eyes. Fluttershy nodded lightly in acknowledgment of Dash’s words, keeping her eyes locked on the Rainbow Pegasus’s.

“I…I will Rainbow Dash. I will… I love you too” Fluttershy gazed into Dash’s beautiful eyes again before moving in for another kiss. Dash didn’t pull back, but instead pushed her muzzle against Fluttershy’s as much as possible. Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around the Pegasus’s neck, holding the kiss for as long as she could. After both of them pulled back, Rainbow Dash released her grip on Fluttershy. The pattern of cloud destruction was only a mere few feet away from them at this point. Fluttershy squeaked and began to shake violently. A sudden rush of warmth ran through her when she felt the sky-blue pony’s hoof on her shoulder, she stopped shaking and looked up to see a kind smile on the pony’s face. Rainbow kept her hoof pressed tightly on Fluttershy’s soldier as she gave her another look in the eye.

“Now move!”

“What?!”

***

Rainbow Dash sat drearily upon her cloud, wishing for a blissful sleep to take her, one that sadly wasn’t coming any time soon. She had fallen asleep before, and was in the middle of an amazing dream about her acceptance into The Wonderbolts when she was rudely awoken by galloping on the ground below. She hadn’t seen who or what had caused the abrupt noise; regardless however she silently cursed at whatever or whoever it was. She hated being interrupted during her naps; naptime was when she got some of her best ideas! She came up with the idea to replace Twilight’s ink with invisible ink in a dream. Not only that, but she also had her dreams to thank for some of her greatest tricks. She had come up with The Speed Strut after dreaming about being a fast race horse; she was galloping as fast as she could until she took off into the air, soaring back down into a fast strut on land while her wings were still moving. ‘It was an odd dream’ she thought ‘but now I have an awesomely amazing trick to thank it for!’ Now as she was tossing and turning she couldn’t even seem to get one iota of sleep in. What if she missed out on an awesome idea for a trick! A trick that could even get her into The Wonderbolts none the less! Rainbow Dash angrily tossed on the cloud again, facing towards the sky as she blew her mane out of her eyes. Whoever was in such a rush down there could have ruined her chance to think of the best trick ever! Hay, maybe it could have even beat her famous Sonic Rainboom! But now she would never ever find out about it. Unless she actually spent time devising one…

Rainbow gave a small “Pfft” at the thought; why work so hard to make a stunning trick when it could just come to her in her sleep. Well… except for the obvious reason that is.

Rainbow Dash sighed and laid down on the cloud, resting the back of her head on her hooves. She closed her eyes and began to picture herself as a Wonderbolt. No, not just a Wonderbolt, the best Wonderbolt that ever lived! The air would flow through her mane as she flew at death defying altitudes; the cold touch of wind would press against her face as she plummeted to the earth, going faster and faster and faster until…

BOOM!

Rainbow Dash kicked her hooves up in the air to mock what the noise would sound like if she were to pull off a Sonic Rainboom, adding small sound effects to the kicks. She would be unstoppable! She would be the fastest, the coolest, and the most radical Pegasus on the team! In the whole history of Equestria! Ponies would line up for miles on end to receive her autograph on everything. Their faces, Their Books, Their Pictures, Their Shirts, anything they had! Mares would want to be her, Colts and Fillies would be falling all over her, all of them wanting a chance to date her.

Dash stopped mid-thought. Why would she even want other Colts and Fillies? She loved Fluttershy! Not some tramp Pegasus she could pull a one night stand with! Dash knocked herself on the head with her hoof, obviously disgusted with herself that the thought even found its way into her mind. She would never cheat on Fluttershy, ever. To break that pony’s heart would be like murdering a tiny foal and cooking it up for dinner. Besides, why would she want to leave Fluttershy anyways? Fluttershy was perfect in every way, shape, and form! The way she could be so sweet and lovely but at the same time strict and demanding, like a loving mother; how she could seem to calm down tiniest Foal or Filly, no matter what was scaring them. Dash especially liked how cute she was when she was shy, always adding in “Um’s” and polite inserts. God, she loved that pony… Rainbow giggled like a little school filly as more thoughts of Fluttershy popped into her mind, overwhelming all of her other ones.

In the midst of all of her mushy and uncharacteristic thoughts she was jolted out of focus by an earsplitting scream. Rainbow Dash jumped up in the air the, falling back on the cloud. She was thankful it didn’t burst and send her flying towards the ground as she got back up, peering off the edge of it. From her judgment, the noise seemed to have come from within the Everfree Forest.

