Why are you here?  Fluttershy thinks to herself (or rather, to Courage) in a frustrated tone.  The surprise of the moment doesn't deter her from the disdain she holds for her 'wild side'.  

Well, it's in part because of comments like that, and in part because you never actually got rid of me.  'Couage' responds in a less than usual fashion, appealing to Fluttershy's sense of reason rather than the usual snarkiness that she used to be known for.

Why won't you just go away?

You seriously think you can make me disappear just like that?  That's why I'm here, you moron.  If I could just be gotten rid of you'd be the nicest pony in the world.  You wouldn't feel any kind of anger, frustration, annoyance, impatience or hatred.  Just like you wouldn't feel the desire to take things for yourself, to defend your own honor, or to live the life you want to live.  Sound familiar?  That's what you're trying to be; all your life you've been striving to be something that doesn't exist, Fluttershy, and that's why I'm here.

Why did you try to take me over, then?

Pfft, why?  Maybe it's because living with you is just so insufferably disappointing!  You never take things for yourself, you never stand up for yourself, you never do anything for yourself and I'm sick of it.  If you were to give me the reigns for five minutes, five fucking minutes, I would live more than you have in your whole, boring life.  You tried to 'consume' me, but you did so because you wanted to get rid of me.  Your other two 'sides' aren't here anymore because you live with them.  You do that because you want to live with them, and so you actually accept them as a part of yourself.  Well I'm a part of yourself too, Fluttershy, and you have to learn to live with that fact.

I don't need you...  I've got everything I want right here, right now.  

You actually believe that, don't you?  You're pathetic, Fluttershy.  You know I'll never go away if you stick yourself in that mindset.

Please, just leave me alone.

Look, now you're begging with yourself.  You're actually begging yourself to leave you alone.  Do you have any idea how sad that is?

Why are you being like this?  Why can't you just go away?

Because you're so damn scared of the world that you need me to do all of the difficult things for you!

Fluttershy is being noticeably quiet as all of this goes on in her mind, and Twilight certainly notices.  The pegasus's eyes mist over and she breaks away from their love-locked gaze, prompting Twilight to try and grab her attention once more.

"Fluttershy?  What's the matter?"

You're not even going to tell her, are you?

The pegasus sniffles and buries her face into Twilight's shoulder, pulling her into a hug and knowing that it will be the perfect way to stall for time.  Twilight takes the bait and rubs Fluttershy's back, letting her hold on tight without saying a word.

You might as well be lying to her.

S-shut up...  Even Fluttershy's inner voice has the stutter of a sob.

No.  I won't shut up because if I do then you'll never grow out of this.

Please go away, I don't want you here...

"Fluttershy, please tell me what's wrong?  We were having such a wonderful time, are you alright?"

Are you gonna answer her?

I-I-I don't...  Fluttershy hiccups a little and lets her eyes quickly drain out some of the pent up moisture behind them.  I don't know...

How the hell can you not know?  Are you going to answer your marefriend or not?  She's asking you a question.

I don't know what to say...

You're hopeless...  You're just, fucking hopeless.  If I could abandon you then you'd better believe that I would in a heartbeat.

Then why can't you just leave?

"Fluttershy...  I'm worried about you."  Twilight's voice shifts from patient comfort to genuine concern.  Fluttershy's radical mood swing from happy and blissful to abnormally depressed really brings the unicorn into a worry about her mental health.

"I-I'm fi-ine..."

Now you're lying...

Stop trying to change the subject!  Why can't you leave?

I keep saying it, over and over again, but you just won't listen.  Whether you like it or not, I'm a part of you.

No you aren't!  You're mean and you're cruel, a-an-and selfish, and just... You're horrible!  You're not me, and you'll never be me!

"You don't sound fine, Fluttershy."

Excuse me?  I'm selfish?  You're the one who tried to snuff me out just because you don't like the way I think.  You're the one who can't get past your own petty little problems long enough to have a nice conversation with somepony who loves you...  You're the one who can't grow up and get your mind out of your parents' house!

Shut up!

Why?  So you can keep running away from it all?  What help could that possibly have for you?

I said shut up!

No, you shut up!  It's my turn to talk.  There's a reason I call you Co-pilot you know.  You've always convinced yourself that you're learning, but you've never actually flown for your own self once in your pretty little life.

