//------------------------------// // Rainbow Dash // Story: Strained and Flexed Bridges // by YukiSN //------------------------------// Chapter 6 - Rainbow Dash "Sven? Are you here?" Fluttershy called out, the canary yellow pegasus slowly walking back into her cottage. Angel Bunny bounced over to his owner, urgently thumping on her leg while making gestures towards the basement. The frightened chirps of birds and scared faces of bunnies and other furry creatures alerted Fluttershy to the presence of somepony in her home. Scared, she reached for a broom, carefully making her way to towards the basement door, a frightening aura emitting from behind the wooden barrier. Angel Bunny had grabbed a wooden spoon and a small pot cover and took his position on Fluttershy's back. "H-h-h-hello?" Fluttershy weakly squeaked, poking his head into the basement, her eyes fixated on the darkness at the bottom of the creaky stairs. Feeling slight bolder than usual, Fluttershy began to descend the steps, her hooves making quiet creaks on the old wooden stairs. The door slamming shut behind her suddenly broke whatever boldness she had accumulated, making the mare shriek in fear before falling down the stairs. A minute passed before Fluttershy opened her eyes again, a dim light in the far corner of the basement catching her attention. Carefully, she trotted closer, feeling something stick on the bottom of her hooves. Ignoring the unpleasant feeling, the yellow mare drew closer and closer until she finally was able to make out the rough outline of a stallion sleeping. Coming closer, she found Sven fast asleep on the stone floor, his cloak serving as his blanket and his head resting partially on a bag of bird seed. Fluttershy began to move closer to awake Sven only to suddenly feel something wet beneath her hooves. Still unable to see clearly, she quietly whispered for Angel Bunny to go open the blinds to let light in. As Angel Bunny climbed up to the smaller windows and pulled the blinds, sunlight flooded the room, washing over the tiles and bags that occupied the basement. Fluttershy glanced down, her eyes widening. Then she screamed. --------------------XXX-------------------- Rarity trotted upstairs, her work completed and nighttime starting to draw closer. "They've been quiet for quiet awhile now, I guess it would be proper to bring them something t to eat," Rarity thought aloud as she ascended the stairs to the two mare's room. Quietly peering inside, she found Aurora fast asleep on the floor, a piece of crumpled up scrap paper that she used to draw up a design for a dress. Curious, she quietly moved over towards Aurora, gasping at the eloquent design that she had drawn up. "Oh my! This is simply marvelous! Beautiful! So sophisticated!" Rarity gasped, her eyes switching from Aurora to the piece of paper. "She has such potential! I must recruit her!" Rarity mentally thought, her eyes now searching for Vex, finding her slouched over a table, fast asleep with a bent needle in one hoof and what appeared to be an unfinished piece in her other hoof. Quietly trotting over, Rarity notice that Vex was making the same dress that Aurora had drawn. "These two. They have so much talent!" Rarity mused, using her magic to put both mares back into bed and tucking them in. She smiled as she watched vex snuggle up to her sister like a scared filly during a thunderstorm. "They really aren't bad ponies… They were just born into the wrong setting," she sighed happily, placing a motherly kiss on both ponies' foreheads. "Sleep well my little ponies, I'll bring something up soon," she smiled gently before quietly descending the steps and heading towards the kitchen. --------------------XXX-------------------- Applejack was still shaken up by the teasing from Big Macintosh, Applebloom, and Granny Smith. Sighing in frustration, the farmer tossed and turned in her bed, trying to go to sleep but to no avail. "Horse feathers, this is their fault!" she muttered, trotting outside and to the orchard. Walking through the apple orchard always seemed to calm the farmer down easily. However tonight was different, the words 'grandfoals' and 'coltfriend' constantly running through her head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered, kicking an apple core across the ground. Wait. An apple core? Applejack suddenly began running through the