For To Have Faith Is To Have Wings
By
M.E. Lovecolt
First Light closed her eyes and then leaned out the open window. There was a rustling in the trees nearby. A plagiary of mockingbirds hopped out from the shadows and onto a lone branch in the open. She remained there for a while and listened to them as they chattered at one another. The birdsong stopped suddenly as they turned their heads towards the equine who had intruded on their melodic conversation. One of the birds tilted his head away from her so that his yellow eye stared directly into her own. A moment later, he opened his charcoal wings and took to flight, leaving the others behind in his invisible wake. She watched as he soared up, banking to the side before coming in for another swoop, as though he were putting on a show for the other mockingbirds. First Light held a hoof up to her muzzle and chuckled at the antics before her.
The mockingbird was a male; of course it was male; First Light could name the distinctions between the male and female of any avian species at a glance. However, even she had to admit that her knowledge was nowhere near on par with Fluttershy's. Fortunately for her, the timid pegasus' fear of heights prevented her from getting the coveted position of 'Migration Manager', and since Muffin's horrendous mistake from last year was still being talked about by the weather team, she knew without a doubt that she would be chosen this year to help brings the southern birds back to Ponyville.
As soon as her wings healed, that is.
First Light turned away from the window for a moment to look at her wings that lay prone against her sides, covered in bandages. She gritted her teeth and willed for her wing to move. Neither wing moved, but she did manage to give herself a headache from the mental strain. They're not strong enough, she thought, yet. She glanced over towards the small table next to the window at the bottle that stood next to her alarm clock. She had become very familiar with the stallions whose silhouettes were presented on the label, for it was their tonic that she had been drinking every day since she had heard about it. A few occasions, she had managed to make it into their tent while they were still performing their song about the benefits of the Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic. First Light bobbed her head as she replayed the song in her mind.
But luckily for you, we've got the thing you need
And it's easier when all you need's the cure
The Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic
Is just what the doctor ordered, I'm sure
She picked up the bottle, uncorked the stopper, and began to drink. The harsh flavor of beet leaves rushed against her tongue, but it was alleviated moments later by the sweetness of apples. As she finished the bottle off, she turned back to the window as the mockingbird finished its display for the females and smiled as they began to chirp more loudly. The smile faded, however, when she saw another bird in the distance. As he drew closer, she saw his flight pattern change into wide circles. Brown wings, red tail, hooked beak.
"Hawk!"
First Light pointed her hoof in the direction of the attacker. The mockingbirds turned and immediately took to flight upon seeing the predator bird. The lone male, however, had just completed a dive and had stopped just above the branch right after the rest of his group flew away. He looked around, and when his eye caught sight of the hawk, he chirped and flew around in search of the others. She pointed her hoof to her right and towards a spot behind the house where the rest had flown off to. The hawk cawed in the distance, and she saw him begin to dive down. The mockingbird flew away as fast as he could, the hawk trailing behind. Unfortunately, their flight path took them over First Light's roof and out of sight. She sighed and let her ears droop down, her gaze turning to the ground below her, and looked at the road ahead.
The sound of two mares caught First Light's attention as she saw two shadows emerge from an alleyway in the distance, walking east away from the setting sun. The first pony she saw was familiar to her; Applejack's stetson was so intrinsic to her wardrobe that it may as well have been her mane. Trotting next to her was Rainbow Dash, the one in charge of assigning the pegasi their roles for the upcoming Winter Wrap Up. She started to wave to them, but when she saw the frowns on their muzzles as they talked to one another, she wondered whether or not it was a good idea. Curiosity got the better of her, however, and she called out to them.
"Hey Rainbow Dash!" She shouted. "Applejack!"
"So, the Flim Flam Brothers are officially out of town?"
"Yup. I've already managed to get most of those bottles outta Ponyville, too."
"AJ."
Rainbow Dash held a hoof out to her friend to stop her. Applejack turned back and lowered her stetson over her eyes to block out the setting sun. The pegasus lowered her hoof to the ground and began to trail it back and forth as she tossed her prismatic mane back.
