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Epiphany 4

It took a full hour of flying to completely exhaust Rainbow Dash. She slowed down to land, but ended up hitting the ground hard on her stomach, with a thud loud enough to make Fluttershy stop and turn around. Dash lay motionless on the ground, panting. "That was... a lot harder than I thought... it would be..."

Fluttershy could only sigh, her wings flapping more slowly as she fell in altitude. "I'm not sure it was the best idea to move at night. We almost hit some trees, and there might be things out here..." she shivered a little as she landed, walking over to Rainbow Dash. "You sure you're okay?"

A vein on her forehead pulsed in anger. "I'm QUITE fine Fluttershy. Is there some reason you're asking every five minutes?"

Though Rainbow Dash was visibly angry, Fluttershy didn't want to drop the subject. "How sure are you that you're fine?"

"Wh-what kind of question is that? Of course I'm fine! You gave me that medicine right?"

Fluttershy nodded, then leaned her head forward. She had no idea what was going through her friend’ss head as she stared her magenta eyes, trying to gleam any bit of sense from the confident pegasus’s thoughts.

She backed up a little, falling to her rump. "Hey, don't get so close. It's kind of weird."

Fluttershy knew something was off. Only a few hours ago Rainbow Dash had declared love for the shy pegasus. Now, Fluttershy's stare into the pegasus's eyes revealed only a very small tinge of embarrassment. It was clear that at that moment, Rainbow Dash didn't love Fluttershy, or at least didn't want to admit it. She started to speak again, interrupting Fluttershy's thoughts.

"I don't think we can go much farther for a while, but I'm just... too awake to sleep."

"No, we need to try and sleep if we're not going to move." Fluttershy wanted to try last test to see if Dash was really herself or not. "Come over here, we can sleep next to each other again. It'll keep us warmer too." Fluttershy withheld a sly grin. Hah! That outta get her to be her old self, those are two great reasons to stay next to each other, she has to take the opportunity. If she doesn't... then there's something very, very wrong here, Fluttershy thought to herself.

Dash blushed almost instantly. Unable to hide her embarrassment, she stuttered a little as she spoke. "Oh... uhm, well I g-guess, that's fine... you know. If y-you don't mind it, then yeah, okay... I am kind of cold in this dark forest..." she slowly walked over, which now seemed to take little effort, but her exhaustion was visible in her slow steps. Fluttershy patted the ground where Rainbow Dash should lie down, and she did so. Fluttershy then turned to face her, and lay down next to her, bringing a comforting hoof over Dash's shoulder.

She shuddered as Fluttershy lay down next to her. "Y-you don't have to get that close Fluttershy, it's... kind of..."

"Oh, silly, I don't mind. We can keep a little warmer this way too. Besides, I know you don't mind too much."

The cyan pegasus lifted herself up and looked at Fluttershy as anger built up in her voice. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Fluttershy couldn't stop thinking about what her friend had told her just hours earlier, and it was almost visibly painful to her that her friend was somehow acting like they were just friends. Without thinking, she blurted out, "I thought you loved me!"

Her mouth fell open, her face blank as she stared at the Fluttershy. "You... I... what? How could you-"

"You told me earlier! You told me that you loved me before we fell asleep together, Rainbow Dash! How could you forget?" Fluttershy said, now getting up as well. Her voice had risen a little, an emotion running through her brain that she couldn't register.

"I-I said no such thing! Why would I be in love with you anyway?! You're a mare! Are you trying to accuse me of being a Fillyfooler?!" She yelled, her body trembling with rage. "How the hell could you possibly know what kind of feelings I have, huh?"

Fluttershy shrunk down from her previous stance, audibly whimpering. She had hoped that maybe Rainbow Dash was just being tired and a little forgetful. Now it seemed that, in the cyan mare’s mind, the confession never happened. Fluttershy, scared, could only stare at the angry pegasus in shame as she glared. Then she noticed a flash of white-and-blue light, from what seemed to be several feet behind Dash. Fluttershy moved her head to look past the angry pegasus, but she followed, not breaking eye contact for a second.