I-I-I fly every day...

Don't bullshit me, Fluttershy.  You haven't flown a day in your life and you know exactly what I mean by that.  You never learned to fly.

That's not true...

"Fluttershy, please just talk to me.  I want to help."

It's more than true.  You can't handle your own problems, you can't handle your own anger, and you can't handle your own life.  If you could, you wouldn't need me here to do it for you.  You wouldn't have needed me all these years to keep you alive, you wouldn't have needed me all these years to keep you sane, and you wouldn't have needed me all these years to keep you from letting yourself rot away while you try to hide from the realities that surround you.

I-I-I...

Don't give me that 'I-I-I' crap either.  You know it's true.  You know you wouldn't be anywhere without me.  Would you even have had the guts to say hello to Twilight if I wasn't there?

Why are you doing this?

Why? Why?! Because you can't do it yourself, that's why!

Twilight's look of worry turns into that of frustration, bringing her to pull the pegasus away from the hug and look her straight in the eye.  "Fluttershy, why are you crying?"

"B-because..."

"Yes?"

"It's because I'm pathetic..."

At least you have sense enough to admit it.

"You're not pathetic, Fluttershy...  Why would you say such a thing?"

"Because I am..."

"What happened, sweetheart?"  Twilight can see the pain in Fluttershy's face as she speaks, wanting to help but not wanting to pry into what's making her speak like this.  Fluttershy stays silent, however, letting herself think about how to answer the question.

You gonna tell her?

What should I say?

Everything.  Twilight doesn't actually know you, Fluttershy.  You've been hiding everything from her and you can't even admit it to yourself.

I haven't been hiding everything...

You've hidden everything important.  She doesn't know anything about your family, she doesn't know anything about your past.  She doesn't know about what makes you you, Co-pilot.

Those things hurt...

Of course they hurt, if things like that were supposed to feel good then the whole world would be a fucked up place full of crazy, masochistic, child-minded ponies like yourself.  It doesn't matter what you've seen, done, or heard, but how you deal with it that actually makes you strong.  You've just been the weirdest little filly anypony in your whole life has ever seen and you've gotten used to it.  Now you can't do anything without somepony else's approval.

What do you mean?

Oh please...  Why'd you go outside earlier?

Because I wanted to...

Wrong, because you wanted Twilight to share something with you that you knew would make her happy.  When's the last time you went out to dinner?

My date with Twilight...

"You still there, love?"

And when's the last time you went to buy food?

When angel ran out of carrots to snack on...

So riddle me this: when's the last time you did something because you wanted to?  You and nopony else.

I don't know...

That's because you don't do that...  Ever.  You always wait to hear what other ponies want and then you always try to please them.  You might as well be wearing a sign on your forehead that reads "Daddy Didn't Love Me".

That's uncalled for...

No it's not.  You need to hear it because you need to be able to say it yourself.  Your daddy didn't treat you very well, and we both know that's true.

He did the best he could...

No he didn't!  He slapped you around like a hockey puck, drank at eight in the morning on weekdays, yelled at you, and never showed you any praise.  He hated you, Fluttershy.

He didn't hate me!

He hated you!  He hated you and he hated his life, but you know what?

Fluttershy has already begun to cry, letting out a small torrent of tears onto Twilight's sheets in her silent agony.  What?

It wasn't ever your fault.  It was his.

Twilight uses her hoof to nudge Fluttershy's chin up so that she's forced to look her in the eye.  The unicorn half examines her pupils and half tries to pry a response from her sealed lips.  "Fluttershy?"

"I'm sorry, Twilight.  I'm just...  Thinking."

For once in your life that's actually true.  You're really thinking.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Just... stuff."

That's not good enough for me, Co-pilot.  You've gotta let her in.

"What kind of stuff?"

"I've... I've never told you about my daddy, have I?"

That's better.  Now I think it's time for me to give you two some privacy.

Wait...  Why are you doing all of this?  Why are you helping?  You tried to bury me, take me over...  Kill me, whatever you want to call it.

I never tried to kill you, Fluttershy.  I just wanted to teach you how to fly.

But what about all of that stuff you said?

