Originally Posted June 1st, 2018
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AUTHOR's NOTE

This is a very very slight rework of an update I posted years ago. Read it AFTER Fracture:Episode II, but BEFORE Fracture: Interlude in Pink.

I changed some parts of it to help it flow just a slight bit better, and in retrospect the whole "writer's table" thing was just plain cringy self-inserting bullshit which I needed to nyx entirely.

The original will still be around here: https://pastebin.com/6BjYpRyz , just unlisted.
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>You are now Anon.
>Dreaming about the cheeseburgers in France.
>Despite having more or less adapted to the vegetarian lifestyle in Ponyville, there were still times where you craved something from Earth.
>Granted, Fluttershy brought you fish every now and-
>Wait. Fluttershy…aren’t you sleeping on her couch or something?
>The dream begins to collapse around you with the mention of her name.
>The ground becomes slick with some red liquid on the floor, and a yellow object is racing towards you.
>You are knocked to the ground by Fluttershy, her irises shifting between turquoise and light-green.
>”You WILL love me, Anon.”
>It sounds as if she is speaking with two voices at the same time.
>The main one sounds like the new Fluttershy, and the second is raspy and cracked.
>You can feel her begin to press on your arms, and you begin to struggle under the weight.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
>You throw yourself awake and find minty eyes staring at you.
>Fluttershy is floating a few feet in front of you, carrying a tray of food.
>There is cereal, a banana, a tilted glass, and pancakes that appear to be drenched in orange juice.
>”Are you okay Anon?” Her voice is tinged with concern.
>Angel is laughing his ass off in the kitchen.
 
No…I mean; I’m fine N- Fluttershy. Just had a bad dream.
>”You almost made me call her ‘New Fluttershy’. What the hell Brain?”
>Well, it is true…kinda.
>After hearing that it was all a dream, Fluttershy brightened up a bit and set the tray onto the nearby table.
>”I’m just glad you’re okay. Now, I have to go help Twilight with her studies on cloning. Angel will be here to keep you company until I get back.”
>Angel makes a squeaky noise in the background.
>”Once I get back, we can start our search for Pinkie.”
>That voice…it’s a pleasant change from the old one.
>Distracted by her voice, you can barely understand her goodbye, but the sound of the door closing manages to sound off alarms in your mind.
>”SHE’S GONNA LOCK ME IN.”
>”I’M TRAPPED.”
>”I DON’T WANNA BE USED AS A DILDO.”
>You run towards the door and try to throw it open.
>Fluttershy stares at you as you practically fly out of the front doorway.
>”I’m not locked in?”
>You meet her gaze with an awkward smile and yell
BYE!
>”Bye Anon!” She responds while laughing, and continues down the road to Twilight’s.
>There’s a *whish* sound as something collides with the back of your head and bounces towards your toes.
A carrot?
>You turn around to find that Angel “Nick Fury” Bunny is glaring at you.
 
>”Anon, would you mind telling me what the hell is going on?”
>You try to calmly explain the situation to Angel.
Well you see-
>*smack!*
>You can hear the sound, but you can’t feel the pain as Angel’s paw lands hard on your face.
>”Thank Celestia for Pinkie’s pain powder...”
>You begin to think about where Pinkie might have ran off to, but Angel derails that train with another loud punch.
>”Do NOT talk to me like I’m a kitten! Fluttershy’s voice and eyes have changed and you’re jumpier than usual.”
>Wow.
Baby rabbits are called kittens?
>”I may like you, but I’ve known her longer and I can make your life a living hell if you do not answer my question.”
>Thinking back, you recall Angel’s ‘hotel’ in Ponyville’s Red Light District.
>He has enough money to pull off any threat he makes.
>You sigh and look at Angel.
My life already is hell. You might wanna sit down…it’s a long story.
>You and Angel head into the cottage, and once the door closed, you started to tell your story.
>You began with the night that you found the old Fluttershy’s list and added every detail that you were able to remember:
>The army that the old Fluttershy had brought down upon your house.
>Her laugh as she and her clones were destroyed.
>How Pinkie had run away covered in blood and Rainbow’s flight to the tavern at the sight of Flutter’s eyes.
>How you had convinced Twilight and the other Elements to keep quiet about the whole fiasco.
  
>Angel stayed quiet for the most part, but a few tears leaked out when you described her death.
>”Is she… is she still the same? You know…up here?” he says, pointing at his head.
I don’t know man. Twilight is using her as a behavioral lab rat, so….
>Wait a second.
>Why does he even care?
Hey Angel?
What’s your stake in this whole thing?
>”What do you mean?” He looks confused and slightly angry.
>You have to be delicate about this, Anon.
Well, you’re a successful business owner, you have money that pretty much flows out of you in streams, and yet you choose to live with Fluttershy as a “normal” bunny.
>He doesn’t look as angry now, his face bears the lines of sadness as opposed to confusion.
>He sits quietly for a few seconds, probably to condense whatever he wants to tell you.
>”Fluttershy’s father was a combat buddy of mine, best combat medic I had ever seen. We fought together in Yakyakistan, helping them drive out changeling insurgents."
>The shine seems to die out from his eyes as he looks to the floor.
>"His wife, Rosey Shy, went into labor as we were coming home from our tour. She...didn't make it through the delivery."
>"Trembler, Shy's father, I found him hanging with his cloud collection a few months later. His note only said that she would be safe in my care now."
>”So, I moved from Baltimare to Ponyville, and set her up in a Cloudsdale orphanage; I didn’t know much about raising pegasi fillies.”
>“From there on, I had to take a background role in her life…making sure she got a monthly stipend from her ‘distant Aunt Twinkle.’”
>”She was safe there, like Trembler wanted, but she had to suffer through a horrible and lonely childhood because of me."
>His eyes never looked up from the ground as he talked, but now that the story was done, he stared you dead in the eyes.
>You could almost see the tinges of fire behind the stare.
>Angel grabs you by the neck of your shirt and pulls you down towards him.
>”So I’m warning you, boy…If I have to bury another Shy, then you and I will be taking a nice trip to Tartarus together."
>You nod grimly. "U-understood."
>Angel lets go of you and runs out the back door.
>You fall back onto the couch, and hope for the best as Fluttershy walks in the door. 
 