“That’s odd…who would be in the Everfree Forest at this time of day…” Rainbow Dash let the thought linger in her head as she closed her eyes, attempting to picture what sane pony would even venture into the Everfree forest without a purpose. ‘Then Again…’ Rainbow thought ‘That voice sounded familiar…almost like…’ Rainbow stopped mid thought, looking at the dark forest with fear in her eyes.

“Fluttershy…” Dash’s voice was low and filled with worry. What if Fluttershy was scared, alone, hurt, or…what if something worst had happened! Rainbow Dash bolted off of the cloud, soaring off to the forest in search of her friend; hundreds of horrible scenarios playing in her mind. Fluttershy getting turned to stone by a Cockatrice, Fluttershy getting bitten by a venomous snake, Fluttershy being hurt by a gang of colts, Fluttershy running into a Manticore. Rainbow shook her head and turned her focus back to the quickly approaching forest below. She had to find Fluttershy, find her before it was too late.

Dear Luna and Celestia, please be okay Fluttershy

***

“Fluttershy! Move, NOW!” Twilight’s voice screamed with urgency besides Fluttershy, snapping the shy mare out of her dream. Fluttershy shook her head and turned to see Twilight rushing out of the thick brush and forest, several weeds and branches wedged in her frazzled mane, soiling its usually vibrant colors. She then turned her head to see the massive Manticore bearing over her, its sharp and pointed claw slowing raising its as if it was preparing to strike with all of its force. The gravity of the situation she had found herself in finally weighed heavily on Fluttershy’s shoulders. Time itself seemed to have slowed down as she found herself not being able to move a centimeter. She just sat there, shriveled up in fear as she shyly stared the humongous monster that stood before her in its rage filled eyes. Complete terror and shock filled her heart to the brim, causing her to remain motionless. Her brain was yelling at her, telling her to move, telling her to fly away and find some place much safer, to get away from the monster. But the shy mare remained still in fear, unable to move even the smallest of muscles in her body. Twilight was reaching closer, galloping as fast as she could as the Manticore’s claw began it’s descent towards her body. Fluttershy was certain all of this must have been happening dramatically fast to the outside eye; but to her, as weird as it was, she felt as if she could see all of it in slow motion. The beast’s claw slowly approaching her face as Twilight’s each hoofstep towards her made a loud and echoing ‘Clop’.

She turned to the monster again, observing the pure hatred it had in its eyes. Even in this drastic situation where all she should be thinking about is escaping, she could help but ask ‘Why?’ Why was this creature attempting to harm her, to kill her? She hadn’t done anything at all to it; she had tried to be kind, to be nice to it like she did with the Manticore she saw so long ago. Was she… was she loosing her touch with animals? Her ability to soothe and calm them? But… why would she be loosing that ability? She was the embodiment of the Element of Kindness after all. Things like this should have been right up her alley! It just didn’t make sense. Unless…

Was it her time being spent with Dashie that was affecting her? Could the animals sense that she was in love? And if so… were they jealous of the attention she was giving Dashie? But, that didn’t make sense either; what did her falling in love with another pony have to do with anything? She wasn’t even sure if animals could even sense emotions like true love or happiness, let alone be jealous of it.

Twilight continued running towards Fluttershy at a frantic pace; her lungs were burning and begging for her to stop. She had already sprinted a good half mile and was still miraculously able to find Fluttershy in time. But she could see it now, the Manticore was ready to strike, to hit yellow pony in front of it with all of its might. She had to do something, she had to protect Fluttershy! But how? What spell or method could possibly ward off a full grown Manticore and shield Fluttershy from its devastating attack? Shield… Now why did that word ring in her head…?

Wait! That was it! The Dome Spell! It was be perfect for what she needed. Twilight ran at breakneck speed, jumping high into the air and landing gracefully in front of the Manticore. The monster suddenly stopped its attack, questionably staring at the new figure in front of it. It resumed to growl, looking as if it were angrier than it had been a moment ago, if that was even possible. The Manticore raised its claw once more, ready to strike the mare that stood between it and its target.

