Chapter one: A big surprise
Princess Twilight Sparkle looked around her room and nodded in satisfaction. Everything was in its proper place, her quills and ink pots arranged in small rows along the edge of her desk, her bed made, her books stacked in alphabetical order, and her regalia polished to perfection and sitting directly in the center of her head right behind her horn. Now it was time to wake up Spike. She walked to the door of the joined room and braced herself for the storm. She opened the door. The stench of corn chips and sweaty feet blasted directly in her face. She gasped, horrified by the sight she beheld.
Comic books and half eaten gems littered the floor, old pizza and hay fries sat on the book shelves, and pictures of Rarity pretty much papered the walls. In the middle of this disgusting sea of teenage boy-ness sat a king size bed with a lanky dragon sleeping, limbs splayed across the fine silk sheets. Twilight sighed.
She had tried the aging spell on Spike because, well, he was only a few years younger than Twilight and he was always complaining about how Everypony called him a baby. Now he looked his age Everypony saw him as he really was. Twilight started picking up his room with her magic.
“Sometimes I feel more like his mother than his sister.” She grumbled. Spike stirred and flopped over. One eye opened and he saw the alicorn putting his things away.
“Oh hey Twi! What are you doing up this early?” Spike Mumbled sleepily.
“Spike its noon.” Twilight stated bluntly.
“Oh.” The teen dragon said sheepishly. He sat up in bed and stretched. “So, any perilous adventures today?” Spike yawned swinging his arms down.
“You forgot!?” exclaimed Twilight. “Were going to check on the tree of harmony, didn’t I mark it on your calendar?” Twilight couldn’t believe he had forgot one of the most important roles given to her and her friends.
“Um no offence Twi, but I don’t think anypony looks at the calendar you gave them.” Said Spike matter-of-factly. Twilight just rolled her eyes.
“Ok then, send a letter to each of our friends. Tell them to meet us here in half an hour. Oh and tell the guards that there will be no court today.” Twilight said. Now it was Spikes turn to roll his eyes.
“Ok mom!” he said to Twilight.
“I’m not your mom and you know that!” Twilight fumed stamping her front hoof. She absolutely hated it when somepony said something false. Spike leaned away from the livid alicorn and put his hands up in a gesture of peace.
“Ok, geez! I didn’t know that would bother you so much!” he said. He walked over to his desk and brushed off some old chip bags and a half eaten burrito. He grabbed some parchment and his pencil and began writing the letters.
“Finally!” Twilight muttered as she walked out the door towards the kitchen to make them some lunch.
40 minutes later
Twilight and her friends reached the gorge. They started down the stone stairs, Fluttershy with some apprehension and a small squeak. When they reached the bottom of the canyon it was almost pitch black. The only light was the bright glowing of Twilight and Rarity’s horns, and the faint light of the tree of harmony.
The crystal tree still dazzled the six ponies as they stared up at the sparkling branches and the six Elements of Harmony.
“Um, girls?” Fluttershy said quietly. The other didn’t seem to hear her. “Girls?” She said again this time gently poking Applejack in the side. They still didn’t answer. Twilight’s horn was now glowing with her analysis spell. “GIRLS!” Shouted the demure Pegasus. This time Everypony gave her their full attention. Fluttershy pointed at a now stirring mound of indigo fur. The ponies waited. A head popped up, then the pony stood stretching. She hadn’t noticed that she had and audience yet. She was an Indigo Bat-pony with a short scraggily dark purple mane. Wrapped around her waist was a large white bandage. Just then her eyelids opened revealing bright blue eyes.
It was then she saw the six ponies standing In front of the tree she had been napping behind. Her pupils shrank and she tensed herself. Then she jumped. The Elements all hit the dirt, except Rainbow Dash who flew higher. The Bat-pony sailed over their heads and landed behind them. Unfortunately for her she landed on a rather sharp stone. She winced but it didn’t stop her. She began running to the other side of the large gorge. The six ponies behind her began to stand. When they saw her running away, of course they followed her.
After a couple minutes running they had almost caught up with the terrified Bat-pony. Then she disappeared. The ponies screeched to a halt and looked around for what caused the pony to escape. It was Applejack who finally saw it.