orchard, looking for any thieves who were stealing her apples. The sounds of hooves galloping away alerted her to the presence of a thief, Applejack running faster and grabbing a hidden lasso. Soon she spotted a dark figure running away, an apple being held with magic. "Oh no you don't!" Applejack yelled, twirling the lasso over head and throwing it towards the thief. "Ah!" the stallion crashed to the ground, the apple bouncing away. Before he had a chance to get back up, Applejack tackled the stallion to the ground, pinning him before turning him over. "Archimedes?! What in tarnation are you doing?" Applejack exclaimed. "I don't know who you're talking about! Don't hurt me! I just wanted something to eat, but you and your family were sleeping so I came out here to get an apple and-" the stallion exclaimed, Applejack placing a hoof on his lips. "Hon' I ain't mad atcha'. Didn't I tell ya that if ya'll needed something, just come and get me?" Applejack chuckled, helping the stallion to his hooves. "C'mon, let's head back inside, I'll whip us something up," Applejack laughed, motioning for the stallion to follow. The two quietly snuck into the kitchen, Applejack rummaging through the refrigerator before she produced a small basket of Apple Fritters. "Wow, these look good," the stallion smiled, drooling almost as his eye scanned the basket. "Eat up, I'm hungry too," Applejack laughed, picking one up and taking a large bite out of it, Archimedes following suite and eating eagerly. The two soon began about idle issues, more or less, Applejack talked and the stallion listened. Applejack suddenly felt a wave of sleepiness sweep over her, though she fought on to continue her conversation with Archimedes. However, within a few minutes, the farm girl had fallen asleep on the table, snoring softly. The stallion sitting across from her smiled at the sight, removing his hat and placing it atop of Applejacks before fetching a blanket from the couch in the living room. Carefully, he draped the cloth over Applejack, smiling warmly at her before putting the food back into the fridge and making his way back to the barn. Upon entering, Rayne swooped down and cawed, landing on the stallion's head. "Haha, alright, let's go back to bed," the stallion smiled, trotting up the wooden stairs to the hay stacks that resided in the upper levels. "Goodnight Rayne." "Caw!" --------------------XXX-------------------- Celestia's Sun rose as usual, it's warm rays waking up all of Equestria. However, in a certain library in Ponyville, there was a unicorn who was more than awake. "Strings here in Ponyville… but why?" Twilight muttered. She had spent most of the day pacing back and forth contemplating why Strings would be in Ponyville. However it wasn't String's appearance that confused Twilight, it was the fact that he apparently didn't know who she was yet alone remember his trip to Canterlot. "Something happened… and Kozak knows. But how to get information out of him…" Twilight muttered, not noticing Rainbow Dash quietly fly into the library, hovering over her unicorn friend. "Hey Twilight! You have that new edition of Daring Do?" Rainbow Dash yelled, startling Twilight to jump into the air and crash into a wooden bust of Princess Celestia. "Rainbow! Warn me next time you come in!" Twilight snapped, anger laced in her words. "Sheesh! What's got your horn in a blender?" Rainbow Dash muttered, landing next to her friend. Twilight sighed, apologizing for her snappish behavior. "Well, you see… I saw Strings," Twilight sighed, Spike bringing the two mares some biscuits and water. "Well of course you did, I did too! We all did in Canterlot," Rainbow Dash laughed, somewhat confused at what Twilight was getting at. "No, I mean. Here. I saw him HERE in PONYVILLE." --------------------XXX-------------------- "Alright young ones, come now, let's go play elsewhere," a warm voice cooed through Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was busy working on new parts for her party cannon when the voice rang in her ears. Peering out of her room into the halls, her eyes widened as she spotted Strings with the Cakes' babies, the fillies climbing all over the stallion and laughing. "Come now, let's go see what mommy and daddy are up to," the stallion smiled, ushering the two fillies along to the master bedroom where Mr. and Mrs. Cake slept. The two fillies ran into the room, waking their parents who greeted them with a smile and laugh. "Oh thank you so much for taking care of them Mr.