Face your Fears
Note: Nothing serious here, just a bit of Slice of Life. Comments and Criticism are appreciated.
A storm had reared its ugly head over Ponyville. The storm had been scheduled for today, because of the summer droughts. There needed to be heavy rain, so that the town wouldn’t dry up under the blistering heat. Ponies in the town had fled from the rain, into their nice, dry homes. The storm had brought thunder and lightning, and it was surprisingly close to Ponyville. Some of the bolts had struck the mountains near Ponyville, and the weather team had been called to move the lightning clouds.
One Pegasus sped across Ponyville with great speed, flying past the town and along the path, towards the south-east of the town. Rumble slowed to a halt, looking back at the town, and took flight again. The Pegasus was overcome with fear, scared of what he had done. Blood was streaming from his nose; his right eye was bruised, showing a dark purple colour to it. Tears streamed down his face as he sped across the path, his wings flapping vigorously.
He didn’t know where he would go, or where he was going. He just wanted to get away from what he had done. He was scared to face the consequences. He knew what was coming if he went back. He didn’t want that, he wanted somewhere safe to hide, somewhere that was calm and gentle. He eventually got tired from flying and landed on the grass below him.
Rumble looked around, his breathing was hoarse and slow, his legs were shaking. He looked around in the heavy rain, trying to find somewhere safe to recover. The rain made it hard to see, but he saw a small cottage, with some lights on. He approached it, hoping that he could get out of the rain.
He walked up to the door, banging on it loudly, “Hello? Is anyone there?!”
He continued to knock on the door, hoping to get a reply.
The door opened quietly, and Rumble was greeted by Fluttershy.
“Rumble, what are you doing here?”
“Fluttershy, you’ve gotta help me, I’m in deep trouble.”
“Goodness, you look terrible. Let’s get you inside, quickly.”
Fluttershy ushered the small Pegasus inside, closing the door behind her. Rumble stood on the mat, shaking in the knees, blood dripping from his nose.
Fluttershy looked at the small colt, wondering why he was in such a state.
“You look dreadful, Rumble. Please, take a seat over there, I’ll go get some bandages and a cloth.”
Rumble quietly nodded, walking slowly to the sofa placed on the other side of the room. He climbed up and sat down, looking around the cottage. Lots of birdhouses lay about the house, mouse holes were peppered along the wall, and many small animals moved around on the network of wooden poles.
Angel was asleep on the sofa, suddenly waking when Rumble took a seat on the sofa. He gave a death glance to Rumble, and hopped to his own bed, lying on his back and snoring loudly.
Fluttershy took a seat next to Rumble and started wrapping some bandages around Rumble’s bruises.
“Now, why don’t you tell me what happened, Rumble?”
“Well, it’s pretty hard to say...”
Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion, “What do you mean?”
Rumble sighed and lowered his head. “I... I got into a fight.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened and she put a hoof on Rumble’s shoulder. “A fight, why would you get into a fight, you’re such a friendly pony?”
Rumble took a breath, holding back tears. “Well, I’m not the one who started it.”
Fluttershy got more concerned, “Oh dear. Well, who did start it?”
“You know that nice girl that works at the jewellery shop?”
“Sky Diamond, The jewel maker’s daughter? How could she ever get into a fight, she’s such a sweet pony as far as I’ve seen?”
“She’s not nice. She’s horrid. She may look nice, but she’s actually quite horrible when she’s alone.”
Fluttershy got increasingly more worried, she had met the filly before and she had been the friendliest little filly she had met. She looked at Rumble again, who started to cry.
“Well, how is she horrid, and what happened?”
“She’s clingy, and has been stalking me for a while now. When I confronted her about it, she acted like she had never done such a thing, and proceeded to get angry at me for telling lies. I shouted back at her, and she started to hit me. She punched me in the gut, on the nose, my eye, and started to kick at my legs. I couldn’t hit her back, since she was a girl, and then...”
“And then what?”
Rumble couldn’t bring himself to tell this next part, and was ready to burst into tears.
“I hit her back. I took her head, and slammed it into my knee. She ran off crying, and it made me look like I was the monster. Some ponies had noticed us, and I fled as fast as I could. And, that’s why I’m here...”
Fluttershy couldn’t believe what she had heard. What seemed like a sweet, young filly had turned out to be a recipe for disaster. Rumble had come to her, torn apart from this ordeal, and if he didn’t clear his name, he would be considered a monster by his friends and family.
Rumble looked at her, his eyes shimmering with tears. “I can’t go back, Fluttershy. Not after what happened. They’ll never believe I was attacked, she’s such a sweet girl, it’ll be impossible to clear myself.”
She got more worried, “Rumble, please don’t say that...”
“I can’t go back... I’m... scared.”
After that, Rumble burst into tears, his tears staining the cushions. Fluttershy was taken aback by this, and didn’t know what to do next. She thought of something she could do to cheer the little colt up. She had to do something, otherwise he’d get into serious trouble.
