Fluttershy found her friend buried inside her covers, unmoving. The curtains were closed, but Rainbow wasn’t sleeping like Fluttershy had hoped. Instead, the filly was staring up at the ceiling, her eyes frosty.

“Rainbow, can I come in?” Fluttershy asked. Rainbow didn’t say anything, so Fluttershy stood under the doorframe. She waited. And waited. And wai—Rainbow sat up and gave an exasperated sigh.

“Fluttershy, go home. You don’t need to be here. Don’t you have, like, homework to do or something?” Rainbow almost snarled. Fluttershy suspected that Rainbow was trying not to yell.

Fluttershy gave an immediate headshake. “Right now, this is more important, Rainbow.”

Rainbow snorted. She turned away, drowning herself in her covers again. “Whatever.”

“Do you want to go to the arcade?”

“No.”

“What about going to the stadium and watching—”

“No.”

“How about—”

“Fluttershy, just go! I wanna be alone!” Rainbow said, causing her to jump. She almost scampered out but kept her ground. Fluttershy had seen Rainbow’s anger and hotheadedness before; it was a common occurrence, and sometimes her friend was almost too easily aggravated. She was involved her in fights and argued and yelled with other colts and fillies. And got into plenty of trouble.

Plenty.

But right now this wasn’t the same. Like a wary pigeon, Fluttershy kept her distance. “I, uh, brought some snacks.”

Rainbow peeked from her under her mountain, her eyes almost squinting.

“What kind?”

---

A pastry assortment was laid on the table. Futtershy didn’t know what Rainbow craved, so she bought everything from the local Cloudsdale bakery. Rainbow had devoured most of the churros. She munched on both the macaroon and macarons. She skipped the cupcakes, but popped the mini-cinnamon rolls in her mouth like chips. A belch indicated her being finished. And a satisfied smile indicated that perhaps…

“Are you feeling better?” Fluttershy asked, and Rainbow’s mouth curled downwards.

Uh-oh. Perhaps she spoke too soon.

“Um, yeah.” Rainbow said, wiping her mouth with a hoof, but Fluttershy wasn’t convinced. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I really appreciate it. But honestly, you probably have a lot of stuff to do so you can go home. Isn’t your brother waiting for you? She closed the curtains that Fluttershy had earlier opened.

She trotted toward the window and despite Rainbow’s scowl, let in the sunshine. “I don’t mind hanging out a bit longer. Do you want to do something else, Rainbow? What about the park?”

“I don’t wanna go out.”

“Oh. What about playing some video games?”

“I kinda don’t feel like it.”

Fluttshy racked her brain for something else and eventually gave a pained smile. “Well, do you want to go flying?”
Rainbow’s eyes shot open. “You hate flying.”

“Well, yes.”

“Look.” She scratched her head, her face guilty. “I said I appreciate it. But you don’t have to stay and force yourself to do stuff with me. Don’t worry. I’m fine now. Fine!”
“But Rainbow. You—”

“Don’t say it!” Rainbow yelled, her wings flaring up. In the process, she had knocked over some papers on her desk. Her feathers swam in the air. “I don’t want to talk about it!”

“Rainbow, it’s been a week now.”

“So!”

“I’m worried about you. Your parents are worried about you.”

“Yeah right. They probably think I’m a big failure now.”

Fluttershy flew in front of her friend, stamping the ground. “That’s not true, Rainbow. They’re still as proud of you as ever.”

“Whatever!” Rainbow plowed headfirst back into her covers, but Fluttershy, now annoyed, pulled them away.

“Your parents are proud! You did the sonic rainboom. No one in Equestria has ever done that before!”

“That was a fluke! I did it once. Once! And I tried again and again, but I couldn’t do it a second time. If it weren’t for those stupid colts…”
Fluttershy suddenly saw the tears forming in Rainbow’s eyes. Her heart raced.

Rainbow never cried.

“You just have to pract—”

“It’s useless! I’m a failure!”

“You’re not!”

“I am!” The tears were pouring now. “They kicked me out of flight school!”

Rainbow was bellowing and to Fluttershy it sounded strange and alien.

“Now how am I supposed to be a...?” She choked on her own words and couldn't finish.

Fluttershy gathered her friend in her arms and squeezed. The filly in her arms felt so unlike Rainbow. Weak. Fragile. Defeated. “Rainbow, there are other flight schools."

Rainbow continued to cry.

“It’ll be okay, Rainbow." She squeezed harder and felt her own eyes water. "It’s not the end.”