Lately

by Vozzle

First published 9th of December, 2011

lately fluttershy has been hard to reach, struggling with her emotions for rarity.

Lately Fluttershy has been hard to reach. She has been staying in her house for the last couple of days. Her mind flooding with thoughts and emotions about one of her close friends. Can she come to grips with herself and admit her affection to her crush or will she get lost in her emotions?

At the same time Rarity has been having trouble with keeping up with work and having to take care of her little sister. What will happen when she reveals their tragic secret to her friends?

(Authors note: This is a sad romance story about Fluttershy and Rarity. The story will be told from their viewpoints.
This is the first fan fiction I have written and it might contain some grammatical errors. I am always open for
suggestions and remarks. I hope you have a good time reading this story.)

(PS: The adventure tag only applies to later chapters.)

Hard to reach

The sunlight slowly crept through the drapes in Fluttershy's bedroom. She slightly opened her eyelids while she lied in bed crawled up under a thick blanket. She let out a heavy sigh thinking about the nightmares that had been haunting her for far too long. They all play out the same, Fluttershy confesses her feelings to her true love and gets turned down. She gets yelled at. Gets told how disgusting and revolting her feelings are. Some nights she wakes up crying or screaming. Staying up all night in fear of having the same nightmare.

It has been like this for a couple of weeks now. Fluttershy is quite used to it by now. She climbs out of bed and starts stepping downstairs to her kitchen. Walking past her bathroom. Not bothering with fixing up her mane as she wasn't planning on leaving her cabin today anyway. She puts a pot of tea on the stove and walks into her living room dropping herself onto the couch.

After a few minutes Fluttershy could hear a loud knocking coming from her door. "Who could that be so early in the morning.." she says to herself. slowly trotting towards the door she looks through the door hole. A blue pegasus with a rainbow mane can be seen standing on the other side. "Are you Awake Shy? I haven't seen you in days!" The pegasus said pushing her face into the door.

"Maybe I should just pretend I'm asleep.." she thought to herself for a moment until a voice inside her spoke up. "Hey that's not fair, Rainbow hasn't done anything to deserve that!" She opened the door and greeted her friend. "Hello Rainbow Dash, I haven't seen you in a while" she said with a weak smile. "Of course you haven't! You have been holed up inside this shack for weeks now." Rainbow said. Fluttershy looked down at the ground "I'm sorry it's just.. there has been alot on my mind lately."

It was at that moment that dash noticed how worn-out her friend looked. Her mane was a mess. She had heavy bags under her eyes and yawned constantly. Dash sighed. "Nightmares again?" Fluttershy merely nodded. "You really need to stop torturing yourself like this. You know you can talk to me about anything right?" Rainbow said with a look of concern on her face.

"Yes.." Fluttershy whispered. A few months had passed since Fluttershy came to Rainbow's house in the middle of the night crying.

It was storming heavily outside that night while Rainbow Dash was lying in her bed fashioned out of clouds. There were no ponies in the sky nor on the ground as the heavy downpour continued. The sound of rain tapping the roof of her cloud home was keeping her awake all night. She tossed and turned under the covers trying to find a spot comfortable enough for her to fall asleep in.

Suddenly a knock was heard on the door. "WHO in the wide world of Equestria visits at this hour!?" she thought to herself. She climbed out of her bed and opened the door. A yellow pegasus with a pink mane stood on the other side. Completely wet from the rain. She was crying softly as she looked the blue pegasus in the eyes. "I-I-I.. need someone to talk to.." the yellow mare said as water dripped onto the carpet of Rainbow's house from her mane.

Rainbow observed the scene in front of her for a while before realising who was standing in the rain. "Fluttershy! are you crazy? You can't fly in this storm! You could have been struck by lightning or blown into a mountain or!" She calmed down looking at the pegasus "Come in" she said opening the door further and inviting her friend in.

Fluttershy sat on Rainbow's couch a while before her friend walked in. Carrying a blanket in her mouth and a tray with tea on her back. "Why did you fly here through the storm?" Rainbow asked in a confused tone as she laid the blanket over her friend. Fluttershy swallowed all of her fears and doubts and spoke up "R-R-Rainbow w-would you still be my friend if I was a fillyfooler?" she managed to stutter still quivering from the cold rain.

Rainbow's eyes filled with tears as she dropped the tray she was carrying and ran to Fluttershy grabbing her into a tight hug. "Fluttershy you're my best friend. I've known you since we were foals. Nothing you can ever say or do will change that."

Fluttershy sat up against Rainbow for the rest of the night. Pouring all of her sadness out as her friend comforted her.

Fluttershy offered rainbow a seat. "Would you like some tea?" she said walking towards her stove.

"Sure shy.. I'm really worried about you. Its nothing like you to stay inside." Rainbow said still bearing the same look of concern on her face.

Fluttershy walked into the living room carefully holding a tray of warm tea and cookies. "I'm fine really.." she said bearing the most obvious fake smile Dash had ever seen.

"Shy.. I know something is bothering you. You're a terrible liar and it's got to be something big if it has got you holed inside for this long. You can tell me anything and I won't judge you remember?"

Fluttershy gave up and let out a big sigh as she sat down next to Rainbow. "Remember what I told you a couple of months ago?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's not something you easily forget." Dash said with a caring smile.

"Well.. I think I might have feelings for somepony." she said hiding her face behind her mane.

"That's no reason to be sad shy. In fact, you should be happy." Rainbow said giving a confused look.

Fluttershy thought about how to tell Rainbow who she was crushing on. She even doubted if she would tell her at all but then Rainbow's words echoed in her mind. "You can tell me anything and I wont judge you." With new found confidence she raised her head and looked Rainbow straight in the eyes for the first time since her friend had entered her home.

"It's not that simple I'm afraid.." she said with a small smile talking just as quiet as ever but with a tone of determination in her voice.

"Is it somepony I know?" Dash asked putting a hoof over Fluttershy's shoulder in the hope of giving her some confidence.

"Yes.. I'm pretty sure you know her." Fluttershy said giggling slightly.

"Well come on! Who is it!" Rainbow Dash said shaking with anticipation.

"It's... it's..." Fluttershy looked over to Rainbow and saw her friend look at her with eyes that said I'm here for you. she swallowed all of her pride one more time and said "It's"

Back in Ponyville everypony was busy with their daily chores. The streets were filled with happy ponies out shopping for groceries or visiting their friends. The faint smell of cupcakes came from Sugarcube Corner and the sound of birds chirping filled the air. Rarity was inside her boutique still working on a large order of dresses she had received from Manehattan. She had received this order on short notice so she had to stay up all night working if she wanted to have any hope of completing it in time. She had been low on money lately and had to take extra orders to be able to pay the rent, pay for her and Sweetie belle's food and buy fabric to make her dresses.

She wiped the drops of sweat from her forehead and looked up at the pony shaped mannequin in front of her. "That's number twelve, three more to go" she said exhausted from the work and a lack of sleep. She pushed the dress aside and rode a new mannequin into the spot. Starting the same process she had completed a dozen times already. It was dull work to make the same dress multiple times but she didn't want to turn down any work.

After an hour or so she was halfway done with the dress. She looked outside and noticed what a beautiful day it was. She felt the urge to go visit one of her friends. She could always go to Twilight or Fluttershy. She loved each and everyone of her friends dearly but always felt a closer connection to those two.

"But ALAS! I am stuck here working." She said in a melodramatic tone.

"Speaking of which, where has Fluttershy been lately!" She thought to herself.

Its been almost two weeks since their last spa visit. Rarity was often busy working on one of her projects so she didn't have a lot of time to spend with her friends. She took great pleasure in using the little time she had to spend with Fluttershy going to the spa where they could relax and catch up.

Rarity was sitting in the spa's waiting room. Looking around the room she absorbed the calm and luxurious atmosphere. The walls of the place were made out of cream white stone. Blue and pruple drapes hung from the ceiling and several exotic plants sat in beautiful vases around the room. Lotus, one of the twins working at the spa walked in after a while.

"Good afternoon Rarity, how can we help our favourite customer today?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh I'm just waiting for my friend to arrive, thank you." Rarity said smiling a bit at Lotus and returning her gaze to the spa's entrance.

"That is quite al right. You can ring the bell when you are ready."

After a few more minutes the sound of rushing hooves could be heard from outside the entrance and a yellow pegasus came running in with a worried look on her face. "I'm so sorry I'm late Rarity. Angel was feeling a bit under the weather so I had to make him some medicine. Can you forgive me?" She asked looking down at the ground.

"Don't be ridiculous dear. You are not that late. Besides, I could never be mad at you" she said smiling at Fluttershy.

"T-t-thank you Rarity" she said blushing slightly.

"No need to thank me nor apologize, were friends." she said walking over to the counter and ringing the bell. Aloe came walking in behind the counter and greeted her loyal customer and her friend.

"Good afternoon Rarity so good to see you, and you to Miss Fluttershy. Any specifics on your treatment?"

"The usual." Rarity said.

"Of course, right this way." she signalled.

Fluttershy stood there looking at Rarity for a while "She's really pretty.." she thought to herself. Her eyes wondered over Rarity's body closely admiring her form. "Woah Woah, calm down Fluttershy, she's your friend, its not fair to her to think like that." She thought to herself.

Rarity walked with Aloe for a while before she noticed Fluttershy still standing in the back. "Come on Fluttershy, they are waiting for us." she said with a smile. Fluttershy was just as her name indicated very shy and Rarity always thought it was very endearing.

"OH! Of course.. she said trotting over to Rarity's side. Rarity noticed Fluttershy was blushing slightly but thought nothing of it.

After pacing through a couple of beautifully decorated hallways they reached a room with two massage tables. The floor was made of cobblestone and the wooden walls were decorated with several hanging plants. Lotus walked in and welcomed the two.

"There you two are, lay yourselves down on the table and get comfortable. We'll be back in a little while. Aloe and Lotus left the room.

After a couple of hours they had received pretty much every treatment the spa had to offer. Fluttershy had not felt so rejuvenated in quite a while and they were moved to the bathing room. Fluttershy had spent every minute on the massage table fighting these thoughts about Rarity, blushing slightly every time. "Why can't i just get this out of my head!" she thought.

They entered a large room completely filled with a bath the size of a small swimming pool. The bath was filled with herbs and flowers that filled the room with the most relaxing aroma Fluttershy had ever smelled. Fluttershy got in the bath first. Lowering herself slowly into the steaming water and letting out a long "aaaahhh" in joy.

Second was Rarity who did the same. She dipped her head underwater and emerged with a smile. Water jumping around, sparkling in the moonlight that was shining trough the windows. Fluttershy looked over at Rarity and felt the blood spike in her cheeks. "OH CELESTIA, Rarity looks amazing with a wet mane" Luckily, Rarity didn't notice the shining red forming in Fluttershy's face.

Rarity slowly lowered herself up to her shoulders into the steaming water. "Thank you for joining me today Fluttershy, these spa visits are the only thing getting me through the week." she said smiling.

"Dammit Fluttershy pull yourself together. You can ask her out someday but not now! You don't even know if she likes mares that way." she snapped at herself. "Oh, of course Rarity, I love spending time with you.." she whimpered in a quiet tone.

Both mares got out of the bath and dried themselves. They could hear the twins in the back. "Thank you for coming! have a nice evening!" As they entered outside Fluttershy realized exactly how late at night it was.

Fluttershy had almost gathered the courage to ask Rarity if she wanted to go out sometime when she got interrupted.

"Thanks again for coming Fluttershy, I will see you soon I have to prepare for my date tonight!" she said beaming.

Fluttershy looked up at Rarity and to her surprise managed to speak. "Date?.."

"Oh yes, he is the stallion of my dreams!" she said with a grin on her face. "And don't worry I'll find a colt for you someday." she said smiling at her friend. "Bye Fluttershy!" she yelled as she walked away.

Fluttershy just stood there staring. Staring at the spot where her friend who she was madly in love with had just broken her heart. Not only did she make it clear that she was attracted to colts she also thought Fluttershy did the same. Tears started to run down Fluttershy's cheeks as she ran to her cabin as fast as her legs could take her.

Rarity had finally finished her order and was ready to drop down and fall asleep right in the middle of her shop when the doorbell rang. "GAH!" she raged with her hooves swinging in the air. She opened the door and saw a police pony with a large moustache standing in the door opening with a very sad Sweetie Belle standing right behind him.

"Madam is this your sister?" the pony asked taking a step to the left revealing the sad little filly.

"Yes.. what is this about?" she asked in a nervous yet curious tone.

"This filly and her two friends decided it was a good idea to fire a.. "Party cannon" near a construction site." he said face-hooving at the very thought of such a thing. "lets cut to the chase. A lot of damage was done to the site which will have to be compensated for." he said as he handed a fine to Rarity.

Her face suddenly filled with sadness as she looked at the huge number printed on the fine before her.

"I hope you learned your lesson little filly." he said to Sweetie Belle. " Have a nice evening madam."

As the police cars rode off the flashing lights left with them. leaving a silent, wet and crying filly in the rain looking up at Rarity.

"I'm so sorry big sister.." she said sobbing.

Rarity stood there looking at the fine and her little sister as tears poured from her eyes. "Sweetie Belle.. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!" she yelled at the filly who's crying only got worse as she tried to speak.

"W-We thought we could be cutie mark crusader cannoneers.." she sobbed.

"I CANT AFFORD THIS KIND OF FINE! WE ARE LOW ON MONEY AS IT IS! I have been working twice as much lately to be able to keep us in this home! and now you only make it worse!" she was still yelling if only a bit softer.

"Please don't yell at me big sister. You know I can't handle yelling.." she said still crying.

"This will cause us so much trouble. Ever since the accident I've been struggling to keep us fed. To keep us in a home!" then suddenly the room fell silent and tears poured down rarity's eyes like waterfalls. suddenly all the feelings came back to her.
That feeling.. she felt so hopeless so helpless and knew that Sweetie was feeling the exact same thing as she looked at her little sister who was crying so much that she had almost ran out of tears.

She walked up to her sister and hugged her. "I'm so sorry I yelled at you Sweetie.." she said sobbing "T-T-That's ok big sister.." Sweetie's throat was worn out from crying and was having trouble uttering the smallest words. Rarity sat down on her haunches next to Sweetie Belle. "Don't you ever forget that we still have each other." she said to her little sister as she hugged her tightly.

"I know Rarity, I love you"

"I love you too little sister"

(author's note: Well, writing this chapter was an interesting experience. This story is going to be my first of hopefully many fan fictions. I honestly don't know if its any good but you know what they say: The artist works only to please himself. But nonetheless it would mean the world to me if you could rate this and leave a nice comment. If this story means something good to at least one person than it's a success in my eyes.

This is the revamped version of chapter 1. My friend helped me improve the grammar and choice of words. I do hope that anyone that read this chapter before the changes considers to re-read it. )

On my own

"RARITY!?" Dash exclaimed as her jaw hit the floor and her hooves reached into the air. Scared from the sudden noise. Fluttershy squealed softly from behind the couch. "Whoops, didn't mean to scare ya there Shy." Rainbow said giggling. She helped her friend back up on her hooves. "How long has this been going on?" Dash asked.

"A-about 10 days. We went on our weekly spa visit and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't keep my eyes off of her."

"I'm having trouble seeing the downside here Shy" Rainbow said with a smile.

"S-she told me she had a date with a colt that evening.." Fluttershy whispered in her usual weak demeanour

"So?" Rainbow said tilting her head in confusion.

"So!? So she'll never like me the way I like her." Fluttershy yelled almost scared of the volume of her own voice.

"Shy, just because somepony likes colts doesn't mean they can't like mares." Rainbow dash said with a look of conviction. It was now her turn to swallow her pride. "Just. Like. Me."

Fluttershy's eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the statement. "You mean?" she said

"Yup." Dash said with confidence.

"and you think Rarity?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"I Dunno Shy. All I'm saying is that it's possible." Dash said with a caring smile. "And even if she doesn't it's better to get this out of your system rather than wallowing in your own sorrow."

Fluttershy sighed. "Your right."

"Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll tell her." Fluttershy Thought to herself.

Fluttershy walked over to Rainbow Dash and hugged her tightly. "Thanks Dashie. For always being there when I need you."

"No biggy Shy. I am the most loyal and Awesome pony of Equestria after all."

Fluttershy giggled at Rainbow's over confidence.

Dash flew out of the window with amazing speed. "Later Shy!" could faintly be heard form the distance.

Now the house was silent. Leaving Fluttershy alone with her thoughts.

Celestia's sun started to grace the earth as the birds chirped in happiness. A white pony with a purple mane lay silently in her bed. Her eyes covered by a sleeping mask. A heavy smell filled the room. "Mhmm such a lovely aroma.. the smell.. of smoke.." Suddenly she jumped up "smoke!?" She ran downstairs as fast as her legs could take her. She grabbed the fire extinguisher and jammed the door open. pushing a little filly aside she ran up to the smoke covered stove and assaulted it with the extinguisher.

"Rarity! You ruined your surprise!" The little filly said angrily.

"Surprise!? A house fire is your surprise!?" Rarity said motioning with her hooves in the air.

"I was making you breakfast." she said happily.

Rarity slowly crawled towards the stove. making sure the danger had past. "That's not breakfast. That's a pastry monstrosity!" she said in disgust as she looked at the burned remnants of whatever Sweetie Belle had mistaken for food.

"I'd give up on cutie mark crusader bakery for a while Sweetie Belle." she said laughingly.

"Now come on, you can help me make breakfast." Rarity said as she signalled the filly to come closer.

"Do you have any plans today Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked her sister as they finished their breakfast.

"I'm going to check on Scoot and Bloom. I hope they are ok after what happened." She said in a worried voice.

"I can only imagine how furious Applejack and Granny Smith were at Apple Bloom" Rarity said.

"How about you big sister?" the filly asked her sister. Eyes beaming with anticipation.

Rarity thought about it for a moment. "this is my first day off in weeks." she said "My friends must be worried sick about me!" she thought to herself. "I know! I'll go check up on Twilight!" she said happily.

"Fluttershy opened her eyes slightly, she felt an overwhelming warmth next to her. She opened her eyes fully and saw her arms wrapped around Rarity who lay in the same position with a smile on her face. Rarity woke up slowly. "Good morning Shy." she said in a seductive tone as she planted a kiss on Fluttershy's muzzle. For a few seconds Fluttershy was in heaven. a state of complete euphoria."

Fluttershy woke up. For the first time in what seemed like ages she had slept happily. The nightmares were replaced with dreams. She dreamed of spending her life with Rarity. of how she liked every single thing about her. Her generosity, her kindness, her smile.

"Today is the day." She told herself. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom. after a few minutes of fidgeting she decided to make some breakfast. The normally simple daisy sandwich tasted like heaven to the pony who hadn't eaten for about a day. Just as she was about to leave her cabin she felt a carrot hit the back of her head.

She looked behind her and saw an angry little bunny stamping his feet pointing at his food bowl. "Oh Angel! I had completely forgotten about your food." She ran off to get the bunny food and returned with the biggest sack of carrots Angel had ever seen. She dumped its content into the bowl causing it disappear under a mountain of carrots.

Angel's jaw dropped. Dumbfounded at the treasure laid out before him. "Behave yourself while I'm gone will you!" Fluttershy yelled as she left her house.

Rarity Knocked on the door of Twilight's library. "Twilight! Are you there?" A small dragon opened the door and looked up to see who was visiting. "RARITY!" he exclaimed "Are my spines straight, did I even brush my teeth!? How do I look!?" he thought as he rapidly ran his claws over his scales with a worried look. Rarity Face-hooved.

"Good morning Spike. Is Twilight home?" she asked.

"Y-y-yes she is! Twilight! Rarity is here to see you!" he yelled into the library.

A purple unicorn emerged from the basement wearing a white doctors coat.

"Good morning Rarity, I haven't seen you in a while." She said removing the coat.

"Hello Twilight! I have a day off today. Do you want to get some lunch and catch up?" she said smiling with anticipation.

"I would love to but I am simply too busy with my studies for Celestia. She asked me to find out how bucking magnets work."

Rarity pouted her lips and tried to conjure up her most whiney of voices. "BUT TWIIIILIIIIIIIGHT." she squealed.

"That only works with Spike." she giggled. "Why don't you ask Fluttershy to have lunch with you?"

Rarity's eyes lit up "Of course! Fluttershy! Now that you mention it, have you seen Fluttershy anywhere the last couple of weeks?" she asked Twilight.

Twilight rested her hoof under her chin. "mhmm no I Haven't. That is a bit curious." she said "She was probably busy caring for one of her sick animals" Twilight induced.

"You're probably right." Rarity said relieved. "anyway, I'll see you soon Twilight!"

Twilight didn't respond she was already back behind her blackboard.

It was a sunny day in Ponyville as Rarity made her way to Fluttershy's cottage. The streets of the little town were as busy as always. As she walked past Sugarcube Corner the smell of pastries tickled her senses causing her stomach to rage loudly. "I better get to Fluttershy fast before I STARVE to death!" she thought dramatically.

Fluttershy ran happily trough the streets of Ponyville. Her mind completely occupied. She wasn't even looking where she was going. she didn't even notice that as she was day dreaming she started running faster and faster.

Rarity averted her gaze from Sugarcube Corner and looked forward. In mere seconds something that looked like a yellow and pink ball of feathers hit her frontally causing her to collapse on the floor.

When she finally opened her eyes she was laying on the ground with Fluttershy collapsed on top of her. She nudged the pony who seemed to be practically unconscious.

Fluttershy opened her eyes and noticed she was lying on top of rarity and started blushing heavily looking into her
eyes. after a few seconds Rarity spoke. "uuuhm Fluttershy. Do you mind getting off of me?" she asked.

Fluttershy's eyes shot open. "Oh! of course! I'm so sorry I ran into you. I wasn't paying attention. SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY" she said about as fast as it was possible for a pony to talk.

"No need to apologize. I wasn't really paying attention myself either." Rarity said. "I was just looking for you in fact."

"O-o-oh why would that be..?" she said. Every inch of courage she had gathered over the last few days disappeared in mere seconds as she looked into Rarity's eyes. "She has such gorgeous eyes.." she thought to herself.

"Well I haven't seen any of you lately I just wanted to catch up. Do you want to get some lunch?" she asked with eyes full of anticipation.

"OH YES!" Fluttershy yelled. "I-I mean sure if you want to.."

Rarity giggled at her friends excitement. "Come on lets go to Sugarcube Corner so we can see Pinkie too.

Rarity was trotting to Sugarcube Corner with Fluttershy following eagerly by her side. "Do tell dear, where ever have you been lately?" Rarity asked her friend. "Well.. I.. um.." she started digging in her mind for anything that could pass for a believable excuse.

"uuhm Angel. Yes! Angel was feeling very sick so I had to stay by his side for a while." she said staring at Rarity hoping that she believed her.

"Oh I'm so sorry to hear that Fluttershy. Is he feeling better now?" She said with a look of concern.

"Yes. He's feeling fine now." she smiled.

The two of them entered Sugarcube Corner and rang the bell at the counter. A pink earth pony with a slightly darker pink mane walked into the room and gasped when she saw her friends.

"OMG I haven't seen you guys in ages!" she said bouncing towards the two.

"Yes. it's good to see you too Pinkie." Rarity said "We came over to have some lunch would you like to join us?"

"Okie dokie lokie! I was feeling all saddy waddy that I hadn't seen any of my friends lately but then you two entered and I was like *GASP* and now your here and im so super happy wappy!!" she said still bouncing in one place.

"Pinkie.." Rarity said.

"At first I was worried you had forgotten about me! but now your here! and I can see you two again!"

"Pinkie." Rarity said with her hoof to her face.

"You know. We should have a party! A YAYMYFRIENDSAREHERETOSEEMEEEE PARTY!!"

"PINKIE!" Rarity yelled at the top of lungs.

"Sorry worry Rarity. I guess I got a bit too excited!" pinkie said finally having applied her hooves to the ground.

The three sat down at a table as Mrs. Cake walked in with a tray filled with all sorts of pastries. "It's good to see Pinkie's friends visiting" she said with a smile.

"It's good to see you too.." Fluttershy said.

The three sat eating their food. Pinkie and Rarity were talking about what they had done the last couple of weeks. Fluttershy was just sitting there quietly eating her muffin trying to avoid eye contact with Rarity. She slowly nodded at whatever Pinkie was saying. Not really paying attention to any of it. A loud pinging noise could be heard from the kitchen.

"OOH! The cakes are ready!" Pinky exclaimed. "Do you mind helping me get them out of the oven Fluttershy!?"

"Uuhm sure Pinkie." she followed Pinkie into the kitchen and helped her carry the large cakes out of the oven onto the counter. As Pinkie was cleaning out the oven Fluttershy noticed Rarity still sitting at the table on the other side of the window.

As she stared at her crush all of the dreams and nightmares of the past few weeks returned to her. "I can't do this.. What if she hates me for it! I can't handle losing her as a friend." then another voice spoke up in her mind. "You are unbelievable you know that!? do you have to be so scared all the time!? You already expect the worst without any facts to back it up. If you keep going like this you'll never be happy! I'm so sick of you!"

"But just look at her. someone as pretty as her will never be interested in someone like me."

"nonsense! You are amazing and she knows that. I'm sick of you talking yourself down like this."

"Maybe you're right.. maybe she does like me.. maybe she does stay up at night thinking just like me!"

"That's the spirit!"

Pinkie finished cleaning and returned to see Fluttershy still staring at Rarity with the brightest blush she had ever seen. "uuhm Fluttershy why are you staring at Rarity?" she asked giggling loudly at the display.

"Oh Pinkie! I just um I..." after a while Pinkie realised what was going on.

*GASP* "You like Rarity!?" Pinkie said with a large smile.

"What! wait Pinkie it's not what you think!" she said with the biggest feeling of worry in her stomach.

"Ooh this is so super! I can throw a party and you can tell her exactly how you feel!" she said with a smile of joy.

"NO! Pinkie I don't want to tell anyone yet." Fluttershy said

"But I'm sure she would love it! I'll make the most romantic party ever!"

"Pinkie no!" Fluttershy said as she grabbed Pinkie by the shoulders and pushed her into the wall.

"Fluttershy... You're hurting me.." Pinkie said with a look of pain on her face.

Fluttershy quickly let go of pinkie with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Pinkie I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"That really hurt Fluttershy.." Pinkie said sadly.

"I'm really sorry can you forgive me? I would never hurt somepony intentionally." Fluttershy asked on the verge of tears "I just can't tell Rarity yet. I'll tell her when the time is right." she said looking with a frown at Pinkie.

"Yeah.. that's ok Fluttershy I shouldn't have interfered like that." she hugged Fluttershy tightly.

Within moments Pinkie's frown turned to a huge smile. "Come on Fluttershy! there are still some cupcakes left!" she said bouncing back to the store with Fluttershy following behind her.

A private world

After a few hours of laughing and catching up Rarity and Fluttershy left Sugarcube Corner. "Goodbye Pinkie!" Rarity yelled as she left for her home with Fluttershy trotting closely behind. Rarity had noticed that her friend had been quiet all day, even more so than usual.

"Fluttershy dear, I couldn't help but notice how silent you have been all day." She said with a look of concern.

"Ah well that's just.." she froze up. Unable to think of anything to say.

"Is something bothering you dear?" Rarity asked.

Fluttershy stopped in her tracks. "This is it Fluttershy. You can do this. You can look that pony straight in the eyes and tell her you love her. You can do this. You can do this." She looked up at Rarity and her legs started to shake. "Oh Celestia, I can't do this.."

"I'm just fine Rarity" she said as she gave a weak smile.

Rarity did not believe a word of it but she knew that Fluttershy did not want to talk about this.

After a couple of minutes the two reached Rarity's boutique. An uncomfortable silence filled the air as Rarity stood in the door opening with Fluttershy standing outside looking up at her.

"Is there anything you want to talk about Fluttershy?" Rarity asked with the same look of concern.

"Come on shy, It's now or never. You need this." as she looked Rarity in the eyes that same feeling of doubt returned to her stomach.

"Just.. thank you for having lunch with me.." Fluttershy said softly.

"It was my pleasure Fluttershy, I had a really great time." she said as she closed the door and waved her friend goodbye.

"Whatever could be on that mare's mind?" she wondered.

Rarity tucked her little sister into bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead "Sleep tight Sweetie Belle" she whispered "You too Rarity.." Sweetie said with a big yawn. She closed the door to her sister's bedroom and trotted to her own. Suddenly a ringing noise could be heard from the door.

*sigh* "Who could that be at this hour." Rarity whispered.

She slowly trotted up to the door and opened it. An old grumpy pony with a briefcase stood outside. Rarity felt her heart sink in her chest.

"Evening Miss Rarity. I'm here to gather the rent." he said with an emotionless look on his face.

"M-M-Mr Hoovington.. I thought the rent wouldn't be collected for another week." she said panicking.

"The Landlord has decided to gather the payments a week earlyer." he said with the same neutrality in his face.

"B-but I don't have the money yet.." she said.

"If you fail to hand in your payment tommorow you will be evicted from your home." he said bluntly.

The noise had awakened Sweeitie Belle who was trotting downstairs as she saw her sister talking to the pony with a worried look on her face.

"What's going on Rarity. What does he want?" she asked.

Not wanting to worry her sister she conjured up a fake smile and turned around. "It's nothing Sweetie go back to bed." Sweetie did as she was told and trotted back upstairs.

"You simply have to understand! I can pay you if you would only give me one more week!" she said pleading.

"I'm sorry Miss Rarity. The rules are the rules. They apply to everyone." he said as he walked away.

Rarity closed the door and started to make her way upstairs. "What am I supposed to do! I can't gather that amount of money before tommorow!" As she walked past Sweetie Belle's room she could hear the little filly snoozing softly in her sleep. "And what about Sweetie Belle!? Where will we live?" She was at the end of her breaking point. She laid herself down upon her bed and started sobbing. Not knowing what to do.

Sweetie Belle awoke to the sound of bags and heavy objects beign moved around in her room. She opened her eyes to see her sister standing next to her closet. Putting her clothes and belongings into bags.

"Uuhm big sister? What are you doing?" She said as she tilted her head in confusion.

Rarity turned to her little sister as she tried to fight the tears forming in her eyes. "We are going to have to live somewhere else for a little while Sweetie Belle.." she said.

"What do you mean?" Sweetie said. Not really understanding the situation.

"I mean that.. *sigh* we have to move away." she said trying to maintain her composure in front of her little sister.

"But.. I like it here Rarity.." She said as a frown formed on her face.

*sigh* "I know Sweetie, I like it here too but we simple can't stay."

"They can't simply throw us out can they!?" she said as she started crying.

"I'm afraid they can.." Rarity said softly.

"Where will we go?" Sweetie asked.

"To the only pony smart enough to know what we have to do." she said determined.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle walked downstairs and could see several ponies in suits measuring the place. "Just keep walking Sweetie" Rarity said as she saw the anger on her sister's face. As they came closer to the door Sweetie Belle dropped her bags and ran into the room.

"You are all a bunch of heartless scumponies you know that!?" she yelled.

"Sweetie!" Rarity said as she ran to her sister's side "I'm sorry gentlemen we didn't mean to interrupt your work." She said with a fake smile.

"NO! How dare you walk into somepony's home and tell them to leave!?" She screamed even louder.

"Come on Sweetie! We have to leave!" Rarity said as she grabbed her sister and walked outside. She put the little filly down on the ground and looked at her with sadness in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Rarity.. I just.. Can't understand how they can be so heartless.." She said

"Don't worry Sweetie Belle. Some ponies in this world just dont know what the right thing to do is. She said softly in a caring tone. "Come on, Twilight will know what to do."

They put their bags down in front of Twilight's house as Rarity knocked on the door. After a while the door opened. Revealing a lavender unicorn with a purple mane.

"Rarity? What are you doing here so early?" she asked her friend.

Rarity had kept a straight face the entire morning in the hope not to worsen Sweetie Belle's sadness but all her efforts turned to dust as she stood face to face with her friend. Suddenly tears ran down her cheeks like waterfalls. She ran forward into Twilight's arms.

"OH TWILIGHT! We have been thrown out of the boutique and now we have nowhere to stay.." She said sobbing.

It was then that Twilight noticed the bags sitting next to Rarity and Sweetie Belle. The realization hit her like a train. She didn't really know what to do with the unicorn crying in her arms.

"Rarity! That's terrible. Come inside!" She said signaling the two inside.

Fluttershy was busy with her morning routine. After she had her mane fixed up in her signature style she started going past all the animal homes waking them up and feeding them their breakfast. It was dull but rewarding work. besides, she was looking for anything to keep her mind from thinking about yesterdays events. She had planned on admitting her feelings to her crush but everytime she tried to do so she lost all of her confidence.

Suddenly the flapping of wings could be heard in the distance. A little owl came flying towards the pegasus with a bunch of notes strapped to his feet. "WHO!" he uttered as he sat down on the fence near Fluttershy. It took her a while to realize that this owl was indeed Owlicious, Twilight's pet owl. She walked over to the bird and noticed that her name was written on one of the notes as well as her friend's names.

She carefully removed the note from Owlicious' feet. He let out a loud hoot as he flew away. She opened the note and gasped at its content.

Fluttershy,

Come to the library immediately.
Rarity is in trouble.

Twilight Sparkle.

Fluttershy ran as quickly as her legs could take her. Her mind flooded with bad thoughts. "What if she's hurt!? What if I lose her? I would have never got to tell her I love her.."

A few minutes later she neared Twilight's library. She opened the door and ran inside to find her friends sitting in a circle comforting a crying Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Rarity was lying in Twilight's arms. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were sitting close by.

"Rarity! Thank Celestia you're ok!" she exclaimed running towards her friend.

"I wouldn't call it ok Fluttershy.." she said sadly.

"What happened?" Fluttershy asked with a look of worry in her face.

"Our landlord threw us out.." she started sobbing "And now we have nowhere to go!" she yelled as tears dripped down from her face.

"Come on now Rarity, A'hm sure there's somewhere you can go." Applejack said as she set her hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Can't y'all stay with your parents?" she asked.

Sweetie Belle looked up at her sister in worry.

"No I'm afraid they are.. away on a buisness trip for a while." Rarity said.

"There must be someplace you can stay." Twilight said.

"But where!? Of all the bad things that could happen this is the worst. possible. thing!" she yelled.

None of them were really sure what to do in this situation. They just sat there trying to do whatever they could to comfort their friend. After a while Fluttershy spoke up.

"Uuhm Rarity.. you and Sweetie Belle can stay in my cabin if you want to.. atleast until you can buy your boutique back.." She managed to say softly.

Rarity's eyes lit up at the offer. "Y-You would really do that for me Fluttershy?" she said in disbelieve.

"Of course. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" she said with a look of determination.

Rarity ran towards Fluttershy and hugged her tightly. "T-t-thank you so much Fluttershy. I can never repay you."

Fluttershy started blushing. "That's no problem at all Rarity.."

Their friends were relieved at the fact that a solution was found for their friend. They all said their goodbyes and started to make their way home. Before Fluttershy and Rarity left Rainbow Dash Pulled Fluttershy aside.

"Are you sure about this shy? What if you.. you know." she said with a tone of concern.

"yes. Rarity is in trouble. She needs me right now and I can't let my feelings get in the way of that." she said

"You're really awesome you know that Shy?" Rainbow said smiling at her friend "Good luck."

Rarity and Sweetie Belle carried their bags inside Fluttershy's cottage. "well, here we are. It's not much but it's cozy." Fluttershy said with a smile. "You two must be starving I'll go into the kitchen and make us some food. You go and get yourself comfortable." she said as she walked into the kitchen.

"I can't believe she is doing this for me.." Rarity said as a tear formed in her eye.

Sweetie Belle who had been silent since they left their house left Rarity's side and walked into the kitchen to find Fluttershy standing over her stove cooking. She walked up to the pegasus and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you so much Fluttershy.." she said holding the pegasus tightly. "I don't know where we would have gone if you hadn't taken us in." She said trying to hold in her tears to no avail.

"Hey come on, chin up little filly. Everything is going to be ok." she said in a soft, caring voice.

After a while Fluttershy walked into the living room carrying a couple of plates with pancakes on them. She found Rarity sitting on her couch next to the burning fireplace.

"I hope you don't mind I lit up the fireplace. It was getting really cold." she said smiling at Fluttershy.

"That's ok Rarity. I was planning on doing it myself anyway." she whispered returning the smile.

The three ponies sat on the couch close to the fireplace eating their pancakes and warming themselves near the fire. After a while Rarity managed to speak up.

"Fluttershy.. you really have no idea how grateful I am that you let us stay here. I could never expect that from anypony. to just take someone in like that. I promise that we will pay you back in any way we can once we get back on our feet." She said softly.

"Oh no you wont." Fluttershy said louder then usual. "You are my friend. and I am helping you in your time of need. I cannot allow you to pay me back in any way."

The three ponies finished their food and continued to clean the plates.

"Now come on, let me show you your beds" Fluttershy said as she walked upstairs. She opened the door to the guest room. it was a fairly decent sized room with a bed sized for one person. The room was fairly well decorated just like the rest of Fluttershy's cabin.

"Sweetie Belle will be staying here." she said. The filly's eyes lit up in excitement as she ran over to Fluttershy and hugged her tightly. "Thanks Fluttershy I feel at home already." the filly said.

"Now don't get too used to it." Rarity giggled. "It is temporary after all."

The little filly started to unpack her bags. Putting her most priced belongings in their respective place. "One more thing Rarity." Fluttershy said as she signaled Rarity into her room.

"I'm afraid I only have one quest room so you will have to sleep in mine.. I can stay on the couch I mean.. if that is ok with you." Fluttershy whispered knowing well enough how picky Rarity could be.

"Fluttershy.. It is unbelievable enough that you let us stay here. Now you offer to give up your own room for me to sleep in. I can sleep on the couch just as easily." Rarity said.

Fluttershy was dumbfounded at Rarity's statement. The unicorn that went crazy at the sight of the smallest bit of mud did not mind to sleep on a couch while her friend slept in a large bed. "Rarity.. I insist that you take my bed."

"I will have nothing of it!" she exclaimed. "To be honest, it is big enough for the both of us." Rarity said.

Fluttershy started blushing heavily at the thought of sharing a bed with Rarity. "W-what do you mean Rarity.." she stuttered.

"Well why can't we both stay in your room? That way neither of us has to sleep downstairs." she said.

"Uu-uhm sure.. that sounds like a good idea.." She said still blushing.

"Fluttershy.. I know I have told you this multiple times already today but.. thank you. So much has been going on lately. I just can't keep track of it sometimes. When I fell you were there to catch me. You are the only good thing that has happened to me in the last few days."

"Now is the time Fluttershy! Go on! Tell her how you feel!" she thought until that voice returned to her. "She has too much on her mind as it is! Dont burden her further." she thought to herself.

"No problem Rarity. And if you need help finding anything you can just ask." she said as she crawled under the blankets as far to the wall as she could. Making sure to keep some room for Rarity. "We will figure out what to do with your store tommorow. You really need some sleep after this." Fluttershy said.

"I'll just go tuck Sweetie Belle into bed." Rarity said as she left the room.

Rarity entered the guest room to find her little sister busy with putting her things into the cabinets of the room. "Oh hey there Rarity!" she said happily. For the first time that day Rarity saw her little sister smiling. "I really like it here." The filly said bouncing up and down. "It's so nice of Fluttershy to let me sleep here."

"Yes.. yes it is." Rarity said "Now come on, get into bed. You need your sleep." she whispered.

"Ok big sister!" Sweetie Belle Jumped under her covers and looked at Rarity waiting for her to tuck her in.

Rarity walked over to the bed and wrapped the covers tightly around Sweetie Belle as she gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Sleep tight, little sister." Rarity said.

"You too Rarity.." Sweetie Belle whispered.

Rarity closed the door of the guest room behind her and walked up the stairs of the wooden cabin. "Fluttershy has been surprisingly calm under these circumstances. She's much stronger than I give her credit for.." Rarity thought to herself.

She opened the door to find Fluttershy laying in bed making the cutest snoozing sound she had ever heard. Rarity crawled under the covers. Making sure she left enough for Fluttershy.

For a few hours Rarity just lay there looking up at the ceiling. Unable to comprehend why Fluttershy was so generous towards her and Sweetie Belle. Sure they were friends But this surpassed all her views of friendship. Without hesitation Fluttershy had taken her and her little sister into her home and she didn't even expect anything in return. She looked over at the pegasus sleeping softly next to her. "Someday I will find a way to repay you. Even if you won't let me." She whispered.

