Chapters Chapter 1: It Begins
Rainy, again? It's the second time this week for rain, it's probably a coincidence. I mean the mayor said that the Weather ponies had a week off, not too big a deal right? I thought to myself, But maybe not, the Mayor has been kind of shifty lately. I'm probably just over thinking it again, but I will go talk to the Mayor today. Mental to do list; Talk to Mayor.
I got up and put my scarf back on, it was a nice scarf, simple but warm. Looking in the mirror, I saw my grey earth pony self, white back with darker grey flecks. My own flame like eyes were keeping me enchanted as I stared. THUD the sudden noise of the wind against my windows snapped me away from my own eyes.
"Okay Cotton. Just go ask the Mayor, get some answers and then be on your way." I told myself, as if I was confirming what I was doing.
By the time I reached the door I was exhausted, my arms felt like lead when I knocked. The small thunks of my knocks felt unheard and too quiet. It was cold, and windy. I was tired... so tired... I felt like an ice cube. I began drifting in and out of sleep.. Yes, sleep is nice.. warm in my bed.. at home.
I slowly pried my eyes open, I was warm. I had a blanket on me, it was heavy and thick, warm too. I began to look around from my position on a couch. I was in a large house, a very large house in fact. Then the thought hit me in the head like a brick, the Mayor might have found me on his door step and brought me inside away from the cold. I smiled at the thought, he must of also given me this blanket. I felt around my neck and frowned. They took my scarf.
"Hello? Is anypony else here?" I called out, hearing my voice bouncing around.
"Ah yes! One moment please!" a different voice called out from the halls.
At least I wasn't alone here, and I guess that would be the mayor too. When I heard steps coming towards me, I turned towards the sound awake and alert.
"Ah yes, hello! I am Mayor Ridewald. It's nice to meet you Mrs.?" He asked. He was a unicorn, like most ponies here in town, a light purple shade wearing a black bowtie.
"Oh sorry where are my manners. Cotton Pin. Resident of the town for a year or two." I stood up putting out my hoof for him to shake. Thankfully he took it and shook it still smiling as if his life depended on it.
"So how may I help you Miss Pin?" He asked me, smiling away like nothing was wrong.
"Oh, I just came to ask about, the Weather Ponies and where they've been." I said. At this he opened his eyes and stared at me like I was an alien.
" Uhm... Mayor? Are.. you okay?" I asked waving my hoof in front of him. He blinked and excused himself for a minute. He walked over to a phone a little ways away, so I couldn't hear him. The entire time he was on the phone he kept looking back me.
No, not me. My eyes. I've always known that my eyes are strange but most people just avoid my eyes, not stare at them. This was.. weird. When he got off the phone he asked me to stay where I was. While he was backing away he kept eye contact with me, it was very strange.
Why is he keeping eye contact? This is very very weird.. I should probably just leave. But he asked me to stay where I am. And I mean i'm warm and cozy, though I wish I had my scarf. But then why do I have this persistent chill? My thoughts were just going a million miles per hour.
When the Mayor finally came back he had two unicorns with him, they had uniforms on. Not one that I see often in the town, they were more like.. Guard uniforms.
"I'm very sorry about this Miss Pin. But if you haven't noticed a pattern than, i'm very sorry because you never will." The Mayor said with a voice unlike what I heard earlier. It was dead pan and fear installing.
"Mayor.. I don't quite understand.." I said as I slowly got up. I started to analyze the situation I was in. Two bulky unicorn guards, the Mayor who was quite lacking in the muscle department, and a very wide hallway. I could try to take on the guards an run out, or just try to avoid them. I'll keep the second one in mind for backup plans.
"Well, you see Miss Pin. The reason there are no Weather Ponies is because simply. There are no longer any Pegasus in the town." He said this with a grin.
"W-what do you mean?" I was starting to assess the guards more carefully now. The one on the left, his mane was in his eyes. The one on the right, he was my neighbor. He ran a stall in the market place like I did, but he was weaker then me. I pulled my own cart no problem, he had a few problems with his. But he was a strong unicorn with magic, uh oh.
"Simple Miss Pin. They are no longer on the continent we are on." He nodded his head the unicorn on the left.
"Did they move?" I thought as fast as I could about the approaching guard, but I stopped moving. "Did you.. kill them?"
