Chapters CHAPTER ONE: DOWN FOR THE COUNT
I was flying higher and freer than ever before. And I would have been free to, if I wasn’t late. The wind felt good on my face. Wind, it’s one of the few things in this world that can actually make me smile. I’m generally not a happy pony. Anyways, back to the whole “late” thing. The other wonderbolts had called a surprise practice session far back in the Everfree forest and I forgot. Again. The only thought that went through my mind was “Why me?” as I zoomed only a few feet above the tops of the trees, trying to find the clearing that Soarin’ had described so well to me. He said I would recognize it because the rest of them would be there. Smart aleck. I reached a mountain and turned around, I didn’t think they’d have it around that.
I scanned the forest below me but something happened. Nothing I can remember but it happened. I felt an intense pain in my head and then I was falling, more pain surged through me as I hit the ground and all went black. But it didn’t go quiet. I could hear everything around me, every sound the forest had to offer, but I couldn’t see or move. I didn’t know how long I lay there, I could hardly think as the pain burned through my body. Then something else happened, but this time, I didn’t mind it. Not that there was much I could do anyways. I felt something. Weightless. The ground disappeared from beneath me, replaced by something soft and warm. I heard a grunt, and again felt the wind that signified I was moving. Then, the sound disappeared; the sensation of it all disappeared. I still don’t know if I passed out or if I just can’t remember. Either way it remains the same. It was all gone, but this, this bliss only lasted seconds compared to the time I had been laying on the ground.
I tried to open my eyes, I was awake, but I still felt no control over my body. Something had happened. My life was now out of my hands, and yet I still felt comfortable. A comforting heat licked one side of me, and I was on something that felt soft like down. I let out a breath, as it was the only thing I seemed to be able to do. It seemed like such a scumbag move for the universe to take my control away from everything except my lungs.
Something touched me. My head. Again it was soft and warm, just like everything else that surrounded me. Then I heard a noise. “Shhh.” At least the universe gave me comfort. But somehow it managed to blend this soft paradise with the utmost feeling of unrest. I held my breath, begging to pass out again. I wanted to dream of flying if I couldn’t actually do it. Next best thing right? You’re wrong. I passed out, but the dreams haunted me. Nightmares. I flew threw dark and cloudy skies, the clouds whipped out tendrils of lightning, trying to strike me down. I wasn’t flying anywhere in particular, my world was dark except for the bright purple lights writhing down to ensnare me in death. Occasionally an obstacle would appear in front of me, a large boulder or a tree. Sometimes even a house. The scariest part was, there was no wind, nothing to tell me that I was moving forward. And I couldn’t stop flying. I’m not sure I was, for all I know the rest of the world could have been coming at me . Then, my eyes opened.
It was dark, except for a fire, crackling underneath the mantle in front of me. I couldn’t move. I could only blink. Whatever hit my head did a spectacular job because my body was taking one hell of a time fixing itself. My wonderbolt uniform was gone and I wondered why it had been taken off. However, I just lay and stared at the fire until the sun rose and the room grew bright.
It was rustic. The room again, was comforting. Nothing but the couch I lay on and a small wooden lampstand next to a coffee table. There were green carpets with intricate designs on them adorning the floor. Then I felt that familiar soft warmness on my head. A pony entered my field of view. She was yellow with a pink mane, but that’s all I could make out, as her face was very close to mine. “You’re awake?” She sounded astonished. I almost wanted to gag. I didn’t like playing the patient because it was never my style. In fact, this was probably my first injury in years. I felt like saying No duh dipshit . But control of my mouth still seemed foreign to me. Instead let out a sharp breath, indicating that I recognized she was there. “Can you move?”
Another stupid question. If I could’ve I would’ve. She seemed a bit slow. I just blinked at her. “Okay, well, just know that I’m here.” She removed the hoof from my forehead and sat down behind me on the couch, making it very hard for me to get a good look at her.
