The Mare of Everfree Lake

by Gordon Freepony

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Spitfire, Fleur de Lis, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Soarin, Sad, Romance, Original Character, Rainbow Dash
Length: 7239

Soarin' falls in love with a kelpie named Dulset Tarn.

Soarin' has made a name for himself as a member of the Wonderbolts alongside his partner and team captain, Spitfire. Fame, however, comes with a price: with mares coming after him for his money, any chance of finding true love goes out the window. One day, while seeking time to be alone to lament his desire for a mate, he meets who just might be Equestria's most beautiful pony. He falls in love with her almost instantly, but there is so much more to this mare than meets the eye.

This is my first published fan-fiction so commentary and opinions are appreciated!

Warning: This story contains sensual sequences that may not be appropriate for younger readers. Use of alcohol exists but is infrequent. Strong language also exists in moderate frequency. Reader discretion is advised.

Published 2012-01-12 11:37:39 UTC
Last updated 2012-05-29 19:46:12 UTC

Chapter 1: Siren Songs

Chapter One: Siren Songs

The crowd was cheering wildly in the stands as the pegasi zoomed along the cloud track. It was the day of the Wonderbolts Derby and many ponies from across Canterlot had come to witness the event. Even Princess Celestia herself was in attendance, watching in anticipation from a balcony above the rowdy populus below. Many were shouting praise of their favorite athlete while the occasional few were arguing about bets placed before the race. It was amazing that anyone could hear the ponies advertising the peanuts and cola that walked amongst the stands. In that regard, the city's nobles that were in attendance were much more fortunate, having populated the private club level rooms above the track and away from the crowd.

Meanwhile, down on the track, The Wonderbolts were focused on only one objective: the finish line. Spitfire held a steady lead, but Soarin' wasn't more than a few inches behind, fighting as hard as possible to at least gain a lead on his team captain. He could hear the shouts of the crowd growing louder now. The race was in its final lap. Soarin' gave the adrenaline full control over his body as he pushed to make it to the pole position.

5...

He and Spitfire were inches apart in distance and closing.

4...

They rounded the final turn together and entered the home stretch.

3...

Spitfire flashed him a look of confidence...or was it cockiness? Nevertheless, the gap continued to close.

2...

Soarin's could feel is wings burning instensely with lactic acid and his heart thudded against his ribs in strenuous effort.

1...

Sorain' shut his eyes and forced his wings to pump just a few more times before...

*FLASH*

Cameras clicked as the pegasi shot across the finish line at blinding speed, sending the crowd into a frenzy of excitement. Snacks and hats were thrown up into the air as the fans celebrated the event's ending. The nobility treated the race's end like a golf tournament, lightly clapping their hooves with faces that seemed to show indifference. A small few ponies were either groaning in defeat or crying because they lost a nicely sized chunk of bits at the betting booth. One could only hope that they learned a valuable lesson about gambling today.

Once they came off the adrenaline rush, the pegasi landed and prostrated themselves before Princess Celestia. She gestures for them to rise. "Thank you all for participating in this year's Wonderbolts Derby! I am proud to be here today and witness the fruits of your labors on the practice field." A stadium official trots up from behind and gains the Princess' attention with a poke on the shoulder; faint whispering could be heard after she leaned down to his level. A few moments later, she turns to the team. "It appears that we might have a draw on our hooves this year! This doesn’t happen too often!"

Soarin' froze and thought to himself, "A draw? How could it have been a draw? I could have sworn..."

"I must join the referee to review some photographs taken at the finish. I shall return with the verdict in a few moments" They disappear together into a booth and closed the curtain behind them. Meanwhile, Soarin' was sweating bullets and silently praying that he was victorious. "Come on, I have to have gotten it!" Come on...!"

The longest five minutes of Soarin's life passed by and the Princess returned with a small grin on her face"Our first place winner in this year's Wonderbolts Derby goes to...Spitfire!" He had failed; his expression sank a bit, but quickly reverted to his poker face.

The entire stadium erupted into applause at the announcement. Confetti fell from above and showered the team in colors from across the spectrum. The top three racers took their places on the tiered pedestal before the grandstand and Celestia appeared with a box containing their reward for a sport well played. She floated a gold medal over to Spitfire and lowered it onto her neck; the same was done for Soarin', who recieved the silver medal for second place, and White Vortice, the third place recipient of the bronze medal. All three respectfully bowed down to the Princess and took a few moments to wave at their adoring fans before returning to their locker room.