"Oh no no no, much to simple and too much trouble if I were to be found out. No, they are on an island a few hundred miles away." He said calmly.
"Then why are you telling me this?" I'd finally run into the wall. It was fight or flight now.
"Because you won't be around to tell anyone. I'm so very close to my goal of a perfect town. And i'm not going to let some Earth pony ruin it." He said demoting to a growl at the very end.
The guard was basically on me now, and I kicked at his legs knocking him down. Perfect, next guard. Wait, why can't I move?! I started to panic. I strained every muscle in me trying to move my body or head. Nothing, just wasting useful energy.
"I'm very sorry Miss Pin, but you're to," He walked up to me his snout touching my grimacing face, "different." He smiled a sick smile at me.
In all of the places I had been, no one had ever been so rude. The only time I had been made fun of was when I was a filly.
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"Looks girls! It's the storm cloud! Look at her, she's so boring!" They all started laughing.
"I'm not boring.." I said.
"Oh yeah Storm cloud? Prove it!" They mocked me in every way possible.
"Okay then, look at my eyes!" I said walking up to them.
"Oh wow, nice eyes freak!" They began laughing again, walking away to leave me in my sadness.
"Are my eyes really that weird?" I said sniffling.
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"Some pony else will notice Ridewald! Other will come asking about it!" I shouted as my magic captor kept me suspended in the air, while the other guard came to my face with a bag.
"Oh I don't think they will Miss Pin," He said his voice getting more distant,"Have fun on your vacation."
Author's Note
Woo! First chapter & first story! Sorry about any grammatical errors in the story! I'm not the greatest writer
"Wake up! Can you hear me? Please wake up!"
Where am I? It's warm. I- I was falling. I hear something? No, i'm still falling! Falling, Falling, FALLING.
"Wake up! someone go get Lightning! Ma'm wake up!"
Falling, falling, falling, only falling. I'm going to hit the ground. No, what happened to me? Mayor.. something about the Mayor. Weather. Cold. It had been cold. It- i'm warm.
"Perry, what's going on? Who's this?"
"We-we don't know Lightning. She fell from the sky"
Voices. I hear ponies. I'm falling, falling. They must be falling. We're all dying, slowly falling-
"Ma'm wake up!" Pain. What happened? I feel pain. I'm in danger, i'm being attacked. Wake up Cotton!
My eyes opened to bright, blinding lights. My lungs, air I needed to breathe. I can't. Coughing, I felt something come up. Water, it burned. Salt water?
"Ma'm are you okay?" I couldn't see the ponies speaking to me. It was a deep voice, they were concerned. I tried to open my eyes, but it burned to open them. A shadow fell on my eyes, and I tried again. I could see.
"Ma'm can you speak?" He asked. He was dark grey, with a dark blue mane, and blue hooves? He also had green eyes. He looked like an earth pony, but he was about the same height as me.
"I said, can you speak?" He asked again. He was looking right at me, we were in a tree line.
"y-y-yes," my voice sounded wrong in my thought.
His eyes softened, "Good, would you like some water?"
I nodded my head to tired to speak again. He walked off slightly to talk to a pony, they nodded and he walked back over to me.
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"LET GO OF ME!" I shouted, I couldn't see anything. I had woken up again. We were moving, I felt vibrations. Along with loud engines, I racked my brain for possible answers.
"Sorry Cotton. Boss's orders." Someone said next to me. I was starting to panic, I can't see and I have no idea where I am.
"Where," Panic stopped my question, I tried again,"Where are we?"
"On a plane Cotton. And i'm very sorry about this, I had hopped he wouldn't notice you." The pony said next to me.
"Wha-" I couldn't finish.
Falling. I was falling. I could see, I looked below me. Ocean, aim for water. No, aim for land. There was a island near by. Land in the bay. I couldn't steer, I was to panicked. I made no sound, a simple splash in a field of splashes and waves. I was under the water, I must get my head above water. SWIM. Swim, I was frozen. I was still falling. I was picked up by the waves, I got air and started to swim. It was cold again, I couldn't fall asleep I would drown. Swim Cotton swim! I saw trees, my vision was starting to blur. SWIM. Sand, I felt it. I climbed away from the waves. Sleep was starting to engulf me, and I let it.