Okay fine, there was a little more to it than just teaching you how to fly...  The way I figured it, there were two options for you to take: one was to learn how to deal with me and live with me under your own power, and the other was for you to fail miserably and let me take over.  Either way I would benefit, but you managed to just suppress me again and ruin everything I was trying to do for you.  Living with you is so difficult, you have no idea.

You're no walk in the park either.  This witty retort actually commands a small amount of respect from Courage.

Hah, I'll give you that, but you're just frustrating.  It took a lot to make you grow up, even just a little bit.  

What do you mean?

You stood up to me, as well as all of the problems I set for you.  I was the ultimate thing you hated, every fear you've ever known, and you stood up against me.  That's admirable, but you did it for the wrong reasons.  You did it to get rid of me, so I only ended up teaching you where to look, but not how to get there.

"No, you haven't told me about any of your family at all.  Did something happen to him?"  Twilight's voice continues to briefly punch through the web of racing thoughts that Fluttershy has.

"Not really...  It's more like... he happened to me."

But why?  Why all of this?  Fluttershy balances her conversations just as usual, switching back and forth between haphazard answers to Twilight and more thought-out ones for Courage.

All three of us had something to teach you, Fluttershy.  Kindness and compassion weren't really new to you, so she came and went pretty quickly.  Logic and reasoning needed my help to find their way into your head, but for the most part you managed to get her yourself.  Something you've always been great at is loving others and thinking up a pattern of circular logic for doing so, but you've never been good at embracing all of your emotions.  There are things that you hate in this world, Fluttershy.  Things that annoy you, things that drive you crazy, things that bring you nothing but grief and anger at just the very mention of their names, but that's true for everypony out there.  The difference between them and you is that you have no clue how to channel and control that hatred.  You can't fly with your eyes closed.

Fluttershy stays quiet, quivering a little bit because she knows that everything Courage has been telling her is right.

"He hurt you, didn't he?"

It's time to fly, Fluttershy.  Let her in.

Only if you leave...

I'll leave when you're ready for me to leave, but until then you're gonna have to get used to me.  As if you haven't had time enough to do that.

"He did...  It's a long story, Twilight."

"I've got plenty of time for it, sweetheart."

"I... I d-don't think he ever wanted me..."

Attagirl, just let it all out in the open.  I promise it'll all be okay.

Applejack leans down and presses her lips to the back of Rainbow Dash's neck.  The cyan pony is thoroughly pinned to the bed by her strong marefriend, blushing intensely and breathing very heavily.  

"There, that wasn't so bad now was it?"  Applejack lays herself down on Rainbow's back and nuzzles her head into the pegasus's shoulder, grinning as her muzzle comes into Rainbow's view.

"My flank hurts like you wouldn't believe..."  Dash tries her best to deflect the question, not wanting to admit that she did enjoy the 'treatment', but wouldn't want to do it again any time soon.

"I'll bet.  I did get a little... carried away I reckon."

"Yeah...  You slapped it around like it owed you money."

"Sounds to me like you've got some experience with that."

"Hey, I earn my money just like any other pegasus.  Weather Patrol by day."

"Weather Patrol 'by day' huh?  What happens at night?"

"Hey, don't judge..."

"Tell me you didn't..."

"I'm not admitting to anything until I know what I'm being accused of!"

"Oh c'mon...  I won't tell.

"I know you won't, but that doesn't change that it's embarrassing."

"Oh just tell me, Rainbow!"

"Okay fine...  I..."  Rainbow Dash hesitates and looks away from her marefriend for a while, trying to compose herself a little.  "I scalped Wonderbolts tickets once!"

"That's what you're embarrassed about doing for money?"

"Yeah... I saved up for months to get them but then I needed to pay rent and I didn't really have a choice..."

"Phew!  I thought...  Oh sweet Princess that's a relief."

"What'd you think I did?"

"Oh... let's just change the subject, can't we?"

"You didn't seriously think I was a whore did you?"

"No, no nothing like that!  Just... the way you were talkin'... I just..."  Applejack's usually calm demeanor begins to fail miserably.

"I know you made me say 'Oh yes, please give me more, I'm your little whore' just now but I didn't seriously mean it."  This comment brings a bright red tinge to Applejack's cheeks as it plucks on her general tendency for using polite language in place of the raw descriptions that Rainbow was using.

