It couldn’t have been known. There was simply no possible way that Rarity, in her excitement, could have anticipated that her sudden entrance would be the harbinger of tears. The gut-wrenching terror in the stallion’s gleaming red eyes was lost on Rarity, as were Fluttershy’s desperate attempts to loosen his grip. She was talking but he couldn’t understand, everything caving in as the fear took over his mind.

“You, sir, or is it miss? Doesn’t matter, your mane is simply divine! A tribute to all things fabulous and, I daresay, quite soft by the feel of it. What I wouldn’t give to have a scarf made from fabric half this fine!”

Make her stop!

“And that’s nothing to say of the color! I was of a mind that green is the most horrid of all colors for a mane, but you have proven me quite wrong. Is it dyed? Natural? Oh, I simply must know how you condition your mane! What brand do you use?”

Get away... just leave me alone!

“Fluttershy, you have bagged quite the catch, mare or not! Come now, what’s your name? I must know the owner of such a mane that has me so envious!”

“Whisper... you’re... hurting... me.” That was the final straw. Whisper’s horn began to glow as he took a deep breath, knowing even as he did so that he would regret it. But it was too much: the talking, the questions, and Fluttershy’s pained voice. Fluttershy fell to the floor, coughing for air as the sudden intense build up of magic sent lancing pains from his horn and down into his lungs, and he brought his hooves to his head as he let it all out.

“Leave...” The magic flared. “Me...” It condensed, funneling into his horn. “Alone!” Manifesting his fear into physical form, the magic erupted as a concussive blast, shattering the windows and destroying the interior of the cottage. He screwed his eyes shut as the sounds of things falling and breaking drew to an end, leaving only silence in its wake. His eyes filled with tears as he saw Rarity unconscious, blown into the wall and covered with books from the one remaining shelf that had stayed upright. Fluttershy struggled to her hooves, glancing fearfully around her, having no idea what had happened.

“What... Whisper?”

“STAY BACK!” Fluttershy winced as the same phrase appeared again and again, clouding her vision to the point that she could no longer see. “I told you... I warned you I was dangerous, but you wouldn’t listen! You wouldn’t listen, and now... now I’ve hurt somepony else!”

“Whisper, please, calm down! It’s going to...”

“No! No it won’t, it’s not ok! She’s bleeding, she might die, and it’s all my fault!” She took a step towards him and he did something she had never thought he might. She froze in her tracks as he growled, a glow again rising to his horn and sending tiny embers dancing to the floor. “Don’t come near me, Fluttershy. I don’t want to hurt you again.” And then, just as the embers had touched the ground, a soft mist extinguished them as his eyes fill with tears. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Fluttershy. I...” I can’t risk seeing you hurt. Please, just leave me alone, for your sake. Tearing the bandage from his leg, he galloped out the door, ignoring the pain and leaving Fluttershy alone.

What... what did he do... She stared around at the destruction in her house. Is this... why he calls himself a monster? No, Whisper, you’re not a monster, you just need help. I know he never meant for this to happen. I just can’t believe he would do something like this on purpose! She trotted over to where Rarity lay, thankful that she didn’t have any major injuries save an unsightly bump on the back of her head, a few minor cuts, and a number of bruises. Angel came rushing in, looking every bit as terrified as Whisper had. “Angel, I need to go look for Whisper. Please, take care of Rarity and the other animals until I get back.” With no reason to argue, he set about pulling her from the wreckage while Fluttershy stepped outside.

Cerulean would have waited for Crimson to arrive, but the urgency driving him onwards couldn’t be ignored. Even if it was minimal, if there was any chance that the unicorn was truly who he suspected, then nothing, not even Twilight would have stopped him from throwing down everything.

“Please, let it be him... my baby brother.” Even before the cottage came into sight, the sound of an explosion of some kind bid him double the length of his wings, pouring out his magic and putting his all into following the glimmer of hope that his long lost sibling may in fact still be alive. The cottage came into view and a green blur flew out the door, and Cerulean veered away, ignoring the cottage entirely and shrinking his wings to conserve energy as he glided over the forest. It was pointless, as even in broad daylight and knowing approximately where the stallion was, and he landed on the forest floor, straining to hear something other than the pounding of his heart. “Come on, there has to be something, some way... Give me something, Jade.”

A sudden darkness bid him turn his eyes skyward as storm clouds billowed out and spread. Ignoring the possibility of being struck by lightning, Cerulean took flight once more, searching for the center and making straight for it. A chilling downpour drenched him, slowly at first but growing stronger until it was on par with a flash flood. He’s not going to last long, pouring out this much magic. Just hold on, I’m coming.

The chicken coup was demolished, the hens frantically running every which way as the storm formed and the thunder started. The bridge across the stream was cracked, the front door was gone, and nearly every birdhouse had plummeted to the ground in the wake of Whisper’s voice. And yet, amidst all the destruction, Fluttershy felt no anger, only fear. Not fear for herself, or even for her animals, but that Whisper might disappear entirely, never to be seen again. It had only been three short days, but saying the number meant nothing. She had, willingly or not, given him a piece of her heart. Staring into the face of the storm, she was forced to make a choice.