<============================================>

"Dammit." Soarin' could be heard stripping his flight suit off and tossing it into his locker. "I can't believe I missed it by that much."

His captain was hanging her goggles and suit up in her locker as he spoke. "Oh, come on, buddy. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You did your best and that's what matters."

"My best isn't good enough." He shuts his locker in disappointment. "I'm getting better, but I'm still not there yet...I have to keep pushing further."

A silence pervades the atmosphere between them.

"...so you agree, then?"

Spitfire sighs. "Look. No one is ever perfect at what they do. Hell, even the Princesses are prone to making mistakes at some point or another. It's good to set goals for yourself, but you're selling yourself short. The pony everyone around you sees, especially the mares, is so much more than what you feel you are! Don't let mistakes tear you down." Mentioning the word "mares" sunk his already poor mood even further and he became quiet again. They eventually packed up their belongings and made their way back onto Canterlot's streets; no words passed between them as they trotted together under the lampposts, whose glow were mere candles to the lights of the towering buildings above.

The blue pegasus was the first to break the silence. "...I don't know about you, but I'm gonna go grab a drink before heading home."

"Is this your way of asking me out on a date?" Giggling ensued.

He facehoofs at Spitfire's attempt at humor and gives her a hard glare. "Please don't do this to me, we've been over this before and I'm not interested. Besides, you're my boss...it wouldn't be right."

"Can you at least TRY to pretend that was funny?"

Soarin's expression shifts back from annoyance to disappointment. "...I'm sorry...really. I know you're different from the majority, but I'm sick of mares following me around because they want to marry into money...I just wish for a single pony who would look beyond that and see me for who I am.”

A pat on the back could be felt as Spitfire tries to comfort her partner. "I know the right one is out there for you...who knows? Maybe she's even looking for you." With nothing more to say, she takes off into the upper levels of the city, leaving the upset pegasus to his own devices.

<============================================>

The Bronze Kettle was a popular bar and restaurant in Canterlot, commonly attracting the more elite crowd due to its high prices and entrées of small proportions. It was here that the Wonderbolt made his way to so he could relax after a less than satisfying afternoon. He sat himself down at the far end of the bar and leaned his head on his hoof. The barpony, having seen Soarin’ come here frequently in a sour mood, recognizes him and serves up the usual glass of Eisen on the rocks with a single cherry submerged within the alcohol. “Thanks...” He takes a sip of his drink and sighs, tracing his hoof along the edge of the glass.

Not even ten minutes after arriving at the bar, a feminine voice featuring a thick accent made itself known. “Ah…I see the great Wonderbolt named Soarin’ has reduced himself to drowning his sorrows in a strong drink~.” It was Fleur De Lis, a pony mare who commonly associated herself with the likes of nobles like Fancy Pants and Prince Blueblood on many an occasion. She was skinny and slightly tall relative to the average mare, but exceedingly attractive. Her milky fur was accented by a short baby pink mane and a cutie mark of three “fleurs,” as they were called, that adorned her flanks.

He shrugs. “I hardly drink enough to get even remotely wasted.”

“I couldn’t help but notice that you are alone here~.”

“That’s the point. I don’t exactly want to be around anyone right now.”

“It’s about the race this afternoon, isn’t it? I was there this afternoon and saw you lost to your partner by a small margin.”

“Don’t remind me.” Without moving his chin from his hoof, Soarin’ blinks and turns his eyes towards Fleur. “Why are you here?”

She faces away and bats an eyelash at him. “I figured you could use some…pleasant company, dear.”

“It’s appreciated, but I would rather not.”

A hoof snakes around Soarin' as Fleur pulls their bodies close together. "Even so, I'm sure that you were handsomely rewarded for your efforts this afternoon. A pony with your accomplishments deserves something grand~."

“…that’s it.” He removes her hoof from his shoulders and leaves the payment for the Eisen on the bar before going out of the restaurant.

Fleur sat wide-eyed in surprise at Soarin’s reaction. Stallions never turned down her advances in the past. “W-wait…where are you going? Was it something I said?”

Soarin' departed from the restaurant without a word in return and darted off into the twilight sky. He had no particular direction in mind...as long as it was away from Canterlot and ponies like Fleur whose hearts were in their checkbooks. "What's the point of it all? How in Celestia's name am I supposed to find love in money? It just doesn't work like that.” His flight lasted for much longer than he anticipated, being that he was distracted by his own thoughts. To his chagrin, he had wandered over the Everfree Forest “Aw, damn.” As Soarin’ changed his heading to return home, a peculiar sound caught his ear…

"Huh? Is that...music?" It was indeed music. A simple melody that floated through the air and managed to catch his attention. He flew over the forest canopy in search of the voice's origin until he found a place where the trees opened up into a large clearing where a lake sat undisturbed by ponykind. The voice was at its loudest here...whoever was singing couldn't be too far off now. He turned his head about in all directions unable to pinpoint the source of that song...until he saw her.