Twilight’s horn emitted a bright purple glow as she began to cast her spell. The Manticore slowly lowered its claw, staring in awe at the magic being performed in front of it, it had no idea what it was, it rarely ever saw magic; it had absolutely no idea what cause or purpose it served. Twilight’s horn began to glow brighter, more purple light pulsing through the field of energy circling around it. She dug her hooves into the hard earth below, closing her eyes and desperately pulling all of her focus together, directing it towards her horn. The Manticore snapped out of its haze, shaking its head and gathering its wits. Its eyes narrowed into an annoyed stare as its growling reached its peak, scaring all of the small critters around it and causing them to huddle together in their burrows and bushes. They watched the scene play out before them with terrified eyes. The Manticore was dominant in these parts of the woods. It was king, and it word was law. They’ve seen ponies and animals challenge it, but all to no avail. It always won, and it always made sure everything new to the forest knew it did.

Twilight’s horn’s glowing grew to its peak now, many layers of magnetic purple light pulsing against each other, surrounding her horn in a vibrant field of energy. A wall of magenta light began to spread in each direction, gradually encasing Fluttershy and her in a circular barrier that reached just far enough to cover both of their bodies. The purple mare took a step back; her horn’s light dying out as she panted. The Dome Spell was no easy spell; it was very advanced magic that was only to be used in emergencies where one had enough time to cast it. She looked up to the Manticore again and noticed its claws hastily attacking the structure she had conjured. Each one of its strikes sent a shockwave onto the dome’s outer barrier, sending ripples all across its surface.

Twilight sighed and rested next to Fluttershy, turning her attention to the yellow mare that had eased out of her shell. Fluttershy stared at Twilight, a mixture of awe, terror, and worry filling her eyes.

What had she done? She had nearly killed her friend! Fluttershy was in near tears because of it, she thought she was going to die! She thought that she would never see Dash or any of her friends again!

All because I couldn’t accept that two of my friends dating would be alright. All because I was too stupid to rationalize with myself before acting.

Twilight sighed again and looked Fluttershy in the eyes, the Manticore’s onslaught being muffled by the barrier. Fluttershy could see the earnest concern in her friend’s worried eyes.

“I’m so sorry Fluttershy…” Twilight guiltily apologized, tears welling up in her eyes. Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion, wondering what the Unicorn had to be sorry for. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She had saved her! She would have died without her help!

“What ever do you have to be sorry for Twilight? In fact, I should be thanking you!” Fluttershy reassured her friend thankfully.

“Well… the thing is-” Twilight began to explain before something caught her attention. The dome’s wall was breaking! The purple mare quickly rushed to her hooves to access the damage. The Manticore was still clawing at it, but it had made a hole and was promptly trying to open up. Twilight panicked as her horn began to glow again, sealing up the hole and keeping the dome attached to her magic. She could feel the dome growing weaker as she stepped back, still attempting to hold it together with her magic. The ripples the dome experienced were catastrophically worse than they had been before; they were now turning into near rips in the barrier with each one of the monster’s swipes.

“Come on you stupid thing…hold together…” Twilight pleaded between gritted teeth as she continued to try and hold up the only thing standing between her and inevitable doom. The Manticore clawed the surface again, this time sending a large tear in the Dome. Twilight gasped and gradually tried to repair it, the hole slowly sowing up. The Manticore attacked again, undoing the repair she had just started. Fluttershy began to cower behind her, closing her eyes in an attempt to brace herself for what might be coming. Twilight’s horn glowed brighter and brighter, trying to repair each hole the Manticore ripped in the dome as it still made new ones. She could hold it together for much longer, the monster would break through soon and she’d be in for it then.

The Manticore clawed the dome more and more, even with Twilight’s horn going at full capacity she could still feel it wasn’t going to work. She began to feel nervousness and fear creep its way into her mind, clouding her rational judgment. She began to struggle, to mess up. She felt her hooves slipping; she felt the last sparks of her horn escaping like miniature shooting stars, floating off into the distance and evaporating in the air. Her hooves dug deeper into the earth’s crusty surface, the dirt ridding up on the bottom of her legs now. She kept readjusting her position, knowing it would be to no avail. She couldn’t hold her balance, not when most of her strength was being used up by her horn. Her legs began to wobble and they finally gave, her horn instantly dying out as she landed with a face plant on the ground. Her eyes reluctantly closed as she lay there, not being able to rise. The last thing she heard was an earthshaking ‘bang’ and the screaming of another pony as blackness filled her vision.