I kept on running as fast as I could to get away from Rainbow Dash. I probably ran for about thirty minutes, but it felt like I had been running for hours. I had no idea where I was going, but I didn’t care. After what Rainbow had said to me, how could I possibly stay with her? She didn’t show any sign of concern for how I was. She treated Matthew like some kind of animal.

‘Why? Why would she say that?’ I thought to myself. She made it seem like she cared about everything. Back at my cottage, she showed so much concern and care towards me. Now, she only seemed to be thinking about herself. I couldn’t think of any reason why she would have such a drastic change in attitude, but it didn’t matter at the time. It already happened, and what’s done was done.

‘She’s not your friend Fluttershy. Anypony that would be so cruel to you couldn’t be,’ I told myself as I continued to run. I still wasn’t watching where I was going. My head was hidden behind my hair, and I was crying like a little foal.

When the ground started becoming a little more muddy, and the light from the sun started to dim, I stopped running and looked around. I found myself in the Everfree Forest. I started to shiver uncontrollably. I was so afraid. I was in the most dangerous forest in all of Equestria, alone, with nopony knowing that I was there. I was looking all around my position in fear, afraid of whatever could be watching me. But soon enough, I gave up. I fell to the floor and started to cry again.

But, a little after that, I heard a noise from behind some bushes. My head shot up and I started looking around. I didn’t know what, or who, it was. All I knew was to be afraid. My heart was pounding loud enough for anypony within a ten foot radius to hear. I waited anxiously for whatever or whoever it was to appear. Soon enough, out from the bushes came Zecora.

“Well, well, if it isn’t little miss Fluttershy. But something is wrong here. What causes you to cry and tear?” Zecora asked. I started to relax, knowing that it was only Zecora, but my tears continued to flow. I stood up as she walked over to me.

“Now, now, what causes you to weep? Surely it must be bad, for your tears continue to seep.” I was trying to talk, but I couldn’t form any words. I started mumbling behind my tears. Zecora put a hoof on my shoulder to calm me down a bit more.

“There, there, Zecora is here now. I wish to help you Fluttershy, but you must speak so I may know how,” Zecora continued. I looked at her with tears still in my eyes. I sniffled before gaining the strength to speak.

“I… I… it’s a l-long story Z-Zecora. C-Could we m-maybe go to y-your hut? I d-don’t l-like being out h-here,” I said shakily. Zecora nodded her head and led me back to her hut. As we entered, she gestured for me to sit around her table. She sat opposite of me as she prepared something for us to drink. She handed me a cup and gestured for me to drink. I drank whatever it was she had made, and I immediately felt much calmer. I let out a heavy sigh and gave her a soft smile.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Anything thing for a friend. Now then, let us see if we can cause your sadness to end,” she responded. “What is it that causes you pain. Crying and weeping brings nothing to gain.” I sighed yet again. I decided I might as well get comfortable where I was.

“As I said, it’s a long story. B-But, I wouldn’t want to bore you with everything,” I said.

“It is no trouble Fluttershy. I wish to help a friend, and help her not to cry.” I nodded my head softly. I started from the very beginning. I told her every little detail there was to tell. I told her how Matthew found me that fateful night. I told her how he helped keep me safe. I told her how he loved me, and how I loved him. I told her all of the mistakes we both made along the way. And finally, I told her of how I was taken from him.

Telling my entire story to her took quite some time. We had no real way to tell, we just felt it. It took at least two hours. Zecora listened to every word I said though. It felt good to let everything out as I did. It helped to calm me down much more. As I finished my story, Zecora got up from the table and walked over to her cauldron.

“What are you doing?” I asked. She didn’t respond. All she did was gather up ingredients from around her hut. She mixed everything together until what was left in the cauldron was a violet colored mixture. I didn’t know what it was, but unlike most other things that Zecora can make, this one didn’t smell as bad as I expected.

She gestured for me to go to her. I stood up and walked next to her and the cauldron. The smell wasn’t bad at all, but up close, it was much stronger. I looked at the mixture with concern and distaste. I wondered what it was. I looked to Zecora with a confused look, but she only gestured towards the cauldron.

“What is this?” I asked her.

“If relief is what you seek, then dip your head in and take a peek,” she answered. I had no idea what this was going to do, but I had no reason to doubt her. I was a little anxious, but, slowly but surely, I lowered my face into the cauldron’s contents. At first, I felt as if I was under water, and I couldn’t breathe. But then, in another moment, I felt as if I wasn’t in Zecora’s hut at all anymore.

I found myself high in the sky. I was looking down on a consistent line of trees, with a train track in the center of it all. I didn’t know what exactly I was looking at, but that quickly changed when I saw a man resting on his knees on the tracks. Taking a closer look, I discovered that it was Matthew.

“Matthew!” I called out to him. But he didn’t seem to hear me. I called out again. And again. And again. Every time, I called out louder and with more energy. But every time, the outcome was the same. Nothing. But, then I began to hear him speaking.

“I’m sorry Fluttershy… I’m so sorry,” he said. I noticed him starting to cry, which made me cry in return. But, I stopped myself as he stood up and pulled his hood over his head. I watched as he walked along the track. I didn’t know where he was going. It was much like me. I had been running to nowhere specifically. He was walking to wherever his feet took him. But, as he was walking, he looked up to the sky. He looked at the clouds for a while, and then he looked at me. It was as if he knew I was there.

“Wait, what?!” he spoke. He continued to look up. He wiped out his as, probably thinking that I was just a vision. But when he realized that it was really me, I smiled at him, and a tear rolled down my cheek.

“Fluttershy!” he called out to me. I was able to hear him. I didn’t know why he couldn’t hear me, but I decided not to argue with myself about it. All I wanted to do was look at him, as he looked right back at me.

“Can you hear me?” he asked. I nodded my head in response, and his smile grew even larger. He waited for a moment, as if waiting for me to say something.

“Fluttershy? Why don’t you say anything?” My smile disappeared. I shook my head in response. As I did, his smiled disappeared as well.

“Well, if you really can hear me… I love you,” he said. As his smile reformed on his face, so did mine. I nodded my head to him, and I felt myself returning to Equestria.

Raising my face out of the cauldron, my smile was still there. I looked over to Zecora, who was now sitting back at the table.

“Thank you Zecora,” I said. She looked at me and nodded. “I think I’m going to go home now.

“Allow me to escort you. It is certainly the least I can do,” she said. I nodded my head in response. We walked out of the hut and out to the exit of the forest. Zecora and I said our goodbyes as we started to go our separate ways. She headed back to her hut, while I returned to my cottage.