Twilight stretched her hooves as hard as she could, her mouth opening into a yawn and her eyes fluttering awake. As she stood up, she could see that the sky in front of her was still pitch black with stars hanging like diamonds and the moon bathing the campsite in a soft white light.
“Great… the one time I don’t want to wake up early…” Twilight stood up, her head still in a daze. Turning to her left, she saw that Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were still sound asleep. However, she immediately realized somepony, or to be accurate two ponies, were missing. Her heart sank as the thought finally crossed her mind. “F-Fluttershy!? Rainbow!?” Twilight’s eyes widened, reaching down, she frantically shook the other ponies awake. “Girls! Wake up!”
Applejack got up without question, looking as if she was wide awake. Pinkie Pie rubbed her eyes, slowly pushing herself up from the ground with a yawn. Rarity, on the other hand, didn’t even move, the soft pink eye-blinds blocked any vision she might have of the other ponies.
“Just five more minutes mother!” Rarity lazily whined before rolling to her right, banging into Applejack.
“Rarity! Wake up! This is serious!” Twilight nervously shouted, forcing Rarity to take off her blinds. Applejack glanced around to see what the problem was, gazing at the large empty spot beside Pinkie Pie, she finally realized what the problem was.
“W-Where’s Rainbow!?” Applejack ran towards where Rainbow would be sleeping, only to find a bare patch of dirt.
“And Fluttershy!?” Pinkie exclaimed, frantically darting her eyes around the campsite.
“Oh dear…” Rarity finally understood how serious the situation was.
“Girls! Spread out! Look for clues! We need to know what happe-” Twilight couldn’t finish her frenzied sentence before Applejack interrupted.
“Ah think Ah might have just found a clue, ya’ll” Applejack reached her hoof down, picking up a small blue feather just meters away from the shelter.
“I think I might have found another one…” Pinkie reached down, near where Applejack picked up the blue feather, pulling out from the dirt a smooth, yellow feather. Rarity and Twilight immediately ran towards the two Earth ponies, whose eyes were wide with fear.
---------
Fluttershy continued to keep up her pace. She had no idea where she was headed or even if she was headed in the right direction but the thought of Rainbow, hurt and at the mercy of the mysterious figure, was more than enough motivation for her.
Trotting into a wide open field, Fluttershy caught the faint sound of rustling bushes and snapping branches. Turning around, she glanced at the trees around her, the night drenching the area around her in darkness.
“W-Whose there!?” Fluttershy called out but there was no reply. Once again, another series of rustling and snapping echoed throughout the forest.
“P-Please don’t hurt me!” Fluttershy started trembling, her eyes trying to get a glimpse of whatever was around her. “I-I’m just looking for a friend!” Fluttershy pleaded to the unknown creature.
“You mean me?” Fluttershy spun around, staring at the mare in front of her. At first, the mare looked like a stranger, dressed in a black uniform which only left space for her muzzle and wings. The uniform had two bright yellow eye-sockets and yellow thunderbolts adorned the hooves and the flank of the suit. After examining the six-colored mane and tail the pony sported, Fluttershy finally made the connection.
“R-Rainbow!?” Fluttershy stuttered out in shock and fear. Slowly she recognized the uniform from when they first ventured into the Everfree forest to find the Elements of Harmony. It was a Shadowbolt uniform. Her head filled with questions and doubts.
Rainbow followed Fluttershy’s startling revelation with a laugh. “Took you long enough. You were always the slow one.” Rainbow didn’t stutter on her insult. Fluttershy took a step backwards, her mouth hung open. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“R-Rainbow…why are you-” Fluttershy’s question was rudely cut short by Rainbow.
“Man, you’re so useless Fluttershy.” The words stung Fluttershy’s heart as they crossed her ears. Rainbow started flapping her wings, floating up to a small cloud hanging above. “You just can’t figure things out for yourself can you? You always depend on others to tell you what’s going on.” Fluttershy bit her lip, tears at the edge of her eyes.
“C-come back with me, Rainbow! I’m sure everyone is worried sick!” Fluttershy desperately pleaded but Rainbow merely scorned at the begging yellow mare.
“Worried? Do you really think they care!?” Before Fluttershy could answer, Rainbow continued. “I still remember what happened at the campfire just a few hours ago! You laughed at me! All of them laughed at me and you stood with them! My former best friend…” Guilt crept up on Fluttershy, infecting her slowly. The word ‘former’ struck a weak point with her, she didn’t want to lose Rainbow. Rainbow meant the world to her.
