Solitary Pinion

by Tystarr

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Human, Thunderlane, Main 6, Other, Original Character, Flitter and Cloudchaser, Adventure
Length: 37680

In a strange world, in a strange body, Viktoria struggles to cope after encountering an unfamiliar mirror and what occurred afterwards.

'I looked at the reflection, and the beast looked back.'

Viktoria had never seen the mirror before, now she wishes she had never examined it. With her body twisted into a strange and unsettling new shape she must become accustomed to her new equine form before finding a way home, and along the way also return her body to normal. Her body betrays her with each movement, muscle memory working against her. Will the newly encountered Flitter and Cloudchaser be able to help her?

Even with the new addition of wings to grant her flight and escape, Viktoria has never felt more confined.

'Others see me for what I am. I only wish for them to see me for who I am.'

( Thanks go to AkuOreo for such a lovely cover art! )

( Also, seems to have a Tv tropes page in the making! )

Published 2013-08-30 15:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2014-08-16 11:01:31 UTC

Chapter two: Questions

Los Pegasus General Hospital

From the desk of Doctor Remedial Oath,

The patient, referred henceforth as Jane Mare was brought in by Miss Cloudchaser and Miss Flitter. Jane Mare upon arrival was both unconscious and demonstrating clear signs of laboured breathing. On examination fluid was discovered within the lungs, symptoms that were consistent with the sisters account of the filly having fallen into a lake and encountered difficulties. Treatment for pulmonary edema was a success leading to breathing returning to normal.

Jane Mare shows signs of extensive physical trauma having been committed to her body with fresh tissue found over most of her body yet most prominently around the face, hind legs and hips. From what Miss Flitter mentioned about Jane Mare’s behaviour a magical scan was done to check for any anomalies within her cranium which came back clear.

In my professional opinion Jane Mare shows signs of immense physical and possible psychological abuse happening in her past. From what Miss Cloudchaser has mentioned about the patient’s difficulty speaking along with the absence of a cutie mark my conclusion is abuse at the hooves of other ponies or diamond dogs. Physical therapy may be required for recovery and a psychiatrist should be assigned to Jane Mare to aid with any mental duress she may/will be suffering.

Currently she is in a magically induced coma to allow her body time to fully recover.

Diagnosis: Jane Mare was suffering from the effects of secondary drowning and if not for the fast response of Miss Cloudchaser and Miss Flitter the outcome would have been death due to asphyxiation. Other than minor contusions she appears to be making a full recovery. Despite her age being roughly within her teen years she shows concerning signs of previous physical trauma and fractures of varying severity.

Further actions: Next of kin to be informed/contacted.

~~~~~~

Viktoria found herself waking in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar bed, in an equally unfamiliar body. Wincing, she closed her eyes, both to avoid the light assaulting them mercilessly and also to avoid staring down the muzzle she saw still protruded from her face. With a low groan escaping from her throat she knew better than to try and speak, left alone instead with her thoughts.

After several moments had passed she worked up the courage to open her eyes again, quickly followed with blinking several times while her eyes adjusted to the light. Reaching with one arm… no, foreleg she moved the furry appendage to block the light from her eyes. Curiosity soon got the better of her and she instead moved the limb about to observe it more fully.

Viktoria had never really been too much into horses but she knew enough to understand that the forelimb of a horse shouldn’t move as she was able to. Taking the time while she was comfortable on her back in the bed, she moved the limb around slowly to test how it could move. The hoof at the end was hard and surprisingly the same colour as the fur that covered her body, blending in perfectly. Having played around with her foreleg enough she lowered it over the cream sheets, looking instead around the room she had woken in.

As far as rooms went it was unremarkable, but given her eyesight she could only make out a few details so as to judge it. The bed she was in was situated so the door was on the wall to her left and what could be a large window dominated the wall opposite to her. There were indecipherable blobs of colour here and there and rolling her head she saw a stand beside the bed with a few items upon it. A vase with a collection of flowers was the first thing to be noticed; although she couldn’t see the tag clearly enough to make out what was written.

With no small amount of squinting she was barely able to make out a small device beside the flowers. The girl struggled trying to identify its purpose; the large button upon a flat surface implied a remote of some sort. Giving up trying to solve the mysteries of the big appealing looking button Viktoria instead rolled her head to gaze upwards again.

“Whaaaaa aaapuunnn’d?”

Despite everything so far Viktoria could only frown at her inability to voice her thoughts, although she had to be honest it was better than the previous attempts. The key it seemed was slowly moving the thick and unwieldy tongue over the sounds. Exhaling once more she moved her arms, no, forelegs slowly along the blankets before contemplating her fate. She was alone, confused and had no idea what was going on. Tears were already starting to moisten her eyes as she counted off what was wrong so far.

But… but, no matter what she was going to move forward and figure out what had occurred to her and why.

She had been changed into a winged horse-thing, which she might add she was having immense difficulty in moving like her old body. She had lost her contacts and thus was unable to see anything unless it was almost within reaching distance. Finally, she was by herself and had no idea where she was. Surprisingly she found herself missing Cloudchaser and Flitter; she had just met the two of them but at least they had been nice to her.

The transformed girl exhaled for the third time before rubbing her eyes with a foreleg, wincing at the feeling of the soft fur meeting her face. It wasn’t bad, just a completely alien sensation to experience. She had a choice to make, she could continue to lie in this bed and just cry which… was a deviously tempting option to be sure. Or, or she could go and try to find answers herself. The second option was by far the more daunting of the two but Viktoria had always been called a headstrong girl.

Besides, she had her panic attack at the lake and she was fourteen, fourteen year old girls didn’t just curl up and cry. Of course she quickly amended that last statement in her head as she knew several that would do that, but she was not one of them.

Sniffling to clear her equine nose and rubbing her eyes again she wriggled to try and get to the edge of the bed. Her wings felt weird but given she had only just acquired such appendages she was unsure if this was normal for her anatomy or not. Immensely grateful that her forelegs worked more like arms than she would have imagined, she used them to flip the blanket up. It took several tries but eventually she met with success to be able to look once more over her body.

Immediately she felt the tears build again upon seeing the equine form that was now her body resting on its side. Frowning she shook her head and focused on the task required, although she now saw why her wings felt odd; each was bandaged against her body, a situation she was thankful for as it was one less body part to worry about.

Taking a deep breath she squirmed and wriggled and eventually made her way to the edge of the bed. Looking over the edge she now realised a new problem faced her, how does one with four legs get out of a bed? Blowing some of the blonde hair… or mane out of her face she narrowed her eyes in thought. Eventually no clear plan had been reached so she decided to just try her best. Slipping closer she rolled onto her belly and with some effort got her left hind leg over the edge.

Slowly… slowly…

She was doing remarkably well all things considered, that is until too much of her mass slipped over the edge and the inevitable happened. Slowly she felt herself slipping off the bed uncontrolled and panic set in. Limbs flailed as she tried to find purchase, her right leg still on the bed kicking which only hastened the unavoidable outcome. Whether it was by newly acquired reflexes or pure desperation, Viktoria bit onto the blanket only succeeding in dragging it over the edge with her. All this led to a loud crash of a teenage pegasus meeting the tiled floor being accompanied with a garbled scream.

~~~~~

“Oh hello Flitter.” The receptionist smiled upon seeing the pegasus enter. Flitter and her sister had been a constant presence in the hospital ever since the ’Jane Mare’ filly had been brought in a couple of days ago.

“Oh, hello!” A pause was given as Flitter looked over her shoulder to adjust the saddlebags she wore, having flown straight to the hospital after doing her shift with the weather team. “Has there been any change?”

The receptionist, a unicorn mare who had been in the position for ten years felt herself smiling at the concern evident within Flitter’s question, it always warmed her heart to see a patient being cared about.

“I’m afraid last I heard she was still sleeping dear.” A pause was given as she flicked through some paperwork. Normally she would not be privy to such information but the young battered-looking filly had caused quite a stir when she was brought in. It went without saying that the entire hospital staff felt a little bit connected to the mysterious pegasus, especially since there had been no luck in tracking down any family members. “You can go on up if you wish. Will your sister be visiting as well?”

Flitter felt a little saddened by the news. She wasn’t sure why but there was something off about the filly, something that made her concerned. The doctor had briefly talked to her about it, only due to the fact she and Cloudchaser were the ones who brought her in. The filly had been abused, horribly which might go to explaining why she looked so… vulnerable and possibly why she had tried to-

Hey, we don’t know if that was true or not. Flitter mentally scolded herself as she found she was jumping to conclusions.

“Cloudchaser is finishing up with some weather for tomorrow, with Rainbow Dash visiting Canterlot for some reason we’re both having to pick up the slack a little… but she should come around later.” Flitter explained while realising just how much Rainbow Dash actually did. Some unfortunately saw the rainbow-maned pegasus as lazy, or at worst vain and glory seeking but after the Wonderbolt Academy she and her sister had seen the true side to her. After almost dropping out due to her partner’s behaviour endangering the others, Rainbow Dash had earned the respect of most of the candidates.

Still, it was curious why Rainbow had been called to the castle, perhaps Bearer of Harmony business?

“Ah, well she will be a busy mare then.” The receptionist followed up with a smile and a nod. “I’ll make sure to send her up when she comes in.”

Grateful for the gesture Flitter trotted down the hallway before making her way up the flights of stairs. Her mind was racing with unanswered questions, questions only the filly could answer. She and Cloudchaser had spotted her while flying back from setting up some rain over a few farms and at first paid it no heed. It wasn’t until Flitter had spotted the young pegasus either jump or fall into the lake that she had alerted her sister.

“I hope she’s okay, what happened to her?” Flitter quietly posed the question to herself and was rather surprised to have a reply given.

“That’s what we would all like to know.”

Flitter squeaked before seeing Doctor Remedial Oath waiting at the top of the stairs. The older green unicorn held a clipboard within his emerald aura while smiling seeing the mare’s reaction before apologizing. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“N-No it’s okay, I was just lost in thought that’s all.” Flitter smiled before her eyes darted down the hallway to room 138. Clearing her throat she attempted to make some small talk, if for no other reason than to cover up her momentary surprise. “The receptionist said she is still sleeping.”

“Ah did she now?” The doctor sighed good-naturedly before turning his head to follow the mare’s gaze. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, she has caused quite a stir… unable to find any missing reports, no family contacting us, the injuries shown to be sustained in her past.”

Flitter could only nod as the bronze-maned doctor recited the list of problems. Shifting on her hooves she tilted her head before gesturing to the door timidly. “May I go in?”

“Oh! Of course, I am sure she would appreciate how often you and your sister come to visit her.” Doctor Remedial slowly trotted beside the pegasus as he looked over the chart before him. “I just came from there earlier; she seems to have recovered from the pulmonary edema brought on by the secondary drowning.”

Flitter blinked a few times before looking aside bashfully, biting her lower lip. The doctor upon noticing her expression gave a soft sigh before smiling.

“Pulmonary edema is extrusion of liquid into the lungs which can cause respiratory failure…” His attempt at explaining was met with Flitter nodding before blushing further, her eyes suddenly taking great interest in the floor ahead of herself. “Miss Flitter, if you don’t understand you don’t have to be ashamed.”

The pegasus mare winced slightly before seating herself down much to the doctor’s surprise.

“I’m not ashamed, I… some stuff goes over my head, and it’s just a little… frustrating I guess when I just want a simple explanation.” Flitter followed up by biting her lower lip, slightly flustered both at not comprehending what he was saying and having voiced as such so bluntly. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me. I just really want to know what’s wrong with her.”

“Flitter.”

The doctor’s voice snapped Flitter out of her reverie to look at him curiously as he continued.

“There is nothing to be ashamed about not knowing certain things. Now, be it my place to say or not but I see a lovely, and kind hearted mare before me who cares about a filly she just met.” His voice was kept soft and gentle as Flitter offered a small shy smile at the praise. “That young pegasus in there is lucky that you two came along when you did, and even more so that you are so concerned.”

“I guess…” Flitter stood, her ears flicking as she cautiously started walking again before clearing her throat. “S-So… um, what… did you mean exactly?”

Doctor Remedial gave a warm chuckle as he tucked the clipboard into a saddlebag before eyeing the embarrassed Flitter kindly.

“When somepony falls into the water they have a risk of getting water into the lungs.” A nod was given by Flitter encouraging him to continue showing she understood. “Now, the water, or fluid can act as an irritant or… problem inside the lungs. The body doesn’t respond well to this and it reduces the pony’s ability to breathe. This is when fluid gets into the air spaces of the lungs leading to a term we call pulmonary edema… which…”

A quick look at Flitter assured the doctor that she was understanding, or at least grasping most of what was said by the concerned expression on her face. Clearing his throat he continued as they neared room 138.

“Well let’s call it secondary drowning… it happens even when you get a pony out of the water, fluid is still in the lungs and the pony, well… drowns on dry land.” Doctor Remedial saw the horror pass over Flitter’s face before he smiled and eased her concerns. “But as I said, thanks to your quick actions we managed to prevent that outcome. I believe I told your sister but not you, but when she fell asleep on Cloudchaser’s back she was most likely already succumbing. We had to remove a remarkable amount of fluid from her lungs.”

Flitter gave a soft sound of relief but also realised how close they had come. If Cloudchaser hadn’t gotten impatient and started galloping they would never have made it in time.

“But she’s okay now right?” Flitter paused before the door as she looked at the older stallion, the doctor giving a nod of his head.

“Well… from that ordeal? Yes… but how she came across all those other injuries is another mystery, one we won’t solve until she wakes out of-“

That was when a loud crash cut the doctor off along with a garbled scream from within the room causing both to rush inside and to the sight presented to them.

~~~~~~

Viktoria whimpered pitifully as she found herself positioned almost upside down upon the ground, the blanket wrapped all around her limbs making even the tiniest movement all but impossible. Just as soon as she had fallen off the bed however she heard the door open, yet remained unable to see who exactly it was. She hoped for humans but that hope was soon thwarted as she heard the tell-tale sound of hooves on the floor.

Gazing out of the blankets she could only sniffle softly at her predicament while trying to pull herself free. The only thing her efforts succeeded in was entangling further within the nefarious and traitorous blanket.

“Hang on little one.” A male voice sounded out, possibly from the greenish blob that was slowly approaching as a strange sensation encompassed her. Shockingly Viktoria felt herself slowly being lifted off the ground which caused her to only panic further. “Please stop struggling; I will have you out of there in a moment.”

Viktoria wasn’t listening by that point, she could barely see, she was being lifted up somehow into the air and the panic was quickly catching up to her. Normally Viktoria considered herself level headed, but given everything that had happened to her thus far logic had taken a back seat about the time she was levitated. It took the strangely familiar female voice sounding out from the slowly approaching grayish-blue blob to calm her down.

“Let me try Doctor.”

Viktoria felt herself slowly be lowered upon the ground only to have the indecipherable mix of colour slowly get clearer as it approached. Her eyes went wide seeing the pale green hair with the pink ribbon tied within.

“It’s okay, you remember me right?” Flitter said with a warm smile as Viktoria gave a small nod and in the process ceased her struggles completely. “No one is going to hurt you, let me help you out.”

True to her word Flitter used her mouth to gently tug the blanket. After a little bit of manoeuvring and two or so minutes later she was finally freed from the linen, in no small part due to the filly somehow getting the blanket tangled in ways that defied explanation. Blinking slowly Viktoria offered a small shy smile towards her saviour who returned the expression prior to turning to look at the other in the room. As the blob approached she got a good look at the other pony, a little surprised by his colouration. If she thought the two mares were odd, this male one took the cake with his fur colouring. Helped to a standing position by Flitter, Viktoria took a deep breath as the male horse, or stallion as was probably the proper definition looked at her with an expression of concern.

It seemed wherever she was there were ponies instead of humans, or alternatively everyone had been transformed into a pony. The second option didn’t really ring true as everyone wasn’t panicking, so the first must be the more viable reason. At the moment she didn’t know exactly what to think, part of her knew she should be terrified by this revelation. Then again, the fact she was currently a talking pony-thing herself somehow muted the horror.

Or maybe she was simply in shock and it would all catch up with her again later leaving her a quivering mess?

“Miss, what are you doing out of your bed?” Doctor Remedial’s horn glowed again making Viktoria give a gurgling squeak and try to step back, only resulting in her falling over her own hooves onto the floor. The doctor immediately ceased the build-up of magic while raising a fore hoof defensively.

“Doctor Remedial, I… I think your magic is scaring her.” Flitter gently approached causing Viktoria to settle, the transformed girl’s eyes wide as she stared at the horse. It wasn’t exactly that she was scared, but more astounded upon seeing a unicorn. Granted a pegasus was strange enough, but now there was a unicorn… and it was casting magic of sorts?

“I believe you may be right Flitter, are you okay miss?” The doctor’s concern was evident and Viktoria gave a small nod, scrambling with Flitter’s help to get into a seated position which… all things considered felt incredibly awkward. She found herself seated like a dog, and despite how odd it felt, it felt… comfortable enough so she didn’t fight it.

Doctor Remedial exhaled in relief seeing the pegasus was at least calmed down somewhat before he tilted his head, the clipboard being levitated out of his bag while watching Viktoria curiously for any reaction. Noticing her wide eyes full of wonder he scribbled a few things down. “Can you tell us your name?”

“V-Vah… Vah… Vah doooreeeea.” Viktoria struggled around the syllables before she frowned afterwards, casting a look aside in frustration. She could feel her ears were flattened into her mane, annoyed and angry her strange body would not work as she desired. Flitter and Doctor Remedial shared a look before he coughed into a forehoof. Before he could speak Flitter chimed in, Viktoria surprised as she found lilac eyes staring at her above a warm smile on the mare’s face.

“It’s okay, something bad happened to you didn’t it?” The doctor seemed a little surprised by Flitter’s forthcoming but Viktoria could only nod, something horrible did happen to her. Seeing this Flitter continued, emboldened by the response, “and is that why you are… um, how you are right now?”

Viktoria blinked at that before nodding rapidly, it seemed someone understood her plight. A frown seemed to cross over Doctor Remedial’s face as he jotted down more notes while Flitter winced.

“Well, you won’t be hurt here anymore. Do you know where your parents are?” The Doctor asked, his anger growing which he tried to hide. Something or somepony had horribly abused this filly before him, and it took every ounce of his professionalism not to allow his emotions to seep to the surface.

Viktoria, unaware of their inner musings shook her head. She had never had parents ever since she was supposedly found a few months old, the fact she didn’t have any didn’t really concern her too much by this point in time. The reaction however from the two older ponies made her slightly concerned as they shared another glance at each other.

“I see, well don’t worry we’ll take good care of you here until you’re better.” Doctor Remedial nodded reassuringly and offered a smile, one Viktoria found herself cautiously returning. She didn’t know what was going on but anyone willing to help her was greatly appreciated. “But for now I need you to be a good girl and get back into bed, we’ll start your physical rehabilitation in the morning, okay?”

The young pegasus blinked at the last part.

“W-Whaaaaad daaaauuuu meeeeeeaaan?” Much to her surprise she found stressing the words out made it slightly more comprehendible as she smacked her tongue within her mouth experimentally. Flitter gave a small smile as she tilted her head.

“What does he mean?” Viktoria nodded as Flitter seemed to pick up the meaning, casting a glance at the doctor who smiled and put the clip board away.

“We’ll discuss it in the morning, but for now you need your rest… you had a very harrowing experience.” The doctor paused before he clicked his tongue and looked behind him at the wall on which sat a black blob that Viktoria could not discern the purpose of. “Tell you what, since you’ve been such a good girl so far, I’ll get the nurse to go get some books for you… but just as long as you stay in bed alright?”

Viktoria blinked at this and sighed. She wished she could tell them she was unable to see anything at the moment, let alone figure out how to read with hooves but instead she gave a small forlorn nod. It was then that another problem presented itself, her belly gurgling. A very odd and not at all unpleasant feeling built up in her abdomen, or where she presumed her abdomen as a winged pony was.

The two once more exchanged glances before Viktoria whimpered and tried to cross her legs, only resulting in her almost falling over from her seated position. Thankfully Flitter was close by and quickly used a wing for support.

“Do… do you need to use the little filly’s room?” Flitter’s question was hesitant yet kind and while Viktoria had no real idea what such a room was, she figured it was close to what she needed. Nodding quickly the doctor took a few steps back to allow access outside.

“The door directly on the opposite side to your room.” Doctor Remedial watched before blinking as Viktoria struggled to get onto all fours, yet again finding the balancing act far beyond her capacity. In truth it was easy getting upright, but taking a step she found herself overcompensating or worse, her hind legs not working how she wished them to. She was trying to crawl, but that wasn’t at all how her limbs worked. After several seconds of this Flitter gently nudged her with her muzzle and moved to place a wing to help support.

“Here, let me help.” Flitter smiled as Viktoria felt anger build at her body again, the desire to cry creeping up from the dark recesses of her mind. Taking the older mare’s help, she half limped, half staggered and somehow also half leaned to get out the door, all the while the stallion went back to writing notes, a frown growing across his brow.

In what seemed like an eternity she finally was assisted to the bathroom, Flitter nudging the door open before guiding her towards one of the stalls.

“I’ll be here if you need me, okay?” Flitter’s words were kind and Viktoria offered a shy nod. She was going to be strong! She wasn’t going to let this beat her, and she was going to figure out what happened to her and get back to her old body. Why she had been turned into a strange alien pony-thing was still a mystery, but one that took a back seat to her current predicament. Squinting she tried to see what the thing in front of her was, noting it was unlike any toilet she had ever used.

With great reluctance she moved and tried to posture herself. As luck would have it, the intricacies of such a move were beyond her sense of balance and she had a front leg slip from under her. In a panic her body tried to spread her wings which remained bound to her body, this in turn threw her off more. Hooves skidded over the tiles before she banged her head against one of the walls, dazing herself. Barely able to hear Flitter’s worried voice through the ringing she staggered, a cry of anguish passing her mouth as she tumbled resulting in a splash, and a very wet head.

Flitter almost immediately opened the stall door to see the sight of Viktoria with her head half in the toilet, scrambling to remove it. Quickly she approached only to back off as the young filly gave an angry sounding cry accompanied with smashing her front hooves against the ground. Finally Viktoria paused and sniffled, her mane half saturated as it dribbled down her face and onto the tiles. All the misery she was withholding rushed back as she moved her forelimbs over her head and sobbed quietly, barely aware of the soft wing gently resting over her back.

Flitter, unaware of what to say in the situation simply lowered herself down to provide what comfort she could, slightly surprised when Viktoria pushed against her and sobbed louder. The filly seemed to be trying to say something but it was all coming out garbled and nonsense, but the grief and fear within the words were enough to melt the pegasus’s heart.

Flitter was a kind mare; she didn’t harbour ill will towards anyone.

Nevertheless she would find whoever did this to such a young pegasus and make them pay, if that was the last thing she did.

Chapter three: Progress

Doctor Remedial consolidated his notes while waiting for the two to return, yet… What he had observed so far troubled him greatly. It wasn’t that he had doubted the sisters’ account of how the filly behaved, but to see it first hoof was something else entirely.

If I hadn’t seen it for myself I would never have fully believed it. A frown grew along the doctor’s brow as he flipped through his notes. The inability to speak coherently and her physical limitations are concern enough, then, and to not even have a cutie mark at her age…

A long sigh escaped the stallion’s muzzle as he recalled the patient’s reaction to being levitated. Normally, it would actually comfort a pegasus to be off the ground, even in her current situation, which was strange enough. That was not even going into how she had dealt with his magic; the amazement present on her face opened up a while new line of inquiry.

Has she never seen unicorn magic before? Or… has she never had it used for anything but harm? Doctor Remedial could feel a headache coming on as he massaged his temple with a hoof. The more they learned about this strange filly the more questions presented themselves. “What kind of monster could do this to a pony her age?”

“Um… sorry, am I interrupting something?”

The new female voice shook the doctor out of his growing conundrum to notice the arrival of Cloudchaser.

“I was told this is where my sister was, and…” Trailing off, Cloudchaser felt a little foolish thinking she might have remembered the room number wrong.

“Ah yes, my apologies Miss Cloudchaser. Your sister and the young filly stepped out to use the bathroom.” Doctor Remedial assured the pegasus before a glance up at the clock on the wall resulted in a small cluck from his tongue. “Although, they have been gone longer than expected; it may pay to ha-“

His concerns were put to rest when the door opposite the hallway slowly opened and out of which trotted Flitter supporting the younger pegasus. The doctor immediately noticed that Viktoria’s mane was frazzled and she showed obvious signs of crying.

“Is everything alright?” His question lingered in the air while Flitter smiled slightly, one of her wings slipped under the filly’s barrel to assist with walking.

“Oh… everything is alright.” Even as Flitter spoke, however, she cast a glance at the doctor out of Viktoria’s sight which indicated that ‘everything’ clearly was not. Understanding, Doctor Remedial nodded before giving a smile encouragingly at the filly as she struggled to get all her limbs moving correctly even with the added assistance. Whatever had happened in the bathroom seemed to have sapped the young pegasus’s energy for the evening as she was helped to her bed.

A smile was given by Flitter to Cloudchaser as she indicated with her head for her sister to assist. Taking the cue, both mares helped Viktoria clamber up onto the bed and then tugged the blanket over. A small smile of thanks was given towards the two even if Viktoria looked downcast afterwards, her eyes gazing at brown forelegs resting upon the sheets.

“Daaank duuuuo.” The words were mangled coming out of the filly’s mouth, yet understandable to some degree leading to Flitter giving a warm expression in response.

“You’re welcome.” Flitter nudged her sister, who seemed momentarily confused on trying to interpret the slurred sounds. Getting the gist quickly she added to her sister’s voice in accepting the gratitude. Once seeing his patient was settled in, Doctor Remedial cleared his throat.

“Well I think it is best if we let her get some rest - proper rest.” The last part he added to clarify as he made to trot towards the exit. It was widely known that a magical coma had no equal in aiding with the healing process but it was still no substitute for genuine sleep. As such, despite for how long Viktoria had been unconscious for she would still be fatigued, a point proven when the filly in question had her mouth open wide to release a long yawn. “I’ll be sure to check in first thing in the morning.”

Viktoria could only nod slightly. She was confused and after venting in the bathroom she felt tired; drained, even. It didn’t help that she felt like a little girl in having to be assisted with so many mundane things.

“Alright, ladies if you would care to come with me and give her a little peace?” His question hung in the air but it was clear that there was no room for debate.

“We’ll come see you in the morning, promise.” Flitter smiled reassuringly, and was rewarded with a tired smile from Viktoria, followed with a small nod.

“We both will be here first thing.” Cloudchaser adding her own promise earned another tired smile. With that, all three trotted out of the room, the door gently being closed behind them yet not before Flitter cast a worried look back in.

Once more left alone, Viktoria sighed. Her eyes stared at the horse legs – her… horse legs – unfocused and unseeing as she was instead lost deep in thought. The fact they were all talking pony-things still freaked her out, yet she couldn’t keep panicking as that wasn’t helping anything. There was also the realisation – however strange – that she felt reassured when Flitter was near. In retrospect, it was hardly a surprise; despite barely knowing her, the mare had shown her nothing but kindness. Pushing the thoughts aside lest she dwell on them, Viktoria rolled onto her side to sleep, prior to wincing at the feeling of a bound wing pressing to her body.

What happened to me? The thought bounced around her head, never really fading from the forefront of her mind. Where is this place and why am I here?

With a grunt, she shifted to lie upon her back and stare at the blurry sight of the ceiling tiles while inner musings kept her awake. Reaching up with a foreleg, she realised no amount of tears was going to change her situation, even as her vision vindictively blurred further with moisture. With a loud sniffle, she shook her head slightly across the pillow before frowning. She was fourteen years old, and even if she had no idea what was going on she would act like the mature girl she was.

She would deal with this!

It had become clearly evident that she was in no immediate danger and also that she was in what seemed to be a hospital. Amazingly it was also evident that the other horse creatures were aware of her problem and would help her with it, but how that would come about she was unsure. Yet… A few of their statements remained perplexing to the transformed girl. What exactly did they mean by physical rehabilitation and why did they look so… Sad, when she could see their expressions? Even Flitter, when smiling, held a sort of silent sorrow within her large, expressive eyes.

There was a puzzle piece missing; something she wasn’t quite grasping about the situation, but for the life of her it continued to remain elusive. She would dwell on it more, but at that moment she suddenly felt monumentally tired. She could see out of the blur that she presumed to be a window that light still shone through, so it couldn’t have been too late in the day. Be that as it may, it was becoming a struggle to keep her eyelids open.

Moving onto her side again she grimaced at the wing pinned underneath before surrendering grudgingly instead onto her back. Realising that the current position would be the only way she would be remotely comfortable she surrendered to sleep, her ears barely picking up the sound of voices out in the hallway as she drifted off.