“Hey ya’ll, I think I found it!” They all crowded around the farm mare. She was pointing at a small hole in the ground. It was small enough to be overlooked but just big enough for a very thin pony to fit through. And the Bat-pony had looked like she lived on nuts and berries. Twilight used her magic to carve the hole so it was big enough for them to fit through. When they had slipped down the hole they found that the small cave they were in branched off in several different directions. Twilight began looking franticly from one tunnel to the next.
“Hey, what are those little red marks?” asked Pinkie.
“What red…….” Twilight trailed off as she saw what the party pony was looking at.
“Poor dear! She must have cut herself on a rock or something!” said Rarity.
“Well what are we waiting for?” asked Dash as she rocketed down the tunnel with the hoof prints. The five remaining ponies looked at each other and ran after the headstrong Pegasus.
They rounded a corner and came to a dead end. Standing in front of the wall of rock was the indigo Bat-pony. She turned and saw the six ponies from before. She closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. She laid down on the ground and put her head down on her hooves. Fluttershy walked over to her and patted her back.
“Uh what happened to your wings?” asked Rainbow. Rarity flinched at her bluntness.
“What are you doing in the everfree forest?” asked Pinkie.
“Where are ya’ll from?” asked Applejack.
“Who are you?” asked Twilight. The Bat-pony held up her hooves against the onslaught of questions.
“Oh this is awkward,” Sighed the mare. “And a very long story.”
“Well we have plenty of time.” Said Rainbow Dash crossing her front hooves. Her friends all started glaring at her. “What?” she said defensively.
“Rainbow, that was very rude! She doesn’t have to tell us!” chastised Fluttershy. Rainbow chuckled weakly and shrugged.
“Hmm, where to begin?” The Bat-pony pondered. “Well I guess it all started when I was a small filly.” She began.
“I never knew my biological parents. The ponies at the orphanage told me they didn’t know why they abandoned me. But even when I was small I knew. It was because of what I was. Bat-ponies or Thestrals are born to normal ponies. You don’t have to have one as a parent. Just as an ancestor. It’s sort of a hereditary thing. Well I knew that’s why they didn’t want me. I was the outsider at the orphanage, the freak, the punching bag. But then one day everything seemed to clear up for me. I was adopted by a young, rich, earthpony couple who couldn’t have foals. They said they were from Manehattan.”
“Now when I was born one of my wings wasn’t fully developed. The bones where to small and the webbing was too thin. The doctors told my adoptive parents that I would never fly. They never told me. I just thought that I was special, well more special.” The indigo pony bared her fangs when she said that.
“Well anyway, I always dreamed of flying. Literally! Almost every night I dreamt of flying, feeling the wind in my mane, feeling free and happy. Unfortunately I always had to wake up. And have to go to school, where the only reason nopony teased me was because my parents were rich. I only had one friend, she wasn’t a filly. She was all grown up, she was more of an idol really. Once a week she would put me on her back and fly around town. One day she held me up on one of her hooves. Despite the hoof on my belly it felt like I was really flying. But my friend was too busy looking at me, I guess I just looked to cute with my eyes closed and my little hooves stuck out in front of me like I was SuperStallion or something.”
“Well she wasn’t looking where she was going, and….. Well….. S-she” The Thestral started choking up. Twilight conjured up a handkerchief and gave it to the Thestral. She blew her nose and handed it back. “Thanks.”
“S-she flew into a storm cloud. She dropped me before I could get shocked. I tried to open my wings and glide to the ground but the webbing in my undeveloped wing tore in the wind. I crashed down on my good wing. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was the crack of my wing bones and my friend’s screams of pain. She didn’t survive. I was in a coma for her funeral. And after I came home everything changed. My parents didn’t talk to me. I had to make my own meals. And my mom stopped coming to kiss me at night. They abandoned me when I needed them most. Just like my real parents. I was only eleven.”
