The Power Within

Yet another tear ran along my cheek, as I slowly walked towards the small town on the horizon. I stopped on the top of the hill I was at, sat on my haunches and sniffled; wiping off my tears with the tip of my left wing. I didn’t really feel like flying in this condition, not that I was in a hurry anyway. Having nowhere or nopony to go to, I was just wandering around trying to find someplace to stay overnight.

The town far away looked peaceful, and I wondered if there was a motel where I could rent a room for the night. I still had a few bits left and was hoping that it would be enough for now. Sleeping in the forest wasn’t the most tempting idea there was, as I would probably just catch a cold or get eaten by some monsters that lived there.

It was already getting chilly as the sun was setting behind the horizon, making the town ahead look really beautiful. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. How could I have? I have been basically flying and running all day and night non-stop, trying to escape both physically and mentally from what happened.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp spike of pain running through my system, causing me to flinch. Oh, I noticed my wound was bleeding again as I peeked at my left side under the wing. Maybe I needed a hospital more than a motel after all? The blood dripped from the wound over my beige fur, making it look much worse than it actually was, I decided shortly to dress it.

Opening the saddlebag with my right wing, I took out a roll of bandage. I managed to spin it around my waist, stopping the bleeding. It wasn’t pretty but it had to do for now, not that I was a pretty sight myself either. My usually almost glowing yellow mane and tail with darker shades of amber, was now dirty, tangled and slightly tainted from the blood. I had multiple cuts and nicks all over my body, mostly from the attack; but also from running through the forest and tripping over numerous times.

I was a flyer after all not a runner. But in my current state, flying wasn’t really the most painless option; neither was running. More pain was the last thing I needed right now. Slowly standing back up again I sighed and lowered my head. What have I done to deserve this? What had they done to deserve it? Another tear formed in the corner of my eye, but I hardly cared.

Starting to walk towards the town again felt like the only option I had at the moment. It was a miracle that my legs were still in working order, being the only things that didn’t actually hurt all that much. Descending the hill, I was careful not to cause any more unnecessary bruising than I already had. Tripping and rolling down the hill would be hilarious if somepony was actually watching.

Hearing the sound of a small stream nearby, I decided to find it and get some water. Who knows when I might get the chance to drink next? Besides, I was really thirsty. I had some food left in my saddlebag too, but I decided to save it for later. It was my work lunch after all.

After finding the stream, I lowered my head over the water and saw my messed up reflection staring back at me. My amber eyes looked dim, sad and lifeless. Some blood vessels had also ruptured, tinting my eyes slightly red. I noticed my muzzle was lightly bleeding as well. Great, I was a horrible sight at the moment.

I closed my eyes and drank while I had the chance. The water actually tasted a lot better than I was hoping for. Clean and refreshing water, so much better than at home.

Home... The one thing I didn’t have anymore; It was gone. So was the whole village and all the ponies who weren’t as lucky to make the escape as I was. Being a strong pegasus had its advantages, but I didn’t stand a chance against a whole army of armored soldiers with sharp spears, bows, and arrows; so I had to escape.

Considering myself lucky to be alive, I had no clue what had happened or why. Suddenly everything was taken away from me. From us. Not that we had much in the first place but still, nopony deserved that. Nopony deserved to die!

Gritting my teeth I slowly turned around and felt tears pushing their way out of my tightly shut eyes as my heart was beating furiously.

“It’s not fair!” I yelled as loud as I could from the pure frustration if nothing else and collapsed on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Everything that was dear to me, flew past my eyes and the cacophony of noises raged through my ears; making me cover them with my hooves. The iron taste of blood slowly spread in my mouth as I gritted my teeth harder and harder before everything blackened around me.

After I came to, I opened my eyes again to look around and noticed that it was getting really dark. Could I even find a place to stay at this late hour anymore? I shook my head and got back up again, to continue my way towards the town in the moonlight.

Entering the town, I didn’t really see anypony outside anymore, though some houses had a dim light coming out of them. Maybe they weren't all sleeping just yet. Being completely unfamiliar with the town, I tried to look for a sign that would indicate a place I could rent a room for the night; or even a hospital. Having no such luck, I walked around the town, wondering what kind of place this was. What kind of ponies lived here, if they even were ponies?

