Rainbow Dash sinks down to the ground, burying her face in her hooves. Through shuddered breaths, she speaks in a muffled voice. “B-But I saw them. I saw your wings. You couldn't have been lying to me back then. All this time . . .” She rises for a moment, shuts her teary eyes tightly, and lowers her head once more.
Rosewing looks down at her with a smug grin. “The truth hurts, huh? Oh, Rainbow. I used you real good. I used you until there was nothing left. Not even the color in your mane!”
You sharply rap Rosewing on the back of the head. “Don't talk to her like that!”
“Why? All of a sudden, you don't wanna hear the truth?” Rosewing's smile widens. “This might be fun after all. I mean, look at what a few little sentences did to white-mane!” She points a hoof at Rainbow Dash trembling on the floor. “If I'm forced to tell the truth, I won't spare a single detail.”
She's not even trying to stop herself!
“Come on,” she taunts. “Ask me how I got Rainbow to become my sweet, little follower. Ask me how I sucked every bit of kindness out of her and turned her into my personal bitch.”
“That's enough!” you say.
“Hmm. Maybe you want to hear something more interesting.” She turns toward Fluttershy. “Ask me what I did to little Flutters last year.”
A look of absolute terror spreads across Fluttershy's face. Her legs buckle as she quivers in place. “Please, I don't want to be t-teased any more,” she softly stammers.
Upon noticing her reaction, Rosewing takes an unsteady step closer to her, reflexes still dulled from the drink. “You know, she used to be friendly and outgoing until I got my hooves on her. I turned her into the miserable pile of awkward she is now.”
You walk over and pull Rosewing away from Fluttershy with a rough tug on her tail. “Leave her alone already!” You turn her around, forcing her to look at you. “How can you live with yourself? Don't you have any shame at all?”
Hazy-eyed, Rosewing scans your face lazily. It takes her a moment to collect her thoughts. “I-I don't know. I try not to think about what I've done to others because it hurts. I have . . . I have nightmares almost every night.”
“Then stop! You don't have to—”
Suddenly, Rosewing stumbles forward, catching herself at the last moment with her shaky hooves.
“Hey!” You prop her back up. “Are you all right?”
“I'm . . . I don't think . . .” Her voice trailing off, Rosewing collapses. You prod her with a foreleg—she is unconscious.
Well, horsefeathers.
Lifting her head for a moment, Rainbow Dash gives a short, mocking laugh. “Good. I couldn't stand another moment of her.”
Her nerves gradually calming, Fluttershy slowly walks over to Rosewing, her body sprawled on the floor. “Something's wrong,” she whispers. “I don't think her wings really are healthy.”
“I don't follow,” you say. “She just told us they're fine.”
Carefully moving Rosewing to a more decent position, Fluttershy continues. “Rainbow has seen them. Some of us have heard rumors about her wings, too.” She gives you a solemn look. “There's no way she could pretend her entire life.”
“Then let's find out. Spread her wings.”
Fluttershy hesitates at first, then gingerly lifts one of Rosewing's wings and extends it to its length. You see a shriveled, feeble mass of sinew in place of normally healthy wing muscle. Her wings are practically mutilated!
“This doesn't make sense,” you say. “How did she lie?”
“Maybe she wasn't trying to lie.” Fluttershy gently refolds her wing, sighing. “I think she's delusional.”
When it comes to Rosewing, that'd be par for the course, I suppose . . . but I'm not so sure.
You stare at her in disbelief. “Are you telling me, in her mind, she thinks her wings are normal right now?”
“I-I don't know. It could be that our tonic wasn't quite right, and it's causing some kind of side-effect,” says Fluttershy. “Or it's interfering with something else she's taking. Or maybe she's trying to repress her feelings after so long. Whatever it is, I think she's completely convinced herself.”
Rainbow Dash silently looks on, tears still trickling down her cheek. You reach a hoof out to her and pull her up. She regards you with a smile, but it fades quickly.