A mare sat on her haunches while gazing upon the crystalline surface of the lake, occasionally disturbing it by touching it with her hoof. Her seafom-colored body seemed to have just the right curves in just the right places. The ruby-colored eyes seemed to shine brighter than the stone itself. Her mane shared the same shade as her body while sporting streaks of deep green that almost resembled kelp. Her skin appeared smooth to the touch, unblemished by time and free of a cutie mark. Soarin's heart was being tugged and hard. He had begun to fall for her. "She's...beautiful..."

The mare turned to the frozen pony and smiled.

"I see you are enjoying my song~!"

"Y-yeah...that was amazing..."

She giggled at his struggle to respond. "May I ask who my audience was today~?"

"Soarin', m-ma'am..."

"Such a gentlepony! I've never been referred to as that before. Now for me to introduce myself!" With a curtsy, she continues. "My name is Dulset. Dulset Tarn. It's a pleasure to meet you, Soarin'." Dulset stands again and pauses before walking over to him, giving his well-toned body a once over with what seemed to be a wanting expression. "My, you seem to be a strong, valiant pony. What do you do for a living~?"

He manages to gain some confidence in his speech and puts some pride in his stance. Now they were talking his language! "I am a member of the acrobatic flight team called the Wonderbolts. We do a number of shows across Equestria together along with an occasional race in Canterlot."

"Ah! An athlete and a performer! Quite a combination..." She leans in close to his face with a half-lidded gaze, her warm breath gently brushing past his cheeks in an almost teasing way. "...don't you agree~?"

And Soarin's attempt to improve his posture went out the window as his wings almost instantly stiffened up at her flirtatious behavior. Being a stallion with a sense of self control, he managed to force his wings back down against his sides.

"I thought you would!" Dulset walks past him towards the edge of the water while swaying her flank, causing her tail to brush up against his chin. Once more, his wings shot up into the air and turned rock solid. “Now let’s see if you can back that up~!”

"Back what up? Saying that I'm a good flier?"

"Yep! By flying me over the forest. I wanna be able to see all of it from up above~!"

The pegasus could only shrug. It was a small request. A flight over the forest? A cake walk. He kneels down so that Dulset could climb onto his back. She happily obliges and hoists herself up, wrapping her forelegs around his neck and her hind legs around his waist. "Are you ready, Dulset?" A simple nod tells Soarin' what he needs to know. With a few powerful flaps of his wings, he goes airborne, hovering over the surface of the lake. He makes a few laps around the lake to warm up his wings and adjust himself for carrying his passenger, who impatiently taps his shoulder.

"Come on! I thought we were gonna fly OVER the forest!"

He chuckles and pulls his goggles down over his eyes. "Oh, you'll get more than that~." Without warning, he shoots off into the sky at blinding speed. His charge clung on for dear life to keep from falling off, but as soon as she looked down at the land below, she was immediately overtaken by the natural splendor Equestria had to offer. Directly below them was the sprawling canopy of the Everfree Forest, which faded and turned into vast meadows. All of the nearby burg of Ponyville could be seen a short distance from there as well. Gazing above and beyond the forest, Dulset's eyes widened at the sight of the cities that dotted the horizon. Soarin' made a final pass over the lake heading west, where Duslet got to see Celestia's setting sun in all of its glory and no trees for it to hide behind.

Eventually, it was time to land. Soarin' touched down at the shore of the lake and folded in his wings to allow Dulset to disembark. And by disembark, I mean stumble onto the grass while recovering from an adrenaline rush. "That...was...amazing~!"

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. After all, flying is my special talent.”

“I’m glad that we were able to have a good time together~.” She flashed him a wink that made her ruby eyes glitter. Soarin’ wasn’t able to look away, entranced by her natural splendor. “Why don’t you come back tomorrow so we can have some more fun together, hm~?”

“Uh,” he struggles to keep from being distracted and composes himself so he could respond. “Yeah...t-that would be cool!”

Dulset plants a soft kiss on his lips and whispers "I'll be waiting for you right here, Soarin'..."