"Don't try and avoid me this time, Fluttershy! Maybe you can be all squeaky and be all cute and shy with the other ponies, but not me!" She was still yelling, rage thick and making her voice almost hoarse. "I'm going to Ponyville alone. Don't follow me, or I swear you will regret it."

"But Dash-"

"FUCK. YOU." Was all Rainbow Dash screamed as she lifted off, her wings working as if she wasn't tired, and flew in the direction they had originally been heading.

Fluttershy stared at the pegasus as she vanished into the darkness of the forest. Fluttershy looked around. She was alone. She tried to think to herself, but felt a sadness poking at her consciousness, trying to break free. What... did I do... I thought she loved me... why would she be so mad... why be so mad at me... I just wanted... to help her... Fluttershy could no longer hold her composure as her legs crumbled, and she began to weep, her entire body lying against the ground and visibly shuddering. She ran through her head everything she had done that day, the weeping filling the forest with a quiet white noise. Her friend's rage had permeated her mind, filling her inner-most thoughts.

Rainbow Dash. She had admitted that she loved Fluttershy only hours ago, and it was the first time Fluttershy had truly felt wanted, needed, or loved. She had then screamed at her, in a voice filled with rage. Fluttershy had tried to fulfill the unrequited love, and that had driven away her closest friend. She felt truly alone in the forest. She looked around briefly from her spot on the ground. Nothing. The forest was pitch black, the only thing visible being the tall trunks of trees nearest to her. Her mind started to fill with thoughts of loneliness, not having anypony to help her. Her weeping began to quiet a little as she remembered when she hadn't had anyone in Ponyville, simply living day-after-day like it was a giant haze, only buying what she needed to live. Angel Bunny had been her first care, and she had slowly gotten to love every animal in the town. But then she made more friends. Rainbow Dash, whom she already knew, and the other ponies in their group had become her friends, and slowly she had lost some of that shy demeanor through them, but she still felt as if something was missing.

Then an old acquaintance who was now one of her best friends, had told her she loved her.

Through her own tears, she tried to lift her legs, and flap her wings. Nothing moved. Her body felt heavy, as if her bones were lead. Rainbow Dash had betrayed her. Fluttershy had trusted the cyan pegasus completely, and that trust was betrayed.

Her mind, uncontrollable, started to ravage her with images of Rainbow Dash leaving her, yelling at her in anger, abandoning her. She squeaked suddenly and the weeping grew louder. She felt tired. Her tears stopped suddenly as she lay down on her side, try to make the dirt against her coat comfortable as she laid her head on her forehooves.

I'm all alone, was all she thought as she fell asleep.

-----

She didn't know how long she had slept. She didn't know what time it was when she woke up. She still didn't know where she was when she woke up. The sleep hadn't cleared her mind of anything except for one thought, which now seemed to overwhelm her mind. Rainbow Dash abandoned me...

She stood up. Her face was tear-stained as she wiped her eyes and rubbed her cheeks. She wasn't sure what to do next. She had even forgotten what cardinal direction Ponyville was in. The forest was clearly visible now, small rays of yellow darting down in various patches from the treetops around her. A few animals were moving around, ones that apparently were partially sentient without needing pony incentive to act for their own betterment.

She heard a loud snap of a branch from behind her, and she spun her head around to see what had caused it. There stood a pony she didn't quite recognize, but thought was familiar.

She was a blue furred unicorn, with a silver-white mane and violet eyes. She only wore a plain purple cape and hood, almost a kind of cloak. She had two saddlebags, but both seemed to have very few things in them. She had kept her whole body still, probably in surprise from the cracked branch below her hoof. Upon meeting Fluttershy's gaze with her own, she puffed out her chest gave Fluttershy a sly smile. "Guess I've been seen. Do not fret, for I was not here to try and harm you, but simply pass by-"

Fluttershy interrupted her. "Hey... I think... I've seen you... before..."

"Nonsense! How could you know who I am? I have... never been to Ponyville before!" She said, loudly and full of confidence. "Perhaps you mistake me for some other Ponies who travel about?"

