The rain pounded the ground in torrents, obscuring her vision as she ran. It was as if the pegasi had a feud with the ground and were using tonight's storm as a way of venting their anger. All she could hear aside from the pounding heartbeat in her ears was the harsh sound of water striking the ground and the occasional rumble of thunder. She felt the mud under her hooves as she ran, the earth doing its best to suck her in with each step, while the sky attempted to beat her into submission with powerful raindrops. Her body was screaming at her to stop running and rest, to find somewhere warm and dry to relax, but she ignored her body's demands, her mind focused on something entirely different.

Why did she do this to me? Fluttershy thought as she raced on, her emotions beating her in time with the rain. Why did it have to happen tonight?

"Yeah... I-I've got something to tell you."

A flash of lightning illuminated her surroundings, and as the rumble of thunder washed over her, she began to panic once more as she realized just where she had run to. I-I'm in the Everfree Forest... she thought, recognizing the plant life of the dangerous forest bordering Ponyville. Oh, Celestia, I'm in the Everfree Forest. Alone. She stumbled in her run, tripping over a tree root that sent her tumbling through the underbrush, branches catching harshly at her waterlogged mane and tail and scratching up her side.

She finally stopped her tumble when she fetched up hard against a tree trunk, stars briefly erupting in front of her eyes as she struck her head. She lay there for a short while, the stitch in her side forcing her to pause for a time even while the rain continued its relentless assault. Her eyes searched through her surroundings, hoping for a hint of anything familiar, but despite all of her efforts she was unable to recognize anything.

"Something I've been hiding for a while now."

She let out a soft moan of frustration before burying her face in her hooves, ignoring the mud she was smearing all over her fur. Why did I run? she berated herself, her thoughts jumbled. Why did she have to go and say that? Why couldn't it have been something easier to deal with, like she was moving away?

The events of the night played through her mind, repeating over and over again with crystal clarity. The slumber party. Rarity's announcement. Rainbow's departure, and Rarity sending her following. Finally, in that dark hallway, the only light coming from the occasional flashes of lightning, Rainbow's heartfelt confession.

"I... I love you, Fluttershy."

The words echoed through her mind, each repetition sending her reeling. Those words had sent her into a rapid spiral of fear and longing, the two emotions warring within her until her deep-seated fears won. With those words, she had felt like her entire world had shifted from comfort and happiness to fear and uncertainty. She had barely managed to say... something... before her mind had kicked into overdrive, sending her fleeing from Rainbow and out into the pouring rain.

A sudden sound on the periphery of her hearing caught her attention, snapping her back to the reality of her location. She couldn't make out just what the sound was over the pounding rain, but this deep in the Everfree, it could be anything. A quick glance around her gave her an inkling of the direction she had come from, and she carefully made her way away from the tree and back through the underbrush, her eyes darting this way and that in an effort to spot potential dangers.

Maybe if she hurried she could make it back to her cottage before Rainbow or any of the others found her, and she could barricade herself inside, never to come out again.

For the longest time, Rainbow simply stared at the place where Fluttershy had stood.

What... just happened?

After her confession, the shy mare had stared at her for a long moment, not saying anything. From what Rainbow could tell, there had been something going on in the back of her mind, though it seemed that her fears had won the fight. As Rainbow stood there, feeling both hopeful and foolish, Fluttershy's eyes had widened to the size of saucers. After stammering out something vaguely resembling an apology, she had bolted from the castle as fast as her legs could carry her.

I thought... I hoped... Oh, buck, I've messed up. Rarity, why'd you have to push me to say it tonight? I coulda done this when I was ready. Stupid bucking feelings and all the frustrations that go with them!

A crash of thunder shook her from her paralysis, and she realized what had happened: Fluttershy had run outside alone into the biggest storm of the season. Quick, gotta go after her. If I go now, I might be able to catch her. But if I can't see her, I won't be able to find her. Gotta go back and get my flight goggles so I can see in the rain. But if I take too much time, I might lose her... Her eyes darted this way and that as if searching for a solution to her problem, before she just shook her head. Ugh! Ok, let's do this. Go get the goggles, tell the others, and go find her.

Rainbow quickly flew back into Twilight's room, determination mixed with panic on her face as she burst open the door. "Fluttershy's gone and I'm going after her!" she cried, darting across the room to grab her saddlebags. However, she only made it halfway back across the room before she found herself halted in her tracks, enveloped in a purple aura. Shifting her eyes to look at the alicorn responsible, she growled, "Lemme go, Twilight! I gotta go find Fluttershy!"

"What's wrong with Fluttershy?" Twilight demanded, having extricated herself from her sleeping bag and trotted over to where she held Rainbow. The others were following suit, having recovered from the shock of Rainbow's sudden entrance.

A blush infused Rainbow's cheeks, but she dodged the question. "She just ran outside! C'mon, lemme go, I gotta go find her! It's a huge storm tonight, and she's gonna get hurt!"

"What?" cried Applejack. "What in tarnation is that girl thinking, running out there like that?" She motioned to the others. "C'mon, let's get going. Rainbow, where'd you say she ran off to?"

"I... I'm not really sure. She's probably trying to get back to her cottage, though." Rainbow's voice dropped slightly, and a measure of guilt crept into her tone. "It's where she usually goes when she's upset..."

"Upset?" asked Rarity, a look of horror on her face. "Why, Rainbow, darling, would she be upset enough to run out in this storm? She hates thunderstorms!"

Rainbow felt Twilight's aura vanish from around her, and she turned to give Rarity a venomous glare. Rarity stepped back slightly as Rainbow spoke in a harsh tone. "Rarity, if she turns out to be ok and this all works out, I just might kiss you. But if she gets hurt because of this, you and I are gonna have a talk. Got it?"

Without waiting for a response of any kind, she turned away and dashed out of Twilight's room, saddlebags slung over her back and wings already spread. For a brief heartbeat everypony stared at Rarity at a loss for words, before realizing what had happened and dashing out after Rainbow and out into the pouring rain.

Fluttershy carefully pushed her waterlogged mane out of her eyes, searching for any sign of a familiar path or location. Wind was tearing through the forest, pulling her this way and that with a ferocity that frightened her. Broken twigs and leaves knocked down by the rain and wind continued to collect in her mane as she moved, while her tail was becoming caked with mud and leaves and all the detritus of the forest floor.

Another unexpected sound caught her attention. The storm muffled any sort of identifying aspects of the sound, but to her the low rumble sounded harsh and animalistic, raising her hackles high. The thought of flying away crossed her mind, but a moment later another lightning strike quickly shattered any desire to take to the air.

Spinning around, she desperately searched for any sign of the source of the sound. Unconsciously, she began to back up as her head lowered towards the ground. A moment later, she felt a sharp pain in her flank, like claws digging into her flesh, and she screamed before bolting off into the forest. She raced between the trees and through the bushes, desperate to get away from whatever had attacked her.

This night was quickly shaping up to be one of the worst nights of her life.

Made it extra long for y'all your welcome ('⊙ω⊙')