Author's Note

I hope you like this chapter but I have to admit I don't think this is the best chapter in the story. Something seems off about it but I need the chapter so it will have to stay that way. The other chapter is well on the way and it is much better so hold out for that if this one doesn't take your liking :3

Chapter 6: Flying on Broken Wings

It wasn’t long before Rainbow noticed that Floppy had not been making such good progress in her exercise regime. She seemed stronger but she was still over weight and uncoordinated. She still had very little stamina and got tired pretty easily. ‘It must be the weight’ Rainbow thought but despite how many times Rainbow had suggested for Floppy to cut down, she didn’t get any thinner. Rainbow decided to have a word with Applejack. She was caring for her after all, maybe she was feeding her too much. So Rainbow flew straight to Sweet Apple Acres after the days training to see Applerjack. She found her near the barn handling barrels full of apples as usual.

“Hey, Applejack!” Rainbow called as she descended.

Applejack smiled back “Well howdedo Rainbow. What can I do ya for?” Applejack answered cheerfully

“Well, it’s about Flops. She hasn’t been doing so well during our exercise classes. Have you been feeding her stuff?” Rainbow asked, casual as can be

“Well, yes. I feed Floppy a cupcake or two...sometimes” Applejack responded nervously. Rainbow was immediately suspicious

“a few cupcakes?” Rainbow specified accusingly while staring Applejack down

“a few cupcakes a day. That’s all” Applejack begged

“A few cupcakes a DAY?!” Rainbow cried in surprise

“Is that bad?” Applejack asked, although she already knew what the most likely answer was

“Yes! Of course it is!” Rainbow yelled like a teacher scolding its student

“You didn’t feed her anything else did you?” Rainbow questioned with a piercing stare

“o-only some pancakes” Applejack stammered, sweating like mad

“and?!” Rainbow pressured her

“s-some candy” Applejack continued

“AND?!” Rainbow pushed even harder. Applejack sighed deeply and hung her head in shame

“maybe a lot of candy” she admitted

“How do you expect me to help her lose weight when you are feeding her all the damn time, huh?!” Rainbow cried

“Oh. You’re right Rainbow. I’ll have a word with her” Applejack finally caved in

“and?!” Rainbow pressed

“and I’ll cut down the snacks” Applejack continued

“good! I’ll hold you to it!” Then Rainbow flew off, almost pulling the barn with her from the force of the take off.
Applejack sighed again. It was true. Applejack had been too soft with Floppy. It was about time she started to put her hoof down. Applejack had a talk with Floppy about losing weight. The whole time, Floppy hung her head in shame. She didn’t try to argue. Why should she? Applejack was right. There was no denying that fact.

Applejack found the coming weeks were very difficult. After the first few days, Floppy just seemed really bothered by it. She looked like she didn’t even want to look at food anymore. And yet, every week, Floppy never looked any thinner. Floppy just seemed more and more wound up. There were mood swings that just seemed to come out of nowhere and Applejack could even hear her crying in her small bedroom.

Floppy tried several times to steal food from the kitchen overnight and during the times Applejack and the others were away doing chores. But despite how many times Applejack told her off, she just didn’t seem to take it in. In fact, doing that only seemed to make it worse. Floppy would scream in frustration and shout at Applejack. Applejack could sense her hate for her and it hurt her badly. She could also see pain in her eyes. Something just seemed wrong. No. Something was wrong. Applejack just couldn’t stand to see her suffer.

Rainbow had also noticed Floppy’s bad moods and they had fallen out a few times. However, it was easy to make up again. Rainbow soon learned the best way to get along with Floppy after an argument was to pretend nothing happened. It was what Floppy seemed to like to do after a fight. Floppy just found it difficult to find the words to express her feelings so she avoided the idea as much as possible. They had fallen out so many times, it wasn’t even worth explaining after a while anyway. But it always made the meetings a little awkward for the first few minutes or so.

Amongst all this, Rainbow could still see no improvement for Floppy and she grew suspicious. It was time to find out what was going on and she knew just the pony to start with. Rainbow investigated Applejacks cupboards and soon found Applejack still had quite a few cupcakes and snacks.

“AHA!” Rainbow cried. She was going to need a word with someone.