~~~~~~

“She… fell into the toilet?” Cloudchaser winced after repeating what her sister had just confessed, the doctor giving a long exhale while he composed himself. Cloudchaser felt anger gnaw at her as she voiced her disgust. “Who… how could a pony, or anything be so cruel as to do such things to a filly?”

There was a slight pause as all three trotted slowly down the hallway in silence before Cloudchaser spoke up again.

“Do… do you think that is why she tried to…”

The question hung in the air, untouched and oppressive; no-one wanted to contemplate the ramifications of what was just asked. Flitter wanted to deny it yet… Even against her better judgement, she too harboured suspicions that the filly had tried to take her own life. Both sisters shared a glance, each hoping that the other would say something to dispel the uncertainty, or at the very least break the tension that now hung over them.

“Girls, I wish to discuss something with you both.” Doctor Remedial startled both pegasi, reminding them he was still following slightly behind. “Please, come with me.”

The doctor directed them into an empty room then waited inside until both mares had passed before closing the door. Cloudchaser, upon entering, sat herself down with a curious look as the sun provided light through the large window, along with a beautiful view of the horizon over the buildings. It was evident this floor was for pegasi; the large windows allowed clear views of the sky, thus it made sense why the filly had been brought up here.

“So… what is it you wished to discuss?” Cloudchaser inquired with a tilt of her head, Flitter offering a silent nod to show she also had vested interest in the question. Doctor Remedial could only sigh as he looked over his clipboard where it levitated before his muzzle. Once satisfied with his facts, he flipped the page over and addressed both mares.

“This is highly unorthodox and outside of protocol, but given you both were the ones who found her, I feel I need to talk to you both about a few certain things.” The doctor paused while gazing at both, making sure they understood the undercurrents of what he said. A glance at Flitter made him aware of a small frown on her face before he clarified. “What I mean to say is that this is very much outside the norm, and remains a very special case.”

Flitter and Cloudchaser exchanged another glance before the former hesitantly spoke up.

“What… What do you mean by that, doctor?” Her voice betrayed their concern, Cloudchaser’s expression mirroring that of her sister’s. The fact she had finished her weather duties (which would have normally taken her an hour,) in only twenty minutes was tantamount to that fact.

“You see…” Doctor Remedial started before exhaling, pausing to ponder just how to approach the conversation. With a click of his tongue he decided being honest was going to be the best way to convince the girls of what he wished from them.

“What I am going to tell you both would normally be reserved for the parents or guardians of the patient.” His voice held a small amount of anger before he dismissed it, gazing at Flitter and then Cloudchaser, making sure they were aware of the seriousness of what he was saying. “But… for reasons you will soon be aware of, leave me very doubtful either of those will apply to that young mare in there.”

“What do you mean by that? Do you mean you’re still having trouble finding them?” Cloudchaser questioned as the unicorn shook his head slowly.

“Yes and no…” A long deep inhale was taken as the doctor sat himself down to look over his notes again, finding some solace in the observations upon the paper. “I am going to be frank with you both, but please be aware that what I am about to say is, one; purely conjecture on my part and may not leave this room, and two… unpleasant.”

Flitter folded her wings in tight before giving a small nod.

“Please tell us doctor, we want to know. We found her, so… In a way, we feel she is still kind of our responsibility.” A glance at Cloudchaser supported Flitter’s words with a nod from the other pegasus as they both agreed. “She… She fell, in the toilet… I mean, literally into the toilet, and I rushed in as fast as I could, but she was…”

Flitter exhaled as Cloudchaser rested a wing upon her sister’s withers for support, a smile given back showing Flitter’s appreciation.

“Please, go on, Flitter,” the doctor gently encouraged; having wanted to find out about this anyhow, he was willing to put what he wanted to say on hold as he pressed a quill to the clipboard.

“She… she broke down! She looked so angry, but at herself.” Flitter sighed gently before looking aside, her gaze pulled out the window while she continued. “She cried against me for a while until I helped her, and then dried her mane and face off the best I could. She’s… so vulnerable; it’s like she wants to do stuff, but can’t.”

All the while Flitter was talking Doctor Remedial proceeded to jot down notes. Seeing the mare had finished he exhaled once more as if an invisible burden had just been increased on his back.

“I was curious about that… but it just validates my theories.” The doctor gazed out the window briefly while he talked before turning his attention back to the mares. Seeing they were both looking at him he began to explain what he knew, and what he suspected.

“When you both brought her in she was only suffering from secondary drowning, but upon examination it was found that most of her body was consisting of new tissue.” A glance at Cloudchaser pre-empted the unvoiced question before it could leave the mare’s mouth. “That’s when regeneration or… healing occurs in the body, replacing injuries with new healthy tissue. It is an essential part of the healing process; damaged parts of the body are replaced with healthy tissue.”

A glance at the sisters saw nods of understanding so he continued.

“Normally this would be reserved to tiny portions, such as around an area of a laceration, or simply put a cut. But… with that poor filly, her entire body consists of fresh tissue to some degree or another. Most prominently around the head and her hind quarters, along with signs nearly all her bones have been broken and mended at one stage or another as well.” Doctor Remedial was forced to pause as he fought back the anger threatening to spill into his voice.

“W-Wait… are you saying?” Cloudchaser shared a glance with Flitter who at that point was looking rather sick. Both mares had followed his line of thought easily and had deduced what he was hinting at.

“Yes… what I am implying is that somepony – and I do believe it was indeed a pony who did this – has healed that filly from death’s door to the state she is in now, multiple times by the extent of the signs shown.” Before any questions could interrupt him, the doctor sighed and looked upwards at the ceiling. “Based on how she acts – not to mention her reaction to my magic earlier, while also taking into account her inability to speak properly and difficulty performing simple tasks such as walking or even standing, I would say she has suffered immense abuse at the hooves of one, or a group of unicorns and then healed over a long period of time, possibly years given her lack of cutie mark.”

Silence filled the room before Flitter started to turn a shade of green at the mental images invading her mind. Cloudchaser meanwhile was starting to glower when Doctor Remedial caught sight of the two.

“Now… remember, this is just a theory and I should not even be voicing such to you.” A sigh escaped the stallion’s mouth before he tapped on the clipboard, mainly out of habit. “Until we can get her into some therapy or she learns to speak and opens up more we will not know for certain the reasoning behind her condition.”

Feeling he may have overstepped his bounds, or more aptly trodden over them and broken professional courtesy to a patient, Doctor Remedial opened his mouth to dismiss whatever he was planning only for Cloudchaser to give a harsh ‘tsk’.

“So… theories aside, and if I ever find those unicorns if it is true...” Reining in her anger, Cloudchaser exhaled softly. “Why did you tell us this anyhow? We’re just the two who found her.”

Flitter blinked as she swallowed, still feeling more than a little queasy imagining what that poor filly might have gone through before her sister’s question filled her ears. Ears perking she looked at the doctor expectantly as he gave a small relieved sigh.

“Well, the fact remains she has opened up to you at least Miss Flitter and I imagine somewhat to you as well.” A nod was given in Cloudchaser’s direction before Doctor Remedial continued. “As such, and given the… concerning news of what may or may not have occurred at the lake, I would wish to ask of you both to remain around to assist with her, to provide familiar faces to put it bluntly.”

Cloudchaser was taken aback by the request; they had only come to Los Pegasus to assist with the weather for a day or two after all. The prospect of remaining didn’t worry her so much, but she knew Flitter was much more eager to return to Cloudsdale than herself. That was why what was said next surprised her more than anyone else.

“Yes.” Flitter spoke with conviction as her sister blinked incredulously.

A smile came to the doctor’s face as some tension bled out from his body. Looking to the other pegasus he directed the question to her next. “That’s wonderful to hear, and you Miss Cloudchaser? I can understand if your duties would-“

“No, no… I mean, yes of course, but no I can stay here with sis if need be. I mean, I want to stay here… uh, that is to help the filly and…” A long sigh escaped Cloudchaser’s mouth before a rather embarrassed smile followed up her words. “I mean, yes… if Flitter is staying then of course I will too.”

“Excellent, we of course will provide hospitality for you both.” Speaking quietly after, Doctor Remedial cast a dour look vaguely in the direction the filly now slept in. “As I said… I suspect she does not even have any parents, or if she does they were in on whatever treatment she suffered. The other option is that she went missing at a young age and they are unaware she is even here, or still alive.”

Noticing the sombre looks now falling over the two mares he chose to force a smile and try to lift their spirits. “But… be that as it may, if they exist we will find them but until that point I am sure she will be very thankful to have you two around. Besides… as I said, this is all theory and shouldn’t even leave the room.”

A small smile was his reply from Flitter while Cloudchaser nudged her sister gently.

“We’re both happy to help.” The spikey haired mare’s words caused her sister to roll her eyes but the smile never left the mare’s muzzle.

“Yes, but…” Flitter paused for a second as if unsure how to voice her question. Seeing the expectant look upon the doctor’s face however she continued onwards, encouraged. “Would it be okay if I stayed in her room, just for tonight at least? I don’t want her waking up and feeling alone or well…”

The unspoken thought didn’t need to be voiced as all three grew slightly gloomier at the prospect.

“Well it’s very unorthodox and outside regulations as we would normally have a nurse watch for… that kind of thing, but in this case you may be correct.” Flitter smiled at Doctor Remedial’s words before he turned to address the other pegasus. “But Miss Cloudchaser, you look exhausted. How about while your sister watches her I set you up in one of the family rooms to get some rest?”

Cloudchaser tried to deny the claims but a long and almost jaw-cracking yawn escaped her mouth as the fatigue caught up to her of the impressive task she had performed earlier. Conceding defeat – with a little assistance from Flitter giving her a reassuring nod – Cloudchaser slumped her shoulders and offered a small tired smile. “Well… you have a point I guess. That is if Flitter is okay with it?”

“I’ll be fine sis, go get some rest.” A nudge to her sister’s side accompanied Flitter’s words as the three made to leave the room, some form of purpose now filling them. Yet Flitter remained preoccupied as she started to walk back towards room 138 with what the doctor had said casting horror into her mind. What if he was right and the parents were part of whatever happened to her, or worse, what if she didn’t have any to love and look after her?

Then you’ll just have to be the friend she needs. Flitter mulled the thought over before agreeing whole heartedly with it. All she could was be there for the filly and help her out. Well, at least until they found the parents or she recovered enough. A gaze at her sister was met with another tired yawn and smile until Cloudchaser suddenly gave a strangled ‘urk’ noise.

“Wait, we’ll have to tell the weather team what’s going on, I mean we were meant to have left a day ago an-“ Cloudchaser found herself cut off by Doctor Remedial giving a soft chuckle.

“Don’t worry about that, I will send them a letter myself outlining what is going on and the circumstances surrounding it.” Seeing the relief his words brought to the two pegasi, Doctor Remedial made a note on his clipboard to do exactly that as soon as he got back to his office. “Now Miss Cloudchaser if you follow me and Miss Flitter I will get the nurse to come bring you a blanket and some refreshments when she’s free.”

A thankful nod was given before Flitter shared a hug with her sister prior to trotting back to Viktoria’s room. Pausing she raised a hoof to gently open the door before moving it quietly open with a wing instead. Seeing the sleeping form of Viktoria in the bed she smiled and turned, closing the door gently behind herself. Mindful of making further noise she used her wings to gracefully move over to the side of the wall where a large cushion resided.

Same colour as the rest of the room, odd but I guess that’s hospitals for you. Slightly bemused at the choice of the cushion matching the floor and walls, Flitter made herself comfortable upon the manchester. Still, part of her remained surprised by how everything had gone over the last hour. Granted, she very much wished to get back to Cloudsdale, see her parents and of course see if Thunderlane’s little brother, Rumble, was okay. But at the same time she felt she was needed here.

I guess we will find out more in the morning. The thought was accompanied with a yawn before Flitter exhaled and realised how tired she was. She had been up since the early hours of the day, visiting Viktoria as she remained in the magical coma while also completing her weather duties. Even with Cloudchaser taking a large portion of them off her hooves so she could visit more, the day’s events were quickly catching up to the pegasus.

Maybe… maybe just a little nap. Marvelling at how comfortable the cushion was, it was little surprise when her eyelids grew heavy. Another yawn was given before she curled slightly and drifted off to much needed rest.

~~~~~~

“Hey guys!”

Viktoria increased her pace to catch up to the others while they threw a ball back and forth. It was indeed odd that they had not included her, being that she was one of the oldest the younger ones generally looked up to her. Well, looked up to her or alternatively constantly insulted her. Either way it was just another day in the orphanage and she loved all of her dysfunctional and crazy ‘family’.

That was why it was odd that they were running away from her at the moment all the while seemingly ignoring her.

“Come on! What’s the big idea?!”

Her indignant words caused one in particular to stop, a boy that Viktoria knew very well. Ralph was one of the ones she always got along with the best; she and he were like two peas in a pod. Both had grown up in the orphanage and between the two of them they were seen as the ‘unoffical’ leaders of the kids. That was why what made his expression of disgust all the more puzzling to Viktoria.

“Go away.” His abrupt comment caused Viktoria to come to a halt, blinking twice in response as she tilted her head.

“Wait, what the hell are you talking about Ralph? Is this about the fact I put whipped cream on your hand, and the feather thing?” Viktoria had to restrain a laugh at the memory before putting on her serious face, gesturing with her words. “I said I was sorry, besides that was a week ago!”

One by one the others slowly stopped to look and their gazes of disgust only amplified Viktoria’s unease. What one, the younger girl Fiona said next caused her breath to catch in her throat however.

“Go away you freak.” Soon the others followed suit.

“Get away from us.”

“Why would you come here?”

“We don’t even know you, get out of here!”

Viktoria blinked before forcing a small laugh, arms crossing over her chest as she tried to push aside the fact they were acting very well, far too well in fact for this to be merely a joke. “Yeah… come on… this isn’t funny, you all know me. Drop the act.”

Ralph stepped forward while a look of genuine confusion crossed over his features.

“Know you? We don’t know any strange horse-creatures.”

Viktoria blinked before trying to offer a snappy rebuttal, a sarcastic remark or even a scathing insult. All that came out instead would be barely considered language.

“Daaaaaadddt’ssss dooooot druuuuu.” Horror claimed Viktoria’s mental state as she mysteriously found herself on all fours and gazing at the sight of a brown furred muzzle protruding from her face. Still trying to deal with the sudden metamorphosis, she found herself suffering under a harsh barrage of insults and taunts from the other orphans. Any and all attempts to deny or argue only found her tongue failing to work as she intended. With tears in her eyes all while trying to proclaim she was Viktoria, not just some winged horse, she watched as they ran off down the road leaving her stumbling.

Alone, abandoned from those she thought her friends left Viktoria raising a forehoof in their direction. She wanted them to stop. She wanted them to know it was her. She didn’t want to be left alone…

Closing her eyes to clear the tears from her vision only led to Viktoria opening them to witness two men slowly approaching her, one carrying a net and another a bit and bridle.

“Good horsie, come on we’ll give you a good home.” The man’s words were sugar-coated but Viktoria would have none of it. An attempt to run however was met with an unpleasant introduction of her face to the pavement before she struggled to move, wings flopping helplessly to her side as she tried to scream she wasn’t a horse, she was a girl. The world replied by shattering around her like a rock striking a mirror until one shard slammed down before her. Within the reflection she saw herself as a winged pony, blue eyes watching with tear-filled vision the fact she was wearing underwear.

Then, without warning, the mirror fell away revealing the assembly hall at her school, where she the laughing voices enjoyed the sight of the pony in her underwear while Viktoria wailed helplessly.

Finally as the laughter died down Viktoria felt the urge to pee, waterfalls bursting through the roof causing the girl-turned-pony to wake up seconds later.

