//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: It was all my fault // by JazzyFeather //------------------------------// It was all my fault By Jazzy Featherquill Rainbow Dash sat next to the hospital bed, crying. As the weather outside seemed to sense her mind, a thunder outside the window made her shake a bit. Ponyville was covered in dark-grey rain clouds. For two weeks Rainbow Dash had stayed in the room, not wanting to leave her friend's side. She barely left to eat and drink. She couldn't after the accident. She dried her eyes with her forehooves a bit and put her head down on the bed. She softly started to cry again as she looked up at her friend. Fluttershy was lying motionless in the hospital bed, she was in a coma after a terrible crash. "It's all my fault Fluttershy" Rainbow said in between sobs. She stepped away from the bed and looked out the window at Ponyville. Which was engulfed in a grey colorless mess from the rain. "I never should have pushed you" Rainbow put her hoof up to the window for support. She felt weak, weaker then she ever had before. And this wasn't a training weakness. There was a single light in the room, making the whole thing feel worse. The sound of hooves entering the room broke Rainbow's concentration. "Excuse me miss, but visiting hours are over" Rainbow put her hoof down from the window and turned to look at a nursepony standing next to Fluttershy's bed. "W-what?" Rainbow managed to get out, "Visiting hours are over, she needs her rest. But if need be we have ponies you could talk to" The nursepony answered while she checked Fluttershy's pulse. Rainbow wiped her eyes again and looked at the nursepony "N-no...I..uh...I just need some time to think" Her voice was bordering on braking there and then. But she managed to keep it together as she trotted out of the hospital. She trotted along the rain soaked path into Ponyville. She managed to get her nerve up and decided to visit Twilight. She needed somepony to talk to...still her walk there took a while. When she finally got there she knocked on the door, three times before Twilight came to the door. Rainbow looked at her a bit before she sort of mumbled out "I-i need to talk to you Twilight" Twilight couldn't believe her own ears, "Rainbow Dash needed somepony to talk to?" It was unheard of, still she knew what she went through. "Sure Rainbow, come on in...um, do you want to talk to just me or?" As Rainbow walked into the room, she saw that her other friends were there except for Pinkie Pie, she was probably out trying to come up with some way to cheer everypony up. "I need to talk to Twilight, everypony...ALONE!" It didn't take a second before Applejack responded to Rainbow Dash in an equally defensive tone. "We are all sufferin' Rainbow!, y'all are not the only one" Rainbow tried her best to keep a glare at Applejack but she couldn't and turned her head to Twilight, who was still standing at the door. "AH!" Twilight burst out as she started to trot up to Rainbow "I'll take you into my study Rainbow, we can talk there" Twilight ushered Rainbow into her study and closed the door with her magic before turning around to face Rainbow "I know why you are here Rainbow, but shouldn't you talk to somepony more qualified?" "NO!" Rainbow blurted out, but hung her head down again and began to talk in a much lower voice "I...I can't Twilight, i need to talk to you...because of what you do" Twilight stopped herself for a second, then it dawned on her "What i do?...OH! she must mean my magic" Twilight thought to herself before she answered Rainbow. "No, i can't Rainbow...there's no spell for this" "B-bu-but!..you must have some kind of spell for this. I can't lose Fluttershy, how can YOU lose her?!" Twilight felt her heart sink as Rainbow asked her that, "How COULD she ask her that." "I'm sad too Rainbow, but loss is a part of life...i can't fix this." Twilight sighed and walked slowly over to Rainbow and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Why are you acting like this Rainbow, i've never seen you be this way" Rainbow looked away then back at Twilight "It's my fault Twilight, it's all my fault" "what do you mean Rainbow?...Fluttershy crashed into a tree all on her own, you weren't even there" Rainbow walked away from Twilight to look out the window. "You're wrong Twilight, i WAS there. I were the one who made her fly...when she crashed i was too scared to tell anypony...s-so i just ran away" Twilight was visibly shaken by what Rainbow had said, "Her friend was the element of loyalty. Not only was she that, Rainbow was also a mare that weren't afraid of a thing in the world" After a few minutes of awkward silence Twilight asked Rainbow "What were you afraid of?" Rainbow hung her head and shaked it. "I don't know what came over me Twilight, it's all so hazy" "It doesn't matter now Rainbow, all that matters is that we are there for Fluttershy. Even if she doesn't know we are" Rainbow turned and almost galloped over and hugged Twilight "Thank you Twilight!" Twilight and Rainbow Dash walked back out to the others who had not left, because they didn't want to leave their friends alone in a time like this. They all talked that night, mostly about Fluttershy. Focusing on the