Fluttershy squinted. She knew the unicorn. She couldn't place her hoof on it, but she was distinctly familiar. "Never... been to Ponyville?"

She shook her head, and waved her off with a hoof. "I should leave you to your own business, as you leave me to mine. I am sorry to have disturbed you-"

"Trixie?" The words had slipped Fluttershy's mind without thinking, but the image the word brought to her mind matched exactly who was standing before her. "Yeah, I remember you... you were that magician pony doing tricks and stuff..."

Trixie hung her head. "Oh, I had hoped no pony would remember something like that." She sighed, and gave Fluttershy a somber look. "Yes, I am the 'Great and Powerful Trixie' as I once used to say."

"I-I'm sorry if that was rude. I just..."

"No, I take no offense." She flicked her head, lowering the hood of her cloak. "I was a proud pony during those times. I made money, gave spectacular shows, even if I was a tad over-the-top about my achievements-"

"You sort of... lied..." Fluttershy had almost whispered the sentence, but Trixie heard her just fine.

"I suppose you're right again. But those times are behind me now. I've long since come to my senses, using my magic to further the pursuits of science!" She reared back, and gave Fluttershy a grin as her forelegs hit the ground. "Since my last show months ago, I've learned to use my magic to help various labs or scientists do all kinds of jobs. It's been a great traveling experience, and I've come to terms with how much of a show-off I used to be. You forgive me don't you? For inspiring Snips and Snails to bring an Ursa Minor into Ponyville?"

Fluttershy's face contorted a little in thought. She had not really remembered that night as much of a big deal, considering how fast Twilight had dealt with it, but she suspected that Trixie, who had dashed off with none of her belongings, or saying a word to anypony, might feel a tad guilty. She shook her head at Trixie. "It wasn't your fault, so you don't have to apologize. So, what are you doing in the woods anyway?" She looked at the blue unicorn, and felt like she had seen that color of blue more recently. Fluttershy was instantly reminded of the flash of light she had seen during the argument she had with Rainbow Dash. That blue... it must have been the same color as Trixie's fur. Her face hardened. "And did you see us arguing last night?"

"I had hoped to be a bit less obvious than that. Oh dear..." she sighed, and lowered her saddlebags to the ground, which had apparently been tiring her. She lifted head higher than when she had the saddlebags on her back, and looked at Fluttershy apologetically. "You see, I wasn't looking for you exactly. I had been wondering the forest, lost, when I happened upon your camp. In fact, it was more the yelling that brought me towards you. I quickly cast myself in invisibility as soon as I realized I was in your line of sight, and tried to ignore what was happening... but I found it difficult."

"Oh... I'm... I'm sorry you had to see that. It was my fault." Fluttershy looked down in shame, but Trixie walked up to her, patting her shoulder.

"She was just angry." Trixie said. "I used to be angry all the time. I never kept friends. I still don't." She laughed. "But I've learned a little something over the last year or so, trying to make friends and be... nice." She had to force herself to speak that final word. It almost seemed hoarse when she spoke it. "It's that, sometimes, friends may get angry, or maybe even hurt you, physically or otherwise, but that doesn't mean they aren't your friend. It simply means they made one bad decision. One bad decision doesn't define anypony."

One bad decision doesn't define anypony... Fluttershy kept playing the sentence over and over again in her head. It felt like a lesson she'd learn from Twilight; one of the "values of friendship" letters that Twilight Sparkle would always send to Princess Celestia, almost weekly. Fluttershy felt... something in her mind. It nudged her. Her mind quietly returned to thinking of the baby dragon, but the memory didn't bring sadness. It brought hope.

Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you."

"What?" Trixie was perplexed.

"It's... something I was having trouble thinking about. Rainbow Dash told me it too, but somehow, it wouldn't click until now." She chuckled to herself. She felt happy, standing so close to Trixie. She didn't mind being loud or talking as much. She decided to give a very light summary to Trixie of what happened that day, about the dragon, Dash's injuries, and - skipping over the admittance of love - the argument they had. She made it clear that Rainbow Dash was far too injured, and bound to her herself in her current state.