~~~~~~

Waking with a start, Viktoria took several seconds to realise she had only been having a nightmare. It then took several more seconds of blinking and looking around for her to come to the conclusion that it was now night-time. Well, that, or someone had pulled the curtains closed if there were any upon the window. Once again frowning at her diminished ability to see the transformed girl soon became aware of a new problem.

An urgent problem.

Wincing slightly she felt the pressure within and no amount of squirming or fidgeting was relieving the need. Finally, with a small grunt of frustration Viktoria used her forelimbs to half push, and half flick the blanket off her body. Remembering what happened last time she attempted what she was about to do caused her pause but her bodily functions provided a firm motivator as she rolled her tongue around her mouth.

You can do this… just… slowly and stuff.

Trying for a different approach, Viktoria this time wriggled to the side of the bed and carefully slid her forelegs over the edge. Then, ever so slowly, she moved her hind legs with awkward kicks along the bed to push herself forward all the while pawing at the ground she couldn’t see. Panic built as she started to slip only to ease as almost immediately after the hard impact of her front hooves found purchase upon the smooth surface of the floor. Releasing the breath she wasn’t even aware she had been holding, Viktoria then wriggled and kicked herself further along.

After several long seconds she had managed to make it to the threshold, the point where things had gone… badly previously. Bracing herself and closing her eyes she tried to move both hind legs off the bed only for the limbs to not quite fully comply. One slipped off and moved as required to a lesser extent but the other either got caught in the sheeting or simply didn’t obey her commands. Whatever the reason the net result was Viktoria wincing as her hind legs were spread in a very uncomfortable position.

Ow… ow… ow ow ow!

Biting back the urge to cry out she quickly kicked frantically. Then, with a soft muffled ‘oomph’ she felt both hind legs finally settle behind her before she slipped and fell backwards directly upon her backside. Grumbling under her breath at the lack of finesse her body was displaying, Viktoria gave a soft sniffle before blinking the growing tears from her eyes. She wasn’t going to let this beat her, she would do this!

The alternative to not succeeding was far worse, and far more degrading so there really was no option in her mind.

Okay… now to just… With slow deliberate movements she spent some time trying to visualise her hind legs, trying to figure out how to bend them and walk. Satisfied, or at the very least unable to waste any more time, Viktoria exhaled and pushed with both rear legs, lifting her hind quarters up. Her front legs were easy to operate; deceptively mobile like arms the only difference was she had to walk as if she were on her fingertips, which when said digits didn’t exist made it slightly confusing but not impossible. The problem with the other two was that they were nothing like her old pair. Still, she had to do this.

With great trepidation, the girl slowly moved a hind leg. The first try was akin to a misfire and she almost stumbled and fell immediately. The second attempt proved better as she took a step. Next came the other leg, but something felt off about her balance, other than the obvious. She found herself wishing to have her wings unbound, which was odd given her dislike of the additional appendages in the first place. Seating herself she tilted her head, moving her muzzle against the bindings while considering how to get them off.

Brushing her tongue along the back of her teeth caused a frustrated frown to pass over her features before she opened her mouth. She really had only one thing that possibly could do so, and as such she bit down and tugged. Several head movements later she had worried the bandages free enough to wriggle her wings, aiding in the unravelling. Finally with a tug she felt the linen fall upon the floor as her wings twitched and slowly stretched.

Mmmnph… that feels… really… odd.

Strangely enough however, Viktoria found her balance was somewhat improved with the wings spread and she felt a little bit better. Unsure as to why this was the case but not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, perhaps literally in this case, she took another step. Soon she took another, then another. Each trembling hoof step became slightly easier than the last and while she was barely making progress along the floor she was at least moving which was a huge step up.

Now where is the door?

Cursing her eyesight, cursing the night and just so nothing felt left out, also cursing her body, Viktoria found herself growing impatient due to the growing urgency. In her haste she took another step far too fast, not waiting for at least three limbs to be on the ground to balance her and found herself toppling. But, before she could utter a sound she found herself leaning against a solid smooth object, her eyes blinking as she noticed a small line of light barely visible just ahead of her.

Realising she had been saved by the wall, Viktoria slowly inched along it for support until she came to what she presumed to be the door if the light was any indication. Something hard however smacked into her forehead causing a muffled grunt of pain as she discovered the door handle, glaring at it as tears of frustration teased the corners of her eyes. Trying to figure out how to open the door with hooves was met with the same solution with her bandages, primarily due to the fact she couldn’t waste any more time.

Cringing to small degree, Viktoria leaned forward and awkwardly bit onto the door handle getting far more of the metal in her mouth than she would ever have desired. Bleghing at the taste, she tilted her head and slowly opened the door before pawing at the gap with a forehoof. With persistence she made enough of a gap to squeeze through, blinking as light flooded into her eyes and provided her with some degree of sight again.

Looking around she noted the bathroom was opposite her room and staggered along the hallway at a pace a tortoise would have scoffed at, but at least she only fell over twice. Regardless she eventually made it to the other side and again cringed before opening the door through a similar method, choosing one of the two at random in her haste. Walking inside she looked around, trying to find a stall while squinting and making her way into one. Turning she bumped the door closed with one hoof and looked back at the baffling toilet design before summoning her courage.

With manoeuvring and awkward positioning she eventually was able to relieve herself before trying to figure out how to flush, and how to use toilet paper as she drew the line on self-degradation to use her mouth for such a thing. Both problems were summarily solved as cold water splashed down to clean the toilet, but at the same time also hit her with its icy touch. With a loud cry of surprise, Viktoria jumped forward upon which she lost her balance and staggered into the door. Bumping it open – and becoming surprised it swung both ways – she then proceeded to regain her balance only to slip and fall upon her face, fore legs spread to the side with her hair covering most of her face.

Viktoria was a mix of emotions at that moment. Part of her was understandably upset and she fought the tears that wished to be spilled but at the same time she was also feeling very self-accomplished. She had done it, and on her own none the less. Granted, it shouldn’t be an issue at her age but then again she was also in a completely different body, so it still counted. Her good mood almost overtook the despair that had been eating away at her until she heard the door open and a male voice speak out sounding positively perplexed.

“Uh… you do realise this is… the stallions’ toilet… right?”

There was only one response given from Viktoria after folding forelegs over her head and emitting a long suffering groan.

“Daaauuuuck it.”

Chapter four: Hope

Viktoria grimaced slightly as light poured into the room, one foreleg moving to try and shield her eyes. Now, were she more awake she might have taken a little bit of solace in how easily she was moving the limb; maybe. But at that particular moment all she could do was try to tug the sheets over her head to hide. Well, the action was attempted at least. Her hooves, despite everything she had seen others do with them thus far, still refused to grip objects.

How do they even do that anyhow? They’re hooves!

Frustration nibbled into Viktoria’s mind as she pawed at the sheets ineffectively, prior to emitting a garbled growl, perfectly reflecting her mood.

“Dat’s it. I guv fup.” Petulantly, she folded forelegs over her chest, eyes squinting under the early morning sun relentlessly leading a forward assault upon her room. Amazingly, despite her faux pas in the night, she was feeling rather good, all things considered. She had learnt to move, albeit at a very slow pace, but it was movement! Even her speech she discovered was almost considered comprehensible… If a little in the loosest sense of the word.

“You shouldn’t give up.”

The voice shocked Viktoria as she jumped a little in bed, her ears flicking in their disorienting way as she zeroed in on the speaker. Tilting her head, she could barely make out the sight of someone, or something on the side of the room. Regardless the voice was familiar as impacting hooves moved closer to her bed, and soon she could barely make out details she was beginning to know well.

“Fla-eeettar?” The question was put forth as Viktoria wriggled to sit up some in bed. Finding that it was deceptively difficult to sit upright with her new anatomy, she instead settled for wriggling some to rest her upper spine against the headrest and pillow. What she saw when the pony approached was indeed who she thought, a warm smile dominating the mare’s face.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s me, Flitter.”

Viktoria stared down at her… Forelegs again, brow furrowing as she turned the hooves upwards to look directly at the hated appendages.

“You don’t know how to grip?” Flitter’s voice was soft as Viktoria blinked and gave a small, slow shake of her head as she exhaled.

“Nu. Doooo-ant nuuu.” Viktoria’s speech was slowly improving, but she still found her tongue and new mouth awkward at the best of times. Flitter, upon listening, gave a small sigh before a playful nudge was given with one of her hooves, startling the transformed-girl.

“Well, it seems you are a fast learner.” Flitter said with a playful tone entering her voice. “I hear that a certain filly managed to walk last night while I was sleeping, and went to the toilet all by herself.”

Yay… A major accomplishment for me. Viktoria tried to keep the bitterness off her face, prior to noticing that Flitter was being completely sincere. A blink followed before, much to her dismay, Viktoria found herself starting to fluster slightly at the praise. Why does it actually feel good to be told that?

The question didn’t require much pondering to come to a conclusion; it was, in fact, a major accomplishment for her, even if she tried to brush it off. Besides, she made a vow she wouldn’t let this new form beat her. She would get back to her old body and return to where she belonged, even if that might be from an entirely different world.

“Daaank you.” Viktoria made sure to stress out the word leading to Flitter offering a smile. The smile quickly grew into a small giggle as a rumbling sound emitted from under the sheets, Viktoria’s body announcing it hungered.

“Well, let’s see if I can’t get you something to eat before the doctor comes in, okay?” Flitter turned to leave after a thankful nod from Viktoria, the girl watching the pegasus devolve into a blur the closer she got to the door before, once more, Viktoria was alone.

She had suffered, she was confused, and she had absolutely no idea how she would return home. But, at that moment, there was one simple thought going through the girl’s mind.

Oooo… I hope she brings back some Bratwurst and Kartoffelsalat.

Having realised she had not eaten for over a day, at least from her perspective, Viktoria felt ravenous hunger pull at her attention. Thankfully for Flitter, she missed seeing the young pegasus with a dazed look upon her face, jaw partially open with a string of drool adhering to the forces of gravity.

~~~~~~

Flitter gave a long sigh of relief as the door closed behind her. Finding out the filly had left while she slumbered had been worrying enough, causing no small amount of panic to overwhelm her when told. Thankfully, her fears were unfounded when it came to light that not only had the filly managed to walk out of her room, but had made her way to the toilet all on her own.

Unable to keep the smile off her face, Flitter trotted down the hallway to meet up with her sister and hopefully get something to sate a certain pony’s hunger.

Well, she ended up in the wrong toilet, but thankfully a doctor found her. Mulling over her thoughts, Flitter unexpectedly found herself colliding with another pony, both falling upon their hindquarters shortly after. “S-Sorry!”

“No, no, it’s alright.” The other mare brushed off her coat with one hoof, the other adjusting her saddlebags as she got upon four legs again. “I should have been looking where I was going.”

With a tightly pinned back, auburn mane, glasses, and quill tucked behind one ear, the earth pony was the very image of professionalism. But before Flitter could introduce herself, or for that matter say anything more, the mare gave a soft tsk.

“Well, no harm done.” With a seemingly strained smile, the earth pony quickly trotted off down another hallway leaving Flitter baffled over what had just happened.

Well, I guess she is in a hurry. Shrugging the event off, Flitter made her way down to the hospital café. Where, upon entering, she spied a certain pegasus finishing off her breakfast.

“Hey sis!” Cloudchaser tipped a bowl of soup back, gulping loudly, much to Flitter’s exasperation. “Ah! That hit the spot!”

“Cloudchaser.” This immediately got her sister on edge; Flitter only resorted to using the mare’s name when she was not entirely pleased, or, in this case, to mess with her. “What do you recommend?”

Trotting over to give a playful nudge with a wing, Cloudchaser hummed and looked over the food being offered. “Well… the hay fries were pretty good, and that tomato soup was delicious…”

Flitter hummed while looking over the menu, but was soon brought out of her thoughts as a male voice called out.

“Ah, Miss Flitter, Miss Cloudchaser.” Both sisters turned their heads at the sound of Doctor Remedial, the stallion smiling as he approached the pair. “I believe you have a rather hungry filly upstairs.”

Flitter flustered a little as Cloudchaser blinked, putting two and two together.

“Ah… so you’re getting food for her? Well, why didn’t you say so, sis?” A smile came to Cloudchaser’s muzzle as Flitter gave a small hoof push to her sister.

“Hey, I’m hungry too, you know.” The two laughed softly while Doctor Remedial watched on. He was relieved to see the sombre talk of yesterday seemed to be put behind them. It appeared that the filly walking on her own last night had relieved the tension hanging in the air. That was especially so with her more open nature today, something he noticed when he had checked in on her before coming to the cafeteria. She was practically drooling at the thought of food, although I have no idea what a 'blaaaarderst' is. And here I thought her speech was beginning to improve.

Flitter, unaware of the doctor trying to decipher just what the filly had been trying to communicate, instead was taking her time looking at the menu. Cloudchaser, however, knew exactly what to get the hungry pegasus waiting for them upstairs. Placing her order, Flitter watched dubiously before ordering a slice of pie for herself.

I can’t imagine tomato soup would taste very well cold… But if sis thinks that is best. Flitter went to fish out some bits, only to realise she had left them in their room. Cloudchaser quickly covered her sister’s bill with a couple of coins as a thankful nod was given.

They really do seem to care about that filly. Doctor Remedial suppressed a smile as he watched the girls both finish acquiring their food, Flitter having obtained some for herself and Cloudchaser having gotten something for the filly. Flitter however remained somewhat dubious about the choice.

“Are you sure tomato soup is a good option?” The question lingered in the air as even Doctor Remedial looked somewhat concerned with the white covered bowl. Cloudchaser, however, was adamant it was so tasty that it had to be that. Plus, she reasoned she also had gotten some bread along with a serving of hay fries.

“Any filly her age loves hay fries, and they say soup is good for a sick body, so…” The mood soured slightly at that while Cloudchaser looked downcast. Hoping to nip it in the bud, the doctor decided to share his good news now instead of later.

“That aside, I may have found a mare that will be willing to assist her with physical rehabilitation, and, after this morning’s progress, her time here might be far shorter than I anticipated.” The two sisters shared a glance at this, small smiles coming to their faces at the information.

“That’s wonderful.” A pause was given before Flitter hesitated, Cloudchaser looking to share her sister’s reservations. “But… Where will she go, and what about her parents?”

The doctor exhaled prior to pausing in the hallway. “This is all just precautionary, and some plans are being put forward behind the scenes, but we do of course hope to still locate her parents.”

Looking at each in turn, Doctor Remedial offered a smile to lighten the mood.

“Nothing is set in stone yet, girls; she still undoubtedly has a long road of recovery to go before we can clear her, but…” A gaze down the hall made him give a small chuckle. “If she continues at the rate she is going, she could be clear to go in a week or two.”

Two relieved smiles met his eyes as they resumed trotting towards room 138. With the doctor opening the door for the pegasi they were met with the expectant look of Viktoria sitting up awkwardly in her bed.

“Hey there! I heard you’re hungry so I-“ A loud growl interrupted Cloudchaser, the mare blinking twice before giggling. “Okay, I just thought that was an expression…”

Flitter merely smiled as she sat herself down to nibble on a slice of orange meringue pie, watching with amusement as the filly could barely hide her enthusiasm for getting food. With a table tray provided the doctor aided in helping the young pegasus sit up, Cloudchaser putting the food before the filly.

“Umm…” Viktoria was undoubtedly thankful for the food, but a problem had now been presented to her. Looking down at her hooves, she found frustration already starting to threaten her good mood. Seeing this, Cloudchaser trotted over and flew up over the bed, then, using her hooves, the pegasus gently pressed the bread between them and raised it to her mouth. Setting it back down, she landed and smiled, Viktoria frowning as she observed her own clumsy hooves.

She makes it look so easy. Biting back the vitriol that bubbled beneath the surface, Viktoria instead reached for the bread. Her first attempt slipped out of her hooves, subconsciously trying to grip with fingers that didn’t exist. The second try, however, brought success as she captured the food and raised it to her mouth. Unfortunately, in her excitement she only managed to bump the bread against her muzzle and dropped it down onto the sheet.

Seeing Viktoria struggle made the trio uncomfortable, each unsure if they should help further or not. However, Viktoria remembered what Flitter had said in the morning, the words for some reason sticking with her.

You shouldn’t give up. Frowning with determination, the transformed girl moved her hooves, this time pushing the bread together. Slowly, unaware everyone was watching with bated breath, Viktoria raised the food to her muzzle, opening wide pre-emptively. Feeling it pass between her teeth, she bit down, rewarded with the bland but still fulfilling taste upon her tongue. Chewing proved to be an interesting prospect; thrice she almost caught her tongue between teeth, but eventually she got the pattern down.

Swallowing her mouthful, she looked up and noticed Cloudchaser beaming a wide smile at her. Feeling slightly self-conscious at being watched eating, Viktoria took another bite, lowering her head bashfully. Do… Do they have to watch like that?

Noticing the unease, Doctor Remedial also made another discovery as he diverted his attention to the side of the bed, then back at the filly munching upon the small loaf of bread.

“Ah, I see someone got a little impatient last night.”

As Viktoria looked up from her meal to see where the stallion was looking – or at least the blur she identified as the speaker – she peeked over the bed and saw the discarded bandages. Swallowing another mouthful the filly looked down at her lap, unsure if she was going to be in trouble or not.

“D-D… Sa-Sor…” A pause was given as she worked over the sounds in her mouth before putting the bread down. “Sorry…”

A chuckle caught Viktoria off guard as she noted the doctor approach, getting clearer as she could now make out the fact he looked amused. One of his hooves gently reached forward and touched one of her wings, Viktoria squinting a little at the strange sensation before looking at him curiously.

“Sorry? You have no reason to be sorry my dear. It is notoriously difficult to keep a pegasus’s wings bound at the best of times. I am more amazed you kept them on as long as you did.” Another chuckle was given as he stepped back, seemingly satisfied with the state of the feathery appendages. “Truthfully, we only bandaged them so you wouldn’t injure them while you recovered.”

A hesitant nod was given by Viktoria before she was offered a glass of water by Cloudchaser.

“Here you go, drink up… oh.” A look of consideration passed over the pegasus’s face before she blushed. “Uh… Do you want a straw or something, or...?”

The question was ignored as Viktoria reached forward and clasped the glass in her hooves. This proved to be somewhat more difficult than the bread, as the surface was smooth and she couldn’t get much purchase. Frowning intently, she glared as Cloudchaser offered the prior mentioned straw, the mare quickly removing the offending instrument.

“Okay, okay! No straw.”

Focused now, Viktoria was unaware Flitter was silently encouraging her on, the mare watching intently as she almost spilled the cup’s contents. The problem seemed to have her beat… That is, until she caught sight of a wing out of the corner of her eye. Gazing at the appendage thoughtfully, she then concentrated and moved her wings forward, bending them at angles she didn’t think possible. Now all three were silently willing her on, not one of them wishing to disrupt her and content to observe as she came to a solution.

Well… It doesn’t hurt and they move strange, almost like… Viktoria’s eyes went wide as she realised why her wings felt so strange. They almost… Almost acted like hands. Very clumsy and not very durable hands, but the feathers could curl or bend without pain in truly obscure fashions. Figuring this out, she took it to the next logical level; moving the wings down, she used them with her hooves to help support the glass. Then, with delicate movements, she raised the cup to her mouth and tipped it back.

“Ack!”

Swallowing quickly, she discovered there was a flaw in her plan, that flaw being she still wasn’t used to the length of her face and in doing so she had managed to spill water. Thankfully, very little fell onto her… Fur – still not used to considering such a thing hers – and most was swallowed. Placing the glass down awkwardly, Viktoria then exhaled. The trio, upon seeing her accomplishing the task, all gave quiet sighs of relief before talking amongst themselves.

Viktoria picked up talk of something about physical rehab, but at that moment she was more inquisitive about what else was on the tray. A small box confounded her efforts to open it until she managed to paw with her hoof enough to slightly tear the packaging. Inside seemed to be fries, although how to get one from the box and into her mouth was another challenge altogether.

Okay, I’m hungry… I am frustrated and I don’t want to cry again. With that laid out before her, Viktoria decided tact could take a backseat in her quest to fill her stomach. Pawing at the box she tipped it onto its side, almost vindictively spilling the contents out over the tray. Repeating the earlier trick with the bread she managed to trap one fry between her hooves, raising it up shortly after to munch upon. The taste was different but not unappealing as she devoured one, two, and then quickly lost count.

Having finished off the fries, her attention turned to the bowl. She pawed at the lid which – came off surprisingly easily – and was immediately hit with the distinctive smell of tomato. While it was not sausages, she still had a soft spot for the particular dish, yet… the sight of the spoon almost seemed to mock her as she glared at it. How am I going to eat this?

“Ladies, might I see you both outside for a second?” The doctor’s question hung in the air as Viktoria continued to poke and prod at the bowl, not paying them any attention in her quest to fill her belly. Unaware of the possible disaster waiting to happen behind them, Cloudchaser and Flitter nodded and followed the stallion outside into the hallway.

~~~~~~

“Was a glass cup really the best idea?” Flitter made sure to keep her voice down as she hissed at her sister once they left the room, Cloudchaser giving a sheepish grin in response while trying to avoid the other pegasus’s gaze.

“It was all I could see at the time. But hey, she didn’t drop it!”

Giving an exasperated expression towards her sister, Flitter instead perked an ear while regarding the doctor. “So, what did you wish to talk to us about?”

“Well, given her ability to walk, I feel it might be a good idea to let her go stretch her legs outside.” A pause was given as Doctor Remedial raised an eyebrow at the sounds coming from inside the room, namely the sound of what could be construed as cursing. “I have already spoken to Miss Viridian, and she is waiting down there for her now.”

The question was met with Cloudchaser showing her interest, the doctor looking amused.

“Miss Viridian, I know I have heard that name before…” Cloudchaser tapped her muzzle in thought while her sister in turn pondered on the name herself. After several seconds, a loud shout escaped the spikey-haired mare, causing all to jump in surprise. “A-Hah I remember! She’s Soarin’s mother, from the Wonderbolts, right?”

“Oh…” Flitter blinked as recognition struck her, “wasn’t there that…?”

An uncomfortable glance passed between the sisters; the knowledge came with a certain amount of unease. Noticing this Doctor Remedial gave a small sigh and nod.