She could try to chase him down, plead with him to come back, to work through whatever had caused such destruction. It would be a path, she knew, that could be filled with pain and sorrow. Already, one of her dearest friends lay bruised and unconscious, and her house in shambles. She could simply let go, try to rebuild and move on. Forget about him, about his problems, and all the dangers now displayed.

I don’t want to forget. I don’t want to let go of the night we spent together, or when I brushed his hair... No, I won’t. I won’t give up. Every memory, every word that had played across her eyes, every touch that they had shared in their short but sweet friendship gave her the courage to spread her wings and plunge headlong into the wind and rain. Just as she had waited for him in the forest, she hoped that somehow, he would wait for her. She gave a startled cry as a bolt of lightning flashed past her and on to the forest floor, covering her ears as the thunder shook the air. Shaking off the fear, she pressed on, partially blinded by the driving rain and the wind that threatened to toss her to the forest floor below. A sudden voice, indecipherable, rose up from the ground, and eager to land she made straight for the source, landing close and galloping as fast as she could.

It’s over... everything... I lost everything to my voice... Fluttershy, I’m sorry! I’m sorry... Whisper, overcome by the grief of hurting the one pony he had dared to be with, the one who had received him not as a monster, but as a friend, slowed to a stop and sank to the ground. He wouldn’t have been able to run much farther anyway, not with the condition his sprained hoof was in. The pain came in waves, matching the rhythm of his heart and adding to his already sickening nausea. He couldn’t stem the tears, nor stop the resulting flow of magic as he cried, softly at first but growing as he raged internally at his mistakes.

He closed his eyes and delved deep, listening not with his ears but with his heart, seeking some kind of mercy or redemption. He opened his eyes halfway as he picked up on something very close to what he was feeling: desperation. Whatever the source, it was coming quickly, and Whisper braced himself for the worst. Who am I kidding... it can’t be worse. I hurt Fluttershy, and now... He didn’t have time to think as the sound of somepony approaching sparked his fear once more, and he turned to see a blue stallion stop in his tracks as they locked eyes.

Those eyes... it really is... “Jade...”

Why did he call me that? And why... is he crying? He must be angry about Fluttershy or that other unicorn I hurt. The stallion took a step forward, but his trance was quickly broken as Whisper’s curiosity was again eclipsed by fear. “Stay back! I don’t know who you are, but just... just stay away!”

“Jade, please! Just let me...”

“Stop calling me that, that’s not my name! I don’t have a name anymore!”

“Come on, you have to remember! Your name’s Jade, you’re my brother!”

“I said stay back!” No matter how many times he sent the message, the blue stallion kept edging closer. His muscles were drained from magic fatigue and his left foreleg was useless, giving him no option but to speak, should the stallion not heed his warnings.

“I’ve been waiting... hoping to find you for years, and now... you don’t even remember me?”

“I don’t know you, and I don’t want to know you! I just want to be left alone so nopony gets hurt!” Each nonverbal shout cut like a knife, but Cerulean refused to back down.

“Damn it, Jade... How could...” Every time he looked into those crimson eyes, he remembered. Every time they’d played together, every moment of their last day on the beach, and even back to when they both taught each other something new about magic: it all came flooding back. “I’m not leaving this forest without you. Even if you fight, if you shout, if you try to take my life, I’m not leaving you again!” Whisper closed his eyes as the stallion broke into a gallop. The pain in his horn shot through his head as he filled his lungs once more. It was too late to stop it as he heard his name called out from the forest, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Fluttershy running towards him. If he hadn’t been distracted, he could have sensed her kindness from miles away and taken solace in her presence, but instead a single shout tore from his lungs.

“Stay... back!” Almost completely out of magic, his limbs grew numb as a massive blast ripped through the forest, bowling over both the other ponies and splintering the trunks of every tree nearby. For one fleeting moment, it looked like everything was all right. Then, one by one, the trees started to fall down. The blue stallion struggled to his feet, but all of Whisper’s attention was focused solely on the mare that lay immobile on the ground. Not again... not Fluttershy, not again! “Come on, get up! Please, Fluttershy, you need to move!” But she didn’t move. As everything crashed down around him, he couldn’t have cared less about his own safety, but a young oak was heading straight for her. Summoning the last of his strength and ignoring the jarring body wide pain, he galloped a short distance to where she lay. What vigor remained in his limbs fled as his body shut down, his hopes of shoving her out of the way dashed as the a brief, momentary pain shot through his spine before everything went black.

It was impossible not to sense such a release of magic, even for somepony like Crimson who only used it for the convenience. After the first wave, she galloped to a point where she could safely teleport, but she had arrived much too late. Cerulean was nowhere to be seen, and all she found was wreckage. Her fear that nopony had survived was put to rest as she heard somepony ranting from afar, and as she galloped closer, she knew that it could only belong to one pony.