His face turns beet red under his sky blue fur at the moment their lips made contact. What was left of his partially stolen heart was gone now...gone and in Dulset's hooves. Soarin' gives her a grin before flying off into the dusk and to his home back in Canterlot.

This was gonna be an interesting story for the team to hear.

<============================================>

DISCLAIMER: None of the material presented in the preceding fanficition belongs to me. "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" is trademarked by Hasbro, Inc along with all respective characters, settings, etc. The original character "Dulset Tarn" was used with the explicit written permission of her creator/Ponychan roleplayer, Kanumani. This fan fiction is being edited and proofread by JuyUnseen, Kamunami, and MatthewMissouri; this chapter is a "beta release" to observe reader response.

Chapter 2: Waking Up

A/N: Thanks so much for the positive reviews on Chapter One! Now that I'm motivated to write Chapter Two: Waking Up, I wanted to quickly give two notes. (1) Because of school and the need to heavily edit my work for the fic, new chapters will be coming out about once a week or less if I'm lucky. (2) With regards to this chapter, the later part gets towards the cheeky territory so if you don't like that kind of thing, don't say I didn't warn you! Now on with the show!

<=============================================>

Chapter Two: Waking Up

“I’ll be waiting for you right here, Soarin’…”

Those words rung through his head ever since they left Dulset’s mouth yesterday evening at the lake. Every time they did, his longing for the mysterious mare became stronger. Multiple times, he tried to force them out of his brain; those simple words wound up coming back with a vengeance, further fueling the desire within him to see her again. Damn ironic processing.

Later the next afternoon, Soarin’ made his way to the training grounds behind Canterlot Castle. For the most part, the area was just an empty field save for ankle and wrist weights and water canteens under a tent. It almost seemed as if the budget was quite small, but the reality was that the pegasi didn't need much equipment for their practice sessions together. Having to carry around little equipment was considered a blessing for many of them. The team was already lined up near the tent preparing to perform the routine for next week's show. Many of them were jogging in place or doing stretches. He joins them in the line and does stretching excercises of his own starting with his wings and back.

"I'll be waiting for you right here, Soarin'..."

There they come again. He stopped in mid-stretch as Dulset's voice tickled his mind for the upteenth time today and sighed. Once ready, Spitfire took her position in front of the team. "Alright, boys. This is our last review for the week. We need to go over the entire routine from top to bottom so we can get the kinks ironed out for the show in Ponyville next week. I expect to see no mistakes coming from you guys during the live performance. Do I make myself clear?" All of the team members nodded in unison except for Soarin', who seemed to be in a daze before coming back to reality and mumbling in agreement. She simply raised an eyebrow at his reaction and shoved it off. "Good. Now let's do this!" The Wonderbolts then took to the air in a V-formation and began their practice run.

After finishing the routine with the occasional pause to review mistakes and change up their tricks, the team finally called it a day and took a beeline straight to the tent where their water canteens lied in wait. Fleetfoot was the first one to attack the precious commodity; the others followed suit moments later, downing the icy water and dumping the remainder on their burning foreheads. While the others were busy with colling down and rehydrating, the team captain was observing her charge. Soarin' hadn't even touched his canteen despite his evident exhaustion. He just sat on the bench oblivious to the heat and inappropriate conversations that took place between the other team members. The expression on Soarin's face never showed any sadness, but rather a sense of longing. Before long, she approached him asking, “Hey, Soarin’. Can I talk to you for a minute in private?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Spitfire leads him a short ways from the tent and out of earshot of the others while they chatted idly about everything from partying to future gigs. She then turns to him with a concerned expression. “I won’t lie, Soarin’…something is on your mind and it’s bugging you through all of practice. I can tell. What’s up with you today?”

“Nothing important, I guess. It’s just…I can’t stop thinking about her.”

"Her?" Now THAT was news. Soarin’ distracted by a mare? Of the hundreds of times he had to fight off the gold-diggers and superfans, not once was his mind ever romantically drawn towards them. Not to mention that incident with the rainbow-maned pony last year at the Grand Galloping Gala…total disaster. Spitfire had to force her jaw to stay in place or else risk it falling off her face in surprise. "Who...?"

“Her name is Dulset Tarn. I had met her last night after a long flight--”

Raucous laughter could be heard coming from the tent. Apparently, one of the team members was recalling a night of partying on the town that left him in some penthouse with a celebrity he didn’t remember going home with. “…as I was saying, she's...unlike any mare I met before! She was very sweet and. And her voice? Aw damn, that voice...so...beautiful! I would be content to just lay back and listen to her sing all night long."

