> Sweet and Simple Closure
>  by ToonKriticY2K
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Missing Her
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

SWEET AND SIMPLE CLOSURE
WRITTEN BY ZAK KAYES

This year was going to be different; VERY different. Fluttershy knew this and had to accept it. She was going to be very lonely this Hearth's Warming. But it wasn't the sort of loneliness that she expected others to understand. Though she would never admit to her friends, the timid little pegasus pony found more solace in  the company of her animals. She had overheard Twilight talk about this to Rarity and the comment made still rang in her head. It was like the string of a guitar being plucked ever so softly in her mind. It's rather sad, Twilight had said. Sad as in let's pity the poor mare. Yes Fluttershy was timid but as the days had rolled by, pity was just a waste of time. She knew she was stronger than this, SO MUCH better than this but there was just something in her way. She was missing somepony. There was only one other pegasus, one that understood Fluttershy perhaps even better than she understood herself. That pegasus was gone and the mare with the pink hair found herself counting the days since her friend had passed. No matter how hard she tried, Fluttershy couldn't get her friend out of her head. They were memories…memories of a special cyan Pegasus that just wouldn't leave. She missed her. She missed her Dashie.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were perhaps the closest two out of Twilight Sparkle's bunch of friends. Rarity would often say Fluttershy was her best friend but if Fluttershy had to choose (which was ALWAYS a fun time when it came down to picking just one) she knew that she would always put her trust in Rainbow Dash. Dash would have her back as Fluttershy would have hers. Ever since Dash had wanted her to be more open and be more confident in her abilities, Fluttershy felt herself drawn more to Rainbow Dash than anyone else.

Fluttershy’s feelings were nothing romantic and sexual for fear of losing her as her closest friend. They were just of solace, gratitude, admiration. She wouldn't forget when Dash had bought her a new puppy from the animal shelter after one of her favorite dogs had died. Fluttershy had always known Dash to be the tough, cool, tomboyish type who didn't prefer to be sappy or sentimental. But Fluttershy knew Dash better than anyone else. She KNEW there was a softer side to the crazy daredevil that only she could see. Rainbow wasn’t as unstoppable as she made herself out to be and Fluttershy was teaching Rainbow Dash to be more open about her inner feelings and thoughts. Rainbow trusted her with many of her darkest secrets and it made Fluttershy feel special knowing that her best friend was the closest thing she had for a real sister.

Rainbow Dash felt comfortable admitting that Fluttershy was her closest friend. Though she admired each of her friends, she knew Fluttershy was her BFF. (Celestia forbid she’d ever use that term outside of her mind.) She knew a few ponies would get annoyed by her friend’s shy and timid nature but Fluttershy was making progress and that’s what mattered most. When pushed in the direction, she knew that her best friend was capable of doing anything she set her mind to. But the most astonishing thing about Fluttershy, at least from the cyan mare’s perspective, was that at one point Rainbow Dash was just as timid. It had taken her awhile to break out of her shell and become confident in her abilities so whenever she saw Fluttershy become assertive and stand up for herself; it hit close to home and made her proud.

There were fond memories of the many sleepovers the two of them had shared over the past few months. They were innocent enough and often times Fluttershy would stay over for more than one day. But things slowly began to change. One night, a thunderstorm had woken up Fluttershy and she immediately went to Rainbow Dash’s room to hide under the covers. Dash knew of Fluttershy’s fear of thunder and lightning and Fluttershy was just as surprised when Rainbow Dash had taken her in her hooves and cuddled with her. The trembling slowed and Fluttershy's body lay still when she heard something she thought she wouldn't hear: a lullaby. More specifically it was the Hush Now, Quiet Now lullaby. In less than a minute, Fluttershy had drifted off into dreamland. It was new for Rainbow Dash but it felt right. She nuzzled her cheek gently before drifting off to sleep herself.

Over the summer, Rainbow Dash had offered to help Fluttershy with her flying and took her out from her home to the mountaintops. Fluttershy knew that Dash loved to show off and she was determined to make Dash smile with some of her own tricks. She was half expecting the cyan Pegasus to groan and shake her head but instead of that, she found words of encouragement and reward when she got a basic back flip and somersault correct. But Fluttershy was certainly no pro and she found this out the hard way. Dash was training her to recover from a fall. It was a simple trust exercise except when Fluttershy fell, she panicked. The panic caused Dash to fly up to catch her only for Fluttershy to accidentally kick Rainbow Dash in her wing. She was sure she had injured Dash but had only bruised her. It only took a gentle nuzzle though to silence Fluttershy's army of "I'm Sorry's". It was an accident and they both understood this.

