//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Two Butterflies Down // by Mr Cerulean //------------------------------// The waiting room was filled with a deafening silence, enough that there was still a dull ringing in Twilight’s ears. Countless times during the night, Twilight found herself staring off at a point in space for no reason. The more her focus drifted, the quieter the world got and the louder the ring in her head grew. Her senses dulled, overwhelmed by the never ending show being put on in her head, a slideshow moving from moment to traumatic moment. Her studious brain picked apart the scenes, the blood that seemed to permeate everything around her, the smell of her best friend’s flesh torn from her body, the sound of that bloodcurdling scream amplified over and over. As the ring buzzing between her ears became the only thing she could hear, she realized it was the sound of her own horrific scream and no one else. While her muzzle might have not budged an inch, she couldn’t stop the screaming inside her own head. Twilight Sparkle found Fluttershy that night, and she almost wished she hadn’t. Reality came crashing back as an orange hoof waved in front of her face. Jerking her head to her left, she saw the orange earth pony that hadn’t left her side all night. “Sugarcube, you okay?” She asked, her voice scratchy and dry. “Yeah,” she lied, nodding her head. “I’m fine.” “You were spacing out again, I just wanted to-“ “I’m fine,” she said again, staring back at Applejack with deadened eyes. “I’m fine.” The entrance of Rarity into the waiting room bought the attention of the four other ponies there, who could only see the dreadful look on the unicorn’s face and return it with their own. “H-how bad is it?” she choked out, the tracks of tears painfully visible on her cheeks. “She’s still in surgery,” Applejack responded. “We don’t know what’s happenin’.” “She’s not going to die, is she? She can’t die!” Rarity cried, growing more anxious and fidgeting around. “She just can’t! We were supp-“ “She’s still in surgery,” Twilight said tersely. Rarity jerked at her forceful reply, choosing to stare at her hooves. She took a seat with the rest of her friends, the tears welling up again. Once Applejack wrapped a hoof around her friend’s shoulder, the dam burst, with Rarity sobbing into the farmer’s side. “We were supposed to go to the spa today…” she said mournfully before returning to crying her heart out. She wasn’t the first to shed tears for their friend that day. After many more minutes of unbearable waiting, Rainbow Dash stood up and walked out of the room, muttering something about getting coffee. Waiting and doing nothing to help Fluttershy went against everything she knew and held dear. After all, she was the Element of Loyalty, and sitting around simply felt wrong to her. Sensing something was up, Pinkie Pie quickly followed after her, hoping she could do something to raise her friend’s spirits. The pink party pony found Rainbow Dash sitting at a table in the corner, sipping the cheap cafeteria coffee and sulking. Sitting down at the other end of the table, she put on a little smile and put her hoof on top of her friend’s. “Hey there Dashie.” “I should have done more…” the pegasus pony muttered. “I could have flown faster, or been smarter, or something…” “Hey, don’t think like that!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed, pressing Rainbow Dash’s chin up with a hoof. “You did the best you could, we all did!” “And it wasn’t fucking enough!” She yelled, pulling away. “If our best means Flutters might die in there, then our best isn’t that great, is it? Why the hell should I even be the Element of Loyalty if I’m not even there when my friends need me the most?!” Pinkie Pie sat back, surprised at the outburst that just occurred. She was silent for a moment, tapping a hoof to her chin and pondering what to say. After thinking it over, she looked back up at Rainbow Dash, a more genuine smile on her face. “Dashie, look at me.” Rainbow Dash took a quick glance up from her cup and just as fast glanced back down, unimpressed. “Why?” “Because,” Pinkie declared, raising a hoof in the air. “My hair is still poofy!” “So?” Rainbow Dash said, shrugging. “What’s that got to do with anything?” “It’s got to do with everything!” She cried, flailing her arms. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared Dashie, and I don’t want Fluttershy to die either, but…” She paused for a moment, contorting her face in though, gathering her words carefully. “But I believe in her. I just know in my heart that she’s gonna make it through this! So we have to be there for her when she does, and stay positive! We don’t wanna be Grumpy McGrumperson all down in the dumps and stuff. I know Fluttershy wouldn’t want that.” Rainbow Dash turned her gaze away from her cup and up to the party pony across from her. She took a moment to consider what had been said, and started to feel ashamed for sulking like she did. With a sigh, she looked Pinkie Pie in the eye and cracked a little smile. “…you’re right.” She said, slowly getting up from her seat. “You’re right. We have to stay positive.” “Exactly!” Pinkie Pie cried, beaming at her uplifted friend. “Positve. For Fluttershy!” The blue pegasus pony nodded in agreement, giving her funny friend a nuzzle before starting the walk back to the waiting room. They would make sure that everyone was staying positive and upbeat, for the sake of their ailing friend. Rarity was onboard immediately, declaring her full dedication to the recovery process and whatever Fluttershy needed. Applejack soon followed, pledging extra work on the farm to help pay for whatever would be needed. It took little time for the four of them to start forming plans and ideas for the future, and the mood almost became a happy one for a while. Twilight sat in her seat, oblivious to the developments the other ponies discussed. Her ears were ringing again.