…" Mrs. Cake began, unsure of what to call Strings. Strings only looked back at her confused, not understanding why she was pausing. "Mr.?" Mr. Cake asked, confused as well. "Pardon me for asking, but what exactly is your name?" Mrs. Cake asked with a friendly smile. Strings' eyes widened, the question catching him off guard. What was his name? He didn't remember. "I… I'm sorry, but I don't actually even know what my name is," he replied sadly, Mr. and Mrs. Cake looking at him apathetically. "How did you get them to settle down for nap time anyway?" Mr. Cake asked, curious about the stallion's technique. Strings smiled as he produced his violin. "Music," he replied with a warm smile. "Oh! Well, would you care to stay for lunch?" Mrs. Cake asked. "I'm sorry, but I must go, I feel like I'm forgetting something," Strings replied, bowing politely before trotting out of the store, muttering something beneath his breath. Pinkie Pie leaned against her door, thoughts rushing through her mind. "He doesn't know his name? How can that be?" she wondered, turning to her window and watching the stallion vanish into the busy streets. --------------------XXX-------------------- "So you're saying that Strings doesn't remember a thing? Like he doesn’t even know who we are?" Rainbow Dash asked, Twilight nodding. "Hey Twilight, I was just thinking about something, remember when Kozak and all showed up and Fluttershy froze stiff?" Rainbow Dash asked, Twilight nodding. "Do you suppose something happened between Fluttershy and them? It has to be the reason why she's all fidgety around them, well except now," Rainbow Dash suggested. Twilight began to shift nervously in her place, this was exactly what Rarity had warned her of, that Rainbow Dash would dig in deep and find out. "Well… Um… Ahaha…" Twilight chuckled nervously, catching Rainbow Dash's attention. "Wait… you knew? You knew?! And you didn't tell us?!" the pegasus roared, anger suddenly filling her heart as she glared at the lavender unicorn. Twilight was about to explain before Rainbow Dash slapped her. "Why didn't you tell us?! We love her! I LOVE HER! Why?! Why Twilight?!" the cyan mare yelled, her ability to restrain her sudden rage failing. "I PINKIE PROMISED OKAY?! I PINKIE PROMISED TO RARITY!" Twilight yelled, Rainbow Dash's rage suddenly calming down, understanding the seriousness of a Pinkie Promise. "Why? Why did you Pinkie Promise?" she asked. "Rarity broke her Pinkie Promise to tell me! She said that if anyone would not overreact, it would be me! You're too brash! Pinkie Pie is too hyperactive! Applejack is to stubborn! I was the only logical one!" Twilight yelled. Rainbow Dash froze in place, her mouth agape before she flew out of the library in search of Rarity. "Rainbow!" Twilight called out in vane, only to watch a rainbow streak across the sky towards Carousel Boutique. --------------------XXX-------------------- "Rainbow! What in all of Equestria possessed you to break down my door?!" Rarity gasped, anger in her voice as she stepped over the splintered pieces of what used to be her door. Rainbow Dash stood in the threshold, panting and trying to catch her breath. "What… did Fluttershy… tell you… about… her past? What… hasn't she… told me…" Rainbow Dash panted, Rarity's eyes widening as the pegasus soon regained her breath and stared down the white unicorn. "I know you know, I forced the information out of Twilight and I'll do the same thing to you if I have to!" Rainbow Dash threatened, her usual passive kindness suddenly vanishing and being replaced with hostility. "R-R-Rainbow dear! I can't say anything anymore! It's bad enough that I broke a Pinkie Promise without Pinkie Pie knowing but to betray Fluttershy's trust? I will most certainly not!" Rarity protested, standing her ground, glaring back at the angry mare. "Come to think of it, why are you demanding information from ME? If anything this is your fault for not knowing!" Rarity yelled, her anger beginning to win over her sense of serenity and restraint. Rainbow Dash glared back at Rarity, angry that she would even accuse her of anything that harmed Fluttershy. "How dare you! I stuck by with her since Flight School!" Rainbow Dash shouted, drawing closer to