"Listen," she continued. "I know it's costing you lots of bits to pay all of the ponies back for the stuff those two sold."
"Bits ain't what I'm worried 'bout, RD. I'd pay ten times as much to take back what I said. Hundred times—"
"AJ slow down." Rainbow Dash held up a hoof to comfort once again to comfort Applejack. "Listen, there's only so much you can pay, right?"
Applejack nodded hesitantly.
"Besides," Rainbow Dash added. "I just wanted to say if you need any help on the farm to help bring in more bits, the girls and I—"
"No." Applejack stopped her and lowered the mare's hoof back down. "I made this mess, I'm gonna be the one who fixes it, understand?"
Rainbow Dash sighed as she watched the mare trot away. She knew that the earth pony's pride rivaled her own, but she wasn't going to let her get by with bringing Sweet Apple Acres out of the red by herself. She caught up to Applejack once again as she rounded the corner to the east side of town. Before either could speak, however, another voice called down to them.
"Hey Rainbow Dash! Applejack!"
Rainbow Dash looked around to find the voice, but stopped when she saw Applejack staring up, her eyes wide with fear. She followed her gaze to a nearby house, where she saw First Light waving towards them, holding up a bottle. Rainbow Dash turned back to Applejack, who simply lowered her stetson even further down her head before trotting to the house. Applejack knocked on the door, and Rainbow Dash got to her just as First Light started to open the door to let them in.
"Hey guys," First Light said with a smile. "Come on in." First Light trotted towards the living room and waved the two in. "You can leave the door open. It was too dark in here, anyway."
Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood at the doorway for another moment before they entered. Applejack took off her stetson and held it in her grasp.
"Well look at that," First Light laughed. "It does come off. For a while, I thought it had become part of your mane!"
"Oh, yeah, that's funny First Light! Applejack, with a hat as her mane!" Rainbow Dash slid easily into a chair. Keeping it cool, Rainbow Dash. She waited for a moment as Applejack took her seat and set the stetson on a hoof rest next to her. Rainbow Dash could see that her friend was staring at the bottle still in First Light's hoof. She watched as Applejack's chest rose and fell, as though she were trying to breathe in as much as as she could to get what she wanted to say out as quickly as possible. The pegasus turned to the books on the coffee table in between the three of them. "Oh, what's this?" Rainbow Dash asked in an attempt to break the ice.
"Oh, those are all the books I've been reading about migratory flight patterns," First Light replied as she picked one up. "Princess Twilight Sparkle said that these were all the books she could think of. I know the information, I just wanted to make sure that I really impress you guys next month."
"Next month?" Applejack asked, not noticing the way Rainbow Dash's hoof had fallen away from the coffee table and back to her lap. "What's happenin' next month?"
First Light's eyes darted in between the two of them in confusion. "The final interviews for the manager positions for Winter Wrap Up. I've been studying really hard to make sure I know my stuff when it comes to collecting all the birds to bring them back home. We don't want a repeat of last year, do we?" She set the book back down and tutted at Applejack. "Silly pony. Did you really forget?"
"Uh, right, but don't that position require, you know, flyin'?"
Rainbow Dash could tell that Applejack was stalling, or at least hinting to First Light that there may be a problem with her plans. Either way, the only thing on Rainbow Dash's mind was the fact that last year, she had been the one to assign Muffin to the job.
Nevertheless, Applejack continued. "Do you really think after what the doctors said 'bout the nerves bein'—"
"Oh, I know what you're going to say, Applejack," First Light replied, cutting her off. "I had started to lose hope." She turned and looked out a window. A shadow of a bird crossed First Light's face and she smiled, but by the time Rainbow Dash turned to look, the bird was gone. When she looked back at First Light, she was staring down at the bottle. "But after those two came to town, I could actually feel my wings wanting to get better. At first, I thought it was too good to be true." She looked up with a tear in her eye and turned her sights back to Applejack. "But you said that this tonic actually worked on Granny Smith."