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"I-I was on a plan of some sort. They dropped me. I-I was falling... I fell into the ocean. I was cold. Again." I closed my eyes trying to remember anything before that, "I wish I had my scarf.."
"Scarf? We found something tangled in your mane when we found you on the beach. Would you like to see if it's your scarf?" He asked. I nodded. I wanted comfort of home, I wanted to be home.
"Can someone go get her scarf please?" He yelled.
"Thank you.. for the scarf and saving me. I would of died from a heat stroke just sleeping there." I said starting to drift off again. He was looking the other way waiting for someone.
"No problem," He looked back at me and lifted up my head in his hoof,"Ohh no you don't!" He gently tapped my cheek. I woke up again feeling pain in the cheek he was tapping. I pushed myself away from him.
"ow, what- why?" I said gently rubbing my cheek.
"Oh yeah, sorry. I may or may not have slapped you so you would wake up." He shrugged, "Adrenaline does the trick most of the time."
I stared blankly at him. He woke me up sure, but he also slapped me. I was certainly awake now.
"Oh look here comes Perry with your scarf!" He said changing the subject. Perry walked over and handed it to me, it was my scarf. It was stiff with salt.
"Thank you." I smiled at him. He was an orange earth pony, a fairly tall one too. He had a curly mane and grey eyes.
"No problem." He said, I recognized his voice. He was the first voice. I remember it.
"Thank you.." I said again staring at him.
"You're welcome?" He said confused.
"You were the one who found me weren't you?" I asked.
"Uhm yes, actually. How did you know?" He looked at me like I was an alien. It was probably my eyes.
"You were the voice I heard. You were quiet but I heard you." I said. He just stared at me. Again not me, my eyes. It was always my eyes. I looked at my scarf and he shuffled off awkwardly.
"So. That was Perry?" I asked the colt sitting with me.
"Yes, he's second in command here." He said.
"And you are?" I asked the colt.
"Lighting. Lighting Bow." He said, "And you are?"
"Cotton. Cotton Pin." I said smiling.
"Well Cotton Pin, would you like a tour of our little community?" He said holding out his hoof, as if asking for a dance.
"Why yes, Lighting Bow." I said taking his hoof.
Chapter 3: A Community
Lightning and I walked aways to their little community on the island. It's a fairly dense forest with lots plant life and a few animals. It's also very humid, like the rainforest. I imagine they must get quite a bit of fresh water here, even with the ocean.
"So, how long have you guys been here?" I asked.
"I'm not sure, i've lost count of the days. But it's been long enough for ponies to build permeant homes here." He responded. I could see him fully now, he was certainly my height. He was a Pegasus, though he didn't have full wings. They were small little nubs on his sides, they had a few feathers but they looked clipped. I guess that's why he hasn't flown from here. He had a bow with lightning in it as his cutie mark, i'll have to ask him about that.
"Okay... where are you from then?" I asked looking at him.
"The town. Born and raised right there. When I was around 17 I became a weather pegasus, and when I was around 20 I got promoted to head manger," he said with pride, "But then that meant the Mayor told me everything, leading me to be being first to go on 'Vacation'."
"I'm so sorry. But it's only been a a few months since you went missing, so that means you're still 20?" I asked. I started getting my hopes up. He was my age, maybe we could be friends.
"I guess so. What about you? Where are you from?" He asked looking back at me.
"Well, i'm from a town a little ways away from yours. When I was old enough I decided to leave and take my merchandise with me." I said.
"Oh? You ran a stall in the market? What did you sell?" He sounded interested.
"I sold home knitted scarfs. It was a hobby I had as a filly, when I was old enough I started to sell them. But where I lived it was pretty warm so no pony ever needed them, so I moved where it actually got cold." I told him, this was something not very many ponies knew. Even there not very many ponies bought scarfs, most of them had expensive and fancy ones.
"Interesting. Oh well, here we are," he said pulling back a group of tall grasses to show a cleared out area in the trees. It was setup like a market with houses near one another and a couple of carts at the owners home. There were ponies in a giant group, I saw a few faces that looked concerned. Lightning was still facing me smiling with pride while my face fell.
"I think something's wrong Lightning.." I said pointing to group of ponies. He turned to look, and he started walking towards them with me close behind him.