Spitfire could only laugh at his fawning over the new special pony is his life. "Sounds like somepony got bitten by a lovebug~."

"You could say that."

"Didn't I tell you that the right one was out there somewhere?"

Soarin' chuckled. "That you did, that you did."

"Do you plan on doing anything special for her."

"Kinda..........wait a minute, what time is it?

"Uh, about half past five. Why?"

5:30? The day was already almost gone! What if Dulset wasn't going to wait for him? Well, that was a chance he didn't want to take. He stripped out of his flight suit and threw it against the nearby bench. "Dammit! I've promised her that I would go back to see her again today! I'm sorry, but I need to go!" With that, he took off into the sky at breakneck pace, searching for the mare he had fallen hard for. Spitfire merely watched him go with a smile on her face.

"Go get her, bud."

<=============================================>

The day was drawing to a close and Celestia's sun had set, making way for the coming gibbous moon. Soarin' had been flying for over an hour now with only one thing in mind: Dulset Tarn. Images of her ruby eyes and supple body flitted about his mind, constantly teasing him along the way there. “I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. I’ve gotta find her…” Not a moment too soon, he could hear a familiar song coming from near the lake he found the prior day. "That wonderful voice...that's got to be her!" He touches down by the lake's shore and looks around for Dulset, who he quckly discovered was lounging around on the water. Her body appeared to give off a soft glow from the moonlight reflecting off of her smooth, wet skin.

"I've been waiting for you Soarin'!" She walks out of the water with a swagger in her step, swaying her hips from side to side along the way. As Dulset makes her way towards her admirer, she hums the melody from before, but with a dropped key and shuffle rhythm, giving it a much more sultry vibe. This new sound was tugging at Soarin's heart strings with an even tighter grip than before. "It's been sooo long since we've been together~."

"If you call a single day a long time, then yes," he chuckled.

"You don't know how long it feels when I'm separated from you..." She slowly wraps her hooves around his neck, her voice dripping with desire. "All I wanted is you, Soarin'... " Dulset's eyes meet his in a half-lidded stare, leaving him frozen on the spot where he stood. "Now that have you...I couldn’t be happier..."

Her eyes drift closed as she presses her muzzle against his in a slow, deep kiss. He melted in her hooves almost instantly as he returned her kiss with passion and longing. Her lips sent a pleasantly relaxing sensation across his body that reminded him of being submerged in warm water, merely floating about without care. Soarin' brought a hoof behind her and pulled her body closer to himself, deepening the kiss even further. The two held that embrace for only moments that to him felt like an eternity.

Dulset eventually breaks away from the kiss with a lusty look that left the pegasus literally panting for more. “Do you want me, my dear stallion?”

Overcome by the mental fog of his primal urges, he barely nods his head in agreement.

She leans into his ear and whispers, “Tell me…tell me just how much you want me.”

“I want you more than anything…I would give anything just to be with you…”

“Anything?” Her crimson eyes seemed to glitter about in the moonlight, further drawing Soarin’ into her emotional grasp.

“…yes…please…I want you so much, Dulset…I need you...”

With a giggle, she offers up a suggestion. "What do you say we go for a swim together? Just the two of us? I’m sure you would enjoy that~." She walked into the water with her flank swaying slowly from side to side to draw in his eyes. Once about neck-deep, she turned around and gestured with a hoof for Soarin' to join her. His body ran on autopilot, walking itself from his spot along the shore to where Dulset was floating in the lake. While this was happening, something odd occurred to him: why would she want to swim? Sure the lake was a romantic setting, but what sense does it make to have a make-out session IN a lake when they had already started right there on the shore? It didn't really matter in the end, he realized. Soarin' was head over hooves for this mare and as long as they were together, their present location was irrelevant.

Not more than a minute later, the two were floating together on the water and once more engaged in a heated make-out session, their bodies grinding against each other in a deeply-rooted passion. "And now you're mine~..." A devilish smile crept up her face as Dulset's gentle kisses along her stallion's neck turned into long, sensuous licks along his cheekbone, stretching to the tip of his ear. Shivers of pleasure shot up Soarin's spine with every stroke of the tongue. With each lick she would flick her tongue at the tip of his ear and cause him to moan lightly. She licked her lips then did something...rather unusual. Dulset wrapped her gaping mouth around Soarin's skull and…sucked on it like a lollipop? "Wait a minute," Soarin' thought, "How could a pony open their mouth that--HOLY SHIT, why does feel so good?!" He found himself whimpering in ecstasy at this new sensation and writhed about in her hooves desiring only to be closer to her.