Time passed. The yellow pony, who I had now figured out was a pegasus came to check on me regularly, often putting that hoof on my forehead or whispering comforting things. I would feel a lot safer if I knew where the hell I was. I guessed maybe a couple of days passed before I had come up with possible theories. One. I had been kidnapped. Forcefully abducted and drugged by some crazed fan. Two. I had been injured, but it seemed unlikely, as I couldn’t remember hitting anything. This pony was obviously taking care of me for some reason, but she had failed to introduce herself.
On what I guessed was the fourth day, I woke up with something different. Pain. Physical pain. My forelegs ached and I tried to move them, but it hurt too much. All I could do was wiggle a hoof, but it was something. The mysterious yellow pony saw me trying to move, and surprise surprise, she did nothing but get crazy excited and shout words of encouragement. I felt too weak. That’s not something I was used too. Weakness, so this is what it was. The only good parts of the day was when the meals came. I was fed like a foal, which was somewhat humiliating, but I was so starved every day I didn’t care. The only thing that bothered me was, I couldn’t taste the food. I could feel it along with the cold water she’d given me by tilting my head back, but couldn’t taste anything. I decided not to worry, since it had never helped me before.
I didn’t really know how long it was, but I guessed a week before I’d gained control of my mouth. Opening and closing it my lips stuck together, dry from the week of being unable to actually lick them. “Hey.” It was the first thing I bothered trying to say, but it came out as a raspy whisper. My larynx felt like I had inhaled a packet of needles that had gotten stuck there. “Hey!” I tried it louder and my voice cracked, making a loud squeal. Something fell upstairs, making a loud bang before the pegasus landed in front of me once again.
“What was that?” As if she didn’t know what talking was.
“I…” Again my voice failed me. “Water…”
She buzzed off, but back before I could attempt to say anything more with a cup of water between her fore hooves. Again my head was tilted back and the water poured slowly between my open lips. I swallowed a few gulps before closing my mouth to signify “No more.”
“Name?” I tried the important word this time.
“My name. Oh I never gave it to you? I’m uh… Fluttershy.” She whispered this, just like everything else she said. “Your name?”
“Fire…” I summoned what remained of my will to get out two words. “Fire Streak.”
CHAPTER TWO: GETTING ACQUAINTED
“Nice to meet you!” As if she’d never heard of me. I am a wonderbolt for Pete’s sake. I didn’t have it in me to say anything else, so I did what I could and waved a hoof, trying to send her away. She didn’t acknowledge me. So I just closed my eyes, and went to sleep. No dreams haunted my sleep this time.
When I woke, there was another pony in the room, but they were talking in rather hushed tones. “You have a freakin’ wonderbolt!”
“I- I didn’t know…”
“How could you not know!” The other one sounded both angry and excited.
“I don’t know,” Fluttershy wasn’t meeting the strange pegasus’ eyes. The other one was blue, with a very odd mane, very colourful. She seemed familiar, but I was too tired at the time to identify her. I did something I regretted then. I talked.
“Hey.” They didn’t hear me. “Goddammit! Pay attention to me!” My voice cracked again, and half of it came out as a squeal, but both turned their heads, their eyes widened. In a flash the blue one was in my face.
“How are you doing? What happened to you? Are you hurting?” I couldn’t even move my head let alone answer all her questions, so instead I asked one of my own.
“Where?” Another one word sentence. Too much pain took hold of me when I attempted to talk.
“Huh?” She swept her head around to look at the other pony in confusion. This annoyed me partly because I caught a large part of her mane in my mouth. Trotting over, they again started talking in whispered tones. Why was I left out of all this? Wasn’t it about me? To this day I still don’t understand. They both came up to me this time. “My friend here, Fluttershy…” She sounded nervous talking to me. “She found you injured in the forest. This is her house.”
“Hospital?” I couldn’t help but wonder.
“Ask her.” My eyes flitted to the yellow pony.
“H-honestly… I just couldn’t c-carry you that far.” She seems to have trouble with eyes, never really looked in them that pony. She had a fitting name. I gave up with the conversation it was mostly one-sided any ways. I figured I’d find everything else out tomorrow. I closed my eyes, but I didn’t go to sleep, I just let my mind wander and wondered what the other bolts were doing without me.