Dash was scheduled to work on the weather patrol but her wing had not fully healed. It had only been three days after the accident. Dash was sure she could fly but Fluttershy knew she wouldn't be one hundred percent. She had tried to convince the cyan pegasus but found her words didn't seem to have much effect. Once Rainbow Dash had her mind set, it was very hard to steer her away. So she did something she hadn't tried. She stopped her from taking off and turned her around right into a timid kiss. It only lasted for three seconds and it would be the most important three seconds of Fluttershy's life. When Fluttershy had opened her eyes, she could see Dash flying away. Was it too much? Did Dash not like it? Was her little secret finally revealed? She had to come to term with the fact she had a crush on her closest friend and she saw nothing wrong with it. She knew she would see Rainbow Dash in the morning so she went to bed and dreamt of Rainbow Dash returning that kiss.

But Rainbow Dash didn't return in the morning. Nor did she arrive in the next. Fluttershy had flown all over town the first morning and was determined to find her but her search was in vain and none of her friends seemed to know where she was. That was until Twilight Sparkle came to visit her that lonely Thursday night, only fourteen days before Hearth's Warming Eve. The news hit her like a punch to the ribs. The night Rainbow came into work, a new worker decided to play a prank on one of his friends by making a cloud full of lightning. There was a delicate way of making a lightning cloud and unfortunately, the newbie was unaware of said ways. Rainbow Dash was sent right in to control the cloud and almost succeeded but the lightning became unstable. She had attempted to fly away but she wasn't fast enough due to her wing. Nobody knew how many amps were in the cloud but due to its unstable nature, it was more than likely fatal. The newbie said the lightning struck her and she fell and lay limp on the ground. She twitched and tried to get to her feet but was unable to do so. Ten seconds was all it took to put her to sleep. Fluttershy couldn't, WOULDN'T believe the news. Twilight had tried her best to stop the tears from her friend but her words made not a single impact.

The funeral was held on Saturday. Despite the Mare-Do-Well fiasco that had happened months earlier, the entire town of Ponyville had turned up to show their respects for Rainbow Dash. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were able to say plenty of words about the cocky flyer but the guilt and pain numbed Fluttershy's throat. Rarity led her off of the stage and back to the cottage by the woods that Fluttershy called home. The pain stung worse than any other wasp or hornet she had encountered and she realized she HAD to pull through. But she couldn’t. She NEEDED Rainbow Dash more than she ever needed. She cried, she openly wept, and she could only cry herself to sleep that night. 

The next day was just as painful despite the visits from all her friends. They came one at a time so as not to overwhelm her. Rarity had made her a turquoise scarf with a matching hat. She knew turquoise was one of Fluttershy’s favorite colors but all Rarity received was a nod and then silence. Applejack and Pinkie Pie had worked together to make food for Fluttershy since the timid pegasus didn’t want to leave her house. These were Fluttershy’s favorites, the two of them thought. The least Fluttershy could do was eat them, and she did but she ate in silence. Twilight tried a slightly different approach and had given Fluttershy Rainbow Dash’s favorite Daring Do stories. Rainbow Dash would always read the best parts to her and it always brought a smile to the yellow pegasus when she heard how deep Rainbow Dash would get into the story. Despite their best efforts they couldn't change her face. There was no smile, no frown, there was nothing. It seemed like a stone mask and none of her friends knew what to do. Despite the company of her animal friends, she was going to be very lonely that Hearth’s Warming.

Twilight had made the mistake of telling Fluttershy the newbie’s name and where he lived: Star Dust. A name was all she needed. How convenient he lived only five minutes away from here. For one of those rare moments, Fluttershy ventured out of her house to head straight for Star Dust’s house. She was not a murderer nor was she vengeful. All she wanted was an explanation. When she arrived at his home she noticed Star Dust, a pegasus with a golden mane, talking with a female pegasus. The shy one cleared her throat to get Star’s attention and when he turned, there was a look of confusion that soon changed to a guilty look. 