“That is also why I called you both out here. Miss Viridian has aided us here for quite some time. She has, for the last few years at least, volunteered to help out with the colts and fillies every weekend; as such I have requested she assist with our mystery filly in there.” A long sigh escaped the doctor’s muzzle as he gestured vaguely with a hoof. “Now, I am sure you are both aware, or at least have heard of the incident that occurred several years ago?”

Flitter rubbed her foreleg absently before the two sisters nodded.

“That’s where Soarin’s dad and sister were…?” Cloudchaser, lacking a little of Flitter’s tact, bluntly started asking the question they were both thinking. A strong nudge from Flitter made the mare give another sheepish look before lowering her head. “Sorry…”

“No, no… you are very correct.” The doctor sighed as he looked back at room 138 as if able to see the filly within. Turning back to regard the two pegasi, he lowered his voice to a bare whisper. “All I ask is that you be… mindful of such things; the wounds may be old, but they are sadly sometimes the deepest.”

“Careful, doctor, you sound like you’re angling for my job.”

The new voice caused Flitter to blink upon seeing the speaker, her eyes going wide noticing a familiar looking earth pony approach. The mare from earlier still looked the very picture of professionalism, her auburn mane remaining tied into an immaculate bun.

“You flatter me, but mending the body is my forte; mending the mind is yours…” Stepping back, the doctor gestured with his hoof at the new arrival. “This is Doctor Dia Ethyl Ether. She is one of the hospital’s best psychiatrists, and, impressively, also has… I believe three degrees in psychology?”

“Four, and call me Dia. But thank you for the praise all the same.” A nod was given towards Flitter who flustered slightly, Dia offering a narrow smile. “I believe I bumped into one of the girls earlier, if I recall.”

Noticing Doctor Remedial nodding, Doctor Dia smirking, and Flitter appearing bashful, Cloudchaser looked back and forth quickly before issuing a loud groan.

“Will someone please tell me what is going on?” The mare’s frustration was clearly evident as her wings drooped, reflecting her mood. Doctor Remedial gave a sympathetic smile as the female doctor rested a hoof to her own forehead, looking amused. A glance between the two medical professionals resulted in a nod given as the stallion deferred to the mare to explain.

“I have been requested to provide any counselling that the filly may require.” A glance was given by Dia towards Remedial who nodded again, showing his trust for the two girls and prompting the aqua coloured mare to continue. “And, we also wish to find out about her past if possible along with any information we may acquire to help locate family members… Along with… Well, her mental wellbeing.”

A sombre air fell onto the hallway as both sisters looked downcast. Mention of the filly’s possible suicidal tendencies once more returned to the forefront of each pony’s mind; a particular thought that had been momentarily forgotten after the pleasant morning.

It is an unpleasant topic. Doctor Remedial exhaled as he saw the mood had declined from the more upbeat one earlier. Taking matters into his hooves, he trotted forward, Dia looking at him over her glasses curiously. “Well, be that as it may, I for one believe that young filly is making remarkable progress.”

Flitter was the first to look up as she caught Remedial’s gaze, a nod given to her and Cloudchaser. With a gesture of his head, he smiled warmly.

“I believe both of you have something to do with that.”

Cloudchaser looked baffled before rubbing the back of her head while Flitter moved nervously upon her hooves. The spikey-haired pegasus blinked twice while humming thoughtfully, her sister, however, chewed on her lower lip before speaking.

“But… We have barely done anything… We’ve only known her a few days.” A hoof gesture was given as Flitter directed a forelimb back towards the door. “And even then, she has been asleep for most of that.”

A smile further confused the pegasus as the stallion levitated his clipboard, quickly jotting down several notes before clicking his tongue. “That may be so, but I believe the progress shown in the night is due to you and your sister aiding her in ways you may not realise. Besides, you saw how happy and relaxed she was when you brought her the soup along with the other food, did you not? You two may very well be the first ponies to ever show her kindness.”

A small nod was given before Doctor Dia cleared her throat bringing attention onto herself.

“Well this is all lovely, warm fuzzies and all that, but I have one question as to what you just mentioned, especially given what I have been told about this filly so far.” Seeing three pairs of eyes upon herself, the psychiatrist raised one brow before inclining her head back behind her. “You said soup… I am hoping it was served cold?”

“Of course it was, it’s why I questioned if giving her cold soup was a good idea. It would be silly to-” A look at her sister cut Flitter off mid-sentence, her eyelids half lowering while Cloudchaser gave a nervous grin. “Cloudchaser… please tell me you requested cold soup?”

“Why? Everypony knows tomato soup is best served hot. What are you…” The mare’s eyes went wide as Cloudchaser realised the implications of what she had done, of the waiting catastrophe she had possibly left sitting on the filly’s tray. “O-Oh… Oh no!”

~~~~~~

Left alone and mildly curious about where the others had gone, the filly in question was having issues of her own. Or more specifically, Viktoria was still trying to deduce how best to get the tasty smelling soup into her belly. She perked one of her ears, half listening in as they conversed outside in the hallway, finally starting to get the hang of how her altered anatomy worked. It was a very strange feeling having them pivot and move upon her head, but she was – much to her distaste – starting to actually appreciate how much easier it was to hear things.

Spoon, I hate you.

Following the spoon’s refusal to somehow magically bind itself to her hoof for the umpteenth time, the cutlery was jettisoned onto the covers with an annoyed flick of her wrist. Exhaling afterwards, she moved her hooves absently over the tray, hating how they felt, how they looked. But… But most of all, she hated how helpless they made her feel. Every ounce of her being just wished to move her hand forward and grasp the bowl, to grab the spoon. A look at her forelimbs was all it took to remind Viktoria that she didn’t have such a luxury.

And I’m still hungry!

Distracting herself from the self-loathing, she turned her attention towards the bowl, her ears pivoting again to pick up sounds from outside.

Miss who? Half listening in on the muffled voices, Viktoria glared daggers down at the soup. She petulantly bumped her hoof to the side, sending ripples along the liquid’s surface. How do I drink you?

Stubbornly, the soup held tightly to its secrets as she continued glaring down towards it. Another hoof nudge was added – somewhat spitefully, if she were to admit it – as she exhaled. The bowl provided a conundrum, one that she knew was with real risks involved. She had been burnt by coffee once when she was much younger and had learnt her lesson around hot liquids then. Yet…

“Dupid doop.” Huffing softly, she frowned. Her hunger hadn’t been sated by the other foods provided, and since she had the soup it was perfectly reasonable that she wanted it. Unable to help herself any longer, she glanced about to make sure she was alone. Satisfied there was no-one to watch, she leaned forward prior to sticking her tongue ever so slowly into the liquid. Thankfully, it had cooled enough that there was no injuries obtained, but now she had tasted it, and it tasted delicious.

This isn’t fair!

Resisting the urge to slam her arms… No, forelegs down onto the tray in frustration, she instead got an idea. It was degrading, but there was no-one around to see, well not that she could make out at least; the odd blob to the side of the room might be giving her the eye, but it was hard to tell. Nonetheless, Viktoria had now made up her mind. Resting hooves against both sides, she slowly moved her wings, repeating the trick she learned with the glass cup.

Slowly…

With deliberate movements, the transformed girl gently lifted the bowl up, mindful of the hot liquid within. Once it was high enough, she again made sure no-one had entered the room before lowering her head, pushing her muzzle hesitantly into the bowl before slurping loudly. It was at this point that she heard sounds escalating outside. Then, seconds later, the door opened as Flitter barged in, followed closely by Cloudchaser and the two doctors.

“Stop! Wa-…” Cloudchaser blinked as she was met with Viktoria peering over the rim of the bowl, her eyes wide in shock and containing more than a little confusion. “I… uh… well.”

Viktoria lowered the soup and continued to look baffled, and by no means a little hesitant. Afraid she might have done something wrong, she moved the half-filled bowl down towards the tray. Yet, in her haste, she lost the tenuous grasp she had upon the smooth surface. Scrambling with her hooves, she watched as the very thing the others wished to stop started to play out before her.

Flitter moved fast, Cloudchaser moved even faster, each trying but knowing they wouldn’t reach the bowl in time. Closing her eyes tightly at the expected impact, Viktoria was instead met with silence before a small relieved sigh sounded out. Peeking open an eye she saw the bowl suspended with an emerald glow, the liquid within sloshing just up to the lip before settling back down.

“Well…” Doctor Remedial cleared his throat before lowering the bowl gently upon the tray. The look of fear upon the filly’s face was not lost on him as he trotted closer. “Crisis averted, but I think for now we will avoid any hot liquids.”

“She could have been hurt.” Flitter couldn’t contain her anger, hissing the words to her sister who lowered her head, suitably chastised. “What were you thinking Cloudchaser?”

“I…” The mare shook her head before pawing at the ground, peeking up to quickly notice that the filly in question was looking at her with confusion upon her features. “I’m sorry; I just thought it would help cheer her up! I…I forgot she probably couldn’t use a spoon.”

Doctor Remedial looked about ready to intervene while Doctor Dia watched on curiously, that was, until another voice spoke up.

“Eee…Et… I-It waz gud.”

Suddenly, Viktoria found all eyes upon her. Well, she assumed as such, as she could only really see the pegasus sisters; the other two she was led to assume given the silence that once more fell over the room. Hesitantly, she moved her hooves towards the bowl, her hunger not yet sated. When no-one jumped to stop her, she moved her wings, now with more practiced motions to help support her prize.

The four other ponies could only watch, Flitter’s anger evaporating as she gave her sister an apologetic smile. Cloudchaser, in turn, exhaled softly and smiled back. She knew she had done something stupid, not that she had intended for the filly to risk injury, but she was thankful that something good was coming out of it. Flitter, for her part, was just delighted that the damaged filly from just a day ago was suddenly showing a new zest for life.

Doctor Remedial himself was amazed by the progress shown even as he kept his magic ready, just as a precaution in case of another accident. From his initial interaction with the filly he would have assumed that she would be hesitant, slow to learn even. What he had seen so far surpassed his wildest expectations. Lastly, Doctor Dia appeared curious about the whole thing, but she was mostly focused on how Viktoria would squint often when looking their way. Removing her notebook and pencil from the saddlebags she wore, she promptly went about scribbling down notes, peeking every so often as she did so.

Viktoria, meanwhile, simply wanted to finish drinking the soup before it got any colder. Seeing no-one was stopping her while also noting the smiles on the faces she could see, the transformed-girl slowly tipped the bowl back and moved her muzzle to the edge. Gulping down the liquid loudly, she couldn’t help but slurp, not that she really cared either way; in her mind it was the only way to drink soup.

As focused as she was to finish her meal, Viktoria failed to notice Flitter cringing at the sound while Cloudchaser’s grin spread slowly along her face.

Flitter gazed out the corner of her eye to see her sister’s wide grin, her own lids starting to lower as she exhaled. She loved her sister, she really did. Even when Cloudchaser didn’t think things through properly, that never changed. But as she looked towards the filly drinking the soup contentedly, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes, now having to endure the horror of two soup slurpers.

Still, the smile on the filly’s face afterwards did make it all worthwhile to the mare and, ultimately, that was really the only thing that mattered.

~~~~~~

Viktoria, through whatever reason, now found herself outside in a beautiful, picturesque, and inviting grassy area. Well, those are some of the words the others used to describe it, yet all she could see were blobs and blurs outside of her effective vision. Still, the sun did feel nice and she could hear leaves rustling to indicate there were indeed trees. Truthfully though, it was refreshing to get out of her room, outside of biological needs that is.

The journey to get outside, however, had been relatively slow. Reduced to her speed of walking – if it could even be called that – the group had moved at a glacial pace, although, whenever she peeked to see their expressions, she was a little embarrassed to see admiration on their faces. Well, all except for the new mare that is, but Viktoria was unsure on who exactly that was. They said she was a doctor, but all she did was stare at her constantly and look to be debating on some issue.

Regardless, Viktoria had only stumbled twice as she slowly grew accustomed to her altered limbs. Without request, Flitter had used one of her wings on both occasions to help steady her, then, just as suddenly, had removed the appendage and smiled encouragingly. Eventually though, they had made it outside through what could have been the front entrance, which ultimately led to her current situation that involved standing around and trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

“Doesn’t it feel better to be outside and feel the sun on your wings?” Cloudchaser inquired of the filly, a smile on her face as Viktoria blinked seeing the mare approach. “I bet you really want to stretch them and go for a fly, right?”

Cloudchaser was not expecting the younger pegasus to blink incredulously and turn her head to regard her own wings. Seconds passed as Viktoria inspected her feathers before turning her head to look at the older mare curiously.

Cloudchaser, you are such an idiot sometimes, you know that? Suppressing the self-directed groan that fought to be released, Cloudchaser instead smiled, trying to cover her most recent faux pas. “You… Don’t know how to fly, do you?”

“Nu.” A small headshake accompanied Viktoria’s words, and to her it was all rather confusing. They seemed to know of her plight, yet they were asking these strange questions. Doubt began to eat into the transformed-girl’s mind about if they really did understand what had happened to her. However, any further musing on the matter was abruptly put to a standstill as a loud gasp sounded out.

Cloudchaser was sure she herself hadn’t made the sound upon hearing the filly’s confession, but she was more surprised to see it was her sister who had. Flitter immediately looked bashful as she noticed them both looking at her; even Doctor Remedial looked bemused. Strangely enough, at least to Cloudchaser, Doctor Dia had seemed to vanish somewhere upon getting outside.

“Sorry, but… Well…” Flitter looked at a loss on what to say until Doctor Remedial cleared his throat, stepping closer to capture Viktoria’s attention.

“Why Miss Flitter and Miss Cloudchaser seem a little bit… Stunned by your admission is that, well, for a pegasus of your age to not be able to fly is most unusual.” The doctor smiled warmly as Viktoria blinked twice and looked at her wings curiously again. “Not that there is anything to be ashamed of, you have been through a very trying experience after all.”

So… they do know about what happened? But it still doesn’t make sense. Viktoria felt a mixture of relief and continued suspicion as she nodded. She was not expecting the three to grimace slightly before the smiles appeared on their faces. Even with her poor eyesight she could tell they were forced.

“Yes, well… be that as it may, may I take a moment of her time?”

The voice heralded the approach of Doctor Dia, the mare offering a small nod towards Viktoria. Trotting closer, the doctor inclined with her head back towards where she had come from, specifically to a laid out rug positioned under a tree.

“I simply wish to ask a few questions while we wait for Viridian, if that’s alright, of course?”

Doctor Remedial nodded at Doctor Dia’s request, moving to smile encouragingly at Viktoria, who, by that point, was looking absolutely lost in the conversation. Seeing her bafflement, Remedial turned his gaze over towards the two sisters, hoping for assistance.

“It’s okay, we’ll be nearby. She just wants to ask you a few things.” Flitter smiled reassuringly while Cloudchaser added her own voice into the mix.

“Yeah, we’ll be right over here.”

With shaky steps, Viktoria slowly moved forward, earning a satisfied smile from the professional looking mare. Doctor Dia turned and led the filly over to the tree, seating herself and gesturing for Viktoria to do the same. Several attempts were made until, frustrated, Viktoria sat herself down like she had previously done so after becoming tangled within the nefarious linen.

I feel like a dog sitting like this. The annoyed expression that flickered over her face as she glared down at her body did not go unnoticed by the other mare. Taking a pencil into her mouth, the doctor scribbled something down into a notebook before her eyes peered through lashes at Viktoria. Pausing, Doctor Dia placed the pencil down and cleared her throat.

“Right, well, nothing to be afraid of, and from what Remedial Oath was telling me, you have improved significantly upon arriving.” Before Viktoria could reply, however, the mare continued. “That’s good to hear, but for now I just wish to ask a few questions and I thought outside would be a good change of pace to do so. Let’s start with something easy; what is your name?”

“Vah… doreeea.” Frustration immediately fell over Viktoria’s features. Then, even before Dia could comment, she tried again, this time stressing the sounds out. “Ve…Veee… Viiiik-tour-e-a.”

The doctor raised an eyebrow at this before adjusting glasses upon her muzzle. Not that she would ever admit it, but Dia was rather impressed by how the filly seemed to surpass expectations. First with the soup that she witnessed earlier, using her wings in a rather unorthodox manner, and then here showing determination.

Still, that is… A very strange name. Noticing that the filly was observing her with a hopeful expression, Doctor Dia realised she was being expected to show comprehension. Ignoring the breeze that threatened to flip the pages, she offered a small head tilt to the one opposite her.

“Ah, so your name is… Viktoria… Is that correct?”

A firm nod given almost made her crack a wider smile, almost. Restraining herself, Dia instead nodded and scribbled down onto her notes, underlining the name. Names were important, after all; they provided identity and links to find out more information. Still, Dia couldn’t help but note how very strange the name itself was. Nonetheless, she had opened a gate and taken the first hoof step into learning more about this mystery filly. As such, she pressed on, hoping to keep up the momentum just gained.

