One More Step.
By Tidepool.
I sat on the roof of our small Cloudsdale home, my mother Sunlit Aura sitting next to me. She is the most beautiful pony I’ve ever laid eyes on. Her Long pastel yellow mane flows freely in the soft breeze and her soft pink coat shines under the setting sun. “And remember Shy, always look ahead. Keep your eyes on the sky. Got it?” I nod and look out into the soft orange sky. Mother and I had been training all day, she wants so badly to teach me to fly again. It’s been two years since the accident, and I long to get back into the sky! To feel the wind rip through my mane and feel it under my wings, helping me to sore through the sky with my mother, the only pony I truly care about.
Well before father passed away, I cared for him too. He was a flight instructor for young fillies and colts, he even taught me! But I was pretty bad at flying and one day… One day he took the whole class out for a fly past the Weather Factory. I was so excited! I had just learned to fly properly so this would be my first real flight, and I felt so privileged to spend it with my beloved father. I didn’t really have any friends in my class other than Daddy but I did always feel so sorry for the little grey Pegasus with the off kilter golden eyes. Her name was Ditzy, though the mean colts called her Derpy. We both despised that name, not saying he real name was much better. But on the day of the flight, the colts were teasing her more than ever. I shakily flew closer to Daddy as the colts made me uneasy. Maybe if I said something, she wouldn’t have flown into the tornado part of the Weather Factory, Maybe she wouldn’t have put the hole in the side of the Factory that released the tornado that flew strait towards me. Maybe if my wings hadn’t snapped shut to my sides, I wouldn’t have begun to plummet to the ground. Maybe if Daddy had been faster, he could have grabbed me sooner, but by the time he had wrapped his body around mine, he knew it was to late to swerve upward back to the clear air only the winged race had the privilege of breathing. The last thing I ever heard him say was “I love you Fluttershy.” Then all I remember after that was the pain of the impact, the shattered left wing and back hooves and the terrible loss of my wonderful father. Not that I blame him, I blame myself. And so I should.
“Fluttershy?” Mother asked tossing her pale yellow mane to the side. “Yes mama?” I replied looking up at her. A single tear escaped and slid down her face despite her best efforts. “Your father would be proud.” I nod again trying my best not to cry to. This is my first time flying since the accident so I can’t afford to be an emotional wreck. Not now, now is the time I shall hopefully take to the skies once again. “And remember flap hard, but not to hard!” Mother yells even though I have only taken two steps to be standing on the edge of our cloud roof. “Ok Mom.”
I take a deep breath then pause. All the memories of Dad teaching me come rushing back, along with a fresh set of tears. It was my fault he died, if I was only a better flyer he wouldn’t have had to save me. He chose me over himself and I have to carry that fact on me every day at age seven. It’s a hard thing to take! I remember being very little and I was curled up right next to him and I asked him what it was like to fly, and his words have stuck to me like glue since then. “Oh Shy, where do I begin! It’s like having freedom and being able to go anywhere! But you’ll stay right here with me right?” He said nudging me and evoking a small giggle as he resumed his explanation. “Flying is the greatest gift I have ever received! I sometimes lie in bed wishing I could be out there under Princess Celestia’s* stars quenching my thirst for flight. And one day my dear you feel the same way. Feel the wind they way I do! Feel the greatest feeling that only us pegasi get the honour of feeling. Flight!”
I couldn’t keep it in anymore, I burst out into a sobbing fit and flung myself into the soft inviting clouds that made up the roof of my homestead. My mother must have guessed what brought on my emotional train wreck as she lay down beside me and cried to, all the while stroking my pastel pink mane and whispering inaudible words into light yellow ear.
Celestia knows how long we stayed like this before Mother picked up my small frail body and dried my tears with her hoof before pushing me right up to the edge of the house. “Just one more step Shy! You can do it. I know you can… Thunder Bolt knows you can.” Mom was hoping that with the mention of my fathers name it would give me the strength I needed to take that one more step before opening my wings to lift off once again. I tried desperately to think of one reason why I should open my wings if I stepped of the roof. Other than my mother, nothing sprung to mind. But she should be enough! If I left, Mother would be all alone. And it would once again be my fault. I couldn’t do that to her. Not again! I erased the dark thoughts from my mind as I said, “How do you know he thinks I can! He probably hates me for making him die!”
“Fluttershy! I will not have that sort of talk in or ON my house! Your father loves you very much and he did what he did because he loves you!”
“You say that like he’s still here!”
Mother stares at me before taking me in for another long hug. “Because he is here.” She whispers motioning to her heart. “And he’s there too!” She says poking me in the chest to causing me to laugh as more tears flow free from my eyes. “Really?” I ask forcing a sad smile onto my face. “Really, Really!” she chokes. Dad used to say that. I let out a huge breath and step right to the edge again looking out into the almost dark sky. If I’m going to prove myself today, it will have to be now. “Come on Fluttershy! Just one more step!” Mother says encouragingly. But it’s not her I want to her who I need to her it from.
As if he had heard my thoughts from worlds away, the voice that haunts my dreams spoke up inside my head. “Fluttershy, one more step. One more step to freedom.” My fathers voice filled me with hope, with the feeling he really was in my heart. With the small amount of zeal I had, I formed one thought as I filled myself with all the courage I could muster. “One more step.”
With that I quickly stepped of the building before I had time to question myself. For a moment everything went quiet, save my Mothers gasp as I stepped out, stepped out and plummeted! I flapped my wings with everything I had forcing them to lift me. I was doing it! For the first time since the accident I had fully realized what flying felt like. Amazing, thrilling and a little scary. But most of all, it feels like freedom! Just as Father said it would. I lifted myself back to the roof as all my previous training from Dad kicked in. I touch and go, then launch my self back up into the air, soaring high above my Mothers head up into Celestia’s stars, just like dad had those years ago!
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10 YEARS LATER…
I stand before my father’s grave as the light breeze blows my pink mane keeping it from my face. “Hi Dad!” I say placing some fresh poppies I grew my self. “I brought Angel again today!” I say as Angel sits down in front of his grave next to me. Angel had little patience for the things I liked to do, but he respected this and enjoyed the journey to the Sky Graves. “Oh you will never guessed what happened this week!” I said getting giddy as I recalled the event to my father. “I went down to Froggy Bottom Bog to release some of my frogs there seeing as my pond had got a little over populated, then a HYDRA of all creatures showed up and chased Twilight, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and I across this canyon! It was so scary! But the scariest part was when Twilight burst into flames when Pinkie Pie said that her Pinkie senses were telling her that the hydra wasn’t the dozey! No, no, no! After Twilights flames had extinguished them selves she said she believed Pinkie about her Pinkie senses… And that was the dozey!” I said to him as I giggled! “Ah well. I’m sorry I have to be so quick today but I’m meeting Mac For lunch. Oh Dad I just know you would approve of him! He’s so hard working and he cares for animals too!” I kissed his grave and silently vowed to make up lost time next week! “Bye Dad!” I said as I fastened Angel into my saddlebag and launched up into the sky feeling the same feeling that always made me think of dad. Freedom.