“We didn’t mean it R-Rainbow! Please! Stop this!” Fluttershy continued to beg, her legs trembling immensely, hoping she could get through to whatever was causing Rainbow to behave the way she was. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I don’t want to lose you…”
“Hmph. You already have you useless little mare.”
Rainbow’s words were cold, said without remorse. “R-Rainbow…w-what’s gotten into you?” Fluttershy asked with a soft voice.
“I just saw the truth, that’s all!” Rainbow replied swiftly, her eyes gazing straight at the frightened butter-colored pony below her.
“T-Truth?” Fluttershy was almost too worried to ask, gazing up at the smiling Pegasus on the cloud.
“Easy. You were holding me back. You and your stupid friends always were.” Rainbow’s words and tone sliced a gash into Fluttershy’s defenses, each word bringing Fluttershy closer to tears. This wasn’t her best friend that was standing before her.
“B-but you were the pony that s-saved me…” Memories of her first day in Flight School crossed her mind. She remembered the day she got bullied, close to getting beaten up but a certain Rainbow mare stopped them and even since then, she and Rainbow had become inseparable.
“Yeah. And that’s when my life went downhill.” Fluttershy lowered her head, cowering in fear at the barrage of insults that were sure to follow. “I could have been so much greater than what I am now! The fame! I could have been part of the Wonderbolts! I could have fans now!” Rainbow sped down in an instant towards Fluttershy, startling her. Making sure to stare Fluttershy straight in her large, aqua eyes, Rainbow spoke. “I could have all of that if I didn’t stand. Up. For. You.”
----------
“Oh no… this is bad, this is bad, this is bad!!” Twilight repeated the phrase continuously like a chant, her face flushed with fear.
“Where on Earth could those two possibly have gone?” Rarity asked, taking the bright blue feather away from Applejack.
“I don’t know but we need to find them! Girls, pack your things quickly. We’re going.” Applejack slid the cyan feather into her saddlebag and Pinkie slid Fluttershy’s feather into hers. The ponies wasted no time, quickly gathering their belongings and sped through the dark forest ahead…
----------
Rainbow’s angered face was just inches away from the trembling Fluttershy. Fluttershy could feel that this Rainbow Dash meant every word she had said. Tears were now clearly visible on Fluttershy’s eyes, flowing down to her cheeks. Her lips were trembling and her hooves buckled tightly, paralyzing her in fear and sadness.
‘Was it all true? Would she be better off without me?’ Fluttershy thought to herself. Seeing Fluttershy’s tears, Rainbow released a heartless laughter.
“You’re so pathetic Fluttershy!” Rainbow flew back on to the cloud, leaving the distraught Fluttershy to stare at her like she was a stranger. “Or should I say, Fluttercry?” Fluttershy’s eyes closed shut when she heard that word. The name brought back memories of pain and misery for the three years she was in Flight School. She buried her face in her hooves as the floodgates opened, her tears pouring out onto her yellow coat.
Rainbow continued laughing as Fluttershy cried, feeding off the sadness she was emitting. Fluttershy’s memories of the most traumatic years of her life started to flow back into her mind, only opening wounds better left closed. She tried her best to repress the thoughts flooding into her head but it only resulted in ragged breath with gasps of air inbetween.
“Still as weak and useless as I remember.” Rainbow heartlessly remarked.
“W-Who did this to you!?” Fluttershy’s tear-filled eyes staring at the pony above her.
“Again with the questions? I thought making you cry would shut you up!” Rainbow flew high into the sky. “You see that building over there?” Rainbow pointed her hoof to a large, green structure in the distance. It was one that had been dotted around the landscape. It was tall and had a wide, flat top. “If you can reach that place with your embarrassing strength then we’ll answer all your questions.”
“W-We?” Fluttershy managed to force out in between her sobs.
“Another question. See you later, Fluttercry.” Rainbow sped off, leaving behind a large Rainbow trail. Fluttershy’s sadness soon turned into rage. Anger clouded her mind and eyes. She wanted to chase Rainbow but the piercing pain when she tried to spread her wings reminded her that that wasn’t an option. Wiping the tears that had fallen off her face, she gritted her teeth and marched onwards towards the structure. As she took her first steps, the morning sun started to rise over the horizon…