Airtight

by Firefly Wings

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad, Dark, Tragedy
Length: 1598

AJ has been bullied like no other life form ANYWHERE. But what do you expect when you are the only earth pony in a school full of Pegasi? She tries her hardest to hide her pain, but one day RD taunts her, AJ tests her limits to death. For real.

AJ was bullied. That may be nothing now, but the fires of taunting and teasing around her left deeper burns than anyone thinks. For all these years she hasn't spoken a word. She grins and laughs and does her best. But her hurt is more strong than any person thinks. But what would you expect with her once being the only earth pony in a school full of Pegasi? One day, it really gets to her, but as always she keeps it safe. But RD seems more rowdy that same day, and after they are left alone together with RD endlessly teasing her and punching her like mad for a whole hour AJ gives in two what she held in. In her final words before running off, she vowed she would either fly or she would test all her limits to death. Literally.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-08 19:10:01 UTC

3. Flight

AJ was running. She knew where she was running. She was running to Flight Canyon. The Canyon was the deepest and longest to ever exist. It was there she would either fly or die. She tilted her hat slightly down as she stared down into the fault, rocks crumbling from her weight but not giving way. A strong wind swooped up and almost blew off the beloved hat. "Ah think ah should say some goodbye er somethin. Well, goodbye. I'll be free either way." She was hardly crying, her pride unable to shatter and turn her around. She would miss everypony but Rd. She was not happy about this decision, but there was no other way to relieve her of the past she held back. "Ah still can't believe this was how it would work out.... Rd, fuck y'all! I'll be back for y'all if ah die! Goodbye."

Rainbow confidently guided the 4 ponies behind her to Flight Canyon. "I'm positive Retarded Apple went this way!" Twilight levitated Rainbow into a thorn bush. "Serves you right." The purple unicorn yelled as they raced to the rocky fault and the orange figure looking down into the crevice. "Please, AJ! Don't jump! Listen to us!"

The orange mare heard them and turned. "No... Ah-ah can't. Ah ain't. Don't y'all see? There is more to this than just rainbow dash, y'know. Mah past... It sticks to me like honey. Ah need to rid mah self of that. Ah can't do it, ah can't!" She she'd tears like crazy. Her soft orange coat was stained dark with her tears..... She obviously felt her freedom depended on this.

No pony could move. Everybody saw what she meant. A past full of agony nobody could ever get rid of. Memories stuck to their minds.

"Ahm sorry, but there is no other choice...."

The ponies watched, open mouthed and wailing for AJ to not jump, the orange country mare leap off the surface and into the rocky crevice below.

1. Nightmares

AJ kicked and screamed in her sleep, yet again dreaming of the nightmare known as her childhood. She could feel the kicks and punches, the rare bites on her back, the tugging of her mane, but most of all the hurt inside. Tears trickled down her cheek as she waited in the nightmare for the reliving daylight.

AJ was crouched low to the ground, crying her soul out as ever pony around her key her bleed. Though the outer hurt was done, the inner hurt was not. Teachers laughed and laughed, poking her in the spots that hurt worst and yelling in her ear she would get an F in advancing to anything. The miserable filly ran for the door as Granny Smithed walked in. When she saw the havoc the other fillies and colts had wreaked, Granny said the school was to be not only shut down, but it was about to lose one if it's students. AJ felt it was comfort and relief, but no matter where she went next, she would still be bullied. The only thing the AJ if the present felt was a tiny bit if relief that it was only bullying with words.... But still bullying.

AJ woke with a start as the rooster crowed. She was panting and sweating, her hind legs felt exhausted and achy. From outside birds tweeted and ponies slowly awoke. AJ herself still felt sleepy, but she would never put herself through such a nightmare when it was daytime, or the only time when she was free from the prison of her fearful dreams. She swished her tail and rise her head up to the sun. As she stood, her heart slowed. The fear was over. She made her hammock bed, returning the twisted and upturned blankets into normal form. She slid the pillow back into the pillowcase and set it neatly on the bed. She was careful not to awaken Winona as she silently cantered by. She bucked some trees to clear her mind, then fired away at her job. Over 90 apple trees had been bucked just by her when she was done. But the thought returned. The memories came back to her. The nightmares. The fitful sleep. The faces of those merciless bullies. The long shadow she cast arching in pain. She stood there blankly with tears slightly dripping from her eyes. She was suddenly startled awake as her friends entered the grove. RD teased Twilight of only getting her wings because of pity on her weakness. "Oh no, why today?" AJ muttered. Once a year, RD punched and teased and kicked to remind her she was strong and fast. If today was that day, she wondered why there wasn't a sign that said "Welcome to Living Hell."