Rarity. "How dare I?! How dare YOU! You selfish pegasus! All YOU do is brag and brag! Have YOU ever even considered asking Fluttershy if anything was bothering her?! Have YOU even made an attempt to visit her weekly to catch up with your so called good friend?! Have you?!" Rarity screamed, her magic suddenly engulfing her body and producing a terrifying aura that sent shivers and shivers through Rainbow Dash's body. Rainbow Dash was about to fire back but was quickly stopped as a tendril of magic slammed into her gut, knocking the wind out of her. "How about you start taking your foolish pride and bragging and shoving it down your bucking throat! Show some care for once and visit Fluttershy! All of you! Am I the only one who visits her weekly?! Honestly! You know she'd rather endure any discomfort than express a complaint! And yet you all are either oblivious to this or just don't care! It sickens me!" Rarity roared, her magic growing larger and flaring more widely. Rainbow Dash was now cowering in place, she had never seen Rarity get this made. To her, it made Queen Chrysalis's attack on Canterlot's wedding between Shining Armor and Candace as a tiny spider threatening to crawl into your soup. All around Rarity, objects began to float or shake wildly, threatening to be thrown or batter the cyan pegasus. "Do you even know what's happening at her cottage at the moment?! Did you make an effort to go visit her today?!" Rarity yelled, her glare so intense, it put Fluttershy's famous Stare to shame. "Did you?" Rainbow Dash weakly shot back only to be forced to the ground by a sudden fury of magic. "NO BUT I SEE HER A HELL OF A LOT MORE THAN YOU DO YOU SELF ABSORBED MARE!" Rarity screamed, her magic continuing to expand. The sound of hooves galloping at breakneck speed pierced Rainbow Dash's ears. Turning around, she found Twilight and Pinkie Pie staring in horror at the sight of Rarity's anger. "Rarity! Calm down!" Twilight yelled, only angering Rarity even further. "Why?! So you and I can break another promise?!" the unicorn yelled, suddenly feeling a pair of hooves gently wrap around her neck. Turning, she found Vex holding on to her, fear in her eye but doing her best to look confident. "P-p-p-p-please calm down?" she stuttered, squeaking gently at the end. Rarity's rage melted instantly at the sight, turning around and hugging the mare gently. "I'm sorry dear, I just got a little angry," she cooed gently, Vex slowly falling asleep in her hooves. Using her magic, she floated the sleeping pony over to a makeshift bed of pillows and blankets. Trotting over, she placed a gently kiss on the sleeping mare's head before returning to the three frightened ponies. "Now… RAINBOW DASH, where were we…" Rarity growled only to have Twilight and Pinkie Pie rush ahead in case the unicorn lost her cool once again. "You're right Rarity… I'm selfish… I'm full of myself… I'm a terrible friend… and I don't even deserve Fluttershy's love… but I can change! Yeah… I can change. I just have to start with fillysteps, one hoof at a time. And I think I'll take the first step today! Rarity! I'm going to visit Fluttershy, and I'm going to start doing it weekly!" Rainbow Dash announced proudly, her signature goofy grin spreading across her lips as she took the skies, giggling giddily speeding toward Fluttershy's cottage. --------------------XXX-------------------- "Hey! Applejack! Applejack! Wake up! There's some stranger in the barn!" Applejack's eyes shot open instantly, jumping out of the chair that she had fallen asleep in and galloping towards the barn. However, the instant she left the house, her mind kicked her hard, reminding her it was Archimedes, or at least that's what she knew him as. She smiled to herself, suddenly realizing that there was blanket on her along with a black hat atop her head. Smiling gently, she trotted towards the barn. "Wonder what that stallion's up to," she murmured, peering inside. The floor was empty, only hay and other boxes of memorabilia and trinkets scattered about. "Maybe he's on the second floor," she thought aloud, quietly trotting upstairs to find said stallion fast asleep in a beam of sunlight. The warm rays shone through the opening at the front of the barn, enveloping the pony in a warm blanket. Looking to her right, she found a black phoenix snoring softly while perched on a support. The