“I knew they didn’t love me anymore. So I grabbed a scarf and my dad’s hunting Knife, and ran away. I travelled for about two weeks then I came upon this forest. After I had explored a bit I decided to stay. All the cloth stuff in that old castle somehow survived, so I stay in one of the old bedrooms and I tear up curtains and stuff when I need to change the bandages on my wings. And food wise it’s not so bad! There are some overgrown berry bushes in that castles garden, and if those aren’t enough there’s a couple of zap apple trees near the edge of the forest. I dry and store some of the berries and apples for winter. So yeah I’ve lived here ever since that day. I hope that answered all your questions.” She finished her story with a smile.
“Wow, ya’ll was only eleven!?” asked Applejack. The Thestral nodded.
“You and your friend, it kind of sounds like Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo!” Said Pinkie.
“Who’s Scootaloo?” asked the Bat-pony.
“She’s kind of like my sister.” Said Rainbow. “Anyway I can’t even imagine not being able to fly!”
“Well I’ve never flown, and I never will. I’m used to it.” said the indigo pony.
“Do you want to come with us to Ponyville?” asked Twilight.
“No thank you. I’m happy here.” She yawned. “Um I don’t want to be rude, but you woke me from my nap. When you live in the wild you need lots of rest.”
“We’re sorry dear, I for one know the importance of beauty sleep. Would you like us to escort you to the castle?”
“Sure! Hmm I guess that were friends now right?” asked the Thestral. The six other ponies nodded. “Wow, I haven’t had a friend in like ten years!” She exclaimed.
The Bat-pony led them from the gorge into the decaying castle. Then she entered a room with a full moon painted on the door.
“This must have been Princess Luna’s room!” exclaimed Twilight excitedly.
“Yes that’s why I chose this room.” Said the indigo pony, climbing onto the bed. “Well come visit me! It was nice talking to normal ponies for once.”
“What do you mean normal ponies?” asked Rainbow.
“Well the only creatures hear are Timber wolfs, Manticores, the occasional Hydra, and that Zebra.” The Bat-pony said.
“Well we’d best be going, I still have to feed the bunnies, and Harry needs a massage.” Said Fluttershy.
“Yeah Fluttershy’s right, but you never told us your name.” said Twilight.
“Azure, just call me Azure.” Said Azure and she curled up and closed her eyes. Twilight and her friends caught the hint and left the castle, Azure’s story still ringing in their ears.
Author's Note
Azure's name is pronounced (Ah-zhure)
Chapter two: Out of the wood
For the next week all that the six friends could think about was Azure. Rarity kept thinking about the Thestrals torn and tattered mane and tail, and her dirty coat. Fluttershy thought about her injuries, and her complete indifference towards her condition. Applejack fumed about her new friends two families, and how they had abandoned their daughter when she needed them the most. Pinkie could hardly keep her mane from going strait, the sadness of the story kept getting to her. Rainbow Dash seemed to appreciate her wings and her speed more, because now she knew how fast those things could be taken from her. Twilight pondered on what it would be like to lose your only friend. But they had to put the story to the back of their minds as their daily obligations called them away.
Azure bushed her way through the bushes at the edges of the forest. As she stumbled onto the soft grass at the outskirts of the small town, she let out a stream of hard scratchy coughs.
“Uhg.” she groaned as she began her slow progress into town again. She saw a large cream white building blocking her path and changed her course sluggishly. As she staggered into the town square a small crowd gathered around her. Azure chuckled weakly as she thought of what must be running through their heads.
“Hey, what’s up with the dingy bat-pony with the swollen eye?” She knew their thoughts but she couldn’t let them get in her way. She was sick. Very sick. She had to find her friends. She knew they would know what to do. As Azure continued her slow progress she didn’t notice the prismatic Pegasus sitting on a cloud above her.
Rainbow Dash looked down from the cloud she was perched upon to see her crippled friend stumbling through ponyville. She cocked her head and flew down in front Azure.
“Hey, Azure what’s going on? What happened to your eye?!” Asked Rainbow pointing to the Thestrals slightly oozing puffy eye.
“Oh, Rainbow! Thank goodness you’re….. Ahem.” The Thestral broke off to clear her throat, but the small noise turned into a heavy coughing fit.
“Um Azure, are you ok?” asked Dash. Azure didn’t answer. Instead she swayed and collapsed, unconscious in front of Rainbow Dash.
