EUntwisting the Knot

• MLP: FiM
• Drama

Sometimes, Dash feels a knot tightening in her chest. She can't seem to loosen it alone.

• Rainbow Dash

Flashgen · 3.4k words  ·  346  4 · 4.6k views

Overview
Hi there everyone, today's review is Flashgen's Untwisting the Knot, a very relatable piece about feeling out of place even among friends. It's on the shorter end of just under 3.5 k words, but I loved every bit of it. As already stated, I was able to relate very heavily to what was happening and I have a feeling a lot of other people would be able to as well.

Now obviously this is gonna contain spoilers for the story, so don't look at this until you've read it! (Or do, if you like spoilers). Now then, onto the review!

The story starts with Rainbow Dash in Sugarcube Corner at the end of a party. She is alone and drinking cider as she observes the room and her friends. This is where the tone of the story is set up as we are introduced to the inner thoughts of Rainbow Dash, particularly how she feels her friends see her. This is one of the things that make the story so relatable; the doubt and fear that creeps into her language as she thinks her friends are making fun of her, that they don't really like her and/or are just tolerating her. Despite that, she still tries to convince herself that those thoughts aren't true, that it's stupid to think like that. It's a constant battle that has no clear winner, even when Applejack tries to make her feel better and 'loosen the knot' that's tight in Rainbow's chest.

That's another thing I think this story does beautifully; the physical description of a heavy knot pressing on Rainbow's chest and stomach, constricting her breathing and even 'crawling up her throat' at times. It's a scary feeling that is hard to put into words, yet here it is. The knot gets worse through the party as she tries to build up the courage to ask her friends something, but is unable to find a good spot in the conversation. Eventually, everyone starts to head home and she is left with Pinkie and Applejack, who ask her if she's okay but she lies to her, making the knot even heavier as she suddenly leaves them as well.

The next day, Rainbow finds a cloud and goes back into trying to fight the 'dumb thoughts' in her head, an argument I know I've had many times with myself. She is then caught by none other than Applejack, who lassoed her out of her sky and won't let her go until Rainbow tells her what's really going on. It's hard, but Rainbow is eventually able to confess that she sometimes feels like they don't want her around or that she ruins their good times. She speaks about the anxiety she feels before flying or doing a stunt and how once she just jumps and does it, it goes away. But, with these thoughts and feelings, it's just been building up and she can't find a way to release it. This scene was sweet to read, because even with how hard it is for Rainbow to actually say the thoughts out loud, Applejack is compassionate and patient with her. It was also a nice touch that Applejack confessed she had felt like that a bit herself and the story wraps up nicely. It isn't a typical happy ending where everything is fixed, but it is better.

Who else might like this
This story can be kinda heavy depending on your mental state and how sensitive you are, so proceed with some caution; but overall I think this story is something a lot of people can enjoy and relate to.

Note to the author
This story hit me a lot harder than I expected the first time I read it, and now re-reading it for the 10th time doesn't make it any easier. You did a fantastic job shedding light on something a lot of people go through, something I imagine you've experienced yourself from how well it was written. Thank you for writing this, it was an honor to review.