“Now tell me, do you know where your parents are?”

~~~~~~

Flitter watched Doctor Dia and the filly talk under the tree. Strangely, for some unknown reason, Flitter was unable to stand still. Her wings for one were constantly fidgeting and she was alternating shifting weight from one hoof to another without pause. Perhaps she was nervous, perhaps she was merely anxious, or perhaps she was a little more invested in the filly than she thought she was. Nonetheless, she hoped that some answers would come out of the questions and hopefully… Hopefully it would be good news to finding her parents and a happy ending.

“Uh… Sis.”

Flitter flicked an ear at the sound of Cloudchaser, turning to regard the other pegasus before noticing her sister was gazing off into the distance. Looking in the same direction, she first narrowed her eyes, and then blinked, then… just to be sure, she blinked again.

Wait… is that...? Another blink followed as Flitter shared a glance with Cloudchaser, both mares coming to the same conclusion. Why is he here?

Their confusion was directed at one of the two ponies approaching from down the long, tree-lined path. His dark-grey coat, white and silver mane, and amber eyes were distinctive enough, but his appearance created a problem. The reason being – at least to Cloudchaser – that Thunderlane should be back in Ponyville and not in Los Pegasus. Her attention diverted to the one accompanying him, an earth pony mare, who looked to be in conversation with him.

The mare’s coat was a pale blue while piercing green eyes peeked past lashes, closing as she laughed at whatever Thunderlane spoke of. The breeze teased at her blonde mane and tail, the ribbon tied to hold the former out of her eyes vainly trying to accomplish its goal. Oddly enough, when they both got closer, the mare offered a wave towards Doctor Remedial upon spotting him. However, when she noticed the filly, her eyes went wide before she hastily trotted over, inadvertently interrupting the therapy session.

Or… Cloudchaser presumed that was what was going on. At that moment, she had other things on her mind.

“Thunder, what are you doing here?”

The challenge was spoken before Cloudchaser could consider her words. Thus, almost immediately, she regretted the blunt way she put the question across. Nonetheless, the question was one that she felt needed to be asked; given that both herself and her sister were here, the weather team in Ponyville was already two down.

“I travel half way across Equestria to see you both, and this is how I’m greeted?” Thunderlane raised a leg to his forehead, his voice taking on a sorrowful tone. “Cloudy… You wound me with your words!”

As Cloudchaser rolled her eyes, Flitter interceded by trotting over to the new arrival, one eye half lowered.

“She raises a good question Thunderlane; why are you here?” At Flitter’s enquiry, the stallion grinned sheepishly, settling back onto all fours while gazing between the sisters. Almost as if collecting his thoughts, Thunderlane’s eyebrows lowered before giving a long drawn out sigh.

“Jeeze… I was worried about you both, but fine, if you want to be jerks about your dear childhood friend becoming a little bit concerned when you both don’t return...” Both sisters shared a glance, a small amount of guilt falling over their features as Thunderlane continued, slowly pacing back and forth. “And… And, after we got a letter explaining the situation about a mysterious filly, all while Rumble wonders where his two best foalsitters have gotten off to... So, I came over to help support my friends and… And…Whoa, who is that pegasus cutie over there?”

A pause followed as Cloudchaser noticed Thunderlane looking off into the distance; not an uncommon scene when he saw a pony he found attractive. Flitter, upon noticing this as well, followed his gaze to see a particular filly under a tree looking undoubtedly lost as Doctor Dia and the mare had a conversation. Cloudchaser could only exhale as she lowered her lids, an expression of utmost annoyance given in the direction of the stallion. Flitter, however, was a little more forthcoming as she trotted forward to prod him in the chest making Thunderlane backpedal a few steps.

“That ‘cutie’ is the filly most likely mentioned in the letter.” Seeing he might have accidentally stepped into a verbal minefield, Thunderlane tried to speak, only for Flitter to cut him off as she continued with another prod. “And… For Celestia’s sake, Thunder, she doesn’t even have a cutie mark yet!”

“Hey! Whoa! Calm down just a second, girls!” Taking another step back to hopefully put more distance between him and the two annoyed sisters, Thunderlane frowned while he cleared his throat.

“First off, just because I say she is cute doesn’t mean I want to do anything. When did it come to a point when a stallion says anything nice, or… Celestia forbid… Compliments a girl that it is automatically assumed he wants to date her or something?” His head slowly shook as he tsked, trotting back and forth once more as the sisters shared another glance, their heads lowering as they felt the guilt return.

“Really, this is just an example of how stallions are treated like third class citizens sometimes. If a mare compliments a stallion it’s considered acceptable, but if a stallion does the same he gets accused of hitting on her!”

“I… I guess that is kind of true.” Cloudchaser conceded as she lowered her head further.

“Exactly! So in the interest of equal rights, I should be able to call that filly cute and gaze at her all I want.”

A silence fell over the area as both girls looked incredulously towards Thunderlane; even Doctor Remedial winced slightly as he shook his head.

“Hmm… Pushed my luck with that last bit a little?” Thunderlane grinned slightly as he took a nervous step back, both sisters advancing on him with promised violence in their eyes.

“I would say, most likely.” Doctor Remedial couldn’t help but comment as the other stallion gave him a sorrowful look, one that almost pleaded for his intervention. A shake of the head was given with a small laugh as Thunderlane cleared his throat, realising he had one chance to defuse the situation.

“Would it help if I said you were both cute too?”

Of course, Thunderlane being Thunderlane chose instead to only make matters worse. It was with a growing chuckle that Doctor Remedial trotted over to where the filly and the two other mares were situated, primarily to avoid being pulled into the mess the male pegasus had gotten himself into. The sounds of angry females behind the doctor were accompanied with amused laughter and small yelps of pain.

It definitely seemed things were about to get a lot more interesting, but Doctor Remedial could only hope it would be a positive influence on the filly’s recovery.

Chapter five: Suspicion

Overhead, the trees were teased by the soft wind cooling the warm spring air. Like a playful spirit, it glided around the branches, rustling the leaves to create a most relaxing kind of sound. In short, the overall ambience was that of a peaceful sunny day, the type where you could lie on the grass and simply forget your troubles.

Unfortunately for Thunderlane, he seemed to only have half that equation down. He was indeed sprawled out over the grass, but the forgetting of his troubles continued to be somewhat elusive. Admittedly, was he to stop and think about it for a second, there were many reasons for that being the case. Perhaps it was due to having just figuratively stuck his hoof so far down his throat that he was choking on a fetlock. Or maybe it was how Flitter was seemingly ignoring him, seated a small distance away and observing the other group where the filly sat.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was the weight on his back from where Cloudchaser resided, appearing quite content with her current position.

It was a difficult problem to try and put his hoof on just one of those reasons as the underlying cause.

Cloudchaser, however, was indeed quite happy with the current arrangement. Although, that was readily apparent in how she was lazing over Thunderlane where his run for freedom had been cut short. For the most part she was content with the outcome; even her own annoyance at his thoughtless comment had been long forgotten. Still, she remained amazed that it had been Flitter no less that had actually caught him, she instead taking the opportunity to pin him after the act. Yet, the resulting silence was beginning to get to her as much as it was the stallion she lay upon.

Eventually it was Thunderlane who broke the stalemate. Wriggling a forehoof along the ground, he absently rolled his eyes up to peer at the mare on his back. “So… Do you think she’s still mad?”

“I’m not mad.”

Both flicked their ears, sharing a glance seconds later before gazing over at Flitter. Despite speaking for the first time in several minutes, the mare continued looking elsewhere. Only the occasional ruffling of a wing or pawing at the grass gave any clues for the two to gauge her mood on.

“Yeah, she’s mad,” Cloudchaser murmured in a hushed tone. Her words were immediately followed by a wince as Flitter looked back at them, one brow raised to show she had overheard.

“Well, if she wasn’t, she probably is now,” Thunderlane grumbled. The stallion nonetheless found himself grimacing as Flitter released a frustrated sigh. He could deal with many things; one of the sisters genuinely upset was not one of them.

“I’m not mad, okay?” Despite herself, Flitter felt the volume in her voice rise before pushing a hoof to her forehead in exasperation. “I said I was sorry, I… I’m just…”

Cloudchaser furrowed her brow, being fully aware of why her sister was acting in such a way. Yet, before she could move to comfort her, she felt her seat start to move. Thunderlane, having also noticed Flitter’s mood despite not knowing the exact reasoning, pushed himself into a standing position. This action came with the added benefit, at least to him, of hearing a startled cry followed by accusations that he had cheated issuing from the grass behind him.

“Flit, what’s really bothering you? I mean, normally you just let Cloudy deal with my comments.” Pausing for a moment, Thunderlane sat beside the quiet mare before offering a wing gently over her back. When she didn’t pull away, he also offered a lopsided grin and nudged her gently with a hoof. “I do think you’re both cute, you know that, right?”

Flitter couldn’t help but gain a small smile, moving just enough to push him back with one of her own hooves. “You have to; it’s an obligation of being our honorary brother.”

“Oh come on, I have grass in my mane now!”

The complaint (one of many) coming from behind the pair resulted in Flitter giggling behind a hoof. A quick glance behind only added to her mirth at seeing the confused looks ponies were giving her sister as they trotted past. Thunderlane, on sighting this, opted to instead roll his eyes before sharing a conspiring grin with the mare.

“Well yes, but one of you is far cuter than the other.”

“I heard that!”

Flitter felt her unease slowly ebb away as the giggles began to take her, smiling afterwards as she leaned partially against the taller stallion. “Thanks Thunder, I needed that. I am really sorry about tackling you, though.”

Raising a brow, Thunderlane began chuckling before tucking his wing back against his side. Pulling slightly away from Flitter he regarded her with a raised brow when she blinked at his reaction. Before she could apologise further, he shook his head and laid the wing back over her spine reassuringly.

“You’re serious, aren’t you? Jeeze Flit. The fact you managed to catch me, let alone tackle me, was impressive as heck.” Blushing a little at his praise, Flitter shifted on her hooves, uncomfortable at being congratulated for such an act. Noticing this, Thunderlane pressed on, gesturing with a hoof towards the other gathering of ponies. “It was about the filly, wasn’t it? C’mon Flit, I’m not stupid, contrary to popular belief. I can figure out you wouldn’t normally react in such a way, so what’s the story?”

What do I say? Indecision ate at Flitter while she contemplated on just how much she was allowed to divulge. Chewing absently on her lower lip, she was saved when her sister took the decision out of her hooves.

“Well, for one, you deserved that tackle after what you said.” Thunderlane had the good grace to look sheepish at Cloudchaser’s words while she sat herself to the other side of him. Ignoring the expression on Flitter’s face – one that gave silent warning not to continue – Cloudchaser gestured vaguely with a hoof before continuing.

“We found the filly while heading back from setting up the weather. She had… Fallen into the lake just outside of Los Pegasus. Flitter helped her out, but she could barely move, let alone talk.” Closing her eyes, Cloudchaser recounted the events from memory, purposely omitting several tender subjects. “After she got treated at the hospital, she was found to be… Badly injured, or at least in the past. So we’re both staying to help out.”

Flitter exhaled softly, glad that her sister had not delved into the more sensitive information, that which was given to them in confidence. Catching sight of this, Cloudchaser leaned past Thunderlane to give a frown, knowing what Flitter most likely had expected. An apologetic smile was given back that placated the pegasus, one returned in kind a second later.

Thunderlane, however, raised a brow as he looked between the two and their exchange of expressions.

“Uh…huh.” Knowing they were keeping something from him, he decided to let the matter drop. He could tell the filly meant a lot to the two of them; he had the bruises to prove it. He also couldn’t help but notice how Flitter was fidgeting again, her eyes fixated on the blonde mare seated in the other group. He was not alone in this observation, Cloudchaser ruffling her own wings before clearing her throat. On obtaining her sister’s attention she raised a brow questioningly, a hoof gesturing in the direction of interest.

“O-Oh.” Looking where the limb pointed and realising she had been caught out, Flitter flattened both ears into her mane. A raised brow invited a little more robust explanation as she exhaled and pawed absently at the grass.

“It’s just that…That mare you arrived with, she keeps staring at the filly.” Flitter’s question was met with a knitted brow from her sister, she too now looking in the other group’s direction. Thunderlane, meanwhile, clicked his tongue before gaining both mares’ attention.

“Oh, her? She said her name was Viridian. Apparently she got asked to come help with a-“ Pausing when he saw both sisters now looking incredulously at the mare, Thunderlane blinked while looking between the two. One of his ears splayed outwards at the unusual reaction, raising a hoof to scratch at his chin absently. “Uh… Is… Is that a bad thing?”

“That’s Soarin’s mom?” Cloudchaser queried, now studying the mare more intently.

“I guess so.” Flitter’s reply was quiet, her voice distant as she continued to observe Viridian. It was becoming abundantly clear to her that something about the filly had either surprised or interested the earth pony. Whatever it was, she very much did not appreciate how uncomfortable it seemed to be making the young pegasus appear.

“Wait… Wait, that’s Soarin’s mother? As in, Soarin’ from the Wonderbolts’ mother?”

Cloudchaser blinked as Thunderlane directed a hoof towards Viridian to accompany his question. Oddly enough, at least to the mare, his jaw remained partially lowered while he flicked his gaze between her and where his limb was pointing. This action was repeated several more times until Cloudchaser shared a glance with her sister, the two becoming mildly concerned.

“Uh… Yes?” Cloudchaser ventured, only to have the stallion slam both hooves into the grass causing Flitter to jump slightly. Seconds crawled by, both not daring to move as they leaned away from Thunderlane, their faces reflecting the unease they each felt. Abruptly, however, he hung his head, a groan escaping from his throat.

“Great,” the stallion muttered, his wings starting to droop. Flitter, on seeing this, absently chewed on her lower lip before leaning slightly closer. Yet, before the mare could enquire as to his change of mood, she jerked back again as he pushed two hooves to his forehead. “I can’t believe I told her the joke about the griffon, the earth pony, and the pineapple.”

Both sisters sat silent until Cloudchaser broke the tension, glancing at Flitter before prodding Thunderlane with a hoof.

“Really? That’s what you’re worried about, jus-“ the mare paused before one of her brows raised to gaze quizzically at the stallion. “Wait, why were you telling her that one in the first place?”

Having been put on the spot, Thunderlane gave a little chuckle while rubbing at the back of his head.

“Well, because she seemed a little nervous so I thought I would lighten the mood some; you know how I can’t stand to see a pretty mare look upset.”

Cloudchaser raised a brow, her sister reflecting the expression until they caught each other’s eye. This action prompted Thunderlane to sit back, lifting both hooves into the air with a groan.

“Okay, I admit it, she was cute and I panicked a little for a conversation topic. I mean, she found it funny, but still…” Hanging his head once more, all three became silent, the breeze teasing through their manes. As the silence lingered, Cloudchaser chewed on her lower lip in thought while her brow knitted. Looking over at Viridian, then back at Thunderlane she waggled a hoof absently in the air.

“So… Did you really try to chat up Soarin’s mother?”

Flitter reacted to her sister’s words with a raised brow towards the stallion. Soon coming under scrutiny by both females, Thunderlane pushed a hoof to his forehead in frustration.

“No, I…” Exhaling he lowered both eyelids, staring resolutely ahead. “Okay, seriously. I said she was cute, I said the filly was cute. I think we have already been over this. For one, she doesn’t look old, and secondly I didn’t know that was the filly that was mentioned in the letter. Anyhow, I believe I am well within my rights to compliment somepony without the third degree.”

Flitter seemed to accept his words, quietly offering a mumbled apology. Cloudchaser, evidently not about to let it go just yet, leaned across to prod Thunderlane in the ribs earning a muffled grunt from the stallion.

“I think it may have been the part about ogling her that got you in trouble. I mean, you got Flitter mad over it.”

“I already said I wasn’t mad.” Flitter countered her sister, both ears partially lowered before choosing to ignore Cloudchaser. Instead the mare returned to her silent vigil over the filly, Thunderlane finding his attention instead drawn to the other pegasus beside him.

“She was mad.” Cloudchaser, evidently disbelieving her sister, whispered into the stallion’s ear, his exasperated expression showing exactly what he thought of that. The trio then sat in silence, Flitter observing the other group with an air of anxiety almost palpable surrounding her. Noticing this, Cloudchaser and Thunderlane shared a glance between them before the stallion rubbed under his muzzle thoughtfully.

They’re not telling me something. I’ve seen Flit upset before, but this is different, and even Cloudy is on edge. Thunderlane clicked his tongue before pushing the thought away. The fact Flitter had actually gotten angry with him earlier was proof enough that there was something more going on. Still, he knew better than to pry, and instead leaned partially to brush a wing over Flitter’s back, surprising her.

“Hey, you both know I’m sorry about what I said earlier, you know I was just joking around, right?” A small nod answered his question, although Cloudchaser remained looking sceptical. Ignoring her for now, Thunderlane nodded his own head, his mind made up. “Look, I don’t know the full story, but if it’s important to you two, then that means it’s important to me.”

Both sisters blinked at that, exchanging another glance as he continued on, unaware of, or perhaps uncaring about their reactions.

“So, I think I will hang around here anyhow. I already arranged with my uncle for a place to stay, and I left a message for Rainbow Dash. ‘Sides, I was due a little time off anyhow.”

Cloudchaser and Flitter blinked again while the leaves rustled above. The former even lost any trace of suspicion as her brows lifted.

“Wait… You left a message for Rainbow Dash? You mean she isn’t back from Canterlot yet?” Cloudchaser looked uneasy as she did the math in her head, Ponyville now evidently down four weather ponies in total. Flitter however had more immediate concerns.

“Thunder, you can’t just…” Resisting the urge to push a hoof to her face, Flitter exhaled and shook her head instead. “I mean, it’s nice seeing you, and I know your heart is in the right place but…”

“Then it’s settled.” Thunderlane interrupted with a firm nod as Cloudchaser held a hoof to her forehead, apparently lacking her sister’s self-control.

“Thunder-“

Cloudchaser was about to explain to him exactly why he couldn’t. The words were already on the tip of her tongue, ready to tell him as much as she could. About the filly’s possible suicidal tendencies, about her horrible abuse, how they found her. Even despite the look Flitter gave her before, Thunder deserved to know at least. Well, that was the plan anyhow. Thunderlane however derailed that as he cut her off with a firm shake of his head and stomp of a hoof into the lush grass.

“No, okay, not this time.” Shaking his head he surprised the sisters with a resolute gaze, first at Cloudchaser as she swallowed and then at Flitter who flicked an ear with a slight tilt of the head. Seeing he had their undivided attention, he closed his eyes, steeling his thoughts before continuing.

“Look, I don’t want to sound sappy, but you’re both like sisters to me. And, on saying that, this is obviously important to you both. Now, I don’t know the full story, but I want to be here for you and help out anyway I can. Miss Viridian let slip some hints, so I know whatever happened to that filly is pretty nasty. Nasty enough, I might add, that it has both of you very defensive over her. So yeah, I’m going to stay, for you both, and for that filly too.”

Exhaling once he opened his eyes, he looked first at Flitter who offered a small smile, then to Cloudchaser who gave a soft grunt before playfully nudging him.

“Okay, well, we’ll let Doctor Remedial decide when they’re done. But for now, I guess we just need to wait and see,” Flitter said, knowing full well he couldn’t be dissuaded. She even added a small sigh of defeat just for his benefit afterwards.

Cloudchaser, in turn, rolled her eyes as Thunderlane gained a grin that threatened to stretch from ear to ear. Despite her actions, she was glad to have him around. Although she did manage to catch Flitter’s eye, only to smile showing how she truly felt about the whole affair. With the expression returned, silence continued, as truthfully, no words were needed to reveal their thoughts.

Flitter continued her vigil while Thunderlane talked to Cloudchaser about how Ponyville was going. She flicked an ear, only half listening in on their conversation. Just as she heard mention of some event that had the mayor on edge – not to mention Rainbow Dash and her friends returning soon – she found her attention wandering. The sight of a mare and who she presumed was her colt trotting towards the hospital, however, managed to catch her eye, in turn setting her mind wandering.

I wonder if they will find the filly’s parents, and… If so, did they know what happened to her? Pawing absently at the grass, she tore her eyes from the sight, instead looking towards the filly. Surprisingly, the young pegasus was looking back in their direction, one ear flicking while clearly squinting. This action was evidently not lost on Doctor Dia, the mare furrowing her brow before speaking to Doctor Remedial.

Nodding in response to whatever was said, the male doctor made a beckoning gesture in their direction. Any doubt over what he wanted was dispelled when he raised his voice enough to be heard over the divide.

“Miss Flitter, could you come over here for a second?”

Flitter blinked, her wings partially spreading as she raised a hoof to gesture to herself. With a nod given from the doctor she exhaled, letting out some of the stress before getting into a standing position. Pausing for a moment, she glanced at Cloudchaser, then at Thunderlane, about to ask them to wait for a minute. Surprisingly, she never got the chance.

“Go on Flit, we’ll wait here, won’t we, Cloudy?” A nod answered Thunderlane’s question, Cloudchaser beckoning her sister onwards with a wing and foreleg.

“Go on sis, see what Doctor Remedial wants. I’ll keep Thunder out of trouble.” Cloudchaser nudged the taller stallion afterwards, a grunt and snort from his nostrils given in response.

“Okay, I’ll go see what he wants then.” Flitter took a deep breath before trying to calm herself. Despite this, she couldn’t keep the eagerness out of her pace, no matter how she tried.

~~~~~~

Moments later, Flitter was leading Viktoria back to where the two others waited. During this, the mare used a wing to assist the filly’s balance whenever needed. Watching them leave, Doctor Dia couldn’t help but make her concerns known.

“Are you sure it is wise to leave her in the care of those three?”

Doctor Remedial exhaled softly, turning his head as he witnessed the filly stumble. Flitter immediately used a wing to help steady her, stopping to look with concern on her face. Still, it was the fact Cloudchaser had flown over to help assist that brought a smile to his face.

“Dia,” Remedial begun, dropping titles now that they were alone, “I think they’ll be fine.”

Dia, however, didn’t seem convinced, her eyes narrowing behind the glasses she wore. Pawing at her notebook, the mare clicked her tongue before fixing the stallion with a hard glare.

“Need I remind you that one of them gave the filly hot soup? Soup, I might add, that was it not for your quick reactions, would have resulted in severe burns to the patient.” Dia’s words struck true, Remedial rubbing between his eyes with a hoof. Seeing this, she continued, one brow now raised as she gave a small head gesture to indicate towards the male pegasus still waiting for the others.

“And, that stallion: what do we know about him? I don’t feel that pointing out that their previous interactions were alarming is necessary, but I will anyhow as you seem to have forgotten.” Fixing the male doctor with a hard stare, Dia adjusted her glasses as Remedial tried to formulate his thoughts. Support for his cause, however, came from a completely unexpected direction, at least apparently to the mare.

“Dee, I… I think they’ll be fine.” Both turned to look at Viridian, who, at that point, was still watching as the two pegasi assisted Viktoria. “They seem to genuinely care about her, and I could tell even from here that-“ The mare paused to direct a hoof at those aiding the filly, “that one, Flitter was it?”

A nod from Remedial confirmed the name for the blonde mare who smiled in thanks and continued to observe.

“Yes, that mare, Flitter, she was watching over here almost the entire time. I know you noticed as well, Dee.” Viridian tore her attention from the filly to instead gaze at her sister with a warm smile. Dia, in reply to the comment, scrunched her nose up before sighing softly and pawing at her notes once more.

“Fine, I concur: but I am still hesitant in lending my support to this decision.” Glancing first at Viridian who sighed good-naturedly, then at Remedial, Dia cleared her throat and continued. “Regardless, that isn’t the issue here.”

Remedial Oath sat quietly, only offering a small nod in agreement to his fellow doctor’s words. He, like Viridian, had joined after the initial questioning had concluded. By the time he arrived, Dia was instead making small chat with the filly. Well, it was mostly one sided if he were to be honest. The filly (or Viktoria, as he had come to learn), was still having difficulty forming words, but was giving it considerable effort.

For a second he had to push down the small surge of anger threatening to spill forth. Again he could only imagine what kind of vile pony, or ponies, could perpetrate such a horrendous act on a young filly.

“I found out several things about our mysterious little patient there, primarily her name, age, and location of her parents.” Dia begun, but the last part got Remedial’s attention instantly. Noticing this, the female doctor raised a brow before flicking to a page with the information down. “Her name is Viktoria, she’s recently turned fourteen, and as for her parents…”

Exhaling softly, Dia seemed to collect her thoughts for a moment before fixing Remedial with a glance.

“As far as I could… Understand from our little conversation…” Dia begun, not needing to spell out how difficult it must have been. Receiving a small nod of understanding from Remedial, she continued. “She has never known her parents; in her own words, she has been an orphan since ‘forever’. Also, as far as she knows at least, she has no relatives.”

That news had provided Remedial with conflicting thoughts. On one hoof, he now could easily rule out the parents having anything to do with her situation. However, with that same information, he now had no links to go on for other family members.

“That’s terrible.” The voice caught the attention of both Dia and Remedial, each looking at Viridian who had a frown over her delicate features. “But… I couldn’t help but notice how she was acting nervous, as if she wasn’t sure how to react around us, especially when you introduced me. Did I do something wrong?”

Sharing a look between each other, the doctors seemed unsure how to answer until Dia adjusted her glasses with a hoof.

“Vi, there are some… sensitive matters concerning that filly. Some of which I have not been completely forthcoming with you about.” Dia met her sister’s gaze, the earth pony blinking before Doctor Remedial rubbed under his chin thoughtfully.

“Viridian, remember when I told you about the incident that brought her into the hospital in the first place?” Remedial paused as the mare in question nodded. Glancing aside at Dia, he was also met with a small nod followed with the doctor closing her notebook. Seeing he now had their undivided attention, he rolled his head back to gaze briefly at the clouds overhead.

“Well, we have reason to believe that she may have… Jumped in, of her own accord.” A wince crossed the stallion’s face at Viridian’s reaction. The mare’s eyes went wide, both ears flattening into her mane as she dragged front hooves along the grass.

“W-What? Why… Why would she? Are you implying that she…?” Viridian’s eyes quivered as her mind appeared to struggle with this concept. Dia let a soft exhale pass through her nostrils, averting her gaze to look at the filly herself.

“That… That leads to the other part of my hypothesis as to her injuries.” As Viridian sat, almost in a stunned state, Doctor Remedial explained to her on his findings. When he went over the high possibility of them being caused by other ponies, namely unicorns, the mare appeared horrified. By the time he was finished, she was swaying slightly, Dia moving to support her as Viridian appeared almost physically ill.

“I know it’s not a pleasant subject, but that is unfortunately the truth of the matter.” Exhaling, Remedial dearly wished he didn’t have to explain such things. But he was all too aware that if Viridian was to be part of Viktoria’s recovery, she needed to know. “That is why I believe both Miss Flitter, and Miss Cloudchaser should remain with her. You see how they support her, and you saw how she is beginning to bond with them.”

“I still wish to convey my reservations about that, we should entrust this to professionals.” Dia added before ignoring the exasperated look given to her by Remedial. Viridian, however, shook her head, pushing her unease about the whole thing aside for now. Instead she rested a hoof to her forehead and brushed her mane from her eyes.

“I… I agree with Doctor Remedial on this, Dee.” Noticing her sister raising a brow in silent question, Viridian offered a small bashful smile. With a hoof gesturing to the other group, the mare quickly sought to explain further. “What I mean is, I-If what you say is true.”