Fluttershy grabbed the colt and hugged him, cuddling him tightly. Rumble was surprised by this, but soon melted in her embrace, crying into her chest. She laid onto her side, Rumble still in her arms, and stroked the colt’s mane. She rocked him gently, whispering soothing noises, and soon, the crying stopped. Rumble gripped her tighter, not wanting to let go.
She looked at Rumble, lifting his head, “Rumble, I know you’re in a predicament, but I have complete faith in you, and I know you can defeat this bully.”
He sniffed, “But, I don’t have any proof...”
Fluttershy broke the hug, and stood Rumble on the floor. “I think you have all the proof you need.”
He looked on his body, and knew what she was talking about now. She reached for his mane and covered his bad eye with his mane. It managed to cover it up enough, and looked like he never had it in the first place.
Fluttershy placed her front hooves on Rumble’s shoulders.
“Rumble, look at me. I may not be the best pony for revenge, but I can’t sit here and not do anything. I’ve covered your bad eye, and what I want you to do is to reveal it when it comes into the conversation. Show all your injuries, and share your true feelings about this situation. Never hold back, and don’t give in to her lies.”
Rumble felt alarmed by Fluttershy’s stern tone, but she was re-assuring enough to bring back his confidence.
“Fluttershy, I won’t let you down. I promise that no matter what happens, I will not let you down.”
“Thank you, Rumble, now get out there, and prove your innocence!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
She opened the door, and Rumble flew out the door, his confidence restored, flying straight for his home. Fluttershy’s words rang through his head like an angry wasps nest, and he was determined to prove his innocence.
He flew up to his home in the clouds, where certain doom awaited him. He was determined to prove his name, and set things right. He knocked on the door, and was greeted by his brother, Thunderlane.
“Rumble, you took your time.”
“Looks like I’ve got explaining to do, haven’t I?”
The following day, the sun had come out, and the storms had finally passed. Ponyville had cleared up the rain from yesterday, and were now outside enjoying the sunshine.
Fluttershy was outside, watering her garden, minding her own business. Her ears perked when she heard a familiar voice call out.
“Hey, Fluttershy!”
She turned around, and saw Rumble, a smile on his face, his eye patched up.
Fluttershy smiled, “Oh, hello Rumble. So, how did it go?”
Rumble said nothing and hugged the yellow Pegasus. He nuzzled her neck and giggled quietly. “Thank you, Fluttershy. Thank you so much.” He managed to say through Fluttershy’s neck fur.
Fluttershy smiled and said, “So, I’m guessing everything worked out in the end?”
Rumble laughed and did a flip, “It sure did! You should’ve been there, it was amazing!”
“Tell me about it, what happened?”
“Well, when I got home, everypony looked at me like I had done a horrible deed. Sky Diamond and her mother were there, along with Thunderlane and my mom. We talked about what happened and what I had to say about it. When Sky brought up that she was attacked by me, I told she was lying and showed my black eye. Everything changed there, as I told everypony what really happened and what she had been doing recently. I’ve got to tell you...”
“What’s that?”
“Thunderlane was NOT happy. You should’ve seen him, he was shouting at Sky Diamond like he was going to kill her. He went red in the face and was steaming in anger, telling her that hitting me was a big mistake.”
“Oh my, so what happened afterwards?”
“Sky’s mother got angry at her for stalking and attacking me, and she’s now in a behaviour remedial class. She did apologize for what happened, and promised never to bug me again. Thunderlane did apologize for his outburst, but I knew he got angry because he cared about me.”
“Well, I think that’s wonderful. I’m glad you managed to settle things with Sky, with lots of help from your brother.”
“Yeah, I’m still really thankful.”
The two stood there and laughed shyly. Rumble looked at the ground and shyly kicked the dirt.
Fluttershy looked at him and asked, “Rumble, what’s the matter?”
Rumble didn’t look up, and continued to kick at the ground.
“Fluttershy, I’ve wanted to give you this ever since yesterday and I think now would be a good time to give it to you...”
“Give what to me?”
“...Thanks, Fluttershy.”
Rumble leant forward and gave Fluttershy a quick kiss on her cheek. He pulled away and blushed, still kicking the ground. She froze, and her cheeks turned a deep red colour. No pony that age had kissed her like that, and it felt sort of... cute. Could Rumble possibly have a crush on her?
Fluttershy leant forward and kissed Rumble back, making him completely love-smitten. He froze himself, and a smile grew across his face before looking at the yellow Pegasus.
He asked, “I was wondering, do you want to go for a fly with me?”
Fluttershy replied, “That sounds like fun. I’d love to.”
Rumble smiled and flapped his wings, hovering above the ground. Fluttershy did the same and hovered next to him. He took off at a high speed, laughing as he went, and Fluttershy just giggled, casually flying after him. The two had been through a lot recently, and after what they’ve been through last night, it felt like it had brought them closer. Fluttershy thought that having Rumble as a friend may not be so bad, and would like to show him her friends, but that’s for another time.
The End
Okay, story complete, may not be fantastic, but I think it's alright. Comments and criticism are appreciated.
