Fluttervile

by Aiet

"... the giant fell."

Three months. Three months in which he stayed in the “flicker" and let it wash over him. He lived in the nightmare that was his mind, he deserved it. He relived ever moment, every damned memory. He watched as he killed her over and over and over. Changelings would drag him through the forest to Chrysalis and she would taunt him, becoming his lost love and forcing him to kill her. He was nearing the end as his mind crumbled, unable to distinguish the two worlds. Everything he was fell apart and could no longer be a whole. He would have moments of clarity in which he suffered under a sea of grief and despair. Rarity would try her best to clean him up, he would just set in his living room and not ever move. Applejack, after fully recovering, would speak to him but he never heard a word. Pinkie pie tried all sorts of colorful treats, sweets, and games but nothing ever changed on his face and soon she was forced to feed him because he wouldn't on his own. Rainbow dash tried to get him to move but he would just fall, he didn't even have the will to stand. He was withering fast but soon it wouldn't matter. During a single bitter sweet moment of clarity he knew what he was going to do. He got the strength from his pain and left his house in the same clothes still. His mind led him down the path of glass to a forest of trees made of flesh. Changelings followed and cheered in victory as he made his way through the Everfree. His knew where to go and the changelings helped carry him along. Soon he made it, to the very spot he fell. The cliff in which under him was the raging river with the jagged rocks. He pulled out something from his waist he tied to it and placed it around his neck. Then he leaned forward... and the giant fell.