My head was propped up again. This time the blue pony was here with the food. Oatmeal again. Still tasteless but filling. Where had I seen her before? I still couldn’t think clearly. I finished half of the oatmeal before closing my mouth to signify “no more” after which she gave me a cup of water, which I downed all of before going to sleep, leaving another boring day behind me.
I woke up screaming. Pain surged through my body. The same pain I had felt when I had first started falling, combined with the pain from when I had hit the ground. My whole body spasmed uncontrollably. Control of my lower half had been given back to me, but at the cost of this. I cried and arched my back, kicking one of my legs and propelling myself off the couch I had been on for so long. Again I passed out, but not before Fluttershy was before me, mouth agape as my eyes closed cutting off the tears flowing down my cheeks and bringing about unconsciousness once again.
When I woke, I could see the sun was going down out the window. I guessed it was the ninth or tenth day. I couldn’t tell. A dull pain racked my body, but at least I could move. I wasn’t in the couch anymore though. I had been moved to a bed that I guessed to be my hostess’. I called out, but my voice was still weak. “Fluttershy?” Again, it was as if she had been waiting for me to call her name. She appeared at the foot of the bed in a matter of seconds.
“What happened?” She thought I would be more clued in than her.
“Pain,” Another one word answer.
“Where? I already checked for bruises, sprains, broken bones. How can you be in pain?”
“Don’t know.” My throat was starting to hurt again. “Water?” She left and promptly returned with the same cup full of water I’d been drinking out of since my stay had begun. After taking a few sips, this time relieved that I was able to feed my self, even if it hurt, I asked another question. “Who was the…” I stopped for anther sip of water. “The other pony?”
“Hm?” A confused look crossed her face for a second before it lit up with remembrance. “That was Rainbow Dash.” The name hit me like a bullet and I let out a sharp exhalation.
“I know her.” I still couldn’t remember where from though. She walked out, leaving me alone and not bothering to respond. I could guess that conversation wasn’t her strong suit, but at that point, it really wasn’t mine either. I didn’t want to go to sleep. I had napped the whole day. So I just lay there thinking about the situation that had been thrust on me and what had really happened the day I crashed.
One time during the night I had been bored enough to try and get out of bed. It turned out to be a pretty bad idea. My legs almost instantly collapsed beneath me and I had to spend the rest of the night with my face buried in one of the carpets. Just my luck it was thin enough that it didn’t provide any comfort and when Fluttershy found me the next morning I stiff as a board and sore as ever. “What happened?” I don’t know why she kept asking that, but I was able to tell her this time.
“I tried. I tried to get up.”
“Bad idea huh?” She propped my body on top of her and with a groan, settled me back into the bed.
“Yeah…” Dipshit what does it look like? I naturally hate rhetorical questions, mainly because that’s just what they are, pointless. I couldn’t help but think she was still a bit stunted. In more ways than one. Granted I was also pretty sore from being cooped up for so long. Loosing control of my own life and putting it into a stranger’s hands. I didn’t know what to think. Anyways, she was kind, just… too kind sometimes. To the point where it annoyed the heck out of me. “Help me out of bed?” I wanted to go outside, but I knew I couldn’t do that. Maybe just a walk around the house. Fluttershy slowly got me out of the bed I had just been put into. Almost immediately my legs collapsed beneath me again, but this time, she caught me. I leaned on her side, draping a fore hoof across her to get my balance. “Couch?”
“Okay.” She sounded quiet but still we walked out the bedroom door, only to be confronted by something I was totally unprepared for. Stairs. I tried my best anyways; flexing my wings to see if flying down them would work. It didn’t. I let go of Fluttershy and flapped my wings as hard as I could. Of course halfway down, my body failed me and I landed on the stairs with a thud, rolling head over hooves until I reached the bottom, dazed. My caretaker was quick to join me. “Alright.”