As you turn back to Rosewing, you see her slowly stirring awake. Upon noticing the three of you standing above her, she rises in a panic, suddenly frightful. “Stay back! Don't touch me! Leave me alone, okay?”
“Calm down,” you say. “Just come with us so we can figure out what's happening to you.”
“I don't care! No more questions!”
“We don't have time! We have to go,” you say, nudging her flank forward.
As soon as you graze her, she recoils. “Get off!” she yells, turning around to face you with narrowed eyes. “I-I can't stand you. You make my life miserable!”
Stepping backward, you raise an eyebrow at her. “What have I ever done to you?”
“If you never came to Wingbury, Rainbow would still be eating out of my hoof,” says Rosewing. “Instead, she's in love with a pathetic, blank flank loser.”
Undaunted, you move right up to her face. “You're the worst kind of pony there is. If these are your honest, true feelings, you're beyond saving.”
“I don't care what you think!” With gritted teeth, Rosewing flares her wings, stretching them to their length. Despite their appearance, she looks at you with a confident air.
“Rosewing, look at your own wings,” you say guardedly. “There really is something wrong with them. Can't you tell?”
“There's nothing wrong. I can fly just fine. See?” She takes a short hop into the air and begins hovering. Despite her pride, her face is strained—it takes all of her strength to keep afloat.
Rainbow Dash rushes over and pulls her down. “Please, don't!” she pleads. “We talked about this. I don't want to see you in pain!”
“Don't touch me, Rainbow! I can do whatever I want!” She pushes Rainbow Dash away, throwing her back several feet, then returns to the air, her wings flapping clumsily.
Nostrils flared, Rainbow Dash assumes an offensive stance. “I won't let you hurt yourself again! Don't you remember showing me your wings? Telling me about the pain?”
“They were just stories. Everypony was wrong about me. My wings feel great! Didn't you see me in class the other day? I did that Mistwright distortion better than anypony else!”
Fluttershy was right. Her memory is distorted. She really is delusional!
“Your mind is all messed up, you know that?” Rainbow Dash jumps forward once more, challenging her. “You're confused. You can't fly! Stop being so stubborn!” She leaps up and bites on her tail, dragging her back to the ground.
As her hooves touch down once again, Rosewing releases a quick buck across Rainbow Dash's face. The sudden blow sends her reeling, but before she can recover, Rosewing follows with a hard tackle, bashing her with surprising force. You hear a sickening crunch as Rainbow Dash's wings are crushed against the wall. “Nopony's going to tell me what I can't do anymore!” She bolts down the hallway toward the exit, leaving the cyan pegasus injured on the floor.
“Rainbow Dash!” You run to her side. “Are you okay?”
Stifling a groan, she remains on the ground, testing her wings one at a time. “Forget me,” she says, wincing. “This is nothing. Stop Rosewing before she does something stupid!”
You nod and fly outside, Fluttershy trailing behind. Once you leave the building, you see Rosewing standing at the edge of a distant cloud. Staring at the ground far below, she dangles a foreleg over the precipice. She spares you a quick glance before spreading her wings, her face suddenly serene as the wind tosses her mane. “I feel so trapped,” she calmly says. “All my life. Like I've never been outside before.”
Oh, no.
“Rosewing!” You run over, stopping a few yards away. “Back away from the edge. You can't fly out there in this drugged state, even with healthy wings!”
She ignores you. “I want to be free. I want to fly so badly. Just like Rainbow.”
That's it. The more she thinks of her true feelings, the stronger her desire to act on them. At this rate . . .
You cautiously take a few steps closer. “Snap out of it! You're not thinking straight. Rainbow Dash is right; you'll hurt yourself!”
With reddened, tearless eyes, she leans over the edge. “I don't care . . .” She leaps into the cloudless skies. Almost immediately, she begins to plummet toward the ground, unable to muster the strength to maintain flight.