Remedial could see that Viridian was clearly struggling with that thought. Seeing the mare forcefully swallow, he couldn’t help but think there was something else causing the reaction. Letting it lie for now, he gently smiled, encouraging her to continue.

“I-If what you say is true, I think taking those two away from her now… Well, it would be the worst thing we could do.” With her ears lifting partially from her mane, Viridian looked over at the gathering of the younger ponies. Viktoria was now seated, looking rather perplexed as Cloudchaser flailed her legs, her head currently held captive in one of Thunderlane’s own fore limbs. Even as Dia gave a disapproving sound, Viridian turned to look at her sister.

“Dee, you saw her looking over there constantly, didn’t you?” The mare’s voice was soft as her sister gave a tilt of her head, acknowledging that point. With a wavering smile, Viridian looked over at the group again, her long mane being lifted by the wind as she noticed Viktoria now smiling at the antics of the other two. “I know young ponies, and I can tell you that she seeks comfort with Flitter, whether she knows it or not.”

Viridian’s face fell after that, her downcast expression looking towards the grass with shoulders slumped. “I… I just don’t understand how anypony could do that to… How could they do that to her. Who could be so monstrous as to do that to a pony her age?”

Remedial exhaled again, rubbing between his eyes with a hoof. It was the same question he had asked himself several times. The mere fact that it was the most likely possibility, well, that was disheartening on its own. But once that door was opened, other questions came about, and given his medical knowledge, the answers were all the worse. The fact he had to look over them again later to write up his report was not an enticing prospect, knowing how they would have to have been inflicted.

Dia softly exhaled through her nostrils, the movement of one of her hooves catching the attention of the other ponies. Fixing a glance at one, then the other with her, Dia flicked her book back open, reminding them of their earlier purpose.

“While we could spend all day dwelling on possibilities, I would much prefer to deal with the facts in front of me.” A glance was given to Remedial who exhaled, calming himself while Viridian shifted uncomfortably. Moving a little closer, Dia gently nuzzled at her sister’s cheek, helping to calm the mare who smiled and returned the gesture. If Remedial was bemused by the show of affection from the usually clinical mare, he showed no outwards sign of it.

“Now,” Dia begun, flicking to a page on her notebook before clearing her throat, “other than a name, age, and absence of parents, I found out very little. That’s not to say this wasn’t a very productive session, if a little impromptu. I was surprised to learn as much as I did from our first talk. Admittedly, the difficulty in her conveying words coherently didn’t help in this regard.”

Looking over at the other group, Dia exhaled and adjusted her glasses.

“In my professional opinion, the filly, or Viktoria, as she identifies herself, seems to be progressing far better than I could have anticipated. She is earnest, if a little hesitant, and seems annoyed at her inability to enunciate properly.” Flicking through more of her notes, Dia frowned on one particular scribble. “There… is one thing I wish to ask you in particular, Remedial.”

Remedial blinked at that, tilting his head before gesturing for her to continue. Dia cleared her throat before holding a hoof in the air, indicating her glasses.

“Have you noticed her squinting at all, perhaps having trouble focusing on things at a distance?”

The question was one that drew a response from both Remedial and Viridian. The mare’s eyes went wide, clearly understanding the implications. Remedial, given his obvious profession, was no slouch on reaching a conclusion either. Dia’s gesture, the question, they hinted at something unheard of, impossible even. He had noticed Viktoria had squinted often, but for obvious reasons, had put it down to her recovery.

“You… You can’t possibly be meaning…?” Remedial’s voice was hesitant, wary of even entertaining such a thought. Dia, however, just pressed her lips close together and nodded, her hooves pushing to the grass again.

“I enquired as such; the response, as I understood it, was that she had always had trouble with seeing at a distance.” Dia’s voice held an edge of emotion to it, her eyes narrowing. “I suggest that when we go back, you schedule her to get an eye test.”

Remedial felt his jaw clench before he exhaled between his teeth, calming himself. A pegasus’s magic was concentrated within the eyes, hooves, and wings. The ability to control weather and walk on clouds was through the wings and hooves, but the eyes…

Doctor Remedial rubbed the top of his muzzle as he organised his thoughts. The magic flow through the eyes allows enhanced vision and in turn, faster reflexes via acting on information provided by them.

A pegasus with vision problems was almost utterly unheard of. The only time it happened was due to injury, and even then healing spells given shortly after would, except in very rare cases, solve the issue. As Remedial looked over at Viktoria, who, thankfully was looking increasingly comfortable around the three other pegasi near her, he felt his anger boil.

“H-How, why would they… How is it even possible?” Viridian looked unable to conceive of the idea, the very concept being alien to her. Dia simply smiled slightly, apparently attempting to diffuse the situation.

“I could be wrong however, but I do suggest you test her vision.” With that, the psychologist closed her notebook and slipped it into one of her saddlebags worn. Remedial nodded, a tired smile finding its way to his face.

“I will, but for now, Viridian, do you think you could spend some time with our little patient?” The stallion’s comment snapped Viridian out of her shock, her head shaking a little before she perked both ears. Thankful for the distraction, she nodded and made to leave, only for Dia to rest a hoof on her back.

“We’ll be just a moment; I need to talk with Viridian a little first.” Noticing Remedial’s confused expression, Dia lowered a brow. “Sister stuff.”

The comment was enough for the doctor to chuckle, the warm sound tearing through any lingering horror that remained over the trio. Nodding, he waved with a hoof, making his way over to where the sisters and their friend were entertaining the filly. Once satisfied that Remedial was out of range to overhear, Dia glanced at her sister.

“Dee, she… She looks-“ Viridian begun only to be cut off by Dia placing a hoof gently to her younger sister’s muzzle. Reduced to silence, Viridian looked at the other mare, her eyes holding a silent question within.

“Vi, I know. But that filly has been through a horrendous experience. In my professional opinion, she is suffering from a multitude of issues, both physical and mental.” Noticing how her sister was looking aside now with shoulders slumped, Dia sighed and nuzzled the other mare gently. “To mention something like that may cause unforeseen reactions in the filly. For all we know she may take it to heart and it may, sadly, worsen her condition.”

Viridian, in reply, stood silent for several seconds before reluctantly nodding. Dia, in turn, lowered her hoof and smiled softly, another nuzzle given to her sister’s neck.

“But she does… Doesn’t she? I’m not just imagining it?” Viridian’s pleading eyes turned on the psychologist, Dia pursing her lips before exhaling.

“Yes, she does.”

The two mares sat there for several seconds before Viridian released a small laugh. It was forced, but her smile, at least, was genuine.

“Well, I suppose I best go and make myself useful. Are you coming?” Viridian paused to look back at her sister, who, shook her head slowly.

“No, I wish to file a report on what I have learned so far.” A smile was given, one that was warm and reserved only for her sister. “You’ll be fine, Vi.”

Returning the smile, Viridian trotted off to join the others, leaving Dia to tsk softly under her breath. As the wind teased her tail, the mare removed the notebook again from her saddlebags. Flicking to a page, one she hadn’t touched upon when talking to the others, Dia looked at the words written on the paper.

One simple question was written at the top of the page; where do you come from?

The filly had struggled over the answer, the frustration evident on her face. In seeing this Dia had offered for her to make the answer as broad as she wished. Any idea of where she came from would be helpful in possibly locating other family members.

Viktoria had thought on this for a second before replying with one word, her ears perking and a hopeful look on her young face. The answer had caught Dia off guard, yet she had allowed none of the emotion to cross her features. This had seemed to disappoint the filly who had grown withdrawn after that point; that is, up until Flitter had come over.

Dia closed the book and slipped it into her saddlebag again, moving her mouth to secure the clasps before closing her eyes. Opening them slowly she gained a look of determination as she trotted towards the hospital, her thoughts rolling over the answer given in her mind.

That answer having been one word, Earth.

Chapter six: Doubt

With great, painstaking care, Viktoria moved what should have been her arm, and placed what should have been her hand down onto the grass. A leg then followed, finding that the alterations to her foot and ankle made the whole thing decidedly more awkward than it really should have been. The limb still retained the same amount of bends as far as she could tell, for the most part at least. However, the altered lengths, she decided, was what was making the simple task of walking all the more difficult.

Soon, another arm, no… another foreleg followed, as her fingertips… no, her… hoof, pushed down into the grass when she shifted her weight accordingly. Thus the pattern was repeated and, no matter how much she tried to ignore it, Viktoria simply could not get used to how moving on all fours felt. It felt like she was balancing on her toes and fingertips, but, in reality, she knew that was not the case as she had neither. Flexing the muscles of her wings – another bizarre sensation to get used too – Viktoria found her balance improved substantially with the feathery limbs slightly spread.

Understandably, all this, combined with her newly altered centre of gravity, resulted in each step having to be carefully – and slowly – taken.

Yet, even as she was focused on trying to simply master walking, her mind refused to let go of something she had learned just previously. Something, that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t fully accept.

She didn’t know what Earth was… Viktoria breathed heavily out her nostrils, barely noticing the look of concern slipping over Flitter’s face out the corner of her eye. I told the doctor where I was from, and… nothing. But, she didn’t even seem confused, so then, do they know? Is this normal for them? No… That doesn’t make sense either.

Doubt, like a nefarious serpent, coiled around the hope Viktoria fervently clung on to. Despite this, she had to hold onto the belief they knew, and, accordingly, knew how to get her back home. Otherwise, the alternative, as horrifying as it was, was that they had no idea at all.

If they don’t know how to change me back and send me home, then… A grimace slid over the transformed girl’s face at that thought, desperately hoping she was wrong. Of course, given the struggle of walking at the best of times, being distracted with her thoughts ultimately led to one, inevitable, outcome.

Whether it was her muscle memory betraying her, or simply not lifting her limb high enough, Viktoria issued a soft, strangled, squeak as one of her hooves clipped the ground. Feeling herself start to tumble, she tried to move a hand to steady herself, only to be cruelly reminded yet again of her altered anatomy as her non-existent fingers refused to spread.

Luckily, before she could surrender to gravity entirely, she felt soft feathers rest to her belly, helping to steady her. Catching her breath – not to mention feeling her heart stop its thundering in her chest – Viktoria moved her front leg so as to rest the hoof properly onto the grass.

“Are you okay?”

Feeling her ears flick to the question, Viktoria gazed to the side to see Flitter lowering her head, a small, unsure, smile sliding over the mare’s muzzle.

I guess she really is looking out for me, isn’t she? The realisation prompted a small amount of warmth to fill Viktoria, offering her own smile – albeit a smaller one – in return.

Indeed, Flitter thus far had been a… pillar, a constant within Viktoria’s life since she had arrived in this world. So it was no surprise that she felt the presence of Flitter nearby to be, well, reassuring. Evidently, the mare had stayed in Viktoria’s room the night previous to watch over her, and, it seemed, had also constantly kept vigil over her during the day so far. On saying that, Viktoria did find it… well, a little creepy that a stranger would do that for her. Even so, she couldn’t fault what the mare was doing given it was a nice gesture in and of itself.

After all, to think otherwise on the act would have labelled her a hypocrite, especially since she herself was no stranger to watching over others, having done the very same for one of the younger orphans, Fiona. The girl had suffered from night terrors, and on a particularly bad night, Viktoria had stayed in the room to provide silent reassurance that she was there if needed. The memory once more reminded her of the issue at hand; noticing that Flitter was still looking at her, the concern returning to the mare’s features.

“Dank… You.”

Smiling in a more earnest fashion at the gratitude given, if also somewhat relieved, Flitter replied with a small dip of her head.

“You’re most welcome.” Flitter’s voice was gentle, her wing remaining under Viktoria’s belly to help with her movement. Grateful for the assistance, Viktoria focused on moving her limbs properly, using the opportunity to distract herself from the concerns building within.

Maybe… Maybe I should just ask her what they think happened to me? Looking to the side, Viktoria ran her awkward tongue over the back of her new teeth, contemplating on how exactly to word her question. As she worked up the nerve to ask, however, she felt one of her ears flick just before noticing Flitter’s attention going skyward.

The flapping of wings overhead caused Viktoria to tense for a second, her own head angling up to see a grey blob in the air above them. Slowly the shape grew more defined as it descended, a spikey mane identifying it as Cloudchaser long before the mare was low enough for the artificial breeze from her beating wings to roll over Viktoria’s back.

Once Cloudchaser had rested all four hooves on the ground, Viktoria was able to see the mare glancing over at her sister, a raised eyebrow given to the other mare. Feeling her brows knit, Viktoria witnessed Flitter look down at her before the pegasus’s eyes widened slightly, only to then offer a smile and then mouth something to her sister. Thoroughly confused, Viktoria felt her ears slowly flatten before Flitter bumped gently against her.

“So, Vik-tour-e-a… is it?” Flitter questioned, the mare following up with a hopeful gaze to which Viktoria nodded, still remaining somewhat confused over what she had just witnessed. Before she could dwell further on the issue, however, she found Cloudchaser offering a small grin down at her, turning her head to look up at the mare in turn.

“Vik-toria? That’s… your name, is it?” Again, Viktoria nodded, Cloudchaser looking thoughtful prior to flapping her wings, lifting her off the ground enough to tap at her muzzle with one hoof.

Show off… Viktoria resisted the urge to frown, knowing it wasn’t their fault they could do things so easily, while she herself could barely walk. Apparently unaware of this, Cloudchaser continued to ponder before resuming trotting – if, a little bit slowly – beside her.

“Hmmm, I wonder how that relates to your special talent.” Strangely enough, after having said that, Cloudchaser grimaced, looking aside while both her ears flattened down against her hair. “I mean… Not that it’s bad you don’t have a cutie mark, or that… Hey, ow!”

“What Cloudchaser means…” Flitter trailed off, a frown given across to her sister who, at that point, was rubbing at her side with a wing. Viktoria, however, was only growing more confused, even as the wing that had been supporting her returned to press gently against her belly. Seemingly satisfied, Flitter continued “what Cloudchaser means is that it’s a very nice name. Isn’t it?”

The last part seemed to be pointedly directed at Cloudchaser, the mare quick to smile before nodding; several times, in fact.

“Of course! It’s a lovely name.”

Flitter sighed at her sister’s words, a fact that did not go missed by Viktoria. Before she could ponder more on their meaning, one of her ears flicked at the sound of Cloudchaser clearing her throat. Turning her head, Viktoria watched the mare flap her wings before tucking them once again against her sides.

“So, see that stallion over there?” Cloudchaser asked, her tone now decidedly casual. Viktoria blinking at this, looked in the direction that Cloudchaser indicated with a tilt of her head before squinting, her brows lowering. Try as she might, however, all she could see was a dark grey shape near, what she presumed to be (given the vague colours,) trees. “That’s Thunderlane and…Well, he’s a bit of a twit at times.”

“Cloudchaser, you shouldn’t say such things about him…” Viktoria blinked again as Flitter spoke, turning her head to see that the mare was fixing her sister with a look of disapproval. Though, before Cloudchaser could say anything in her defence, Flitter continued on as her expression softened. “You should let Viktoria make up her own mind about him.”

Cloudchaser, wilting slightly from her sister’s words, silently fell back into step but with both ears now half lowered. With that, silence fell over the trio for several seconds; that is, until Flitter cleared her throat before exhaling. “Although, I guess, sometimes he can be a bit of one...”

Flitter rolled her eyes at Cloudchaser’s ensuing smug expression even as Viktoria continued to remain perplexed over the whole thing. Unsure on just who they were talking about, but thankful for the distraction nonetheless, she continued to carefully place one front hoof forward, a hind leg soon following this action.

I just… want… to… walk! Why is that so difficult?! Frustration nibbled at Viktoria’s patience as she continued to fight against her own body. The wings were, overall, just another distraction, what with feeling new muscles, tendons, and bones shift in uncomfortable ways with even the slightest movement. The tail, her tail, on the other hand, was… strange, but not quite as intrusive given she really didn’t pay much attention to it. She could feel it move, but ultimately it seemed to do its own thing for the most part. I hate this body…

More than a little aware of the self-loathing beginning to colour her thoughts, Viktoria instead put her best effort to staying focused. Noticing this, both Cloudchaser and Flitter shared another glance between them, a small smile crossing their muzzles while remaining close-by; each silently matching her, admittedly, glacial speed. Pressing onwards – all the while allowing Flitter to guide her to where they needed to go – Viktoria felt the breeze change direction when it brushed against her muzzle.

Frustratingly, even as the cool air slipped over her altered face, Viktoria was then presented with a new problem. Her blonde hair, tousled by the breeze, was teased over her eyes in an almost malicious action. With her already questionable ability to see now reduced to absolutely nothing, Viktoria scrunched up her nose and tried to shake the blonde locks from off her face. Every attempt, however, was met with the wind simply flicking it back over.

“Mmmph.” The sound, one of grumbling more than anything, issued from Viktoria’s mouth as she then attempted to blow it off. This, for obvious reasons, proved to be rather ineffective in the grand scheme of things. Her ears flicked on their own accord as she heard the two escorting her voice their concern, but, at that particular moment, Viktoria’s attention was firmly entrenched on the problem of her hair.

All she wished to do was reach up and brush it from her face, maybe even tuck it behind her ears to keep it from becoming the wind’s plaything again. Although, as she paused to perform this very action, she was once again reminded of her lack of fingers, instead finding a hoof impacting against the top of her muzzle. Wincing, more annoyed than hurt, Viktoria felt a growl of anger bubbling in her throat only to feel soft feathers slide over her face. Blinking in surprise as her hair was brushed from her vision, she was about to offer her thanks to Flitter; that is, until she realised that the wing had never left from supporting her.

Looking to the right, Viktoria offered a small, yet hopefully thankful smile to Cloudchaser, the mare returning a more confident variant in return.

“You’ll get the hang of it,” Cloudchaser offered in a soft-spoken tone, the pegasus’s wing tucking back against her side.

“D-Da…T-Thaaank you.” Viktoria, after working her mouth to get the correct enunciation out, followed with a small nod to the mare’s words. Again, she felt conflicted on whether they knew what had happened to her or not. Still, before she could dwell on it further, her ears pivoted as a male voice from ahead caught her attention.

“You do realize that the ‘twit’ could hear you both from over here the entire time, right?”

Curiously, Viktoria felt the feathers under her belly spread a little, the limb tensing for a second prior to relaxing. Muffled laughter caused her ears to move, yet again move without her command as both flicked, causing her to peek to the side. Interestingly, she noticed that Cloudchaser was looking thoroughly amused about something. Glancing to her left, however, Viktoria saw Flitter’s cheeks – or the fur itself – turn somewhat crimson. Soon, though, the pegasus chewed on her lower lip prior to lowering herself down so as to look at Viktoria directly.

“Please don’t get the wrong idea about him, Cloudy and I… we’re just teasing him. Thunderlane is actually a really nice stallion.”

“Yeah…” Cloudchaser offered, agreeing with her sister when her laughter had abruptly ceased. Instead, the mare issued a small chuckle before gazing first at Viktoria, then in the direction they were heading. “Thunder… He’s more like the brother we never had.”

Nodding her understanding, an action that caused Flitter to visibly relax, Viktoria took another step before stopping. Squinting, she could just make out – now they had closed the distance somewhat – that what awaited them, sitting on the grass, was a dark-grey-furred male stallion.

“Oh. L-Liiike ooor…oooor-fins?” Viktoria questioned, only becoming further irritated by being unable to communicate properly. Still, she blinked as the wing tensed under her once again, turning her head to notice that both sisters were now looking at her. Blinking again, she gazed at Flitter, seeing the mare open her mouth before slowly shutting it, then unexpectedly lowered her head to get down to eye-level.

“Well, yes, I guess like that. Except, that we’re not… orphans.” Flitter looked unsure as she spoke, her mouth shutting for a second time prior to looking over Viktoria’s head at her sister. After a second, Flitter then lowered her head again, gazing aside prior to looking directly into the transformed-girl’s eyes. “Viktoria… Are you an orphan?”

Nodding once, Viktoria realised that little piece of information had not been given by the doctors when Flitter had come over. Still, the reaction caused her some unease on seeing a pained expression fall over the mare’s face before she covered it up with a smile.

“Well, I promise you that you won’t be alone again. Alright?”

The kind-spoken words from Flitter only served to confuse Viktoria further. Yet, even with her unfamiliarity with their faces and expressions, she knew enough to tell that the smile was forced. Again, the doubt gnawed at her desire to believe they had the answers, but, for now, she merely nodded. Again, this caused the two mares to relax, and from what she could see, also Thunderlane if his drooping wings were any indication.

Choosing to distract herself, she instead focused on trying to discern what Thunderlane looked like now that she was close enough. By what she had seen so far, and, making a guess off his face and his slightly bulkier body shape, she could roughly tell that he was a stallion. Although, in truth, she knew that already, and once taking another step closer, she could also confirm that he was also a pegasus. Squinting, she tried to make out a few more details before she saw him rubbing at the back of his neck with a foreleg, his eyes refusing to meet her own.

Realising she was staring, Viktoria instead looked down at her front hooves, seating herself while Flitter’s wing slipped gently over her back.

“So…” Cloudchaser’s voice broke the quietness that had fallen over their small group, Viktoria in turn looking up at the mare who, with a tilt of her own head, directed Viktoria to look forward. “Viktoria, this is Thunderlane. Thunder, this is Viktoria.”

With the – somewhat brief – introductions over, Thunderlane seemed to relax a little, moving his head to look at Viktoria before a smile appeared to slide over his muzzle.

“It’s nice to meet you.” The stallion bowed his head, Viktoria blinking before returning the gesture, finally remembering her manners. This action caused him to chuckle a little, further surprising Viktoria as she felt her ears push into her hair. Seeming to notice this, Thunderlane moved a little closer, thankfully allowing her to see him more clearly as he paused for a moment, then, unexpectedly, offered a front leg in her direction. “I’m Thunderlane, or, the ‘twit’ if the two lovely pegasi, both of whom I might add I thought were as close as sisters to me, are to be believed.”

For several seconds the hoof remained in the air, Viktoria noting that the stallion had the smile fixed on his face the whole time.

Does… Does he want me to… shake it? How? Looking down at her own forelegs, Viktoria felt her eyebrows knit. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering just how they managed to grip things as she had seen them do. Feeling the wing shift on her back, she raised one of her own forelegs to intently stare at the hoof.