Any offhoof observer could say that he could die right now because it wouldn’t get any better than this. If there was one here...he wouldn’t have been more right. Without ever breaking their embrace, Dulset starts dragging him underwater where he had no choice but to hold his breath. That alone was a challenge when he was already struggling to keep his composure under this level of intense pleasure. Then…she began to change. Dulset’s form distorted and her skin darkened to a green shade like that of algae. The whites of her eyes disappeared and turned completely blood red. For but a moment, Soarin’ opens his eyes and catches a glimpse of what was happening. The seduction…the odd behaviors…the transformation…everything clicked in his brain and he instantly went into full panic mode.

"Shit! I need to get out of here! I CAN'T DIE!" His mind commanded his body to try and move against the debilitating pleasure that held the reigns. When he did regain control over his movements and fought to escape, he encountered and even more troubling fact: the mare’s skin was stuck to him like glue. There was really no way out. In a last ditch attempt to escape her clutches, he desperately threw his wings open as hard as possible. Luck had it that the force was strong enough to undo the adhesive bonds and force her hooves apart. "Yes!" The...creature...that was Dulset quickly realized its prey had gotten itself loose and emitted a low roar of frustration and swam after Soarin'.

Chases weren't usually a problem for the pegasus, but the water proved to be a serious disadvantage. Nearly passing out from a lack of air, he barely makes it out of the water and into the air. Only barely. Dulset was floating in the lake in her disturbing form giving Soarin another enraged roar. "Get away from me, you fucking monster! GO AWAY!" He then shot into the trees where he weaved in between their branches in an effort to lose her. The distinct lack. "I need to get the hell out of here! I can't let--"

*WHACK*

A thick branch met his face at high speed, causing the pegasus to flip through the air uncontrollably before slamming his back against a tree trunk. He then fell to the forest floor and lay there for a few moments in a daze before finally slipping out of consciousness. He may not have realized it before, but this horrifying encounter was only the beginning of something new...

<=============================================>

Dulset was laying alone at the edge of the water in silence, thinking about what had happened this afternoon. Her prey got away; nothing unusual, but her heart was troubled by Soarin's words. They were a reminder of who she was. A seductress. A carnivore. An animal. She let her head hang low as she let out a soft, depressed whimper.

"I'm not a monster...am I...?"

<=============================================>

DISCLAIMER: None of the material presented in the preceding fanfiction belongs to me. “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” is trademarked by Hasbro, Inc along with all respective characters, settings, etc. The original character “Dulset Tarn” was used with the explicit written permission of her creator/Ponychan roleplayer, Kamunami. This work is currently under review by JuyUnseen, Kamunami, Cyanide, and MatthewMissouri and is pending edits in the near future.

Chapter 3: Damage Control

A/N: I want to apologize to all of you readers out there. This past five months have been hectic with school and family issues. Projects and multiple hospital visits became my priority for the time being and the fic took the back burner. I want you all to know, though that this fic is NOT dead in the water! It will be continued through the summer in direct collaboration with Kamunami. Again, I’m sorry for the horrible delay and I hope you enjoy future chapters.

<============================================>

Chapter 3: Damage Control

Celestia’s morning sun shone through the thick canopy that covered the Everfree Forest. Little pinpricks of light occasionally made their way to the forest floor, barely enough to light the weed-covered ground. There were scattered tree branches hanging low over the shallows, but the rest of the lake was laid bare before the sky, allowing the sun’s rays to shine down through the water and pierce the darkness that shrouded the lake bed. At the bottom lay Dulset Tarn, who slept soundly with her head resting on a small rock.

The heat of the sun gently warmed the delicate creature and roused her from sleep. Her eyes slowly opened to the partially dimmed light of the lake bed. With a small kick of the hoof, she turned over onto her back and yawned, stretching out her legs to eliminate that morning stiffness in her joints. Dulset lazily floated up to the surface of the lake, squinting for a few moments as she allowed her ruby colored eyes to adjust to the morning light. She made a content sigh before she heard a low rumble from her stomach. It took a moment to remember that her most recent prey had gotten away.

“Tch, I can’t believe I messed up that catch... I should have been holding on tighter...”

Dulset swam over to the shore and pulled herself out of the water. It took her some effort being that she wasn’t quite in shape. She wasn’t overweight by any means, quite the opposite, but she never exactly matched up to the average pony in strength. Upon stepping onto the grassy shore, she took a moment to let the excess moisture slide off of her body before beginning to make her way toward the nearby town of Ponyville, in hopes of bringing back a fine meal to make up for yesterday’s... incident.