Next to you, Fluttershy gasps and runs up to the edge of the cloud, then stops, paralyzed with fear. “Do something!” she cries shakily.
You grit your teeth. I'm not like Rosewing. I can't let this happen! You rocket forth and fly downward. As you approach, you see her peacefully free falling, eyes closed, almost smiling.
You focus your vision past Rosewing. The ground is mere seconds away from meeting her descent. Putting in every ounce of effort, you strain your wings, surging closer. With a rough grab, you wrap your forelegs around her and hook back upward, your hind legs grazing the earth below as you turn.
Rosewing's half-lidded eyes wander about aimlessly as you carry her back to the academy. She gathers her wits long enough to muster a single, weakly-voiced sentence. “I just want to fly like everypony else.”
You shush her softly, groaning while you shoulder her weight during your skyward climb. “I know. Let's just get you back home.”
----------
Back on campus, a crowd has gathered near the cloud precipice. Rainbow Dash is being treated outside for minor injuries while Rosewing is surrounded by academy officials, being questioned by an interrogation officer.
As you watch from a distance, Fluttershy approaches you. “I'm glad you could save her,” she says.
You slowly nod. “Yeah. Thanks. It's not exactly the way I wanted this to happen.” A glance at Rainbow Dash receiving first aid prompts Fluttershy to give you a slight nudge.
“Don't worry, she'll be fine,” she says. “They said it was nothing serious. A day of rest, maybe.”
“I'm happy to hear that, but there's something else bothering me.” You start walking closer to Rosewing.
Fluttershy follows. “She's complying with all their questions. I heard her confess to everything. The bullying, the harassment, the blackmail . . .”
“I don't understand. She gave us a hard time the whole way through, yet now she's completely docile. I feel like something is off.”
You feel a playful tug at your tail—Rainbow Dash surprises you with a wide smile on her face. “Hey! I heard about how you saved Rosewing.”
You stop moving for a moment.
“I wanted to say thanks. I mean, I don't think she's nice or anything, but—”
“I know.” You place a hoof on her shoulder, smiling. Tracing her wings with your eyes, you ask, “Will you be okay?”
“Of course! You're talking to the fastest young flier in all of Equestria! A little scuffle isn't going to stop these wings.”
You ruffle her white mane affectionately, earning a soft giggle. Your lighthearted banter doesn't last long once you take notice of Rosewing. “Well, I'm going to see her now. Fluttershy said she's confessing to everything on her own.”
“What?” says Rainbow Dash. “But why?”
“I'm not sure. Maybe the truthtelling tonic is still in effect, and she can't lie. Or maybe there's something she knows that we don't.”
As the three of you approach the interrogation, Rosewing pays you no heed. The officer eyes you warily before continuing. “One more thing, Miss Rosewing. We've received odd reports from other students. Are you under the influence of any mind-altering substance?”
Your muscles tense. Both you and Fluttershy exchange furtive glances.
Rosewing looks away from the officer, her attention eventually settling on you. She feeds you an intense leer, but her eyes seem empty.
The officer waves a hoof in front of her face. “Over here, sweetheart. Are you on anything?”
After a moment of hesitation, her expression fades and she calmly drops her head. “No,” she states. “I'm just fine.”
What?!
Leaning into your ear, Rainbow Dash roughly whispers. “What is she saying? I thought she couldn't lie!”
You open your mouth to say something, but instead shake your head. Behind you, Fluttershy softly speaks. “It must have worn off.”
For how long has she been lucid? Why didn't she say anything about us?
Two officials take hold of Rosewing and begin to escort her away. Rainbow Dash immediately runs forward. “Wait, don't take her!”
The officer holds a hoof out at her. “Hold it, young mare. We need to get her processed. We've heard all we needed to hear.”
“Rosewing. Rosewing! I forgive you!” Rainbow Dash stops before her, forelegs raised, pleading. “You can stay at Wingbury! You don't have to go!”