To be alone

Rarity was surrounded by darkness.. Wherever she looked the blackness was all she could see.. Suddenly a little filly could be heard screaming in the distance.. "Who is there! Where am I!?" The screaming slowly got louder.. "Sweetie Belle!? Is that you!?" Rarity screamed.. The voice now screamed at the top of her lungs.. It was a sound of fear.. of helplessness.. "I can't see you! I want to help you Sweetie!" Rarity yelled.. Suddenly the screaming stopped and a dim light shone down from the sky.. The light revealed Fluttershy slowly walking towards Rarity while carrying a smiling Sweetie Belle on her back.. "Don't worry Rarity.. I'll make everything ok.." The pegasus said with a loving voice as she nuzzled the unicorn..

"Wakey wakey big sister!" a happy voice said.

Rarity slowly opened her eyes to see her little sister standing on the bed with a large grin on her face.

"Sweetie Belle?" Rarity said groaning. "What are you doing? Where is Fluttershy?" She asked.

"I'm right here silly" Fluttershy said standing on the side of the bed with a smile.

"You were still sleeping so we made breakfast. I helped!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Oh dear.. that's very nice and all but.." Rarity said as she thought back at her sisters last cooking attempt.

"Hey! Don't be like that. Fluttershy taught me how to make cinnamon pancakes!" Sweetie said as she pushed a plate in Rarity's direction.

Rarity inspected the food closely. It seemed to be mostly unburned and it sure smelled nice. "Here goes nothing.." Rarity said as she took a bite from the pancakes. Suddenly her eyes lit up. "Sweetie Belle this is amazing!" Rarity exclaimed with a smile on her face.

"Fluttershy did most of the work." The filly said smiling shyly at her sisters compliment.

"N-now now, you were a great help.." Fluttershy said hiding her face behind her mane.

Rarity giggled at the sight of how incredibly adorable the two were together. The three sat atop the bed for a while eating their pancakes. Fluttershy wasn't used to having any guests in her home but she enjoyed every minute of it. Suddenly Rarity's eyes shot open.

"What day is it today!?" she asked hastily.

"I think it's Monday." Fluttershy said. Rarity looked at the large antique clock standing in the room. "Sweetie Belle! You're late for school!"

Sweetie Belle trotted happily over the streets of Ponyville with her big sister on her right side and Fluttershy on the left. "Come on Sweetie Belle! you are late enough as it is." Rarity said. The two ponies left Sweetie Belle at the school building. "Now you behave yourself and tell your teacher your sorry for being late!" Rarity yelled as she waved Sweetie Belle goodbye.

"She is a really great sister.." Fluttershy thought as she looked at Rarity.

After walking for a while the two neared Rarity's old boutique. Rarity paused for a while as she looked at the building. Fluttershy noticed a tear forming in Rarity's eyes. "Come on Rarity, You need to get trough this." Fluttershy said as she put a comforting hoof on her friend's shoulder.

Rarity wiped the tears out of her eyes and looked up at Fluttershy. All she saw inside those big blue eyes was care and love. Suddenly Rarity felt a new-found feeling of confidence. "You're right. I have to be strong right now." she said.

"So.. how should we go about this?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"Well, I'm going to have to find a new place where I can set up my workshop. I won't be able to sell anything in the store but I'll be able to complete orders." Rarity said. "But where?"

Fluttershy looked at the ground for a while before she spoke up. "Why don't you make a space in my living room?" she asked her friend.

"Fluttershy it's enough that you have to share your room with somepony. I would not want to intrude on your privacy even more." Rarity said.

"Oh that would be no problem at all. I spent most of my day outside anyway. You wouldn't be intruding on anything. I insist that you set up your workshop in my home." Fluttershy said with a determined look on her face.

Rarity wanted to object but she knew she wasn't going to be able to talk her friend out of this. She hugged Fluttershy tightly "Thank you so much Fluttershy." She said gratefully.

The smell of vanilla filled Fluttershy's nose as she had her face pressed into Rarity's mane. "She smells so good.." she thought to herself. much to her dismay Fluttershy eventually felt Rarity release her.

They used the rest of the afternoon gathering all the fabric from Rarity's store, Dismantling the mannequins and storing them into bags.

As they neared the school they could see Sweetie Belle saying her goodbyes to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. The little filly ran up to Rarity and Fluttershy the moment she saw them.

"Are you ready to go home Sweetie?" Rarity asked her little sister. Suddenly a new feeling hit her as she thought about what she just said. "Home.. It does feel like home doesn't it? It's funny.. I have never felt this welcome in someone else's house before." She thought.

"Sure am Rarity!" the little filly said.

After an hour of work Fluttershy and Rarity had set up a small workshop in a corner of the living room. As the two worked Sweetie Belle had been bouncing around them with a smile of happiness that could challenge Pinkie Pie's. The little filly was constantly asking questions to her big sister but the only response she received was "Mhmm"

"That will do nicely." Rarity said as she looked over the whole corner one more time. Suddenly her stomach let out a loud growl. Her face became flushed with embarrassment.

Fluttershy merely giggled at this. "What do you want for dinner Rarity?" She asked laughingly.

"Whatever you were planning on making should be fine." She said still blushing.

"OOH OOH I want some hay fries!" Sweetie Belle yelled.

"Sweetie! Don't be so rude. You will eat whatever Fluttershy cooks for you." Rarity said looking angrily at her sister.

"Oh that's ok Rarity. I think I still have some hay. Just let me start up the frying pan." She said smiling at Sweetie Belle.

"YAY!" Sweetie exclaimed.

It was dark fairly early that day. Winter was around the corner after all. Rarity had just put Sweetie Belle to bed and was walking downstairs. The Living room of the wooden cabin was dimly lit by the light coming from the burning fireplace. Fluttershy sat on the ground near the fire. Warming herself in its glow. She slowly turned her head as she saw Rarity return.

"Is she sound asleep?" Fluttershy asked smiling.

"She protested a bit.. but she gave up after a while. Hopefully she's asleep now." Rarity said with a tone of exhaustion in her voice.

An awkward silence filled the room for a while as the two ponies silently looked each other in the eyes.

"I really admire you Rarity." Fluttershy whispered just loud enough for Rarity to hear. "I mean.. for you to take such good care of you sister.." She said a bit louder.

"I love her dearly but she can be such a handful sometimes.." Rarity said softly.

Fluttershy could hear the concern in her crush's voice.

"Rarity.. how are you? I mean.. how are you really. Not what you tell Sweetie Belle to keep her morale up.." Fluttershy asked with a caring voice.

Rarity let out a large sigh as she sat down next to her friend. "Really? I'm afraid." She could feel a heavy feeling in her throat. "I'm afraid that if my dresses don't become a great success I wont be able to take care of her any more.. I'm afraid that if I stop guarding her she might get hurt.. I'm afraid that if she loses me she won't have anypony left." she said as she tried to fight back her tears.

"I have been trying the best I can to give her the childhood she deserves but it's just.. so.. hard.." Rarity said as she thought about her current situation. "Ever since.. ever since.." Rarity could not get the words to leave her mouth. She bit her lip and looked away from her friend. Closing her eyes as tightly as possible in the hope that whatever tears where forming in her eyes would disappear.

Suddenly she felt Fluttershy's arms around her. Hugging her in a warm embrace. "Rarity.. I can't help you if you can't tell me what's on your mind." she pleaded. As Rarity looked into Fluttershy's eyes she felt a feeling she had missed for far too long. The feeling you get when you know someone cares about you.

"Fluttershy.. Promise me that if I cave in and break and leave myself open to you I won't be making a mistake.." Rarity said as she looked into her friend's eyes.

"I promise.." She whispered in her ear.

The rain poured down upon the head of a teenage filly as she held her even younger sister in a tight embrace. The two fillies looked at the two lonely tombstones sitting in the grass on the hill in front of them. They both placed a single rose atop of the graves.

It had been a month since the first time they stood there. The white teenage filly with a purple mane wiped the tears from her eyes as she walked up to the graves and spoke.

"Hey mom... Hey dad... I found us a place to stay.. hopefully they won't find out we are sleeping in their barn." She said softly. "And don't worry. I have been feeding Sweetie.. I know you don't like it when I steal but I didn't have a choice."

For hours the two fillies just sat there. Looking at the stones with tears in their eyes. The bigger filly noticed her sisters breakdown and grabbed her into a tight hug. The younger filly slowly started smiling at her sister. Suddenly the teenage filly looked up at the stones with a look of purpose in her eyes.

"I promise to you that from now on I will do anything I can to keep her happy." The filly was thinking silently but in her mind she was yelling. As she thought of her little sister crying she slammed her hoof down on the cobblestone floors. "Never again!"

Fluttershy's eyes were wide open. A look of disbelief was stuck on her face as she held the crying unicorn in her arms. "No... that's impossible.. no one should have to go through something like that.." she thought, her eyes filling with tears. She tightened her hold over her friend as much as possible.

"Why did they both have to leave Fluttershy!?" Rarity sobbed. "Why did it have to take them both!?" Fluttershy was lost for words at the situation. All she could think of doing was hugging her friend tightly and telling her everything would be ok.. but those words were insufficient.

No words could ever describe the amount of compassion Fluttershy felt for her friend that night. She wanted to tell the unicorn she loved her. She really did but she didn't know if that would better the situation or worsen it. The pony in her arms had given up her teenage years to take care of her little sister. She had given up on living a good life so that somepony else could. It was the ultimate sign of generosity to Fluttershy.

"I have been taking care of her ever since.." Rarity managed to whisper in between her sobbing.

Fluttershy was overwhelmed with emotions. She wanted to do anything in her might to make this pony feel better. She wanted to hug her at her very soul to tell her just how amazing she was. Fluttershy acted completely on impulse. She closed her eyes. Placed her face right in front of Rarity's and kissed her.

She could feel Rarity shake in shock for a while. Tears still running from her face. She could hear her moan in between her muzzled crying. After a while Fluttershy could feel Rarity calm down. She pulled her in closer as Rarity opened her mouth allowing Fluttershy's tongue to enter.

The two mares sat there in front of the fire for what seemed like an eternity. Enjoying each other's embrace as their tongues intertwined and their hearts melted. Then Fluttershy broke the kiss and spoke up.

"But who's been taking care of you.."

Calling me

Fluttershy's eyes opened as she realized what she had done. She quickly released Rarity from her hold and started stepping back hastily. "Rarity! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" Fluttershy said as she thought of how she had taken advantage of her friend during her mental breakdown.

"Fluttershy.. don't apologize.. I liked it. I really did but I just don't understand why you did it.." Rarity said softly.

"Oh.. Well.. That's just! because.." Fluttershy had no idea what to say in this situation. She was caught. No lie, no matter how big could save her now. "Woah Woah Woah! Back up for a bit Fluttershy.." she thought. "Uuhm what did you just say?"

"I just dont understand why you did it Fluttershy.." Rarity said with a worried look on her face.

"No no, before that." Fluttershy said.

"Don't apologize?" She said tilting her head.

"A bit later.." Fluttershy whispered, about as embarrassed as somepony could possibly be.

Rarity's face turned to a bright red as she realized what Fluttershy was saying. "I.. I really liked it.. I just never figured you for a.. you know.."

Fluttershy sighed. "Rarity.. we need to talk.."

"So that's how it is.. I'm sorry for springing this onto you so suddenly but.." Fluttershy started crying. "You are the most beautiful mare I know.. You are the single most kind and generous person I have ever met and I.. I cannot go another day without you knowing.. That I. Love. You."

Those three words had never sounded so sincere to Rarity. The pegasus cared deeply for her. Over the past few days Rarity had developed a great liking towards her friend.. but was it love? It's not like she had never thought about it. In fact, Rarity always thought Fluttershy was very attractive. It just seemed unfair to her friends to think about them that way.

Fluttershy was staring at the ground. Bracing herself for the incoming rejection but instead she felt a sudden warmth as Rarity hugged her tightly. "Fluttershy.." It was now Rarity who was at a loss for words. She had no idea how she actually felt towards her friend's love. "I like you Fluttershy.. I really do. I just don't know if I love you.. Why don't we get some sleep and talk about this tomorrow.." Rarity said in a caring voice.

"Ok Rarity.." The two ponies made their way upstairs. Sneaking past the guest room, not wanting to wake up Sweetie Belle. That night Fluttershy slept in her crush's arms smiling. Rarity however was far from asleep. She couldn't stop thinking about everything that had gone on lately. She just kept looking up at the ceiling and then down at Fluttershy. She thought about everything she had felt in the past few days. Desperately trying to give a name to her feelings. She thought about everything that Fluttershy had done for her this week. "She's so kind. So pretty.. could it actually be true?"

Her mind was swarming with images of Fluttershy. She started blushing as she looked at the pegasus in her arms. "Why do you love me.. There is nothing special about me!" She thought of the possibility of a relationship with Fluttershy and it certainly was appealing. All the feelings she had blocked out in order to maintain her friendship came crashing down on her heart.

She never thought of actually being romantically involved with Fluttershy but now that the opportunity presented itself.. She looked at her friend one more time before dozing of with one single thought in her mind "I could learn to love you.."

Fluttershy slowly awakened to the sound of birds chirping near her window. The smell of vanilla filled her nose. As she opened her eyes the most beautiful sight she had ever seen greeted her. Rarity was lying in front of her. Her eyes closed, breathing lightly. The morning light reflected from her snow white coat. "Wow.." was all Fluttershy could think. She wanted to look upon her love's face forever.

Eventually Fluttershy carefully moved out of the bed. Trying not to wake Rarity. She stretched her wings and left the room. Her eyes widened and a smile of joy appeared on her face as she looked outside the window. The first snowflakes of the winter started to fall upon the grass that surrounded Fluttershy's cabin. The morning sun was slowly rising over the hills leaving a dim glow atop of the thin white blanket of snow.

Fluttershy ran downstairs to the door. She put on her scarf and hopped outside. She laughed gingerly as she ran through the snow. She spread her wings and jumped into the air. Fluttershy hadn't flown in a while and it felt great.

Fluttershy's laughter had awakened Rarity from her sleep. She yawned softly as she stretched her limbs under the covers. The first thing she noticed was the missing pegasus. The faint sound of laughter could be heard from outside. Rarity approached the window and was graced by the same picture Fluttershy had seen a few moments ago.

Rarity could see Fluttershy jumping around in the snow playfully. ever so often she spread her wings and flew for a few seconds only to land in a big pile of snow afterwards. A big smile came to Rarity's face. She could feel her heart flutter at the sight of Fluttershy's fillylike innocence.

Rarity quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the guest room. She opened the door and trotted to the sleeping filly. "Wake up Sweetie Belle. I've got a surprise for you!" she said smiling.

"Rarity? What is it?" She asked in confusion.

Rarity put a scarf around her sister's neck. "Follow me." She said.

A bright sparkle filled the filly's eyes as she stepped outside with her sister. Before Rarity could say anything Sweetie Belle ran off into the white fields. Rarity quickly followed behind her.

Fluttershy was making a snow angel as she heard the sound of hooves coming closer. She stood up and saw a small filly running towards her. "Fluttershy! Winter's here!" she exclaimed. Fluttershy's heart warmed as she saw her love follow close behind.

"Fluttershy! It's beautiful!" Rarity said as she looked around the snowing fields. The three ponies spent the rest of the morning playing in the snow laughing. Even if just for a few hours Rarity felt like a careless little filly again.

Rarity stomped her hooves on Fluttershy's porch to remove the snow from underneath them. She walked inside to find Sweetie Belle sitting in front of the burning fireplace. Fluttershy came from the kitchen with several cups of hot chocolate milk. The drinks were topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Rarity sat herself down next to her little sister as Fluttershy handed her a cup of the warm drink. "Thank you shy.." Rarity said smiling. Fluttershy blushed at the nickname. She had heard Rainbow Dash call her Shy many times before but it sounded so much sweeter coming from Rarity.

The three ponies sat in front of the fire enjoying their drinks for a while until they heard a knock at the door. "Oh who could that be?" Fluttershy wondered as she walked towards the door. She opened it to see Ditzy, Ponyville's mail mare standing in the snow.

"Good morning Fluttershy! I have a letter for Rarity. I've been told she was here." The pegasus said happily as she handed the letter to Fluttershy.

"Thank you Ditzy. Good luck on your deliveries!" Fluttershy said as she waved the mare goodbye.

"Rarity, a letter came for you." Fluttershy said as she entered the living room

"Oh? from who?" She asked.

"Fleur de Lis? Who's that?" Fluttershy asked as she handed the letter to Rarity.

Rarity's eyes lit up in excitement. "Fleur de Lis!? She is the most important model in Canterlot!" She exclaimed. "What ever could she want from me?" Rarity wondered as she opened the letter.

Miss Rarity,

I am looking for a designer to create my winter collection.
Mister Fancypants informed me that you might be the perfect
pony for the job. I regard his advice highly so I expect you to
have a dress ready by next week.

Fleur de Lis.

Tears of joy formed in Rarity's eyes. "YES YES YES YES YES YES!" She yelled as she bounced around the cabin's wooden floor. Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle giggled loudly at the childish display.

"What does it say Rarity?" Fluttershy asked as she smiled.

"She has chosen me to design her winter collection! This is the opportunity I've been waiting for! This could open the door to hundreds of offers!" She yelled happily.

"That's so cool big sister!" Sweetie Belle said as she ran up to her sister to hug her.

"I'm so happy for you Rarity." Fluttershy said with a content smile.

Rarity and Fluttershy returned from dropping Sweetie Belle off at school. "Rarity do you mind helping me feed the animals?" Fluttershy asked shyly. "Of course Fluttershy, it's the least I can do." She said smiling at Fluttershy.

The pegasus walked past the animal homes. Knocking on the walls. Slowly but surely a number of mammals awoke from their sleep and left their homes. They looked in amazement at the surrounding lands. The white snow had replaced the dark grass and mud that had lain their just a few hours ago.

Fluttershy pushed a bowl of food to each of her little friends who eagerly started eating. Fluttershy smiled as she helped the animals with their morning routines. Rarity looked at Fluttershy with the biggest grin. "All she wants in life is to help others.. She's so amazing.." The unicorn thought.

When every animal had been taken care of they entered the warm cabin. Fluttershy put her scarf back in the closet and threw some logs on the fire. The two ponies sat down near the fire in the same spot they had last night. A comfortable silence filled the air as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Fluttershy.. I have thought about what you said last night.." Rarity said softly, her voice just audible over the crackling fireplace. "And.. I'm willing to give it a try." She said as a smile formed on her face.

Without so much as a warning Fluttershy jumped into her love's arms and kissed her on the lips.

Fluttershy happily skipped around the snowy trees while humming a cheery tune. She was walking back to her home from shopping for groceries in Ponyville. Suddenly her eyes fell upon a small group of white roses. Even when surrounded by the snow their sheer beauty made them stand out. "Beautiful.." Fluttershy thought to herself.

Rarity stood behind her drawing board. She was staring angrily at the paper in front of her as if she was trying to dissolve it with her mind. "Why can't I think of anything!?" She yelled. Rarity was struggling with an artistic black-out. This dress had to be the best thing she had ever designed.

No matter how hard she tried she couldn't find the inspiration she was looking for. Suddenly a knock could be heard at the door. Rarity slowly walked to the entrance. She opened her eyes and gasped at the sight in front of her.

Fluttershy stood in the snow with a bouquet of white roses. She extended her reach to hand them to Rarity. "Fluttershy.. These are beautiful thank you!" she exclaimed. "What's the occasion?" She asked curiously.

"I saw them and thought they were pretty. They reminded me of you.." She said as a strong blush formed across her face. Fluttershy gathered all of her courage as she spoke up. "Rarity, Would you like to go out sometime?" She asked.

Rarity's eyes lit up at the offer. "Oh yes!" She ran up to the pegasus and hugged her in a tight embrace..

Getting through

The morning light was shining through the cracks of Rainbow's cloud home. It was a busy day in Ponyville. Everypony was making preparations for the heavy weather that was sure to come when the winter was done settling in. Fluttershy sat down on Rainbow's couch. The cloud home was poorly decorated but very cosy. A small desk sat in a corner of the room. Several pictures of Dash's heroes The Wonderbolts were laying atop of it. A heart was drawn over the picture of Spitfire, the youngest member of Equestria's best flying team. Fluttershy smiled softly at the picture as she set it back in it's place.

After a while Rainbow Dash entered the room. "So how have you been Shy?" she said as she sat down next to her friend.

Fluttershy continued to explain everything that had happened over the last few days in great detail. "So that's why Rarity wanted me to ask you to fillysit Sweetie Belle for tonight.. I mean.. if you have the time.." she said softly.

Rainbow Dash thought about it for a while before speaking up. "Sure shy. I'm so happy for you!" she said smiling. "I mean, how hard can watching one little filly be!"

"E-e-exactly.." Fluttershy said thinking about how much of a handful Sweetie Belle could really be.

Back at Fluttershy's cottage the laughter of fillies filled the air. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were having a fierce snowball fight in the snowy hills surrounding the place.

Sweetie Belle sat hiding in a hoof made snow fort. "December 14th.. 2011.. This war has taken more from our people than it was worth.. The enemy attacks with deceiving tactics.. My comrades have fallen to the mercy of winter.."

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were standing at the door of the snow fort "General Sweetie Belle! The blood of our people demands justice! Come forth coward and answer for your crimes!"

Sweetie belle stood atop the roof of the fort with a heavy arsenal of snowballs. "You speak of justice! Of cowardice! I will show you the justice of the snow and the true meaning of fear!"

Rarity was sitting in a chair with her head lying on the desk of her workshop. A large pile of crumbled up paper was lying next to her. She was forcing herself to just start drawing a design but every time she finished a plan it felt like something was missing. It needed.. something. But what was it?

She looked at the vase next to her. A smile appeared on her face as she saw the roses Fluttershy had given her. Suddenly a spark ignited inside her. She quickly grabbed a piece of paper and started drawing. After an hour of hasted drawing Rarity finally dropped the quill on the ground as she sat back in the chair looking at the ceiling.

She lowered her head to look at the design in front of her. The white pieces of cloth covering the back resembled the petals of roses. Small pieces of snowflake shaped crystals adorned the edges of the dress. The front of the dress resembled the shape of a white dove. The entire design was an ode to elegance.

A sparkle appeared in her eyes as she looked at her creation. She looked at the roses once more and whispered under her breath "Thank you Fluttershy.."

Fluttershy was flying towards her home when she heard the sound of the laughing fillies. She landed near them and walked up to Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle, Rainbow Dash will be watching after you tonight while me and your sister take care of some buisness in Ponyville." She said smiling.

"But Fluttershy! I'm way too old for a fillysitter!" She exclaimed angrily.

"I'm sure you are. But your sister insisted on it." She said laughing.

Rarity was busy measuring the white cloth for her dress when Fluttershy entered the cabin. Fluttershy walked up next to her and looked at the design on the desk. "Rarity! it's beautiful!" she said with amazement. She knew Rarity had a talent for making dresses but she never knew she was this good.

Rarity gave Fluttershy a kiss on the cheek "someone gave me some inspiration.." She said blushing.

Rarity and Fluttershy were walking down the streets of Ponyville. It was getting dark but the light coming from the windows of the surrounding houses enlightened the rural village. "Come on Fluttershy just do it!" a voice inside her said. "But what if I make her uncomfortable.." she thought. "She didn't seem to mind when you kissed her."

Carefully Fluttershy walked closer to Rarity and folded her wing over her love's back. Rarity smiled softly at Fluttershy. "So where are we going Fluttershy?" Rarity said, her eyes full of anticipation.

"Some place nice Rarity.." She said as she returned the smile. Fluttershy had been saving up the money she received from healing the pets of Ponyville's residents so she could take Rarity to a restaurant she deserved.

The Cobblestone paths running through Ponyville were covered with a thin blanket of snow as the moon started to rise from beneath the hills. The two ponies entered the restaurant and were greeted by a smiling waiter.

"Good evening ladies, Names please?" He said as he looked at his clipboard.

"Fluttershy. A reservation for two." She said.

"Ah yes Miss Fluttershy. Right this way." He said as he signalled them to a table next to the window.

"Take your time." he said as he handed them a menu.

Rarity's eyes shot open in surprise as she looked at the prices. "Fluttershy this place is way too expensive." She said whispering.

"Don't worry about it Rarity." She said smiling.

The two ponies were enjoying their meals talking about whatever came to mind. The moon could faintly be seen through the ice covered window. When They both finished their meals a comfortable silence filled the air. Fluttershy extended her hoof to Rarity's and held it.

Rarity looked into Fluttershy's eyes. They just sat there silently looking into each other's soul. No words were spoken but they both knew what the other was thinking. Some ponies looked at them suspiciously and whispers filled the room but the two were completely oblivious to it.

All they could see. All they could hear. All they could think about was the pony sitting on the other end. After a while Fluttershy managed to speak again. "Let's go."

Fluttershy was running through the hills bordering Ponyville Rarity running close behind her. "Fluttershy! where are we going!?" She yelled. "I want to show you something!" Fluttershy said. Fluttershy suddenly stopped at the top of the largest hill in the area .

A huge lake laid before them. Snow covered trees formed a wall around the clearing. The moon was standing high in the sky, its light reflecting from the partially frozen lake. Rarity looked in amazement at the scene before her.

"I come here when I need to think.." Fluttershy said as she sat against one of the trees and invited Rarity to sit next to her.

Rarity walked over to Fluttershy and laid up against her. For what seemed like an eternity the two merely looked at the stars and the moon as they were lost in thought. Fluttershy turned around and scratched a heart in the base of the tree with her hoof.

Rarity scratched their names inside the heart and turned to hug Fluttershy in a long loving embrace.

The two entered Fluttershy's cabin to find Rainbow Dash snoozing on the couch. Rarity face-hooved as she walked up to the couch and pushed the pegasus off of it causing her to fall to the floor. "Woah! What's happening! Burglars!? Come at me bro!" Rainbow dash screamed still sleeping. She opened her eyes to see Rarity standing over her with an unamused look on her face.

"You can't watch my little sister with your eyes closed now can you!?" She said.

"Pff no worries, she's sound asleep." Rainbow Dash said as she brushed the dust off of her shoulders.

"Thank you for helping us out Rainbow.." Fluttershy whispered.

"That's ok! I'll see you around Shy! You too Rarity!" She yelled as she flew out of the window.

Fluttershy lit the fireplace and sat down on her haunches near the flames. Rarity took her place next to her. "Fluttershy.. I had a really great time tonight. Thank you.." she said.

Fluttershy responded by pulling Rarity into her and lying on her back. They both started blushing. Their faces merely inches away from each other as Rarity laid on top of Fluttershy.

The sound of Rainbow colliding with the floor had awakened Sweetie Belle. She was rubbing her eyes as she slowly got out of bed. She opened the door and walked downstairs.

Fluttershy and Rarity were locked in a kiss as hooves could be heard walking down the stairs. The two didn't notice as they were completely lost in each other's embrace. Suddenly a loud gasp could be heard from the base of the stairs.

Rarity quickly released Fluttershy and turned her head to see a little filly run upstairs with tears in her eyes. She could feel her heart sink in her chest. "Oh no.." she whispered. Rarity quickly ran after her sister. She turned around as she saw Fluttershy following her. "I'm sorry Fluttershy.. but she needs to talk to me alone right now.." She said hoping the pegasus would understand.

Fluttershy merely nodded and started walking back down the stairs with a worried look on her face.

Rarity opened the door to the guest room. It was dark inside and the sobbing of a little filly could be heard from underneath the sheets. She slowly stepped inside.

"Sweetie.. I owe you an explanation.." She said softly as she put her hoof on the crying heap of a pony lying underneath the covers.

Slowly Sweetie Belle got out of bed and looked at her sister with anger. "Why didn't you tell me!?" She yelled.

"I.. I just thought you were too young to understand.. Not everyone in this world looks kindly to.. Fillyfoolers.." She closed her eyes in pain as she uttered the hurtful word.

Sweetie Belle tilted her head in confusion. "What? Rarity I don't care. I'm mad because you didn't tell me you were dating Fluttershy!" She yelled. "We are sisters! We promised each other to always tell the truth! If I can't trust you who can I trust!?"

Rarity sighed. "Sweetie Belle.. You are right.. I shouldn't have lied to you. It's just.. there has been so much going on lately and you seemed so happy. I just.. didn't want to upset you." She said in a caring tone.

"Rarity.. Do you love her?" she asked as she looked into her sister's eyes.

Rarity thought back at all the feelings that had been rushing through her lately. She walked up to her little sister, rubbing the tears out of her eyes and hugging the filly tightly.

"Yes I love her.."

Reaching out for me

It was getting darker and darker outside as Fluttershy sat on her couch with a look of worry on her face. She was staring into the fire trying to keep her mind from thinking the worst. The angered yelling of a little filly could be heard from upstairs. After a few minutes she could hear the guest room's door open. She heard the sound of hooves walking down the stairs.

Sweetie Belle walked into the living room with a look of regret on her face. Rarity was walking close behind her. They both looked like they had cried quite a bit. Sweetie Belle walked up to Fluttershy and bowed her head.

"I'm sorry for acting out like that Fluttershy.. can you forgive me?" The filly said with sincerity in her voice.

Fluttershy's heart warmed at the filly's words. the pegasus got off of the couch and hugged the little filly tightly. "Don't worry, I understand.." She said softly. "You had all the right to be angry. Just know that your sister kept this from you because she cares about you. She loves you very much and I'm sure you do the same.. I never wanted to get between the bond you and your sister have together.. I just wanted to be.. part of it.." she said as her gaze dropped to the floor

Sweetie Belle's eyes filled with tears as she realised how selfish she had been. All she had been thinking about was how this affected her. Not once did she stop to think about Rarity and Fluttershy's feelings. Not many were lucky enough to have a sister. Fluttershy had been alone for the last couple of years. Sure, she had friends but her home was always empty. "She must have been so lonely.." Sweetie Belle thought.

"Fluttershy.. I.. I" Sweetie Belle felt horrible about what she had done.

"Shh, It's ok Sweetie. All that matters is that everything is ok now." She said comforting the sad filly.

Rarity could not help but smile at the scene. "She's so great with Sweetie Belle.." she thought. Rarity walked over to the two most important ponies in her life and hugged them tightly.

Sweetie Belle was lying in her bed. Rarity walked up to her with a smile on her face. As Rarity was about to tighten the covers around her little sister the filly spoke up.

"Rarity.. Can Fluttershy tuck me in tonight?" She said with a smile.

Rarity's heart was about to explode. The two ponies that meant the most the her were getting closer each day. Finally her life was starting to look up. She was in love with the most wonderful and beautiful pony she had ever met and that pony loved her back. Her sister had never seemed happier and her career was about to sky-rocket.

"Sure, Sweetie.." She said trying to keep a straight face. As she closed the door behind her she dropped to her knees and tears of joy started to appear in her eyes. No matter how hard she tried she could not suppress the smile forcing itself onto her face. Never before did she feel so.. Happy.

She gathered her composure and entered the bedroom. Fluttershy was already lying in the bed, smiling softly at Rarity.

"Fluttershy, Sweetie wants you to tuck her in tonight. Is that ok?" She said. Fluttershy was at a loss for words. Never before had she ever felt so.. accepted.

Fluttershy's childhood wasn't the easiest one. Both of her parents were well known weather pegasi and Fluttershy had always been afraid of flying. They loved her but only because they were her parents. She could never shake the feeling that they were disappointed with her.. She never really felt like she was part of the family. It was one of the reasons she moved to Ponyville at such a young age.

But Sweetie Belle and Rarity's love had awakened feelings inside of her that she always thought were things out of fairy tales.

"I.. I would love to." She said as she gave Rarity a loving smile.

"There you go.. Sleep well Sweetie." Fluttershy said as she finished tucking the filly in. She was about to walk out of the room when Sweetie Belle spoke up.

"Fluttershy.. do you ever feel.. scared?" The filly whispered.

Fluttershy turned around and gave the filly a soft caring look. "How do you mean?" She said.

"I.. I have kind of been sleeping with the lights on the last few days.. I had a night light at our old home.. but I think Rarity forgot about it.." She said trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Fear is nothing to be embarrassed about Sweetie.." She said as she sat down next to the filly's bed. "I'm afraid all the time. Like when me, Rarity and our friends had to climb that big mountain to ask the.. d-d-dragon to leave.. I was afraid and I had almost left my friends out there! But something inside me told me that it was not the right thing to do." She put her hoof on Sweetie's shoulder. "Courage is the mastery of fear. Not the absence of it. Every time we face our fears we gain a bit of strength, courage and confidence." She said as she smiled at the filly.

Sweetie Belle looked up at Fluttershy. "Your right." She said as a smile formed on her face. She turned to the lamp that was standing on her night stand and switched it off. "Thank you, Fluttershy.." A sleepy voice said as the pegasus walked out of the room.

Fluttershy walked into the bedroom to find Rarity lying in bed, looking at her with a mischievous smile.

"Ooh Fluttershy! T'is so cold in this bed all alone.." She said with the skill of a master actor.

A blush appeared on Fluttershy's face. "I.. I.. I could join you to keep you warm.." She said looking at the ground.

"But whatever shall we do in that tiny little space together while we wait for it to warm?" She said trying to contain her laughter.

scientists would describe the blush appearing on Fluttershy's cheeks at that moment as a miracle.

"Well.. I.. just.." Fluttershy was ready to sink into the ground.

Rarity noticed how uncomfortable the pegasus was getting. She got out of bed and walked over to her love. "Fluttershy.. if you're not ready for this yet you don't have to. I can wait." She said trying to ease the pegasus out of her frozen state of being.

"Thank you Rarity.." She said as she smiled softly at the unicorn. "By the way.. I have been thinking.. Maybe we should tell our friends about.. us? I sort of already told Rainbow.." she said looking into Rarity's eyes.

"I had forgotten all about them!" Rarity said "You are right. We should tell them when we get the chance." She climbed into the bed and waited for Fluttershy to do the same.

The pegasus climbed under the covers and brushed up against Rarity. "Do you think they will accept us..?" Fluttershy said nervously.

"I am sure of it.." Rarity said as she kissed Fluttershy on the cheek.

Twilight was snoozing softly in her bed as she dreamed of whatever she had read about last night. Suddenly a soft tapping could be heard on her window. Twilight slowly awakened from her dreams. She opened her eyes and looked around the room to identify the strange noise.

A small white dove was sitting on a branch of the tree next to her window. The bird was tapping its beak against the glass of her bedroom window. She walked up to the window and opened it. The dove flew inside and presented a small note attached to her feet to Twilight. She carefully untied the note from the bird's feet.

"Thank you kindly." She said as the visitor flew out of her window.

Dear Twilight,

Could you arrange a meeting for our friends at the library?
Me and Rarity have something important to tell all of you.

Fluttershy.

"Spike! Owlicious! I have a job for you two." She yelled.

The young dragon entered her room. "Uugh Twilight, it's too early in the morning.." he whined.

"I need you to write a letter to our friends and ask Owlicious to deliver them." she said.

"Are you sure about this Rarity..?" Fluttershy said as she tried to keep up with the unicorn's pace.

"I don't want to have to lie to our friends.. and besides, they would never judge us." She said trying to comfort Fluttershy.

"I guess your right.." Fluttershy said as she walked up to Rarity and put her wing over her love's back. Rarity loved it whenever Fluttershy could gather the courage to do so. In Pegasi culture it was a way of showing somepony that you loved them dearly.

The two neared Twilight's library. As Rarity knocked on the door she could feel Fluttershy's wing leave her back. She looked over at her marefriend with concern. "Fluttershy.. Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I'm just.. afraid to lose a friend.." She said softly. "I don't know if I can do this.."

"I promise you that I will be right beside you. You are not alone Shy.." She said in an attempt to give Fluttershy some courage.

The door to the library opened. A purple unicorn looked to see who was at the door. "There you two are! The others are inside. Come in." She said signaling the two to come inside. Their friends had already gathered. They sat around Twilight's table drinking their tea. Rainbow Dash smiled at Fluttershy as she saw her enter with her marefriend.

Applejack noticed her friends enter the library. "There you two are. So what is it y'all wanted to tell us? she asked curiously.

"This is it Fluttershy.." She thought to herself. Her friends would understand. They would support them... wouldn't they? Only one way to find out.

Pinkie Pie may have been a bit off of this world sometimes but she certainly wasn't dumb. She knew exactly what they had to tell them. She had to use all of her power to fight the grin forming on her face.

Rarity sat down on the couch. "It is nice to see you too Applejack!" she said amazed at her friends rudeness. Fluttershy took her place next to Rarity.

"Hey Ah aint here to exchange pleasantries, Big Macintosh needs me back at the orchard." She said.

Fluttershy tried to speak up. "Well.. you see.. Rarity and me.." All she wanted to do at that moment was sink into the couch she was sitting on. Never to be seen again. "What if they don't accept us.. What if they start yelling.." Fluttershy couldn't get the words to go.

Suddenly she felt Rarity nuzzle her neck causing her to blush heavily. A huge grin appeared on Pinkie and Rainbow's face. Twilight and Applejack were not sure what was going on. Rarity turned to their friends. "We are together." She said smiling.

"That's so super! I'm so happy for you two!" Pinkie exclaimed with her hooves in the air. She was bouncing up and down happily thinking about the party she just had to throw for them.

Rainbow Dash walked up to Fluttershy and hugged her "I'm so proud of you shy." She said.

"Well this was the last thing Ah expected when Ah read your note!" Applejack said as she started laughing. "Congratulations girls." She said smiling.

"Well that is.. unexpected" Twilight said. "But I'm not the one to judge. If this is what makes you two happy then I am happy for you." She said smiling at her friends.

They could see spike running upstairs with a sad expression on his face. "He'll get over it." Twilight laughed. They spent the rest of the day laughing and talking about everything that had happened between the two over the past few days.

"And she was standing in the snow with a bouquet of white roses. It was the most adorable thing I ever saw." Rarity said, receiving a D'awww from their friends. Fluttershy was sitting up against Rarity.

As she listened to her friends talk, she felt relieved to know that she could just be herself around them.

"But why does it have to be THIS exact tree Fluttershy?" Applejack said in an annoyed tone as she followed the pegasus through the snowy woods surrounding Ponyville. She was carrying a wood saw in her bag.

"Applejack.. It would just mean a lot to me if you could help me out.." She said shyly.

*sigh* "Fine, where is this tree of yours?" She asked as they entered the clearing where Rarity and Fluttershy had sat on the night of their date.

"It.. It's over there.." Fluttershy said as she pointed to a large green pine-tree at the top of the hill.

Applejack walked up to the tree to check how difficult it would be to get it down. She looked at the base of the tree and saw a heart sctratched into its bark with the names Fluttershy and Rarity scratched into it. She looked over at Fluttershy who was wearing a huge blush on her face as she tried to hide it behind her mane

"Well aint that just the sweetest thing Ah ever saw.."

Reaching out for you

Fluttershy and Applejack were using all of their strength to pull the pine-tree through the snowy hills surrounding Ponyville. Applejack had attached several ropes to the thing to make it easyer to move. Applejack was still coming to grips with the fact that two of her best friends were actually dating.

"So Shy! What's it like to live with equestria's most stuck up pony?" she said laughingly as she pulled the tree through the heavy snow.

"Oh, she can be very yielding if she has to.. I offered to sleep on the couch so she could have my room but she refused." She said smiling as she thought back at the memory.

"Ya sure we're talkin' 'bout the same pony?" Applejack said as she tilted her head in confusion.

"She's much more compliant than you give her credit for Applejack, if you gave her a chance you would be surprised at what you would find." Fluttershy said.

"Well hay, you really care 'bout her don't you?" Applejack said.

"yeah.." Fluttershy said shyly.

As the two pulled the tree over the hill Fluttershy's cabin came in sight. They walked up to the cabin and knocked on the door. A little filly answered. "Fluttershy! Applejack! What's up!" She said happily.

"I got us a christmas tree Sweetie Belle" She said smiling.

The filly gasped. "Fluttershy it's so pretty!" she said as she saw the tree resting in the snow.

"Can you go upstairs into the attic and grab the decorations Sweetie?"

"Sure thing Fluttershy!" the filly said as she ran off inside.

"This is gonna leave quite the mess dragging it inside." Applejack said.

Sweetie Belle came running downstairs, carrying a big red box. Applejack and Fluttershy had pulled the tree up to its base. It was resting in a corner of the room. It looked blank and boring now but it created a feeling of potential. After a fruitfull hour of decorating Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy stepped back to judge their work.

The tree filled the room with a festive feeling. Its candles illuminated the once darker corners of the cabin. Fluttershy smiled contently at her work. "Now I remember why I like christmas so much.." she thought.

Rarity was nearing Fluttershy's cabin carrying the fabric she had bought in Ponyville. She opened the door to find Fluttershy sitting on the couch with Sweetie Belle. She was reading the little filly a christmas story. "This is what I want to come home to everyday.." She thought to herself.

"Rarity! Fluttershy got us a christmas tree!" She said happily.

She looked at the heavily decorated tree standing in the corner of the room, its candles lit."It looks great." she said as she walked up to the two. There was something familiar about the tree but she couldn't really figure out what it was until she took a closer look at it.