On the way there, Dulset recalled the events of the prior evening clearly. The pegasus had been putty in her hooves until he saw her normally hidden form. Sure, it was disappointing that he’d gotten away, but that insult. That insult! Not once did a pony ever call her such a thing to her face! Even now, Soarin's words still stung her on the inside. She shook her head and mumbled to herself. “I’m not a monster... I would never cause a pony suffering! I mean, I’ve made ponies happier in their last moments than they’ve ever been in their entire lives! Who is he to say that I’m some kind of... senseless beast?” With her nose to the air, she stubbornly continued to trot through the woods. However, she failed to notice the the long, round object that lay in her path. “I hope he--OOF!”

She tripped over the object and face-planted right into the moist ground, causing her face to appear spotty and brown. Duslet struggled to bring herself up and wiped the dirt off of her face in frustration. “Hey, what in the world wa--” She stopped and gasped. Laying against the base of a worn oak tree was an unconscious Soarin’. His wings were bent in directions no wing should ever bend and his flight suit was stained with blood and small spots of drool. Dulset could hardly stand to look at him in such a painful-looking condition. It appeared that he was hardly breathing at all; as she rushed to his side, she could barely hear the pegasus making regular, shallow breaths. “Soarin’!”

She knelt down next to him and nudged him in the side with a hoof. Nothing. She tried gently shaking him, but still to no avail. After multiple attempts to rouse the Wonderbolt, she gave up with a frustrated sigh. She sat at his side without a word and laid his head down in her lap, worriedly stroking his deep blue mane and humming softly. Another fifteen minutes passed by before Soarin’s eyes slowly fluttered open, appearing unfocused and dazed. “Urrrggghh...”

She worriedly exclaimed, “S-Soarin’! Are... are you alright...?”

He tried to lean forward and sit up. “...I don’t...I don’t feel right--AAAAAAAGGGH!!!” He recoiled in pain and quickly lay his head back against her lap.

Dulset cringed when she heard his agonized yell. “A-are you dying??”

His only response was a drawn out groan as his face contorted in severe pain.

She couldn’t bear to see him in such agony. Considering her natural abilities, she tried to think of some possible way to help. “Umm, I-I’ll sing you to sleep, so it won’t hurt anymore, okay?”

“...wait, what...? SING me to sleep? I need help!” He stopped for a few moments to register whose lap he was lying in. He turned visibly pale when it clicked in his brain just who he was speaking with. “Y-you...you...!”

Dulset’s eyes narrowed at him, almost certain as to what word he’s looking for.

Something else occurred to Soarin’: she didn’t make a single attempt to consume him during this conversation. “I...I thought you wanted to eat me...! Why are you suddenly trying to make me feel better?!”

She looked away a bit. “I-I found you here hurt and... w-well, I can’t stand seeing ponies in pain...”

The pegasus blinked. “...that’s so backwards. You mean to tell me that--NNNNGGH!!!” He winced in obvious distress and bit his lip to hold back a yell before speaking again. “...I was almost your dinner...and now you suddenly want me to be healed...?”

“Hey, maybe I eat ponies, but...” She mumbled, “I’m not a monster...”

Soarin’ sensed the change in tone at the word “monster” and recalled the prior evening. Yes, he did indeed call her that. “If you’re no monster...then what in Celestia’s name are you...?” Before letting her answer, he shook his head, not wanting to think of the possibilities. The motion caused his back and wings to feel worse and he cringed in her lap. “Whatever, that’s not important. I need to find medical help now!”

Dulset became more and more uncomfortable with the situation. “Um, um, there’s a pony town a few minutes away! I-is that okay?”

“That’s fine, that’s fine! Just get me there!” Poor Soarin’ struggled to stand, grunting in pain and biting his lip to try and hold it back.

By the time Dulset realized the curtness of his demand and how strenuous it would be to help him lug himself all the way to Ponyville, she had already helped him up and was slowly trudging off with him. She grunted and said, “You’re... kind of heavy for a pegasus...”

He gives her a dry chuckle as they mustered their way through the forest. “I’m not that heavy. Just be glad it’s muscle and not fat.”

Under normal circumstances for Dulset, a one-way trip to Ponyville was no more than twenty minutes. Unfortunately, she had to take on the burden of an injured pegasus, which increased the travel time by nearly three-fold. Soarin’s distressed grunts and occasional swears made the journey even harder on her. Upon finally arriving into town, they saw very few ponies walking the grass-covered streets. Of the ones that did pass by, less than half of them offered to help carry Soarin’ to the local clinic.