Rosewing refuses to look at her, a scowl drawn upon her face.
“Please! I get it, okay? We can be friends. We don't have to bully anypony.”
The officer shunts Rainbow Dash away. “That's enough. Move along, now.”
As she is dragged away, Rosewing sharply tosses her mane, causing the remainder of the Heart's Desire to slip from her hair. Still straight-faced, she looks at it on the ground, then at Rainbow Dash, before being carried out of sight.
----------
The Next Day
You walk through the cafeteria holding your lunch tray. As you walk by fellow students at their tables, something seems different.
Strange. No weird stares. No hooves over empty chairs. Some ponies are even waving at me! . . . did I wake up in Chesterfeather High or something?
You continue toward the end of the dining hall to your usual table where a familiar pony is sitting. A slender, yellow mare is eating her salad. Expecting her to flinch nervously when you approach, you are pleasantly surprised when she turns to you with a confident smile.
“Hey, Fluttershy! It's nice to have you back.”
With a blush, she hides her face behind her flowing pink mane. “Th-Thanks! It's nice to have a normal lunch with you again.”
You sit down cheerily and begin eating, but as you chew your first bite, you are suddenly wracked with questions.
Do we talk about Rosewing? Would that be a touchy subject so soon? I don't want to dampen the mood.
What about Rainbow Dash? I can talk about my date. That would be fun.
Wait, that's not appropriate! For that matter, doesn't Fluttershy have feelings toward me?
Well, either way, I have to at least be honest with her. Regardless, I'm still not sure how I feel about—
“—really like that wall, don't you?”
You snap to your senses. “I'm sorry.”
Fluttershy giggles. “No worries! Just tell me what you're thinking. Maybe I can help.”
“Well . . .” You reach a hoof behind your head, nervously rubbing your neck. “I guess I'm thinking about everything.”
She turns her head and looks at the rest of the students in the cafeteria, watching them eat, talk, and mill about. “The last few days have been hectic. And now, Rosewing is gone.”
“Fluttershy, I'm glad she's gone,” you say confidently. “She didn't just hurt us. She hurt everypony. But, I keep thinking about it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did we do the right thing?” you ask. “Should we have left it alone? Should we have done even more? A part of me is worried that I'm turning into her.” You lower your voice to a hush. “I mean, we just poisoned somepony and got them expelled from the academy!”
Shaking her head, Fluttershy leans forward. “Rosewing hurt other ponies to hide her own insecurities. You're not Rosewing. You didn't try to hurt her. You just wanted to stop her.”
“Thank you. I'm still not certain, but it's a relief to hear you say that.”
“Please don't worry. I'm sure, someday, she'll understand.”
She takes a cautious bite of her salad, waiting for you to speak, but you remain quiet. After a moment, she breaks the silence. “Was there anything else?” she asks.
You look away, trying to find a delicate way to talk about Rainbow Dash. “Yes, but, I'm not sure how to approach it.”
With a slight blush, she smiles. “I know you're going out with her.”
You swallow hard. Oh Luna, how do I handle this?
Upon gauging your panicked reaction, Fluttershy reaches across the table and pats your hoof gently. “Listen, meet me at the greenhouse after classes, okay? We can talk about it in private.”
“Oh . . . sure. Of course, Fluttershy.”
She picks up her tray and gives you a subtle wink as she leaves the table. “I'll be waiting . . .”
----------
“Hello? Fluttershy?”
Having promptly arrived after the final academy bell, you trot through the greenhouse, scanning the area. She seemed a bit different today. I hope she's not hiding anything. I don't think I can handle another crisis right now.
“I'm here.” A soft voice reaches you from the flower beds in the back.
You pick up your pace and find Fluttershy standing alone. Something about her appearance strikes you differently; she seems somewhat taller, and her flowing, pink mane almost glows in the soft light streaming in from the ceiling. “Hey,” you call out, “is everything okay?”
