Delta Machine

"We found bandages at the general store!" Applejack announced, she and Pinkie quickly entering the library. Pinkie Pie was carrying a bag in her mouth, and Rainbow Dash immediately flew down and took it from her with one hoof. Dash flew back to the sobbing filly and unwrapped the bandages. She suddenly realized that she didn't know anything about wrapping a wound and looked at her friends for help.

"How do I put them on?"

Twilight immediately took the bandages from her and began methodically wrapping up the shaking filly. Delta Machine looked straight into Twlight's eyes as she began healing her and broke into a new kind of sobs. These were grateful cries.

"Thank you," Delta said, her crimson eyes piercing Twilight like no other eyes she'd ever seen. Delta wasn't a strange looking filly, but she wasn't particularly ordinary either. Her colors were very vibrant and very...red. Twilight wondered what kind of genetics warranted that. Her parents must have been very unique ponies.

"You're welcome," Twilight responded, smiling at the filly warmly. Delta quickly started to wrap up her crying fit, whimpering and sniffling, but no longer crying.

"Ya doin' okay, sugarcube?" Applejack asked Fluttershy, putting an arm around her friend. Fluttershy looked downcast and afraid, clearly very confused about what events had just unfolded. Fluttershy blushed as she looked at her friend for comfort.

"I'm fine, Applejack. Thank you," Fluttershy always felt especially timid around Applejack and she wasn't sure exactly why. Lately she had been thinking quite a lot about the subject matter, and she had made a few realizations. She wasn't near ready to state them yet.

Applejack just made her feel so small. Every time her country friend was around, the legs beneath Fluttershy grew weaker and she almost had to crawl around. It made her feel confused, but at the same time strangely contented.

"Are ya sure you're okay?" Applejack asked, concerned. She looked Fluttershy straight in the eye, blue meeting teal.

She was lost. She was found.

"I'm really okay," Fluttershy confirmed, smiling bashfully. She then turned from her friend and walked up the stairs of Twilight's library. She intended to meet this new filly. As Fluttershy approached the bedside, she felt extremely nervous. Her sensitive nose could pick up the smell of blood and she could see that the little filly had been crying. Most noticeably to Fluttershy, however, her mane was a mess.

"Hi there, uh, Delta Machine," Fluttershy began, looking around for a comb, "m-my name is Fluttershy."

"Hi," Delta whispered, looking ashamed. Fluttershy spotted a hairbrush lying on Twilight's dresser and she plucked the item up with a hoof immediately.

"Can I brush your mane out? If that's okay with you, of course..." Fluttershy asked, embarrassed to be touching the filly. The yellow mare could see twigs and grass entangled in her mane, and she hoped to help the filly in any way possible.

"Yes," Delta replied, softly. Fluttershy gingerly began to comb the little tangles of of the filly's mane, which was a vibrant red. She combed a few snarls out as delicately as she could, and the filly's soft hair cooperated pleasantly. The lighter, subtle shades of pink in her mane were very lovely and Fluttershy quite admired them.

"You have a lovely mane..." Fluttershy noted, softly. By then Twilight was done bandaging the filly up and she looked a lot better.

"Does anypony have ice for those bruises?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking Delta over again.

"If only you'd brought that up earlier," Applejack sighed. Even when irritated, Fluttershy thought, Applejack sounded quite lovely. Fluttershy again felt weaker than usual.

"I probably have some ice somewhere in my cottage or something," Fluttershy said, feeling her tongue move in her mouth as she suddenly babbled strange language. Fluttershy had been rather talkative throughout the entire ordeal!

"Ya really think so?" Applejack asked, climbing the steps and making her way towards Fluttershy.

"Uh...maybe I do..." Fluttershy said quietly, combing a twig out of Delta's mane. The little filly finally stopped sniffling and looked around at the ponies carefully.

"Who are you?" Delta asked, carefully.

"I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie announced, shaking the little filly's bruised hoof briskly. Twilight batted Pinkie's hoof away, noting that Delta's hooves probably felt terrible. Every bone in Delta's body that wasn't broken was probably hurting.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," Twilight explained considerately, "and these are my friends Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Spike."

"I'm a dragon!" Spike announced in case anypony had trouble distinguishing species.

"A dragon?" Delta asked, peering at the green, scaly Spike with inquiry. She turned to Twilight next, and stared at her for a few good seconds.

"Are you okay, Delta?" Twilight asked, growing uncomfortable. She suddenly felt like an idiot for asking the filly such a stupid question.

"What is that thing on your forehead?" Delta asked.

"You mean my horn?" Twilight asked, confused.

"I've never seen one," Delta stated, "And where are everypony's wings? Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy have them, but where are the others?"

"Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, and I don't have wings," Rarity said, "We're unicorns and earth ponies, dear, we were born that way."

"You mean...you can't fly?" Delta asked, confused. The corners of her mouth began to twist into a smile.

"No, darling," Rarity said, shocked, "Have you never seen a unicorn or an earth pony before?"

"I don't even know what you mean. What's a unicorn?" Delta asked, yawning.

Twilight exchanged glances with her friends, alarmed. Fluttershy put the hairbrush back where she found it and stepped away from the curious filly. Delta yawned once more.

"What is a horn, Twilight?"

"Are you tired?" Twilight replied, avoiding the strange conversation.

"Very..." Delta sighed, "May I sleep here?"

"Of course you can, darling," Rarity replied, stepping towards the bed and pulling the covers up above Delta Machine delicately.

"I wont sleep long," Delta promised.

"I don't mind how long you sleep for," Twilight replied, concerned at how strangely the filly was acting. Didn't she know that she was welcome to rest as long as she wanted? She had just broken her wings in a death-defying fall, miraculously unharmed in many ways.

"Just...leave me here...forever more..." Delta replied, resting her head on the sheets, "I found the peace I've been searching for."