“Yeah.” I rubbed my throbbing head. Changing my mind about the couch I asked yet another question. “How ‘bout the kitchen?” She propped me against herself once more, and I cold see that she had agreed. I was being led into a kitchen, which was conjoined with the living room. “Apples?” Celestia I missed apples. Oatmeal and grits for ten days straight. An apple would be a welcome reprieve from my usual gruel. She let go of me, letting me slide slowly to the floor, and dug around in a cabinet before bringing out a large, red delicious. I almost drooled. She handed it to me, passing it from her mouth to mine. I spat it out in my hooves and took a large bite. Still no taste. “So,” I looked up at her. “What’s your story?”
CHAPTER THREE: STORIES
“My story?” She looked confused. I definitely didn’t want to have to clarify things for her, but relented knowing I would have to.
“Any water?” I asked, psyching myself up for the conversation. The pony filled a small mug up at the sink and gave a smile as she handed it back to me. I took a large gulp. “How did you find me?” I decided to pick the most important question.
“Um…” She hesitated which didn’t help to qualm my suspicions, “I was going for a walk in the forest and… you were just there, panting on the ground and making horrible sounds. You were bleeding and bruised, so um…” She trailed off again. I was partially glad a conversationalist hadn’t taken me in.
“So, where am I? City wise?”
“Um…” Damn all those ums annoyed me, “Outside of Ponyville…”
“Ponyville!” I yelled in recognition, but again, my voice gave out and faded into a series of coughs and splutters.
“It’s alright,” Fluttershy started patting me on the back. By then I had figured out why I didn’t like her abundance of kindness. It wasn’t that so much as the pity. Celestia I hate pity. Pity doesn’t help anything. Raw sentimentality is all it is. I shrugged her off, still coughing. I regretted it though, because when I looked up at her after my small fit, she looked not only worried, but also sad as if she had done something wrong. I felt for her. I really did. Looking away I only managed,
“Sorry.”
“No, you’re the injured one.”
She really knows how to make a pony feel guilty, for such a small action to. I felt for her. Today she still thinks that she did something wrong, regardless of what I say. “So?” My though process was interrupted by her quiet voice.
“So?” I responded taking another swig of water.
“What’s your story?”
“Mine?” My still sore throat elicited another cough from the conversation.
“Hold on.” The worried look returned to her face as she turned around and flew up to some particularly high cabinets. She returned with a slightly smaller glass and a bottle of light brown liquid.
“Is that…”
“Liquor. I know, but its good for a cough.” She poured some into the glass and handed it to me, still on the floor. I put the apple and mug of water down to cup it in both hooves.
“My story huh? Okay then.” Taking a sip of the liquor first, it soothed my throat on the way down, a warm tingling sensation. It was much dryer than the champagne had been at the gala. “The gala!” The liquor clicked something in my brain eliciting yet another scream.
“Hm?” That confused look killed me.
“That’s where, um, the blue one, what’s her name is from!” I said it excitedly, but not loudly. The alcohol had helped, but it hadn’t cured.
“Rainbow Dash?”
“Yes!” My wings flapped a bit, lifting me few feet off the floor before giving out and dropping me with a loud thud.
“Um… are you okay?”
“Yea. Just got… excited.” I took another sip of the intoxicant I held in my hooves, a little of which had spilled since my little spaz attack over the blue pony. “So… my story?”
“Yep.” She let out a small sigh for some reason.
“Okay then. Start from when I crashed?” She nodded. “I was flying. And I was late for a training session the Soarin’ had set up in the forest. Vague place. All he said was it was in a clearing. Anyways, I was looking for it when my whole body was suddenly racked with pain, I lost control and I fell.” I coughed and took another sip of liquor. Something tells me she wouldn’t believe my story, but the truth is what I told.
“Well? What hit you?”
“That’s the thing I don’t remember.” I rubbed my head; a small pain had emerged behind my eyes.
“Hm…” She looked thoughtful. There was something about this mare. Something that annoyed and astounded me at the same time. All her concerns were those of others. I don’t, and didn’t, understand as I am a naturally prideful pony, but she’s taught me something about kindness. Anyways the conversation pretty much ended on that note.
