The Fearless Warrior

If someone would ask me, without any doubt I would say that Fluttershy should be in charge of training the others nurses in the hospital at the royal castle. I never saw anyone so gently and tender in my whole life. Ok, nineteen years is not much, but not even my own mother could make me feel so cared and... Powerless. Yes, I think that's the word. The yellow pegasus was so concern about me that didn't allowed me to do a thing in the first day there. At first I tried to convince her that I was fine, but when I started to be too much insistent she gave me a stare that could be compared to the one that Princess Celestia used when we first meet at the borders of the Everfree forest. After that, I never tried to disobey her again.

Beside that small incident, I didn't have a thing to complain about how I was being treated. She didn't allow anyone to come visit me, so I would not be disturbed. Also, she always asked what I wanted to eat, and would keep asking until I gave her an answer with full details. The second day started with some more turbulence. What can I say? My head is hard as rock, and so is my temper some times.

"...but Eravel! You can't stay like this!" She said beside the bed I was using, with a pleading voice.
"I said you didn't have to worry, I've faced worst situations, and I just can't let you do that!" I answer with my arms crossed, sitting with my back resting in a pillow.

"But everypony here already did it today... I can't let you go without it!" She insisted.
"OK, I can do it on my own then." I said looking at her with my good eye. The other was better but I could not open him fully yet.

"No! You are still hurt and you need help to to it properly." She said still pleading.
"So, forget it. I won't do." I Said and laid on the bad, turning my back at her.

"Eravel!" She said in a serious tone. I felt a chill on my spine. She was using the 'stare', I could feel it freezing my back. "Look at me while I'm talking to you!" She stomped her hoof. I only remembered my mother talking to me like that. I didn't like her tone at all. Who was she to talk to me like that? I turned to face her, ready to unleash my anger towards the yellow pegasus but my eye meet her stare.

I simply felt my words and my anger running away in fear. I shrank facing her eyes. How could the most kind and shy pony around her be so terrifying at the same time!
"You WILL let me wash you properly! You don't take a shower in days and your face need to be cleaned before I can apply the medicine! And you CAN'T do that alone, so I'll do it!" She said in a firm tone.

I didn't know what was happening to me and I could bet that, if the warriors in Valhalla could see me here, they would laugh so hard that Raganork would happen earlier! Me, a warrior, trained from birth by the harsh weather of the north lands and the unstoppable lessons from my father, reduced to a simply baby in front of a stare from a small pegasus with a damn pink mane!

I simply nodded at her.

"Good!" she said and started to walk to the bathroom, looking back to make sure that I was following her. And what choice did I have there?

I dragged my feet, following her. She entered and looked at me with a more soft expression, smiling. I went inside too, and took of my shirt, sitting next to the shower.
"Ok, get over with it." I said in a bad mood, waiting for her to star washing my face..
"You need to take all your clothes off Eravel...You can't take a shower with them." She looked at me.
"Oh no, I won't be naked in front of you!" I said serious.

"Why not?" She asked in confusion. Always the same question.
"Because I don't want to!" I said and then quick add in a more firm and loud voice. "AND STOP USING THE STARE ON ME!"She shrank a little, hiding behind her mane when I almost shout.
"B-but... I want to take care of you... you... you are hurt... I can't let you do things on your own..." She said pouting her lips. I arched an eyebrow. Didn't she have any limits in her arsenal of ways to convince people to do what she wanted? I didn't know what was worst: The chill that her stare gave me, or the pain in my heart to see her pouting like that.

I looked away, crossing my arms. She looked down, still with those damn cute eyes. It was like she was going to cry any second now. I sighed in defeat. She was the most timid creature that I have ever meet, and at the same time, the most convincing when she wanted something from someone. I didn't know if that was some kind of passive skill, or active talent, but it was efficient!

Far as I knew, she was the element of kindness, so it was in her nature to help anyone that she sees in need. To her, I was just some creature, some animal, hurt, lost and in need of help. All she did was for my sake but still... it was more than awkward to be naked in front of her.

"FINE!" I finally said starting to take off my pants and then stepping in the shower. She smiled widely at me and pulled the leavers. Warm water started to pour on my body, soaking me. She grabbed a soft sponge and called me outside the water so she could rub my body. I could feel my face burn as I was in the most embarrassing moment of my whole life. Luckily, my face was still full of purple marks, so she could not see me blushing. She, on the other hand, was very happy that I was cooperating now, she even started to hum a song while bathing me. I sighed. I was just another kind of pet in her hands.