Trixie nodded when Fluttershy finished. "Well, we should go looking for her. She may still be mad, but that means she won't be thinking straight. I know exactly how that feels." She magically levitated her saddlebags to her back, and didn't run ten feet before Fluttershy flew in front of her and stopped her.

"Yes, I agree.” Fluttershy's face was stern as she hovered in front of the curious unicorn.

“But I don't trust you.”

"What could you possibly not trust about me-"

"Why are you in this forest, all alone, with saddlebags that seem to only hold a few days worth of food, and... books, it looks like? It looks like you were ready to travel in here."

Trixie scoffed. "I am doing nothing remotely suspicious, and if it will clear your mind of such thoughts, then I will explain my presence here. I was on my way from Fillydelphia after doing work for a few chemists there, working on non-magical medicines. My specialty in life is magic, and therefore I am good at levitating and infusing or defusing energy. Something that seems to help in labs... and in storage of such chemicals. It's no more tiring for me to move huge boxes of chemicals or materials than an Earth Pony worker-"

"Well, why are you in this forest?" Fluttershy was beginning to soften.

"Augh, you are so FRUSTRATING, do you know that?" Trixie gritted her teeth, and calmed herself down a little before continuing. "On my way to Ponyville from Fillydelphia, I encountered an entourage of ponies leaving said city and going towards Fillydelphia. A few ponies had remembered me, and wanted a preformance." She sighed, obviously annoyed at the memory. "I gave them a quick 10 minute show of me doing tricks, and a few helpers on stage who I integrated into the act without humiliating them.

"I told them that I was on my way to Ponyville to help the nurse with my magic, as few magic users in Ponyville are adept or used to medicinal magics. I was called about a special plant they had discovered recently, and I was to help analyze it and bring out its medical properties. They told me they knew what I meant, and said the plant was in this forest. I figured coming with a few samples wouldn't be a terrible idea, so I retrieved some, and proceeded to get lost." Using magic, she opened her saddlebag, and brought out a plant. Fluttershy smiled as she instantly recognized it. It had that terrible smell and same yellow color as the plant she had made medicine with.

"I've used this plant before. It's something I've known about for a while. My parents used it sometimes," she explained. "It helps animals pretty well."

Trixie nodded. "Yes, and apparently it has magical properties, which is why I was called in. It seems to have curious effects on ponies, when compared to animals, and that is why I was called in. Twilight Sparkle has apparently been busy with her OWN studies, and didn't know enough about medicinal magic."

Fluttershy tilted her head in curiosity. "Different... effect on ponies?"

Trixie nodded again. "It seems... to entice them. You see, on animals, it seems to ignore their mind because it isn't truly sentient, and targets any other organ it can, amplifying its abilities, helping them heal or recover. But it’s supposed to affect the brain, and when given to a Pony... If they're thinking about something strongly, they'll become obsessed with it. An example might be if a pony is obsessed with food, they might start eating food non-stop, even if they're not hungry, to a point where it might be physically impossible for them to fit any more food into their stomach, but they eat anyway. It might even develop into some kind of terrible fetish, we have no idea. But because the feelings aren't natural to their body, they forget those specific feelings after about half a day." Fluttershy's face fell, but she kept listening to Trixie. "If it's heated properly, it can also act as a kind of cold medicine, and it's the only thing so far that we've discovered that can somehow counteract the virus. But ingested any other way, it magically strikes the brain in very interesting ways. We had very limited supplies of it in Fillydelphia, which is one reason I'm on my way to Ponyville as well. Now, can you TRUST me? I'm quite tired of telling you my life story."

Trixie noticed that the yellow pegasus had a look of distraction and concern on her face. "Hello? Did you remember something important just now or something? Shouldn't we be looking for your friend?"

Fluttershy shook herself out of her own distracted spell, and nodded. "R-right. I think I know which direction Ponyville is in now, so let’s head that way. But I want to catch her before sundown, so I think we should move quickly. I can fly just fine, but can you run?"

Trixie smiled her confident, sly smile. "Just you watch. So where are we going?"

Fluttershy pointed with a hoof, and instantly, both of them were off, Trixie going at a jogging pace, and Fluttershy flying just ahead of her.

