//------------------------------//
// Dash and Shy 
// Story: The Consequence of Sacrificing Friendship 
// by PinkaSisterKeg 
//------------------------------//

"Discord... that was his name... He was an Ancient Evil bound in stone by Princess Celestia and the Elements of Harmony more than a thousand years ago... And he was free. I remember the day he was freed. The chaos he brought and the despair he had in tow... I remember the day Princess Celestia sent me and my friends out to battle him... I remember how day and night shifted in minutes... and Ground turned into soap... I remember how he twisted us... most of us at least... rendered us weak and powerless to defend the land we loved dearly... I remember Twilight... Princess Celestia's own faithful student and Element of Magic... my dear... dear friend..."

Fluttershy sets her quill down, tears welling up in her eyes as she remembers the Purple Unicorn, the time they spent together, the challenges they faced and conquered... She begins to sob, her hooves covering her face as she remembers how Twilight Sparkle gave her life to destroy the Evil that may have very well destroyed Equestria on a whim. And how she, and the other Elements were willingly leaving her to help herself. Tears trickle down her cheeks, and what was once a few drops now flow like a river onto her wooden desk, some onto the journal she wrote in. The sounds of knocking on her Hut's door was deafened by the sound of her own cries, but as the knocks get louder, she stops, taking a deep breath to mask her tears.

"C-Come in..." she says, almost in a whisper as she speaks, wiping the tears from her table, her cheeks, and ultimately shutting her journal before turning to the door to see who had entered through her door.

The rainbow maned pony paces nervously through the door, she looks worn out. But, then again, after all that has happened most of them did.
“Hey Shy, how're ya holdin' up?”
Rainbow Dash says, trying to keep her normally cocky attitude.
“U-Ummm..."
She stutters momentarily before continuing in a quiet fashion.
"F-fine I suppose…”
“Well, just came to tell you. The others said we should start getting ready….Y' know…For the funeral….”
Fluttershy's eyes began to tear up again, she felt weak, she had not done anything to save her friend…. Maybe if she had done something, freed herself from Discord's twisted lie, Twilight Sparkle would still be alive, and they wouldn't have had to go through all this pain.
“Hey, Shy shouldn’t you start getting dressed?”
“Erm... D-Dash..."
She starts, her voice quivering with uncertainty, Rainbow Dash turns to her, and gives her friend a reassuring smile, although she herself had felt slightly bothered.
"Yeah?"
Fluttershy stutters again, before continuing.
“D-Do you think if I had done something this wouldn’t have happened?”
Rainbow Dash widens her eyes in surprise, before giving her another smile.
“Don't think that way, Shy. You aren't the reason this happened, y'know... just be calm..."
She pauses slightly, a lump in her throat formed, now that she thought about it... what would it have been like if Twilight succeeded in her plan? She shakes the thought off before she breaks down and pats Fluttershy on the shoulder,
"Just be cool... It'll be alright."
Fluttershy's pained expression turns to one of anger and she slaps Dash across the face.
"How can you say that?! It's not alright! Twilight died and it was all because we couldn't break whatever it is we were stuck in! She was our friend and we were too blind to help her! I swear if you EVER say that it's going to be alright again I-..."
She stops, and touches Rainbow Dash's cheek, slightly bruised from her slap, and she gets down on her knees, crying.
"Oh Rainbow Dash... I-I'm... I'm so sorry..."
Dash is taken aback from what had just happened, but then smiles and takes Fluttershy in her forelegs for an embrace, hushing the Yellow Pegasus as she sobs into her friend's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Shy..."
She says, her voice quivering slightly.
"I just... didn't want you to see how hurt I was too... I..."
They sob into each other's forelegs, their pain no longer able to have been contained by the facade of strength, the feelings they had kept locked up to put confidence in the others had finally been set loose, they couldn't lie to themselves anymore. They missed Twilight Sparkle dearly, and they would do anything to bring her back. But that was the past... they couldn't change that, but they both couldn't help but wonder... if they weren't so strongly kept by Discord's hex... would the Purple Unicorn still be alive today? Or was her death inevitable?

Suddenly Rainbow Dash breaks away from their embrace, her cheeks still wet with fresh tears she helps Fluttershy to her feet the Yellow Mare still sobbing for what was a good two or three minutes before sucking in some air, calming herself down and walking in the direction of her closet with Rainbow Dash behind her. Throughout their dressing period both mares remained silent, as if they had already begun mourning the loss of their dear friend.

As Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash finish, adjusting their gowns for a perfect fit before heading for the doorway, suddenly, Fluttershy feels a pull against the tail of her gown and looks downward to see Angel Bunny with his arms Crossed, the rabbit impatiently tapping his feet as if expecting something. Fluttershy widens her eyes in realization and smiles at the rabbit.

“Oh, I'm sorry Angel.”
The mare says, in her soft, almost whisper of a voice.
“What would you like for Dinner?”

The Rabbit pulls a book out of the depths of a place unknown in its coat and flips it open to reveal a series of recipes and images of desserts, the Rabbit flips through pages, ultimately stopping and pointing at what appears to be a Carrot Cake, Fluttershy sighs and shakes her head.
“I'm sorry Angel... but I can't make that right now... there's a Funeral going on later... and I have to be there now... I'll make it for you later, okay?”

She whimpers as the Bunny kicks the book aside and shoos her away arrogantly, Rainbow Dash grits her teeth and motions to attack the Spoiled little Rodent but Fluttershy holds a hoof high in front of her friend in an attempt to stop her, quietly shaking her head and moving out the door.

"Thank you Angel..."

She mutters, quietly. The Rabbit simply nods in his same, arrogant fashion before shooing her off again. Fluttershy walks down the pathway quietly, and nervously with Rainbow Dash in tow, the Rainbow-maned mare looking upon her friend with concern.

"You sure you wanna go, Shy?

She asks, knowing fully well Fluttershy was beaten up inside over Twilight's death, and that going to Twilight's Funeral would only make her feel worse.
"I'm sure everypony would understand if you didn't go... I mean, we don't expect you to be-"
"I'll be fine, Rainbow Dash..."

Fluttershy interrupts Rainbow Dash as the Rainbow Mare tries to comfort her friend.
"I want to be there for the other three, I'm most certain they are as hurt as we are... and I want to comfort them in case they break down... just like you did earlier."

Fluttershy's voice wavered, Dash could tell she didn't want to go... but she was the Element of Kindness... she wouldn't leave her friends for the sake of comforting herself. Rainbow Dash simply sighs and walks up next to Fluttershy, unconciously making a unison in their steps. Dash casts a glance at her dear friend, and blushes slightly at what she sees, for the first time in a long time, Fluttershy had one of the sternest looks in her life... and Rainbow Dash felt her heart jump, as uneasy as this made her feel, it wasn't necessarily a bad feeling... but there was something... off about this feeling. She loved Fluttershy as a friend, always has...  but... this time it felt... as if it were something... more.
Was this normal? Should she really be feeling this for another Mare? Was it right?