Streets were empty, but I could hear some voices inside the houses. For a moment I considered to ask directions but decided not to. I figured that it’d probably be really disturbing if somepony like me suddenly appeared to their doorstep in the middle of the night, looking like this. They’d probably just scream and slam the door shut.

Yeah, a bloody and banged up stallion would belong in the hospital instead. I wonder where it was anyway. A town as big as this one should have one, right?

Suddenly, I saw a big tree in front of me that had a door and windows. Oh, and a balcony, was that a house? I noticed there was also a dim light coming out of the windows. Should I ask for help from there? It didn’t look like a motel to me, or like a hospital for that matter, but an important building nevertheless.

I would have analyzed the building more carefully, had it not been for the sharp gasp I heard coming from somewhere. I quickly spun around to see where it came from but saw nopony on the streets. I spun again, almost panicking but still had no luck finding the source of the sound. Was I imagining things?

“Oh, um please don’t be afraid, are you um okay?” I suddenly heard from somewhere. The voice obviously belonged to a female and to be honest, it sounded like she was scared or something.

I quickly glanced into the air and saw this yellow pegasus with a long pink mane and tail hovering above me. Losing my balance, I let out a small yelp as I tripped over and fell on my left side, giving my wound a good reason to shoot another sharp spike of pain through my body; like the spear it actually was some time ago.

“Ow!” I flinched, holding my side in pain.

The yellow pegasus let out another gasp and muttered something I wasn’t actually able to hear before she fluttered closer. I felt the wound bleeding again, through the bandages this time; I really needed to see a doctor. Could she be one though? That would be incredibly lucky.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to startle you, um are you hurt?” she asked still sounding like she was afraid of me or something, before landing right in front of me. It was pretty dark already so maybe my current condition wasn’t too obvious to see, was it?

“Ugh... I’ve seen better days,” I mumbled, not looking directly at her.

She carefully inspected me from the distance, looking at my wounds, bloody bandages and what not. No wonder she was so nervous. I would be too if I saw myself walking on the streets in the middle of the night, looking like this. Who knew if I were a good or a bad guy, or if there was some monster on the loose hunting down unwary ponies.

“You are um, badly injured,” she simply stated while pointing at me, making me want to roll my eyes as if I wasn’t aware of that already.
“Come with me, please. We need to get you to the hospital, um I mean if you are able to walk, that is,” the mare continued anxiously, if rather cutely.

A hospital would be really nice indeed. I doubt any motel would take me in like this anyway, and a hospital did even more than that. They’d take care of my injuries as well. The bill would be bigger but I mentally laughed at that, slowly nodding to the mare.

“I can walk,” I replied, carefully getting back on my hooves, if little a shakily, and got a quick look at the mare that was now helping me to stand up. I noticed she was actually very pretty.

“Thank you, Miss, uh...” I stammered as my brains reminded me I didn’t know her name.

The mare in question wasn’t apparently waiting to have to introduce herself, as she rapidly turned her head away as if ashamed. Was I being rude or something?

“Flut- Fluttershy,” she replied a moment later with barely audible voice.

“Thank you, Miss Fluttershy,” I corrected myself, making the pegasus blush even more. Uhh, maybe just a simple ‘thank you,’ would have been enough, though I just wanted to be polite to her as she was obviously worried and wanted to help me.

“Please, just call me Fluttershy I mean, if you don’t mind,” she pleaded.

Was she always like that, I wondered while she circled her hoof on the ground. She was really as adorable as she was beautiful. Apparently, this wasn’t a bad place to stop by.

I nodded slowly and started to wonder where the hospital might be. But the yellow mare just kept staring questioningly at me, as if she was waiting for something.

“W-what’s your name, um if you don’t mind me asking, sorry,” she murmured.

Ooh, right! She was waiting for me to tell her my name in return, fair enough.

“Oh, I’m sorry! My name is Shimmering Thunder, but you can just call me Shimmering.”

Fluttershy tilted her head while I gave her a questioning look back, making her hide behind her mane again. I swear I saw a smile before she did though.

“That’s an um, interesting name,” she murmured and tried to peek at me behind her very long mane. “I mean nice, it’s a really nice name,” the mare corrected a moment later.

“Thanks. Would you mind showing me where the hospital is by the way?” Honestly, that was all I cared about at the moment. I wanted to lay down, get some sleep, get my wounds healed and if possible, even get some food and try to forget everything that happened.