Applejack was rather happy until she was shocked to find Rainbow soon flying over to her looking very displeased. When Rainbow mentioned it, Applejack looked very guilty. After Applejack had had a good talking to, she knew she had to cut down again. When she did, the mood swings started all over again but Applejack hoped it would all soon end once she got used to it. Then one week Floppy started coming home looking a lot happier than before. Applejack was relieved. She was finally getting over it!

It wasn’t just Applejack who noticed the difference. Rainbow didn’t like to be quiet and leave things unresolved so she was happy when Floppy eventually apologised for her behaviour.

“I’m really sorry. I-I don’t know w-what came over me. I-I’ve just been so stressed lately and-” Floppy wept
“Alright, alright. Relax, Flops. It’s cool” Rainbow said with her usual confidence. She wasn’t one for comforting.
Floppy felt happy she had made up with her and Applejack but she still felt a deep hole in her heart. It weighed heavy on her that she wasn’t being completely honest. But she couldn’t tell the truth. No-one would understand. They never do.

Rainbow decided to let off some of the steam from these last few days with a new regime. Flying! Rainbow had been training to get Floppy in the air for a while now, ever since the very first day of training. There was no way Rainbow could accept a pegasus not knowing the awesomeness of flying! Who ever heard of a pegasus who can’t fly?! Floppy had tried on the first day to fly but she couldn’t do it. Rainbow decided Floppy’s wings were too weak so lots of wing exercises were required to build up the muscles.

Now was the day of truth. Time to fly! Rainbow set her up and ready and Floppy flapped as hard as she could but she didn’t even lift off the ground. Her technique was off so Rainbow quickly corrected her before trying again. No matter how many times she told her to do it in a circle, she always seemed to end up flapping up and down. Even so, she should have at least lifted off the ground slightly but she stayed pinned to the floor like her hooves were glued to the soil. Floppy looked at her wings. They were not the prettiest wings, with feathers missing and scars all over them.

“Maybe it’s my wings. They have a lot of missing feathers” Floppy enquired. Then she looked down at her belly and hung her head in shame.

Rainbow watched her and took pity on her. Floppy had many talks with Rainbow about her dieting and how much she struggled with it. Rainbow didn’t want to think that was the problem. Rainbow told her to flap harder and to get a run up but in her attempt to do so Floppy fell over and grazed her knee.

Rainbow took her to Fluttershy’s house. Fluttershy was always there for her friends when they got a bang or a scrape. Rainbow’s reckless training often left Floppy with a couple of bruises and scratches so Fluttershy was a common visit for them.

Rainbow thought this was the perfect opportunity to ask a question. “Fluttershy, you keep lots of birds right? So you know a lot about wings right? Do you think Flops wings are too beat up to fly?” Rainbow asked eagerly

“Oh well. They do have a lot of feathers missing but I don’t know about pegasus wings. Only a pegasus can know about that. I just look after the animals” Fluttershy said in her usual soft voice, sounding disappointed she couldn’t be of help.

“That’s it!” Rainbow cried

“You need to see a pegasus doctor! He’ll know!” Rainbow cried excitedly now that she had a solution
Everything was all well and good, except for one thing. Floppy was still not losing weight. Looked like Rainbow would have to do some super investigation, ninja Rainbow style!

Rainbow decided to follow Floppy on her daily routine. She snuck behind the hay bales and around the shadows of the buildings as fast as lightning. There were a few close shaves where Floppy seemed suspicious of a hay bale or two but Rainbow was too fast and always alluded Floppy. Rainbow discovered that Floppy was suspiciously nervous when walking around on her own. Once Floppy had checked the coast was clear she snuck into Sugarcube Corner.

“I knew it!” Rainbow whispered loudly to herself before dashing to one of the windows of the building. She watched as Floppy happily greeted Pinkie in a way that was too friendly to have been a rare moment. Floppy picked out a whole box of various flavours of cupcakes and muffins before then trotting cheerfully out of the store. Applejack had trusted Floppy a weekly salary to spend on little somethings while she was out walking. However, Applejack had warned her many times NOT to buy more food. Nevertheless, Floppy went to get the cupcakes and treats every weekend but she didn’t just stop at Sugarcube Corner.