positive thoughts trying to block out the fact that she was in a coma. The rain had slowed to a pitter patter now, thundering could still be heard. Rainbow shook with each one, as it brought the truth back to her mind. Every single time. A few weeks after, they were all gathered at the hospital including Fluttershy's parents, except for Rarity who was busy at her boutique. Fluttershy was still in a coma and her parents had decided it was time to let their daughter go. "You can't do this!" Rainbow screamed to the doctor and Fluttershy's parents as she was being dragged out of the room. "She's still alive!" The doctor closed the door after Rainbow, "The machine that monitored Fluttershy's life signs was still beeping, so that's good" Rainbow thought to herself. As Rainbow Dash and the rest were sitting and waiting in what felt like an eternity, the heart monitor slowed it's usual beeping sound into one continues one. Rainbow's ear twitched slightly at the noise, she didn't move. Her mind was wrought with the same guilt she had felt two weeks ago. When Fluttershy's parents exited the room it took both Applejack and Twilight to hold Rainbow back. "You were supposed to keep her safe!...you are her parents for Celestia's sake!" Rainbow's words stung in the hearts of Fluttershy's parents as they walked out the door, they didn't look at Rainbow or any of the others there. In a fury of anger and sadness Rainbow broke away from Twilight and Applejack and took off out of the hospital towards her house, her tears clouding her eyes as she flew. She landed softly on the cloud keeping her house afloat "I can't believe it...it's all my fault, what...what am i going to do?.." "It's alright Dash, i'm fine" Rainbow couldn't believe her ears..."was that Fluttershy's voice?...No, she had to be imagining it." She shook her head and headed back inside. That night she couldn't sleep, and when she finally got some rest she had to cry herself to sleep. The day after Twilight along with Rarity trotted towards Rainbow's house. "How do you think she'll take it, Twilight?" Twilight sighed and answered in an melancholy tone. "You know Rainbow, It's hard on her...harder then it is for the rest of us" "Yes, she seems quite out of her usual self" Twilight just glanced at Rarity as they approached Rainbow's house. "Rainbow!...you in there!?" Twilight shouted at the house. Rainbow jolted awake as she heard Twilight, she stumbled a little out of bed and trotted over to the door. "W-What?" Rainbow shouted out the door in an almost cracking voice. "We are going to Fluttershy's funeral later today, i know it's hard for you. But i want you there...WE want you there...F-Fluttershy would have wanted you there Rainbow" "I-I don't know Twilight, i don't know if i can do it" Rainbow answered in a shaking tone of voice, while she looked away. Almost as if she was trying to fly away. "Rainbow, Fluttershy's parents have even asked you to say a few words for Fluttershy. It's important that you come, no matter how hard it is" Rarity said to Rainbow Dash, before nodding to Twilight and trotting away. Rainbow nodded weakly before answering, sounding a bit more sure. "A-Alright Twilight, i'll think about it a little" "Alright Rainbow, the funeral is in 4 hours. I expect you to be there" Twilight trotted back to her house and left Rainbow to think about her next move. Rainbow sat down on the cloud around her house, gently patting a hoof against the soft cloud. "Should i go?...i don't know if i can do it...she meant so much to me" Rainbow cried softly as she hung her head. "Go Rainbow, i-i want to hear what you have to say" Rainbow jolted as she heard Fluttershy's voice. "W-What?" Rainbow looked around confused before hearing Fluttershy again "I want to hear what you have to say about me" "This can't be real, i must be dreaming" Rainbow couldn't hear Fluttershy's voice anymore and decided to go to her funeral, although she would be keeping in the background. Later that day, the weather pegasi had made it rain again as a sign that they too were mourning. Rainbow made her way to the funeral, slowly. When she arrived all her friends were gathered there, even her admirer Scotaloo were there. Rainbow didn't want to approach and just watched the funeral. When it ended it took a while before Rainbow approached the grave. "Fluttershy...I-I miss you, i know you haven't been gone too long but we have always been friends. You were my best friend...I mean you still ARE...B-but" Rainbow dropped a few flowers on the coffin. "Oh!...Daises, they are my favorite Rainbow" Rainbow turned her head and looked at Fluttershy. "B-But Fluttershy...you're dead, this can't be real" Fluttershy smiled back at Rainbow "Maybe i am...maybe i'm just your sub-conscience, or maybe i'm really here" "Huh?...I don't know what to say Fluttershy...i mean you're here..a-and you're there!" Rainbow pointed with a hoof to the coffin. "Does it really matter if i'm real or not Rainbow?" Rainbow smiled weakly back at Fluttershy. "No, i guess not Fluttershy" Rainbow leaned her head on Fluttershy's shoulder and they stayed and talked together for a while. Over the years that passed Rainbow saw Fluttershy on a regular time, even though nopony else could see her. THE END...