“Uh…”

The sound caused her ears to flick again, her head tilting up to notice Thunderlane looking decidedly uncomfortable. As his forelimb waivered, he glanced first at Flitter, then Cloudchaser. Viktoria, unable to see their expressions, then noticed both his ears soon folded down beside his striped mane.

“Okay… Well, that was awkward.” Viktoria heard Thunderlane mumble under his breath before he grinned widely, the same foreleg that was offered to her then moving to rub into his mane. “Well, I guess I am a twit then. Good to know… Good to know.”

“Well,” Cloudchaser begun, moving forward so she could nudge the stallion with one hoof with a playful tone of voice. “I guess I was right before then, huh?”

It was at that point that Viktoria witnessed Thunderlane move an – admittedly blurry – wing, and, in a show of dexterity she never thought the limb could possibly be capable of, pulled Cloudchaser closer against him. Then, following up in a surprisingly fluid motion, he reared up, one of his forelegs moving about the mare’s neck to position her head against his chest. Caught off guard by the suddenness of the whole thing, Viktoria continued to watch the slightly out of focus scene as Cloudchaser began flailing, ineffectively trying to free herself from the headlock she now found herself in.

“Is that so Cloudy?” With a grin slowly spreading along his muzzle, Thunderlane used his other hoof to push against the other pegasus’s hair and rub, much to Cloudchaser’s continued annoyance. Ignoring her calls for him to stop – not to mention the flailing legs and wings – Thunderlane continued the onslaught, even if he did have to move a little forward to keep his hold secure. “Jeez, at least I didn’t bring attention to her lack of a cutie mark! Now that was just- Ow!”

Viktoria felt the wing pressing to her back shift, and, with it, the feathers spread to rest over more of her spine accordingly. The other wing, she realised, was folding back against Flitter’s side, a look of annoyance clear on the mare’s features. Evidently, it seemed, the roughhousing of the other two had brought them in range of Flitter’s feathery-wrath, something that Thunderlane had clearly overlooked if the rubbing to his side was any indication.

“You just did.” Flitter stated, her words spoken evenly as if she were annoyed over the matter. What that something was, Viktoria really had no idea. Still, the two other pegasi looked somewhat chastised, Thunderlane releasing Cloudchaser before rubbing into his mane yet again.

“Well, yeah. Sorry, Flit. I guess we got carried away.” Shifting uneasily, Thunderlane and Cloudchaser exchanged a glance before the mare lowered an eyebrow, poking at him with a hoof.

“We? You’re the one who put me into a-“

Cloudchaser’s argument was cut short due to Flitter clearing her throat, this action also causing the two others to cease their bickering immediately. Yet, before Flitter could speak her mind, a sound, one most unusual and not unlike a snort, caught the attention of the three older pegasi.

However, as they looked down in alarm, they found the source to be none other than Viktoria. Their concern grew, as, seconds later, the sound grew more guttural prior to shifting into something else entirely. Flicking her ears, and unbeknownst to Viktoria, Flitter was the first to realise what the sound truly represented, and, thusly, found herself relaxing before the others followed suit.

For the sound was none other than that of laughter.

Now, admittedly, it was more than a little disjointed, and sounded somewhat staggered, but, undeniably, it was indeed the sound of amusement. For Viktoria had been unable to hold it back on seeing what had just transpired before her; the whole scene reminding her of her own antics with the other orphans. The bickering, the playful banter, and even the rough-housing, all were activities she was well acquainted with herself.

To see these pegasi acting in such a familiar fashion, well, it seemed to be so crazy, so strange, that she couldn’t help but laugh. Plus, she was more than acquainted to being in Thunderlane’s position, Ralph usually having to take role in being the voice of reason.

Eventually though, as the laughter died down, Viktoria moved a front hoof to rub at her eyes. Although, having learned from her previous mistake, she paused and moved to lean more heavily against the wing behind her. Slowly, and with no small amount of concentration, she then gently moved the back of the furred appendage under her eyes, collecting the tears of mirth that had spilled.

I… I needed that.

After exhaling softly through her nostrils, Viktoria came to the realisation that she was being gazed upon fondly. A little self-conscious from the attention, she looked aside while feeling her ears lower against her hair.

“It’s nice to hear you laugh.” Cloudchaser’s words, soft spoken as they were, caused Viktoria to look up at the mare. What she saw was a sincere smile given down to her, the same expression mirrored on the other two. It was at that point that Viktoria picked up the sound of someone else approaching, and, by the way the others looked behind her, she was not the only one to notice.

“I think, Miss Cloudchaser,” the voice of Doctor Remedial said, a small chuckle following before he resumed his earlier thought, “that is something we can all agree upon.”

Looking over her shoulder, Viktoria found herself squinting, yet unable to properly determine where he was due to the colouring of his fur. Frustratingly, the stallion blended in far too well with that of the grass and trees, becoming nothing but another addition of green in her vision. Eventually, though, by deducing where he was by the moving bronze colour of his mane, she noticed that he paused as she tried to locate him. A soft murmur, one lost to the breeze, was given by the doctor before he continued to approach, his form slowly growing more defined against the background colours.

Shifting where she sat, Viktoria saw a look of concern on the unicorn’s face as he got closer, something, evidently, that she was not alone in noticing.

“Is… Is something wrong, Doctor?” Flitter questioned while her wing slowly moved up and down Viktoria’s back.

“I…” Doctor Remedial paused, again looking down at Viktoria before he got close enough so that she could see the tired smile on his face. “I certainly hope not, but, I believe there is something I have to enquire on.”

Trotting around the group so that he was now near Thunderlane, the doctor levitated a clipboard from the saddlebag worn on his side. Although, before any questions could be asked to explain what he meant, Remedial instead moved to lower his head down to Viktoria’s level.

“Vik-toria?” Her name, put forward as a question by the doctor was met with a hesitant nod from the teenager. Seeing that he had pronounced it correctly, he smiled once more. Yet, even with her eyesight, Viktoria could see that the expression never quite reached his eyes. “Now, I know you’ve been asked many questions already today, and you’ve done wonderfully so far, but might I ask something, and please, don’t be afraid to tell the truth.”

Viktoria, feeling her heart thunder in her chest, swallowed to clear her throat before giving a nod for him to proceed.

W-Wait, do they really know? Feeling her tail shift along the grass, she was a little surprised as the wing on her back pulled a little closer against her. Still, with bated breath she waited, her eyes gazing up into his own almost imploringly, waiting to hear the question she desired to hear.

“Do…” Doctor Remedial began, pausing as he cleared his throat. “Do you have any difficulty in seeing, any at all?”

Oh…

Trying not to let the disappointment show on her face, Viktoria instead nodded, moving her wings against her own sides in a bid to distract herself.

“Y-Yes,” Viktoria finally offered in reply. Then, after considering for a moment, she looked imploringly at the doctor, trying to work the words from her throat to her altered mouth. “I ha-have… nevh-a… sa-eeen prah… prah-pa-lee.”

Frowning afterwards, Viktoria felt anger at her inability to enunciate properly. Scrunching her nose up, she knew she couldn’t ask them now if they knew how to change her back. She could barely communicate, how could she ask something like that without somehow messing it up?

And… What if they don’t?

So focused on this was Viktoria, that she failed to see the pained expression flash – however briefly – over Doctor Remedial’s face. In this reaction, however, he was most certainly not alone. Cloudchaser’s eyes were wide, her wings quivering against her side while Thunderlane could only look at the filly before him, unable to believe what he had just heard. Flitter, meanwhile, curled the wing further around Viktoria, almost as if she was trying to protect her from anything that had done, or possibly could do any wrong to her.

“Ah, I see…” With a soft sigh, Doctor Remedial’s ears flattened into his mane, although, through it all, the warm expression never left his face. “Well, the good news is we have an ophthalmic optician on site at the moment.”

Oh seeing the confused glances given his way by the three females, the doctor chuckled before gesturing with a hoof in the air. “An optometrist is somepony who helps with vision problems.”

As three looks of understanding replaced those of confusion, Doctor Remedial then looked to his side where Thunderlane sat, the pegasus appearing to be struggling with the information.

“Is that why she was squinting so often?” Thunderlane asked, yet the question remained directed at no-one.

Snapped out of her self-deprecation, Viktoria looked up at him, nodding slightly to his words yet finding herself more than a little confused by his reaction. “Yes?”

Thunderlane, on having further confirmation, rested a hoof between his eyes, a soft groan escaping his mouth. “I just thought… Actually, I don’t know what I thought. Really? You… Ugh, I really am a twit.”

Stomping a hoof into the grass, Thunderlane released a soft ‘tsk’, his head looking away as he warred to keep the anger from flowing over his features. Cloudchaser, however, was having less success in this regard if the gritting of her teeth was any indication. Doctor Remedial, seeming to notice this, cleared his throat before smiling down at the now thoroughly befuddled Viktoria.

“Thank you very much, Viktoria.” Sitting up, Doctor Remedial then started to write down on his clipboard, the contents of which were unknown to Viktoria. On seeing her looking curiously at what he was doing, he chuckled again, the sound cutting through the tension that fell over the group. “I am just making a note to set you up for an eye exam later today, then, from there, we can sort out some correct eyewear for you. Does that sound alright?”

Unsure on how she should feel over the whole thing, yet still grateful for the prospect of being able to see more than an arm’s length from her face, Viktoria nodded. Smiling at this, Doctor Remedial stepped back before his eyes went wide and he turned to look at the other stallion seated near him.

“Ah, I do apologise, I don’t think I introduced myself earlier.” Offering a hoof towards the suddenly bashful-looking Thunderlane, the two males then shook, each hoof somehow grasping the other’s wrist – or fetlock – while how they did so still eluded Viktoria. Watching on, she saw the doctor then release the limb to rest all fours back on the grass before continuing.

“My name is Doctor Remedial and I am the one assigned to Viktoria here. Now, contrary to what I saw earlier, I would assume you are friends with Miss Cloudchaser and Miss Flitter, correct?”

Seconds passed as Thunderlane shifted where he sat, his wings ruffling against his sides. Soon, after clearing his throat, the stallion then opened his mouth, shut it, and then opened it again before a lopsided grin tugged at his muzzle.

“Well, yeah, I’ve known them since we were foals. Ah, but… just so we’re clear on this, just… how much did you see?” Thunderlane enquired, a soft snigger from Cloudchaser soon following. Viktoria, watching all this, couldn’t help but grin as she found herself once more amused by Thunderlane’s behaviour. An expression that, unbeknownst to her, did not go unnoticed by those present.

Flitter’s sigh did catch Viktoria’s ears though, looking up to see the mare smiling down at her. Offering one of her own back upwards, she felt her own troubles be pushed aside; even just for the moment, at least.

“No more than what I saw earlier, and enough to tell that our little patient here seems to be quite relaxed in the company of you three, isn’t that right?”

Feeling her ears flick, Viktoria looked forward again to see an expectant smile on Doctor Remedial’s face. Realising the last part had been directed her way, she nodded, partially from politeness, but, also, from a surprisingly genuine desire to have the stallion around. The interactions between him, Cloudchaser, and Flitter all reminded her of home and how she, Ralph, and Anton would behave around each other.

“See, it looks like there’s at least one girl around here who appreciates my company.” Thunderlane grinned after his comment, even chuckling as Cloudchaser leaned over to thump him gently with a hoof. Flitter instead chose to roll her eyes at his words, the stallion raising his forehooves in a placating gesture in response. “Okay, okay, I know you both do as well.”

Lowering his forelegs soon after, he then looked down at Viktoria, one brow rising as he turned to look at Doctor Remedial.

“Oh! Flit, I mean, Flitter, said we should ask you if it’s okay if I stay around to help out. I mean, I w-“

“Mister Thunderlane.” Remedial raised a hoof as he spoke, cutting the male pegasus off as the clipboard, encased in a emerald aura, slipped back into his saddlebag. “You are more than welcome, as are both Miss Flitter, and Miss Cloudchaser, to remain helping with Viktoria’s recovery. Of course, it would be strictly voluntary, but-”

“That doesn’t worry me at all, thanks Doc.” Thunderlane interrupted prior to Flitter leaning forward, Viktoria this time catching the wing moving to smack the stallion on the side. “Ow! I mean, thank you Doctor Remedial.”

Glancing across at Flitter, Thunderlane then sighed before rubbing absently at where he was struck, the corners of his mouth curling upwards. “See, Flit here will keep me in line.”

“Hey, what about me?” Cloudchaser enquired to which Thunderlane blinked, looking at Flitter then back at the other pegasus sister.

“Well, I guess Flit can keep you in line as well Cloudy, I mean-“

“That’s not what I meant!” Cloudchaser huffed, her cheeks puffing that only served in making Thunderlane laugh under his breath while Flitter and Viktoria shared a small smile between them.

The doctor, appearing quite amused by this, stood upright, shifting the saddlebag to rest more comfortably while he adjusted the coat worn. Satisfied, he then turned his head to address the gratitude given his way. “You’re most welcome. Now, as I mentioned to the ladies earlier, Miss Viridian will be aiding in Viktoria’s rehabilitation and, hopefully, should be joining us in a moment. But, I am sure she will agree that having another pegasus around, will help with Viktoria getting used to using her wings.”

So, they do know I didn’t have wings before? Viktoria found herself again conflicted. Yet, before she could ponder further on the issue, or work up the courage to ask, she heard Thunderlane speak.

“Wait a second…” Raising one of his front hooves, Thunderlane pointed the limb towards Viktoria before rubbing under his muzzle for a second. A glance was then given to both Cloudchaser and Flitter, each looking slightly uneasy before nodding back in his direction. Rubbing under his muzzle again, he then lowered himself down before Viktoria prior to holding a hoof towards her left wing. “May I?”

What’s he…?

Feeling more than a little confused, Viktoria instead looked up at Flitter who nodded in return. Seeing this, the transformed-girl shifted her front hooves a little into the grass before gazing at Cloudchaser, the mare offering a reassuring smile.

“I just want to look at your wing for a second, if that’s alright?” Thunderlane explained, looking at the girls for any kind of help. A glance was also given to Doctor Remedial, who, appearing intrigued as to what was going on, stepped back a few paces and nodded his consent.

“If she is alright with it, I see no issue, but just what is it you’re looking for?”

Before Thunderlane could answer, however, Cloudchaser lowered herself down as her sister’s wing rubbed up and down Viktoria’s back, getting herself down to eyelevel with the teenager.

“Thunderlane just wants to see the condition of it. He helps out the young fliers in Ponyville, plus, he also has a little brother he’s teaching how to fly.” Cloudchaser explained, then, with a little thought, she hummed, gazing first at her sister, then back at Viktoria. “We both promise you’ll be fine.”

Relaxing somewhat – although still remaining more than a little puzzled over what he was up to – Viktoria moved the wing, spreading it out slowly as she felt the new muscles, tendons, and bones move. The additional sensation of a hoof pushing to the wing was something else entirely, wincing slightly before noticing Thunderlane stopped immediately, his hoof pulling back in a jerking motion.

“S-Sorry.” Viktoria offered, spreading the wing back out much to the evident relief of the stallion. Gently he moved the hoof back against the wing, rubbing slowly along the feathers. Unaware what he was looking for, she endured the extremely odd feeling for several long seconds; that is, until he abruptly removed his hoof accompanied with a thoughtful sound.

“Well, the wing seems strong enough, and I don’t see any problems with it. The primaries, secondaries and the coverts are all in good shape although...” Moving to sit, Thunderlane then tapped under his muzzle as he again looked over the feathery appendage before raising a brow. “I mean, it’s strange since the feathers are all in great condition, well, nothing a little preening wouldn’t fix, but… it’s almost like most, if not all, were recently pin feathers, they look, well, new.”

This information caused both Flitter and Cloudchaser to exchange a glance, one that didn’t go unnoticed by Thunderlane. “What, is there something I don’t know about that?”

It was at that point the sound of another approaching caught Viktoria’s attention, her ears perking at the sound of hooves pushing into grass.

“Oh, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

The female voice, another that Viktoria had just recently come to know, spoke gently as the hoofsteps got closer. Without looking she knew who the speaker was, having just been introduced to her while being asked questions several minutes ago.

“Not at all; in fact, I was just about to go get things organised.” As the mare, the one called Viridian, trotted into Viktoria’s view, she also noticed Doctor Remedial offer a nod towards the mare before he then looked at the others. “Miss Viridian here will be aiding Viktoria with her physical rehabilitation, but for today, it may pay just to become acquainted with her. In any case, I shall see you all shortly.”

With that, the Doctor nodded to those gathered before casting one last look at Viktoria, his eyes seeming to linger on her wing before he smiled and trotted off towards the hospital. Yet, as the doctor trotted away, Viktoria felt the wing on her back press closer, even as Viridian joined their group. For her part, she was a little confused as to why Doctor Remedial had left so quickly, but, figuring he was just wanting to get things ready for the eye exam, she brushed it off.