>Within ten minutes, you and Fluttershy are back outside the cottage and heading into Everfree Forest.
>You searched the woods until the sun went down, and then continued until the moon rose high into the night.
>Aside from the occasional tuft of pink mane gripping tightly onto a branch, or small piles of confetti sparkling in the mud, there was no sign of Pinkie Pie.
>Rainbow showed up to help Fluttershy with the aerial scouting, leaving you alone on the ground.
>There was silence as you walked, broken only by the scattered howls of timberwolves in the depths of the forest.
>Up ahead, the trees thinned out into a clearing.
>You lie down in the soft grass and looked up to the stars.
>Phantom raindrops trail down your face from the cloudless sky.
WHERE ARE YOU, PINKIE!?
>The stars seem to swirl slowly around you, leaving heavy trails behind them as they go.
>A light weight presses down on your chest, and the tails race back to their stars as you are snapped out of your daze.
>Looking down, Fluttershy’s head is resting on you, and her hoof gripping your hand slightly…somehow.
>Rape alarms are sounding off at full strength, and your arms instinctively ready themselves to throw her out any nearby window or doors.
>”I’m sorry Anon.”
Huh?
 
>Your arms retract to your sides, and your rapey-sense dies down a little.
>”Why are you betraying me, Brain?”
>Shut up. Let’s hear what Flutters has to say.
>”All of this: you leaving my house, the clones, Pinkie’s breakdown and her going missing…it’s all been my fault, and I’m sorry.”
>Small tears roll down from her eyes. “I know you probably won’t forgive me, but I’m going to make this right.”
>You reach your hand out and wipe the tears away from her face.
>”I’m only doing this to be nice…right Brain?”
>Maybe.
>”He’s lying.”
>Shut up, Penis.
Oh, fuck you Brain.
>”Anon, who is ‘Brain’?”
No one important.
>The two of you lay silently in the grass for a while, fighting the urge to fall asleep.
>Overhead, a rainbow arcs across the sky, rousing you to resume searching for Pinkie.

:Time Travel back to Earlier Today:
>CLACK.
>The glass rings against the wooden counter as you slam it down.
>The smell of whisky hangs heavy in the air.
>You are now Rainbow Dash, and you are at The Splintered Hoof, Ponyville’s local tavern.
>You came here after Twilight’s “magic tree bubble” disappeared, to put distance between you and the clone of your deceased friend.
>Normally, you would be here to work on your novel, seeking the counsel of Mr. Walker and Mr. Daniels for inspiration.
>But today, staring into the bottom of your fifth appletini, you couldn’t understand why you chose to come here…
>…or why you were drinking appletinis.
Shome Element of Layalty I am...", you slur as another appletini appears in front of you.
>Damn tasty appletinis.

>CLACK.
>The appletini burns a bit as it races down your throat.
>You take the coaster and set it atop the small stack to your right.
Ugh...
>At least you can stay loyal to a bottle.
>"Shut up, Brainbow. Who asked you?"
>I assumed that your tenth appletini was an open invitation to give a critique.
Ten appletinis?, you quiely mutter.
>You motion towards the tired blue unicorn behind the bar.
Gimme one last appletini, Morning.
>"Right away, Ms. Dash."

>Clack
>Morning sets your appletini down in front of you, then goes back to mopping the far end of the counter.
>As you bring it up towards your face, the smell of mint hits your nose.
>Old bastard gave you a grasshopper.
>[Isn't it neat how the color looks almost like Flu-
Don't.
>[Don't what?
Don't think about her.
>[About Fluttershy?
DON'T think about her.
>[About how you bolted away to a bar because of something so trivial as your friend's eye color?
She's not my friend.
>[Are you sure?
Yes.
>[Why?
>The grasshopper leaps down your throat.

>tap
>The glass gently sounds off as you set it down.
I..I don't know. Something felt missing from them.
>[She needs your help, Rainbow.
I know, but-
>[But nothing. You are Loyalty, and right now Shy could use a hoof to steady her.
And I guess that's more important than what her eyes look like?
>[Damn right. Inside, she's still the same pony you know and love.
Ugh. Why do you have to be so smart?
>[Because I'm you, duh. Now pony up and show how Loyal you are to your friends.
Yes ma'am.
>Putting the money for your new favorite drink on the counter, you take off into the night, zipping past Fluttershy's cottage.
>Loyalty is fine and good, but right now you need to sleep.
>And maybe throw up. That grasshopper tasted like soot.