A grin appeared on her face. She looked over at Fluttershy who was once again hiding her face behind her mane in a futile attempt of hiding her blush. Rarity walked over to Fluttershy and kissed her on the cheek as she hugged her tightly. "I never figured you for a romantic.." She whispered.

"You bring out the best in me.." Fluttershy said shyly.

"Hey! Small foals present!" Sweetie Belle yelled.

Sweetie Belle was standing outside, playing happily in the snow. Suddenly she could hear her name being called in the distance. Two young filles came running towards her. As soon as she realised who the two ponies were she walked towards them to greet them.

"Scootaloo! Applebloom! What are you two doing here?" She asked curiously.

"Hey Sweetie Belle! Remember the whole cutie pox incidident?" Scootaloo said.

"As if I could forget." Sweetie Belle said laughingly.

"Well, remember how I said we should totally try our hoof at Cutie Mark Crusader potion making?"

"yeah, we couldn't find any herbs or flowers so we gave up. Is this going anywhere scootaloo?"

"Of course it is! We didn't find anything because we weren't looking in the right place." She said as she tilted her head towards the Everfree Forest. "You're not going to find any rare herbs lying around in Ponyville. We need to look for them in the forest."

"Are you sure? Remember what happened the last time we went into the forest?" She said.

"No worries, we know what to look out for this time." Applebloom said.

Sweetie Belle looked at the forest with uncertainty. Suddenly she could feel Scootaloo's hoof on her shoulder. "C'mon Sweetie Belle, what is the worst that could happen?"

"Sure.. Let's go!"

The three fillies entered the forest only to be greeted by shadows. The forest was the gloomiest place in all of equestria but it was even darker during the winter. Frozen roots impaled the earth. There was no sign of life to be seen or heard. Sweetie Belle had not felt this cold in ages. The smell of cold moss and dying trees filled the air. "Why zecora likes living here is beyond me.." she thought to herself.

"How 'bout that one!?" Applebloom said.

"That's grass.." Scootaloo said in an annoyed tone.

"oh.. How 'bout that one!?"

"That's just more grass!"

"oh.."

This exchange continued for about 5 minutes until Sweetie Belle saw something bright in the distance. A large beautiful flower with yellow petals sat in the dirt. She left the side of her friends who were to busy arguing to even notice.

Slowly, she walked over to the flower who greeted her with an enticing smell. Suddenly she lost control of her senses. She could not help but near closer. She was standing next to the flower and extended her neck to take a deep sniff of the delicious aroma.

Suddenly she fell to the ground. The last thing she heard was the paniced screaming of her friends...

Sweetie Belle slowly regained consciousness. She could not muster the strength to move her limbs. All she could see through her slightly opened eyes was a bright white light. suddenly two muzzled voices could be heard. One of the voices was that of an old colt the other sounded like a mare.

"This patient has inhaled a lethal dosis of an unknown gas.."

"Life expectancy?"

"small.. very small.. I don't know what to do if I don't know what kind of toxin caused this.."

"But she's so young.."

Her sight went black as she lost her consciousness again.

Sweetie Belle was walking through the dark reaches of The Everfree Forest... Scootaloo and Applebloom by her side... Suddenly a voice spoke inside of her head... "There is no escape... not in this life... not in the next..." The voice sounded as if it spoke with multiple voices at once... One could be identified as a little filly.. the others were heavier and darker... she looked behind her but they were all alone... "Did you guys hear that too?" she asked... "What are you talking about? I didn't hear a thing." Scootaloo said... The voice spoke again... "Tell yourself again that these are not truly your friends..." Sweetie Belle started looking all over the place to discover the source of the voice..."They have turned against you... now, take your revenge..." "What is that noise!" she said... "Kill them all... before they kill you..."

The three filles entered a darkened clearing deep within the forest... Suddenly the brushes surrounding the place started the shake... "They are coming for you..." Suddenly a large shadow jumped out of the brushes... It started to attack Sweetie Belle's friends as she ran away into the forest...

The voice spoke for one last time before her sight went black... "It WAS your fault..."

Suddenly she awakened. she was lying in the bed of a clean, white room. A hospital perhaps? She felt a heavy stinging pain in her chest. she closed her eyes and touched the spot with her hoof. She waited for the pain to lessen but it only got worse. "RARITY! I WANT MY SISTER!" she started crying.

A nurse came rushing in when she heard the filly screaming. "Calm down dear! you're awake!"

"Bring me my sister!" She cried as the pain became unbearable.

Once again everything went black.

When she regained her consciousness she could hear her sister's voice in the other room."No! Let me through! I want to see her!" Rarity yelled. The unicorn came storming in as she looked for her little sister. Her face turned pale as she looked at the little filly lying in the bed. Fluttershy was following close behind.

Sweetie Belle had to muster all of her strentgh to speak. "Rarity.." She said softly. Scootaloo and Applebloom were watching from a close distance.

"I'm here Sweetie! I will help you throught this!" Rarity had never felt worse. Her biggest nightmare, losing her little sister was becoming a reality.

Twilight and Zecora entered the room. "Show me this little filly." The zebra said. Zecora walked to the side of Sweetie's bed. She closely inspected the filly with peering eyes. She looked over to Applebloom. "Something truly is amiss. A plant caused all of this?" She said.

The two fillies merely nodded at her question.

"Twilight, hand me my book. Now, how did this plant of yours look?"

Twilight handed Zecora a big book. It was wrapped in the skin of somesort of animal. Whatever it was it didn't live anywhere near equestria Twilight thought. The fillies continued to describe the plant to Zecora. Rarity was still at the side of her little sister's bed who had lost her consciousness again. Fluttershy was standing next to her trying to listen to what Zecora was saying but not wanting to leave her love's side.

"Oh my.." Zecora said.

"What is it Zecora?" Twilight asked curiously.

"The plant you speak of is known as Whispervine. The very thought of the thing sends shivers down my spine.."

"What is so special about this plant?"

"A plant like this you should not neglect for its gas has a... magical effect." This sparked Twilight and Rarity's interest. The unicorns walked over to the zebra.

"What kind of effect?" Rarity asked.

"I wish not to speak of it much.. but the flower makes its victims susceptible to a demon's touch.."

An old colt with a doctor's coat walked into the room. "That is ridiculous. Demons are things out of fairy tales. What this patient needs is an antidote." he said.

"Inside of this filly I sense a beast with prying eyes. Filling her head with its evil lies." she said as she turned to Rarity.

"Isn't there anything we can do!?" Rarity pleaded the zebra.

"My people speak of a healing herb but it grows in places you must not disturb."

Fluttershy neared the group. "Where does it grow?" she asked softly.

"In a place where not many have been before. You will find this herb in the cold north.."

It was dark outside. Rarity, Fluttershy and Zecora were the only ones left in Sweetie's room. Rarity was crying softly at the edge of the bed. Her tears falling unto the blanket in the dimmed light. Fluttershy sat next to her with her wing shielding Rarity to keep her warm. The filly was sleeping but she tossed and turned heavily in her bed.

"Nightmares.." Zecora thought to herself. "Now I am certain..."

Fluttershy nuzzled Rarity's neck in an attempt to calm her down but it had no effect. The entire atmosphere in the room was heavy. The pegasus felt as if something was weighing her down. It felt horrible to see her love like this. Suddenly a rainbow maned pegasus charged into the room.

"Shy!? How is she? I came as soon as I heard." she said as she walked closer to Fluttershy.

"Not so good I'm afraid.." she said softly.

"What happened?"

"She got.. poisoned.." The pegasus whispered.

Rainbow Dash walked to the edge of the bed and looked at the little filly who was sweating heavily in her sleep. Her eyes filled with compassion as a feeling of pain appeared in her chest. She walked over to Rarity and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry Rarity.." She whispered.

Sweetie Belle was walking through a dimly lit wooden hallway... She was uncertain were she was... The door at the end of the hallway opened... A cold wind blew past her head as she felt an invisible force slowly pull her towards it... Suddenly the voice spoke again... "The void sucks at your soul. It is content to feast slowly..." She used all of her strength to run away from the dark door but the pull was too strong... "You resist... You cling to your life as if it actually matters... You will learn..." Suddenly she was thrown into the door opening. It slammed shut.

She opened her eyes but it was too dark to see... the mysterious voice spoke for one last time...

"There is a little lamb lost in the woods..."

Can't get out

The hospital room was dimly lit by the moonlight shining through the window. Fluttershy was sitting on the floor next to the love of her life. Everyone else was already asleep but her mind was too.. clouded. Everything had gone by so quickly. Rarity and Fluttershy had rushed to the hospital as soon as they heard. This was the first time in the last couple of hours that she could think in peace without the interruption of all the chaos.

She looked at her side to see Rarity sleeping. Her head on the blanket of the hospital bed that still had her tears on it. Fluttershy looked up at the little filly sweating heavily in her sleep. Her breaths were quick and panicked. A feeling of pain appeared in her chest. She wanted to help her so badly. She just wanted to make everything ok.. but how?

She removed her wing from Rarity's shoulder and stood up. She wanted to go outside. to just.. escape from all of this for a moment. It was just becoming.. too much to handle. She sneaked past a sleeping Rainbow Dash, snoozing softly in a corner of the room. "She's still here.. Even after all of our friends left.. She must really be worried.." She thought to herself.

Fluttershy's hoofsteps had awakened Rainbow Dash from her sleep. She could see Fluttershy exit the room. "What is she up to?" Rainbow thought. She slowly got up on her hooves and started following Fluttershy.

Fluttershy instinctively walked to the one place she could always go to clear her mind. The sound of her hooves tapping the grass was very calming to her. She took a deep breath and released it as she looked up at Luna's moon. After a while she neared the clearing where she had taken Rarity on their first date.

She sat herself down against a big tree and stared into the lake. Tears started to form in her eyes. She had no control over it. She just needed to cry. She had to be strong for Rarity. For sweetie belle.. but all she wanted to do was cry.. She covered her eyes with her hooves as tears started to escape from them. "I don't want to lose them.. I don't want to lose anypony!" she said in a whining voice.

Rainbow Dash's heart broke at the sight of her shy friend crying. She slowly walked closer to the pegasus and conjured up her most soothing voice.

"H-Hey Shy.. a-are you al right?" she asked softly.

The pegasus quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes and turned to her friend. "Rainbow.." She said, trying to appear strong infront of her friend but her voice sounded like she had cried quite a bit. "I'm fine.."

The two ponies stood there on the hill. The moonlight was just bright enough for Rainbow Dash to see the tears on Fluttershy's cheeks and the pain in her eyes. Rainbow dash did not respond. She just walked over to her friend and hugged her tightly.

"Rainbow.. Really.. I'm fine.." She objected. She could feel the warmth of her friend pressed up against her. It was comforting to feel Rainbow's head resting on her shoulder. Finally she gave up. She started to cry heavily as she pressed her eyes into Rainbow's shoulder.

"Oh Rainbow! I feel so helpless! I want to help her so badly! I can't stand to see Rarity like this.." She cried. Rainbow did not speak. She merely stroked Fluttershy's back as she held her in her arms. "It feels terrible.. to want to help.. but not be able to.."

"Sshh Shy calm down.. It's going to be ok.."

"No it's not! You heard the doctors she might die!" She managed to say between her crying. It was hardly audible because of her sobbing.

A heavy feeling hit both of them.. That realization.. That somepony close to you might actually Die.. It felt so.. unfair. What kind of god would do that.. You just want to scream at the world in anger. Dash's eyes filled with tears as well as she thought about it.

After a while Rainbow managed to calm Fluttershy down. The timid pegasus wiped her eyes. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. It felt good to cry carelessly for once. "Rainbow.. What are we going to do.. We have to do something!"

"Shy.. we are going to be there for them. That is the best we can do and even thought it may feel hollow and meaningless and even though you just want to get mad at yourself for not being able to help her more. Rarity NEEDS you right now. She needs you right now more than ever." She said with a look of compassion in her eyes. "In case the worst might happen.. You have to be there to catch her when she falls.. It is useless to dwell on the past.. we have to look forward and forget.. because if we surround ourselves with sorrow how can we ever hope to be happy?"

Fluttershy looked up at her friend in amazement. Those were the most intelligent and kind words she had ever hear her friend say. Ever since she had met the blue pegasus when they were fillies she had never been good with emotions. "Thank you Rainbow.. For everything.." she said softly.

"No. Thank you shy! Thank YOU for being the most awesome, kind and loving pony I know! You comforted me when I got bullied and beat up back in school. And now I'm returning the favour!" She put her hoof on her friends shoulder as she lowered the tone of her voice. "Don't you ever let anyone say.. That you are not beautiful.. Cause you are shy. You are amazing! And I KNOW that you will help Rarity and everyone else Get through this. Because that's what you do! You help people and expect nothing in return. If everypony in this world was a bit more like you.. it would be a much better place.."

Fluttershy's heart warmed at her friends speech. she was speechless. Lost for words. Those were the kindest words she had ever heard anyone say to her.. She responded by hugging her friend even tighter for no words could describe her feelings at that moment.

Twilight was lying in her bed. face towards the ceiling, Alone with her thoughts. Her entire world was silent. She would often spent her nights like this, thinking about one thing or another but never before did her thoughts become so.. silent. She could not get the words to appear in her mind. Her best friend was about to lose her little sister..

She just stared at the ceiling in silence. her eyes started to get wet so she closed them causing the tears to escape from her eyes. "It doesn't make sense.." she thought to herself. "Why doesn't it make sense!" she yelled loud enough to cause the young dragon sleeping at the end of her bed to wake up.

"Twilight? What's wrong?" He said as he noticed the tears in Twilight's eyes. He did not get to see it a lot. Twilight preferred to avoid crying. she thought it was an impractical waste of time but that night everything just became too much. "Why are you crying?"

"Spike.. Go back to sleep. It's not important." She said, trying to appear strong.

"Not important my tail! You haven't cried since.. since.. I don't think I've ever seen you cry!"

"I don't want to talk about it.. You wouldn't understand.."

The baby dragon walked over to his caretaker and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Try me. I can be pretty understanding." He said with a look of concern.

Twilight sighed. "I can't get my mind off of Sweetie Belle.. It seems so.. unfair. It doesn't make sense for the world to be this cruel.." Twilight was always more down to earth than other ponies. She knew that bad things happened without reason all the time but still.. It all seemed so.. unreal. She had dedicated her life to the study of every subject possible. To be the most intelligent and wise pony in Equestria. But even after all those years of studying.. Death was still something she could not understand.

"Twilight.. Why do you have to act like you know when you don't know? It's ok if you don't know everything." he said with a look of compassion.

Twilight's eyes started to tear as she hugged the little dragon tightly.

"Why don't you do what you always do when you are upset Twilight?" He asked

"Of course!" She said as she jumped out of her bed and grabbed a quill and a piece of paper. "Dear Princess Celestia" she said softly as she started writing.

Applejack sat on top of her sheets. she looked outside at the moon shining its light on the orchard she called home. She tried her best to keep her mind from thinking about it.. She stomped her hoof into her bed as she fought the tears forming in her eyes. she got off of her bed and kneeled on the ground with her hooves joined in prayer.

Prayer.. The only thing that could ever give her solace from the hardships of life. It felt nice to know that there was always someone there to listen to her problems.. She could never go to her friends or family. She had to maintain a certain image of strength.. But no matter how strong she was physically her mind was weak.. soft-hearted..

Big macintosh had finally finished his work on the orchard. He was walking up the wooden stairs of the Apple Family's home. He heard his little sister softly talking in her room. Who was she talking to? He slowly nudged the door open and peeked through to see his sister praying on the edge of her bed as tears escaped from her eyes.

"God.. Ah know that you do what you think is best for us.. but.. this doesn't make sense.." As she bit her lip and a single tear fell from her face she could only speak one word. "why?" A question that many have asked before. A question that arises in the hearts of the faithful when something terrible happens.

"Why.. WHY!" She started yelling. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" She was crying out for an answer to sooth her mind but all she got in return was silence.. "Can't you see why Ah am angry with you! She's just a little filly!" She was desperately looking for an answer. But once again.. all she got was silence.. It were these moments in her life that she doubted her faith. "What kind of god kills fillies.." She whispered under her breath.

The red stallion walked into the room. "Ya have all the right to be angry ya know?" he said softly. "As we grow older, it becomes difficult to just believe.. It's not that we don't want to, but too much has has happened that we just can't accept.."

He walked over to the bed and sat down next to his little sister. "Ah know that you're mad AJ.. Ah'm mad too.. But that there filly aint dead yet.. She's a fighter. So instead of praying for god to change the past. Why don't ya pray for a better future?"

She looked at her brother with teary eyes. "Ah shouldn't cry.. Ah am too strong to cry.. "

"Mourning aint no sickness or weakness, mourning is strength. It’s okay to feel and to express your feelings.." Suddenly he heard the sound of hooves in the doorway. He turned his head to see Applebloom standing in the hallway looking at them with teary eyes.

"C'mere little filly.." He said as he beckoned his little sister to come closer. He hugged his two sisters tightly as one single tear escaped from his eyes.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I know that I usually write to you about my findings on the magic of friendship. But this letter is about a personal matter. It is easy for us to accept death when we are not confronted by it. We know it exists but we choose to ignore it until somepony close to us might actually experience it. You can get mad with the world. You can scream all you want but that will not change the fact that it is going to happen.

Rarity's little sister Sweetie Belle has been poisoned badly.. And she probably wont make it.. I got angry at the world because I didn't understand the reason behind it all.. As an immortal you must have dealt with death alot in your lifetime.

How do you deal with it?

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle.

Get over this

Rarity opened her eyes. Her face still pressed against the blanket laying on the bed in front of her. She cleared her throat as she wiped her eyes with her hooves. The sound of other ponies still snoozing was present in the room. She raised her head and investigated the room through her halfly closed, tired eyes.

Fluttershy was sitting next to her, still sleeping with her head on the purely white sheets of the hospital bed. She slowly got out form underneath Fluttershy's wing and stepped into the small bathroom that was attached to Sweetie Belle's Hospital room. She splashed some water into her face from the sink and looked up into the mirror.

"I look like I haven't slept in days.." she grumped as she looked at her reflection.

Her eyes looked heavy and tired, they even felt heavy in her head. "Come on Rarity.. Pull yourself together. Think. What is going on." her eyes started to get teary again as all of the emotions of the past few days shot back into her mind. "No! Calm down. You can't afford to lose yourself again. Now.. think with reason."

"How do I handle this. What must I do." she thought, unable to keep her mind straight, her thoughts jumping all over the place.

"Come on Rarity! There has to be something you can do. But What!? What!?" she said, desperatly trying to think of anything that could aid her. The door behind her slowly opened and a timid yellow pegasus walked in.

"Oh I'm sorry Fluttershy.. did my talking wake you up?" she said softly as she looked into the mare's eyes. Fluttershy did not respond. She merely looked back into Rarity's eyes. Her face was filled with compassion and care. It is amazing how much can be said with a single look.

Rarity nearly got lost in her eyes before she could regain her composure. Fluttershy walked closer to Rarity and hugged her tightly, Rarity returning the embrace. Her mind finally calmed down. A smile appeared on her face as she felt Fluttershy's warm embrace.

Now she was certain. She was in love. But all of that didn't matter right now. What mattered was that her life as she knew it was hanging by a thread. Ready to spiral down into the ground and no matter how desperatly she tried to think of what to do she was at a loss.

Fluttershy put her mouth up to Rarity's ear and softly whispered. "I'll get you through this.."

Even though Rarity knew that Fluttershy was just as powerless to act as she was she felt comforted by those words. Even though they sounded too hopeful there was a part of her that truly believed her words. It was like all of her worries melted away.

The six friends had gathered in the hospital room. The doctors had taken Sweetie Belle into another room to run several tests to check for any possible neural damage. Fluttershy and Rarity sat on the couch with their friends surrounding them, none of them really saying anything. Zecora was sitting quietly in a corner of the room reading some dusty tome.

Rainbow Dash looked around the room. She saw Pinkie Pie silently sitting on the floor with her gaze to the floor. "She has been silent ever since the accident.. It's not like Pinkie to act this way.. Even with all of this going on, she would try to find a way to cheer everyone up.." she decided to not pay further attention to her friend's odd behaviour.

"Damn this is just too awkward! Maybe I should say something to break the silence.. Maybe they need silence. I don't know! I'm not good with this stuff." Rainbow snapped at herself. "I gotta get out of here! the entire atmosphere is just too.. heavy."

"Guys, I'm going to get some food." she said as she stood up and headed for the door. She opened the door and tried to exit but bumped into someone causing both of them to fall to the floor. "Hey! Look where the hay you're going! You.. you.." Her expression turned form anger to amazement as she saw Princess Luna lie collapsed on the floor.

"That was highly uncalled for!" The alicorn said as she got back on her hooves and brushed the dirt off of her shoulder. "We have come to lend our aid to you in these desperate times!" She grunted at the pegasus.

Twilight quickly jumped up and ran towards the newly arrived guest. "Princess Luna! Why have you come to Ponyville!?" she said with surprised eyes. "and I thought you were done with the "We" thing." she said as she smiled awkwardly brushing the back of her neck with her hoof.

"By "we" I mean"

"It is good to see you my faithfull student.." Celestia said as she walked into the room. The six friends looked at the Princesses with disbelief. The sisters rarely visited Ponyville. She had a look of concern on her face. Celestia disregarded any pleasentries and moved over to Rarity.

"Twilight has informed me of your sister.. How is she doing?" The alicorn asked with concern, knowing far too well what it is like to lose a sister.

"Y-Y-You came to visit Me? But why?" she asked in amazement as she looked into the princess's eyes.

"Because I know what it is like, I struggle with this every day." She said in a comforting voice.

Sweetie Belle Returned to the waking world, still unable to move but slightly aware of her surroundings. Her eyelids felt far too heavy to open. All she could do was lie there and listen to the voices that filled the room. They sounded muzzled but understandable.

"Doctor, have a look at this." The nurse said as she beckoned for him to come closer to the machinery. "Take a look at these results." she handed him a clipbord. The doctor looked at the results with a puzzled look.

"That's impossible. I've never seen such chaotic brainwaves.. The machine must be broken. The pony mind is physically incapable of such powerful activities." he sighed. "None of these results give us any viable information.." he turned his head to the motionless filly lying on the table. "Why are you sick.."

A second Doctor joined the conversation. A white unicorn in an even whiter coat. He sounded younger and less experienced than the other doctor. "We have to run more tests.." he said desperatly.

"Tests take time.. Treatment is quicker. This filly hasn't got the time to wait for tests." he said as he lowered his gaze to the ground.

"What about what that zebra said?" The nurse asked.

"I am not willing to believe that some mythical creature caused this!" The younger doctor said.

The older doctor shook his head. Unable to think of any explanation for the filly's sickness. "Why not.. We use unicorn magic to cure diseases and injuries everyday.. Besides, have you got a better explanation?"

"Magic I can see. Magic I can touch. This.. no. I won't believe this."

"That zebra spoke off a herb.. She said it could cure her.." The nurse said softly not wanting to anger the younger doctor.

"It's too risky! if we waste precious time waiting for this wondrous cure and it turns out to be false this filly dies."

"I have had enough of your antics doctor. I take risks, sometimes patients die. But not taking risks causes more patients to die, so I guess my biggest problem is I've been cursed with the ability to do the math." he said with a tone of conviction.

He looked at the chart containing the brain waves once again. "Perhaps.." He looked over at the filly and examined her head. "What is going on in there.."

Back in the hospital room Rarity tried to explain the situation to the princesses.

"They haven't been able to treat her ever since she entered this place.." Rarity said sadly.

"Why would that be?" Princess Luna asked. "There is no problem medical magic cannot fix."

The zebra, that had been silently reading in her corner for most of the conversation, closed her book and entered the group. "The doctors here ignore my cries but I know what's bringing this filly's demise." She said with a stern look.

The nurse entered the room carrying Sweetie Belle. She softly put her back in her bed and gave a comforting smile to the group as she left. Zecora and the princesses walked closer to the unconscious filly. "Things look grim, her time is running out but we may still save her from this darkened route."

"A plant you say? must be a very powerful one." Luna asked the zebra. "Magical perhaps?"

"I know only what I have been told. That it lies in a place of death and cold."

"And this will cure her?"

"Most likely.." She said sadly. "I have not seen it with my own eyes."

The group sat in the room silently for a few minutes but to Dash it felt like hours. Applejack and Pinkie Pie didn't really add anything to the conversation but they knew they had to be there for their friend. Even if just in presence. Luna sat next to her older sister putting a hoof under her own chin in contemplation. "Surely there are soldiers we could send sister?" Luna said as she turned her gaze to Celestia. This caused Rarity to quickly look at the princess with a look of hope.

"Soldiers are not fit for a task like this I'm afraid.. But maybe.. Someone else who is more capable of a journey like this. Someone who has proven time and time again that she can protect equestria and its citizens." She turned her gaze to Twilight Sparkle.

"Me!?" the unicorn yelled in disbelief.

"You would not go alone of course, I was reffering to The Elements of Harmony."

"That's insane!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Rainbow! You are speaking to royalty!" Rarity snapped at her friend.

Celestia giggled. "That is quite alright, I know it may seem impossible but you and your friends have stood against the forces of nightmare moon and discord. Do not underestimate the power of The Elements."

"But I can't leave her side! Not now.." Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack walked up to the hospital bed and looked at the wounded filly sweating heavily in her sleep. They looked at eachother with a look of determination. They silently nodded at eachother as if an agreement was made. "We will go." Rainbow Dash said with a stern look.

Fluttershy and Rarity were appalled. "Rainbow.. no.. it's far too dangerous. I don't want you getting yourself injured or worse for me!" Fluttershy said.

Pinkie Pie, who had been silent the entire day, got up on her hooves and walked over to Rainbow and Applejack. "I will go too." she said. None of her friends had ever seen her this serious about something. "She must have been really worried about Sweetie Belle.." Rainbow thought.

Twilight heeded to Celestia's plan and took her place next to her friends. "So will I." she said with a look of courage but that courage disappeared as soon as her mind started to process it all. "But princess, no one has been to the north in years. It's a dangerous place.." she said.

Celestia wanted to give her student courage but she knew she was right. Luna however was caught in a deep mental struggle. A war with herself. "Perhaps.. Maybe this is what I need to do.. " she lifted her gaze from the floor, gave her sister a reassuring smile and looked at the Elements of Harmony. "I will join you." she said happily.

"But why can't I go with you guys Twilight!?" The baby dragon whined as he clinged to his caretaker's legs in an attempt to stop her from packing.

"Spike! Let go of me! You can be such a nuisance." She said as she pulled her legs out of the dragon's grasp. "I told you already. It is far too dangerous for you up there and I need someone to take care of Owlicious while I'm gone." she gave the dragon a stern look of dissapproval.

"Fine!" he yelled as he crossed his arms in frustration.

The unicorn returned to her packing. She took several magical scrolls and tomes from her library and stashed them away in her bags. "Lets see.. Illumination spell.. Check! Fire.. Check! Haste.. Check! This is going to be so interesting Spike! Who knows what kind of ancient magic we might find out there!" she said happily as she skipped around her library looking for several books to read when boredom took over.

She thought back at her father's words. “The universe is full of magical things my dear Twilight! Patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper!” she smiled as she heard her father's voice in her head. "I do miss you father.. every day.." It was her father that had sparked her interest for magic at a young age. To her he was like a beacon of wisdom and courage. A beacon that she could always draw power from when her own might was insufficient.

She walked over to a guilded chest at the end of her bed. She opened the chest and pulled out a silken, purple robe. The robe was lined with silver, glistening in the moonlight shining through her window. Several stars were depicted upon its surface. She cloaked herself in her familiy's heirloom and looked outside.

"To the north!" She yelled happily.

Rainbow ran through her cloud home. Searching for anything she might need on her mission. she was fast, determined, and most importantly Awesome! Adrenaline rushed through her veins. "Finally no more sitting around! It's time to take action! It's time to take matters into our own hooves!"

She only packed the necessary. She didn't need to bring any warm clothes. Years of working as a weather pony had made her somewhat resistant to cold. She was strong, Fast, and of course, most importantly Awesome! Nothing could stand in her way!

She squealed in joy as she thought of all the awesometastically adventures she and her friends were going to have. "And even the princess is coming!" she said giddily. "God knows I don't mind.. I mean, the girls are nice to be around and all but I could use some more.. attractive company.."

"Woah! Woah! Calm down Dash! That's your princess, show some respect."

"Damnit brain! I told you to be quiet! besides, it doesn't hurt to just look.."

Back at The Canterlot Palace Luna was standing over her dressoir. Selecting certain items that she felt she would need on her journey. Celestia stood besides her with a look of worry. "Are you sure about this Luna..?" she said as she put a hoof on her sister's shoulder causing the alicorn to drop her hasted fidgeting and turn her head to Celestia.

"Don't you see it sis!? This is what I'm meant to do! It all makes sense now!" she said happily. "And besides, they are going to need help. You said it yourself."

"But.. you and I both know what dangers lie hidden there.." a small tear formed in her eye. "What if I lose you again little sister?"

Luna looked her sister straight in the eyes. "I can handle myself, I promise. It's not like you can't rule over Equestria by yourself. You've done so for a thousand years." Luna suddenly noticed that her voice was filled with anger and spite.

"Luna..." Celestia said sadly. She could no longer fight back her tears.

"Sister.. I'm so sorry.. You know I have forgiven you.. It was for my own good.."

Pull me out

Rainbow Dash stretched her limbs in the icy cold morning air surrounding her cloud home. She took a deep breath causing her lungs to be filled with a cold sensation. "I love mornings.." she said as she smiled contently. It was fairly early, even for Rainbow's standards. The moon could just be seen at the edge of the horizon, ready to plunge into the unknown. This was Rainbow's favorite time of the day. Just before the sun rises over the mountains. Just before everypony else wakes up.

She always felt like there was a certain serenity to it. Most ponies would shiver in Luna's slightly darkened icy winter mornings but Rainbow Dash saw a different side to it. To her it was beautiful. A sleeping world. A time of peace in her normally chaotic and energetic life.

She took one deep breath of the cold air and headed for the snowy grass that grew below her solitary home. No one ever took care of the meadow surrounding her sanctum causing the grass to grow to great lengths. Any gardener pony would shriek in terror at the sight, Rainbow thought to herself giggling. But to her it was perfect.

She let her wings hang lifelessly in the air causing her to drop to the ground, softly landing in a patch of grass. The morning dew had made the grass wet, giving the pegasus a refreshing feeling. She allowed herself to lie in the drops of dew for a few minutes. "This is the good life.." she thought.

She gathered her bags and happily trotted towards Twilight's Library. Her friends had decided to gather there to discuss the situation.

Luna sat on the large balcony attatched to her private quarters. She was surrounded by several Statues and the edge of the balcony was adorned with dark crystals. black onyx, sapphire, amethyst. Her favourites. she sat in the center of a silver altar standing in the middle of the balcony. She focused all of her power into her horn causing it to emanate a dark, azure aura around her. She lifted her horn to the skies, her eyes turned black and a spark of powerful magic blasted through the air.

The moon hanging in the sky slowly sank underneath the horizon. Mixed emotions filled her mind. She felt sad that her beautiful moon had to leave her sight but she felt overjoyed at the fact that even after all those years she still had the power to preform such an incredible feat.

She smiled as she saw Celestia's sun rise from the horizon. It's glow warming the lands. Waking their slumbering creations. Enlightening the meadows and mountain sites of equestria. "There is a nice side to the daytime.." she said softly. She lifted herself from the ground and started her journey to Ponyville.

She entered her sister's private quarters and stepped upon the balcony. Celestia was sitting in a similar position as Luna had sat just a few moments ago. Celestia's balcony was filled with golden relics. The edge of the thing was adorned with shining gemstones. emerald, topaz, amber.

"It's beatiful sis.." Luna said as she looked at the sun glowing in the skies.

Celestia turned her head to her younger sister and smiled. "Thank you." Her smiled turned to a frown as she saw that Luna wore her traveling cloak and a pouch. "So.. you're off to Ponyville?" she said softly.

Luna walked over to her sister and hugged her tightly. "Don't worry Cel.. I'll be back.. I promise."

Fluttershy was walking through her home. Making sure she did not forget anything important. Suddenly she felt something she had not felt in quite a while. Peace. Sure, the silence was overflowing in the past few days but peace was something she had missed. It gave her mind some clarity. She finally started to process it all.

Suddenly she heard hoofsteps behind her. She turned her head to see Rarity look at her with sad eyes. "Rarity? Is something wrong?" she asked curiously. Rarity just stood there in silence for a while. She walked over to Fluttershy. Close enough for the pegasus to feel her breathing.

"There is something I have been meaning to tell you.. But with everything going on.." Rarity moved even closer to the pegasus causing her to blush slightly. "Rarity.. Wha-" Before Fluttershy could finish her sentance her mouth got muzzled by Rarity's causing her to whimper softly.

They closed their eyes. for minutes they just stood their listening to eachother's breathing. feeling the rythmic beating of their hearts. Finally Rarity ended the kiss. Fluttershy's head sank downward. Panting heavily. Her face completely red. "Rarity.." she tried to speak but she got cut off by the unicorn.

"I love you, Fluttershy.. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize.. I love you not only because of who you are, but also because of who I am when I am with you.. And do believe me when I say that I did not mean to drag you into this.." she said as she lowered her gaze to the floor.

Fluttershy responded by hugging her tightly. after all, she could never hope to find the words that would be sufficient to express the feelings that filled her at that moment. A few tears of joy unwillingly escaped her eyes. She quickly rubbed her eyes with her hoof.

She was happy. The past few days, no matter how horrible they were, had strengthened their relationship immensely. By staying by her side for all those cold nights Fluttershy had proven to Rarity that she cared about her more than anything else in her life.

Suddenly a memory flashed into her head. It was a poem that her father used to read to her mother. “I'm not supposed to love you, I'm not supposed to care, I'm not supposed to live my life wishing you were there. I'm not supposed to wonder where you are or what you do...I'm sorry I can't help myself, I'm in love with you.” she whispered to Rarity.

"Do you know how early in the morning it is Twilight!?" Spike said as he helped Twilight with her final preperations. "Everypony else is asleep!" he yelled.

"And that's why you need to keep your voice down." she snapped at him. "Really Spike, can't you just help me for once without making a big deal about it."

"I would, but I'm missing my daily dose of coffee!" He said in an annoyed tone as he put the last of Twilight's bags in a corner of the room.

"And now we wait." Twilight smiled.

After an hour of answering doors and handing out greetings everypony had gathered at Twilight's library. As usual, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were arguing about one thing or another. Pinkie Pie was practically shaking in her seat from excitement. Rainbow Dash was happy to see her friend returning to her usual demeanor. Fluttershy and Rarity were sitting on the couch standing against the wall of the Library, sneaking kisses whenever they thought nopony was looking to Spike's great dismay.

Twilight could not help but laugh at the dragon's foallike jealousy. He would never dare to say something about it though. In fact, in his mind Rarity was still completely oblivious to his feelings. " I wonder what's taking the princess so long." she thought to herself.

Luna was floating clumsily above the road between Ponyville and Canterlot. Hastily flapping her wings against the sky's currents. Struggling to stay afloat. "Come on Luna! Can't The Great Godess of the Moon fly for a few measly miles!?" she spited herself.

"I hope nopony sees me like this.." she thought. Suddenly a powerful gust blew her out of her position causing her to spiral downwards. She started flinging her limbs all over the place as she tried to stabilize her wings. "Come on! Come on!" The ground was nearing closer and closer.

Finally, just a few feet above the ground, she managed to stabilize herself. "Huzzah!" she exclaimed before hitting a tree with a loud thud. "uugh.. What was that.." she said as got back on her hooves to examine her assailant. "I curse thee tree! How dare thee not move out of the way for thy princess!" she yelled angrily.

"All those years of being trapped on the moon have more than.. reduced my flying skills.. I guess I'll have to walk then.."

After what seemed like hours of walking over Equestria's roads she neared the rural town of Ponyville. Luckily everypony was asleep or she would have to deal with all the prying eyes and endless praises the ponies of Equestria were giving her since her return. It was nice at first but after a while she realized they praised her for what she symbolized.. not for who she actually was..

Suddenly a knock could be heard at the library's door causing the friends to drop whatever conversations they were having. "I'll get it." Rainbow Dash said. She trotted up to the door and opened it to see who was at the other end. She felt a slight tingling feeling in her cheeks as she looked at Luna's face smiling contently at her. "No blush. You're not going to screw me over. Not now." she thought as she forced the feeling away.

"Princess! You made it." She said as she returned the smile. "Come on, we were waiting for you."

"Thank you, miss.." she started blushing with embarrasment. "Come on Luna! This is one of The Elements of Harmony and you don't even know her name! You're doing a great job fitting in!" she thought sarcastically. "I.. I apolagize.. I have not had the pleasure of conversing with you.. Might I ask for your name?" she said as she put up an embarrased smile.

"S-s-sure.. the name's Rainbow Dash." She said stuttering. "Damnit Dash! Stop acting like a filly!"

"So that's the plan." Luna said. "There is a boat that will take us to the northern isles at the edge of Equestria but we will have to cross the everfree forest to get there." she said as she pointed at several locations on Twilight's map. "Do we have any clue to where this plant grows?" she said as she turned her gaze to Twilight Sparkle.

"I'm afraid not.. evern Zecora was unsure about it. But I guess an object as powerfull as that would drastically alter its surroundings." the unicorn said.

"I can use my magic to make us move faster. but.." even she was embarrased at the fact that years of imprisonment had weakened her magic immensely. "I can only do so during the night. It is then that my power is at its peak and it will be alot easyer to stay out of sight."

"That is true." Twilight agreed. " We will wait for the night then."

"Can't ya just raise the moon now?" Applejack asked the princess.

Rarity face-hooved at her friends question. "Your rudeness never ceases to amaze me, my dear Applejack."

"What!? Ah'm just sayin'. It would speed things up." she snapped at the unicorn.

"I'm afraid Celestia would have to lower the sun first to make way for the moon." she said as she smiled at Applejack. "and think of all the ponies and animals that would be driven insane by the sudden change in their daily routines."

"Ah guess.. waiting it is then.."

Waiting.. If there was anything that Rainbow Dash hated it was waiting.. It forced her to think, something she preferred to avoid. *Tik Tok Tik Tok* the clock taunted her from the library's wall. She couldn't stand that noise! *Tik Tok Tik Tok* her arch enemy yelled. "This is why I don't have a clock!" she thought to herself.

She looked around the library to see what everypony else was doing to fight the boredom. She sighed as she saw Fluttershy and Rarity acting all mushy around eachother. "She's always too busy with her marefriend these days! I mean, when was the last time she visited me.." she thought to herself until her conscience decided to say something about it. "Hey! You should be happy for your friend! It's not like she's doing it intentionally.."

She decided that just taking a nap was her best option. She built a small hoofmade bed out of Twilight's pillows and dozed off.

And the winner of the Equestrian Trophy for Flying Excellence is.. Rainbow Dash! The crowd went wild.. Cheering her name.. over and over again.. She bowed for the masses as they threw roses at her hooves.. One of Equestria's Royal Guards seemed to appear from out of nowhere.. "The princess wishes to congratulate you personally Miss Rainbow Dash.." the guard said.."Hell yeah!" she yelled..

Suddenly she was lying on a circular bed covered with azure colored sheets, without a clue of how she got there.. The room was decorated with all sorts of artworks and relics.. Stars were depicted on the walls and ceiling of the place.. "You were quite impressive out there.." A distant voice said in a seductive tone..

"Heh heh, that's what I do! I impress ponies!" she said with an awkward voice. Suddenly Princess Luna entered the room wearing what Dash could only describe as the most suggestive piece of sleeping gear she had ever seen.. "I would like to award you for your achievements Dash.."

"I prefer gold, for my medal that is.." Rainbow said laughingly.. "That is not what I had in mind.." The princess said as she got up on the bed next to Rainbow Dash "W-w-what did you have in mind then.." she said awkwardly as she increased the distance between her and Luna.. The princess neared closer to the pegasus and pinned her into the bed with her legs.

"I'll show you.." she said as she kissed Dash on the mouth.

"Uuhm Dash.. You better wake up quickly.." Fluttershy said as she stood next to her snoozing friend making sure that nopony noticed them.

Dash slowly returned to the waking world. "Fluttershy..? Is that you..?" she said as she opened her eyes to see her friend look at her awkwardly. "Is it time to leave yet?" she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Uuhm Dash.." Fluttershy said with a blush on her face.

"What's up?"

"Y-your.."

"Speak up Fluttershy I can't hear you."

"Wings." was all Fluttershy could utter.

Rainbow Dash noticed that her nocturnal adventure had caused her wings to stand straight up. Her face flushed with embarrasment as she forced them down.

"I thought I'd wake you up before the others noticed.." she said shyly.

"Oh god, I'm sorry Shy. I feel like a damn filly."