“Yes! I'm glad you came,” she says, walking toward you. “There was something important I needed to tell you.”
“Really? It's not bad news, is it?”
“No, no! Nothing like that. It's something that I . . . something I hope you like.” She shyly scuffs the ground with a hoof. “I, um, I can't think of the very best way to tell you this.”
“Whatever it is, I'm sure it's fine. Just lay it on me.”
You stand before her, waiting for a response. She looks into your eyes with a hint of a grin, a slight tilt to her head.
“Go ahead, Fluttershy. I promise I won't—”
Fluttershy briskly steps right up to you, planting her lips on yours. She gives you a long, deep kiss, a slight moan escaping her as she slides her tongue into your mouth.
As she breaks out of the kiss, she opens her eyes slowly, grinning from ear to ear. When she notices you unable to hold back your own shy smile, she blushes.
“I-I always liked you,” she stammers. “You were such a nice colt, but I was always afraid to tell you.” Her mirth fades as she reads the expression on your face. “I know you're going out with Rainbow Dash, but I won't give up on you. I w-won't!”
“Fluttershy, I—”
“No!” Her hoof darts forward, covering your mouth. “Don't say anything yet. Just . . .” She looks away for a moment, then leans in close once more, talking quietly into your ear. “I'll wait for you. No matter how long it takes. I'll always be here for you.” She kisses your cheek softly, then gracefully glides her way toward the exit.
You stand still, watching her leave. As she approaches the door, she turns around and surrenders one more giddy smile before flying away.
Fluttershy . . .
----------
Later That Night
“. . . and she crushed their carrier, just like that! Can you believe it? Of course, we won the match and went straight to the finals.”
Rainbow Dash sits with you on a cloud far above the academy wingball field, regaling you with tales of her past athletic exploits. You carefully listen as she reminisces in joy, the two of you enjoying the cool night air beneath the stars.
“Oh, and you should've seen me in the championship match. Ten minutes. I held the ball for ten whole minutes! The other team just gave up!”
“I have a feeling I've heard this story before,” you say with a chuckle. You steal a glance at her mane when she isn't looking; her signature rainbow color has already started seeping back in.
“It was so cool. I really wish you were there!” She stops for a moment, catching your gaze and sending a long, wistful stare in return.
“What is it?” you ask. “Do I have something on me?”
She giggles. “Nah, I was just wondering . . . what took you so long to get here anyway?”
“I was the one waiting for you tonight!”
“Hey!” You feel a sharp poke against your side. “I don't mean tonight, silly. I mean . . . here.” She waves her hoof toward all of campus. “Wingbury Academy. We . . . I could have used you last year.”
“That's sweet, but I didn't do much, though.”
“Excuse me?” Rainbow Dash slides closer to you, facing you directly. “If it wasn't for you, I'd still be a bully at the academy. Or worse, I wouldn't even be at the academy.” She leans in close and touches your face lightly. “I owe you so much.”
“You don't owe me anything, Rainbow Dash. Just you being here with me is enough.”
Eyes shimmering, she blinks at you for a moment, her white mane being tossed by the night wind. Her lips part, but she doesn't say anything. As she hovers in front of your face, you close the gap and kiss her. She immediately leans into it and kisses you back, her hoof reaching around your head and pulling you closer. The two of you spend a passionate minute locked in each other's embrace, the cloud underneath you drifting across the academy.
A peaceful hour passes, Rainbow Dash held securely in your forelegs, as you slowly float beyond Wingbury, the cloud working its way ever-closer to the horizon.
With her body pressed tightly against yours, you can feel her voice as she speaks. “I'd be lost without you, you know. You stood up for me when I needed help, even when I didn't ask you. Even when I pushed you away.”
“I'll always stand up for you, Rainbow Dash.”
She turns her head, looking into your eyes at the mention of her name. “I promise I'll always stand up for you, too.”