"Merry, what's going on?" He said concerned.
"Sir!," he saluted, "One of the pegasus tried to fly and sprained their wing."
"You can stand down now Merry," he rolled his eyes, "who is it?"
"Rain sir! A-a-again.." Merry responded. Lightning face hoofed at this and trotted over to the other pony.
"Rain, what have I told you? Your wings can't hold your weight anymore. Meaning you can't fly," Lightning said quietly and carefully. I smiled, he knew what he was doing.
"I know sir. Sorry sir, it's just that i'm tired of walking on the ground." the young pegasus said through his teeth.
"I know Rain," He sighed and looked over at me,"Hey Cotton, come meet Rain." I was shocked, he had finally called attention to me in the crowd. Everyone turned to look at me, I walked over to Rain and Lightning with them staring at me.
"Uhm, hello Rain.." I said sheepishly.
"Hello.." He looked as confused as I felt. We both looked at Lightning as he stood up.
"Cotton, this is Rain, my trainee. He was the third to join the island." He said gesturing to Rain.
"Hello.. I'm Cotton." I said, confused as to what i'm supposed to say. But Rain stood up, and he got a good look of me.
"Hi Cotton. I'm Rain. So you're an earth pony?" He asked standing at his full height, he was a little taller than me.
"Yes I am sir." I said. He had a rain cloud with simple rain falling out for his cutie mark. He locked eyes with me, that was his mistake. He suddenly stopped talking and stared at my eyes; hypnotized. I had to look away for him to walk off.
"Well, Lightning. Is that it?" I asked him. He shook his head and asked Rain to come back.
"Cotton, how much do you know in the medical areas?" he asked looking sideways at me.
"Well, my dad was a doctor. What I know is from him really." I started to see where this was going.
"Could you examine his wings please?" Lightning gestured at Rain again, who was very shocked and scared.
"Sure?" I said walking over to Rain, "This might hurt a little bit." He nodded and winced when I began to feel his wings. I closed my eyes and continued to feel them, I pieced together a picture of what was wrong with them. They certainly weren't sprained, but they were broken more then just today. Some of the bones felt wrong, like they had fused together. I could fix them, but I would have to ask rain if he wanted me too. It would involve breaking them, again.
"Well. From what I can tell, from today they are sprained. But from in general they've been broken in multiple places, and because they weren't put in a splint to heal properly they've fused. Meaning, you can't fly. At all." I said to Rain. He looked extremely sad, and I felt so bad. "But I can do something to maybe make floating possible." I said smiling. He physically perked up.
"How?" He asked eagerly.
"Well, because they've fused... I would have to break them again and put them in a splint." I said looking at him with concern, "think about it before you say anything because it will be painful." He nodded and walked off. I looked at Lightning, he was grinning.
"What are you so happy about?" I asked him.
"I just guessed correctly what you're cutie mark is! With out looking!" He looked so happy and full of himself, "It's something I pride myself on. Guessing ponies cutie marks. It's fun when you get them right." I started laughing.
"What.. what's so funny Cotton? Your cutie mark is related to medical things right?" He looked very confused. I laughed even harder, I was basically crying now.
"It's not, sorry Lightning. Would you like to see my cutie mark?" I said smiling and wiping away a tear. He looked very confused and was blushing slightly.
"Sure?" He said and looked at where my cutie mark would be, "You. Don't have one?"
"Nope, that's why I find it so funny." I said giggling. He looked very concerned for me. "Oh Lightning, it's fine. I've never had one. My mom said it was because she didn't have one till he was much older. My father said it was just because I had many skills."
"Alright.." He smiled slightly, "So, until you make your house. Would you like to stay with me and Rain?"
"Sure! That why if he does decide to fix his wings I can keep an eye on him. Actually..." I said walking towards Lighting. I started to feel his wings too. They felt the same as Rains', wrong. The bones were fused too. What ever had happened to these ponies, it was meant for them so they couldn't leave. I stopped right where I was. I remembered everything.
"Lightning, could we go to your house? Like right now. I just remembered a few things.." I started to gently nudge him. He quickly understood what I meant and led me to his house.
Author's Note
Finally finished this hunk of text. Which happens to so far be MY favorite chapter and the longest one too!