Rainbow Dash could see Applejack start to tremble.
First Light smiled proudly. "The fact that you said it worked helped me see that. I'm sure that they'll be better in no time."
"Please excuse me," Applejack said as she shot out of her chair. "I need to use the fillies' room." She galloped out of the room, leaving the two pegasi alone.
"Well, I guess she really needed to go," First Light said, not realizing that Rainbow Dash's gaze was burning into the back of the mare's neck. "I mean, I understand if it doesn't restore me to full strength or anything, but seriously, what good is a pegasus who can't fly?"
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash replied as she rubbed her hooves together nervously. "Hey, I think I need to see if AJ is all right. She may have eaten something bad earlier today."
First Light nodded, and Rainbow Dash took off for her friend.
Applejack splashed cold water onto her muzzle and stared into the mirror. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She went to wash her hooves, but when she saw an empty bottle of tonic next to the sink, she fell to the floor. As she sank to her haunches, she noticed that there were more empty bottles beneath the sink. A thousand bits? she asked herself, a million bits? Please Celestia, I'd pay anythin'. She jerked her head at the sound of a knock at the door.
"AJ, open up."
Applejack reached over and pushed down the handle. The door opened. Rainbow Dash rushed in and knelt down beside her. Applejack felt her friend's hooves wrap around her neck, but she couldn't stop herself from crying.
"AJ listen," Rainbow Dash whispered. "I can just tell her that we need to be certain that there's a strong enough flyer for the Migration Manager position. You don't have to tell her about the tonic yet. Give yourself time."
Applejack choked back a sob and pushed her back. "No," she replied. "I told you. I made this mess, and I'm gonna be the one who fixes it." She got to her hooves and looked at her reflection once more in the mirror before going back to the living room, where she saw First Light emptying the bottle's contents into her mouth.
"Oh," First Light said, wiping her mouth as the two trotted back into the room. "Is everything all right?"
"No," Applejack answered. "No it isn't." She took a deep breath and lowered herself back into the chair. She glanced over to the hoof rest and grabbed the brim of the stetson. "Listen, sugarcube. I don't know how to say this, but I did somethin' might awful to you—to the whole town."
"I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"I saw that the tonic was makin' y'all happier. And I thought, 'if it's makin' everypony feel better, then who's to say it don't work,' you know?"
"But it does work," First Light replied as she adjusted herself on the couch. Applejack gripped the stetson with all her might and held it in front of her like a shield. "Granny Smith can swim again. Ponies who were walking with limps are galloping now."
"And when Apple Bloom asked me that, I said that sometimes you can forget what you're capable of, and it just takes a little extra confidence to remember that it was inside of you all along. But that don't change the fact that I lied, First Light." Applejack closed her eyes. "That tonic ain't nothin' but apples and beet juice." She opened her eyes again and leaned forward to take the empty bottle, but First Light jerked back. "I'm sorry." She looked up and saw that First Light was glaring at her from the other side of the couch.
"But... you said." She started to tremble. "You said that... this stuff works. You... gave it your seal of approval."
"I'm sorry. I know I lied, and I'm sorry. I just—"
Applejack gasped when she felt a book whiz by her ear. She looked over and saw another book fly through the air as First Light grabbed them from the coffee table and hurled them at her, their pages opening up as they were thrown. Applejack saw images of crows and owls coming at her and she ducked behind the chair.
"I don't care what you say! I saw it work! It worked on Granny Smith and it will work on me!" First Light galloped out of the room and into the kitchen, the other two following close behind. Applejack watched as First Light opened the refrigerator door and pulled out another bottle. She ripped open the top and began to drink. "I just need to try harder. The doctors said there's always a chance."