"I understand Rainbow. It's ok."

Rainbow walked into the bathroom and splashed some water from the sink into her face. She looked into the mirror with her wet mane. "What the hell is wrong with you.." she said panting.

Luna returned from Twilight's back yard. "The moon has been raised." she said proudly. The six ponies were already prepared to depart. Spike still clinging to Twilight's legs. "I'll be fine Spike.." she said as she gave the dragon a reassuring smile.

The seven ponies ran through the meadows and roads surrounding Ponyville. Their minds set on adventure. They formed an unstoppable force. Luna's horn glowed slightly as she surrounded the group with a faint dark blue aura. Rainbow Dash noticed the magic's influence on her legs. No matter for how long they ran they didn't seem to get tired at all.

Their destination was The Everfree Forest. Dash maintained a reputation as a fearless pony but even she got uneasy thinking about it. It was the darkest place in Equestria after all. She felt the wet grass underneath her hooves as she looked up at the sky.

Luna ran through the shadows with great ease. She often lost control of herself as she happily ran through the night. She felt at home. She felt save. She felt like no one could stop her now. Often enough she found herself far ahead of the group causing her to blush slightly as she lowered her pace.

Rainbow Dash was amazed at Luna's sudden joy and energy. The darkness surrounded her like a cloak. As if she wore it instead of being around it. It was a part of her. She turned her gaze forward as she noticed the forest's entrance draw closer.

Author's message:

Huzzah! The shipping has been doubled! Wow, you're still here, ten chapters later. Wich means you should have a general opinion on my work by now. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think of what has happened, where it is going, My writing style or just any input. Any advice is welcome.

Fell down

The entrance to The Everfree Forest neared closer. A heavy feeling appeared in dash's stomach. She could see the worry on the faces of her friends, except for Pinkie Pie who seemed to be in the best of moods. "I'm not sure if she's brave or just really crazy.." Dash thought to herself.

The group lowered their pace as the sky turned to darkened tree tops. The forest was silent but it was an uncomfortable silence. Dash at least expected the sound of birds but there was no sign of life anywhere. It started to rain above the forest causing drops of water to drip through the holes in the tree tops.

"Ah don't see why you and Celestia created this forest in the first place Princess.." Applejack said as she stepped closer to Luna.

"We didn't." Luna said as she looked at their surroundings suspiciously. "It was already here when discord ruled over Equestria and I wouldn't be surprised if it stood here before he arrived ." She turned her gaze to the earth pony and gave her a serious look. "The forest is alive.. It knows we are inside it. I would prefer to be out of here as soon as possible."

This stirred Twilight's thoughts. "Even the Princess fears this place? No. Celestia and Luna are far too powerful to be afraid of anything.. Right? And the forest is alive? What is that supposed to mean.." Twilight clinged to her father's robe in the hope that it would give her some courage.

Fluttershy was litterally shaking on her hooves as she burried her face into Rarity's mane to hide herself. "Is something wrong Shy?" Rarity said with a voice of concern.

"It.. it's too" she whispered.

"I can't hear you dear.."

"Dark.." She whispered into Rarity's ear.

"Twilight dear, could you give us some light in this god forsaken place?" Rarity asked her friend causing Fluttershy to blush in embarrassment at her irrational fear.

"Of course." Twilight said with a smile. She was always happy when her magical talent was needed. It made her feel special. After all, it was the reason why Celestia had chosen her as her pupil. Twilight slammed her hoof into the ground as her eyes and horn started to glow purple.

A spark of light shot out of her horn and continued to float above her. Enlightening the dark corners of the gloomy forest. Revealing the roots and trees that were once invisible to them.

Often enough, Twilight could see what appeared to be prying eyes in the darkness. "Wolves, most likely.." she thought to herself. The beasts were too cowardly to attack a group of ponies that big on their own. "I just hope they don't group up.." this thought sent shivers down her spine.

Rainbow Dash could not shake the feeling that something was watching them. She could not help but examine her surroundings with every step of the way. "Pfff this place isn't so bad.. It's pretty much deserted.." she thought to herself. She allowed her mind to go silent as she lost her fear.

Suddenly a voice could be heard. "The darkest days are still ahead." the voice whispered. It spoke as fast as possible. it sounded like a mare. "What the hell was that!?" Rainbow exclaimed as she quickly looked at her friends faces. They looked at her dumbfounded.

"What the hay do ya mean sugarcube?" Applejack asked her friend.

"That voice!"

"It's probably just your imagination." Twilight said.

"I know what I heard.." Rainbow thought as she looked at Twilight angrily.

Several minutes had passed and Dash started to believe that it was just her imagination. The grass under their hooves had gave in to mud. The sound of hooves splashing in the mud filled the air causing Rarity to look at the ground with disgust.

Pinkie was still bouncing happily through the thick mud causing it to splash all over the place as she giggled loudly. "Seriously Pinkie, What does it take to scare you.." Rainbow thought.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this spell up.." Twilight said as she started to walk tiredly. "Can you maintain it princess?"

"Light spells are not my.. thing Twilight Sparkle." she said laughingly. "I close my eyes in order to see."

Rarity already felt the question coming. She was ashamed at how little she knew of magic as a unicorn. The best she could cast were simple spells. She never really took the time to learn advanced magic. She wouldn't be that good at it anyway.

"Rarity? Do you mind?"

"ehehe.. Of course not.." she said as she laughed awkwardly. "Come on Rarity.. You can do this.." She focused all of her power into her horn. "Light.. Light.. Light!" Her horn started to glow brightly but this glow disappeared as she lost her focus and dropped to the ground, landing in the mud.

"Rarity!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

she sighed. "I can't do it ok.." she said as Fluttershy helped her back on her hooves.

Twilight gave her a look of compassion. "It's ok Rarity but we will have to walk in the dark.."

She could already see the look on Fluttershy's face. If she was just a bit more powerful she could have shielded her love from her fears.

It felt horrible.

The seven ponies entered a large, darkened clearing. Roots pierced the earth of the place, making it practically impossible to pass without tripping. "I've never been so deep into the forest before.." Fluttershy said with a scared voice. The moonlight pierced the leaves that formed the ceiling of the place.

Suddenly a loud growling noise could be heard from the shadows. "w..what was that.." Rarity asked.

"Probably just another wolf." Twilight said. "Just ignore it."

Soon enough, the group was greeted by more growling. It sounded alot more threatening this time. Several shining eyes appeared in the distant shadows. A pack of wolves slowly emerged from the darkness, flashing their teeth at the ponies. "Run." was all Twilight said before she rushed off, followed by her friends.

Their path got blocked by even more of the ferocious beasts, Growling maniacally at them. The beasts drew closer, cornering them from all sides. Applejack jumped forward. "Come on beasties! Try me! See how that works out for ya!" she said as she kicked the air around her in an attempt to scare their assailants off.

The growling monstrosities towered above them in size. One of them jumped at the group, recieving a buck from Applejack causing it to fall back into the group. The beasts drew even closer, forcing them to huddle up. The largest wolf let out a howl as multiple beasts jumped the ponies.

"No!" Twilight yelled as her horn started to glow, flinging the wolves into the air. Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy were litterally frozen in fear as Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood in front of them, shielding them from danger. For minutes they fought the beasts with their hooves and their spells.

The beasts acted out of bloodlust. No matter how wounded they would become they always returned with even more companions to back them up. Often enough, the beasts would succeed to maul at the ponies. This had caused Rainbow and Applejack to be covered with wounds.

Rainbow was panting heavily as she stood on her four hooves. Raising her wings as intimidation. A small string of blood hung from her mouth. "I can't keep this up much longer.." she thought.

Luna sat behind Twilight Sparkle. A shock of fear ran through her as she saw all of the beasts advancing at once, causing Applejack and Rainbow Dash to flee into the safety of the group. "I have to do something!" she thought. She got up on her back legs as her eyes and horn started to glow with a dark aura. She slammed her hooves into the the ground. A blast of shadow flew over the battlefield. Causing purple sparks to emanate from the wolves. The beasts let out cries of pain as they fell to floor.

The six friends looked at the princess with amazement. She was panting heavily from the exhaustion. She couldn't hear a thing. "Princess! That was amazing!" Rainbow said. Luna did not respond. The world was spiraling around her as her sight went black causing her to collapse into the floor..

"No sister! You've had your fun now it's my turn!" the alicorn yelled as she flew high above Equestria.. "But Luna! They need the sun to life! You can't do this!" her sister screamed.. "Easy for you to say my dear sister! You were always the favourite! Always their first choice!" she spited her..

"Why won't you listen to reason!? I never wanted this!" the white alicorn pleaded her sister as her eyes filled with tears.."I have to stop you Luna.. I have no choice.." she said softly. "I won't give you the pleasure my dear sister!" Luna said as her horn started to glow with a dark aura.

"Luna!?" Celestia screamed as a bolt of black magic smited her causing her to plummet to the earth.. "Look upon me now Equestria! Look upon me and see the coming of a new.. dark age!" She yelled.

Celestia stood atop the highest mountain in Equestria.. she could barely stand.. wounded.. bleeding.. "I'm sorry little sister.." she whispered as she equipped the Elements of Harmony to herself..

Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches, next to the sleeping princess. She cleared her throat as she saw the princess sweating heavily in her sleep. Her eyes could not help but wander over her body, admiring her curves. "You do realize you're a perv right?" she thought to herself.

"How so!?" she said, trying to fight her own thoughts. "You know nothing about her, she just injured herself and all you can do is drool all over her!" she sighed. "You need to get your brain checked Dash.. There is no way she's into mares.. And even if she is, there is no way in hell someone like her would ever be interested in you.."

Luna jumped out of her sleep. Beads of sweat running down her face, catching her breath. She could feel her heart racing in her chest. Once she calmed down she realized that she was lying in a hoof-made shelter, the pegasus she knew as Rainbow Dash sat beside her.

"Rainbow Dash.. Where am I?" she asked curiously.

Rainbow, still stuck in her mental struggle, jumped up in surprise when she noticed the princess' awakening. "P-princess! You're awake!" she said.

"I was asleep?" she said as she got up from the ground.

"Yeah.. you collapsed after saving us all.."

Luna's face flushed with embarrasment. "I see.. It is true then.." she said sadly.

"What is?"

"nothing.. Do not worry yourself over me." she said as she looked Rainbow Dash straight in the eyes.

"Those eyes.." Rainbow thought to herself as she got lost in Luna's gaze "Those big beautiful blue eyes.." Rainbow quickly snapped out of her dreamy state when she realized how much she was staring. "Come on, lets get back to the others.." she said.

Princess Luna left her shelter to find the Elements of Harmony gathered around a campfire at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Applejack was lying on the ground as Fluttershy treated her wounds, Rarity sitting close by. Twilight was lost in one of the books she had brought with her, Pinkie Pie bothering her constantly with an arsenal of pointless questions. Luna noticed that the moon was already hanging high in the sky. "Celestia must have raised the moon for me.." she thought to herself as she sat down next to the crackling fire.

Twilight discarded the book she was reading, it did not spark her interest enough. She grabbed her father's cloak and pulled a book out of it that she had concealed within. Her father, as adventurous as he was, was regarded as a brilliant writer in his lifetime.

"In defiance of Dagon.." the title read. she turned her head to her pink friend as she felt hooves poking her side. "Pinkie! I just want to read quietly.. can't you talk to Dash?" she said as she gave the pink pony a stern look.

"Geez Twilight, fine! Maybe she'll be more fun.." Pinkie said as she bounced away.

"Now then.." she opened the book on the marked page and started reading.

"It is easy to remove the mind from harping on the lost illusion of immortality. The disciplined intellect fears nothing and craves no sugar-plum at the day's end, but is content to accept life and serve society as best it may. Personally I would not care for immortality in the least. There is nothing better than oblivion, since in oblivion there is no wish unfulfilled. We had it before we were born, yet did not complain. Shall we whine because we know it will return? It is Elysium enough for me, at any rate.."

The group had made six shelters, one for Fluttershy and Rarity. To spent the night in. Luna was lying underneath her blanket, her eyes locked onto the ceiling. She was usually awake during the night and slept through the day but she could not expect her new companions to change their sleeping pattern for her.

There she was, lying on the floor. Her thoughts were her only weapon in the war against the silence that haunted her. She could not help but think back at the dream she had.. "I did that.. All of it.. I'm a monster.." she thought to herself. "It wasn't your fault! It was Nightmare Moon!" she tried to reason with herself. "It wasn't all Nightmare Moon.. A part of me wanted it too.. A part of me agreed with her.."

"I have to get some fresh air.." she said as she threw her blanket off of her and got up on her hooves. She left her shelter and sneaked past the sleeping ponies as she made her way to the hill close to their camping site.

Fluttershy had just finished storing her medical supplies away as she entered her tent-like shelter. Rarity was already lying underneath the blanket. Suddenly Fluttershy noticed that she was crying. "Rarity.. is everything ok?" she said softly. Rarity turned her head to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy.. I'm just thinking about Sweetie Belle.." she sobbed.

Fluttershy felt a sting of pain in her heart. It felt horrible to see her love like this. She left the shelter and returned with a bowl of water. "Here Rarity.. you can wash yourself with this.." she said as she handed the bowl to Rarity.

The unicorn gave her a soft smile. "Thank you, Shy.." she said as she dipped her head into the water to clear her face from the dirt and tears. "It's just.. I can't help but wonder if she's ok.." she said as the tears returned to her eyes. The moon shone through the cracks of their shelter causing Rarity's wet mane to glisten in the moonlight.

A blush appeared on Fluttershy's face. She could not help but notice how great Rarity looked with a wet mane. "She's so beautiful.. and she's mine.." she felt a tingling sensation in her wings as they started to force themselves up. "I know how to cheer you up.."

Rainbow was rolling around underneath her blanket. Repositioning herself every five seconds in the hope of finding a comfortable sleeping position. She didn't mind, as long as she could keep her mind silent for a while.

Finally, after her tenth attempt, she found a spot comfortable enough for her to sleep on. She threw the blanket over herself as she closed her eyes. Suddenly a vision came to her. Her mind went back to Luna's shelter. Luna still sleeping, sweating heavily underneath the blanket, Her mane flowing over the floor. she herself, standing just inches away, her eyes locked onto the sleeping beauty.

She could feel her wings rise from her back. "No! I'll never be able to fall asleep. Go down wings!" she thought as she forced the feeling down. Suddenly a shout could be heard coming from one of the other shelters.

"Fluttershy! What has gotten into you!"

Her wings jumped up to their full size.

"Well, that's it. No sleep for me."

Got back up

Luna sat atop of the grassy hill as a heavy downpour started to rain down on her head. "Who am I.." she whispered as she looked up at the stars causing drops of rain to fall in her face. "I know who I was.. and what I became.. but who am I now.." she bowed her head in sadness. "Am I nothing more than just the forgotten sister.."

"I don't know why everypony looks up to me.." she said as tears started to escape from her eyes. "I don't know why Celestia claims that she's proud of me... I'm not proud of me.." she thought back at that horrible night. The night she betrayed and nearly killed her own sister.

Gusts of wind started to blow past her head violently. "I lost myself.." the storm's rage started to grow. She walked over to a puddle of rain that had formed near her. She looked into her reflection. "I can't save what's left of you.." she slammed her hoof into the puddle causing the water to ripple.

Her mind was filled with visions of her old anger, her old violence. She saw herself torment and pain the ponies of Equestria. She remembered how the darkness swallowed her under. She screamed loudly at the raging winds surrounding her. She found herself crying again the moment she calmed down. "I just want to forget.."

Suddenly the memories returned to her. She remembered how their parents always praised Celestia but left her in the darkness. She remembered how proud they were when Celestia showed them her beautiful sun while they paid no attention to her so called "Cold lump of stone"

She screamed at the skies in anger causing the clouds to blast thunder across the land. "How about now Mother! Father! Am I powerful enough now!" she snapped at the storms as her magic covered the lands. "Do I make you proud!?" Suddenly her horn lost its glow. She fell to the ground and the thunderstorms disappeared, leaving the rain to taunt her.

"That wasn't a scheduled storm.." Rainbow thought as she was lying on top of her blanket, unable to fall asleep. She kicked the door of her shelter open and walked into the storm. The rain did not bother her, after years of working as a weather pony she had become quite used to it.

She walked through the meadow, the wet grass rustling against her legs. She noticed somepony lying in the grass at the top of the hill. She drew closer to investigate the pony. "Princess Luna..?" she said as she squinted her eyes at the alicorn lying in the distance.

Luna felt the wet grass rub against her as tears streamed down her eyes. "I'm still weak.." she said softly. "Princess! Is that you!?" somepony yelled at her from the distance. She didn't even bother to wipe the tears out of her eyes. She was too focused on her sorrows.

The blue pegasus neared the sad heap of a pony lying in the grass as the wind raged around them. Suddenly Dash noticed that she was crying. "Princess?" she said softly in a caring tone as she stood next to Luna. The alicorn looked up at her, her tears dropping into the grass from her face.

"Rainbow Dash.." She whimpered.

"You shouldn't be out here in the storm.." Dash said with a tone of care, not knowing what was bothering the princess' mind. Rainbow pulled Luna up from the ground and allowed her to lean on her shoulder as the rain assaulted their faces. "Come on.. Let's get you inside.."

The princess merely nodded as she stood, shaking on her hooves.

Rainbow Dash closed the door of her shelter as Luna sat herself down on Rainbow's blanket. The sound of the rain hitting the wood and branches, that formed Dash's sleeping place, filled the air. It was a calming sound. Luna noticed that her fur had soaked Dash's blanket. "I.. I apologize Rai-"

"Here, take this." Rainbow said as she grabbed a towel out of her bags and handed it to the weeping Princess. She sat herself down on the wet blanket, next to Luna. Her feelings would have to wait. This pony needed her right now.

Luna started to dry her mane with the towel. Rainbow could not help but let her eyes wander off as Luna dried the more delicate parts of her body. The princess started sobbing again causing the pegasus to snap out of her hypnotized state.

"What were you doing outside.." Rainbow asked softly.

"I do not wish to bother you wi-" Luna got cut off as she felt Rainbow's fur rubbing up against her, her arms wrapped around her tightly.

"It's ok Princess.. I'm here for you."

Luna wasn't sure about what she felt. It was like her worries melted away. She calmed down at the sound of Rainbow's heart beating softly against her chest. She was amazed at how something as simple as an embrace could cause so much feelings to stir inside of her.

"It's ok if you don't want to talk about it.. I understand.." Rainbow whispered.

Luna was amazed. This pegasus actually cared about her feelings. She didn't need to know what was on her mind. All she wanted to do was make her feel better. "Is this friendship.." she wondered. All she knew was that she didn't want to go back to her shelter. That would only cause her mind to go back to that miserable state.

"Rainbow Dash.." she said softly.

"Yes, princess?"

"Could I.. perhaps.. sleep here tonight?"

Rainbow could see the worry in her eyes. she sighed. "Sure Princess." she left the shelter and returned with Luna's blanket.

Rainbow laid herself down next to Luna, keeping her personal space in mind. "Sleep well, Princess.." she yawned.

"Call me Luna.." The princess said softly as she fell into a state of deep sleep.

"Luna.." Rainbow smiled to herself.

A little filly with a Rainbow colored mane was lying underneath the sheets of her bed. The sound of her family's shouting had kept her up all night. She could feel the house shake in its place as chairs were thrown through the living room. As young as she was, she was not oblivious to what was going on.

"Why can't they just leave him alone.." she whispered as a tear escaped from her eyes. "He's done nothing wrong.." she tried to cover her head with her pillow but it was no use. She just wanted to go to sleep, to start over again tomorrow. No, this problem wasn't going to go away with sleep. She always was a courageous little filly. She had to face it head on.

The filly climbed out of her bed, the muzzled sound of her father's angry screaming booming through her room. She opened her door and walked over to the top of the stairs. The angry yelling of a young colt could be heard coming from downstairs. "I don't care what you think! I love him!" The colt snapped at his father.

"Get out of my house! You don't belong here any more!" The older colt yelled, his wife cowering behind him.

"Fine!" The colt yelled as he grabbed his bags and walked towards the door. The little filly's eyes filled with fear. She ran down the stairs and jumped in front of her older brother, blocking his path. "No Summer! Don't go!" she screamed as tears poured from her face.

The colt smiled at his little sister as he wiped the tears out of her eyes and lifted her head with his hoof. "Stay strong Dashie.. And don't let anyone tell you that your feelings are wrong.. It's your feelings that make you who you are.. And you're perfect just the way you are." he said as a tear fell from his cheek. "I will always love you Dashie.." he said as he walked out of the door.

Suddenly the floor underneath her hooves collapsed causing her to fall into the darkness. She screamed for help as a dark voice shook the air around her.

"Do you dream while you sleep or is it an escape from the horrors of reality?"

Rainbow jumped out of her sleeping state, Sweating all over, tears in her eyes. She had never felt her heart beat as fast as it did at that very moment. It felt like it was about to jump out of her chest. She put her shaking hoof to her forehead as she gasped for air.

"Summer.." was all she could think as she started crying uncontrollably "Big brother.."

"Nightmares?"

She turned her head to see Luna sitting next to her, a look of concern in her eyes. She quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes and bit her lip in an attempt to hide her sadness. She was still shaking uncontrollably. Suddenly she could feel a warmth overwhelm her.

Luna had embraced her in a tight hug, her hooves clinging to Rainbow's back. She used her wings to cover them causing Rainbow to feel a warm feeling flow through her body as Luna's feathers slid past it. It allowed her mind to calm down. Slowly, but steadily, she stopped shaking.

"Luna..?" Dash asked as the alicorn released her.

"You did the same for me." she said smiling.

"How is that possible!?" Rainbow asked in confusion as she sat next to Luna, both of them resting atop their blankets.

"I do not know.. but I've felt it and I am sure Twilight Sparkle has as well. Something inside of the forest is causing any living being that enters it to experience nightmares. It shows us our darkest fears. Do not be fooled however, it cannot create nightmares without a fear to feed on.. It shows us our worst memories.. Things that we tried to suppress.. Tried to forget." She said as she thought back at her own nocturnal visions.

She looked at Rainbow Dash with an expression of worry on her face. "I would not be surprised if your friends are sleeping in terror as we speak.."

Screaming on the inside

An orange teenage filly sat on her haunches next to her older brother. The red colt looked at her with an expression of worry on his face. It was late at night and her little sister was already put to bed. Her caretaker, an old mare, sat a few feet away from them with uneasy eyes.

The filly wasn't really sure what was going on. Granny Smith had asked her and Macintosh to come to the living room afer they had finished their chores on the farm. The sound of burning wood crackling in the fireplace was louder than anything else in the house.

“What did ya want to talk 'bout Granny?” The teenaged filly asked, breaking the awkward silence that had filled the room.

Granny Smith was not sure what to say. She knew what she had to say but her heart broke at the sight of the filly's innocent eyes. Macintosh was the first to speak. He sighed. “AJ, do ya remember what ah told you 'bout mom a few weeks ago..” he asked as he thought of every possible way to tell his little sister the unspeakable.

“Yeah. What 'bout it?” the filly asked as she gave her brother a curious look.

“well.. ya see..” the pressure became to much. He averted his gaze from the filly and allowed a few tears to escape his eyes. He bit his lip as he thought about what he was about to say. He gathered his courage and put a hoof on his little sister's shoulder.

The filly looked at her older brother in confusion as she noticed small streams of tears roll over his cheeks and fall on to the wooden floor.

“Ah have not been completely honest with ya AJ..” He started whimpering as he looked his sister straight in the eyes. “She ain't coming back.. She didn't make it.”

In a matter of seconds the little filly felt her hole world collapse in front of her. She shaked her head in disbelief. “No! That ain't what ya told me! You said she'd only be away for a little while!” she screamed at her brother, her head filled with both sadness and anger.

“Ah just.. didn't think you were ready to hear it yet..” he said as he looked at his little sister with regret in his eyes.

“You lied to me! You lied!” she screamed as tears streamed down her face. She kicked her brother in the stomach causing him to collapse to the floor as she ran out of the house and into the woods surrounding Sweet Apple Acres.

“They lied! Why did they lie!” she thought to herself as she ran as fast as her legs could take her. Suddenly she felt the ground swallow her under. Her eyes saw only blackness. She tried to scream but there was no sound at all.

A cold sensation filled her head as she felt something holding it firmly. A terrifying voice whispered in the darkness. “Honesty.. it is all a charade.. There is no trust, no faith, no honesty.. for honest people are easily decieved..”

Suddenly she could feel the void in front of her mouth dissapear. She was able to speak again. “But.. honesty is a sign of trust!” she pleaded.

“But lies are easier to take.. The truth is harsh... Trust is your weakness... There is no sharp distinction between the real and the unreal...”

Applejack opened her eyes to be greeted by drops of rain, dripping onto her face from the ceiling of her sleeping place. She noticed that it was still fairly dark outside. She could not get her mind to go silent. She felt so.. angry. It was like all of the conflicting emotions of that horrible night returned to her.

She quickly grabbed her mother's hat out of her bags and hugged it tightly as tears escaped from her eyes. "Why'd ya leave mommy.. Why'd ya leave.." she whispered softly. Her mind drifted back to the years that she and her brother had to take care of little Apple Bloom. She opened her bags and pulled out a little bundle of letters. She carefully opened them with shaking hooves.

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Hey Mom,

Big Mac told me about your accident. I was worried at first but he told me you are going to be fine so I'm ok now. I wanted to go and visit you but he told me that you weren't allowed to have visitors at the hospital so I decided to write you this letter. I wanted you to know that I think about you every night before I go to sleep. It helps me sleep at night.

You are in my prayers Mommy,

AJ

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Hey Mom,

It has been over a week now and I miss you very much. I'm not sure if you got my last letter because I never got an answer. I understand though! It would just like to hear from you. You have the farm's adress right, we have been living there with Granny Smith since you went on your trip remember?

I hope to hear from you soon.

I love you, AJ

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Hi Mommy,

I'm really starting to get worried about you but Macintosh told me not to. He has been spending alot of time with me and Bloom lately. I don't know why but he seems to be a bit sad. I asked him what was wrong but I never got an answer. I think you should be ok by now right? I don't mean to sound pushy but I just miss you very much. I'm not mad at you for not answering my letters Mommy but I could really use some reassurrance.

Missing you, AJ

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Dear Mom,

You still haven't called or wrote, I hope you get a change. I'm not mad I just think it's a little wierd you don't answer me. If you don't feel like talking to me right now you don't have to but you could have written a letter for Applebloom. She's just a little filly, She's only six years old. She misses you even more than I do. I'm not that mad though I just don't like being lied to. Remember when you left on your trip, you told us that if we wrote to you, you would write back.

I hope to hear from you soon, AJ

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It's been six months and still no word! Don't I deserve it!? I know you got my last two letters I wrote the adresses on them perfectly. This is the last letter I ever sent to you! All I wanted was a lousy letter or a call! I hope you know that I threw all of your pictures on the floor! I love you Mommy why won't you answer me!?

AJ

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Dear Mom,

I'm sorry I sounded so angry in my last letter, I didn't really mean it. It's just been really hard for me and Bloom lately. but anyway, how are you doing? Are you any feeling better? I want you to know that I still pray for you every night. I don't know why you don't try to contact us but it must be very important. I repaired your pictures and put them back on my wall. I look at them when I feel down.

I love you, AJ

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Dear Mommy,

Big Macintosh told me the truth a few days ago.. I'm in the woods right now.. I know you won't read this but it helps me to write about my feelings and just think that you are listening.. Everyone just keeps asking me if I'm ok. Are they asking me that to remind of what happened or am I just a little snappy and they genuinely care? Mommy, I just want to stop thinking about you but everything keeps reminding me of you! I continuously stare at pictures of you. I just never got to say "I love you" as much I wanted to. I'm yelling it now but you can't hear me. What good does it do me now!?

Everyone just keeps giving us presents to ease it to us.. and Mommy you won't believe this but Granny actually talks to me now. And everypony else is just trying to pick up the pieces.. How could you touch so many lives and just leave us!? They say grievance has its way of affecting everpony differently. Then how am I supposed to get over you!?

And Mommy, it's true that you brought ponies together that would have never been in the same room if it wasn't for you. You were the peacemaker and I know sometimes you were moody but you hated confrontation and truly hated the feuding. Yet you were always there for us when we needed you. Believe me, you're the one who taught me to fight back when the world was on my shoulders.

But I'm digressing Mommy, you need your well deserved rest. I'm just going to have to forget you and move on.. as difficult as it sounds..

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The tears dropping from her eyes fell unto the letters causing the ink to fade. "C'mon AJ.. You're a big girl now. Ah thought you were over this.." she left her shelter and stood in the wet grass. She looked up into the sky and allowed the rain to run through her mane.

She smiled as she felt the heavy grip leave her mind. She reminded herself that her life wasn't so bad. She had a roof over her head. Apple Bloom was happier than ever and she had five friends that would risk their lives for her if they had to. She would do the same for them after all. She would catch a bullet for any of her friends at any day and she wouldn't even have to think about it for a second.

Twilight sat up against the wall of her shelter, her head resting firmly on the branches. The sound of the rain trickling against the wood taunted her ears. ever so often a cloud could be heard, smiting the lands with its thunder. She sat on her haunches, resting in the dirt.

She felt exhausted, not only physically but mentally as well. It felt as if something was pulling at her spirit, draining her mind. "Why can't I think straight.." The raindrops managed to invade her shelter through the cracks in the walls. dripping down into the mud.

She allowed her head to hit the pillow. "I can't sleep.. My thoughts are so.. chaotic." Her thoughts jumped across the walls of her sleeping place. It seemed impossible for her mind to focus on one single subject at a time. she sat back up, hooves on her head, touched knees to elbows.

She still felt that heavy feeling eat at her. Picking her mind apart piece by piece. Her eyes slowly forced themselves shut as her world went black..

A young purple unicorn sat at her desk in the dark of the night. Her head resting upon the wood of her study. She was hastely scribbling something in her notes as she whispered to herself softly. All of the other magic students in her dorm were already fast asleep.

The words of her teacher bounced around in her head. “If you haven't mastered your fire spells by tommorow I will fail you Twilight Sparkle..” her eye twitched slightly as she continued to read the oversized book laid out in front of her.

The candlelight started to hurt her eyes but she couldn't give up she would not allow herself to fail Celestia like that. A couple of large bookcases were divided among the dorm. The sound of snoozing fillies and colts was the only thing that accompanied the sound of her pen, scribbling unto the paper.

“Fire..Fire..Fire..” she whispered to herself as she examined the schematics in front of her as closely as possible. “Ok Twilight.. Just a spark.. Just a small spark.” she said as she focused her power into her horn causing it to glow a red aura.

“Come on..” No matter how hard she focused she could not get the fire to appear. She could already see Celestia looking down at her with a disappointed frown. Her horn lost its glow as her head fell upon her desk. She tilted her head in pain. “I can't do it..” she whispered.

Her mind drifted back at the day that her father helped her cast her first spell. She had been trying for hours but she was unable to cast the simplest incantation. Her father placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder and said. “Look at me Twilight, if my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it.”

“I know I can..” she whispered as she took another look at her notes and lifted her horn upwards. She closed her eyes and focused all of her power into her horn as her fathers words ringed in her head.

Suddenly she opened her eyes. They were red, completely void of any other color. Her horn started to emanate a fiery aura as she lost control of her magic. A huge blanket of flames engulfed the room, setting fire to the wooden walls.

Several young fillies and colts awakened from their sleep, screaming in fear, running towards the door. Twilight lied on the floor, unaware of her surroundings. Just before the fire was about to swallow her a glowing shield appeared around her.

There she lied, Fire surrounding her from all sides. A thin purple barrier was the only thing that separated her from certain death. Her eyes fell shut as the barrier lost its power. She awakened several hours later to be greeted by her mentor Celestia, looking at her with a furious stare..

Suddenly her world went black. There was no sound, no sight, nothing.. She could not move her limbs. “Magic.. It is unstable.. All it does is wreak havoc and destruction.. You will lose control over it again.. It is inevitable.. And when that happens.. You will be the cause of the end of your loved ones..”

“This world will be reborn in flames.. And you.. You will be all alone..”

Twilight opened her eyes. She was still sitting up against the wooden wall of her shelter, her flank resting in the mud. "That felt.. so real." she thought as she said her vivid nightmare. "Dreams have never felt so real before." this thought sparked her mind. she quickly grabbed her father's book out of the cloak that was laying beside her.

She knew exactly wich page she was thinking of. she quickly salvaged the hordes of information, looking for the exact page. "Here it is!" she exclaimed as she started reading.

"In the land of the dreaming there is neither time nor space, neither suffering nor death. But some of us awake in the night with strange phantasms of enchanted hills and gardens, of fountains that sing in the sun, of golden cliffs overhanging murmuring seas, of plains that stretch down to sleeping cities of bronze and stone, and of shadowy companies of heroes that ride along the edges of thick forests; and then we know that we have looked back through the ivory gates into that world of wonder which was ours before we were wise and unhappy.

But others awake in the night with visions of horrors beyond horrors, of all dreamable hideousness from wich the cosmos saves to blast an accursed and unhappy few. The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the pony mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far."

Pinkie was lying contently in her hoof-made bed, giggling slightly at the sound of the raindrops falling into the small puddles that surrounded her shelter. She smiled softly at herself. Why wouldn't she? She had alot to be happy about these days. Her life was fairly easy. She was so happy that some of her close friends had found love in eachother.

Her smile widened as she thought of how cute the two were together. "I still so have to throw them a party!" she said happily. Suddenly she felt something pull at her. Something heavy. "Hey! That feels kind of funny!" she giggled. But her smile soon turned into a frown as soon as the force started to pull at her mind aggresively causing her to feel a sting of pain in her head.

"Ow! Hey, stop it!" she snapped at the air in her shelter. Suddenly she felt something enter her mind. A heavy feeling appeared in her brain and heart almost instantly. A voice appeared in her head.

"Diane Pie.. Why do you hide behind a mask of laughter.. Why do feel the need to force yourself into a state of happiness.. What are you trying to hide.." The voice said as it stung in her mind.

"Hide? I'm just my happy Pinkie self!" she giggled. "There is alot to be happy about." she said as she nodded. "But could you please leave my head creepy voice thingy?"

"Laughter.. an invention made by the weaker races to ease their mind from their truly pitiful existence.. I know you feel this.. This hurts you.." It said as the pain inside of her slowly started to grow larger.

She quickly held her hooves to her head in an attempt to ease the pain but it was useless. "Why are you doing this?" she whimpered.

"Laughter.. Happiness.. Surely you can see the futility of it all.." the voice said as she felt the pain draw closer to the centre of her mind.

Suddenly Pinkie's voice turned from innocence to anger. "Get out of my head!" she yelled angrily as she closed her eyes. She could feel the pain in her head subside as the voice's volume slowly lowered itself. "You prolong the inevitable.. This delay is pointless.."

Pinkie wasn't sure about what just happened. All she knew was that she felt horrible. Suddenly she heard the sound of the rain dripping into the small pools outside of her house again. She could not help but giggle loudly at the sound. In a matter of seconds she could feel her hair fluff up to it ussual style as a smile appeared on her face. "I'm sure glad that's over with!" she said as she giggled loudly.

"That was you!?" Luna asked in amazement. "Celestia told me about what happened at the Best Young Flyers Competition. I can't imagine how it must feel to fly at such speeds." she said with new found respect for her new friend.

Rainbow Dash blushed slightly at the princess' admiration. "It's awesome!" she exclaimed with her hooves in the air. "When you near closer and closer to the danger zone, the adrenaline rushing through your veins! That feeling, that rush! It's the reason why I love flying so much." She explained. "I feel so free when I'm up high in the air."

Luna was sitting at the edge of her bed, listening closely to everything that the pegasus told her. "I wish I knew what that feels like.." she said softly.

"Why don't you?" Rainbow Dash asked in confusion. "You are the princess of Equestria! No one can tell you what to do! Your life must be an easy ride?" she asked Luna.

"There you are mistaken Rainbow Dash.. I am not as free as you might think.. The masses of canterlot are always watching me, judging my every move. Even when I'm at home in the palace the guards look over me as if I'm some kind of foal.." she sighed. "I wish I was more like you. You face your problems head on. You never back down!" she said as she thougt back at Dash's heroics when they were fighting against the wolves.

"I'm sorry princess.. I didn't know." she said as she gave Luna a look of compassion. Suddenly an idea appeared in her head. She smiled brightly at the Princess as she got out of her bed. "Let's go flying!" she said happily. "I'll teach you to fly just me!"

Luna's frown turned into a huge smile. "You could do that!?" she asked happily.

"Of course I can! I am the best flyer in Equestria after all! We'll have you soaring through the air in no time!"

"I.. I am not sure about this Rainbow Dash." Luna stuttered as she stood atop a high cliff clsoe to their camp site. Her hooves were shaking in fear as she looked down at the water splashing up against the jagged rocks at the bottom of the cliff.

"You've got wings don't you?" she giggled at Luna. "Use 'em!"

"Yes.. you see.. about that.. I can't really fly that well.." she said in embarrassment. "I have sort of.. forgotten." she looked down at the ground, frowning slightly. "Celestia prefers that I walk in the precense of guests.."

Rainbow Dash landed beside her and gave her a soft look of concern. "That's ok Luna. I'll show you some of the basics first then." she said happily causing Luna to look up and smile at her. Rainbow jumped off of the cliff and spreaded her wings. She bended her athletic body in the direction of the wind causing her to rise up into the air.

Luna looked at the pegasus with amazement. She looked so free, So careless. It was as if Rainbow Dash was at home in the air. Luna watched closely as Rainbow Dash preformed amazing tricks in front of her eyes. She found herself looking closer.. and closer.. focusing on how her body bended in the air.

"She sure is slender.." Luna thought to herself. she turned her gaze to Rainbow's flank. "Slender and tight.." Suddenly her eyes growed wide at her thoughts. "Nonono.. Clean thoughts Luna! Clean thoughts.." she thought to herself. "You're not like that remember! Celestia said so herself!"

"Uuhm Luna?" Rainbow Dash asked the alicorn who was still staring at the sky where Rainbow had been flying a few moments ago. "Equestria to Luna! Are you still with us?" she said laughingly as she nudged the princess' side.

This caused Luna to snap out of her hypnotic state. "Oh! Rainbow Dash.." she blushed slightly. "That was amazing!"

Awakening

Warning: The following chapter contains harsh language and heavy shipping and may offend some viewers if those viewers attend bible school or wear dresses. viewer discretion is advised! I don't really know what that means..

Rarity slowly opened her eyes to the morning sun, but for what she saw, she was not prepared. Fluttershy lied atop of her, her flank resting in between Rarity's legs. Her head rested upon the unicorn's chest. She watched her love's head slowly rise and fall as she breathed. The morning sun's beams shone through the cracks in the wood.

Fluttershy's roughed up mane rolled over the blanket, intertwining with Rarity's. “She looks so innocent when she's asleep..” Rarity admitted to herself smilingly. Rarity allowed the sound of Fluttershy's soft snoozing to fill her mind as she put her arms around her love's body, resting her hooves underneath the Pegasus' wings. She closed her eyes to get a few more minutes of sleep.

This however, became a lost cause as she felt Fluttershy stir in her arms. “What is that lovely smell.. Vanilla?” Fluttershy thought as she buried her face into whatever she was holding, allowing the aroma to prickle her senses. She slowly opened her eyes. A small smile appeared on her face as she realized what she was holding.

“Good morning, beautiful..” Rarity whispered into Fluttershy's ear.

“Good morning, Rarity..” she said as she hugged the unicorn tightly. “Did you sleep well?”

“How could I? You kept me up all night.” she giggled playfully, receiving a blush from Fluttershy.

“I.. I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to.” she said softly.

“no, dear.” She giggled. “You're just very.. enthusiastic. That's a good thing, believe me.” she smiled as she grabbed the pegasus tightly and rolled over causing her to lie atop of a heavily blushing Fluttershy. “Perhaps I should return the favour?” she smiled seductively.

Suddenly someone could be heard, knocking on the walls of their shelter. “Will you guys get up already!? Geez!” Rainbow Dash yelled angrily.

“In a minute!” Rarity yelled back, slightly frustrated at the fact that she had to release Fluttershy from her hold. She grabbed the bowl of water laying next to them and started to clean her face and fix her mane. After she was finished she handed the bowl to Fluttershy who did the same.

Twilight yawned deeply. "So that should be about two days of walking.." she said tiredly as she stood on the hill, looking over the map with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. The pegasus looked at her friends with a look of worry. They all had bags under their eyes and were yawning constantly.

"Uuhm guys? You don't look so well.." she said awkwardly.

"I didn't get much sleep last night.." Twilight said softly. "Nightmares bugging me.."

"Same here.." Applejack said as she stumbled around on her hooves causing Rainbow Dash to laugh loudly. "It ain't funny!" she snapped at the pegasus. "Let's just get going. We have a long road ahead of us."