Still, as she sat there and watched Viridian introduce herself to others, she couldn’t help but notice how the mare kept glancing in her direction. Feeling a little self-conscious, Viktoria instead tried to relax, knowing that at least soon, she might be able to get something to improve her vision. And, while that was not what she truly desired, it was at least a start.

~~~~~~

True to his word, after leaving the group to head back inside, Doctor Remedial had met with the optometrist and arranged for Viktoria to be booked in for an eye examination. Admittedly, it had been rather easy for him to do so. A few favours were indeed called in to schedule her in on such short notice, but, primarily, the fact that it was a pegasus with vision problems at Viktoria’s age, that alone seemed to be the deciding factor on making it happen.

Yet, now he found himself in his office, gazing at several expanded prints of various parts of his patient’s body. X-rays mixed with a few body shots, each showcasing the truly monstrous act that had befallen the filly. Or, so he had suspected. With a small application of magic, he moved one x-ray of Viktoria’s wing across, pinning it to the wall beside a full shot of the wing, feathers and all.

“How could I have overlooked something so obvious?”

With self-directed anger tainting his words, Remedial flicked his gaze over to several other pictures. Yet, inevitably, his eyes invariably fell back onto those two in particular.

“Overlooked what, doctor?”

Remedial looked at the other speaker, the nurse who had aided him in collecting the pictures, and, more notably, also with Viktoria upon her arrival into his care. The teal unicorn stood near him, her head angled up to gaze at the pictures intently before turning her attention over to him.

Raising a hoof, Remedial pointed at the first picture, the one depicting the x-ray of the wing, then the other, showcasing the wing in its entirety. “Tell me what you see in these two pictures, from the viewpoint of a medical professional, Nurse Bloom.”

Turning her head to look back at the pictures, the nurse furrowed her brow, the purple hair moved from her eyes with a quick use of her magic. For several seconds she looked, analysing each and every piece of information provided, until, with a soft click of her tongue, Nurse Bloom directed a hoof towards the x-ray picture first.

“Well, as we discussed on first seeing the extent of her injuries, it seems that at some point she has suffered multiple fractures, and, from what we saw while probing with the healing magic, it seems this isn’t just isolated to her bones. Here, for example…”

Nurse Bloom, encasing a nearby ruler with her scarlet aura, moved it to tap several places on the wing, each being called by name as she continued. “The humerus, ulna, radius, carpometacarpus, even the pollex shows signs of previous fractures, all to an extent that, in my personal opinion, I'm simply astounded the patient is in the condition she currently is.”

Nodding, Remedial gestured for her to continue, Nurse Bloom looking a little confused before turning her attention back to the picture, this time at the full diagram of the wing.

“The feathers are all accounted for, yet, alarmingly, all show signs of having a recent moult. This would fit in with your theory of her being in a distressing situation, where, in similar cases, some pegasi have been known to self-harm in the way of plucking healthy feathers, even, in rare cases, pulling all of their primaries out at once.” At this point, the mare blinked, her eyes narrowing as she studied the picture more closely.

“But… the condition of the wing and from what you’ve told me…”

Remedial nodded, his eyes moving from the pictures to the nurse, each meeting the other’s gaze.

“Yes, the question now becomes, how could a wing that has entirely new feathers, and, also shows clear extensive damage to the bone structure-“

“Look to be in such good condition, especially if the filly, as you said, is barely able to use the limbs?” Nurse Bloom muttered, finishing Remedial’s sentence as he, in turn, nodded sagely.

“Indeed. That seems to be the mystery we are now faced with.” Going silent for a moment, Remedial looked up at the pictures, his eyes roving over the shape of the wing. Soon, however, his vision moved over onto the image displaying the filly’s body. Lifting a hoof to rub at the base of his horn, the doctor closed his eyes before voicing his thoughts.

“How does a filly showing signs of previous immense physical trauma look to be in such good health? After all, we both know healing magic cannot stop the natural atrophy of unused muscles.”

“Yet, she can barely walk, talk, and, from what you’ve told me on the way here, she seemed amazed when informed she could fly.” Nurse Bloom found a headache working into her skull, the sheer enormity of the whole thing starting to become quite clear to her. “I really don’t understand this. Could whoever did this to her have moved her limbs for her, simply to stop the atrophy from occurring?”

Remedial shook his head to that, both knowing the futility of what she just suggested, and that they were simply now grasping at straws.

“Admittedly, it wasn’t until Thunderlane, one of the pegasi who seems to have taken Viktoria under their wing, inspected her feathers that it became clear.” Rubbing under his muzzle, Remedial gazed at nurse Bloom before once more looking at the images. “But, regardless of my own failings, it is now apparent that there is something more to this filly.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself doctor, you weren’t the only one to overlook it.” Nurse Bloom offered, a small smile given his way that was returned, followed closely by a subdued chuckle.

“Thank you Miss Bloom, but nevertheless, I fear this is outside my realm of expertise.” As he spoke, Remedial pulled the pictures from the wall, correlating them back into a pile. Then, trotting over to his desk with Nurse Bloom close behind, he placed the stack of photos onto the polished wood. “It all makes some degree of sense now though…”

Looking first at the photos, then at Doctor Remedial, Nurse Bloom blinked before trotting a little closer, her ears slowly lifting upright once again. “What does, Doctor?”

“Well, we have been going off the assumption that the various injuries were all caused over a period of time and healed accordingly.” Seeing the mare nod, Remedial continued, his head turning to look outside, and from the vantage point of his window, to see the filly at the centre of it all attempting to walk while Flitter and Viridian both encouraged her onwards.

“Now, instead, let me put a different theory towards you. What if, and this is purely conjecture, what if they were all caused at once? Her feathers, for example, as you saw, they are entirely new, every… single… feather. Then, as to the evidence of injuries, most of her body consists of fresh tissue, and her bones, despite showing signs of fractures, are each perfectly set.”

With a shake of her head on realising where he was going with his line of thought, Nurse Bloom placed a hoof down onto the floor for emphasis with a resounding ‘clack’. “But… But that would be impossible!”

Reining in her emotions, the mare then exhaled before rubbing under her horn with one hoof. “Even if that were so, healing magic, unless done by, say, one of the princesses themselves, wouldn’t be able to keep the filly alive during the process, and for what reason? Just so they could sadistically torture the filly? Even several unicorns pooling their resources wouldn’t be able to…”

Seeing the dawning realisation, Remedial offered a humourless smile, a nod of his head following to encourage her to continue.

“She wasn’t tortured, was she?” Shaking her head, Nurse Bloom felt her headache only grow in severity as she looked at the stallion. “But we checked for transformation magic and there was no spell on her, well, aside from just a trace of magic that we put down to the remnants of healing magic! Besides, that school of magic alters the individual seamlessly, not… breaks them.”

Nodding once, Remedial gazed back out the window again, his ears flicking as he saw the filly stumble. As the two older mares moved to help her, Viktoria seemed to use her wings to wave them off before struggling back onto her hooves. From there, the filly continued trotting, if at a rather slow, yet steady, pace.

“As I said, it is purely a theory.” Remedial chuckled softly after the comment, surprising the nurse as she tilted her head, the doctor smiling in direction with a touch of mirth. “Which… admittedly, I seem to be making a bad habit of doing lately.”

Moving from the window, Remedial trotted back to his desk, then, after fishing out a leaf of paper with his magic he dipped a nearby quill into an ink pot. Ignoring the quizzical expression given his way by the nurse, he started to write a letter, detailing everything he knew about Viktoria.

“But, if it isn’t healing magic, or transformation magic, what could have caused such… heinous injuries to the poor thing? Her vision is damaged, transformation magic wouldn’t cause that, it… it would fix it!” Hissing from her teeth, Nurse Bloom tried hard not to think of who, or what, could have done such a horrific thing to such a young filly. “Yet, how can she be in otherwise such good, physical condition despite that?”

With his writing complete, Remedial then cast a simple heating spell over the paper, the ink in turn drying almost immediately. Folding the letter up, he slipped it into an envelope tugged from his drawer, a stamp soon placed as the entire thing was sealed.

“Alas, as I said earlier, this is unfortunately outside my field of expertise. However, I do know of an old friend, who, without a doubt, is one of the best when it comes to magical analysis. He will be able to tell us if there are any traces of healing magic, and, if not, he will help us get to the bottom of this mystery.” Writing down the address and name, Remedial then lifted the envelope up, another drying spell applied before he waved the letter in his aura and handed it to the mare. “Could you send this for me, please?”

On receiving the envelope in her own scarlet aura, Nurse Bloom turned the letter over, reading the address on the front with a raised brow.

“Doctor Carehoof, at… Ponyville of all places? Oh, well, of course! I’ll do this right away, Doctor.”

A nod was given in answer as Doctor Remedial once more trotted over to the window, hearing the nurse depart to carry out the task asked of her. Gazing outside once more, as he observed the filly’s struggles and her determination, a tired smile found its way across his muzzle.

At least it seems whatever they did to her, they didn't break her spirit. Sighing gently, the doctor got to his hooves to cast one last look outside, noticing Viridian and Flitter, both remaining close by to help if needed. Chuckling quietly to this observation, he then trotted slowly out of the room to head off and aid with the eye examination.

After all, if his patient was going to push onwards despite whatever horrors she had endured, she deserved no less than her doctor doing everything in his power to assist.

Chapter one: Mirror, mirror...

Imposing, majestic, antiquated, and spooky; all were terms used for the large house standing like a silent sentinel at the top of the hill. No-one remembered who had owned it, no-one remembered who had ever lived within, yet still it sat undisturbed, slowly surrendering to the ravages of time. Some threw the name ‘heritage building’ as if to validate its existence while others tried to ignore its presence. Other than the hapless council worker who would have to trim the lawn, there was no-one who ventured near.

That is, unless you were a child.

Long used by the younger members of the town it had become almost a coming of age tradition to sneak inside the house. With its weather damaged exterior it made the perfect dare for children to use against each other. Normally it was a simple challenge to run inside the front and back out, others however would be more intricate such as to head into one of the upstairs’ rooms, to then show your presence by one of the third story windows to prove your worth.

Others, such as the one Viktoria found she was completing fell more in the mid-range of challenges.

“Why do I have to do this?” Her voice was kept quiet just in case the house was haunted, not that she believed the others for a second. She most definitely wasn’t remaining quiet so no spirits of the damned would hear her, she was fourteen and that wasn’t something a girl her age believed in.

Still, it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Where is that dumb…” Trailing off Viktoria continued to slip through the rooms and only slightly winced with each creaking floor board. Each step thrust dust through the air, dancing tauntingly through the rays of sunlight that pierced through the empty rooms. She was unsure why she had let them talk her into this, she had been at the orphanage since she could remember and yet this was her fourth foray into the creaky old dump.

She mulled over the possibility it perhaps was due to the trouble she recently found herself in for coloring her hair brunette despite being denied permission. Singling yourself out generally made you a target for the other children… that went without question. Viktoria sighed as she continued to hunt for the throwing disc, silently complaining under her breath how it wasn’t even her that had led to this predicament.

Creeping into one of the living rooms she found the toy lying at an angle against the wall, presumably where it had eventually ended up having been thrown in from the street. Looking both ways just in the off chance there was a malicious ghoul waiting to attack her, she crept into what at some point could have been a bedroom. Long stripped of furniture there was only a vague idea to go off, although Viktoria felt she had spent far too long in the creepy house as it is if she was now considering how best to decorate a room caked in dust.

Retrieving the Frisbee she looked outside the window, a one finger salute given to a few of her peers who jeered at her for taking so long. With a flick of her wrist she sent the disc to sail serenely over the front yard through the window that had long ago given up its dreams of holding a pane of glass.

A few good natured insults were also directed up in her direction, each returned with a smile on Viktoria’s face. If there was one thing the orphanage had brought her was that despite it all they treated each other like family; a wildly dysfunctional family maybe, but one none the less. Even if Anton and Johann got on her nerves more than the others, especially with sending her to retrieve the flying disc in the first place.

“Okay… now to get… out…of-“

Strangely enough her head was drawn to look through the doorway into another room, one which had some form of furnishing held within. An old antique mirror rested against the wall, designed with ornate carvings that would have been beautiful back in the day that now had long worn down or chipped off to a shade of their former glory. Most impressive however was the glass held within, it was dusty but remarkably still mostly intact, somehow surviving decades of children invading the house without any giving in to the urge to smash it.

Curiosity eventually got the better of her, sneakers kicking up a cloud of dust with each step as she entered the adjoining room. Approaching the mirror she ran long nails down the surface, long furrows dug into the dust as her reflection peeked back through the now visible glass. However, Viktoria also learned that the glass wasn’t quite as entire as she presumed it to be as her finger slipped over a crack, a sharp inhale followed by German profanity exiting her lips.

Sucking on her finger in a reflexive gesture she instantly regretted it as she got both the taste of iron within her mouth mixed with the not so pleasing sampling of dust. After another few curse words were issued she blinked as a single bead of crimson rolled lazily down the mirror. Viktoria understandably was definitely not ready for the glass underneath to ripple as the drop of blood rolled down, nor was she ready for the dust to be burnt entirely off its surface when the mirror emitted a flash bright enough for the girl to shield her eyes with a forearm.

Blinking the afterimage from her eyes she felt rather scared, completely unsure of what had just occurred. As her eyes refocused she noticed something else, something that made her breath be caught in her throat. Falling onto her backside she stared with wide eyes at the mirror, her breathing increasing in pace with growing anxiety.

It wasn’t her reflection.

Staring back at her was what could be generously described as a horse. Wide expressive blue eyes shone with fear, gazing back at her as the creature sat upon its backside in a mockery of her own current position. Viktoria raised an arm as if to ward off the beast only to blink in shock as the equine-thing raised a foreleg to mimic the gesture.

“W-What… what the hell is?” Confusion ran rampant through the teen’s mind as her frazzled brain picked up more startling details. The blonde mane and tail were the same shade as her natural hair color, and strangely the fur that covered the beast was the same as her current dye job. Undoubtedly however, the most disturbing thing were the eyes; clearly harbouring intelligence and… undeniably feminine looking, staring back at her as they quivered. Familiarity gnawed at her, they were the eyes she saw in the bathroom mirror every morning if somewhat larger.

There was also the fact whenever Viktoria spoke the horse-thing moved its own mouth as if mocking her. The girl was unable to run, her eyes transfixed on the sight before her, scared were she to turn her back, to even move she would be pounced upon or worse. Seconds felt like hours until she noticed one small, but no less vital fact that pounded through the fear that clasped her attention.

It was mimicking her, right down to blinking at the same time.

“Oh… this… this is a trick right? Right?” Ignoring the fact her voice broke several times, Viktoria worked hard to convince herself it was merely an illusion of sorts, a magic trick. Emitting a loud laugh she watched the reflection do the same, convincing her she had discovered the truth. “Okay, good one… you all got me… that’s some freaky stuff right there you know?”

Reaching forward she touched the glass as if to prove to herself it was all as she had spoken and there was no creature waiting for her guard to be lowered. Slowly her fingers trailed down the cool and thankfully firm surface, watching as the horse creature did the same with a front hoof. She noticed a few things now the fear was abating somewhat, primarily how the creature looked in an overall feminine way, especially the eyes… but then again they were copies of her own after all, not that she would admit that; that would be admitting she had fallen for this clever illusion. There was also how its mane looked styled like hair, plus the two wings on the back of the beast were a nice touch all things considered.

“Ah, a winged horse? Couldn’t just freak me out with a proper one… no this is great guys… really good joke.” Figuring she owed the others a punch in the arm, a standard gesture of thanks for the wonderful surprise, she attempted to stand only to find that her fingers touching the mirror wouldn’t move.

Turning her head she looked as the mare - as if it was a female horse then that is what it must be - panicked at the same point she was, trying to pull its hoof from the surface as well.

“O-Okay… not funny anymore.” Fear bubbled within the girl’s body as she tugged harder to no avail. Much to her disbelief she watched as her fingernails slowly slipped into the glass, the surface rippling as if it were liquid once again. Any attempt to struggle only led to more of her fingers being sucked in, the pace increasing as with a scream of terror her hand was pulled forcefully through.

“Help! Someone help!” Her frantic cries for help got a few confused retorts from outside until the pulling increased, cold numbness overtaking whatever was already through the surface of the mirror. Tears rolled down her cheeks as Viktoria felt her elbow go in next, her efforts to free herself doing the complete opposite.

Opening her mouth she tried to scream only to be tugged off balance, the motion pulling her inside the mirror fully as she fell into a sea of nothingness. A sliver of light shone above her, within she could barely make out the interior of the house, yet it made no sense, her mind racing for an answer it couldn’t possibly formulate. Reaching to try and access the portal home she instead felt her skin itch prior to aching, her body becoming unresponsive as pain enveloped her.

Viktoria felt agony lance through her skull, along her spine until with a sharp jolt she was blissfully rendered unconscious.

~~~

A soft breeze washed over Viktoria’s hair, teasing the strands as she felt the lingering effects of the nightmare pass. Squeezing her eyelids shut the girl recognised the sensation of grass under her, yet her confused mind struggled with the fact she felt something else, something warm like a soft blanket enveloping her body.

Noticeably her tongue felt thick within her mouth, finding herself unable to move it around the way she desired while her jaw felt decidedly stiff. Continuing to lie upon her side she wondered if she had hit her mouth sometime during the day, yet she didn’t remember doing so. The wind playing over her body was wonderful, relaxing, although that was the point her mind caught up to current events.

Her eyes snapped open as she found herself gazing at a small muzzle pushing from her face, disbelief turning to horror as she saw the brunette fur now covering her explaining the warmth, the nostrils flaring with distress. An attempt to scream was met with her jaws and tongue rebelling, refusing to work as she desired while she kicked awkwardly with her legs, her arms trying to find purchase.

Her body felt strange, alien as she writhed on the grass, eyes wide in absolute panic. Looking at why her arms were refusing to move as desired revealed the reason why; where there should be arms and hands were instead the forelegs of a horse. A strangled groan managed to emanate from her throat, the only sound she could construe as she struggled, tried to get away from this waking nightmare.

“Nnngh!” The sounds she produced were unintelligible, her mouth refusing to work as she remembered it, as it by all rights should still do. Looking over her shoulder, or what should have been a shoulder Viktoria instead saw two wings twitching sporadically, the impulses she felt in her brain making sense now. She was trying to move wings she didn’t even know she had!

Tears rolled down her furry cheeks as she saw her body, her naked yet furred body lying on the grass. She saw the hind legs of an equine along with a long blonde tail protruding from her backside, another explanation for the strange phantom limb she was trying to move. Her mind fought with this information before she tried to stand again only to have her legs rebel and move completely contrary to how she wished them to, ending up stumbling and falling flat onto her altered face.

A strange strangled sob escaped her… her muzzle as she mentally tried to scream it was all a dream. The pain made her very aware that she was only deluding herself; her face clearly aching from where she had smashed it into the ground. For several long minutes she tried to scream out how unfair this all was, to rage, and to gnash her teeth. Nothing but crying and a disgusting slurred sob would emit from her throat, everything about her body feeling off, muscle memory conflicting with her current state.

Unable to do much else she eventually took note of her surroundings through blurry vision once the tears stopped, which in turn found herself near a clear lake of water. Trees grew in the distance and flowers bloomed, which in any other situation she might have found a charming landscape, yet right now Viktoria only desired one thing. Eyeing the lake tantalisingly close she tried to pull herself towards it. She had to know what she looked like, to see if her suspicions were correct.

Unable to get her limbs to work in any operational capacity she instead opted to bend her foreleg, the fetlock bending as she tried to pull herself along. With painful slowness she tugged herself towards the water, dragging her mass along the ground. After a few attempts she gave a cry of pain, something being bent at the wrong angle causing the distress. Looking over herself she saw one of her wings pinned under her body, wincing as she realised at once it was the source of her discomfort.

With fresh tears matting her fur she moved her limbs just enough to push off and free the wing, moving onto her belly instead. Reaching forward with a foreleg, she grit her teeth in frustration, trying to get it to move but having to settle for awkward pawing at the ground once more. Inch by inch she made the distance, her back legs kicking ineffectively, unable to comprehend how they worked with the different bend.

Viktoria was not about to cease her attempts though; despite what was going on she had to know the truth. Slowly, painfully, she made her way to the lake edge, pulling herself to see over the edge. Her mouth moved but only slurred words passed her lips as she took in the reflection gazing back at her. The blue eyes were hers, well the colour was but everything else about them was wrong.

Fresh tears dripped into the water, mercifully disrupting the reflection albeit too late. She knew what she had seen.

The image from the mirror had once again been staring back at her.

She tried to scream but couldn’t, her mouth again rebelling as instead a guttural cry came out, which admittedly was not quite as satisfying as she desired. Instead, defeated she flopped against the grass, tears rolling down the fur upon her cheeks unbidden. Her wing was once more pinned yet she didn’t care, her teeth gritting as she tried to ignore the pain, lashing out at what her body had become.

How long Viktoria rested on the grass she couldn’t say, eventually however she gave in and shifted to free her wing. Regretting her earlier impulsiveness she found herself flexing the feathery limb through much trial and error, trying to ease the painful throbbing. Sniffling afterwards she peered through tears, unable to even formulate how to move an arm, no… foreleg to clear her vision. Another thought pushed through her mind as she blinked rapidly, another cruel twist playing out. She thought her sight had been blurred due to the tears, but now she realised her contacts were absent. An attempt at a bitter laugh instead led to something guttural and in no way close to the desired sound.

Not only was she now a winged horse, but almost as if done with a cruel sense of humor her eyesight remained unchanged and without glasses or contacts the world would remain slightly unfocused. Near-sighted and a feminine pony-creature left in a field by herself and unsure where the closest town was, she wasn’t even sure if in fact she was still within Germany. Yet, Viktoria was not about to just succumb to despair and give up, she had been called many things but a quitter was not one of them. After lying on the grass a little longer she sniffed deeply and struggled to get the essential four limbs under herself.

Several attempts were had but each resulted in her falling back upon her side or stomach. Frustration began to override her fear, her forelegs still felt somewhat like her arms but with the very awkward and uncomfortable feeling much akin to pushing on the tips of her fingers whenever she stood upright. Her rear legs were even worse with the altered bend and a similar situation with the hind-hooves feeling like the tips of her toes. It was overall a balancing act she would have never had to endure as a girl which in turn made it even more confusing in her present situation. Her centre of balance was also completely off but with effort she was learning to use her wings to try and balance.

Several more attempts were given until with shaking limbs she managed to get herself upright. Remaining in such a stance gave her a sense of accomplishment although the daunting task of graduating onto movement was now lurking over the horizon. She couldn’t remain in her current location, she had no clue as to where she was let alone what dangers she might face. Wolves or bears might find her and given her current appearance, no matter how bizarre it looked she would probably be considered a tasty meal for any carnivore.

Pushing aside concerns of why this had happened to her, Viktoria instead grit her teeth and moved her tongue about her mouth. She knew speaking would be difficult, but if she were to prove she wasn’t just a beast she would need to learn. On the grand scale of things at that present moment it was a low priority, first and foremost was to get out of her location and to find civilisation which in turn hopefully would bring help with it.

Moving a limb she tried to turn only to start to topple. Panic set in as she then began to overcompensate and quickly found herself falling, unfortunately in the direction of the water resulting in the cold grip of the lake claiming her. As luck would have it the water was deceptively deep leading the girl turned pegasus to thrash her limbs and wings as she fought to stay above surface. Terror quickly gripped her as she struggled to try and get a foreleg onto the ground tantalisingly close, yet found herself unable to get a firm grip to tug herself up or even to keep afloat.

Further struggling only tired Viktoria out as she felt the icy grip of fear clasp tighter around her heart, the girl’s body slowly sinking as she only accomplished exhausting herself. A final attempted scream for help only managed to create a horrendous muffled sound and a mouthful of water. Viktoria felt herself slowly slipping under the turbulent waters as she realised with cruel certainty that she was going to drown.

Gazing up towards the surface she felt her struggles lessen as her body continued to sink, her lungs aching as oxygen was deprived from within. With her mind reflecting on her life up until that point she certainly did not expect to be saved, not that she was wishing to die. Equally unexpected was her saviour owning two blue-grey forelegs that reached in and grasped her limp fore-hooves. Feeling herself being tugged upwards she broke the lake’s hold only to cough up water while being pulled half onto the grass lining the bank. Her lungs screamed at her, but Viktoria was only grateful for the pain as it reminded her she was still alive. Slowly she calmed herself down, her body recovering as she opened her eyes to see who, or what had saved her.

“Wow, are you okay?”

Viktoria blinked as she took in the sight of two lilac-coloured eyes shining with concern. The blue-grey pegasus that stood before her was as female as she was, pale green hair topped with a pink ribbon as her tail flicked behind reflecting her mood.

“Uuugnh.” Viktoria’s response was less than intelligible as she grit her teeth. The mare, obviously not understanding turned to regard someone else.

“Sis, I don’t think this filly was playing around.”

In the process of ejecting more water with chest-wracking coughs, Viktoria noticed another flying horse hovering in the sky. Being outside the range of her effective vision all she could make out on the mare was the fur colour being similar to the one who had saved her. That and she had spikey mostly white hair with matching tail.

"So... she fell into the lake by standing?" The new arrival sounded understandably perplexed, yet her tone of voice still held concern laced within the obvious bafflement. Viktoria continued to take in large mouthfuls of air, not trusting herself to speak but curious as to why the horses were speaking German. It did thankfully allow her to understand them, if only adding more questions to her attention.

"I... guess so." The one who saved her shifted on hooves before bending down with a warm smile. "Hi, my name is Flitter and this is my sister Cloudchaser... and... oh... you are not okay."

The cheerful tone quickly turned into genuine worry as Viktoria tried to stand with predictable results. Groaning from where she had fallen she saw the two mares share a look, now both close enough to at least have her eyes focus on them.

"She... looks really beaten up." Cloudchaser bit her lower lip as she leaned in, Viktoria not quite comprehending what they were saying. A gentle touch of a hoof to her side garnered a small shiver and whimper as she felt humiliated, confused, scared. "Did... she fall or something?"

The two sisters exchanged glances before the one who had introduced herself as Flitter bent down. "What's your name?"

"Vaah... doooreeeasssshal." Viktoria's attempt was, compared to her earlier tries a remarkable improvement in speaking. Unfortunately it was still largely unintelligible as tears of frustration formed in the corners of her eyes. She tried to slam a hand on the ground and found only a fore hoof awkwardly moving, only increasing her anger.

"I... um... didn't quite catc- ow!" Cloudchaser rubbed her side with a wing from where Flitter's own had struck her prior to the pale-teal maned mare speaking instead.

"It's okay... we'll um... we'll get you someplace safe." Viktoria still could not believe her own form, let alone two other talking winged ponies speaking to her, but the idea of going anywhere not where she currently was sounded appealing. Viktoria eventually managed to give a faint nod of her head, her muscles and body exhausted from the recent trauma. Part of her was also confused as to their apparent concern over her appearance, mention of her altered body looking 'beaten up' causing a slight spark of worry.

Cloudchaser, seeming to wish to make up for whatever had earned her the wing slap bent down and moved with surprising ease to get Viktoria upon her back. While not much smaller than the winged horse carrying her, Viktoria found she was barely a burden to the pegasus as the two sisters engaged in a conversation where to take her.

Drained from her near-death experience, adding onto the trauma of what occurred - mentally along with physically – Viktoria took the time to rest her eyes. Their voices continued to speak but she had stopped paying attention as she felt her exhausted mind grow clouded. Sleep sung its siren song from the recesses of her consciousness and she willingly gave in as the adrenaline drained from her system.

If only to escape the nightmare she had found herself waking into and the body that was not her own.