Rainbow Dash. Please stay safe. Just stay safe for now. I don't care if you never speak to me or see me again. Just don't get hurt.

-----

The sound of the wind howling brought Rainbow Dash out of the depths of sleep. Everything in her house had been blown around, broken or on the ground, and her cloud roof was gone, as well as most of the walls. She glanced up and saw a horrible black cloud, large enough to cover almost a mile of sky, swirling above her. Rain was falling and the flashes and cracks of lightning and thunder could be seen and heard, as if only feet away from them.

"Sky! Sky get up!" She yelled at the mare next to her, who was still asleep. "Sky, now is NOT a good time to be sleeping!"

Sky Swallower groggily opened her eyes, and glancing at the scene around them, yelped in surprise. She flew up over the walls of Dash's house, looking around. "What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know, I just woke up and this storm was there!" Rainbow Dash flew up as well, her eyes darting for movement of ponies. Sure enough, she saw it; a weather squad was coming up from south of them, under the clouds. "Storms aren't supposed to happen this high, why is this happening?!"

"Look!" Sky pointed with a hoof to an area below them. A group of young colts, not much older than them, had engaged one of the flight teams in the air, trying to stop them from reaching the cloud. "Are they vandals or something? What point is there to setting a storm up above Cloudsdale?"

"They must be a gang or something. They've set up storms before, but never above a cloud city." Dash looked around hastily. "We should try to get down to the ground; the lightning is dangerous up here-"

The sound was deafening. Lightning struck out just past Rainbow Dash, almost breaking her eardrums. Her vision turned foggy and her head emptied itself as she started falling, only half-aware of the situation. The bolt of lightning had taken out some of her house as she plummeted past now broken floor, and towards the ground. She fell for almost four seconds before becoming aware again, her wings starting to flap instinctively. "Ow... so... loud..." she could barely hear herself over the ringing in her ears. "Sky..." she looked around. Sky Swallower was nowhere to be seen.

She looked down, and saw the orange pegasus plummeting, falling through clouds, unconscious. "SKY!" Screamed Rainbow Dash as she dove after her. She wasn't sure how far below her Sky was, but she had to catch up. She had to catch her. Her forehooves outstretched before her as she dived, eventually going through a layer of clouds covering the sky, letting ground come into view.

It was only early morning. While the sky above them was dark, the ground below them shone with sunlight, revealing the grass country side. Dash focused on Sky Swallower as her wings pushed her lithe body through the air, every fast, approaching Sky slowly.

Dash eventually got close enough to see exactly what had happened. The lightning had hit her wing, leaving only half of her wing left attached to her body, like a snapped twig. She saw that Sky wasn't unconscious, her eyes half open as she was falling. Dash pushed her wings into overdrive, pumping them faster than she thought she ever could. She wasn't thinking about what would happen if she didn't catch her. Only that she had to.

The mach cone was building around her body as she dove, propelling herself as fast as she could. She started to feel resistance as she dived, and knew exactly what was happening. No! I can't do a sonic rainboom! But if I stop now, I'll rebound and never catch her!

Sky's eyes opened completely now, and she looked around, her wing violently flapping. It only served to start her rotating, as one wing served no use in flying. She had slowly done one small loop, seeing the ground, then slowing to a stop as she looked to Rainbow Dash.

"I'm going to catch you!" Dash yelled. The barrier became visible now, as Dash felt it tightening around her hooves. I can do this. I have to do this.

Tears were forming around Sky's face as she smiled. She closed her eyes and mouthed, "You're the best, Rainbow."

"DAMMIT NO!" Rainbow Dash screamed, getting a sudden burst of speed and coming within one foot of Sky's tail. The barrier formed, held her in place as she battled to break it, her wings still flapping harder than they ever had before. The barrier won, and catapulted her backwards, sending her a hundred feet into the air. She corrected herself in seconds, and flew downward, more cautious now.