"I'm just teasing you AJ." The pegasus smiled at her friend. "And we still have to wait for Equestria's subtlest couple." she said laughingly.

"Rainbow!" Applejack grunted, amazed at her friends rudeness.

"What are you talking about?" Twilight said in a confused tone causing Applejack to put her hoof to her face.

"They weren't exactly what you would call.. silent last night." Rainbow said as she and Pinkie tried to contain their laughter. Suddenly they noticed the subjects of their laughter walk towards them, followed by Luna.

"Good morning girls." Rarity said with a smile on her face.

"Took y'all long enough." Applejack said, obviously irritated.

The seven ponies ran across the flowing golden meadows located north to the Everfree Forest. It was a nice change of scenery after spending so much time in that wretched place. The great city of Canterlot could be seen standing in the mountains to the east, shooting its protective gaze over the land of Equestria.

Luna stared at her home town for a moment as she ran along. She wondered what her sister was doing right now. As much as she disliked the social side to being a princess there were certain benefits that she started to miss. Like waking up in her huge bed, being greeted by the smell of delicious food every morning.

She averted her gaze from the shining city, frowning slightly as she followed the group of ponies through the fields of green. She was running close to Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was the only pony she had felt comfortable around the past couple of days.

Rainbow Dash noticed how down Luna had become as they drifted farther and farther away from the city of Canterlot. Somehow she knew what was bothering her. "Feeling homesick?" she asked the alicorn, smiling softly. Luna nodded at her friend.

"I know what that's like. But then again, I live in the best place in Equestria!" she exclaimed.

"Where would that be?" The princess asked, genuinely interested in learning anything about her friend.

"Cloudsdale of course!"

"The pegasus city? Celestia has told me about it. It wasn't around before.. well, before my banishment. I've heard it's quite the sight. The riches of Canterlot seem to have a less charitable opinion on it though." she said laughingly.

"What! Why?" The pegasus asked Luna, obviously unable to comprehend why anyone would dislike her home town.

"You're obviously aware of the differences between unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. The pegasi tend to have a more open view about certain things. They prefer to life their lives without the interference of authority or the government. The majority of unicorns however, seems to desire that the government has as much power over the people as possible, to keep them in check. Sometimes I think that the two would have been at war by now if it wasn't for Celestia."

"What's your opinion on it Princess?" Twilight asked.

"I personally admire the pegasi culture a lot. The people need to be free to live their lives how they see fit. But that is why the two groups don't share a government. That way, everypony gets what they desire. Celestia keeps a close eye on Cloudsdale though, at the request of the Unicorn Magistirium."

"Sounds like a bunch of stuck up desk-sitters." Rainbow said.

"That they are." Luna said laughingly. "They belief in the authority to teach religious doctrine and are highly regarded amongst the majority of unicorns. But please, enough about this. One of the reasons that I went along on this journey was to get away from it all." she giggled.

The group ran for hours. The golden meadows eventually turned into rocky landscapes. The road began to rise as they entered the snowy mountainsides that were located in the northern regions of Equestria. A thin layer of snow laid atop the rocky roads. Covering the mountains with a white blanket.

The sound of hooves hitting the snow filled the air. Pinkie Pie was happily skipping through the winter wonderland, catching snowflakes with her tongue, giggling loudly all the while. Fluttershy walked even closer to Rarity and put a protective wing over her back to shield her from the cold. Applejack was shivering slightly as she walked at the front of the group, the snowflakes hitting her face.

Twilight noticed her friend's shivers. she walked up to Applejack and smiled softly at her. "Applejack, you're freezing. Here, we can share my cloak." she said as she drew closer to put her father's cloak over the earth pony's shoulder. Suddenly Applejack stopped her. "Ah'm fine. It's just a little bit of snow."

Twilight sighed. "Do I have to remind you of the apple bucking incident?" she said. Applejack bowed her head in defeat. "Fine, gimme that." she said as she grabbed the piece of cloth out of Twilight's hoof and threw it over her back. The two continued to walk side by side, hidden underneath Twilight's cloak.

The creeping cold inside of Applejack was replaced by a comfortable warmth. She smiled softly at Twilight. "Thanks." Twilight returned the smile.

After several more hours of stomping through the snow Luna suddenly stopped in her tracks. "It is almost time to raise the moon. It would be beneficial to set up our camp here." she announced. The group nodded in response. They all searched for acceptable spots to build their shelters.

As soon as Rainbow Dash noticed Luna building her sleeping place she trotted over to her and started to build hers right beside it causing Luna to send her a happy smile. Luna and Rainbow Dash had been talking about pretty much everything over the last few days. The night that Luna stayed in Rainbow's shelter was almost entirely spent whispering sentences to each other, sharing their thoughts.

The princess had found a friend in the overconfident pegasus. Somepony who was actually interested in who she was on the inside rather than what she had to be in order to maintain her crown. The sky turned to a dim orange as the sun settled behind the horizon.

"One moment Rainbow Dash, I must raise the moon." she said, sad at the fact that she had to cut their conversation short. Suddenly an idea appeared in her head causing her to smile brightly. "Would you like to come with me and watch me raise the moon?" she said happily.

"Of course!" Rainbow exclaimed. She was never able to understand how somepony could actually be powerful enough to preform such an achievement. She happily trotted to Luna's side as the two left for the closest mountain.

Luna sat herself down on the ground, closing her eyes in concentration. Rainbow took her place a few feet away from the Luna. Rainbow Dash looked at the sky, It was void. No sun nor moon shone in the sky. Suddenly Luna's horn started to glow with a large, dark aura. Rainbow's eyes lit up in amazement as the princess flew to the sky causing the moon to slowly rise as she did.

Suddenly millions of stars appeared in the heavens, dazzling in the dark sky like little diamonds. Suddenly Luna's horn lost its glow causing her to land softly on the ground next to Rainbow Dash. The princess looked up at her beautiful moon hanging in the sky surrounded by her beloved stars.

"Luna.. It's beautiful!" Dash exclaimed as she looked up at the night sky.

"You haven't seen anything yet." she said as she smiled at her friend. She focused all of her power into her horn and closed her eyes. "Embrace.." Her eyes snapped open. "Eternity!" she yelled as she lifted her horn to the sky. Suddenly thousands of stars, that were once invisible to Rainbow, appeared in the sky causing it to be filled with millions of gleaming lights.

Her mouth dropped open in amazement at the sight laid out before her. Luna giggled softly at the pegasus' facial expression. "I'm glad you like it." she smiled.

Rainbow Dash looked at the princess sitting in the snow. smiling softly at her as her mane flowed over her shoulders, her body glistening in the moonlight. She felt her wings force themselves up once again. And then it happened. She just had to do it. She could not help herself. One can only fight the urge for so long.

She moved closer to Luna and wrapped her arms around her as tightly as possible before forcing her lips on to Luna's. The princess' eyes shot open in surprise as she sat, shaking heavily in Rainbow's arms. She felt a sensation that she had never experienced before, or at least forgotten.

Rainbow slowly opened Luna's mouth with her own. Letting her tongue enter and play with Luna's. Rainbow was in a state of complete bliss as she explored her "friend's" mouth. She was acting completely on impulse. Luna's mind was practically exploding. It was as if a wave of emotions crashed into her.

The alicorn instinctively closed her eyes. A spark of lust jumped through her spine as Rainbow's tongue started to circle around her own. She started moaning softly as feelings that were once unknown to her danced around in her mind. Suddenly her eyes shot open again. She quickly pushed Rainbow away causing the pegasus to fall to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Luna yelled at her.

"No! Luna! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" she said as tears started to appear in her eyes. "How could you be so bucking stupid!?" she thought to herself. She quickly got off of the ground and walked over to Luna, putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

Luna pushed Rainbow away once again. "Stop touching me! I don't want it!" she yelled, furious at the fact that her body dared to tell her otherwise. She started to run away into the snowy hills as fast as her legs could take her.

"No, wait!" Rainbow yelled as she flew into the air, chasing the crying princess. She landed in front of Luna, blocking her path. "Let me explain!" Rainbow pleaded.

"Leave me alone! I'm not like you!" she screamed as her horn started to glow with a dark aura. Suddenly she flashed away. She was gone.

Rainbow Dash stood there.. Alone.. In the cold snow.. The wind raging in her ear.. "Luna.." she whispered as her legs gave in to her emotions. She dropped to the floor. Her face turned pale as she breathed into the snowflakes.

"Luna.."

Heartache

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. She was lying in a hoof-made bed with several blankets wrapped around her up to her waist. Her friend Fluttershy was standing over her, placing a warm damp towel over her head.

The pegasus shifted her eyes from side to side to examine the room. Rarity was sitting in a corner of the shelter, fidgeting with her mane. Twilight sat beside her, reading a book to pass the time. Rainbow slowly raised herself from her sleeping position. She sat upright in the bed. Her legs were still hidden underneath the blankets. She had to keep her hooves behind her back, pinned into the bed, to keep herself from collapsing.

“You're awake!” The shy pegasus yelled as she took the towel off of Rainbow's forehead. This caused Twilight and Rarity to drop whatever they were doing and rush to Fluttershy's side. Rainbow's head felt light. It was like the world went by just a little bit slower than usual.

“Guys? Where am I? What's going on?” Rainbow said softly.

“You suffered from severe hypothermia.” Twilight said with a worried look. “We found you lying in the snow. You must have been there for hours. It's good that we found you when we did or you could have suffered from frostbite.”

“We carried you here to try to warm you up.” Fluttershy said as she removed the blankets from Rainbow's legs. “We couldn't find the princess anywhere..” she said sadly. This caused Rainbow's ears to perk. She quickly threw the remaining blankets off of her and jumped out of bed.

her legs nearly gave in at first but she managed to stumble out of the shelter. Fluttershy, Twilight and Rarity followed her outside. “Dashie! You can't walk yet. Where are you going!?” Fluttershy yelled as she tried to keep up with her friend. The snow blew past their heads violently.

“I need to find her. I need to talk to her.” Rainbow uttered as she stubbornly walked through the snow, ignoring her friend's yelling. Fluttershy caught up with the stumbling pegasus and grabbed her by the waist causing Rainbow to pause.

“Who!? What are you talking about?” Fluttershy pleaded.

“Luna! I need to find her!” she said as she pushed her friend away and continued her march through the raging snowstorm. Her mind was doing what it always did when the emotions became too much to handle. She discarded all thoughts and logic to focus on one single goal. Finding Luna.

Fluttershy jumped after her friend and put her arms around her once more, grabbing her as tightly as possible this time. “Rainbow stop! Tell me what's going on!” she begged the pegasus who was still moving her legs, dragging her timid friend with her through the snow.

“Rainbow please! Stop and think!” Fluttershy yelled as Rainbow Dash prepared herself to fly away. Suddenly her friend's yelling reached her mind causing her to snap out of her determined state. She lowered her wings and looked at the pony clutching her waist with a look of concern.

The six friend's sat in a circle inside of the shelter that Fluttershy and Rarity shared together. It was the largest one of them all and they had to hide themselves from the raging snowstorm that was still blowing outside.

They all had their blankets wrapped around them as the sound of the wind raging against the wood of the shelter filled the air. Everypony was thinking the exact same thing but none of them were brave enough to ask it. Whatever had happened last night it must have been a very traumatic experience to be able to cause Rainbow Dash to act like this.

Rainbow was taking small sips of the cup of tea that Fluttershy had handed to her. She held the cup with both of her hooves as she looked down into the swirling brew. Her mind went over the events of last night. As much as she hated to relive that moment she had to understand the situation before she could explain it to her friends.

After a minute of sitting in an uncomfortable silence Fluttershy managed to speak up. “So.. Rainbow.. Do you want to tell us about what happened?” she said softly as she put a comforting hoof on her friend's shoulder.

Rainbow Dash finished the last bit of her drink as she thought about how to explain last night's events to her friends. “well..” she managed to whisper. “I don't really know how to tell you this.. It's.. It's kind of my fault that Luna has disappeared.” she said.

“What did ya do Rainbow?” Applejack asked sternly.

“You wouldn't understand..” The pegasus whispered as the memories of last night flashed through her head. “God! I'm such a bucking fool!” she yelled.

Fluttershy hugged her friend tightly as she looked into her eyes. “You can tell me anything and I won't judge you.” she whispered. This caused tears to escape from Rainbow's eyes. “Well..” Rainbow continued to tell her friends about how close she and the princess had become over the last few days. She told them about the nights that the two had spent just sharing each other's thoughts and feelings.

“I was so sure of it..” she said as she lowered her gaze to the ground. “But it was just my imagination..” she swallowed her pride as she looked up at her friends. “I kissed her.. and she became furious.. She yelled at me, told me to leave her alone.. she teleported away and I.. I don't know where she is..”

Everypony in the room was silent. They just looked at Rainbow with judging eyes. Fluttershy pulled her friend in for another hug. “It wasn't your fault Dashie..” she said in a comforting tone. This caused the stern looks of their friends to soften. As much as they disagreed with Fluttershy her compassion reminded them of the fact that friends supported each other no matter what.

“I just want to talk to her and explain myself.. but she probably never wants to see me again..” she said sadly as the tears that were resting in her eyes started to roll down her cheeks, dripping onto the ground.

“Don't worry Dashie.. We will find her.” Fluttershy said as she handed Rainbow a towel to dry her tears. She turned her gaze to the group. “Right girls?” she asked. The four ponies weren't sure about what to say at first but Pinkie, Applejack, and Twilight eventually nodded in agreement.

"But we have to find the cure for Sweetie Belle!" Rarity exclaimed. "We don't have enough time to chase the princess.." she said as she avoided any eye contact with Rainbow Dash. The blue pegasus tightened her hold over Fluttershy as she looked her in the eyes.

"Shy?" she whispered.

Fluttershy stood before a dilemma. "Rarity is right, it's not certain that we can go after Luna and still have enough time to save Sweetie Belle.." she thought to herself. She turned her gaze to Rainbow Dash. "But.. I can't betray the only person that has always stood by my side when I needed her.." Her thoughts went back to her fillyhood. She remembered how Rainbow Dash was always there to comfort her when she got bullied. She remembered the countless nights that the two fillies had spent together, talking about their hopes and fears. The person that was always there for her needed her this time.

"I won't let you down Dashie.. Not now." she whispered. She turned her head to Rarity. "Please don't make me choose between the two of you Rarity.. That's a decision that I'm not prepared to make.." she said, hoping that her love would understand. Rarity could see the desperation in her love's eyes.

She got up form the floor and walked over to Rainbow Dash and hugged her tightly. "I am sorry Rainbow. I know what it's like to be in love." she smiled as she looked at Fluttershy. "I will aid you." she nodded.

Rainbow Dash eagerly returned the hug. "Thanks Rarity.." she said. "Love.. Is that what I'm feeling? It's certainly nothing like anything I've ever felt before.." she thought. Rainbow Dash had experienced countless meaningless relationships in her life but this.. this was different..

"So how do ya expect to find out where she went?" Applejack asked Twilight.

"There's nothing a bit of magic can't solve." she laughed as she pointed at her horn. "The princess is like a beacon of powerful magic." she explained. "A simple scrying spell could easily locate such a huge source of dark magic. With a bit of luck I can even pinpoint her location on our map."

She pointed her horn towards the map laid out on the table in front of her. Her horn started to envelop the map in a faint purple aura. four glowing dots appeared on the map, one on each side. They slowly started moving towards the middle, leaving a faint purple trace as they did.

The dots all stopped at the exact same location, circling around eachother. Twilight took a closer look at the map. "Oh, god.." she said in an irritated tone.

"What? What does it say?" Applejack said as she stepped closer to the table. "Wait a minute.. ain't that?" Twilight merely nodded in response.

The dark blue alicorn filly sat on her large bed. Covering her eyes with her hooves as small tears fell from her face and landed upon her marine blue blanket. Several shattered relics were scattered across the floor. The sound of her soft sobbing echoed through the halls of the massive palace.

"Luna..? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" A distant voice asked softly.

She lifted her gaze from her hooves to see her teenaged sister Celestia stand over her with a look of worry in her eyes. "Leave me alone sister.." she snapped at her. Celestia walked over to her little sister and hugged her tightly. "Hey! We promised to tell each other everything remember?" she said soflty.

Luna pushed her sister away and threw her bed's covers over herself. "It's not like you would understand.." she whispered as the tears continued to escape from her eyes. Celestia took Luna's blanket in her mouth and pulled it off of her little sister. "Please Luna.. Tell me what's wrong.." she pleaded.

The alicorn turned in her bed and raised her eyes to look Celestia straight in the eyes. Luna looked like she had been crying for hours. "Promise me you won't tell them." she said in a serious tone.

"Why not? They love you just as much as I do sister." she said smiling.

Luna shaked her head. "No. They love you. Mother wishes that I was never born, she said so herself and what I am about to tell you will only add to their list of my disappointments.

"Mommy only said so because she was angry Luna.. She didn't really mean it." she said with a look of concern.

"Just promise me you won't tell them!" she yelled causing Celestia to step back in fear. After a few second she returned to her sister's side.

"I promise." she whispered.

"Remember what mother taught us a few months ago? About the natural attraction?" she said as she got up on her haunches.

"Yeah, she took us to choose colts so we could learn about the concept of love."

"That's the thing.. I.. I don't like colts.." she said as she looked down at the ground.

"Of course you don't silly, you're way too young for that stuff. You'll understand when you're older." she said as she smiled at her little sister.

"No sister, you don't understand. I AM attracted to ponies. They're just not colts.." she said softly.

"How do you mean? I don't understand." she said in a confused tone.

"I.." Luna swallowed all of her pride as she looked her sister straight in the eyes. "I like fillies!" she yelled as she started to cry heavily.

Celestia walked over to her little sister and hugged her tightly. "No you don't Luna, you're just confused that's all. You just need to grow a little older. This is just some silly phase." she said as she smiled at Luna.

"Really?" Luna said as she dried her tears and looked into her sister's eyes.

"Really."

Reflection

Luna stumbled clumsily across the darkened atrium that stood deep within the Everfree Forest.. She was sick to her stomach. “I remember this place..” she said as shadowy visions flashed through her mind. She felt her stomach turn as she slowly climbed up the black marble stairs, feeling her hooves shake with each step.

Her legs threatened to give in with each slow, tired motion. Her hooves tiredly slid across the black marble crafted into the stairs causing them to make a slight grinding noise. Her mind was so overflowing with thoughts that she couldn't even keep track of them all. It felt as if all of her power had been drained from her body.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she raised her gaze from the ground, looking around the massive hall that laid before her. “This is the place..” she whispered. It happened a long time ago but she remembered it like it was yesterday.

“Two years ago..” she continued to whisper. “Two years ago.. My life began once more..” Suddenly the images of her battle with the Elements of Harmony flashed through her mind. She still remembered what it felt like to loose control of your own mind. To have someone else pull the strings. To have it eat at you with every.. heavy.. step of the way..

She approached the large stone altar that once held the Elements of Harmony. As she continued to stare at the towering pillar a burning pain started to sting her mind. She quickly looked away as she closed her eyes in pain causing her gaze to fall apon a large wall-like statue that stood at the edge of the room. A similar structure stood on the opposite side of the room

“The prophecy..” she said.

The walls were each divided into four large dark-stone statues, each representing a certain event in history. She walked over to the far left of the wall and started to glare at every little detail that she could find in the first picture.

It depicted a crying alicorn lying on a floor in a foetal position. A picture of what appeared to be the moon stood at the top of the statue. Several dark tendrils could be seen flowing out of the black moon and into the alicorn's mind.

Luna's state went from sick and angry to sick, sad, and angry as she stared at the crying alicorn. She quickly forced her eyes shut as tears threatened to escape from her eyes causing a single tear to slowly stream down her cheek.

She walked over to the second statue. This one depicted a large black alicorn in dark armor, flying across Equestria, pulling a large oozing shadow behind her. The shadow could be seen flowing over the lands that the Alicorn had passed. Several ponies were shown at the bottom, running in fear.

Her facial expression turned into one of regret. She could still hear the fearful cries of her beloved subjects in her head. She still remembered the name of every single pony who's life ended at her hand. “Why did they resist..” she pleaded to the sky as tears continued to fall form her face. She quickly looked away from the painful picture and moved over to the next one. She closed her eyes in pain as she realized what this statue showed.

Two alicorns could be seen, flying towards each other over Equestria. Their horns glowed with an aura of magic. At the left side of the statue the darkened alicorn flew across black lands with an angry grin on her face. The moon and the stars hanged behind her, enveloping the lands in a gloomy light.

At the right side a white alicorn could be seen, charging through the sky with tears in her eyes. The flaming sun hanged behind her, delivering the land from the shadows that enveloped it. Luna quickly moved over to the last picture. she dropped to her haunches as she started sobbing loudly.

Before her stood a picture of a crying white alicorn sitting atop a large hill as a picture of a mare's face was slowly burned into the moon's surface. This caused feelings of regret to hit her where it hurt the most. She could feel a sting in her heart as she held her hoof to it.

Her mind suddenly filled with sorrow as she looked up at the sky. Something was wrong. The moon was still hanging high in the sky but other than that the sky was void. Each and every single star had disappeared from the heavens. For the first time in a thousand years the sky was not filled with Luna's sparkling lights. The last time being the night that she lost herself to Nightmare Moon.

Rainbow Dash was flying just a few feet above her friends as they walked across the green, flowing meadow that they had crossed a few days ago. Suddenly she looked up at the sky. A cold lonely feeling shot through her entire body as she looked into the endless blackness that filled the air.

The pegasus had flown through the night hundreds of times in the past but never before without the stars to light the heavens to give her a sharp distinction of what is up and what is down. It felt as if the sky had become the ground and she was flying thousands of miles above it. She quickly descended to the floor, landing into the soft grass, grasping the earth with her hooves.

“What's wrong Dashie?” Fluttershy asked her shaking friend. Rainbow responded by pointing her hoof upwards causing the five ponies to look up at the sky. A look of amazement appeared on their faces as they gazed into the infinite black pool that enveloped Equestria.

Twilight started to shake on her hooves as she thought about the empty cosmos that laid above her. Millions of miles of only void and blackness. “I've never seen anything like it..” the purple unicorn said with a tone of amazement in her voice.

The night had never seemed so dark to Fluttershy. The light that reflected from the lonely moon was the only thing that enlightened Equestria. She quickly buried her face into Rarity's neck as her fears started to get the better of her.

Rarity responded by stroking the terrified pegasus' mane as she smiled softly. She loved the fact that Fluttershy felt so save and comfortable around her. It gave her the feeling that she was loved and appreciated. A blush appeared on her face as she felt Fluttershy giving her neck small kisses.

Fluttershy had certainly become more assertive lately. Their relationship had really helped her to come out of her shell. The timid pegasus had been very careful in public when their relationship first started to blossom but not any more. She loved her marefriend and she didn't care who knew.

The six ponies continued their tiresome march across the endless plains of green. The entire landscape felt and looked so different at night. the sound of leaves rustling in the wind filled the air. Rainbow's mind overflowed with feelings of regret and remorse as she continued to stare up into the black sky as they walked.

"I don't know what caused her to do this.. but I know it's my fault.." she thought. "Why did I have to be so bucking selfish!" she lowered her gaze to the waves of green, flowing past their legs. suddenly a voice spoke inside of her. "selfish? She seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit."

This didn't help Rainbow at all. She had so many question that were left unanswered. "Is she.. but why did she.. buck, I don't know.." At this point all she cared about was apologizing to Luna in the hope that she could heal their shattered friendship.

But still.. that kiss.. Never before did she ever feel so much emotion in a single kiss. Never before did it mean as much to her as this one did. She could still feel the Princess shifting sluggishly in her arms as their tongues were vigorously fighting for ground. A warm feeling glowed inside of her as she thought back at it now.

"What was that all about anyway!? If she didn't want me to kiss her then why did she kiss me back!?" she sighed. "buck.. I don't know.." After the nights they spent together Rainbow Dash felt like she knew Luna more than anypony else. But now the dark blue alicorn appeared to be a puzzle that she simply could not solve.

Rainbow Dash gulped softly as she saw the entrance of the wretched forest draw closer. Pinkie Pie bounced over to the shaking pegasus. "What's up Dashie!? Why are you shaking on your little hoofsies?" she asked happily. The pegasus gave her friend a weak smile. "cheer up Downie Dashie! Just giggle at the ghostly remember?" she smiled.

Celestia stepped out of her private quarters to enjoy her nightly stroll around the Royal Canterlot gardens. She may have been the princess of the sun but there was a certain serenity to her sister's night that she could always appreciate.

She took in the beautiful flora that surrounded the palace, the soft grass rustling past her hooves. She would often come here when she needed to think. The last few days had been difficult for her, she had to use all of her willpower to keep herself from worrying over her sister's well being

Suddenly the yelling of several terrified ponies running past the palace caught her ear. "Oh god! What's happening!?" this caused Celestia to perk her ears as she focused on the distant sounds. "What happened to the stars!?" She raised her gaze to the sky.

"No.." she whispered in a hurt tone.

Celestia's heart sank in her chest. She had seen this before. She still remembered that horrible night. Over a thousand years had passed since she stood in this very garden, looking up at the same blank sky. Back then she didn't know what it meant but this time it was clear to her what was going on.

Where ever Luna was right now, one thing was certain. She was going through a deep emotional struggle caused by some traumatic event. Celestia's ears dropped into her neck as she thought of her sister, cold and alone, angry and desperate. She looked up at the sky once more. "I'm counting on you Twilight Sparkle.." she whispered as she walked back into the palace.

“Why did I do it.. I was never one to resort to violence.. yet I did..” She walked over to the small memorial that stood within the cold, stone hall. She lowered her head to read the text that was written upon its surface.

“We honor those that lost their lives in the war of the eclipse. May their names never be forgotten, may their deeds be sung until the end of times. We honor those that sacrificed themselves so that other might life. May the light of the sun warm their souls in the afterlife, May their families know solace in the fact that they died for a sacred purpose.”

A wave of guilt hit Luna's mind. “Many of them had wives.. husbands.. children..” A tear appeared in her eyes as this thought crossed her mind. “Children that I made orphans..” Luna fell into an emotional breakdown. She could not fight the tears any longer. She collapsed to the floor, the cold stone sending chills through her body. For minutes she just lied there, listening to the sound of her own sobbing.

“It's not your fault you know.”

Luna's ears perked up as she raised her head from the cold floor. She looked around the room to search for the intruder but there was no sign of life to be found. She was greeted by an eerie silence.”Reveal Thyself!” she yelled, still crying heavily. She was answered by the same silence once more.

“I said.” A filly's voice said sternly. “It's wasn't your fault. None of it was. What is to be expected from a tortured soul? To just forget? To just forgive!?” she said angrily. “No.. you simply cannot forgive those that took your every hope and dream and crushed it like it was nothing. You can't keep acting like nothing happened.”

“Is that so!?” she yelled at the darkness. “What makes you the one to decide? What would you know of me!?” her voice turned to one of anger.

“Everything.” A small filly whispered as she slowly stepped out of the darkness and started to walk towards the crying princess. The white filly had bright, golden eyes and her mane was a soft, mint green colour.

The lies I tell myself

Read this!: Hello reader, before you continue reading this chapter I must ask you to read Lately's add-on story Here. This chapter is filled with Unwanted references, and is basically a continuation of it. It has simply become too large of a part of the story to be skipped. So I must ask you to go to Unwanted and read it before reading this, otherwise you will ruin it for yourself. If you've already read Unwanted you can proceed. Have fun, and don't forget telling me what you think.

The sound of the filly's little hooves hitting the cold, stone floor echoed through the empty hall. Luna's eyes grew wide in disbelief. What was a little filly doing out here in the Everfree Forest so late at night? Suddenly, the filly stopped in her tracks. She sat down on her haunches right in front of the princess. Her short, unkempt mane covered her face as she looked down at the ground.

For a few moments Luna just stood there, examining the silent filly. She didn't really know what to do, maybe she could get some information out of her. She lowered her head to the filly's eye level. “Hello? Who are you and why are you out here so late at night?” she whispered softly, trying not to frighten the foal.

Suddenly, the filly lifted her head, piercing Luna's light blue eyes with her own as a devious smile grew across her face. Luna felt a sudden shock of emotions rush through her. There was something so familiar about that smile but she couldn't really put her hoof on it. It felt so strange.. so innocent yet so daring.

“You don't even remember do you?” she whispered. “Was it really that long ago?” She extended her neck so that her mouth was aligned with Luna's ear. She could hear the filly breathing into it, yet she felt nothing. “Have you already forgotten that we belonged together?”

“What are you talking about?” She took a step back and examined the filly once again. “I don't even know you!” she said, her voice echoing through the empty castle. “I will ask you once more.” She said sternly. “Who are you?” Her eyes narrowed in irritation.

She shot Luna a caring smile. “Me? I am the dream that you are too afraid to dream. I am the voice that you are too afraid to listen to. I am the scream that you tried to silence..” she said. The filly's voice didn't seem to echo through the darkened halls. “I'm you.”

Those two words sent shivers down her spine. “What do you mean, you're me?” Luna asked curiously. The princess felt the a cold wind blow past her as snowflakes started to gently fall through the cracks in the ceiling and the broken windows.

“I am what you want me to be.” she said. She wore a concerned look on her face, as if she wanted to help Luna in some way. “I look like this because you want me to.”

A wave of fear hit Luna, creeping across her spine, sending shivers through her body. “Are you even a pony?” she asked as she carefully backed away from the filly, her hooves scrapping across the black, marble floors as she did.

“I'm you.” she repeated smilingly. Every time the filly spoke Luna felt a strange feeling in her heart. The filly's voice sounded so pleasing to her for some reason. The filly stepped closer to Luna, her bright, golden eyes looking straight into Luna's “Please Luna, try to remember!” she pleaded.

"You're my imagination! Why am I even talking to you! Leave me be!" She yelled, her words echoing loudly through the forest below.

The filly sighed as she walked over to Luna. "Let me show you." She got on the tip of her hooves and kissed the princess on the lips. Luna's eyes shot open in surprise as her world went black. The last thing she felt was her body hitting the cold, stone floor.

Rainbow looked down at the muddy ground beneath her hooves. A single snowflake fell on her muzzle, causing her to shake her head in an attempt to remove it. The realization was slowly creeping into her mind. Luna was here, she had to be. She looked up at the massive, intimidating fortress that stood atop the tallest hill that stood in the Everfree Forest. It's walls looked old and unstable. The decades of rain, pouring down the castle had turned the stone, white walls to a dull gray.

Suddenly, she felt a cold chill rush through her body as the freezing wind blew past their heads. She hadn't realized how cold it was until now. Shivering from head to hoof, the six ponies continued their lonely march through the forest. A thin layer of ice covered the dark, thick mud underneath their hooves. The sound of the cracking ice filled the air.

Luna was somewhere out there. Rainbow Dash had no idea of what to expect. It had all gone by so quickly. The kiss, the fight, Luna's disappearance... She began to wonder if it was really such a good idea. Luna was either going to be heartbroken or furious and Rainbow didn't know how to deal with either of them. Yet, there was something inside of her that told her to keep going.

She really didn't know how things got this way. She really didn't know how she ended up like this, on the run, looking for someone who probably never wanted to see her again. Nothing made sense, she just wanted to scream at the sky at the top of her lungs.

"Why did she freak out like that!?" Rainbow thought to herself. Just a week ago she was napping in the comfort of her cloud home, completely oblivious to the world around her. Now she was trotting through the darkest reaches of the dreaded Everfree Forest. "She could have just told me she was straight..." She lowered her head in sadness, her ears drooping back into her neck. "It's all just too much to think about!"

"Dashie? Fluttershy had trotted over to her side and was now looking into Rainbow's eyes with a look of concern. Rainbow looked back at the ground as she continued her lonesome march. Fluttershy sighed. "Don't worry Dash, We'll find her." she said in a caring tone.

Rainbow swiftly turned her head once more with a look of annoyance on her face. Her stance softened as she looked into her friends eyes. "That's not it Shy... It's just... Why am I doing this?" she sighed. "I just kissed her that's all. And now I'm suddenly the one who's supposed to fix... this." she said as she looked up at the black sky, it was still completely void of stars.

The path below their hooves started to get steeper. “Rainbow.. she's out there, cold and alone. Poor mare.. she must be so confused right now.” Fluttershy looked out over the darkened trees around them. The Forest seemed to be endless. It was even bigger than she imagined it to be. There were parts of the forest that nopony had seen in a thousand years.

"What do you mean confused? She's furious, she hates me!" Rainbow exclaimed. Fluttershy stopped in her tracks, causing the group to come to a halt. She walked closer to the pegasus, putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

"No, she doesn't hate you. I was once like her, hating who I was, not wanting to believe myself. Your kiss made her doubt herself again. She needs somepony to be there for her right now, and that pony is you."

Glass flew through the air as Luna burst through the stain-glass window, her wings spread wide open. The sound of the breaking glass echoed through the darkened reaches of the gloomy forest. She rapidly closed her wings in the air, causing her to burst through the sky. Maybe if she flew fast enough she could fly away from the troubles that haunted her.

“Leave me alone!” she whimpered as the wind blew past her face, a stream of tears flying through the air. “You're wrong! I won't believe you!” she screamed. All of the emotions, all of the nightmares, came back to her, pressing down on her fragile mind. Nothing made sense any more. She had to get away, as far away as possible. Her mind just kept screaming “Run away!”

She clumsily landed in a dark clearing, somewhere deep within the Everfree Forest, instantly collapsing on the cold, muddy floor with a loud thud. A stinging pain appeared in her side. She didn't care any more. Anything was better than the thoughts that filled her mind, she'd rather feel pain. The pain of her mind was worse than the pain of her body.

Her thoughts were so clouded. She just couldn't think straight any more with all of these emotion running through her head. She just wanted to scream, louder than ever before, until her throat gave in to the pressure. So felt so sad, so angry, but the worst part was that she didn't even know what she was sad about. She just felt raw emotions, stupid meaningless emotions. Or at least she thought so.

Her rage got the better of her. She screamed as she started firing black bolts of energy from her horn, crushing the stones and trees that surrounded her. The ashes slowly drifted past her head as she started to calm down. With nothing left to destroy the rage soon turned to sadness. Her eyes filled with tears as she collapsed once more, landing on her stomach in the cold mud.

“You can't run from me Luna.” A mysterious voice said. Luna quickly lifted her chin from the freezing mud. She saw the white filly, standing inches away from her, staring into her eyes. Luna struggled to get back on her hooves.

“Why won't you leave me be!?” She screamed as she ran away from the filly.

“What are you so afraid of!?” she heard the filly yell as she ran as fast her legs could take her. She had to make sharp turns to avoid hitting any of the shadowy trees that surrounded her. The only thing she heard was the sound of her hooves rapidly hitting the ground. Suddenly, she tripped over a stray root that stuck out of the frozen earth, causing her to fly through the air before she landed on a the ground with a loud thud, she could hear the ice beneath her body crack as her back hit the floor.

Luna could no longer ignore the pain she was feeling. Her landing in the cold, hard ice had bruised her skin quite a bit. Her entire body felt weak. She couldn't even muster the strength to stand. She lied on the ground, her chin resting in the cold, frozen mud as tears escaped from her eyes. "What did I do...to deserve this..."

"Nothing." Luna couldn't muster the strength to look up at the filly but she knew it was her. Who else could it have been? "You did nothing that's the point! It's not fair so stop acting like it is!" The filly walked over to Luna, lying on the ground. She started pushing against Luna's body until the princess laid on her stomach.

"What is!? I don't even know what you're talking about!" Luna whimpered, her tears rolling off her face. "Why won't you just leave me alone!?" she sobbed.

"I just want to help you! Why won't you let me help!?" The filly yelled, the cold, raging wind blowing past their heads. "I love you Luna! And because I love you, I would rather have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies!" The filly seemed to be crying as well. "Why can't you see that you've become stuck between regret for the past and fear for the future!?" The filly walked closer to Luna, wrapping her arms around Luna's neck. Strangely enough, Luna couldn't feel the filly's touch on her skin. "I know you remember her Luna..." she sobbed. "I know you remember Lily!"

Luna's apathy was replaced by anger. She pushed the Filly away, causing her to land in the frozen mud, The ice didn't seem to break underneath her weight. "That was just a phase!" Luna screamed in anger. "I grew up! I like colts! I've always liked colts!"

"Who are you trying to convince!? You can't lie to me Luna, you can't lie to yourself!" The filly yelled back with a hint of anger in her voice. "You can close your eyes to what you don't want to see, but you cannot close your heart to what you don't want to feel!" The filly looked Luna straight in the eyes. "You're gay Luna!"

"Shut up!" Luna screamed as she kicked the filly with her hind-legs, causing her to roll over the frozen floor until her body collided with a large rock. Luna felt her stomach turn at the filly's words. She had never felt as nauseous as she did at that exact moment. "I'm not gay!" she screamed at the crying filly, lying in the thin snow. Luna collapsed into the snow, lying next to the weeping foal as tears started to escape from her eyes.

The filly crawled over to Luna's body, wrapping her arms around her as they lied on the snowy floor. "Luna... I know you feel it every day... I know you miss her... I know you still...love her." Luna could no longer hold her tears. It felt as if she had been sleeping for all these years and she finally awakened. All of the barriers that she had placed in her mind to protect herself from the truth started to crumble around her.

She hugged the filly in a tight embrace, that's all that she wanted to do at that moment. The filly wiped her tears as she looked into Luna's eyes, the princess could hear her sniffling in her arms. Those bright, golden eyes caused something to stir in Luna. A feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time. "I waited for you.." she sobbed. "Every night I sat on that balcony! Looking at the horizon, searching for you! But you never came! I waited in the rain! In the freezing cold! Where were you when I needed you!?"

"Luna..." The filly said softly. "You know I'm not her... Lily's gone, she isn't coming back. You've spent your whole life running and running, trying to catch up with something that was never even there for you.. And all you've done is go farther and farther away form the precious love that's been waiting for you all along.." The filly said before her image flowed away with the wind.

"Wait!" Luna yelled. "What do you mean!?" there was no answer, only the frigid wind that raged in her ears. She was alone again, but this time it felt different. The heavy feeling that she had been feeling for far too long was finally gone. A liberating sensation filled every inch of her body. She closed her eyes, smiling contently as tears rolled down her face. Her mane flowed through the air as the wind blew past her head.

"Luna!?" She turned her head to see Rainbow Dash, sitting in the snow behind her. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, her mane was wet and filthy, and several wounds covered her body. "Rainbow!" Luna yelled as she rushed into the pegasus' arms, crying softly as she did. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Rainbow responded by wrapping her arms around the weeping princess. "For what?" Rainbow asked in a confused tone, still surprised at the fact that Luna hadn't kicked her the moment she saw her.

"For waking me up..."

"The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we're afraid. We fear we will not find love, and when we find it we fear we'll lose it. We fear that if we do not have love we will be unhappy." -Richard Bach, American Writer.

AN: I hope you enjoyed this long-awaited chapter just as much as I did. Please leave me a comment telling me what you think!

I never told you

Nurse Redheart could hear the sound of the birds chirping through the slightly opened window of the hospital's lobby. She could feel her cheek, pressed into her hard, wooden desk. She groaned in irritation, this wasn't the first time that she awakened at her desk this month, far from it actually. The nurse lifted her head from its uncomfortable position, her unkempt, pinkish mane tangling in front of her face. Her eyes had never looked as worn out as they did that very morning.

She looked down into the cup of swirling black coffee that stood in front of her as she recalled everything that had happened the last few weeks. Another loud groan escaped her muzzle as the pain in her back returned. The hospital had never been so busy before. Hundreds of ponies came in every day, each one had the same complaint. Nightmares. The people of Ponyville were having trouble sleeping lately to the point where it started to seriously affect their lives.

The nurse hadn't noticed how early it really was until she turned her gaze to the opened window. A cold breeze flowed through the room, causing her to shiver slightly. The moon was still hanging above the horizon, swimming in the light gray morning sky. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. The nurse's heart sank in her chest the moment the sound reached her ears. She had heard it far too many times. Redheart tiredly hung her head as she got out of her sitting position, walking towards the hospital's entrance.

The filly was here every single morning. She arrived before the sun did. Always the first one to come, and the last to leave. The nurse dejectedly opened the door, causing the dim morning light to peer through the lobby. She squinted her eyes as she looked into the snowed down town of Ponyville. A little orange filly stood in the snow, literally shaking on her little hooves from the cold. Her wet, purple mane hung in front of her face, covering one of her eyes. She wore a tired frown on her face as she looked up into the mare's eyes. A pair of small saddlebags where strapped to her waist.

