Monster

“…Stupid, worthless, piece of trash! What kind of pegasus can’t fly?! You know what you are? You’re shit with wings. But since you can’t fly, you might as well just be shit!”

With that last proclamation, Thunder Dancer, or ‘Slammer’—he made sure that everyone knew to call him Slammer—slammed me in the face with his front hoof. I cried out as my vision blurred. I spread my legs apart a little to stabilize myself, but to no avail. A jolt of pain erupted from my left wing, which by now had probably been broken. I closed my eyes in pain and raised a hoof to wipe the blood that was threatening to drip into them.

Suddenly, I felt a force hit me in my face again, and I felt myself fall. I opened my eyes, and gazed into the leering face of Slammer. “You awake yet? Discord, you’re a wuss.”

Awake? Had I fallen unconscious? For how long?! What if I had missed my classes? Would—

My train of thoughts was interrupted by a hoof stepping on my throat. Pawing at the hoof, I saw the world go grey once again and barely heard Slammer’s next few words.

“What a horrible flight accident you just had, right Fluttershy?” he demanded, eyes promising worse if I gave the wrong answer. I did my best to frantically nod, ignoring the pain as my neck chafed against his hoof. Anything to make him go away.

As his hoof left my neck, I inhaled frantically, coughing and sputtering and spewing phlegm everywhere. I knew that if I was watching myself at the moment, I would stop and hide my face from the shame. But right now, all I cared about was precious, precious air.

Forcing myself onto my hooves, I felt my wing twinge as I moved it. We had learned in flight safety training how to diagnose problems with our wings, so I gingerly twitched my wings. As expected, a jolt ran through my left wing. Concentrating, I remembered everything my safety instructor had said, and sighed in relief. It wasn’t broken. My coracoid had probably just snapped out of its socket. Well, that was nothing new. I had received numerous injuries from my various failures at flight. That was the reason Slammer picked on me, after all. Since I hurt myself so often, any more pain he inflicted would just be seen as ‘Clutzershy’ being a dodo again.

I sighed, and braced myself for the pain as I lifted my hoof to help snap the bone back into place. I moved my wing into position, and slowly stretched it up. I heard a pop, and felt pain. So much pain. I could hear screaming as I blacked out again.

I awoke once more. As I mewled in agony, I noticed somepony was talking. My blood froze.

“—admire Fluttershy. Yeah. Admire her. You know why? Cuz she’s not you, you sniveling wreck. Look at you! You’re a bucking colt! You make the rest of us look bad! No wonder the alicorns are all mares with candy ass talentless schmucks like you around.”

I heard a loud smack, and the sound of sobbing. I held perfectly still, pretending to still be unconscious, and hoping that he hadn’t heard me earlier. Go away go away go away go away go away go away GO AWAY!

“You know, I left Fluttershy on the floor there. And I hate her. But I hate you more. So you tell me. What do you think I’m gunna do to you?”

A crunch. Then a scream.

“STOP!” I heard someone say, and then promptly realized that I had said it. I was on my hooves, glaring at Slammer. I faltered as I realized that Slammer had hit me so hard that I had become suicidal. Next I’d find myself jumping off clouds and challenging Celestia to a duel.

Slammer grinned, his crooked teeth glinting in the morning light as he once again threw a punch at the colt he was bullying. “Stop what Clutzershy?”

I took a breath. In for a bit, in for a beating. “Stop hurting him. Um,” I hesitated, before feebly making out, “If you don’t mind.” I shook my head and spoke up. “It’s not nice.”

Slammer clutched his sides as he roared with laughter. He struggled for air amidst his own sick merriment. “Not nice?” he made out between gasps and chortles. As quick as it had started, his laughter stopped. A grim look appeared on his face, and he lifted up the colt he was bullying.

I paused and looked at the colt. He was brownish, with black hair and freckles. He looked to be about my age, but half my size, with an even smaller wing size to match. I had seen him before around flight camp. I think he might have even been in one of my classes, but I had never spoken to him. I didn’t even know his name. I was throwing my life away for someone I didn’t even know the name of. Maybe Celestia had possessed me and I now had super strength to fight bullies with? I certainly didn’t feel any stronger. In a fit of absurdity, I kicked the cloud I was standing on. I didn’t even leave a mark.

My introspection came to an end, as I realized that Slammer was choking the mystery colt, and said colt was turning blue. “Yeah. Just slink away, ya slimy shit. You got nothing on me, and you’re always gonna be a loser. You ain’t saving anypony, Daring Don’t.”

I must have blacked out again, but this time it was a red out because my vision turned red this time. I found myself pushed up against Slammer, snarling and biting with reckless abandon. I looked into his eyes and saw fear. At first I thought he was afraid of me, but then he grabbed me, and I felt myself falling… falling… falling.

Most of the fall was a blur. I remember grabbing onto him out of fright, but being pushed away. I remember watching him struggle to flap his wings, but ultimately spiral out of control along with me. I remember watching the ground come closer, only to have my view blocked by a swarm of the most beautiful, colourful creatures I had ever seen. I remember being caught by those creatures. And I remember that as I delicately stepped out of my saving grace into such an amazing land of wonders that I almost burst into song, I turned my head and saw Slammer’s bloody body impaled in a nearby tree.