Twilight and her friends sat in the waiting room of the ponyville hospital. All of them looked worried, but Twilight thought Rarity was pushing it. She lay on her princess couch still pretending to that she was unconscious. Twilight sighed at her friends antics. Everypony else was sitting poker faced on the hard wooden chairs. Even Pinkie pie sat still. Twilight was amazed that the hyper party pony could sit in one place for more than a few seconds.Twilight turned her head to the swinging doors that led to Azure’s room. One of the doors swung open and an earthpony holding a clipboard walked out. Nurse Redheart walked up to the six ponies. Rarity cracked open an eye and sat up, looking at the nurse.
“So, what’s wrong with her?” asked Pinkie hopefully, her mane poofing back up a bit.
“Well, she’s not in good shape.” Said Redheart. Pinkie’s mane instantly flattened. “Don’t worry though! With what you told us about her background I’m not surprised.” The nurse continued.
“But what’s wrong with her?” This time it was Rainbow. Her mane was more messed up than normal from tugging on it and wrapping it around her hoof.
“Well aside from her wing injury, she has a raging fever, a swollen eye, and a severe case of dehydration. Like I said she not in good shape.” Finished nurse Redheart. Twilight shook her head.
“No, she defiantly isn’t.”
Over the course of two weeks Azure’s fever died down and the dehydration was nearly gone. The thin Thestral even managed to put on a few pounds. Her friends made regular visits to the hospital, and when they weren’t there she took pleasure in getting to know the nurses and doctors serving her. Then on the Tuesday of that week the doctor came into her room and showed her his clipboard.
“As you see Miss Azure you have made a full recovery, well besides you’re, you know, wings.” Said the doctor, obviously uncomfortable. Azure nodded, she hadn’t ever hoped for the miraculous recovery of her wings. She had lost all hope of that years ago. “Now you are free to go, but I don’t want you to go back to the Everfree forest. It’s not safe there! And there is a very good chance that you would get sick again.” The doctor finished. Azure looked at him, her face only displaying an 8th of the utter shock she was feeling.
“B-but I don’t have a house! Where would I live!?” she asked her voice taking on a desperate tone.
“Then you could stay with one of your friends, the elements are such nice mares I’m sure at least one of them would offer you a place to stay.”
“But…b-but, I……” Azure stuttered her eyes widening even more and her pupils shrinking to tiny black dots in a sea of blue.
“I’ve given you my answer and that is final!” The doctor said firmly, as if scolding a small filly. Azure hung her head in defeat. “Oh, and your friends are waiting in the lobby. Now would be the ideal time to ask them.” Continued the doctor. Azure lifted her head and smiled weakly and him. He looked at her and winked.
As Azure walked into the lobby she was pretty much slapped in the face by the resounding, “CONGRADULATIONS!” that came her way. Azure smiled at the six mares standing in front of her.
“Hi! Well not everything is good news.” Said Azure, her cheery greeting turning into a sad drone. The smiles almost instantly dropped off everypony’s faces, all except Pinkie Pie who was still grinning like a maniac and holding a small blue cake.
“W-what’s wrong?” asked a bewildered Fluttershy.
“The doctor said that it’s too dangerous to go back to the Everfree! He said that I would have to stay with one of you until I could provide for myself.” Azure said dejectedly.
“You can stay with me!” Rainbow Dash instantly volunteered.
“Rainbow, I can’t fly.” Said Azure, stating the obvious.
“Oh, yeah.” Said Rainbow. Sagging a few feet.
“Well we don’t have enough room at the farm.” Said Applejack.
“And I can’t speak for the Cakes.” Said Pinkie.
“The animals take up most of the room in my cottage, well it’s actually mostly Angel.” Said Fluttershy
“And I don’t have enough room in the boutique, and Sweetie Belle stays with me already!” said Rarity. Azure’s heart sank as she began to fear that she wouldn’t find anywhere to stay. Then Twilight’s voice rang out for the back of the crowd.
“I can take you! There’s plenty of room at the castle!” Said the lavender alicorn.
“Thanks Twi!” Azure said, relief flooding through her.