farm girl giggled, making her way over towards the sleeping stallion and laying the blanket over him and placing his hat next to his head. She watched as the stallion slowly turned towards her, still snoring quietly before wrapping his hooves around the blanket and snuggling up to it. A minute passed, a tiny voice speaking in the back of Applejack's mind. "Lie with him." "What? No! He'll miss interpret it!" Applejack thought, the mere suggestion causing her cheeks to go pink. "Then explain to him when he wakes up. You were just tired, that's all and decided to lie down for a bit." "Well… if you put it that way… but it still don't feel right!" Applejack's mind yelled. "Why are you so against it? He is kind of cute anyways, just look at him. C'mon AJ, as an added bonus, he looks cool too. A hat like yours, a scar and an eye patch. A PHOENIX as a pet?" "Well… I reckon I could use a small nap before getting back to work," Applejack murmured, giving in to her thoughts. Carefully, the orange mare slipped into the covers, scooting back gently before she felt a hoof drape over her and pull her closer. Warmth soon surged through Applejack's back, the heat emitting from Archimedes chest generously sharing the comforting feeling with the farm girl. "Well… it's mighty comfortable…" Applejack mused before her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep. --------------------XXX-------------------- "So you both broke a Pinkie Promise? I can't believe you two!" Pinkie Pie yelled, angry with her friends. Rarity had confessed to telling Twilight a secret she had Pinkie Promised to never tell and Twilight confessed giving Rainbow Dash a hint of the secret when the cyan mare confronted her. Pinkie Pie could only sigh, she was truly disappointed with her friends but she understood that Rainbow Dash could easily force information out of somepony when she wanted. "Alright, I'll forgive you two since you guy are my bestest friends," Pinkie Pie smiled, resuming her usual bouncy behavior. Twilight and Rarity mentally sighed in relief before a soft squeak pierced their ears. Looking around, Twilight quickly spotted Vex making her way towards Rarity. Rarity smiled warmly at the frightened pony, allowing her to nuzzle up to the fashionista before glancing at Twilight and Pinkie Pie. "Who are they?" she asked quietly. Twilight was shocked, was everypony like this? "First Strings doesn't remember who he is and now Vex is a frightened as a filly trying to run from a manticore! What's going on here?" Twilight wondered, watching Vex begin to hid behind Rarity in fear of her stare. "Vex, dear, these are my two friends, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie," Rarity smiled, Vex slowly coming closer to the two ponies who stared back at her. "H-h-hi," she stuttered, Pinkie Pie suddenly zooming forward. "Wow! You're almost as shy as Fluttershy now! Well actually, I didn't know you before so you could've been like that any way! But that's beside the point, you're really really shy! Hey do you like parties?!" Pinkie Pie began her rambling, startling Vex who resumed hiding behind Rarity. "Umm excuse me?" Vex whispered softly gently nudging Rarity's flank. The unicorn turned around, curious what the mare wanted. "Ummm I think my sister is a bit sick… Do you have any medicine that we can use? If not, that's fine, I can go look for something then," Vex spoke, seeming worried that the fashionista would deny them medicine. Rarity smiled and trotted over to a nearby cabinet rummaging through to eventually produce a first aid kit. "Here you go darling, there's something in there that will help your sister I'm sure. I'll be up in a minute or two," Rarity smiled, motioning for the pony to ascend the steps. Vex smiled weakly before quickly leaving. "They're staying here?" Twilight questioned, sure that Vex was gone. "Well more or less. I found them yesterday, both of them in rags and begging for bits on the streets. I couldn't leave them there. They seemed so… so… helpless… and… afraid," Rarity explained. Twilight nodded, soaking in the information before revealing her encounter with Strings. "I saw him too! Apparently he was taking care of the Cakes' fillies earlier. He doesn't remember a thing either, not even his own name!