2. Welcome to Living Hell.

2. Welcome to Living Hell.

Rainbow saw the very dried up and faded tear stains on AJ's eyes. "Look, the crybaby dodo is visiting the barn!" Rainbow yelled, twisting one of AJ's ears all the way around and kicking her back. The orange mare darted away and yelled at RD "you think being mean to those who are your friends reminds you your strong? Because it's actually showing y'all are ruder than a wild horse kickin TNT at its faithful friends!" Rainbow seemed to take no damage from those words. "Stop talking like a country pony! Your a weak dodo worth nothing but a rock covered in dirt! All your worth! All your worth! Nothing more! Just dirty rocks! So worthless nobody wants to clean that rock! Dumb dodo! All your worth! Hahahahaha!" AJ spun, kicking the blue Pegasus in the guts. The shocked silence cleared. Twi interrupted from where she stood, holding rainbows tail so she could do no more to the country mare. "Well, I think we should get running. The Princesses said their guards never returned from their morningly check. We need to go find them."

Rd and AJ waited in the woods. They both listened for the voices of the other members of the team. They had all split up into pairs so as to find the guards faster. But all AJ had found was that what one called strength another called pain and Hell.  Rainbow now yelled so loud AJ was sure she heard Pinkie call back through the dark trees. But what the Pegasus yelled was what really pushed AJ to the limit.  "Flightless stupid oaf! Why not just fling yourself into a canyon? Maybe you'll-" she stifled a laugh "-FLY LIKE A CHICKEN!" The orange pony stood still, anger suddenly rushing through her body. She lost control. All the memories of the past. All the hurt and sadness. Building up.... She felt something new rush through her, an age of anger pushed away. AJ swung her hoof and it collided with Rainbows face. She punched about six more times before finally swinging around her hooves and bucking rainbow dash in the face. The Pegasus was knocked out if the sky, her eyes watered madly.

AJ snapped in RDs face. Rage surged through her. "MAYBE I WILL."

4. Truthfulness

AJ fell and fell. She looked up. Her friends.... All of them were panicking, crying, calling for her to come back. She was falling and regretted it. She wondered when she would hit the bottom if the canyons. She suddenly felt a searing pain in her back. Tears fell in larger amounts. She yelled her sorrows to the sky but they could not be heard. She expected to finally hit the ground, but when she looked down despite her sadness she saw time seemed to have gone still. She was still miles away from the ground and didn't appear to be falling. The pain in her back had turned to just numbness. She stared up realizing she was in a flight position. Orange feathers... Was she a spirit or something? By the astonished looks in all her friends faces, she was... She...

She had been a Pegasus all that time.

She glared at Rd, who was now acting quite shy. AJ flapped her wings and was up in a little while. She landed clumsily, and was up on her hooves in no time. Her green eyes pierced Rainbow as she glared down the Pegasus before her. "Y'all coulda killed me!!!! I'll never help YOU with your problems, yah dirty fool!"

Rd could not defend. She had no pride anymore. She had no reminders of her strength. All protests got to her heart and mind. This anger that AJ showed was no exception. "Sorry, orange oaf?" She teased very weakly.

"Apology half accepted, BLUE oaf." The orange mare grinned. Her rage settled. She folded in her wings. @we should go talk privately about this...."

After a long conversation with Granny Smith and four theories proved wrong by the truth, AJ found out her past. She had originally been called AppleWings and had gone to flight school, but strangely the moment she bucked her first tree, they had disappeared. No pony knew, and now that the wings had returned it meant they would stay forever.

"Does this mean that AJ can learn to fly with me?" Rainbow wondered to Granny. "Er, yes I reckon."

Rd and AJ walked away and had lunch later that day together. They talked all about flight and why AJ had cried that morning and their past and sky tricks and anything they had in common. They were truly in harmony by the time they left later that day  and went to Ghastly Gorge.

And that, reader, is AJ's story of Flight.