Redheart sighed. “Come in dear, no need to stand outside in the cold.” she said as she beckoned the filly to enter. The pegasus nodded weakly, stepping through the doorway, the cold morning air blowing past her head. The raging wind got silenced the moment the nurse closed the door behind her. Water dripped from her dirty mane and tail, falling unto the pristine white, hospital floor. “You poor dear..” Redheart said softly as she grabbed a towel from her desk and started to dry the filly's mane. “What happened to you?”

The filly raised her gaze from the floor, looking into the mare's face with an empty stare on her face. “I fell.. in the snow.” she said as she gritted her teeth as if she tried to contain her anger. Her purple mane still covered her eye. “Can I go see her?” she asked without the slightest tone of emotion in her voice.

Equestrian winters were known for their merciless frigid winds. But they were nothing compared to the icy mountain gusts that were raging past Rainbow's head as she sat next to the pony that had occupied most of her mind lately. They once again returned to the same spot where they had sat just a few days ago. The weight of the last few days was still clearly present in Rainbow's shoulders. It still clouded her mind. The two hadn't really talked about it since Luna's return. They couldn't afford to waste any time sleeping so the group had decided to pull through until they reached their old camp. There were so many questions still left unanswered. So many words that remained unsaid.

The two sat in the snow for quite a while, neither of them speaking a word. The rocky, white mountains towered above them. They simply listened to the sound of the cold wind blowing past their heads, leaving a slight chill on their muzzles. Rainbow Dash was normally the most forward of ponies. But the current situation had raised her bashfulness to a level that could challenge Fluttershy's. She just had to break the god-awful silence that roamed about.

“Luna?” She said, causing the princess to snap out of her dreamy state of being. Rainbow had noticed that the alicorn had been lost in her thoughts a lot lately. The princess shot Rainbow an apologetic look.

“Yes Rainbow?” she asked.

Rainbow Dash let out a heavy sigh. Luna couldn't be that oblivious, could she? “I.. It's just.. “ she sighed once more as she shifted closer to Luna, putting a hoof on her shoulder. She gave the alicorn a soft look. “Look, I'm not good at this.. Never have been.. Never will be. But I need to know where we stand.. you and I. Is there even a we?”

The alicorn's eyes shot open. The question had taken Luna by surprise. “Of course! How could I have been so blind!?” Her mind had been so occupied with her sudden awakening that she had forgotten what started it all in the first place. “She kissed me..” Her mind went back to everything that had happened over the last few days, the way the rainbow maned mare had made her feel, all of the nights that they had spent together, just talking. Could Rainbow Dash really have feelings for her?

Luna had to admit that she had become quite fond of the adventurous filly, the attraction was certainly there. Rainbow was everything that she always wanted to be, but was to afraid to. Rebellious, outspoken, confident. “It's weird.. She really reminds me of Lily.” A sudden sting of pain appeared in her heart as the name echoed through her head. It was true, Rainbow was in many ways similar to Luna's ghost. Maybe her feelings were just a projection of her old love.. Maybe she was simply using Rainbow Dash to relive those old feelings..

“I'm sorry Rainbow Dash... I... I can't.” she sighed. “My heart belongs to someone else." she thought. But Rainbow wouldn't understand. She simply couldn't understand. “I like you as a friend.” She said softly. It had sounded a lot better in her head. Her gaze dropped to the floor as she felt Rainbow's hoof leave her shoulder.

Confusion was all that the pegasus could see. Mixed emotions rushed through her head, the cold wind still blowing in her face, her rough, unkempt mane still violently dancing in the air. “But..” Rainbow forced her eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears form leaving her eyes. The sadness however, was soon replaced by anger. “I don't understand!” she yelled. “What about all the nights we spent together!? You can't tell me you didn't feel it. I know you felt it!” A hint of anger lingered in her voice.

“Rainbow.. Please don't make this harder than it has to be..” Luna didn't really know why she was saying that. Rainbow was right, the pegasus had made her feel things that she hadn't felt in ages. But that was just the thing. Dash was so similar to Lily, she had simply reminded Luna of the feelings she once had. “Please, can't we just be friends!?” Luna pleaded. “You're my best friend Dash.. I don't want to lose that.”

Rainbow shook her head. “I think you should leave Luna.” she said sternly, turning her back to the shocked princess. She didn't move a muscle. She just sat there, looking out into the night sky with a stubborn look on her face.

Luna hung her head in a sad manner, looking down into the snow. She sighed as she turned around and started to trot towards the camp. Rainbow just sat there, her mind racing with thoughts. She kept staring forward until the sound of Luna's hooves hitting the snow finally faded, causing her to hang her head as her ears dropped into her neck. Her mane was nearly touching the wet, snowy floor. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get the image of Luna out of her head. “Buck love..” she sobbed as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

The sound of the young filly's muffled sobbing filled the room. Her face was pressed into the white, tear stained covers that lied atop the wooden hospital bed. She had been spending a lot of her afternoons like this lately. The pegasus' sobbing came to a sudden halt as she lifted her face from the silken sheets. A young white unicorn lied under the covers, her chest slowly rising and falling as she breathed. Her breathing was so soft that it was almost inaudible to the orange filly.

The room was pretty cosy for a hospital suite. A large, wooden bed stood against the corner of the room. A soft, white carpet laid on the floor and the walls were dressed in cherry red. The heater's buzzing was the only sound that one could hear in the room.

Sometimes, she would have to lean over the edge of the bed just to see if the filly was still breathing. She sighed. “I'm sorry for messing up your blanket sweets..” she whispered to the filly. She didn't know if the unconscious unicorn could hear her. But just pretending made her feel better somehow. “The foals at school were total jerks today! They said you were just faking it so you could skip school!” she exclaimed. “I stood up for you though..” She brushed her mane out of her face with a tired hoof, exposing her beaten, black eye. “They got me good..”

Her eyes opened wide in realization. “Ooh, I brought you these..” she whispered, opening her saddlebags. She pulled a small bouquet of luscious red roses out of them, laying it on the bed in front of her. “Happy hearts and hooves day Sweets...” she sighed. “I hope you like them..” The filly was tired. But that was understandable, she had been spending all of her time at that bedside, talking to the slumbering unicorn. Hoping, yet fearing that she could hear her.

The pegasus had been sharing her every thought with the filly, her every secret. She had been skipping school to make sure that Sweetie Belle wasn't alone. With her parents gone and her sister away on a hopeless journey to find a cure for her illness, the pegasus was the only pony she had left. She thought back at every time that she tried to tell the unicorn of her feelings but was too afraid to do so. Tears started to escape from her slightly closed eyes as she reached out to the slumbering pony in front of her, holding the filly's hoof with her own. “But it's too late now..” She thought as she started to cry uncontrollably.

Suddenly, she felt a comforting hoof on her shoulder. She turned her head, looking straight into the nurse's eyes. Redheart gasped as she saw the filly's black eye, and her dirty, tear stained mane hanging beside it. The pegasus pushed the mare's hoof off her shoulder as she returned her gaze to the sleeping filly. Nurse Redheart looked at her with a look of compassion. “She must be very special to you..” the nurse said softly as she looked at the wilting bouquet of roses. They seemed to maintain a certain sense of beauty despite their condition.

The sobbing filly pulled herself from the bed, looking up at the nurse. “I guess..” the filly grunted, trying to appear strong in front of the mare. Redheart gave her a soft smile. “Why are you here all alone? Aren't your parents worried about you?” she asked.

She rested her chin on Sweetie Belle's silken covers as tears escaped from her eyes. “No.. I.. My parents aren't around any more.” she whimpered, wiping her tears with the white sheets. Suddenly, she felt a warmth overwhelm her. The nurse had hugged her in a tight embrace. The pegasus got startled at first, but she slowly started to calm down. “Nurse?” she said, Redheart nodding in response. “Can I sleep here tonight? I... I don't want to go back to the orphanage...”

A tear escaped from the mare's eyes. “Of course you can dear..” she said as she stepped towards the door, flicking the light switch as she walked into the hallway. The door closed shut with a loud thud behind the filly, followed by an overwhelming silence. She was suddenly aware of every little sound that filled the room.

It was dark. She could hear the buzzing of the old heater that stood below the window, the sound of the nurse's hooves, trotting down the hallway. But there was one sound that stood out above the others. It was the sweet melody of Sweetie Belle's breathing. Without thinking, she struggled onto the bed, crawling underneath the white, silken sheets. They felt unusually soft to the touch. She shifted closer to the sleeping unicorn so that they lied face to face. Suddenly, the door opened and a familiar nurse walked in. “I'm sorry dear, I forgot to ask you your name.”

“Scootaloo..” she yawned. “My name's Scootaloo.” She allowed her head to fall unto the soft pillow that laid below her. Keeping the filly's personal space in mind. "Good night Sweets.."

The sound of the crackling camp fire could be heard from the other side of the door as Fluttershy and Rarity lied in their hoof-made bed, their forelegs wrapped around each other in a loving embrace. This is what Fluttershy had missed the most during the long days of travel that laid behind them. Simply lying next to each other. She thought back at how her life had been just a few months ago. She remembered how she used to lay awake at night, wishing for somepony to lie next to, somepony to share her thoughts with, somepony that cared. And now she had found that pony.

But her mind had been clouded with.. different thoughts lately. She loved Rarity with all her heart, the kind of love that only the two involved could ever understand. But she wanted more. She wanted to share the rest of her life with her. Their coats brushed against each other as they shifted underneath their covers. The roughed up blanket covered them up to the waist. Each held the other as close as possible, sharing the warmth of their bodies.

Rarity was in a state of complete euphoria. She had lived through countless relationships in her life but this felt so unlike anything that she had ever felt before. Every kiss, every word, every touch felt like their first. Rarity had courted quite a few stallions and mares in her past but she always ended up getting bored with them. Fluttershy was different. She still blushed furiously every time the timid pegasus kissed her. "Rarity?" The unicorn shook her head. She looked over at Fluttershy who in turn, looked at her with a pleading look in her cyan eyes.

"I... I've been meaning to talk to you about something," she whispered, still laying in her love's arms. Rarity shot her a wondering look, beckoning for her to continue. "It's just.. I've been thinking a lot lately.. about us.. and where we stand." she explained. "I think I.." She couldn't get the words to go, what if her love didn't feel the same way?

She decided to just say it. "Rarity, I want a foal."

Before the storm

Rainbow Dash shifted underneath her thin, white covers. She had packed extra blankets to shield herself from the cold. Sadly, they did not do their job. The mountain’s frigid winds blew through the holes in her shelter. She shivered as the cold crept up her spine. But the blistering cold was a welcome relief from the thoughts that plagued her mind. She hadn’t slept much last night. She tried not to think about, but to no avail. She gritted her teeth as a groan escaped her muzzle. She closed her eyes in an attempt to get a few more minutes of sleep before her friends would drag her into the snowy mountains that surrounded their camp.

She let out a soft yawn as she pulled the blankets over her cold shoulders, lying flat on her back. Suddenly, a single drop of rain fell on her face. She gritted her teeth as a groan escaped her muzzle. After the events of last night, the Pegasus never found the time to finish her shelter before nightfall. And as fate would have it, she had positioned her bed right below the hole in her roof. She rolled over, lying on her side, pulling her covers closer once again.

Another raindrop fell on her ear. She flicked it about, shaking the water off. But the war was not over yet. more and more of the subtle raindrops started to grace her mane. Normally, the weather pony would adore waking up like this. But she wasn’t quite herself these days. Guess we all come undone time to time. But Rainbow had always been to proud to admit that she needed help with something. No, this was just another rough patch that she would have to get through.

The rain increased it’s assault on the Pegasus’ bed. It got to the point where she simply couldn’t take the taunting drops any longer. She sat upright in her bed, the blankets still covering her up to her waist. Rainbow had not felt this miserable in a long time. The journey had weighed down on her head. She was out here alone, miles away from the place she called home. A part of her screamed for her to get home but she couldn’t leave her friends, not like this.

She had herself to blame. The Pegasus had always wanted everything that she couldn’t get. The princess’ rejection had only strengthened Rainbow’s feelings for her. Yet this somehow felt different. She genuinely cared for Luna. And up until now, she thought the alicorn did the same for her. Had she been lying to herself? Had it been nothing more than just another one of the beautiful lies that Rainbow had told herself far too many times before? She sighed in contemplation. “I know what I felt..” She thought back at the seemingly little time that she had spent with Luna. A light, bubbly feeling appeared in her stomach as she smiled.

Last night’s events made their inevitable appearance in her mind. Suddenly, the bubbly feeling was replaced by one of anger. “How could she lead me on like that!?” Rainbow exclaimed. The cyan mare had broken her fair share of hearts in her days, but her own had always remained intact. She found that the first cuts were often the deepest. It was her heart that had been broken this time.

“I need to clear my thoughts..” she whispered. She kicked her covers off herself and struggled to get up from the messy pile of pillows that had functioned as her bed last night. A quick brush through her mane and she was off into the morning air. She shivered slightly at first but the Pegasus had endured worse weather before. It was “Too cold outside for angels to fly.” as her mother used to say. She smiled softly as her hooves hit the soft snow for the first time that day.

The young Pegasus could feel the soft touch of the silken sheets graze her coat as she shifted in the fresh, morning air that flowed through the slightly opened window. She had never woken up like this before. She arched her back, yawning loudly as she did. The day that she was about to face didn’t matter right now. She could enjoy the soft embrace of slumber for at least a couple more minutes and that was enough for her. The Pegasus had learned to be content with the little things.

Suddenly, her ears perked. A strange sound filled the air. A look of worry appeared on her face as she looked at the unicorn that lied beside her. Sweetie Belle was sweating heavily from head to hoof. Her breathing had become quick and frantic. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she moved in her sleep, her blankets covering her up to her waist. Shivering whimpers escaped the unicorns muzzle.

“Sweets? What’s wrong!? Are you hurt? are you cold?” Scootaloo exclaimed as she got up on her hooves, throwing her blankets off herself. The unicorn continued to shake heavily as she tumbled about. Scootaloo had no clue of what to do, but she had to do something! The terrified Pegasus jumped off the bed and began to search the room for every blanket that she could find.

Sweetie Belle wasn’t exactly cooperating. Scootaloo struggled to get the covers around the unicorn that was still flailing about. Running out of options, she got on top of the Sweetie Belle, forcing her legs into the bed. She threw the blankets over the shivering unicorn, tucking her in as tightly as possible. Scootaloo jumped atop the other pony once again, embracing her with her entire body as they lied face to face.

The unicorn just wouldn’t stop shivering. Scootaloo pressed her forehead against Sweetie Belle’s as tears rolled down her cheeks. The unicorn’s coat was damp with sweat, her hasted breathing sounded louder than ever. “I’m here Sweets..” she whispered, her muzzle still pressed against the unicorn’s head. She tightened her hold over Sweetie’s body. “I’m right here..”

The filly was mumbling something in her sleep. Scootaloo still couldn’t make out the words, even at such a close distance. She pressed her face into Sweetie Belle’s pillow, staining it with tears as their cheeks pressed against each other. The small Pegasus covered the two of them with her wings as she held the shivering filly tightly.

Sweetie Belle lied in a small puddle of blackened water. shivering in the dark.. It was just light enough to make out the walls and shapes of the place. The stone floor was filled with large, uneven cracks. Four Huge, broken chains in each corner of the massive room. It was clear to the filly that this room was once a prison to someone.. Or something..

She felt tired, exhausted really.. It was as if every ounce of energy was drained from her body, she couldn’t even move her limbs.. The tip of her mane hung in the dark, corrupted water.. The air was completely silent, not a sound to be heard. Yet she didn’t feel like she was alone.. She felt.. something.. She couldn’t see it nor hear it but she knew it was there..

The filly refused to fall asleep.. That’s when the nightmares come.. Suddenly, the shadows began to gather, first little furtive ones on the floor, and then bolder ones in the dark panelled corners.. Her heart filled with fear as a dark voice shook the air of the place. “Why do you persist? Why do you hold on to something that you have already lost? You will fall asleep again, it is inevitable. And when that happens... I will have you.” The being sounded like it spoke with multiple voices at once. One was that of an angry colt, the other of a little filly, and the last of an elder mare.

Tears started to roll down her face. Her eyes dreary eyes drooped down, closing slightly. She collapsed to the floor, landing on her side in the cold, black puddle below. A soft splash could be heard as her head hit the floor. “I.. Just want my sister..” she sobbed. “Why wont you just leave me alone!?” she pleaded.

“Why do you resist us?” Anger seemed to dominate the normally emotionless voice. “Submit, now! Your hope is irrelevant!” it yelled, causing the water on the floor to ripple.

“Submit to what!? I don’t know what you want!” she exclaimed. “I’ll give you anything! Please, just let me go!” The unicorn was on the verge of tears. “Who are you!? What is your name?” she screamed. All of the light faded from the massive prison, leaving only shadows in its wake. An uneasy feeling overwhelmed her mind.

“I am the lucid dream...” An unsettling silence filled the air. “The monster in your nightmares...” Anger crept into the voice once again as it increased in volume. “The fiend of a thousand faces! Bow down before me!” Sweetie Belle's world went black like it had done for countless times already.

"If I must tear you apart I will..."

The sound of hooves hitting the snow filled the air as the seven ponies made their way through the cold mountainous hills that laid at the top of Equestria. The crisp morning air flowed past their heads as they continues their march through the solitary landscape. Twilight walked at the front of the group, levitating a map in front of her face as she did.

A boat was awaiting at the snowy shoreline to take them to their destination. They would finally get some rest after a week’s journey through the lands that laid above Canterlot. Far away from the rural town of Ponyville. Far away from their friends and family.

Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack were closely examining the map. The hardened earth pony had taken a leadership position in the group. If there was anyone that knew how to survive in a harsh environment it was her. Rainbow and AJ were locked in a conversation about the strange, violent weather that they were having since they left on their journey. The massive white mountains towered around the.

Suddenly, Applejack stopped in her tracks, causing the rest of the group to halt. The seven ponies looked forward in amazement. A massive passage had been carved out of the mountain, allowing the road to run through. The cave’s ceiling was at least thirty feet high, and nearly just as wide.

The frozen walls of the place were stained with rain and snow. It looked like the passage hadn’t seen use in ages. “This place is huge!” Pinkie exclaimed with her hooves in the air, her voice echoing through the frozen caves. Several torches hung, high on the walls.

“Probably because larger creatures used these tunnels as well.” Twilight explained. “Dragons, most likely.” she said as she examined the massive claw markings that were dug into the icy walls. This thought sent shivers down Fluttershy’s spine. “D-dragons?” she whispered as she dug her face into its usual hiding spot, Rarity’s mane.

“Do not worry.” Luna said. “The dragons have left these parts of Equestria long ago.” her voice echoed through the air. “I wonder how they dug this out..” she said as she examined the massive ceiling. Several figures of ponies, gryphons, and dragons were carved into the frozen ceiling. The light at the end of the tunnel became brighter and brighter as they approached.

The northern shoreline was truly a sight to behold. An army of massive white mountains stood at their back. In front of them laid the seemingly endless, cold sea. The waves raged against the mountainsides, creating a deafening sound. The cold sea air blew past them, sending shivers down their spines. The seven ponies marched over to the edge of the land. Looking down into the sea that laid below.

For a moment they just stood there, admiring the incredible atmosphere. The mountains looming above, the endless sea stretching out in front of you. It could make somepony feel so.. small and insignificant. Suddenly, Applejack noticed the absence of boat. This was the place she was sure of it., yet they were alone. She searched the snowy shoreline once more.

"Girls.. We might have a tiny bit of a problem here.." The earth pony said as she turned to the group. "Wasn't there supposed to be some sort of boat in this here clearing?" The six ponies answered by frantically searching the shoreline for a sign of life.

"That's impossible.." Twilight groaned in annoyance. “What happened to it!?” she exclaimed.

“Looters, pirates, It doesn’t really matter. But it’s not coming and have no way of contacting Celestia from here.” Luna said. Trying to make something of the situation.

Twilight’s inner control freak got the better of her. “Nononono!” she raged. “Then how the hell are we supposed to cross this thing!?” she yelled as she put a hoof to the water, shivering slightly as she did. “I’m not swimming. And we can’t turn back now. We’ve waisted enough time as it is!” Her brain had rarely been as clouded.

“Calm down, Sugarcube..” Applejack said softly as she put a comferting hoof to Twilight’s shoulder. “We’ll find a way, Ah promise.” Silence filled the air. At the time, it seemed like it was hopeless.

“Why don’t we just fly?”

The group turned their heads to the cyan Pegasus, resting on one of the large rocks that laid across the shoreline. “Fly, Dash.. Really?” Applejack said.

“Why not?” she shrugged.

“Ah don’t have wings?”

"This is why ah can't have nice things.." Applejack groaned as she stood atop the large mountain the stood against the cold, northern shoreline. The wind raged past their head. She stretched her wings in the sky, Luna, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash standing next to her.

“The spell should last long enough get us across.” Twilight said as she peered at the tiny strip of land that could be seen on the horizon. “It’s simple. Rainbow will carry Pinkie, Luna will carry me, and Fluttershy will carry Rarity.” This caused Rainbow’s ears to perk.

She turned her head to her timid friend. “Are you sure Shy? It’s quite the flight..” Rainbow said as she looked into the massive sea that laid before them. Fluttershy nodded in response. She wore a look of determination on her face that her friends hadn’t come to expect from the shy mare.

“It’s our best option.” Twilight explained as she walked over to Luna, who gave her a soft smile. “Are you ready princess?” The unicorn said. “OK. I’ll go fir-”

“Out of my way!” Pinkie exclaimed as she pushed her friends aside, jumping atop Rainbow’s back. The pegasus collapsed under the sudden weight of the pink mare. She giggled loudly as she positioned herself on Rainbow’s back. “Hiho Dashie, away!” she yelled. “Pinkie! Get off me!” Dash yelled.

Meanwhile, Rarity was carefully climbing a top Fluttershy’s back. She may have been timid and shy, but years of flying with her birds had granted Fluttershy an athletic build. Rarity was surprised at how her love didn’t move a single muscle as the unicorn got up on her back, wrapping her arms around the Fluttershy’s chest.

Several minutes later the group was all set up. They stood atop the large hill, trying to banish any fear that they may have had for flying. Rarity gave her pegasus a quick nuzzle, before she tightened her hold over Fluttershy.

Rainbow turned her head to Applejack. “Ready AJ?” she asked. Applejack gave her a half-hearted nod as she looked down into the sea, lying about ten fiffeen below. “OK!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Follow my lead!” she yelled as she felt Pinkie tighten her hold over her neck.

Rainbow began to charge towards the edge, followed by the others. It drew closer and closer. This was it. Rainbow jumped over the edge, spreading her wings in the air. Pinkie could feel the wind raging past her head.

Rarity was in awe. Flying was even more amazing than she had imagined. She held her love as tightly as possible as they soared above the sea. The wind blew past her mane, causing it to dance through the air. Everything seemed to small. The world was so different through a pegasus’ eyes. There was no limit to however they could go, no boundaries, no lengths.

The calm weather did not last however. There was a storm brewing on the horizon. Rarity watched as they flew higher with each beat of Fluttershy’s wings. Her fears seemed to have blown away with the wind. She trusted Fluttershy. She knew that if she fell her love would catch her.

“You’ve got it AJ!” Rainbow laughed from the front of the group, The inexperienced earth Pony flew besdide her. Applejack however, had a slightly different opinion on the matter. She was terrified. She would never admit it, but the earth pony had a terrible fear of heights. She forced herself to keep staring forward.into the velvet sky. Dark clouds drew closer and closer.

She was doing surprisingly well considering that she had only gotten a ten minute crash course in flying from Rainbow Dash before they took off. It wasn’t all bad though. The ability to fly brought a certain liberating sensation with it. The world as she knew it had doubled in size.

“Rainbow!” Twilight yelled from Luna’s back. “Shouldn’t we fly away from the storm rather than towards it!?” she exclaimed as she saw the stormy clouds near closer.

“Don’t worry Twilight it’s just a little stray storm! We can just fly through!” she assured her friend. A decision she would soon come to regret. The gale winds become stronger and stronger as time went on. Fluttershy shivered as the chilled currents assaulted her face, her pink mane flowing in the wind.

“Uuhm Dashie?” Pinkie giggled with a tone of worry in her voice. “Could you like.. fly less wobbly?” The pegasus groaned as the group flew just below the menacing grey clouds that formed the storm. Pinkie got up on her haunches, sticking her head into the clouds, laughing loudly all the while.

“I’m trying Pinkie!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, trying to make herself audible over the sounds of the raging storm. “Maybe I did not think this through..” Suddenly, a powerful gale wind blew past the group, causing Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to struggle through the air. An overwhelming feeling of fear came to Rarity and she clutched to her lovers body even harder as she stared down at the frigid, raging sea below.

“Come on Dash..” she whispered. “We’re almost through..” And then it happened. A massive blast of air raged against the group, causing a wave of confusion and fear to wash over them as they started to tumble through the sky.

Screams filled the air around. “Fluttershy! I’m falling! Please help me!” Rarity screamed as she desperately tried to hold on to the pegaus’ back. Tears filled Fluttershy’s eyes. She couldn’t allow herself to let Rarity fall. But she couldn’t stay afloat any longer. “I’m sorry..” she mouthed as her wings lost control, causing her to spiral down to the sea below. Rarity couldn’t hold on to the descending pegasus.

Little did they know, that their friends were experiencing the exact same thing. “Dashie!?” Pinkie screamed as she held on to the practically unconscious Pegaus, who was now spiraling down to the earth. Rainbow couldn’t muster the strength to beat her wings, let alone pull up. She could only watch in fear as the vicious ocean drew closer and closer. The world slowed down around her as she broke through the water, shooting through the sea at high speed. The sound of the raging storm disappeared the moment her ears touched the water.

She could see Pinkie floating next to her. All she could hear was the bubbling water and sound of her friend’s muffled cries. Suddenly, an overwhelming cold feeling came to her. The water was below freezing point. She had never felt as cold in her entire life. The last thing she remembered was the shivering feeling reaching her heart as her world went black...

Behind purple eyes

A little foal, sitting in the corner of the room. She tries to wish the shouting away, to no avail. Her eyes are puffy and red, her mane unkempt. The moon tries to shine its light into the room, but is denied by the blinds that cover the windows, filling the room with shadows. The orange filly grasps to her pillow, forcing her eyes shut as her parents yelled furious remarks at each other from across the room.

She sits in the darkened corner, not being noticed, or simply being ignored. Whichever was worse, she could never decide. She just wanted the fighting to stop. Her house was a broken home. She was alone in her own zone again, trying to block out the rest of the world as chairs flew through the living room. But one can only keep up such a charade for so long.

She shrunk in her place as her father’s angry gaze turned to her, a cold feeling sweeping over her. The feeling only increased as he seized his screaming and started to trot over to her. “It’s no wonder our daughter is so useless!” he scolded back at her mother, causing the filly to hide her face in the pillow she was holding. Her father pulled her safeguard out of her arms, causing her to quickly crawl into the corner of the room, cowering in fear.

“Leave her out of this!” Her mother yelled from across the room. The filly looked up at him with fearful. watered eyes. It struck a chord of anger in his heart. “Stop looking at me!” he yelled. In the blink of an eye he brought his hoof to the filly’s head. She landed face first on the hardwood floor with a loud thud. The pegasus cowered in the corner, shielding herself with her wings, trying to suppress the pain in her eye.

She peered at her parents through the cracks in her feathers, tears rolling down her cheek, dripping down unto the floor. She didn’t speak, she didn’t dare to speak lest she anger them more. There was no where to run to. The only thing she could do was cower deeper into the corner, hoping that it would all just go away. Suddenly, the room started to shake violently as her vision went blurry. The hardwood floor underneath her body collapsed, sending a loud cracking noise through the room as small bits of wood flew through the air.

She found herself falling to the blackness below, screaming loudly all the while as she saw her house swiftly sail farther and farther away above her until it disappeared into the distance. Suddenly, her fall came to a halt as she felt herself fall into a deep pool of water, yet she could not see a thing. Her purple mane flowed softly through the water as she forced her eyes shut in fear.

The cold water stirred softly in her ears, freezing her to the bone. She felt the cold creep down her spine. Her eyes shot open wide as she started to run out of air, desperately gasping for breath, causing the frigid water to fill her lungs. Suddenly, a voice shook the air around her, causing the water shake violently. “At the bottom of the ocean even light must die..” it sounded like a whisper but it was loud enough to deafen her ears. The voice spoke one last time as her world went black. "The drowned god's heart is black ice.."

Scootaloo's eyes shot open, looking down at the white sheets below her as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her scream turned to hasted panting, her shoulders rising and falling with her breath. The filly turned her gaze forward, looking at the slumbering unicorn that lied in the bed in front of her. Her breaths started to calm, as she examined the room. The room was surprisingly dark. White curtains covered the windows. The only sounds in the room where the filly’s shortened breaths, accompanied by an eerie silence.

Scootaloo lifted her head from the soft, silken covers as she raised herself from the floor. She stumbled clumsily on her hooves. She tiredly trotted towards the window, brushing the curtains aside with her hoof as she looked outside. It was late at night, the crescent moon hanging high in the black sky. Accompanied by the many stars that ruled the heavens. She averted her eyes down into the streets of Ponyville. Winter was nearing its end, only a thin, white blanket of soft snow remained. The street lights glowed dimly in the lonely night.

The pegasus turned her eyes to the clock that hung on the red-painted wall, but it was to dark to see as the starlight was still blocked by the curtains. She trotted back towards Sweetie Belle’s bedside, letting her head hit the blanket as she dropped on her haunches, her forelegs resting on the bed in front of her. Suddenly, the events of her nocturnal adventure returned to her mind. She forced her eyes shut, trying to suppress the memories as she often did. But something was different this time. No matter how hard she tried, she could not block the thoughts that haunted her head.

The apathy was replaced by an overwhelming sadness. Tears started to escape her eyes, rolling down unto the bed, staining the sheets. She grasped the blanket with her hooves, causing the covers to shift slightly. She raised her head from the bed, putting her hooves to her head as she sighed in defeat. The filly got back up on all fours and started to trod towards the door. “I need to get some air..” she whispered sadly.

Scootaloo nudged the hospital door open, causing the icy breeze to flow through the darkened lobby. She shivered slightly in the cold before proceeding outside. The sound of her hooves hitting the thin snow filled the air around her as she examined her surroundings. Subtle snowflakes started to dance past her head, disappearing into the cobblestone floor.

She took in a deep breath of the cold, evening air before she continued her lonesome march. Even though her wounded, black eye had healed quite a bit since for unfortunate disagreement at school, she was still having some trouble seeing anything in the dimly lit streets. She groaned angrily as she thought back at it now. “Why can’t they just leave me alone!” she exclaimed.

After a few minutes of stumbling through the thin snow, she found herself on a lonely hill looking out over Ponyville. Deciding that this was as good as any, she allowed her legs to give in to the exhaustion. Her body dropped into the snow, sending a cold chill through her spine. she rested her chin in the snow, her belly touching the grass.

She looked out over the humble town of Ponyville standing in the night, a few dwindling lights remained in the distance. Scootaloo closed her eyes as she allowed the memories to enter her mind. She felt so.. scared, so hopeless. “I thought I was past this..” she sobbed in a hurt tone as tears rolled down her cheeks.

A few years ago this was all she knew, travelling from town to town, stealing to survive. She couldn’t remember the actual day that she was abandoned, it was a blur in her mind. “Abandoned..” the word echoed through her head. She thought back at how she used to talk down on herself. How she used to blame herself for everything that had happened. She could never be good enough for her parents, no matter how hard she tried they were always disappointed.

This repeated itself until the disappointment was all she knew. What kind of child goes against her parents after all? Adults always speak the truth.. right? She was, as her father would so cruelly call her, useless. Looking back at it now, she wondered how she could have been so naive. There were a million things that she wanted to say to her parents now, but they weren’t around. She had no idea where they were or what they were doing but she found herself no longer caring.

She did however, remember the day that she found the town of Ponyville. How could she not? It was her dearest memory after all. She stared into the snowy landscape before her. Suddenly the weather turned from snow to rain, dripping down unto the filly’s head, flowing down her short mane, sending raindrops into the white lands below. Everything about it reminded her of that faithful day. The day that she met her..

The young filly stumbled through the snow, broken and exhausted from a day of travel. She could never stay too long in one town or the residents would get suspicious. The hunger started to take its toll on her body. her destination was the dwindling light of a rural town that shined in the distance. She sighed as she continued her lonesome march through the snowy hills, knowing that her stay would only be temporary.

Suddenly, she felt a single drop of rain fall on her muzzle, dripping down her face before dropping down into the snow. She looked up at the sky, it was filled with thousands of stars, gleaming in the sky. She shrugged it off as nothing and turned her gaze forward once more, slowly making her way towards the town.

She was tired, no, exhausted from the trip that seemed to last forever. she could barely stand on her hooves, shaking in the snow. She blinked as another raindrop touched her face. “Not now..” she thought as she looked up at the darkened sky once again. The rain started to drizzle down on the lands, hitting the filly’s face. The pegasus winced in the cold air, shielding her face with her wing as she continued her march with a look of determination in her eyes.

The rain got more violent with each passing second. Drenching the filly’s coat, sending chills down her spine. “So.. cold..” she though to herself. But she couldn’t stop now, not while she was so close to her destination. She would have to make it to the town, and find a place to sleep in somepony’s barn. The sound of the rain, raging down upon the land, filled her ears, silencing any other sound that was present in the cold night.

After a few harsh minutes of walking, she entered the snowed down town’s center. Several stands from yesterday’s market were still lined up in the darkened square. She could see dim lights shining from the store’s windows. With the weather still in her ear, she desperately started to look for shelter from the cold rain. She ran past the darkened corners of the town, looking for any suitable place to spent the night, but to no avail.

After what seemed like an eternity of running through the icy snow, her legs started to tire. She sighed as she allowed herself to drop down into the cold snow, the rain still pouring down her body. Tiredly, she curled up into a sleeping position, shielding herself with her wings. Her feathers would have to keep her warm tonight.. She slowly closed her eyes as she let out a tired yawn, trying her best to ignore the cold rain still pouring down on her head.

So there she lied, in the middle of the town’s square, resting in the snow as her wings shielded her from the rain, the dim street lights shining down on her body. She could have sworn that she heard the faint giggling of a filly in the distance, but simply took it as her tired mind playing tricks on her, seeing as the only thing that one could hear that night was the raging storm.

She allowed apathy to take control of her mind as she drifted into sleep. “Sweetie Belle! Get back inside this instant!” The filly’s ears perked at the sound. She opened her eyes slightly, still lying in the snow. She looked around but she couldn’t see anypony. “Must have been my imagination..” she yawned, closing her eyes once again.

“I don’t have time for this young lady!” This time the voice was accompanied by a filly’s loud, careless laughter. The pegasus decided to just ignore it. She shifted sluggishly in the snow, trying to find a suitable sleeping position. The strange giggling became louder and louder, this time accompanied by two sets of hooves, stamping in the snow.

She couldn’t help but open her eyes once more as the sound of hooves hitting the ground came strangely close to her. Her eyes shot open wide in surprise as she saw a young filly charge in her direction. Before she could move the filly tripped over her, falling down into the ground with a loud thud as her hoof hit the pegasus’ head.

The pegasus put her hoof to her head, trying to suppress the pain. “Oh my gosh! Are you ok!?” The pegasus groaned in response as she raised herself from the snowy floor. “Yeah I-” a sight that she could never hope to see greeted her as she opened her eyes. In front of her stood a young unicorn with a pure white coat. Her mind went blank as she stared into the filly’s bright, emerald eyes. The unicorn wore the most heart-warming smile on her face that she had ever seen. “I...” she mumbled.

“Lost your tongue?” the filly giggled. “My name’s Sweetie Belle. Pleased to meet you!” she smiled. The pegasus was at a loss for words. She just stood there, staring into filly’s eyes, loosing herself in their color. Suddenly, a larger unicorn trotted to their side, panting heavily as if she had been running for ages. “Sweetie Belle! You come with me right now you-” The unicorn turned her gaze to the shivering pegasus. “Who’s this?” she asked.

The pegasus couldn’t avert her gaze from the giggling filly. “S-Scootaloo.. M-my name is Scootaloo.” she managed to stutter. The rain was still pouring down on their heads, dripping down the pegasus’ wet mane.

“Why are you out here all alone so late at night? Aren’t your parents worried about you?” she asked, the dim street lights shining down on the three. “Where do you life?” she said, causing the filly to turn her gaze upward, looking into the older unicorn’s face with watered eyes.

“I.. I’m lost and I can’t find my house.” she said. She didn’t want to lie but she simply had to. The unicorn gasped in surprise.

“So you sleep in the frigid rain!?” she exclaimed. “Absolutely not! You’re coming with us. We can help you find your home tomorrow. The pegasus’ eyes shot open in amazement. She looked up at the unicorn, on the verge of tears. “Really Rarity!? Can she?” The younger unicorn exclaimed as she looked up at her sister.

“R-really?” The pegasus asked in amazement, her throat dry from the tears that were forming in her eyes. She tried to stay strong, but to no avail. She winced in disbelief as she looked down into the snow, a single tear rolling down her face.

Scootaloo stumbled through the hospital's entrance. The sound of the raging wind got silenced the moment she closed the heavy door behind herself. She sneaked past the nurse, slumbering at her desk. Making her way towards Sweetie Belle’s room. She carefully nudged the door, causing it to slowly shift open, revealing the dark of the room.

She stumbled tiredly towards the side of the bed, before she climbed on top of it, shifting underneath the blankets. A happy sigh escaped her muzzle as she felt the soft, silken covers brush past her coat. She shifted closer to the unicorn lying next to her, wrapping her arms around the sleeping filly as she smiled contently.

Suddenly, she felt the unicorn struggle in her arms. “Not again..” she whispered as she opened her eyes to see the Sweetie Belle, violently kick her legs into the air, sweating from head to hoof as she she quivered in fear. Scootaloo tightened her hold over the restless unicorn in an attempt to calm her down. “I’m here for you Sweets..” she whispered. “I won’t let anyone hurt you..”Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.

She grasped the filly even tighter, bringing her muzzle to Sweetie Belle’s ear. “Hush now, quiet now. It’s time to lay your sleepy head.. Hush now, quiet now. It’s time to go to bed.” she sang in a soft tone. She remembered how her friend used to sing the song to her and Apple Bloom when they couldn’t sleep at sleepovers. The thing that she adored most about her joyful friend was her beautiful voice. She could only describe it as.. angelic..

“Drifting off to sleep, an exciting day behind you..” she smiled as she felt the filly’s quivering come to a halt. “Drifting off to sleep, let the joy of dreamland find you..” she softened her hold over Sweetie Belle as the unicorn returned to a blissful sleep. “Hush now, quiet now..” she yawned. “Lay your sleepy.. head..”

The shattering

The soft, muffled sound of waves crashing against the rocks whispered into Rainbow’s ears, nullifying all other sounds that surrounded her as she laid on her back, her vision vague and blurred. Only after her eyesight started to become fully functional again, she became aware of the sharp rocks that dug into her back. Still completely unaware of her surroundings she groaned in agony, feeling a thumping pain in the back of her head. To add insult to injury, her limbs felt weak and tired. However, slowly but surely her senses returned to her as the roar of the pounding waves became steadily louder.

Her mind started to slowly comprehend her situation as the whispers of the waves soon turned into a deafening roar, the gushing sound filling her thoughts as her image became clear. Her dreary eyes shot open wide in fear as she jumped forward from her lying position; she would end up regretting this action as her limbs expressed their own opinion on the abrupt movement by sending her nerves a harsh stinging sensation of pain. She fell backwards, managing to steady herself by pressing her forelegs into the jagged stones below. She could feel the freezing water flowing past her legs as the tide came in and out at regular intervals, powerfully tugging at her forelegs and forcing her to dig in deeper to the rocks for balance.

Our winged mare shuddered in the cold as she became aware of every little pain in her body. A single question filled her mind: “Where am I?” She gingerly stumbled back onto her hooves and shuddered again as the cold arctic wind assaulted her face like a knife, steadily ripping at her cheeks as if a blade were painfully and slowly ripping the skin off her face. She rubbed her partially closed eyes with her hooves in an attempt to clear her vision from the sea salt and fine particles brought along by the elements, but to no avail. She could vaguely trace the silhouettes of countless mountains standing on the horizon, guarded by snowy hills and desolate, rocky plains. She turned her head, only to be greeted by the endless ocean and its waves, rhythmically assaulting and eroding the exposed rocks that made up the shoreline.

Trying her best not to panic, Rainbow Dash examined her surroundings as another question forced itself into her head. “Where is everypony!?” her mind practically screamed the question into her ears, causing her to lose the last bit of her cool that she so desperately wanted to maintain; her calm facade broke and her eyes shot open wide in surprise as she noticed an indigo figure, lying on the cold ground, not more than a few feet away from her. The cyan pegasus rushed over to the pony, cringing in pain as she did; she hadn’t noticed the extent of her injuries. In her haste, Rainbow slipped over the wet rocks, a loud thud being the only additional sound effect as her body made unwanted contact with the earth below.