And then she let loose. Today was not the day where her timid self would just ask for an apology. No, she DEMANDED an apology. There was a fire within her that had been kept at bay thanks to her self-control but she was letting Star have it. There were words she had never used before in hopes of breaking through to Star, making him realize what his little joke had done. Her sudden outburst she hoped would make her feel better only made her break down even further. Star had no idea who this pegasus was and he only assumed she was a friend of Rainbow Dash’s. He had to interrupt her to stop her from going too far. He was genuinely sorry and was just trying to have some fun but Fluttershy wasn’t having this.  With a speed she barely recognized, she tackled him and was about to strike him with her hoof…but she couldn’t. Dash wouldn’t want this. She moved off of him and stood there for a moment before flying away as fast as she could, straight back home in embarrassment.

This was her fault, she admitted to herself. Her panic had injured Rainbow Dash's wing and if only, IF ONLY her friend had listened to her and rested, this wouldn't have happened. Her shyness was often what led to her depression but Dash's death had made her depression that much more painful. If there was a depression that could cause physical pain, Fluttershy had found it. She wished she no wings. She wished that Dashie was still alive. She wished Star Dust had never made that cloud that stole her Dashie away. The tears were back and she could feel the pain sear through her frame. She mumbled to herself, trying to find some way to shove all the pain into the farthest corners of her mind.  

Despite the pain, she had to control herself. And then she heard something unexpected: Rainbow Dash’s voice. It was faint at first but then slowly became louder. It was the lullaby, her comfort song. She slowly began to calm down and sat up straight, her eyes closed, focusing on the song. As the song became audible, Fluttershy found herself singing along with it. She didn’t know how long she had sung with the voice in her head. All she knew is that it was just what she needed to finally fall to sleep.

On Hearth's Warming Eve Fluttershy rested on her couch in silence, her eyes watching the moon through her window. She felt cold and uncomfortable and her mind would not allow her a corner to find solace in. All she could think about was Rainbow Dash. She couldn't even dream of her and she LONGED to dream about her again. She finally got off the couch and trotted over to her desk, bringing out a piece of parchment and a quill with some ink. She was never the fanciest writer but she did her best to scribble something on the parchment. It read:  Dear Princess Luna. This year, let me have one night with my Dashie. She knew it was silly to ask and she never invested herself in the holiday spirit like Pinkie Pie or…Rainbow Dash. But it was worth a try and Spike was more than happy to send it.

The day arrived and Fluttershy had simply treated it like another day.  She had taken care of her animals despite her solitude and had Twilight help out as well. Halfway through the day, she found herself slip into sleep. When she awoke day had turned to night. She decided to finally get some fresh air. She didn't want it but she knew she needed it. Leaving her home with the turquoise scarf and matching hat, she decided to trot into the forest. She knew there was nothing to be afraid of and nothing would hurt her. She had to dismiss the thought of letting something get her to take her to Dash but she couldn't think like that. For one, the pain would not push her to suicide and two, Dash wouldn't want that. She became lost in her own thoughts and eventually reached a clearing by one of the two lakes in the forest. Stopping, she sat down and looked down at her reflection. She looked like a wreck and she quickly fixed herself up before closing her eyes and sighing quietly.

Then her ear twitched. Why could she hear laughter? Not the laugh of a filly but a cocky little giggle; Rainbow Dash's giggle. She had quickly opened her eyes to look down at the reflection but saw nothing. She shook her head but she noticed something. There was another reflection, on the other side of the lake. Fluttershy's eyes arose and she could make out the silhouette of another pegasus: one with a rainbow mane. The yellow pegasus suddenly jumped up and flapped her wings quickly, dashing across the lake faster than she had expected and landed right on the ground in front of Rainbow Dash. 

Was it her? Was it REALLY her?

They exchanged looks of confusion and it seemed their expressions were synced; confusion, joy, and then the watering of the eyes. Fluttershy's lower lip quivered. She had to say something, anything. Words did not need to be exchanged for the brash pegasus placed her lips to the others, closing her eyes. Fluttershy froze and felt her heart start to go through somersaults. The kiss was returned and once it was broken, she felt Rainbow Dash's forehead against hers.

Maybe this Hearth Warming, Fluttershy thought, might not be so bad after all…

END