She walked right next to me and looked around for a moment, as if not sure where it was, before gesturing to my right.

“I’m sorry, It’s this way,” she said and lead the way. I followed next to her, wincing every now and then as my wound reminded me it was still there. I really hoped it wasn’t infected or anything, that would be bad. Shouldn’t I have a fever then?

Fluttershy peeked at me few times, looking more curious than worried suddenly. Every time I caught her doing so, she quickly looked away. She was really shy, I noticed. Not that it was a bad thing, more like an adorable one. I wasn’t the most outgoing pony either. ‘That is an understatement if I ever heard one,’ my brains shot back at me. Okay fine, I was shy too. I wasn’t about to argue with myself right now.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked, deciding to break the silence. She stopped and just stared at me, wearing a delicate smile. Maybe she was just worried, she was really hard to read.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she mumbled, before starting to walk again. “I just um, really like your mane, it’s kind of shiny,” the mare revealed.

Of course, I should have known she was staring at my mane. For some reason, my mane and tail were actually glowing slightly in the dark. It was almost impossible to notice in the bright daylight, but at night it was almost like I was emitting my own light. Sometimes when felt really sad, there were even tiny sparks floating in my mane and tail, the cause for it still being a complete mystery. Sadly it was the kind of a nightlight I wasn’t able to turn off.

“Yeah, it does that,” I snickered nonchalantly, being totally accustomed with the thing already.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” she continued excitedly. I bet if I let her inspect it closer she’d start drooling.

Apparently, all the blood, dirt and other stuff I had been dragging through the forest with me wasn’t bothering her at all. It even felt like there was a small stick stuck somewhere in my mane, I noticed and I absently tried to look up to see it.

Fluttershy giggled at the act, however.

“Yeah, I know I’m a mess,” I groaned, trying to give her the look that would prevent any further questions about my past.

Her eyes widened, but she simply closed her gaping mouth and nodded, taking the hint. Damn it.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t want to talk about it right now,” I apologized a moment later, actually feeling a little bad for her now. It wasn’t her fault anyway. She was just trying to help me and I had no reason to be that rude. I gave her an apologetic look as well to top it off; heck I would have given her a hug if I had been a little bit braver.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. It’s not really um my business anyway,” the yellow pegasus reasoned, looking away from me.

“Yeah, but I had no reason to be so indiscreet. I’m sorry,” I pleaded, earning a soft smile from her in return.

The rest of the walk went uneventfully as neither of us said anything. Eventually, we stopped in front of the big building that looked like a hospital to me. We walked to the front door as Fluttershy gently knocked on it.

After a couple of seconds, I heard hoof steps coming from the inside. The door let out an unlocking sound before slowly opening.

“Miss Fluttershy, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?” asked the white mare with a white hat and pink mane; who I assumed to be the nurse or something. Wait, did she even see me?

“Um, I found this poor pegasus wandering on the streets and it seems like he’s badly injured,” she said, gesturing towards me.

The nurse peeked out from the doorway, finally looking at me. I just gave her a little smirk, as she quickly inspected me.

“Oh my goodness! Please follow me, we’ll take you in right away,” the nurse said and turned back, pulling me after her.

Slowly waking up, I opened my eyes to look around the room I was brought to last night. I still felt a little bit tired after several treatments that Nurse Redheart and other night shift doctors had given to me. The pain was gone for the most part, though now I looked like a pony burrito wrapped in bandages.

As my gaze scanned the room, it came to a stop upon noticing a blue pot of flowers and a card on the table next to my bed. Were they for the previous patient or for me? I didn’t actually remember seeing them there last night. I stretched out my hoof to grab the card and read it.

‘Get well soon! - Fluttershy,’ was all that was written on the card. Oh, she’s been here this morning, what time was it again? I peeked at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was well past the noon already. Oh right, It was already late when I came in. And with all the operations, it was almost morning when I finally laid my head against the pillow; that explains it.

‘What a nice gesture,’ I thought and put the card back, suddenly hearing some noises from the hallway.

The door opened slowly and I saw a food trolley rolling in first, Nurse Redheart coming behind it. My mood lighted up immediately.

“Oh boy, food!” I exclaimed excitedly, earning a warm smile from her in return.