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, Twilight and Rarity absorbing the information. "I would say it's safe to say that Fluttershy is housing Kozak?" Twilight spoke, Rarity nodding. "And seeing how Dashie didn't bring up the subject at all, maybe Archimedes is being housed at Sweet Apple Acres," Pinkie Pie added, the two unicorns nodding in agreement. "I would say it's also safe to say that Archimedes doesn't remember anything at all," Twilight sighed, the two other mares nodding in agreement. "Maybe you can check on Applejack then, I've got to take care of these two mares," Rarity smiled, waving goodbye to her friends before trotting upstairs. --------------------XXX-------------------- "Applejack?!" "Wow! She looks so comfortable!" "Not that Pinkie! Look!" "Wowzers! We should throw a party! Applejack's got a coltfriend!" Pinkie Pie giggled gleefully. Applejack stirred gently, the voices of her friends slowly dragging her out of her peaceful slumber. Groaning softly, the orange mare slowly opened her eyes, noticing a hoof draped over her and holding her tight. Gently turning, she found Archimedes, still fast asleep and snoring gently. Rayne had been woken up by the noise from the mares and stretched her wings, cawing softly before staring at the intruders. "Well Applejack, I didn't expect you to try and grab a stallion just yet!" Rarity giggled gleefully, clapping her hooves together in excitement. "Now wait just a darn minute. I wasn't sleeping with him! I was just… uh… just… just tired and thought I could take a quick nap!" Applejack protested, blushing heavily as Archimedes nuzzled into her neck, still asleep. "Well, it still looks like you two are getting along just fine," Twilight teased, giggling at Applejack's blush. The farmer sighed, soon explaining how she found Archimedes in her orchard with no recollection of who he, she, or what happened earlier. Twilight and Rarity quickly explained their encounters with Strings and Vex and Aurora, the farm girl nodding in understanding. "So we all agree then that Kozak is at Shy's?" Applejack asked, the other mares nodding. Slowly and gently, Applejack began to slip out of Archimedes hug. Eventually she managed to be free, leaving a soft kiss on the stallion's cheek before galloping off with the rest of her friends. --------------------XXX-------------------- "Hey Shy! Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash yelled, as she approached the pegasus' cottage. When no reply came at first, she thought Fluttershy just didn't hear her. But then something hit her, something was missing, and it definitely couldn't symbolize anything good. The usual animals that would scamper about the outside of her cottage, the usual chirping of birds who rested in trees, the rabbits that would hop up and down beneath the mare; none were present as the pegasus drew closer and closer. Worry soon took over Rainbow Dash's mind as she sped up, nearly crashing through the door. Ramming the door open, the pegasus galloped inside, yelling for her friend only to be greeted with silence. Looking down at her hooves, Rainbow Dash screamed. A long wet, stick, warm trail of blood stained the floor, weaving around the house and eventually down to the basement. Fearing the worst, Rainbow Dash rushed down the steps, the chilling feeling of her first time in the basement bringing back unpleasant memories. Ignoring the shivers and chills that shot up her spine, the pegasus began yelling for her friend. When silence and the echo of her voice was all that returned to her, she began to panic. Her cries drew Fluttershy's woodland critters to the door, all of them watching the cyan mare screaming in vain for her friend. Eventually a ferret scampered down the steps, a piece of paper held securely in it's tiny jaws. Rainbow Dash spotted the animal and quickly snatched the paper. I'm at the Cloudsdale General Hospital with Kozak. I found him injured badly beyond my medical skills and the doctors at Ponyville General Hospital say they do not know how to treat his wounds. I'll be back soon, I promise. Oh, and if this is you Rarity who is reading this, I may not be able to make it to our weekly meeting. I'm sorry. Love, Fluttershy "Cloudsdale. Mom, you're not getting away this time. I'll force it out of you if I have to," Rainbow Dash growled, dropping the piece of paper and flying towards Cloudsdale. --------------------XXX-------------------- "Was that Rainbow?" Twilight