"Don't worry... I don't mind to see them..." She said bringing me out of my thoughts.

"What...?" I asked in confusion. Was she talking about my...
"Your scars..." She said and smiled at me, rubbing my back. "I know about the manticore you fought... I... I found the body..."
"Oh.. ahm... sorry... was it some kind of friend of yours?" I asked. Since she lived so close to the forest and was always surrounded by animals, I thought that that monster could be a friend of her.

"Well, no. I once meet a manticore and helped it. But the one that you... fought... was not that one." She said a little lost in her thoughts, rubbing my back. We stood in silence for some time and she taped my shoulder, indicating that I could go under the water to wash the soap away. I did as told and she made me sat on the floor, starting to gently clean my face, with a soft sponge. I waited her to finish, in silence. When I washed the soap of my face, Fluttershy grabbed a dry towel so I could dry my body. She looked away from me and then started to talk.
"ahm... about your wounds..." She started to say and I looked at her. "I know that it was Rainbow Dash" I arched an eyebrow and she continued. "No one can get wounds like that from falling from a tree... And I saw she blush when you lied to us about how you got wounded too."

I just smiled at her. Cute, caring, shy, scary, persuasive AND very perceptive... Was something that this pegasus couldn't do?
"I don't know what you are talking about..." I rolled the towel around my waist "I fell from a tree, face first..." I winked at the yellow pegasus and she nodded at me.

"I just hope your fur grow back.." She said walking out of the bathroom, changing subject.

"My... my fur?" I asked in confusion
"Yes, your, fur... I saw those scars, and it's obvious that the doctors shaved your whole body to be able to take care of you. I'm just wondering why they left hair on your crotch… But anyway, I just hope the rest grow back soon so you can be complete again." She said smiling ant me. I was going to face palm but remembered that my face was hurt and stopped midways.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Four days had passed since that day. Rainbow Dash was and the others were gathered under her home made of clouds. She was stretching and preparing for the race that we had agreed to do when I was fully healed. Eravel had no chance to win, she knew that. Soon the six girls and a purple dragon could see him and his companion, the royal guard approaching.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I was wearing my full equipment again, armor and weapons. Fluttershy covered her face a little more with her mane when she saw me. Once, while she was taking care of me, she told me that she hated to see me in that outfit.

"So, this is the new guy?" Spike, the young purple dragon said. "He sure is weird."
From far I saw the small purple spot on Twilight back but I needed to approach to finally realize that he was a dragon. Well, what could I expect from a land with talking horses and monsters?

"So, ready to eat dust?" Rainbow Dash said confident, approaching me.

"Sorry, but I think that you are the one that will eat dust." I said grinning at her.
"A'right guys!" The other athletic pony, Applejack, said approaching us. Fluttershy had explained to me a little of each other friend that I didn't meet properly yet. "Ya know tha rules right? No flying and no fighting. Jus'running! Now... On yer marks!" She said. I and Rainbow Dash stepped closer to each other, side by side, behind an imaginary line. "ready..." We tensed our muscles, ready for the initial dash. Applejack looked at us. The tension growing. The spectators, me and my rival were going nuts with the long pause that Applejack was making. Pink Pie could not hold the tension and snapped, screaming at top of her lungs. "GOOOOOO!"
Me and Rainbow started to run, almost hitting Applejack in the process. The weight of my equipment holding me a little but I was determinate to not loose. I had just forgotten something very, VERY important. Rainbow Dash was not only an athlete, but also, a HORSE! Right after the race had begun she took the lead without any problems with me behind. I was fighting to keep up with her but failing miserably. She saw that and laughed, slowing down to be side by side with me.

"What's the matter Eravel? Too fast for you?" She teased. I only stared at her and pushed my body further, gaining a little more speed but the cyan pegasus just laughed again and ran faster. She was going to win, that was for sure, but at least I would try and finish the race. I realized now how stupid this race was. She was at her top form and was a horse. I, on the other hand, was locked in a bed for a month after several injuries that almost took my life. I had only two legs and was wearing my full equipment. What in Odin's name was my good sense when I challenged her?