Then Floppy went to the bakery and got some tasty donuts and tarts, then she visited the traditional candy store and got some gummies and sherbet sweets and lastly she visited the general store to pick up a few big bags of crisps. By the end of it, Floppy was being crushed with four carrier bags of food goodies. Rainbow couldn’t believe her eyes. She had never seen anything like it before. It was like Floppy was trying to stock up for the winter and the whole time Floppy was watching her back. It seemed she was very aware of how wrong this was.

There was only one thing to do. Rainbow knew how bad Floppy was with confrontation so it was off to speak to Applejack yet again.

“But have you SEEN how much she is buying?!” Rainbow cried in protest

“No b-but I’m sure it’s not that much. S-she is a grown mare. You can’t just tell her what to do like a-a little filly!” Applejack argued back but she didn’t sound that convincing in her nervousness

“She’ll never lose weight like this! If this carries on, all my efforts will be for nothing!” Rainbow cried in frustration, stamping her hooves as she paced around and flapping her wings as she spoke.

“But she’s been through a lot Rainbow. She just needs time to adjust that’s all” Applejack begged

“It’s already been a month! How much longer does she need?” Rainbow asked. Applejack hung her head as she realised the truth in her words.

“But she just gets so hungry and I” Applejack tried to explain herself but Rainbow was having none of it

“Applejack this has got to stop! If you care about her, you would stop feeding her this crap!” Rainbow said before screaming in frustration and flying off before she really lost her temper. Applejack just stood there for a good while, fighting herself. Floppy couldn’t do that. She wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t lie to her like that, surely. But Applejack couldn’t doubt one of her best friends. She decided to head towards Twilight’s house. Twilight always knew what to do.

“I just don’t know what to do Twilight. You said yourself she needed some time to adjust and I don’t want to put too much pressure on her but what if Rainbow is right? What if it is my fault she is like this” Applejack said as she finished her explanation

“Don’t blame yourself Applejack. You did what you thought was right and that’s all we can hope for.” Twilight comforted Applejack. Applejack just hung her head in thought

“Besides, what you are feeding her is nothing compared to how much she is buying herself. She is doing most of this to herself.” Twilight explained

“you mean...” Applejack looked up, afraid of what this meant

“We need to confront her about this and find out why she is doing it. Floppy isn’t one to be dishonest, even when it upsets others. This isn’t like her. There must be a reason” Twilight mused out loud, half to Applejack and half to no-one in perticuler.

The next weekend, Twilight and Applejack travelled to the Sweet Apple Acres farm where Twilight discovered a pile of plastic bags with candy and delicious snacks galore hidden behind the hay bales and barrels. Twilight looked to Applejack and she hung her head in utter embarrassment and shame.

“I can’t believe she would try to lie to me like this” Applejack said sadly. Twilight just looked disappointed. Just then Floppy came bounding into the barn, plastic bags in tow and a big smile on her face. She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Twilight and Applejack turn around from the hidden pile and stare straight at her.

“I-I-I-I can explain!” Floppy stuttered

“Don’t bother, Floppy” Twilight said, sounding rather stern and fed up. Floppy just hung her head as low as she could go, avoiding eye contact.

“Floppy, why are you doing this?” Twilight asked softly

“This stuff is bad for you. You know that, right sugarcube?” Applejack added. Everything went quiet for a while as Floppy didn’t answer.

Then Applejack spoke again “You don’t need all this!” Applejack cried

“I do need it” Floppy responded at last, under her breath. Applejack and Twilight waited for a further explanation but she didn’t say another word.

“It’s OK, Floppy, sugarcube. We can just take this stuff away and-” Applejack said as she tried to move some of the hidden snacks out of the barn but Floppy ran into the doorway to block her inside.

“I need it!” Floppy yelled as she grabbed the bag off Applejack with her mouth and put it back in the pile. Twilight and Applejack looked over at Floppy and somehow they didn’t see the same pony they knew and loved. She stood with her body hung defensively over the food like a wild beast protects its prey. Twilight looked deeply into her eyes and saw nothing but manic fear. But this faded away as quickly as it came as Floppy calmed down a little.

“I-I-I need it, please” Floppy started to beg as her eyes started to grow wet

“sugarcube wha-” Twilight cut off Applejack with her hoof on her mouth and moved forward

“Why do you need it, Floppy?” Twilight asked

“I had nothing other than weeds to eat all my life. I-I...I need it”

Floppy’s voice cracked as tears started to pour “I need it” she said

Twilight wandered closer and hugged her gently “It’s OK. We will talk about this another time. We’ll find a way to help you. Don’t worry” Twilight said soothingly as she stroked Floppy’s crying head. And with that, Twilight left. Applejack didn’t know what to do so she stood quietly for a while. Rainbow appeared just at that moment souring through the air towards the barn door.