"H-hey now!  I ain't never heard you make noises like that before so I think it's safe to say you enjoyed yourself."

"I'll admit that it was a... ehm.  Different experience...  Not gonna say more than that."

"Well, with the amount of "Rainbow-Dash-ese" I've learned to speak in this short time I'd say that means it's a 'do-again' then hm?"

"Yeah, fine...  Only if you let me do you next time though."

"Alright, I'm open to that."

"Wow really?  I didn't expect it to be that easy..."

"I trust you."

"That's a bad idea, biscuit."

"Yeah, I know.  But hey, you trusted me enough to do this, so I reckon I can extend the favor."

"Speaking of trust, Applejack."  Rainbow rolls over slightly, looking her marefriend in the eyes.

"Yeah?"  Her answer is cautious and slow as she readies herself to delicately answer whatever the pegasus plans on asking.  The orange earth pony knows immediately that Rainbow is being serious from the simple act of using her full name.

"Are we ever going to tell Granny Smith?  I figure it'd be better that way than having her, say... walk in on us or something."

"I don't know, Rainbow...  I really do wanna tell her, but every time I get anywhere near her I just freeze up."

"Why though?  She's such a nice old lady, I've never seen her do anything that wasn't either goofy or generous...  Or  both...  That's actually the more common of the three."

"Ah know...  It's just a reflex, I don't like breaking bad news to anypony, I always try to think of a way to say it without saying it, if you get my meanin'."

"So you're saying that our relationship is 'bad news'?"

"No!  No, that's not what I meant...  I just...  She might take it as bad news, and I don't wanna see her disappointed...  Rainbow, I don't know what I'd do without you, I don't want you to leave and I'm afraid that Granny might kick you, me, or both of us out of the house if she found us out..."

"Alright, alright, I understand why you don't wanna tell her...  Just, please think about it, okay?"

"I've been doin' nothin' but thinkin' about it, Dashie."

"Well you know I'll be by your side no matter what you decide."

"Of course I know that.  You're my marefriend after all."

"Yeah well...  That doesn't always mean they're loyal."

"Someone didn't treat ya too well did they?"

"Not really, but it's not important."

"No, no, it's very important."  Applejack makes sure to keep Rainbow pinned to the bed, looking down at her and grinning.  "Sugar Cube, you might as well open up to me if you're gonna be in a relationship with me.  I respect your privacy, but I'd really like to listen if you've got somethin' to say.  I don't wanna make the same kind of mistakes they did."

The pegasus hesitates a little bit, feeling her heart sink from the painful memories, though doesn't dwell too long.  She understands that the beautiful earth pony with her wouldn't ever leave if she could help it, and finally feels a familiar warmth in her heart.  "You remember Gilda?"

"You really were with her?  I was just teasin' ya back when I made those jokes..."

"Yeah, well, I didn't tell anypony because it's kinda embarrassing.  Thinking back I only really did it to piss off my parents.  The whole... 'fillyfooler' thing did enough of that, but dating a griffon really threw them over the edge.  I think that's the biggest reason I decided to actually stay in Flight School."

"I thought you loved Flight School?"

"I loved flight.  The school part of it sucked...  I was better than any of the other ponies in there, and I'm not saying that just to be cocky."

"I'm sure that's a pretty big part of it, Sugar Cube."

"I'd give it about forty percent.  But seriously, I didn't really need the training as much as I just needed time to practice.  After the Junior Academy Gilda and I broke it off...  Well, I broke it off with her, she wasn't exactly a loyal marefriend...  If you can even call a griffon that.  My parents had long-since thrown me out, so I didn't really have anywhere to go but Flight School.  I'm just lucky I was good enough to get scholarships for the tuition."

"Well, if my word means anythin' to you, I promise that I'd never just up and leave ya.  You're the only pony that's ever actually made me happy.  Even if you do pluck at mah nerves all the damn time."

"Oh, you and I both know that you need somepony to get you all worked up otherwise you'd just slink around all full of yourself like usual."

"That's precisely what I mean..."

"Ah lahv you, AJ."

"Save it, lover-filly."

"Aww, don't be that way.  I was only kidding."

Applejack smirks and uses her hooves to viciously tickle Rainbow's ribs just as she lets her guard down, not allowing her to move from beneath her.  "Too bad, you're gettin' punished anyway."