“Just wait till I get my hooves on that vile cretin. Honestly, how come the most charming in appearance are the most barbaric in nature? Can you believe this, Angel? Just look at these bruises! I’m going to spend a fortune on make up just trying to cover them.”

“Rarity, what the hay happened?!?” Rarity turned towards Crimson who, being a mare, was sure to understand her plight.

“What happened indeed. Tis a fair question, I suppose. It goes like this; whoever that pony Fluttershy’s taken a liking to is a dangerous menace that should be kept under lock on key. All I did was shower him with praise and how am I thanked?”

“You didn’t go near him, did you?”

“And why not?” she snapped back, growing increasingly vexed at receiving questions and no sympathy. “It’s his own fault for flaunting that fabulous mane like he hasn’t a care in the world. I would be remiss if I passed up an opportunity to inspect such beauty up close. And then...”

“Rarity, shut... up.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Whisper is as scared of other ponies as Fluttershy is of dragons! Rushing up to him the way you did was probably one of the most terrifying times of his life!”

“That’s no reason to blow up Fluttershy’s house!”

“Do you really think somepony as frightened as Whisper would really do something like that on purpose? If there’s anything left in that head of yours save styling gel, use it for something productive like rational thought!”

“I’m sorry, I’m too traumatized to deal with that kind of speech right now,” she murmured, turning her head away and pointing her snout in the air ever so slightly. Now, paws are soft, being covered in fur, but the resounding smack as Angel slapped her full in the face was crisp and no doubt carried a good distance. It also seemed to dispel Rarity’s hysteria, as she slowly let her head droop, gazing at the floor. “I’m... sorry, Crimson. I’ve been entirely unreasonable. I don’t really know what happened. The last thing I remember, he yelled something and I found myself unconscious.”

If it knocked everything over when he sneezed, then this... must be what happens when he shouts. Angel finished with Rarity’s wounds and, having enough of her rambling, stalked off to go round up the chickens and make sure all the birds were ok. “Wait, where’s Fluttershy? And Cerulean?”

“I do not know, I haven’t seen them since I awoke. But if I had to guess, they are looking for... Whisper, as you called him.” Crimson stepped back out and wondered how she could have missed the dark cloud hanging over the forest.

“Cerulean, please be safe...” Her stomach nearly emptied itself on the spot as a second blast sounded, and even from her spot outside the cottage, she could feel the tremors as the trees came crashing down. With no time to think, she charged into the forest, hoping for the best and expecting the worst.

Even if he had tried to use his brother’s spell, Cerulean doubted that words could describe what it was like, finding his brother after so long only to not be remembered. As his vision frantically tried to adjust, the rain began to soften, only to be replaced by his own tears as he beheld both Jade and Fluttershy, crushed by the fallen oak. He tried lifting it with magic, but it was too much for him to move by himself. Adrenaline mixed with desperation, and he slammed down both hooves, lifting the mass of timber with several pillars of ice. He rushed to pull them out before examining their wounds.

Fluttershy was, surprisingly, in better shape than Jade, likely due to his last ditch effort to shield her. But, as he held Jade in his arms, he couldn’t stop the rising fear that warned these moments would be his last. Even without a doctor, the deep bruising that covered most of his back and into his chest warned of severe internal bleeding, as did the the small trickle of crimson seeping from his mouth. His heartbeat was irregular, and his breathing shallow.

What do I do... I can’t just leave Fluttershy here, but I don’t think I have the strength to fly them both. I can’t just give up! Come on, think, there has to be a way! He looked up the sound of somepony running caught his ears, and he called out for help. Crimson immediately changed course, her brother’s despair driving her to greater efforts. She thought she had prepared herself for the worst, but she couldn’t have prepared to see her friend and family in such a state. Cerulean wasted no time, summoning his wings and holding Jade to his chest. “Crimson, get Fluttershy to the hospital.” Not waiting for a response, he took off, pushing his magic to its limit to shave off precious seconds from the trip.

A moan drew Crimson’s attention away from the skies and back to Fluttershy, who lay whimpering a short distance away. Crimson let out a sharp gasp as she saw the way her wing was twisted, and she gently tried to right it, but stopped as Fluttershy cried out in agony, unable to stop the tears. Knowing it would only cause further discomfort, she abandoned the effort and instead gathered the mare into her arms, rocking her softly.

“Hang in there, Fluttershy. It’s going to be ok.”

“Where... where is... Whisper?”

Even now, after nearly dying, he’s still the first thing to her mind. This is much deeper than I thought. Fluttershy... “He’s... hurt really bad, Fluttershy. I didn’t see what happened, but...” It was weak, faltering, but the mare’s hoof reached out, rising slowly to her cheek as she pressed closer to Crimson, wishing for just one thing.

“Take me... I want... to see him...”