They eventually reached the clinic and stepped inside. The waiting room itself was spick and span with a few rows of chairs lining the left wall. Between the hallways to the two wings was an information and check-in desk where Nurse Redheart was seen organizating patient records. She peered up from her work and her attention immediately shifted to Soarin’s wrecked wings and bleeding back as Dulset laid him down on a nearby chair. She rose from her desk and rushed to their side, urgently asking, “What happened?!”

Dulset replied in confusion, “You tell me! I found him like this in the Everfree Forest!”

The nurse gave her a questioning look when mention of the forest was made, but shook it off before pulling the injured pony onto a gurney. Three more doctors and faculty appeared and rolled him off towards the emergency room, shouting orders and calling for various medications whose names would be impossible to pronounce for most. Dulset raised her hoof as if to protest. “Wait! Where are you taking him? Is he going to be okay?”

One of the surgeons stopped along the way to explain, “He’s going to be alright, miss. He’s being taken into the OR for surgery right now so we can assess the damage and make all of the needed repairs.”

She warily raised an eyebrow. “‘S-surgery’? What does that mean?”

The doctor rolled his eyes. How could she not know what he meant? “It means we’re going to open him up, secure the damaged skeleton, and stop any internal bleeding that we can’t yet see.” Dulset couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of the pegasus like that. He gave her an encouraging smile and continued, “I promise you, though, that he is in the safe hooves of highly trained professionals. Your husband will be alright in the end.”

“T-thank you, I-... wait, did you say ‘husband?’” Before she could finish speaking, the surgeon had already headed into the operating room with the others. She saw little purpose in staying any longer and was preparing to leave, but it didn’t sit right with her knowing the poor pony was still suffering. Dulset sighed then took a seat in the waiting room to quietly wait out the surgery in hopes that he would recover quickly. “Please be okay...”

<=============================================>

A pegasus could be heard shooting across the sky over the practice field. Spitfire watched from below with a clipboard and what appeared to be an evaluations sheet. With every stunt, she marked down scores and took detailed notes, half of them looking like diagrams. Fleetfoot eventually landed by her side, panting laboriously. She asked in between breaths, “How did I do, captain?”

The pegasus tapped her chin with her pencil before responding. “Eh, not bad. You know the sequence of moves just fine, so I’m not worried about that at all. I did notice though, that your timing is off during stunts three, five, and six. It puts you ahead of the rest of the team by at least...” She stopped for a second to add up the numbers she had scribbled down. “two and a half seconds.” Her charge’s face fell at that. “I’m glad you’ve got the moves, but you’re too impatient. You need to slow down and stick with the team if we’re going to nail down this routine. Got it?”

Fleetfoot sighed and wore an expression that showed her displeasure in being ordered to slow down. “Yes, captain.”

She nodded her head in satisfaction. “Good. Now go hit the showers.” The Wonderbolt prepares to leave herself before pausing to check her clipboard one more time. Herself? Check. Fleetfoot? Check. Soarin’? His evaluation sheet was, “Blank?” Of course. He had left to other day to be with that mare he had started going out with. The stallion should have been back by now, right? She called out for her squadmate to come back out before washing up; Fleetfoot was at her side in moments. “Hey, have you seen Soarin’ today by any chance? He wasn’t here for his scheduled practice run.”

“No, not yet. It’s been a few days since I’ve seen him,” she replied.

This wasn’t like him at all. Where was he? Would a mare really take up that much of his attention that he would forget about the team? Wait...could something have happened to him? Spitfire shook her head, trying not to let such pessimistic and potentially morbid thoughts from lingering. She went to her locker and pulled out her flight suit and goggles. Her partner lays a hoof on her shoulder and asks, “Wait a minute, where are you going?”

“To find Soarin’,” her goggles let out an audible snap as she let the elastic bands pull them back to her face “and straighten out this junk. I should be back later tonight or tomorrow.” With that, she left the locker room and took flight, heading to his last known destination: Ponyville.

<============================================>

DISCLAIMER: None of the material presented in the preceding fanfiction belongs to me. “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” is trademarked by Hasbro, Inc along with all respective characters, settings, etc. The original character “Dulset Tarn” was used with the explicit written permission of her creator/Ponychan roleplayer, Kamunami. This work is currently under review by JuyUnseen and Kamunami and is pending edits in the near future.