“Little help?” I looked up at her. She looked back, the familiar hesitation returning before another sigh was let out and I was helped off the floor.
“Where to?” I honestly didn’t know, all I did know was that the hard kitchen floor was hurting my flanks.
“Um…” She was growing on me, “The bed?” In other words, the first thing that pops into my head.
“Okay…” She helped me up. I am going to tell you right now, I still feel like I have a score to settle with those stairs. The trip up them is much harder than the trip down. Of course, on my first way down, I kind of used more unconventional methods to transverse the steps.
Now back in bed I felt tired. Not just “Oh I’m so bored and depressed there’s nothing else to do” tired but genuinely “Eyelid-drooping big yawn” tired. Fluttershy must’ve noticed, because before I knew it, all that I had left downstairs on the kitchen floor was right on the bed stand beside me. I took one last sip of liquor before snuggling deep into the covers and falling asleep.
Something startled me awake. There was yelling downstairs mixed in with a faint choking whimper. The blue pony had come back. Rainbow Dash had come back, and she wasn’t happy. Something like glass banged against the floor. It sounded like it broke but I wasn’t sure. I got out of bed. My legs were wobbly bt the earlier practice made it easier for me to stand. Looking out the window I could tell it was still nighttime, either that or very early morning. Anyways I tried to take a step, but yet again, almost collapsed under my weight. Using a combination of both my wings and legs I was able to clumsily make my ways to the stairs once again and once again, fall down them.
At the bottom I was paralyzed with fear. A raving Rainbow Dash had shattered the only vase in the living room and Fluttershy was cowering in the corner behind the couch, her hooves were scratched and some bleeding because of the glass on the floor. Rainbow stopped directing her anger at pony in the corner and immediately turned to me. “Why do you hate me!” I have to admit, she caught me off guard.
CHAPTER FOUR: SOME DAY
Before I go further, I want you to know right now that even good ponies crack sometimes, and Rainbow Dash had apparently reached her limit.
“You’ve known me for years!” She was enraged and I could do nothing but stare futilely up into her mad eyes. “Every time you see me I do nothing but show that I’m as good as, if not better than you, and here you, both of you are hiding from me!”
“I-“ I was speechless.
“You act like you don’t even remember me!” She turned sharply, “And you.” Her voice grew lower. Almost threatening. “You’ve been hiding him. Barely even letting me see him.”
“H- he’s sick. He couldn’t move.” It sounded more like Fluttershy said it to the ground than the crazed fan above her.
“Hey!” I spluttered a bit; making me seem much less threatening then I wanted to be.
“Hm?” Her eyes turned to me, but she hadn’t moved her head.
“Yes, you won the Best Young Fliers Competition. Yes, you were very impressive at the gala, but we still can’t accept you.”
“Why not?” She hadn’t moved. A silent tear rolled down her cheek as the two mares stared at each other.
“You never….” I didn’t want to say it. Dreams are important. Without dreams, life has no meaning. Ponies have no soul. No drive.
“I never what!” Another tear fell and she turned ninety degrees to face me.
“You never passed flight school.” I tried to inch away. Just in case, but I soon found something surprising happened.
She laughed.
“Is that all? All I have to do is go back and ace an ol’ test? Well why didn’t you tell me from the beginning?”
“I’m so sorry. Rainbow Dash I’m so sorry, but you’re too old. They won’t accept you.” I was crying now. I was becoming everything I hated. I had just crushed someone else’s dreams. Willingly.
“No.” She looked at the floor. “No why won’t they! What do I have to prove to them?” The devastated pegasus bolted for the front door, not bothering to open it, she burst through leaving it swinging to and fro on it’s hinges.
I crawled over to Fluttershy. “Are you okay?” I looked at her hooves. “Did she hurt you?”
“No. It’s just a bit of glass.”
“C’mon let’s get something for those hooves. Where’re the bandages?”
“Upstairs.”