“... and then he was gone!” rainbow dash was napping in a tree when she woke up to here the end of some wild story of some fillies. She dropped down next to them yawning.
“what you guys talking about?” it was some fillies that just moved into town, a gray one with a red mane stepped up.
“have you seen the giant before? He looks awesome and I never seen one like him before. But I was with some other of my friends in the Everfree, I know right really dangerous, and we saw him. He walked up to this cliff and the only thing below was a river and it was waaaaaaaay down there. Then he put something around his neck and... he jump. We rushed forward from where we were but he was gone! He just vanished.” this worried rainbow dash and she took off into the air, living the foals in awe. She rushed to the cliff dolorem fell from when he was chased by the timber wolf and she found... nothing. Until she looked at a tree stump, tied around it was a rope that snapped and the frayed end dangled off the cliff edge. She slowly walked to it and looked down into the raging water with dagger like rocks. She held her breath until she heard someone else. She looked further over it and saw close to the cliff wall on a smaller ledge was dolorem, a rope around his neck. He looked dazed with his eyes open. The only way he had survived was because the rope swung when he dropped and snapped while he was over the ledge, saving him. She flew down scared but saw he was fine, just laying there. When dolorem fell he had another moment of clarity and sweet release. Then the roped snapped and he landed heavily on the smaller hidden ledge. He laid there and stayed in this world, watching the sky until he saw a rainbow mane lean over the cliff edge. She landed next to him and took his head in her hooves and... cried.
“why? Why would you try to kill your self?” she shook as she held him weeping. He answered her with the horrid clarity of his mind.
“why not?” she looked down at him after moving slightly away. Then her eyes became more focused.
“because we lost twilight when she left. Then we lost fluttershy, I cried every night for two weeks strait but I know it's nothing compared to the pain you felt. And now you were going to... I can't... lose you too...” she cried harder unable to take it any more and dolorem sat up in her arms.
“tell me why... tell me what I have left to live for... I have lost everything.” she pulled her arms away and stared at him.
“because... I know I did a lot of things on impulse, I screwed it up with applejack because of that but she said she still loves me as a friend and want to stay like that. And even though I did something to you I did respect what you and fluttershy... had. but I knew something. That I loved you, more then I thought. I knew while you were with her you would be safe but know... you're killing your self and it's doing the same to me too. I don't wait to lose you too... I couldn't handle it.” she cried in small sobs as she spoke and dolorem was silent as he stared into her wine colored eyes.
“I don't know if you feel the same or even can after losing her but I want you to know... that I”m here for you and I want to help you through this...” he was still silent but then he cried him self. It was true he needed some one to help him, he would have continued to spiraled down if not. She leaned forward and hugged him tightly and he held her back, both crying. After some difficulty dolorem climbed over the cliff edge, taking off the rope he tossed it over and both made their way out the forest. He returned home and found something he forgot. Her feather, taken out of the hat and placed gently on the living room table. The silver coin necklace with a feather on the bottom and a heart resting on top of it etched into the coin and on the back was the date he came to equestria engraved. Then something he hadn't seen in a long time, something fluttershy did for them both. It was the metal wrist band that shifted to move over your hand and shrink to fit in place. And on the metal plate was another date. The day they got married. Rainbow dash watched dolorem as he looked over the painful remainders with tears running down his face. He went to his room and pulled out a box, placing them inside and closing it. He sat there running his hand over it as tears fell on it. In the living room dash found something covered and she went over it, slowly pulling it off. She gasped at what she found. It was fluttershy, a wooden bust of her. It captured every detail of her face, her fur, and her hair. It was so well made it seemed real, but to dolorem it would never be enough. He walked in as she was viewing his art work with watery eyes. It made her cry as it reminded her of how they lost some one so beautiful, someone how never deserved to die. Dolorem walked over and ran his hand gently over her hair and down to her face. He held his hand there and he thought he felt warmth with in the wood, but it was only his tortured mind.
“it's so... beautiful.” rainbow dash walked over and brushed it with her hoof. He breathed deeply as he remembered all the hard, secretive work he put into it. It was meant to be a one year anniversary gift but not it was a painfull work of art of someone lost forever. They both stared at the bust for some time before he finally covered it. It was time. He needed help and rainbow dash was there for him. But before he could do anything he had to go to her. And he did. He slowly walked to her grave, the tomb stone setting there as to remind him for the rest of his days. Her date of birth. Her date of death. Her name. Fluttershy Pati. And at the top carved in was butterflies, her cutie mark. He fell to his knees and slowly reached out his hand and touched the cold stone. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, rainbow dash walked besides had placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes too, the wind blew. But it was different, not only cool and soft. It carried a silky touch that ran under his chin as if pulling his face up and rainbow dash's too. They opened their eyes and looked into the sky, seeing a faint glimpse of something yellow with pink soaring in the air. As if all at once every butterfly took to the air, swirling like a soft storm of vivid colors. That's when he knew. He could feel the weight of the world slip off his shoulders and feel the slight warmth of dash's head still there. He could feel the darkness ease out his mind, out his heart. He could live again. He knew with that touch of the wind that she was telling him something. Telling him to not fall, to raise back up. To move on with his life. It would be hard, it was for her too. He cried again but... in joy. Rainbow dash held him and he held her back. It would be ok. He could survive this. He stood after they let go of each other and one last time placed his hand on her grave. She took one final thing from him now. It was the darkness that he would slip into and now he could be peaceful. They left back to his house and now... now he could began his life again. He cleaned him self and his house, no longer dull. He could eat, drink, and move. Everyone noticed him coming back to life, like he had died again and now revived once again. And true to her word rainbow dash was there for every step of the painful journey. The others were overjoyed. Rarity cried with joy and applejack laughed happily. It seemed that pinkie pie would never stop hugging him but he didn't care because he could finally smile again. Then it reached a year. A year of recovery and he sat at her grave but he was happy. He sat there and recalled every good memory and relished the time they had together. As night came rainbow dash came for him, to find him smiling. They left and headed back home. Now they were together, fluttershy wanted him to move on and felt like she was the best choice, they switched from his house to hers even though he needed a hot air balloon to get up there. He felt happy but deep inside his heart still belonged to fluttershy, his first love in his life ever and rainbow dash understood but they loved each other regardless. They would live a happy life but still dolorem pati, a name. A curse. It would still direct his life but in a time later. For now after three years the two would get married, even twilight showed up and couldn't be any more happy for them. But could she tell dolorem what had happened? She couldn't. Not now.