I failed. She landed, looking around. She knew what to expect, yet she kept hoping that something, anything had happened. Had she landed in a hay bale? Did some other pegasus catch her? Her legs carried her quickly, faster than her head could scan the ground. It was just a dirt path and lots of grass, how hard could it be-

I couldn't catch her. She found what she had been looking for, and more. A unicorn was standing over a collapsed pegasus, breathing heavily. Her horn had been glowing, the light shining down on the pegasus, but it abruptly ended as Rainbow Dash started walking towards them, the unicorn collapsing in exhaustion.

I wasn't fast enough. The Unicorn had a purple coat, black mane, and bright blue eyes. Her cutie mark wasn't visible beneath the brown cloak and saddlebags full of books she was carrying. She turned towards Rainbow Dash, choking back tears.

This is my fault. Dash wanted to lift off, fly away, never return, and forget it all happened. Yet something in her mind had to know; it begged to see what had befallen her best friend... the one she had loved. She walked forward and looked down at the unmoving pegasus. "I tried to brace her fall with magic..." explained the unicorn. "I couldn't, and I tried healing her with magic too, and... I couldn't... I'm sorry..."

Dash broke into tears.

-----

Fluttershy brought her hoof down quickly, the motion for the two ponies to stop.

"Why are we stopping?" Asked Trixie, irritated. "We were making good progress-"

"Sh!" Fluttershy turned her head, back and forth. I was certain I heard something...

There it was again. She flew off in the direction of the sound; a quiet whimpering that she could now hear clearly.

They had been traveling for five hours, and were due to soon stop for a quick meal of the rations that Trixie had in her bags, but the sound Fluttershy heard had been what she was looking for the entire trip. Following the quiet sound of whimpering, she finally found Rainbow Dash in a small . She was whimpering in pain, tears streaming from her eyes. She lay on her back, her left wing folded against her side. Her right wing was bent backward, and bleeding, but was only mostly attached. She looked up to Fluttershy and shook her head. "I got really tried... drifted off... hit a tree at full speed... the pain kept me up for a while, and then I finally passed out..." she coughed. Blood was still present in her lungs.

"Hush now..." Fluttershy examined the wing, and knew it was still something that could heal naturally. "Don't move that wing. I can fix it safely against your side."

She nodded, swallowing her sadness. She saw movement from behind Fluttershy, and leaned her head an inch to see who it was.

Trixie looked at her, in pity. "I'm sorry, I don't know much healing magic in particular, I only work with potions and solutions..." she followed Fluttershy as she found some leaves and a vine to safely tie up Rainbow Dash's wings, and used her magic to tie them firmly in place. She then focused a little bit on healing her wing with magic. Feeling the flesh mend and blood stop its flow, she winced. Convinced she was now safe to move, they took Rainbow Dash with them as they walked towards Ponyville, progressing slowly as the two ponies supported the wounded pegasus. None of them talked the entire way.

It was evening. They set another camp up, the fire and water easier to obtain now with magic from Trixie. She fell asleep first, as she wasn't used to working or walking as much as they had that day. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were sitting on the opposite side of the fire from Trixie, leaning against each other. Dash had started crying again, and was using Fluttershy as support as she pressed her face into her neck.

"Fltrsh..." Dash's voice was muffled by the yellow pegasus's neck.

"Yes?" She said. She had been blushing lightly the entire ten minutes that the cyan pegasus had been crying. She had never seen the once confident and loud tomboy be so emotional before, and it frankly filled her with more than just concern for her health. The calm quiet Dash before her whispered to the shy pegasus, filled with sadness and regret.

"I'm... I'm not sure what's been going on most of today... but I think I have to tell you something." Dash took her head off of Fluttershy's neck, and was staring at the shy pegasus.

She blushed a little harder, and this time didn't make any assumptions. "What do you mean?"

Dash shook her head to clear her thoughts, then cleared her throat. "I'm... well, I've done a lot of stuff today. One really big good thing... and some not so good things. I think I should... tell you why. Do you know what my greatest fear is?"

Fluttershy only shook her head. Dash continued, "Well, it's losing my friends."

"Losing them?"

"Losing them. In every sense of the word. I'm scared whenever I think about a friend that might be leaving, or when they get hurt... scared beyond belief sometimes."