A blur of color rushed past Applejack, and she watched helpless as Rainbow Dash pulled the bottle away. First Light reached back and punched Rainbow Dash in the muzzle, sending her toppling across a chair. Applejack snapped out of her stupor and reached towards the mare. She pulled First Light close as the mare's hooves crashed against her back. Applejack felt the hooves tearing at her withers, but she refused to let go. Finally, Applejack heard the muffled sound of sobs in her chest. As she felt her shoulders dampen, Applejack noticed that she had started crying, as well.
"The doctors said... that I had a chance," First Light whispered as she pulled away. "You promised... you promised..."
"I know what I said," Applejack replied. "But please, just give me another chance to—"
She didn't finish the sentence, because First Light's hoof crashed into her muzzle, sending her back a few steps. Applejack fell to the floor, but moments later, she felt Rainbow Dash helping her up. She turned back to First Light, whose eyes were now pink and whose mane was a disheveled mess. A few of the bandages had fallen away. Red patches of fresh blood had started to form on the gauze that remained, but if First Light felt anything, she gave no indication of it.
"Get out. Both of you."
Neither pony moved. First Light threw an empty bottle against the wall. Applejack shook her head and turned to leave. As she left, she heard First Light say something.
"I have to believe. A pegasus without wings is nothing." First Light stopped and turned to Rainbow Dash, who also stood frozen in place. "I will fly again, or die trying. I can't give up. I have to believe." The two made their way across the living room to the door. "Close the door behind you," First Light yelled from the kitchen.
Applejack started to close the door and watched as the rectangle of evening light grew smaller and smaller.
The door clicked shut.
Applejack turned to Rainbow Dash, who simply looked off towards the setting sun. "Only so much you can pay, huh?" She asked as she set the stetson back on her head and lowered it so that the brim's shadow covered her eyes. She peeked out from underneath and saw that Rainbow Dash's gaze still hadn't moved. She heard Rainbow Dash sniffle as she stretched out her wings. Applejack closed her eyes once more, but then sighed when she felt her friend's embrace once more before she took off into the darkening sky. The earthbound pony began to trot towards home, only to stop at the sound of a bird. She glanced over and saw a mockingbird hopping on a branch. It stared at her, opened its mouth as though to chirp, but instead turned an eye towards her, ruffled its feathers, and then flew away.
He sat down and cried, and even then he did not know that, for a pegasus, he was sitting on his wrong part. It is a blessing that he did not know, for otherwise he would have lost faith in his power to fly, and the moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it. The reason pegasi can fly and we can't is simply that they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.
Scootaloo yawned and set her copy of “Pony Pan” on the table next to the porch swing before she looked out at the sky. The sun had just disappeared beneath the horizon, changing the sky from blue to purple. The sound of crickets singing filled the air, and for a moment, she let the buzzing of her wings join them. She beat her wings harder and harder, but then stopped and placed her hooves on her head.
"Oww."
She looked up at the stars as they hovered effortlessly in the encroaching darkness. They grew bright and then dim, as though winking at her. As she turned to the door, Scootaloo heard another sound behind her; it was the sound of the leaves in the nearby trees rustling. but there was no wind tonight, she thought. She turned back and saw Rainbow Dash at the front porch steps.
"Rainbow Dash?"
"Hey, squirt," the mare replied as she trotted up the stairs and took a seat on the wooden floor. Rainbow Dash held out her hooves, and the little filly gasped and galloped over to her as fast as she could. "Sorry, I'm late," Rainbow Dash said, "I was..."
Scootaloo's wings buzzed with excitement.
"I was..."
Scootaloo felt Rainbow Dash's grip tighten across her barrel, and heard the sound of gasping as the mare's hoof brushed against her tiny wings.
"Rainbow Dash, what's wrong?" Scootaloo asked as she reached up and placed a hoof on her shoulder. She felt something warm on her forehead, and turned up as much as the ever-tightening embrace would let her, only to see that Rainbow Dash was crying. She stopped talking, and instead simply let herself listen to the sounds of the crickets and the crying in the evening's dying light.
End