asked, noticing a cyan streak zoom into the sky from Fluttershy's cottage. "Yep, I reckon she actually kept her word and visited Shy," Applejack replied, watching Rainbow Dash vanish into the clouds. "I wonder why she left in such a hurry," Pinkie Pie thought aloud. "Well I guess we can ask Fluttershy…" Rarity began trailing off as her eyes locked onto the open door, the bloody trail and the open door to the basement. The four mares froze in place, their eyes darting from the bloody mess to the cyan mare that had vanished into the cloudy city above. "Sugarcube? You in there?" Applejack called out, her voice shaky and laced with fear. No reply. "Fluttershy? It's us, we just wanted to apologize," Twilight weakly yelled, still faced with the silence that hung grimly around the cottage. "Dearie? It's Rarity, are you here?" Rarity tried to reach Fluttershy but had no luck. "Fluttershy! One of the birdhouses is on fire!" Pinkie Pie yelled, trying to sound convincing but having no luck. Deathly silence filled the ears of the four mares before they slowly began to back away from the open door, a sickly feeling beginning to pour out from the dark threshold. "As much as I care about Fluttershy, maybe we should notify the Princess about this?" Twilight suggested before Spike came barreling towards the group. "Spike? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked curiously, the purple dragon holding up a claw and struggling to catch his breath. The next five words he uttered sent chills and fear through the mares' hearts and minds. "Celestia… Letter… War… Stalkers… Vanished…" --------------------XXX-------------------- "Okay, just try and calm down Fluttershy, we've been through this before and I'll help you get through it once again," a soft voice cooed gently while hooves wrapped themselves around a sobbing mare. Rainbow Dash's mother had been assigned to Fluttershy's case once again since she had dealt with helping the shy pony in the past even as a filly. Unknown to Rainbow Dash, even though she was the one who primarily got physical with the other fillies who picked on Fluttershy and her, Fluttershy often had other dealings with the fillies. While Rainbow Dash would get into fights during the mornings, Fluttershy would plead the other ponies to not harm her only friend and instead they could do whatever they wanted to her. So while Rainbow Dash would come back into their dorm room, often covered in fresh bruises or light cuts, Fluttershy would dreadfully wander to the back of their school in the afternoon where the fillies would get physical with her. Instead of going back to their dorm room, she would often limp or drag herself over to Cloudsdale General Hospital to seek healing. "Oh I know Colormane but seeing him like reminds me so much of Flight School and I… I… I," Fluttershy sobbed, feeling Colormane's hooves gently stroke her back. "There, there dear. Flight School is now in the past and those ponies can't hurt you anymore," Colormane assured, holding Fluttershy close. "I know you didn't have the greatest fillyhood dear and that must have been horrible. And I know that your experience at Flight School was less than stellar, with those horrible fillies constantly beat you up when Dashie was asleep in your dorm, but they can no longer hurt you. They've moved on and grew up. And believe me or not but it still pains me deeply that you come in weekly for some more patching up. Remember what I told you Fluttershy? I'm here to listen and help you but you've got to stop cutting yourself open with old wounds," the mare frowned, remembering the first time Fluttershy had limped into the hospital. "Well, that and my kitchen knives," Fluttershy weakly laughed, Colormane unsure on how to react but smiled weakly. "And then there was that time when I came in after running into Sven…" Fluttershy sighed, her eyes drifting over towards the hospitalized Sven. Confusion soon swirled through Colormane's mind. Sven? She thought the pony was called Kozak! However, before she even had a chance to speak, a frail whisper hit her ears, sending fear up her back and through her feathers. Turning around, she found her daughter staring at the two, horror and shock in her magenta eyes at what had been revealed. While her lips moved but made no sound, Colormane could easily decipher what her daughter was uttering: Fluttershy…