A pained groan escaped her muzzle as she continued to crawl towards the wounded mare. Rainbow stumbled over the pony’s still body as the waves rushed past her; a look of horror appeared on her face. “Luna!?” she exclaimed as she gasped for air. Below her lay the object of her affection, her body covered with scars. Rainbow violently shook her head before nudging Luna in the side, causing the alicorn to roll over. “Come on, wake up now..” she whispered, the chilly air making her shudder. Suddenly, a wave crashed into them, giving them an unneeded and unwanted frigid shower. The wave then returned back to the depths of the ocean, leaving a soaking wet pegasus and her wounded friend behind.
Rainbow knew that she didn’t have time to think; she would have to put her thoughts aside and just act on impulse. Quickly, she bit Luna’s mane, firmly latching on to dark blue strands of hair. She started to make her way towards solid land, labouring to drag the alicorn’s body ashore; the task proved to be unexpectedly strenuous on her. After the rocks beneath her hooves had made way to smooth white snow, she released the princess from her hold, panting from exhaustion. She nudged the wounded royalty once more, crying softly as she did. “Luna!? Can you hear me?” she shouted, trying to make the sound of her voice audible over the howling winds. “It’s Rainbow Dash! I’m here for you!” she yelled as she stumbled closer to the princess, pressing the alicorn’s head against her own. “Why won’t you just wake up..” she sobbed as she looked into Luna’s closed, silent eyes.

Luna sat on the edge of her unusually large balcony, taking in the view that a nighttime Canterlot could offer her; the darkened houses of the city, the many streetlights that shone so brightly in the distance, the few ponies that were still out this late at night, running whatever errands they were supposed to run. Next shee looked up at the sky and admired her countless stars, shining down on her. Suddenly, a flock of birds fluttered past her domain and her eyes sparkled at the sight; the birds looked so careless, so free. She however was stuck here, alone with her thoughts. She could see the night sky right in front of her, at less than a hoof’s length from her; it was so close yet so far away.

She just wanted to spread her wings and fly away and she would have done just that, if not for Celestia’s words: she was not to leave the palace at any time, not even after sundown. A heavy sigh escaped her muzzle as she turned her gaze to the lonely moon, hanging high in the sky, but quickly averted her gaze as unpleasant memories shot through her mind, paining her. She quickly put her hoof to her head in an attempt to suppress the pain, but the effort bore no fruit. She let out a strained grunt as the pain started to slowly subside.

She had been having these.. weird thoughts lately, and they were draining her mental health; every day that passed was a new day for her to be pushed closer to the edge of insanity, as her beautiful moon, which used to bring her so much joy, now only enraged her; she found it loathsome how her own creation, her own masterpiece, always reflected light from her sister’s sun, giving her no respite from the light that it cast upon Equestria every day. Almost as if her own creations too were belittling her. Even after it disappeared behind the horizon, the sun still found a way to taunt her. And the headaches, oh the terrible headaches. They were always there, some headache of some sort, giving her enough pain to make her life an absolute hell.

“Come on Luna.. It’s those kind of thoughts that got you into this situation in the first place..” she whispered to herself. “You just have to.. lay down for a bit. Yeah, that’s it..” she said, as if she were trying to convince herself that the problem didn’t exist as she slowly made her way back to the large bed that stood in the centre of the balcony, climbing over it’s edge and allowing herself to burrow deep into the dark blue, silken covers.

Suddenly a familiar voice came to her. “You’re a monster, you know that..” it whispered, causing her eyes to snap open as the pain returned to her head. “How can you be so calm after what you did to those poor ponies..” She groaned as the pain became unbearable. “I.. I didn’t want to..” she replied. “Like Celestia said, it was just an accident,” she tried to reason with her mind. “This will all blow over in a couple of days.”

“You don’t honestly believe that, do you?” it asked with the voice of a spiteful mare. “Have you seen the look in her eyes? She’s terrified of you, your own sister!” The voice’s anger seemed to worsen as it went on and with it, the pain in Luna’s head intensified. “They’ll be coming for you soon.. To take you away from here..”

“What!? Celestia would never abandon me.. would she?” Luna asked herself.

“Why not? She has turned on you before, she will do so again. Unless you.. stop her.” Luna flinched at the voice’s words. “S-stop her?” the young princess stuttered in fear. “All you have to do is let me in.. I’ll protect you.”

Luna blinked dully at the words. “L-let you in?” she whispered in a hurt tone.

“Admit it, you’re a monster.. I could make it all go away.. I could give you rest from the nightmares that have been haunting you for far too long..” the voice tried to convince her; Luna knew that she was not supposed to believe the deceiving voice but the voice’s promises were so sweet to her, so appealing... so beautiful music to her ears, a promise that her pain would finally stop..

She swallowed her fears as she slowly closed her eyes to the night sky. She could feel something beside her, tugging at her soul; she started slowly feeling fatigued as the evil entity drained her more and more both physically and mentally as it entered inside her. For a split second the pain in her head disappeared, only to be replaced by a sharp pain; her eyes shot open wide as she screamed in agony. Her wings and limbs started to grow in size, her dark blue coat turning to a pure black...

Luna shot up form her lying position, coughing up water as she did. It felt like somebody had just hit her over the head with something. She could hear the raging water in her ears, the wind roughing up the few patches of hardy grass that weren’t yet snow-covered. As her sight slowly returned to her and the world transformed from a haze, a blur, into something more clear, she became aware of her surroundings. She was greeted by the same landscape that Rainbow had woken to just a few moments ago.

The first thing she noticed was a certain rainbow-maned pegasus sitting beside her, holding a hoof to her shoulder. Rainbow gave the princess a worried look. “R-Rainbow? Where are we?” the princess asked, shivering from the low temperatures; it was now that she noticed that she was wet all over, her soggy mane hanging by her side. She blinked a few times, clearing the fog that clouded her view. “How did we get here?” she carefully inquired, not having forgotten how she left her ‘friend’ the last time they met.

Rainbow seemed to be just as exhausted as Luna herself was; they both panted heavily as water dripped from their manes unto the white ground. A thin blanket of snow graced the grassy hills that surrounded them. Dash lowered her gaze from the ground, looking straight into the princess’ eyes. “We have to find them,” Rainbow said, her voice brimming with the sheer determination that her eyes didn’t express.

Twilight clenched her eyelids shut as she tried to resist the idea of waking up. She snuggled closer underneath her soft, pink blanket in the hope of getting a few more solid minutes of sleep; a restful smile spread across her muzzle as she shifted in the comfort of her bed.

She could hear a strange dripping noise beside herself, like a drop of water hitting the floor, but she shrugged it off as yesterday’s rain trickling down her window. The first thing she noticed was the absence of the usual aroma of coffee that used to fill her mornings. Why hadn’t Spike prepared her daily dose of caffeine yet, was he snoozing again?

Twilight forced herself out of her morning fatigue, yawning sluggishly and stretching along with the yawns as she did. She slightly opened one of her eyes, squinting as the bright light of the room was too much for a half-awake egghead to take just yet. “Spike..?” she slowly drawled, fatigued, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice. After bracing herself for the inevitabe, the shocking bright light, Twilight forced her eyes wide open, a yelp escaping her muzzle as the light, oh so bright, made it downright painful for her to try and use her sight. Deciding that it was too much to bare, she quickly shut her eyes as tightly as possible before she cocooned her whole self inside her warm blanket, sheltering herself from the evil daylight outside that was coming to blind her.

Her senses started to gradually become more operational, namely her sight that was now adjusting to the light; she still regretted the fact that she opened her eyes in the first place. “Like mother used to say, I would like mornings better if they started later..” she chuckled softly to herself as a yawn escaped her muzzle. “Spike?” she tried to call out, with significantly more volume than last time. However, instead of her number one assistant’s voice she was greeted by the sound of a light-hearted giggle just above her head.

Fearing what was to come, she slightly opened her eyes once more, preparing for the light of day, but instead, she was greeted by the ever-smiling face of a certain pink pony, lying on top of her. Twilight’s eyes shot open in surprise. “Pinkie!? What the hay are you doing in my bedroom!?” she almost yelled, shocked, as the unexpected encounter with the pink party pony definitely awoke her, if she needed any more awakening.

Pinkie’s giggling turned into hysterical laughter, the grin on her face growing in size. “Bedroom? Equestria to Twilight Sparkle! Are you still asleep or something?” Pinkie asked, chattering away in her typical high-pitched, fast manner. With those words, Twilight's dreamworld crumbled around her, her soft pillows being replaced by cold, hard stone; the sound of water dripping off the ceiling was much more prominent now.

Once the blur in her mind disappeared she could feel the cold sensations running up and down her spine. She violently shivered, the sound emitted from it echoing through the narrow cave that had served as her sleeping place. Drops of water trickled down the stalactites that covered the ceiling of the darkened cave. Twilight raised herself from her sleeping position, supporting herself with her front legs, her hind legs still resting on the stone floor. Her mane looked like exactly the kind that would make Rarity shudder in disgust and the bags of exhaustion around her eyes had never been so prominent as now, even with her sleepless lifestyle as she often reading in the dark of night.

The frigid wind chilled her to the very bone as she slowly got up, causing a bubbly Pinkie Pie to tumble off of her. “Where are we!?” Twilight shouted, causing her voice to echo past the walls of the place as she looked into the icy cave’s far reaches, unable to even guess the depth and length of the icy cave. The pink pony’s smile turned to a look of confusion and then she furrowed her brows in a contemplative frown.

“You don’t remember?” she asked as she tilted her head. “I woke up on that cold shore a few days ago, and then I was like oh where am I but then I saw you and then I dragged you in here to keep you safe from the chilly chills out there, because I didn’t want to have you freeze as freezing is not fun, and it rhymes with sneeze!” she said in one breath, completing another impressive monologue; Twilight simply stared at her blankly, astonished.

“You did all of that!?” Twilight exclaimed with her hooves in the air. Pinkie merely nodded in response as her signature smile found its way back unto her face. This unnerved Twilight even more. “And none of this... upset you?” she asked carefully. Pinkie shook her head from side to side in frantic manner.

“Why would it?” she asked, not really expecting an answer from the studious mare. “OK, it was a bit chilly outside, but nothing to worry about,” she said, giggling ever so slightly. “I mean come on, it’s not the first time that I woke up in some random location without a clue of what happened last night! You silly filly, you worry too much!” she said before bursting into a fit of laughter, causing Twilight to facehoof out of frustration, letting out a heavy sigh as the pain in her head was making signals of a comeback.

Meanwhile, another pony was taunted by the grim premise of awakening. Rarity coughed a dry cough, a ‘smoker’s cough’ as some would call it on a far away planet, as the bone-dry, bone-chilling polar air slowly was ruining her lungs and throat. She hadn’t woken up in such a dreadful manner in ages. She would be whining uncontrollably right now if she weren’t so sure that nopony could hear her anyway. She would soon make the biggest mistake of the day: opening her eyes. Her eyelids shifted open ever so slightly. In a matter of seconds, all of her senses returned to her. The sound of the raging winds filled her ears, accompanied by the soft crackling of burning wood. For the first few seconds, all she could see was a bright, white light. After it faded, she was greeted by a dreadful sight: she was lying in a bed made out of twigs and hay, located in a camp on a high mountainside.

The snow, whipped up by the wind, danced around her, sticking to her usually well-kept mane. She could see an orange figure sitting by the unusually large bonfire that somehow was staying lighted in the middle of the camp. The pony turned her head to see Rarity stumbling out of her hoof-made bed; the earth pony’s eyes lit up in joy as she trotted towards her. “Rare! Yer finally awake!” she exclaimed, charging to Rarity’s side, attempting to help the alabaster unicorn trot to the fire, despite the slight disorientation; the voice was all to familiar to the fashionista.

“Applejack.. is that you?” she asked, squinting at the bright snow as she tried to recall what happened last night, but her mind was a complete blur. Her voice was hardly audible over the sound of the raging storm. “Where are we? How did we get here?” she asked intrigued, causing her friend to give her the strangest of looks.

Applejack’s eyes went wide as saucers in surprise. “Ya really don’t remember, sugarcube?” she almost shouted out in an attempt to be more audible than the raging blizzard that was assaulting them. “Ya were out when Ah found ya!” she exclaimed. “Ah tried everything but nothing could wake ya up!” Rarity was dumbfounded, she didn’t really know what to think of the situation before her; it took a while for her to internalize everything that the farmer pony had told her, and even when she finally understood the situation there were some questions she wanted an answer to.

“B-But..” she managed to stutter. “What about the others? What about the girls!? Where are they!?” Rarity exclaimed, her voice gradually experiencing a crescendo as panic settled in, causing the earth pony to look away, avoiding Rarity’s gaze as a look of worry grew on her face. “Answer me Applejack!” Rarity yelled, mildly vexed by her friend’s behaviour. She slowly turned her head to face Rarity, blankly staring at her friend.

“Ah.. Ah don’t know sugarcube..” she managed to utter in a pained tone, one that Rarity had not come to expect from her stubborn friend. It proved once again how little she actually knew about Applejack. With those words, Rarity could feel her whole world crumbling around her as she turned her head, trying to appear strong in front of her friend. Applejack could hear the soft sniffling underneath the raging storms. “Rare... are ya OK?” Applejack asked, her voice not being able to hide the undertone of concern that was in it.

Rarity quickly spun around and faced Applejack as tears of rage, frustration and sadness were rapidly escaping from her eyes. Her face was covered in teardrops, staining her normally pristine white coat. “No, I’m not OK!” she yelled, causing her friend to cower slightly. “Where is Shy!?” she asked in a mixture of panic and rage. “Where is she!?” Rarity screamed at the top of her lungs as she charged past her friend, causing Applejack to fall into the cold snow with a soft poof.

The earth pony flinched, partially due to physical and partially due to emotional pain, as she saw Rarity run off into the snowy wilderness that surrounded their camp. “Rarity! Wait! We’ve got to stay together!” she yelled in an attempt to calm the unicorn down, but to no avail. Rarity kept running through the storms, desperately looking for the one thing that she could not allow herself to lose.

Quickly, Applejack charged after her. Suddenly, Rarity felt her friend jump atop of her, pinning her into the ground, the frigid snow brushing past her coat. The two of them panted heavily in exhaustion as the winds continued to rage in their ears. “Applejack! Let go of me!” Rarity yelled, losing control of her temper.

“No!” Applejack said sternly. “Yer not thinking straight Rare! Get yerself together!” she ordered, but it was of no use. Rarity continued to struggle in her friend’s grasp, trying to kick her way out of the grip Applejack had on her. However, that was a wasted effort; Applejack, being a farmer was always going to outmuscle a fashionista like Rarity. “Ah’m not letting go of ya until y’all calm down!” After a good few minutes of angrily flailing her limbs about in an attempt to break loose, Rarity started to finally calm down as she was laying there in the snow, her back pressing down into the previously untouched snow around her: she started shivering as the heat was being transferred from her body into the snow, melting it gradually, only for it to refreeze moments later. Her anger was soon replaced by an overwhelming sadness; tears escaped her eyes as if her eyes were a fountain. She raised her back, wrapping her arms around the pony that still was on top of her.

“Ah promise we’ll find her sugarcube..”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Hello, it’s the new editor, Leader_Cherif here. If you have some complaints about the language or summut, in form of grammatical errors or changes or the extent of description, feel free to message me/comment about it here; I’m now responsible for the language side of the story, unless vozzle decides otherwise (which I hope he doesn’t). Peace out and enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed editing it.
-LeaderCherif

Break my fall

The chilling winds swept through the reaches of the frozen cave that Fluttershy had deemed to be her shelter for the night. The timid pegasus laid curled up against the walls of the grotto, shivering ever so slightly; she whimpered softly, feeling forlorn. “They’ll come to save me..” she tried to convince herself. “I’m sure of it.. Rarity will save me.. Dashie will save me..”

Making herself fake belief in the situation improving was the only thing that kept her going; lost and alone with no clue of what to do to fix the situation, her morale was effectively destroyed by the harsh reality that she was completely hopeless and could do nothing about it.

There had always been someone there to guard her from the dangers of life, be it Rainbow Dash, who shielded her from any physical threat, or Rarity, who shielded her from her every mental barrier and bane. Though now, being alone, she had forgotten what it was like to have to fend for herself; it made her think of how pathetically weak she considered herself when compared to every other pony she cared about.

She wasn’t strong like Applejack, nor clever and intelligent like Twilight, nor fast or courageous like her friend Rainbow Dash, nor tactful and graceful like Rarity and Pinkie Pie.. well, she was Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy though? Oh, she was just Fluttershy. “Weak and helpless Fluttershy..” she whispered in a hurt tone. She thought of her days as a filly and how she was never good enough; being the foal of two of the most important weather ponies in Equestria had always meant that lots was expected from her, and she couldn’t deliver as expected; the laughter she earned in school for that still haunted her.

Not moving at all, Fluttershy just stayed there for hours. She could vaguely hear the storm raging outside, the howling winds relentlessly savaging any unexposed land. “My friends are out there..” she thought to herself, still shivering as the cold continued chilling her to the very bone. Images started to flash through her mind, images of her friends braving the elements of nature, searching for her. It reminded her of how she felt the day that the dragon threatened to envelop Ponyville in it’s black smoke. She remembered how much she had hindered her friends that day, how they had to look out for her every single moment.

“I am nothing but a burden..” she sighed, resigning to her fate. She closed her eyes, allowing her thoughts to take over once again. She could imagine Rarity lying knocked out cold in the snow, slowly turning into a frozen marshmallow; Fluttershy’s eyes shot open in fear. “What if she needs me?” she gasped as she quickly rose to her feet. “What if she’s waiting for me to come, and I’m here.. hiding?”

Almost immediately, her facial expression turned from fear to determination. She started running to accelerate before flaring out her wings and flapping them, gaining a bit of altitude after each willpower-fueled flap; soon she was flying near the floor of the cave; she could see the mouth more clearly by the minute as the raging storm outside became progressively more audible. As she darted out...

...she was assaulted by an absolutely merciless barrage of snow being blown toward her flank by a sidewind. However, she still battled to stay on course, regardless of her not knowing where she was going. She gradually arrived at the end of a ledge, the endless depths creeping into her sight. Once at the edge she stopped in her tracks, digging her hooves into the icy surface as she looked down into the endless, snowy depths of the ground below. Her vision was blurred by the storm, blowing the snow through the air.

Immediately, her wings snapped shut, sticking to her back as vertigo overcame her. A wave of cold shot through her body, causing her to shiver from head to hoof. She stood frozen in place, looking down at the massive expanse of polar tundra that laid far below her. Suddenly, a powerful gust blew past her head, causing her to lose her balance. Her eyes shot open wide as she tumbled forward, rolling down the mountainside, becoming encased in layer after layer of snow...
Throughout the land, an almost inaudible squeak could be heard.

After what seemed like an eternity of rolling through and in the snow, the ground beneath her suddenly became more level again. Equally as abruptly, her descent took an unexpected turn as an icy ramp launched her into the air at high velocity. Her wings instinctively shot outward in an attempt to use this thrust for flying, this however, proved to be to no avail as she gradually opened her eyes the night and the blowing snow made her visibility close to zero; she was being hurled helplessly like a drunken acrobat through the night. However, what goes up must come down...

Fluttershy was lying in the virgin snow, her face hitting the frozen floor. she slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes to peer through the darkness and try and see something; the snow assaulted her face and made seeing anything close to impossible. After intensely concentrating on trying to see anything she could vaguely make out a white silhouette far in the distance; that piqued her curiosity so she battled her way through the harsh winds towards the thing she saw.

The pegasus’ mane was being lashed into a frenzied dance by the wind, which also forced her wings to remain shut, rendering her quite vulnerable. However, having drawn closer after what seemed an eternity she noticed a small white creature struggling against the wind; apparently Fluttershy wasn’t the only one suffering from the storm, a thing that she took some relief from. “How mean I am...” she thought, horrified by the fact that she had taken solace in somepony’s suffering. Her expression though turned soon from the guilty relief to surprise as her brain fully registered that she really wasn’t alone; a small bunny seemed to be in dire straits too, with his bruised leg impairing his movement; Fluttershy’s concern grew exponentially as her kindness instinct kicked in. Soon enough, the bunny collapsed in the snow. Disregarding her own safety Fluttershy reflexively picked up the bunny from the ground before gently hoisting him onto her back. Now that she had that sorted out, it was time for her to set out again on her arduous travel through the fury of a blizzard.

“Pinkie! Could you for once be quiet?! I’m trying to think here!” Twilight exclaimed, thrusting her hooves into the air in exasperation; sitting in the corner of a wooden shelter that she’d conjured in order to shield the two from the harsh weather raging around them, they could hear the snow barraging the walls of their abode. It being small, there wasn’t much space for one to hide from the other and although it could be fun sometimes to have Pinkie nearby, at least for Twilight too much Pinkie Pie was just too much.

“Did somepony say that there can be too much fun...?” Pinkie asked, furrowing her brows and turning towards our screen, before shaking her head vigorously and giggling. “Well excuse me for trying to lighten the mood Twilight!” Pinkie said and giggled, huffing and puffing intermittently as to try and get her cotton candy mane out of her face. Pinkie then back-flipped, landing somehow on her comfortable stack of hay and blankets that served as her impromptu bed. Now though there was nothing to do and even her Pinkie Pie senses weren’t telling her anything exciting so she just stared at the ceiling for a second, giving Twilight a much-needed respite from her over-the-top antics. However, if there’s one thing that the magenta earth pony can’t handle, it’s boredom and indeed she decided to do something, anything to relieve herself from that. “Hey Twilight?”

“Yes Pinkie?” Twilight sighed, resigning to her fate. she averted her gaze from the walls, sending a blank stare in the direction of Ponyville’s premier party pony. Twilight’s morale was steadily falling, her mood following a similar trend, as the endless travelling from nowhere to nowhere was taking its psychological toll on her; Pinkie definitely didn’t improve her mood, either. Suddenly a fluffy white cushion collided with Twilight’s face, causing her to faceplant onto the wooden floor. Slowly picking her weight up off the floor, a shocked, wide-eyed Twilight looked at Pinkie in dismay; Pinkie was meanwhile literally laughing out loud, clutching her sides as the joy coursed through her every vein and every cell.

“Pinkie, what the hay was that about?!” Twilight inquired, slightly vexed by the surprise pillow assault; Pinkie Pie on the other hand was stuck in a fit of laughter that she was desperately trying to get under control.

As Pinkie started to finally get her laughter under control, she commenced wiping tears of innocent merriment out of her eyes before turning to face the angered unicorn. Pinkie paused her frantic rolling across the stone, white floor, wiping the tears of laughter out of her eyes before turning yo the angered unicorn. “LOL, geez Twilight, I’m just having a bit of fun, that’s all!” she stated, waving her hoof dismissively at Twilight. “Loosen up a bit!”

“This is hardly the time for fun! We have to come up with some sort of plan and I can’t just think with you constantly bothering me!” an incensed Twilight said, her voice raised; she then continued with a much lower volume: “Just go to sleep Pinkie, go bug the ‘writer’ you talk about half of the time, go do something of the sort, but just stop bugging me.”

After hearing this, Pinkie’s ears drooped. “Fine!” Pinkie said, rolling her eyes. “You’re being a boring cranky doodle pony anyways!”
She then turned away from the lavender unicorn before leaping into her makeshift bed, causing the blankets to billow up a bit at the edges before setting back down thanks to gravity. For a few minutes she simply stared at the wooden walls of the place, listening to the tempest that was raging outside. Suddenly her ear started flopping about, followed by her hooves involuntarily pounding the wooden floor of the shelter.

Meanwhile, Twilight was rummaging through her bags, hoping to find anything that would help them free their friends. “We must focus on finding each other first...” she thought to herself. Suddenly her hoof made contact with a small glassy object that was in one of her bags; once she realized what the object was, she gasped.

Moving the orb from her saddlebag, Twilight peered intently at the object for a moment. The globe appeared to be devoid of anything but as soon as her hooves made contact with the glass, a cloud of purple smoke formed inside of it, invoking a satisfied smile from the Princess’s prized protegé; her morale boosted, she turned to inform Pinkie Pie about her plans, however Pinkie made it first. “Twilight, I have to tell you something!” Pinkie said, suddenly running into Twilight. As Twilight was knocked back she accidentally dropped the orb out of her hooves; falling on the wooden floor it instantaneously shattered, the purple smoke escaping and dissipating into the air.

Pinkie giggled ignorantly at the sight. “Oops, sorry Twilight,” she said with a sheepish grin on her face as she watched the purple substance fade into the air; Twilight on the other hand stared at the unfolding debacle, pale-faced and in an absolute state of shock. As the seconds passed, an ominous silence from Twilight’s part unnerved Pinkie, making her laughter cease as worry creeped across her face. “Twilight?” she prodded lightly. “I said I was sorry...”

Twilight’s blank, expression turned into one of sheer wrath as her face reddened and her mane started flaring as if she were a Rapidash; she turned around to face Pinkie, narrowing her eyes. “Sorry?!” she screeched; something inside of her snapped. It might’ve been the stress induced by the journey or Pinkie’s constant attention seeking, but whatever it was, the last fiasco was the final straw; her fuse was ready to blow. “Sorry? You always ruin everything! As if a half-sincere sorry of yours helps? No! It is absolutely and utterly useless to say sorry afterwards if you will just mess it up again and again and again! Sorry just won’t cut it! You always ruin everything by being a clumsy, attention-seeking and hyperactive ball of energy that just can’t settle down, even when you should! If you’d maybe actually take something here seriously for once, you might be useful, but you really can’t, can you?!” she asked in one breath as she drew constantly nearer to Pinkie Pie, unleashing a verbal tirade upon the now quivering party pony; the monologue would’ve, in better conditions, impressed Pinkie as that was, lengthwise, quite alike a Pinkie Pie monologue.

As Twilight was huffing and puffing, still angry and letting her breath catch up with her after that verbal assault, Pinkie Pie raised her gaze from the floor to Twilight, ashamed. “But...”

“No buts, Pinkie...” Twilight said, anger still resonating in her tone. “We’ve been wandering for hours and all you’ve been doing is jokes that have hindered our progress. Just...” she paused to exhale and breathe in deeply. “Leave me alone will you,” she said as she turned her gaze away from Pinkie and closed her eyes.

“But Twilight..” Pinkie tried to reason.

“Go!” Twilight yelled, snapping again; she’d end up regretting that later; Pinkie galloped out of the shelter, literally crying enough tears to cut a stream of tears through the snow; as the noise of Pinkie crying became quieter and quieter, Twilight was left alone in the shelter in utter silence.

“Ah told ya that it would crack!” Applejack taunted Rarity who was shivering in the corner of the cave. In the middle of the cave was a large fire, its orange light illuminating the depths of the cavern. Rarity stayed mute, on her haunches and facing the wall, her expressionless face stared at the near-freezing water dripping from her now wet mane; her soft shivering noises echoed throughout the cavern.

Applejack sighed, annoyed at the perceived cold shoulder that Rarity was giving her; a sly smile grew across her face as she threw her hat off her head and conjured her best Manehattanite snob accent. “Oh Applejack, don’t be so foolish! I am far too thin for such things although somepony with a figure like yours would crack though!” Once again though the only response offered by Rarity was the same shudders as before.

“I told you that it would be a good idea to be a bit more careful, but no! Rarity always knows everything so much better than to take advice from others,” she continued while waving her hooves dramatically in the air; instantly after that taunt, Rarity’s shudders turned into muffled snivelling, making the farm pony’s annoyed demeanor crumble in an instant.

“Hey.. Calm down sugarcube, Ah’m just a bit tired Ah guess so mah behaviour wasn’t so great...” Applejack said, dropping her accent, in a vain attempt to comfort her friend. but it was of no use. as Rarity continued her sobbing. “Your mane will dry, ya know..” she assured her friend softly, causing Rarity to fix her gaze on Applejack; Applejack noticed Rarity’s eyes being bloodshot, tears slowly dripping down her cheeks. “No...” Rarity managed to mutter between her sobs. “That’s not it...” she continued in a resigned manner, making Applejack’s stance soften. She understood Rarity; the journey and her friends disappearing was a heavy stone on both of their shoulders. Rarity gingerly rose from the ground, her wet mane dangling in an absolutely unfabulous manner over her face; she wasn’t in the mood to fix it. She trotted over to the campfire and went to lie down in front of the flames in an attempt to warm up; she gazed blankly into the flames, doing their wild dance, as tears continued to slowly roll from her eyes down her face, staining her otherwise pristine white coat.

“I keep thinking...” she said; silence followed afterwards as Rarity found it difficult to find the right words to say. She was wiping tears from her eyes as Applejack squatted beside her, facing the blaze in front of her. Rarity had at this point found the words to say but couldn’t bring herself to say them; Applejack noticed this from her slight change in demeanor.

“It’s okay sugarcube...” Applejack said gently, smiling softly at Rarity while wiping the tears out of the fashionista’s eyes. “You can tell me anything, honest.”

“I keep thinking...” she said, the tears slowly returning to her eyes. “That... what if... well, we don’t know if they’re still alive, and what if they’re not...” she asked, burying her muzzle into her friend’s shoulder as her tears cascaded down Applejack’s coat.

Applejack’s eyes opened slightly in surprise. “Hey, don’t ya say that!” she demanded, turning Rarity to face her as Applejack’s eyes lit up with determination and also some disappointment. “Ya know, Ah’m gonna be honest here, Ah’m mighty disappointed in ya Rare.”

Rarity looked up into her friend’s emerald eyes from beneath her soaking purple mane, mildly taken aback by Applejack’s words. “You... what?” she asked, unsure of whether she had heard her friend correctly.”

“Yep, ya heard right. Ah’m mighty disappointed in ya, in fact. Ah don’t wanna be mean here but really, yer actin’ like Ah did when Ah was as old as Apple Bloom,” Applejack said; Rarity’s eyes grew as wide as saucers as she registered what her friend just said. “Please... care to explain?” Rarity asked, still a slight bit dumbstruck.

Applejack sighed and took a deep breath. “Well... when Ah was a wee filly, Ah one day sprained mah ankle while helpin’ Big Mac out on the orchard,” she explained; Rarity tilted her head, intrigued. “Ah was then on the ground, cryin’ an’ bawlin’ mah eyes out about the injury; it hurt some so Ah made that known. However then as Ah was on mah haunches playin’ helpless, Big Mac came out and sat right next to me. Ya know what he said?”

“What?” Rarity asked. “So that pony actually can speak more than eeyup and nnope?” she thought, slightly baffled.

“He told me of an injury he attained as a kid. He limped home ignoring the pain, to get the wound treated; had he not went home ta treat it, it coulda got infected or just further damaged. Luckily he only had a small cut, nothin’ more, thanks to him takin’ the initiative when he was required to. The moral of the story is that cryin’ heals no wounds an’ that if y’all don’t git up when ya must, yer gonna be the one sufferin’ from that so it’s yer duty to jus’ deal with the pain, even if it hurts, as the faster ya get a wound treated the faster it can heal. In other words don’t dwell on the bad things, deal with them and move on.”

Rarity looked slightly puzzled; she tilted her head in an indication of that. “And how does this relate to our situation though?” she duly inquired.

“Need Ah explain?” Applejack asked, sighing. “Yer pain now, although emotional, is a wound y’all can deal with; it ain’t anything massive either unless ya let it be massive. Much like mah an’ Big Mac’s injuries were. If ya don’t think positive, of course things will go wrong; ya must not allow yerself to succumb to fear or else y’all will be in real trouble. Mah granny once said that a wise mare fears nothin’ but fear itself; she has a point ya know. So, shall ya make us proud an’ git up an’ try to be strong or shall ya jus’ sit there cryin’? Y’all know which is best fer everypony...” Applejack reasoned.

“But it’s so difficult... you’re strong, I’m not...” Rarity said and sighed, her eyes starting to tear up again; Applejack facehoofed.

“Nope, Rare, Ah am not strong,” Applejack stated matter-of-factly. “Ah’m jus’ as afraid as you, however, Ah soldier on anyway; not like anything else will help either. Mah strength is only because Ah refuse to give up, so it’s more about guts than strength. Sure Ah can buck apples, but that ain’t real strength; real strength is here,” she continued as she put her hoof to her heart. “Fight fer me, yerself, yer friends, Sweetie Belle... fight fer yer love, Rare...”

Rarity closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, letting all of her fears fade away; a relieved, determined smile graced her tired-looking face. “Thanks Jackie,” she cooed in pleasure, making Applejack’s eyes open to the size of saucers.

“Ah told ya not to call me that!” Applejack said with a hearty chuckle as she picked her Stetson and put it back atop her head; now as the morale was acceptable again among everypony, Applejack started to search for a good place to sleep; she found one almost instantly and laid down. “We really should get some shuteye..” she yawned; Rarity simply nodded in response.

Rarity then also lied down on the cold cavern floor, staring at the night sky unfolding beyond the cave’s entrance for what seemed to be an eternity. However, she just couldn’t seem to fall asleep; something, or rather somepony was missing. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander, having nothing better to do; soon she imagined a certain yellow pegasus lying next to her, the pegasus’ wing wrapped around Rarity like a blanket to shield her from the cold. “I love you, Shy...” Rarity whispered like she routinely tended to every night, but for the first time in months silence was the only response...

Evil angel

A dark alicorn burst out of one of the large stained glass windows that spotted the side of the massive palace, shards flying through the air as she hurled herself into the night sky. The stars gleamed all around her as her dark-blue figure shot across the endless dark, her pitch black mane dancing in the wind, her eyes closed shut as the sound of the shattered glass still ringed in her ears.

In the blink of an eye, her wings snapped open, her dark blue feathers spreading in the wind. Anypony still awake at this time could see her spiraling downwards towards the ancient shadowed streets of Canterlot. A loud crumbling noise echoed through the backstreets and alleyways of the ancient city as her hooves hit the cold, stone floor, stirring the hearts of anypony that could hear it.

She looked down at her dirt stained hooves, worn out from the countless trials and tribulations of the last few days. A bolt of lightning pierced the air, causing her to stretch her neck upwards, looking into the looming black clouds that hung above her, the sound of nature’s fury echoing in her head. Not a single star dotted the night sky, they had all been snuffed out. A single beastly iris peered between the dirty black strands of hair that obscured her face.

A lone drop of rain tapped her head, trickling down into her mane. Then another drop fell.. and another.. and another, until the princess found herself standing in a heavy downpour. She could hear the sound of the rain ricocheting against the cobblestone floor below her. She could clearly see the rain hitting her face, yet she could not feel it. Something was.. different, she could not feel the wind against her body nor the rain drenching her coat. All she could feel, all she could think about, was the rage that she had kept hidden for far too long.

Once the sound of the rain had faded into the background, she put her first step forward into the city that she once called her home -- it had become more of a prison now, really. With only the dark of night accompanying her, she slowly trotted into the palace courtyard with only one thing on her mind.

Her feral eyes narrowed in disgust as she looked upon the drenched, cheerfully colored banners and statues that stood in the royal courtyard in honor of the recent crowning of Princess Celestia. “Sister dearest...” she whispered in a spiteful tone. A sly grin grew across her muzzle as she ascended the massive white marble stairs that led to the palace entrance.

The newly crowned Princess Celestia sat atop her lonesome throne, her head bowed in shame and regret with a single tear rolling down her cheek. The last few weeks had been weighing heavily on her shoulders. She was the only pony present in the massive throne room that night, silently walking through its halls, lonesomely staring at the drapes and stained-glass windows, each of which seeming to tell their own tale of a time long since forgotten.

The princess’ sniveling echoed across the room, only accompanied by the sound of the rain, rhythmically chiming against the windows creating a silent symphony for her ears. The tears rolled down her face. “Nopony said it’d be this hard..” she sobbed. Her eyes looked weary, and tearful, she looked as if she hadn’t had a good night’s rest in ages.

She wanted to close her eyes in order to get some relief from the everlasting stress that strained on her mind, but whenever she did all she could see were the little filly’s innocent blue eyes looking up at her with a look of helplessness. Not even sleep could give her soul solace now.
“Why, little sister?” she said, her voice trembling. The alicorn had worked for years to ready herself for her rule, but it could never have prepared her for what happened -- nothing could. She got up from her velvet seat and trotted to the centre of the circular throne room.

Crying, she lowered her head, allowing her mane to flow over the floor in lifeless strings. Suddenly, a muffled voice was heard coming from the other side of the rather large palace door. “Halt! By order of th-” A burst of lightning shook the air, drowning out any noise other than the pony’s screams of pain. Celestia’s sobbing finally got silenced by a sudden loud gasp. Her eyes grew wide as she turned her gaze towards the wooden door towering above her.

The door burst open, allowing a cold gust of wind to surge in that chilled her to the bone. There in the infinite black, stood a nightmare, a twisted vision of everything that she once held dear. The young mare’s dark blue wings hung sluggishly by her side, her damaged feathers gracing the palace’s pristine floor. Her face remained hidden behind her ebony mane. Slowly, the mare started making her way through the ancient halls, her head swaying subtly from side to side as she did.

Celestia stood frozen in fear as the twisted figure of her very own sister slowly trotted towards her. The younger alicorn came to a halt, simply standing there for a few moments not uttering a word. She raised her head to meet her sibling’s gaze. A shiver crept down Celestia’s spine as she peered into her sister’s ferocious eyes. All she saw when she looked into Luna’s eyes was anger, she could not find a trace of the pony she once knew. Luna lifted her gaze upward, staring tentatively at the crown that sat atop her sister’s head, the very starlight that reflected from its surface was a mockery of her being.

After a lengthy silence, Luna finally opened her mouth. "Have you seen my flower, sister?" Celestia could feel her entire body trembling to the sound of Luna's words. Noting could have ever prepared her for hearing her little sister's voice coming from such an apparition, her voice echoed faintly through the ancient expanses of the palace.

"I- I don't understand, Luna. What are you talking about?" the fear in Celestia's voice was more than apparent.

"My flower. I looked for it, but I can't find it. You know, the pretty white one."

"I.." she whimpered. "Don't try to fool me, Luna." she whispered, the sadness in her voice was overwhelming.

The spiteful mare responded with a faint chuckle. "Come sister, I want to show you something." Luna trotted out of the massive wooden door, allowing the rain to welcome her once more. Celestia reluctantly followed her into the storm, bracing herself for the vicious downpour. Once outside, she could see Luna sitting at the edge of the balcony overlooking the city. "Can you see it, sister? Isn't it amazing?" Luna appeared to be looking out over the darkened streets of Canterlot's noble quarter. The entire city was suffering under the mercy of the falling rain. The thing that unsettled the princess the most was the sky's complete lack of stars. The twinkling little lights that Celestia had come to adore over the years were snuffed out, leaving only darkness in the heavens above. "If only you could see it like I do, Celestia. It's so beautiful." Suddenly, Luna's gaze shot upward, looking towards the malevolent moon, looming over Equestria. "Can you hear it, sister? Can you hear her calling?"

"Hear who calling? Why are you here, Luna!?" Celestia exclaimed, her sister didn't even seem to notice her cries. The rain pouring down on her shape had caused Celestia’s normally flowing mane to hang straight down her face, drenched and wet.

"She says such sweet things to me. She holds me close, and whispers in my ear. She tells me everything that I’ve always wanted to hear, but was never told. She feels really cold, but it's the good kind of cold, you know? When she says things to you... you want to believe it." she said softly into the night-sky, the rain still running down their heads. Luna sat with her back towards her sister.

Nature let its thunderous wrath crash across the sky, illuminating the sisters faces and punishing their ears. Celestia’s mind was overran with a mixture of both fear and compassion whenever she looked upon her sister’s form. “Luna..” she tried to get her attention. “please come with me, little sister, I’ll make the hurt go away.” she tried to mask her fear, but her voice was absolutely quivering. “We’ll go up to your room an-” Celestia gasped as Luna’s head turned around in a flash.

The young mare’s prying eye stared angrily into her sister’s from, her back still turned towards the larger alicorn. “So you can lock me up in that horrid chamber again!?” she roared, her wings flaring outward in anger. “So you can keep me hidden like the monster I am? No, I won’t give you the pleasure!” she growled, teeth flashing. “Do not speak to me as if I am an infant!”

“I just want to help you!” she plead to her, looking into Luna’s furious gaze. She slightly raised her voice. “I don’t want to hurt you, little sister. Yield now or I will be forced to stop you.” she said, trying to fight the tears. “I can’t let you go after what you did.”

A crooked smile grew on Luna’s face, her eyes still narrowed in anger. “Yield!?” she laughed menacingly. She raised herself from the wet, marble floor and started to move slowly towards her sister with a wicked grin. “Do you think yourself all powerful, sister dearest?” she chuckled. “But then again, how can I blame you? You are the beloved princess Celestia after all. Surely, the filthy bastard child cannot best you?”