"I'm scared of that too, Dash-"

"Not like me you're not." She said, cutting her off. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. Had she forgotten I explained the dragons to her too? "When I was a filly, back in Cloudsdale and flight school, I had a really good friend. Her name was Sky Swallower. She was one of my first friends along with Gilda, and we hung out... almost daily. In our second year of class, we were hanging out at my house one morning when a big storm suddenly rolled over Cloudsdale. Some gangs had been fighting, and one of them wanted to bring the other out with the storm, I can't remember. That week was a huge haze. Anyway, it rained, blew, and even had lightning that reached all the way to the ground. A lot of pegasi were hurt that day."

"Dash, please, you don't have to-"

"One of them died."

Fluttershy felt her heart sink. She had lost a childhood friend too? "Sky Swallower had been hovering next to me, and a bolt of lightning struck her, only inches away from me. It tore off one of her wings, and... she fell to the ground." Tears Rainbow Dash had been trying so hard to hold back were starting to emerge again. "That day was also... the second time I attempted a sonic Rainboom. If I had done it that day, she'd probably be alive right now..."

Fluttershy hugged Dash. She went limp, her tears stopping purely in surprise. Fluttershy pulled back and looked the cyan pegasus right in the eye. "I know that feeling, okay? When I was a filly, a friend of mine died too. I know what you're feeling, okay? So no more crying."

"She wasn't just... just my best friend, Fluttershy!" Dash tried to push her back, but didn't even have the strength to nudge her. "That morning... she had stopped by before school, and told me... that she loved me. She loved me Fluttershy! And you know what?" She punched the ground with her hoof. "I did too! I loved her back, but I didn't have the courage to tell her, and she died, like that! Do you know how THAT feels?!"

Fluttershy kept staring, but surprised was still painted on her face. "No, I'm sorry. I-I don't know how that feels..."

Dash swallowed again, and tears resumed their race down the creases of her face. "It was the first time I had felt anything for anypony, and she... made me realize that I at least liked mares. I didn't even know until I met her. And as soon as we had talked... she died. Just like that. I-I didn't even get a chance to tell her I liked her back!" Her weeping grew louder. "She died because I couldn't catch her, because I wasn't fast enough."

Fluttershy whimpered. "It wasn't your fault Dash-"

"It is too my fault! I couldn't catch her! All I had to do was fly straight down fast enough, and scoop her up... like I did Rarity." She wiped her face with a hoof, but it proved useless against the stream of tears. "So I devoted myself that day to being as fast as I could be. To be the best flier, and even to performing a Sonic Rainboom one day. I wanted... I want to be the very best. I want to be able to be faster than anypony, so that I can catch them where they fall.

"I thought back to how I got my cutie mark. How that first race had felt, how fast I was and how easy it was and how in control I was... and I knew. I knew that I was supposed to be the best flier in all of Equestria, but with that, I could save my friends. I would have to be faster than a tidal wave, faster than a mad thunderstorm, faster than... an enraged dragon, to protect them. And that I would protect them from any and all danger."

Her gaze returned to Fluttershy. "When... you somehow figured out that I... well, I don't know if it's love... but had feelings for you... I couldn't say anything, and I felt helpless in this weakened state. I didn't want to face you when I couldn't even fly faster than a trot! I was scared that something would happen if I couldn't protect you again... so I just bolted, okay!? It was stupid of me." She made one last sob, and stared into the big, teal eyes of the yellow Pegasus who had been holding her close.

Fluttershy wiped the single tear from her face. "Oh, you silly filly!" She said, hugging Dash again. Dash embraced her this time, both of them wrapping their hooves around each other. "There's no point in caring for others if you never care for yourself. You can get hurt just as much as any of us. You're the best friend I've ever had, and I've never felt safer around anypony else," she pulled back and looked Dash in the face again, "but you need to take care of yourself too, okay? If I lost you after I couldn't even help you get back to your feet... you'd have broken my heart twice in the same day."

Dash nodded. "I'm sorry Fluttershy."

"Don't be. Let’s get some sleep so we can get back to Ponyville tomorrow, okay?"

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