Feathered Paths

He awoke lying in a cuddly and warm bed. He had a slight headache and his front hooves were numb. His left wing pulsated and with every beat, he felt a short, piercing pain. He was a little bit dazed and baffled, latter mostly because he could not remember anything what happened last night. He looked around and noticed that the room he was inside was neither a sickroom in a hospital nor a hotel suite, his actual destination. He attempted to rise, but he sunk back into the mellow pillow after the ache in his wing got too intense. He groaned with pain and small drops of sweat appeared on his forehead. Because the butterfly-embroidered blanket, that sheeted him, was sweltering, he uncovered himself and saw that his wing was professionally bandaged and tied to his body to hold the bruised body part as steady as possible. He sighted and looked around the room again.

On his right hoof side stood a bookshelf with a bed table, on his left hoof side he could see a chimney and some little pictures placed on a shelf above it. Directly over his head were some aviaries, but by reason of missing chirp he concluded that they were empty. Actually, it was kind of quiet, what indicated he was not in the center of a town, but rather somewhere outside. The sun shined into the room through the windows behind him and it seemed that it was late morning, what would mean that the room had its windows to the east. Suddenly he sensed how much hunger and thirst he had, but before even trying again to stand up, he heard some noises coming from the other side of the door, which was right in front of him.

The door creaked as she slowly swung open. Hesitant and with caution, a yellow pegasus mare with long rose hair entered the room, carrying a tray with a glass of water and some bread on it. Surprised, her eyes widened as she saw him awake and sitting upright. She hurried to put the tray down on the bed table and then she said: "Oh, you're awake. Fine... I-I just brought you something.. .I-I hope you don't mind it's just... that." Then she slowly stepped backwards with her eyes on the dark-red pegasus stallion with the golden hair and the eighth note as cutie mark, who saved her life. As she closed the door, she whispered a shyly "Thank you!" He was fascinated by her appearance, but he was not sure if he had seen her before. Nevertheless, he was glad she brought him a meal, even such a simple one. He ate and drank and then he fell back into a fitful sleep.

In the next morning, he woke up because he heard flannelly voices coming from below, followed by hoofsteps going upstairs. The door swung open and a doctor entered the room, followed by the yellow mare.

"Alright, here we got our brave hero. Let's take a look at your wing, should we?", said the doctor. The yellow mare looked worried as the doctor carefully took off the bandages. A strong smell of ointment and germicide flooded the room as the doctor examined the wound. Neither the dark-red pegasus stallion nor the yellow pegasus mare were able to look at the lesion, but the doctor worked quick and slick and soon he bandaged the wound again and remarked, that his patient was tough and would be able to leave the bed soon, but have to wait about two months for using his wing again. The doctor said goodbye and left him in the care of the yellow mare.

She giggled and more to herself than to her life-saver she mumbled: "If my friend Rainbow Dash had to do without her wings that long, she would probably die because of boredom."

The dark-red stallion now saw his chance for talking to the pony who seemed to have saved his life: "I...", he cleared his throat, "I wanted to thank you for rescuing me. I wish I could reciprocate in any way. Luna knows what could have happened if you hadn't helped me."

The yellow mare nervously stepped from one forehoof to the other and answered similarly nervous and with a low voice: "Oh, it... it was not me who saved you, it was rather... you who saved me. Without your selfless engagement I... would now have been a timberwolf-snack."

The stallion replied: "Hmm, I can't really remember what happened last night. When I try to think back it's just... fumy. Whatever happened, it must have been a hard fight." He demonstrated his bruised wing to assist his statement and continued: "But let's forget about this, I'm expected somewhere else and I think this...", he pointed at the bed, "...is yours and I won't engross somepony else's property. I thank you for letting me sleep here last night, but I have to go."

The yellow mare frowned and resolved, but with a timid undertone, she said: "No way! You fought against three full-grown timberwolves and... you saved my life. Furthermore you are seriously injured and I can't let you go in that condition! You stay here, in my bed, until you are fully convalesced." She paused for a moment and then, with a coy smile and a beholden look in her eyes, she said courteous: "I'll go to get some paper for you, so you can write a letter to those who await you. You should inform them that you are belatedly because of your injury."

The dark-red pegasus exhaled emphatic - a deep-drawn sigh of surrender as he noticed the mare would not argue in any way about what she said - and gnashed his teeth: "Fine!" The yellow pegasus headed for the door, but before reaching it, the dark-red stallion stated to her long-winded: "Now that I have to stay here for a while, I at least want to know the name of my host."

Totally surprised, the yellow mare was unable to react at first, but after a few moments she mumbled something incomprehensible into her nonexistent beard. The stallion dug deeper: "Pardon me, what did you say?"

She began to speak: "My name is...", but since her voice got lower and lower as she spoke, the dark-red pegasus was again not be able to hear what her name was.

The stallion treaded warily and said: "My dear, you don't have to be afraid of me. Take your time, gather yourself and then tell me."

The yellow mare reconsidered and now, with a more confident voice, she said: "My name..." She made a pause of a few second and continued: "...is Fluttershy."

The stallion repeated her name reverential: "Fluttershy... what a lovely name. I feel honored to meet you, Miss Fluttershy. I'm Soul Harmony."