Her sister’s words were like venom seeping violently into her mind. Celestia shook in the dark as the cold rain assaulted her coat and mane, leaving them drenched and unclean. “I never asked for this, Luna! What did they do to deserve this!? They loved you, sister. I loved you.” she pleaded.

Nothing could have been more infuriating to her “Shut up!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. In a flash, Luna’s hooves started to glow with a dark blue aura as she charged horn-first into her siblings frame with all her might, causing Celestia to gasp loudly as she tumbled over the balcony’s railing.

Celestia felt an impressive sense of pain in her back as she opened her eyes only to find herself lying on her back against the wall of one of Canterlot’s darkened stone alleyways. She could barely hold her eyes open as the rain assailed her face. Her collision with the wet cobblestone floor had left her back painful and bruised. Her vision was blurred by the rain. She tried to shield her body with her drenched, crooked wings.

Suddenly, she felt a hoof underneath her chin, pushing her head upwards, forcing her to meet her sister’s cold, devilish smile. Her head soon met the cold, hard floor again as Luna’s hoof hit her face. Celestia stumbled up on her hooves, her horn started to glow with a dim golden light as she pointed it towards her assailant. The younger mare merely laughed as got up on her hind legs, her horn emanating a thick blackness. She slammed her hooves down into the ground, firing a bolt of black energy into Celestia causing the older alicorn to soar through the air before her back met the palace wall, a yelp of pain escaping her muzzle.

She had to get away. One way or another, she had to get away. She just started running anywhere but towards her sister’s looming figure. Desperately, she flared her wings in the rain as she increased her pace, taking flight into the raging thunderstorm. Celestia soared past the walls of Canterlot’s massive palace which towered above her.
Looking back, she saw a faint, dark-blue shade shooting towards her through her blurry vision. Her only thought was flying faster, the only thing she cared about was escaping, but to no avail. The shade caught up with her, tackling her side causing her to collapse with the palace wall. The sound of glass shattering filled her ear.

Celestia soon found herself in an utterly new environment. She could feel the soft blue carpet underneath touching her skin as she looked around the room. It was quite dark, the first thing she noticed were the glass shards covering the floor around her. A large circular bed stood in the middle of the room, the rain trickling down unto the silken sheets from the broken ceiling window that stood above it.

“Do you remember, sister?”

Her eyes opened wide in fear as she heard that voice. She quickly raised herself from the floor, scanning the room for a sign of her sister. There stood Luna, staring blankly at her. The very image sent shivers down her spine.

“Do you remember how you used to come here to put lies into my head? And such sweet lies they were.. That’s all you were!” the anger in her voice became more apparent. “Nothing but lies and crooked wings!” she shouted as she pointed her horn upwards, a black glow enveloping it. Suddenly, the little light that remained in the room vanished, leaving Celestia in utter darkness.

The large alicorn stumbled through the shadows of the room, wincing in pain whenever she stepped on a shard of the broken window. She had never been as terrified as she was at that very moment.

“Why are you so afraid of the dark, sister?”

Panic took control of Celestia, she simply had to find a way out. She needed light. Desperately, she closed her eyes and focused her power into her horn, a tiny light appeared at the end of it. She opened her eyes. She gasped as she saw Luna standing inches away from her with her wings spread wide as she gave her sister a menacing smile.

“Afraid of what’s inside it?”

Celestia instantly smashed her hooves forward in fear, only to see them go right through the shadowy image of her sister which now dissipated into black smoke. Once her rapid heartbeat and frantic breathing had calmed down and the reality of the situation started to sink in, Celestia began looking for a way out of this god awful place. She caught a glimpse of a doorway in the dark and started making her way towards it.

On the other side, Celestia was greeted by the shadowy halls that she once called her home. The dark of night had turned her beloved sanctuary into an endless maze that not even the most clever of Irishmen could escape. What could cause her sister to become like this? What had happened to the shy little mare that never strayed from the path that they had chosen for her?

Her contemplation soon came to an abrupt end. She found herself in the throne room once again, but something was different. The stained-glass windows had shattered, allowing the dark of night to fill the room. Was she even awake? Or had she walked into a nightmare? It was hard to tell the difference lately, her life had turned into a horrific dream.

“What’s wrong, sister? You look ever so distraught.” Luna said provocatively.

Celestia’s heart started raging in her chest. She turned her head to her Father’s throne. Luna sat leaning back into the massive piece of furniture, the ultimate symbol of their family’s monarchy.

“Do you remember how father brought us into this room? Made to kneel before the throne? The foolish old man thought himself a god!” Luna yelled furiously. “It appears I have proven him wrong, doesn’t it?” she grinned.

Celestia was disgusted. Was her little sister actually gloating about the deeds that she had committed? Did she not know remorse? She may not have known her sister as much as she should have, but this certainly wasn’t Luna. This beast, this monster.

The princess of the night ascended from throne. Celestia dared not speak, lest she anger her sister once again. How the little filly had become so powerful, she did not know.

“Isn’t it wonderful, Celestia? Everlasting night. Never again will we be tormented by the burning sun, mocking us at every hour. The only purpose that it will serve is illuminating our beloved moon.” her devilish laughter resonated through the palace halls.

“No!” Celestia pleaded. “I won’t allow it.” With those words Celestia started her attack. She had to stop her, she simply had to. Luna merely sat in her place as the larger alicorn drew closer and closer with determination in her eyes.

Luna smiled.

“You were always the fool.” All it took was a single sway with her horn.

Celestia was rendered blind. Her vision was stolen from her but still she charged on with determination. A fire that would soon be extinguished by utter pain. He body hit the floor and her head soon followed, smashing against the solid marble floor.

Small strands of smoke hissed from her coat. She had never felt such an overwhelming feeling before. It rendered her numb. A sharp yelp of pain escaped her muzzle as a hoof prodded her side. And another. And another. Luna slowly made her way across Celestia’s bleeding body, digging her hooves into her sister’s skin.

“Did you honestly believe that you could defeat us? You’re as arrogant as ever.” she hissed. Taking small steps over the larger alicorn’s form. crooked white feathers danced in the beams of moonlight that shone upon them. “We studied as you shone in the spotlight. We learned while you played the perfect little princess.”

Celestia simply stared her sister fearfully in the eye. Each hoofstep dug deeper into her skin, causing her to gasp in pain as small trickles of blood flowed down her white, pristine coat. It seemed that all hope was lost. Would her sister really..

Luna lowered her head.

Celestia’s eyes opened wide. She stared right at the tip of her sister’s seemingly sharp horn. “What are you doing, Luna!?” Celestia pleaded as a tears rolled down her face.

“Succeeding you, sister.”

Luna gasped. She darted out of her sleeping position. Her coat was wet with sweat. The heat in her body soon seeped away as the cold air gave her a frigid ‘good morning’. She had awakened like this every night. Ever since..

No. She had to keep her mind off of it.

She raised herself from the floor but immediately lost her balance. She was exhausted. Her nightly terrors had kept her from getting a good night´s rest. Every single night they plagued her. Everything she was, everything that she had told herself to be slowly crumbled down around her.

That one night...

That one faithful night in the reaches of the forest when she was reminded of everything. Every touch, every embrace, every happy memory that she had stolen from herself. But there was more. There were other things hidden in her frail mind. Things that she did not want to remember.

And every night after she fell asleep, they came for her. They showed her the things that she had done, the things that others had done to her. What was she if not a slave to this torment? It was driving her insane. Luna was soon shook out of her contemplation as Rainbow Dash turned in her sleep, snoozing ever so softly. Rainbow Dash... the only pony that Luna dared to call her ‘friend’ since...

No. She had to keep her mind off of it.

She thought about waking the slumbering pegasus up. Rainbow had been such a source of comfort for her lately, surely she could help her with these terrors. Luna’s ears drooped down into her neck as she was reminded of the cold reality. Rainbow Dash hated her.

The courageous little pegasus had confessed her feelings for her. But in the midst of the fears and desperation Luna had turned her down. She simply couldn’t get herself to think of Rainbow that way. It brought a torrent of bad memories whenever she did. Denying herself of her own thoughts was the only thing that maintained her sanity.

She kept staring at the sleeping figure below her. She stifled a cry. “Why do you want me?” she whispered. “I’m nothing like you..”

“Pinkie!” Twilight yelled into the cold of night. Sadly, there was no response.

“Pinkie!” she yelled again at the top of her lungs. But once again, she was only met with silence.

Twilight struggled onward through the thick snowy forest with only worry on her mind. She thought of all the bad things that could have happened to her friend. Had she been to harsh? Was all of this her fault? She had to find her.

“I’m sorry, okay! I didn’t mean what I said back there, just come back, Pinkie Pie!” Only when she was met with utter silence once more, did she realize the weight of her crimes. An uneasy feeling started to force itself into her belly as she stared into the empty darkened recesses of the woods.

She started wondering why Celestia had warned her of this place. They had been here for days and all they had encountered was rain and snow. She started wondering why the woods were so empty, so void of life. She had at least expected to see a critter or two by now.

Her thoughts soon came to an end when she noticed the figure of a pony, sitting at the edge of the forest, with her back towards Twilight. “Pinkie Pie!” she immediately called out. The earth pony did not respond. Surely she had heard her.

Twilight charged to the pink pony’s side. Pinkie Pie was sitting with her haunches dug into the cold snow. The wind stopped blowing, leaving the Pony’s wet mane dangling in long, lifeless curls. Twilight shivered in the dark. “Pinkie, come inside. You can’t stay in the cold, this is crazy.” she tried to reason with her.

“Why isn’t anypony laughing anymore, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked. She turned her head to Twilight, revealing her discouraged face. Her cheeks were red, her eyes tearing from the chill.

The sound of her friends voice hit Twilight hard. There was no happiness. The joyful spark in her tone was gone. Her question however, was most curious. Twilight carefully drew closer to Pinkie’s tedious form. the icicles practically hung from her muzzle.

“Pinkie, listen to me. You need to get inside. I’m sorry for what I said, I didn’t mean it. We won’t find the others by arguing. Just come with me.” she begged her friend. Twilight put her hoof on Pinkie’s cold shoulder.

A bolt of electricity shot through the poor unsuspecting unicorn as Pinkie took her hoof to Twilight’s and started caressing it softly. “Like you, Twilight.” What was Pinkie Pie doing? “I miss hearing you laugh. It’s been so long.”

Twilight could not move a muscle.

Colors

“Where are we even going?” Luna’s shouting was barely audible over the sound of the northern winds rushing past their heads. The dark frozen expanse that laid before them seemed endless, and was spotted with mountains and cliffs. It would have been a beautiful night if not for the dreadful weather that came down upon them. Luna tiredly followed Rainbow Dash through the storm, constantly trailing a few feet behind her.

Rainbow moved onward with determination in her eyes. Her rugged mane danced violently in the wind as her wings were forced against her back. She tried her best to ignore Luna’s constant questioning; she had had enough of her. She didn’t know where they were going or what they were going to do once they were there, but doing nothing wasn’t an option.

Luna struggled to shorten the distance between her and Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash, we must stop and rest! The storm is worsening!” she yelled, but the pegasus simply kept marching onward against the bitter currents. “We can’t just wander. Aimlessly!”

“Will you shut up already!?” Rainbow snapped at her before continuing on her lonesome course through the snow.

Luna sighed as she lowered her head towards the snow. She knew all too well why Rainbow was acting this way. But how could she be held responsible? This was all so new to her. She had accepted the fact that she had lost her only friend, but why did she have to make it worse by treating her this badly? As if her troubles of late weren’t enough. She could hear the anger in the pegasus’ words whenever she spoke, she could see the resentment in her eyes. Was what she had done to her really that bad? She wasn’t even sure what she had done!

As they went on, the blizzard grew significantly more aggressive and Rainbow was having trouble to keep putting one hoof in front of the other but she did not back down. “We won’t stop unti- whoa!” a harsh gust caught Rainbow’s feathers and sent her flying across the sky. She spiraled towards the ground to be greeted by a large pile of snow. She opened her eyes and saw Luna looking down at her with a worrisome look on her face.

“Fine, we’ll rest someplace!” Rainbow exclaimed before bursting out of the snow and taking flight, soaring towards the nearest cave, leaving Luna to struggle through the thick snow and icy storms towards their hiding place.

Rainbow Dash could hear the wind howling outside as she stared up at the icy ceiling of their lair. An eerie silence hung in the air. She had enveloped herself in the thickest of blankets but they gave her no solace from the piercing cold. She wasn’t tired, how could she be? How could she possibly get to sleep when she knew that her friends were out there, maybe even struggling for their lives!?

She sighed; things had never looked this hopeless before. What if she never saw them again? She shivered at the thought. She hated this. Never before had she ever felt so helpless. She was always one to fight her problems head on. But now all she could do was sit and wait for something that might never come.

She had all of this anger built-up in side of her but there was nothing that she could do about it. It felt even more infuriating to her. She simply couldn’t stand to wait another second when her friends needed her. Was she letting them down? She could never life with herself if she ever let them down. It was even more nerve-wrecking than the god awful silence that ringed in her ears. She hated silence. She hated doing nothing.

Meanwhile, Luna lay on the other side of the cave. The two mares had their back turned to one another. The princess felt weak and tired but she could not get herself to go to sleep. She knew that if she allowed her mind to wander it would happen again. Her own dreams had become too much to take for her. She had lived for thousands of years, but in all her days she had never felt as miserable as she did now. Her life had become a prison from which she could not escape, trapped in between regret of the past and fear of the future.

What was she to do? How could she ever return to Canterlot? How could she ever look her sister in the eyes again after all that had been revealed to her? She had no life, no hope, and nopony to care for her. “As if anypony ever did.” she thought to herself. “As if anypony ever turned a head to see how you were doing, nopony did. Nopony cares, nopony listens.” She just needed one pony. If just one pony cared things wouldn’t be as bad, but she was all alone. She felt as if her time had ended long ago, but somehow, she was still here. Oblivion would have been a welcome relief. She felt herself dozing off to the realm of the sleeping as the battle to stay awake became more and more difficult. She had to keep herself from falling to the allure of rest.

“Rainbow Dash?”

The pegasus was torn from her lonesome contemplation. She sighed as Luna´s voice invaded her mind, just when she was trying to block her out. “Go to sleep, princess.” she said with a hint of anger and annoyance in her tone. She could not deal with her right now.

“I Just-“

“Sleep.”

“But I… I just want to-“

“I don’t care!” she yelled as she hid underneath her covers.

Luna sighed. It had been like this for the past few days. She never meant hurting Rainbow, she never meant hurting anypony. But somehow, she always ended up the antagonist. There was a time when she knew who she was, but she now found herself in a dark forest for the clear path was lost. Perhaps it was time to take matters into her own hooves; she wasn’t going to accomplish anything by doing nothing.

“Why must you fight me so?” she said as she rose from her covers and ran towards Rainbow with power in her voice and conviction in her eyes. “What have I done to you?” she asked, having had more than enough of the way that Rainbow treated her. She had sat and obeyed for a thousands of years, she was going to set things right. “I never asked for this. I’m just trying to help you but all you do is flare at me.” She stepped closer towards to Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow, if I have done anything to harm you, I am sorry”

Rainbow remained silent.

A tear formed in Luna’s eye. “What is your problem!?” she yelled.
Rainbow’s head popped up from underneath the covers. She looked straight into Luna’s eyes with a furious gaze. “You wanna know what my problem is?” she snapped at her. “My problem is that ponies like you are too busy living your perfect lives to even give a buck about who you hurt!”

“What have I done to you!?” she pleaded.

“That’s the worst part, you don’t even know! You don’t care. You’re too busy being the perfect little princess to even notice who you hurt, whose heart you break!”

Luna had never seen the pegasus this angry. Rainbow’s eyes showed- was she crying? “Rainbow, I just- It’s not that I don’t like you-“

“No, I’ve heard enough.” She snarled at her. “I won’t waste another heartbeat on you.” Rainbow Dash swiftly turned her back on Luna. The princess trotted back to her sleeping place as a single tear traveled down her cheek.

“Pinkie Pie?” she asked, her voice trembling. The two remained there in the snow. Pinkie Pie’s bouncy pink hair waved in the wind. Twilight could see the party pony’s blood-shot eyes staring down at her hooves in the dark of night. It seemed as if time had stopped and Twilight had no idea on what to do in this situation. She wasn’t even sure what was going on.

Pinkie Pie raised her eyes. She stared right into the unsuspecting unicorn’s gaze. Twilight was suddenly struck with an overwhelming sense of compassion. She could see the desperation in her friend’s eyes, the longing.

“I could make you smile again, Twilight.” Pinkie said softly. She darted forward.

Twilight’s eyes shot open wide in surprise. Pinkie Pie was on top of her. She could feel her friend’s muzzle exploring her neck. The pink pony’s hooves were buried firmly in the snow next to poor Twilight’s head, locking her in place. Twilight’s mind had never been so chaotic, it searched desperately for an explanati-oh god, Pinkie’s tongue! Twilight bucked her friend off of herself, causing Pinkie to tumble through the thick snow.

“What are you doing!?” Twilight yelled.

“No, Twilight! I’m so sorry!” Pinkie Pie yelled desperately as her head popped out of the snow. “I didn’t mean to, I promise!” Subtle streams of tears ran down her face, darkening her normally bright pink coat.

Twilight had never seen Pinkie Pie cry before, she didn’t think anypony had.

“Twilight?” Pinkie Pie looked like she was about to burst into tears.

“Pinkie Pie! What the-”

Pinkie Pie ran away into the forest, leaving a trail of subtle teardrops in the snow. Twilight could hear her whining echo through the forest, slowly getting softer and softer. “Pinkie, wait!” Twilight yelled before charging off after her troubled friend. She could see the earth pony’s fluffy pink tail disappear behind the trees as she ran after her. The dark of night made it difficult to see where she was going but she couldn’t possibly leave Pinkie Pie like this. She needed answers.

Pinkie Pie just kept running as fast as she could. Twilight must have hated her. She wouldn’t be surprised if her friend never wanted to see her again. She didn’t care where she was going as long as it was away from the only pony that she could not face. Then, the trees that clouded her vision disappeared and she was faced with the endless night. She gasped and immediately came to a halt as the snow beneath her legs gave in for an endless depth. Her little pink hooves graced the very edge of the abyss. Her fluffy pink mane swayed in the wind.

“Pinkie!” Twilight appeared from the dark of the forest. She slowly approached Pinkie Pie, sitting on the edge. The cold gusts of wind blew past their heads. “Just come with me!” she yelled desperately. “We have to stay together.”

Pinkie Pie turned away from the icy chasm and looked Twilight straight in the eyes with a look of anger on her face. “What, so you can yell at me again?” she snapped at her. Twilight was shook by her friend’s sudden change in demeanor. “So you can ignore me again!?”

“That’s unfair! I don’t ignore you or any-”

“When was the last time that you took anything I said seriously!?” Pinkie Pie had never sounded so enraged, she seemed furious. Her breathing became heavy as her chest rose and fall rapidly. Her anger was clearly expressed by her stare. “When, Twilight!?”

“That’s- I-“

“You don’t know!” she yelled. “You never listen. You never take anything I say seriously, you just toss it away!” Pinkie Pie slowly drew closer to Twilight. “Do you have any idea how frustrating that is, Twilight?”

“I’m sorry, Pinkie. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Twilight said as she walked towards Pinkie Pie and wrapped her legs around her. Suddenly, she was pushed back and she fell into the snow with a loud thud. She looked up to see Pinkie Pie looking down at her with watered eyes.

“Save your breath, Twilight! You… You… big meanie!” she yelled before charging off. A decision which she would soon come to regret as the snow gave in for the endless abyss. Her eyes shot open in fear as she fell. She quickly grabbed on to the rocky edges of the cliff. Pebbles and snow fell down into the endless void below.

“Twilight!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Help me!”

It was dark, as dark as a summer’s night could be. Every night seemed to be darker than the last. It was the kind of dark that caused one to whisper, even when alone. And alone she was, as alone as a young pony could be. The moonlight, while dampened by her deep purple curtains, still managed to enlighten the covers of her bed.

The moon…

It seemed to be so welcoming lately. It appeared to be a sign of something that could be. Sometimes at night, she would walk towards her bay window and stare out over the endless expanses of Equestria’s lush green meadows basking in the light of the moon. She would imagine herself running through them without a care in the world, with nopony to stop her. Just running… galloping at full speed with her mane dancing in the starry night as the grass graced her legs. She thought about it often.

Sometimes, somepony would be running beside her. Not really doing anything in particular, just running. Not really caring where they were going as long as they could run forever in that starry night. It was her greatest wish to just be able to experience that one moment one more time… one last time.

She was shook from her contemplation by an owl, hooting at her window. She looked up into the little circular skylight that spotted the middle of her ceiling. It seemed so enchanting to her. She just kept staring up into the stars above. Every star brought back a memory of a time long past. Every spot in the heavens reminded her of a certain joy, a certain pain. Some were nice; nights were she played under the always subtle yet bright moonlight. But some were less enjoyable; reminding her of nights when she contemplated on the bad things that had happened, on the good ponies that had faded away. Each star had its meaning.

As she stared through the little window, a filly’s voice came to her.

“Come on Luna! It's only like fifteen feet high!”

She quickly turned away and buried herself beneath her sheets. She could not allow her mind to wander again. It always brought her sleepless nights when she did. It hurt less when she didn’t about it. She stared up against the bottom of the dark blue covers that hid the world from her. When she came out from underneath them, she was greeted by the same dark room again.

It seemed to be perfect; there wasn’t a dirty spot in the room, and luxurious pieces of furniture could be seen in every corner. Stars were depicted upon the ceiling and the tapestries, giving the room a certain mystique about it. Every single item in the place appeared to be priceless. The room harbored a certain sense of safety.

But it was all a lie…

A prison, a cruel façade, a sick trick played on her in order to keep her calm. The entire room was a trap from which she could not escape. Every single day she was there, counting away the hours as they came. She wanted nothing more than to break free, to just escape and run away into the endless night, never to be seen again.

She kicked the covers off of herself and started to wander the room. She felt like she was a little bird in a cage, wanting to spread her wings and fly away. She could feel her sanity fade by the day. The only thing that kept her from going insane was the little spark of hope that she had kept hidden away, the single thought that someday, her mare in shining armor would return to take her far away.

Her eyes soon fell upon a small crystal vase that stood at her window. A white lily drifted in the subtle layer of water that glistened in the moonlight. The flower itself maintained a certain sense of beauty about it even though its petals were old and long dried out. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get herself to look away from it.

“Beautiful…” she whispered softly.

The word still lingered in her mind. It was amazing how something as simple as a flower could take her breath away. A cold wind swept past her curtains, making them dance ever so gracefully in the dark of her room. The flower trembled slightly in the cold and one of its petals fell off. It fell into the water below, sending a ripple through the vase. Luna’s expression swiftly turned from apathy to sadness.

She drew closer to the vase as it sparkled faintly in the starlight. Her horn started to glow with a faint blue aura as she pointed it towards the broken flower. The water started to ripple as the petal flowed up into the air and attached itself to the flower once more. Luna smiled softly as she looked at her most prized possession.

The sound of a hoof hitting the hard marble floor resonated through the room.

“Oh no.” she said to herself.

The sound was soon followed by a rhythmic series of hoofsteps. Somepony was coming closer, and she knew exactly who it was. Every step worsened her already overwhelming sense of fear. It sounded again, and again, and again.

She quickly darted towards the massive circular bed that stood in the middle of the room and hid beneath the sheets like she always did. Her door slammed open and a shadow loomed over her as the impressing figure of an alicorn entered the room. The hoofsteps came to a halt and an eerie silence that seemed to draw on forever enveloped the place.

“Daughter?” a strong regal voice spoke to her.

A second silence came over them as Luna wondered whether she should answer or not. Eventually, a blue mane came out from underneath the covers, swiftly followed by Luna’s watchful eye, looking up at her nighttime intruder.

“M-Madam?” one could easily hear the fear in the young mare’s shaking voice.

Luna looked up into her ‘mother’s’ focused gaze. She was clearly tired; her bloodshot eyes seemed to have lost the sense of conviction which they used to carry, yet they still maintained their overwhelming beauty. Her normally perfect bright red mane had become a mess; it hung limply over her head, obscuring parts of her face. Surprising to Luna, she did not wear her ruby-studded crown upon her head. Her normally pristine white coat appeared to be worn out and dirty in the dark of Luna’s room.

“We’ve talked about this, dear.” she smiled “Call me mother.” The older alicorn’s grin sent a chill down Luna’s spine. Her words sparked something deep within the young mare. She felt an overwhelming need to speak against her.

“Why should I?” she said as she rose from her lying position as her silken covers slid off of her. She wore a look of anger on her face. “You’re not my mother.” She spat her words as if they were poison.

A lightning bolt shot through the sky, illuminating the dark room for mere seconds. The older alicorn’s expression turned from kindness to pure anger. “You ungrateful whelp!” she shouted as she used her magic to lift Luna out of her bed and send her flying.

Luna’s soft blue mane danced through the air as her covers were scattered across the room. Within moments, she slammed against the wall. A yelp of pain echoed through the halls. Her stepmother drew closer as she gathered herself from the floor. Their eyes met, and a wave of fear hit Luna. She grabbed the nearest blanket and shuffled backwards frantically until her back met the wall, never losing the gaze of the alicorn that towered above her.

“I have given you so much yet you cast it back in my face!” she yelled. The older mare’s face was barely visible in the darkness but Luna could still see the seething rage in her eyes. Her voice boomed through the darkened palace halls as Luna hid behind her silken shield.

Suddenly, Luna felt something new stir deep inside of her, a feeling that until now had always been so foreign to her. Her mother’s words were just so infuriating. “I never asked for this!” she screamed into the alicorn’s face. “I never asked for this life, for this palace!” Had she really just yelled at her? Was she really capable of such a thing? She just didn’t know anymore. She had been stuck in this wretched place for too long. All of her emotions; sadness, joy, love, had been taken from her, leaving only a maddening rage behind. It was the only thing that still felt real to her. It was the only thing upon which she could still act. It was all so new to her.

Her act of heroism soon came to an end as her face hit the floor. She never did really get used to the feeling, even after all this time. “Do you think I enjoy this!?” her mother yelled. “Do you think I like having a daughter who is such a failure!?” Luna slowly regained her composure. Her eye was beaten and bruised. The second hit came even harder; leaving her lying flat on the floor. The festering rage inside of her only grew stronger. She didn’t care for the pain; she was used to it by now. But it was her mother’s words that truly got to her. “Answer me!” A dreadful silence came over them; Luna sat on her haunches as the older alicorn towered above her. Minutes had past until the queen left her side.

This anger…

“I bucking hate you.” She sniffled as a tear escaped her eye. Her mother suddenly came to a halt. “No...” she thought as fear took over her mind. “Please don’t-“her mother’s head snapped back, staring Luna down over her shoulder. She wore a wicked smile on her muzzle. Her luscious red mane hung over her head, covering one of her eyes. Solaria’s stare had always made her feel so small and insignificant.

Her gaze turned to the crystal vase that stood by Luna’s window. “What’s this?” the queen said in a curious tone as she took the flower from the face and held it in her hoof.

In mere seconds, all the life and color seeped out of Luna’s face.

“Such a pretty flower.” she said.

“Don’t!” Luna screamed at the top of her lungs as her tears rolled down her muzzle. She seemed to be ready to dash towards the defenseless little flower at any moment.

A fiendish smile crept across the queen’s face as she focused on the white lily in her hoof. “Did she give this to you?” she smiled. She watched as the flower caught fire, slowly burning away in her grasp.

Luna lost it.

She screamed. She took flight and darted towards her mother as her horn started to glow with a faint black aura. Her long blue mane fluttered behind her. She collided with the larger alicorn, stabbing her in the heart with her horn. A stream of blood hit her face. The queen got knocked back into the wall, causing the heirlooms and artifacts that spotted the wall to fall to the floor.

Desperately, Luna dug through the ashes of the burnt flower with a look of fear in on her face. She lifted her hooves and watched as the black remains fell from them. The darkness surrounded her from all sides.

“You dare…?” Luna turned her gaze to see her mother struggling on the floor.

“You!” she screamed as a bolt of black energy shot forward from her horn and collided with the alicorn’s bleeding form, sending her flying against the polished blue walls of the palace again as the storm raged outside.

“You did this to me!” Luna’s voice boomed through the darkened palace as another blast caused the walls of the place to rumble. Meanwhile, the queen’s agonizing screams could be heard clearly. There was nothing but rage in the young mare’s eyes; they were void of any other emotion. “All my life! You made me!”

The room was filled with a curtain of dust and smoke. Luna laid on her side as she gasped for air. Once the smoke had settled, and the red in front of her eyes had faded, she rose from the floor. She felt… wrong.

Luna gasped as she looked upon the body of the older alicorn lying on the floor. The pony’s long red mane rolled across the floor. Feathers fluttered down slowly in the moonlight past her still form. Luna slowly approached her. “M- Mother…?” she asked softly. “Why aren’t you-“

Her cold body shot upward. Her eyes shot open and started look frantically for any sign of what was going on. Her room was gone. The lifeless form was gone. She looked down at her own two hooves; the blood that smeared them had vanished. Slowly, the unforgiving grip of reality returned to her as her heart raged in her chest. Her gasping breath appeared before her muzzle in the cold air of the frozen cave.

Memories returned to her one by one, each more crushing than the last. She felt afraid again. She felt hated. She felt desperate. She felt scarred, lost, and unwanted. But the feeling that was most prominent in her mind was loneliness. There was nopony else, only silence.

Her eyes opened wide as the dream came rushing back to her.

“I…” her trembling voice echoed softly trough the hollow. “I murde-“she quickly forced the thought away. She could not allow herself to go there again. “I murdered her.” She hid her face in her hooves as she burst into tears. She could feel the warmth of her tears drip down her nearly frozen hooves. She needed somepony right now. Anypony! She needed somepony to tell her that it would all be ok, to tell her that it was not her fault. But nopony was there.

Tears kept falling from her muzzle as she sniffled softly. What was she to do? What could she do? There was no way to run away from the past. She felt as if she did not belong in the world, in this time. What was her place?

She raised herself from the cold, hard floor. She did not want to stay there a moment longer. Suddenly, a soft snoozing sound invaded her ears. Through the dark of night she could see Rainbow Dash, sleeping at the other end of the cave.

Desperately, Luna approached her slumbering form. The pegasus’ rugged rainbow mane lied sprawled over the floor. Luna’s hoofsteps broke the looming silence that hung in the air. “Rainbow, I-“

“I won’t waste another heartbeat on you!” The alicorn’s march came to a halt as Rainbow Dash’s fiery voice boomed through her head. She closed her eyes as a tear escaped her. She bowed her head to the ground; Rainbow Dash hated her. She could not face her again, not like this.

Her fatigue started to lull her into sleep once more, and she could not fight it. She didn’t want to have to go through it all anymore. She didn’t want to be reminded anymore. She could not take another one of the horrid nightmares that plagued her. She would sooner die.

Her gaze fell open the cave’s entrance; Gusts of wind and snow blew through it. She looked into the black abyss of the night, the one thing that she was still familiar with these days. She whimpered as she moved slowly towards the night.

An icy chill crept up Rainbow Dash’s spine; she shivered beneath her furry covers. Her eyes shot open. She stared at the frost-covered walls of her sleeping place. She groaned in annoyance; another sleepless night, another night filled with angered contemplation and softly spoken curses.

She could feel the cold digging into her skin. Her mind had become a chaotic mess. Her life had become a road filled with maybes and what ifs, and all because of a single mare. She turned in her sleep to look upon her companion’s sleeping place.

“Wait, what!” she whispered as she darted out from underneath her covers and trotted over to Luna’s covers. She was gone. An uneasy feeling formed in the courageous pegasus’ stomach. Where could that mare have run off to at this hour? She turned her gaze to the cave´s entrance; she stared into the deep black of night that lay beyond it.

She could feel the chill of winter intensify as she neared the outside world. Streams of snow and ice blew past her head as her mane waved in the air. A violent gust of wind forced her to the ground; she closed her eyes as she fought back against the forces of nature that assailed her. She wasn’t going to give up this easily, she never had.

A flash of light blinded her as she left the recesses of the cave. Soon it faded, allowing her to stare into the massive expanses of the night sky. The snow immediately assaulted her face, making her flinch beneath the wings that shielded her. The rolling hills of white seemed to go on forever.

She heard a sound far off in the distance. It was soft and faded, but still hearable over the sound of the raging storm. She couldn’t really make out where the sound was coming from, but it became louder and louder as she continued to march onward through the frozen wastes.

She could see somepony sitting in the snow. It was Luna! Rainbow mustered all of her effort to trot through the thick layers of frost as the storm came down on her. What was she doing out there? As she approached the shaded form of Princess Luna, she realized that the wailing noise came from her.

Was… was she crying?

Luna sat with her hooves dug deep into the snow. Her messy mane hung over her face, merely gracing the ground below. Her eyes were closed shut as tears dripped from them, rolling down her face before falling into the snow. Short gasping whines escaped her muzzle as she cried.

The whining sound resonated through Dash’s ears. A heavy feeling grew Inside of her, weighing her down. Then, a second sound appeared in her head. It sounded like a little filly weeping. The sound grew louder and louder in her head. She lost her sense of reality.

The sun was on its way to plummet down into the horizon. A small yellow pegasus sat on a lonesome cloud far away from her hometown of Cloudsdale. She buried her face into her little hooves as tears fell from her face.

Dash could not stand seeing Luna like this. She wanted to resent her, to hate her even. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not get herself to think badly of the princess. She could not get herself to not… love her? She sighed.

The filly’s cries were carried away by the warm summer winds that surrounded her. An orange light flowed over her head as the sun nearly vanished behind the mountains. “I’m so sorry…” she whimpered. “I’ll try harder, I promise.” The filly’s tear-stained pink mane covered her face.

The sound of the storm raged in Luna’s head as her memories rushed through it. Hundreds of images flashed before her eyes. Death, pain, and regret were all she could see. “I’m so sorry…” she whimpered as the faces of the ponies that she had hurt appeared before her. “I never meant to hurt anypony. She shivered as tears rolled down her chin.

“Shy!” another filly’s squeaky voice reached her ears. The distressed pegasus looked upward to see her friend Rainbow Dash floating above her, flapping her little blue wings against the air. She landed next to the yellow filly. Her hooves bounced up and down on the fluffy cloud on which they sat. “What happened?” she said softly. The crying pegasus could hear the sincerity in her voice. “You only come here when… something bad happens.” The yellow filly turned to face Rainbow Dash. She gasped “What happened to your-“

She just wanted it to stop. She just wanted it all to end. What place was there for her in this world now? Who would accept her after all that she had done? How could she ever accept herself? She trembled as she felt somepony’s hoof on her shoulder. She turned to look straight into Rainbow’s face. The blue pegasus wore a look of sympathy on her face. “Rainbow Dash?” she said as she whimpered softly.

The little filly burst into tears. “It’s my own stupid fault.” She said sadly. “I deserve this.” She said as she pointed her hoof at her beaten eye. The filly was obviously in a lot of distress. “I’m not the flyer that I’m supposed to be.” She sobbed.

“Shh…” Dash cooed as she drew closer to Luna and wrapped her wing around the alicorn’s cold, frigid form. “Everything is going to be okay, I promise.” Luna could feel Dash’s feathers rustle against her back. Dash wrapped her arm around Luna’s neck and pulled her into her. The problems that she had with this mare, all of the petty differences, did not matter right now. She felt awful about how she had treated this pony. Never before had she felt like she was the bully.

“Buck ‘em!” The blue filly yelled as she lied down next to her crying friend and laid a comforting wing on her back. “Look at me, Shy!” she exclaimed as she put her hoof to the pegasus’ chin and forced her to look straight into her eyes. “I’ll never let anypony hurt you again, ever!”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t let go!” Pinkie Pie screamed fearfully. Twilight struggled to hold on to the earth pony below. She looked down into the pink pony’s crying eyes. She dug her hind-legs into the cold frozen snow in an attempt to get some stability. The storm boomed into their ears. The harsh winds blew past Twilight’s hooves. Their tales and manes waved violently in the air.

“I- I-“it was getting harder and harder to hold on. How could she ever hope to pull Pinkie Pie up to safety? If only she would have spent less time reading books, and more time lifting them.

She felt her hooves moving forward. The sound of the snow moving slowly past her legs filled her ears. Pinkie Pie felt herself moving farther and farther away from the edge of the cliff. “Please, Twilight!” she screamed.

“I can’t-“

Pinkie Pie screamed at the top of her lungs as she lost grip of Twilight’s hooves. In a matter of seconds the frozen cliff ascended far above her. She just kept screaming as she closed her eyes shut in fear. After a while, she opened her eyes to see herself still floating in the air as a purple aura surrounded her from all sides. She could feel a warm glow building inside of her. It was familiar warmth which she had felt often since the arrival of a certain librarian to Ponyville.

Meanwhile, Twilight groaned as she mustered all of her power to keep her friend from falling. Then, in a moment of desperation, she screamed as she lifted her horn to the skies. Pinkie Pie was flung into the air. A loud poof could be heard as the pink pony collided with the soft snow. Twilight stood gasping for air in the cold of night. She collapsed on top of Pinkie Pie as the pressure on her legs became too much to handle.

The two lied panting in the snow. Twilight’s face was buried in Pinkie Pie’s fluffy pink mane. “Why, Pinkie?” Twilight pleaded. She was clearly exhausted.

“Because you hate me.” She whispered.

Her friend’s words hit Twilight hard. She loved all of her friends deeply. “No I don’t!” she yelled. “I love you!” she said stubbornly, agitated by the fact that Pinkie Pie could even begin to think that Twilight hated her.

Pinkie Pie jumped up as she gasped, sending Twilight tumbling through the snow. “You do!?” she yelled as her eyes sparkled brightly with joy.

“Wait, I mean-“

“Twilight Sparkle has a little mare-crush!” she cooed as she brought her hooves to her cheeks. She could not help but giggle at Twilight’s horrified facial expression.

“But I didn’t-“

“Twilight is silly for the fillies!” Pinkie Pie burst into laughter. She rolled through the snow as she giggled uncontrollably.

“I never said!”

Pinkie Pie raised herself from the floor. “Oh, don’t worry Twilight.” She said laughingly. “I may have a little crush on you too.” She said as she gave Twilight a small innocent kiss on the muzzle before she hopped off towards their sleeping place. Twilight sat there with her eyes and mouth wide open as a furious red blush crept across her face.

The storm had finally died down. Rainbow Dash and Luna sat next to each other, not really saying a word. Luna sniffled softly in the dark. They just looked up into the sky above. Millions of little sparkling dots spotted the heavens that night. Sure, Rainbow was curious as to why Luna was acting so strange lately, but she felt that it was best not to ask. She had to think of a way to stop Luna from crying.

“You… You’re really pretty.” Oh Celestia, why did she say that? “You’re really pretty, really Dash!?” she spited herself. She didn’t think that she had ever used the word ‘pretty’ before. She sent Luna an awkward smile. The alicorn burst into tears. “No, I’m sorry!” Dash said desperately. “I didn’t mean-“

“I’m sorry.” Luna said softly as she turned away from Rainbow Dash, not daring to look the other mare in the eyes. A single tear rolled down her face as she looked down into the snow.

“Wh- What?” Rainbow stuttered.

Luna turned to look her friend in the eyes. “I’ve made mistakes.” She sobbed. “I never meant to hurt anypony. I just wanted to be left alone.” With every word that Luna spoke, the compassion that Rainbow Dash felt grew stronger. “I’m a terrible pony.”

“Shut up.” Rainbow said bluntly. “You shouldn’t talk down on yourself like that. The fact that you’re here is proof enough that you’re not. “

“I suppose that if I hadn’t left my home… I never would have met you.” She said softly. She stared into Rainbow’s purple eyes. An incredible feeling rushed through her body, sending shivers down her spine. She forced her eyes shut as a tear escaped from them. “I’m not like you… and I wish that I were.” She mustered all of her courage to meet the pegasus’ gaze. “You’re beautiful, and clever, and you never make any mistakes and I…” she sobbed. “I don’t deserve y-“

Her eyes shot open wide as Rainbow Dash’s muzzle met her own. She shivered as she looked straight into Dash’s caring eyes. She could feel her limbs getting weak as the cold inside of her faded away. Rainbow’s legs and wings wrapped around her, sending a wave of warmth over her skin. She trembled heavily in the Pegasus’ legs as tears escaped her eyes. She fell backwards and landed in the soft snow. Their lips parted. Luna looked up at Rainbow Dash. The young pegasus wore the most honest smile on her face that Luna had ever seen. A single tear rolled down Rainbow Dash’s face. “R-Rainbow?” she stuttered.

All she need was for somepony to tell her that it was not her fault, for somepony to come and show her that she was not the monster who she thought she was.

Somepony did.