She yelled as she approached “Flops! I got an appointment at-” before soon realising something was going on.

“Twilight what are you doing here?” Rainbow enquired before seeing Applejack and Floppy looking rather upset behind her.

“What’s going on?” Rainbow asked, a little confused and concerned.

“Rainbow, did you just say you got Floppy an appointment for something?” Twilight asked curiously

“Oh yeah! I was gonna take her to see a wing specialist to see if her wings are too bust to fly!” Rainbow said, sounding rather proud that she came up with the idea

“a doctor...that’s actually a good idea” Twilight said

“Of course it is! I came up with it!” Rainbow boasted

“No, I mean. We should take her to see a doctor. Maybe there is a medical reason behind all this. If she ate nothing but a certain weed then she is bound to be lacking in some sort of nutrition. The weeds in the Everfree Forest can’t be too nutritious with such little sunlight” Twilight seemed rather happy with this knowledgeable conclusion.

“But what about the wing specialist? It took me ages to get that appointment! I had to sit the waiting room for 10 minutes! A WHOLE 10 minutes!!” Rainbow cried with fear

“Don’t worry, Rainbow. She can go to both. It would be good for her to get a proper check-up anyway” Twilight answered and so it was settled. Floppy now had two doctors appointments in the coming week. Twilight with her connections was able to get an appointment with one of the best doctors in Canterlot.

The Cloudsdale wing specialist agreed to come down to see Floppy in Ponyville to spare Twilight and friends a spell or two. The doctor confirmed that her wings were pretty damaged and probably couldn’t fly.

“Normally they would heal but it seems they have been damaged so often, the feathers aren’t growing back”

“So will Floppy ever be able to fly?” Rainbow asked anxiously, hoping the answer wasn’t what she was expecting

“If the feathers don’t grow back, I’m afraid not” Everyone hung their heads and then looked to Floppy. Floppy just sat quietly without a word.

“I’m so sorry sugarcube” Applejack tried to comfort Floppy as they left.

“It’s OK. It’s not like I have ever flown anyway. Why does it matter?!” Floppy said but everyone could tell by her tone that she wasn’t happy

“Floppy” Applejack tried to talk to her but Floppy ignored her

“Hell! Why don’t I jump off a fucking cliff?! That would be great wouldn’t it?!” Floppy said sounding increasingly frustrated

“Floppy, please” Applejack tried to console her

“IT’S NOT LIKE ANYBODY CARES!!!” Floppy cried at the top of her lungs before she lay crushed on the ground. Applejack and Rainbow helped to carry the sobbing pony home.

But Floppy didn’t have long to recover before she had to visit the other doctor. It also wasn’t the best news. It turned out she did likely have a sugar deficiency from her old diet and a deficiency in probably quite a few other nutrients she needed. However, she was still over weight and that wasn’t anything to do with her body. It was all her. Even that was worse than they thought as it turned out she is intolerant to certain foods.

Twilight and Applejack just watched as Floppy stared into the distance as they left. There wasn’t anything they could say that would make her feel better. What could they say? Denied the only blessing she had left, Floppy just felt empty, so empty. What was there to live for now? No parents, no friends, no wings, no life. The only way she felt like she could keep going was to splurge on food and even that pleasure she had now been denied. What was there to be happy for? What was there to aim for? Nothing.

What was life even for in the first place? To have children? That seems to be what Mother Nature thinks and yet Floppy knows she could never have children. She could barely take care of herself, let alone a defenceless child. What would the child grow up like? It would be bent for sure after she took care of it. She didn’t want to ruin anyone else’s life. She had already ruined her own. It would be greedy and selfish to ruin someone else’s just because she had ruined hers. She must have ruined countless lives just by existing.

She just wished she could find a place where she could end it all and no-one would know. Where no-one would remember and she could start over. But she also knew she was too much of a coward to even do that and she didn’t want the fuss. She knew that, in the end, she would slowly just rot in the corner. Everybody watching, wondering who that pony was and if they even cared at all.