I let out a small chuckle. “Well that’s problematic isn’t it?” She flapped her wings and smirked at me. “He he. Right.” I still wish I could’ve been of some help in the situation, but I just made my way to the couch, weaving around the glass as I did so, and waited there until she returned with a few small bandages on her hooves.
“I can clean up the glass.” It was just an offer, but when I attempted to get up I was almost immediately pushed back, a stern hoof resting on my chest.
“No,” Looking up, it was clear she was holding back tears, or at the very least trying to hide the ones already there. “Please. Let me do it.” She gave an attempt at a smile ad trotted away and for the briefest of times I was left to my own thoughts once again.
I wondered if she had been crying because of the cuts on her hooves, or if it had something to do with Rainbow Dash. I wondered why she wouldn’t let me help her with the glass, but before I could wonder anymore she was back by my side with a dustpan and a small broom in each hoof. She hovered above the floor, sweeping it up without looking at me.
“Hey um…” But she had flown off once again to deposit what glass she had collected in the bin.
Again she returned. “Hey, what’s wrong?” A tear fell from her eye, which was shut tight as she tried to hold it back.
“I just-“ She stuttered “I just hate to see ponies in such pain. Fist it’s you and then…” Again she trailed off.
“Don’t worry about it. Rainbow Dash’ll get over it. And well, you’ve helped me more than I can express.”
“I just want to help my friends.” She looked almost flattered, but the look of solemnity remained.
It almost seemed that the more pain her friends were in, the more pain she was in. Just like I said, she cares for everypony else more than herself.
“Cheer up. C’mon let’s start a fire. Or at least close some of the windows?” It was getting awfully cold as winter was just starting and through the window’s I could clearly see pegasi moving clouds into place, getting ready for a storm.
“Okay.” She let out the one word along with a small sigh and started to close the few windows around the cottage. A fire was lit under the mantle and the rest of the day was spent in peaceful warmth.
***
That night was the first night I had a real meal since I had been back. Not just mush or an apple on the floor but I sat at the table and ate. Good food too. Apple cobbler, lily sandwiches, and wheat fries. At the time, that meant a lot to me, especially since Fluttershy had gone out to hoof pick the apples only earlier that day. Sometimes she killed me. She really did. Just too nice. I honestly don’t see what I had done to deserve such a great meal, but hey I’m not one to complain about good food.
“So…” I wasn’t very good at breaking the ice, and Fluttershy just looked up from her meal and stared at me, waiting for me to say something. “Erhm,” I cleared my throat, “Um… Thanks for making this. It looks it took a lot to make.”
“It was nothing really.” She wasn’t a very good liar.
“So snow tonight huh?”
“Uh huh.” She picked mercilessly at her food, hardly looking up at me. Her shy demeanor remaining ever-present in all she did.
“Is something wrong?” Now she looked up at me.
“Oh no. Nothing really.”
“Really?”
Her head cocked slightly to the right before she looked me right in the eye and said, “Don’t worry about my problems,” However I could barely hear her.
“Okay.” A few minutes passed. Silent minutes. Cold ,dead ,silent minutes.
“Welp. I’m done.” Immediately Fluttershy was out of her seat as she began collecting my dishes. I pushed her back, maybe slightly too rough. “I’ll do it.”
“No. Please. I need to help.”
“I need to work. Please let me just do this.” It still seems like such a stupid argument, but then again both of us we’re having problems then.
“Okay.” And so I cleared the dishes, and she washed them.
When we had finished, both of us went to settle down on the couch.
“So…” Fluttershy said it this time, and I was surprised to hear an actual attempt at conversing come from her.
“So…”
“Some day huh?”
“Normal, except for well, the snow, the fancy dinner, and the enraged pegasus. Yeah I guess it has been some day hasn’t it?” I chuckled a bit to myself.
“I still wish Rainbow Dash could’ve-“ But I cut her short, put my hoof on her cheek and turned her towards me.
“You forget about Rainbow Dash for now. There’s nothing you can do from here.”
“But-“ Again she was cut short as I pulled her towards me and, well, kissed her.