I slowed down a little, my legs burning from the huge effort. We had just passed Fluttershy's cottage and we were approaching my house. The house was in the same model of Twilight's, except that my 'tree house' was dead and without a leaf on the branches. I forced myself to keep running but then one of my legs failed to obey my command and I fell on the ground, exhausted. Rainbow Dash stopped running and approached me with concern in her look.
"Eravel? Are you alright?" She asked.
"If with alright you mean still alive and breathing, yes. I'm breathing." I said and rolled to stay with my chest facing up. I was without a trace of strength to stand up and my armor was suffocating me a little.

She chuckled and extended a roof. I grabbed and she helped me to sit up.

"Heh, guess you were right, I can't beat you in a race. Even without all this stuff I would have lost to you." I said.

"Of course you can't beat me! I AM the most awesome pony around!" She said full of herself. I just chuckled at her and took a deep breath, to regain my strength.

"I'm such a shame for my people. I totally lost to a girl and not only lost, but I couldn't even finish the race." I said starting to walk back to where the other would be waiting us.

"Aw, don't be like that. After all, it's been just a few days since you came here. You told us that you were at the hospital in Canterlot palace. Also, I remember how wounded you were." She said trying to cheer me up. I smiled at her, she was right but still I felt the weight of defeat on my shoulders... and the weight of my armor to make things worse.

"Back at my home, no one would try to cheer me up like this. They would only point at me and laugh at my weakness." I said while walking with her. We walked slowly, since I had not the energy to go any faster.

"That's not a nice thing to do. I mean, where is the sportive spirit?" She said arching an eyebrow.

"There is no such thing from where I come from. We all fought to survive back then, to be the best warrior, to be stronger and faster than anyone else." I explained to her.

"Must be hard to grow up in a place like that." She said with her ears low, in a sad expression.

"Yeah… But you get used to it. Not that you have any other choice than to get used to it" I chuckled.

We both walked in silence to Rainbow Dash house. I was lost in my toughs about this weird place. Not only for the talking horses, dragons and monsters, but the fact that everyone seems to be nice to each other. Back in my homeland, people were kind to each other but we all knew that most of the time it was all fake smiles and sugar top words. No one really cared for each other. We all fought to survive the harsh weather and the short food. Among us, mans, there was a constant fight to see who was the best, and was not a friendly competition. No one wanted to see his companion stronger than yourself, so you had to train harder and harder to improve.

"Didn't you have any friend in your homeland?" She asked after a few minutes.
"Friend? Well I had some companions, but friend like you have… I guess only one: My father. He was the one who taught me the art of the sword and my honor code. He was always there for me, and even now, I know he's watching me from Valhalla, waiting for my arrive." I felt a knot in my throat. That damn mix of strong emotion always came to me when I remembered of him.

"Valhalla?" She asked curious.

"Yes, it's where all the brave warriors go when they die in battle. Those who are worth are taken there to live with Odin and the other gods, and to fight when the time come. It is the greatest honor any warrior can achieve." I explained.

"But then, you have to die in a fight. That does not seems to be a good way to die… well die is a bad thing no matter what." She said

"It all depends. If you are fighting for something you believe, for someone you care about or even for the pure reason to survive. That is a good death that will send you to Valhalla. If I had killed you back then, for example, you probably would end in Valhalla. That would be a warrior's death; you fought for your friends, risking your own life." She laid her ears flat in her head while thinking. We didn't spoke anymore after that. In the middle of our path we meet our friends. They all had worried faces. Apparently we took more time to get there than we realized.

"Finally! We found'ya!" Applejack came running toward us "Wha'happen? Why yer guys took so long?"

"My body gave up on the race" I said shrugging.

"You didn't even finish the race? Haha! You sure are out of shape!" Spike teased me. "But I already knew you had no chance against our Rainbow Dash!"

"Stop this!" Twilight said to the purple dragon and approached me. "I knew it was a bad idea, you are still weak after all you have passed. You need to rest!" She said in a firm tone and I had no strength or the will to counter argue with her.

"Ok… ok… I'll just need to go back to my house to rest… By the way, where are Steel Head and Rarity?"
"They went to find'ya but haven't come back till now." Applejack said.
"Don't worry about them." I said "Steel Head is a royal guard, she's safe as long as she's with him"
"Ya'sure?" Applejack asked still a bit worried.
"He was with me a whole month in the hospital. That guy is a fine stallion, I'm sure she will be alright with him... now... do you mind helping me out with all this things? They are really heavy!"
I said starting to remove my armor. I felt desperate to head home and lay down on my bed. Yes, I know, it took me by surprise too but I finally had a bed on my room!