“How are we doing today, Mr. Thunder?” she asked while pushing the trolley right next to my bed and taking off the cover, revealing the food.

“I’m doing a lot better, thanks to you,” I replied absently, not removing my hungry eyes from the first proper meal for days. I felt my mouth getting watery already.

“My, you must be really hungry,” the nurse giggled before slightly frowning; probably wondering when I had my last meal.

Not wanting to explain the why part of the hunger, I simply thanked her for the food before starting to eat.

The nurse watched me for a moment in amusement before chuckling.

“You look much better already, would you like to be released later today?” She suddenly asked, making me stop shoving the food into my mouth. I looked at her questioningly.

I wasn’t in pain anymore, just a little sore. But honestly, I thought I’d spend at least couple more days in here. They had done an amazing job with my injuries, that much was true, but I didn’t actually have anywhere to go after this; I kind of needed a new place to live. Sadness sneaked inside of me again, making me lower my ears along with my head.

Apparently, the nurse picked up on this as her demeanor changed immediately.

“Oh, you don’t have to leave today if you don’t feel like it. I just thought you looked much better already. Your wounds weren’t that bad and the medicines have worked perfectly,” she continued sounding surprised.

I only turned my head away from her, not being sure what to say if anything. I really didn’t want to explain my situation to her in the slightest.

“Wait, you don’t have anywhere to go, do you?” the nurse suddenly asked.

If she was waiting for a certain reaction, it probably was the one I gave to her. I slowly shook my head and sighed heavily.

“No, I don’t,” I bluntly confirmed her pretty darn accurate guess.

“I see. You are not from here then I assume,” Redheart said, sounding much more concerned now than she was last night over my injuries.

I simply shook my head again.

Fighting with myself, I wondered if I should tell her about what happened; Or ask for a place to stay, or even one I could move into. This was a nice place after all and I wouldn’t mind staying here. Everypony I had met so far had been really nice to me. Well, Miss Fluttershy and the hospital staff, that is. I wonder if Fluttershy actually lived here, at least she was recognized by Nurse Redheart last night so, maybe?

My thoughts were interrupted by the nurse, who was eyeing the card and flowers on my table.

“Are those from Miss Fluttershy?” she asked smiling softly.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Well, it seems like you have already made yourself a new friend, maybe you could stay here in Ponyville?” the white mare suggested.

Ponyville? So that’s what this place was called. It sounded just as peaceful as it looked from the far away hill yesterday.

“Do you think it would be possible?” I managed to ask quietly.

“Why, yes of course! You just need to talk to the Mayor and ask if you can move in or even build your own house!” Nurse Redheart exclaimed merrily.

“The Mayor?” I repeated her questioningly.

“Yes, Mayor Mare is our town’s Mayor and will be helping you to find yourself a new home,” she cleared to me.

“That would be really nice,” I said, nodding to punctuate how I felt.

The nurse looked happy for the outcome and pulled the cart away from my bed, smiling softly at me.

“I will bring you some more food later, and even ask if Mayor Mare could come to see you; would that be okay for you?” she asked.

Nodding quietly I turned my gaze to the ceiling as she pushed the trolley out of the room. It felt like time had stopped in that instant the door closed. Suddenly I was all alone again and it didn’t feel good. It didn’t feel good at all.

I didn’t know what to think. It felt like my head was completely empty, but still full of everything at the same time. Here I was lying in the hospital and possibly starting a new life here in Ponyville, as my old one was destroyed. Memories from the attack crept back into my mind again. How many had escaped? How many had survived? Were my parents still alive? Was my sister still alive?

“Sister...”

Quickly closing my already watery eyes, I shook my head furiously, trying to get rid of the images in my head.

“Don't you dare to touch her!” I shouted as I sat up on the bed, panting heavily, before realizing where I was. I didn’t really care though.

If there were any sounds in the hall before, it was totally silent by now. I couldn't hear anything. Despite this, I bet my shout was heard well outside of the building. I simply collapsed on the bed and let my mane cover my face as I cried quietly.

A moment later I heard somepony walking in the hallway as the hoof steps stopped behind my door. There was also a sound of the squeaking wheels of the food trolley. I wasn’t actually hungry anymore, but it wouldn’t hurt to eat just a little more, as I didn’t actually finish the last meal.

The door slowly opened and the trolley appeared again, Nurse Redheart pushing it from behind. I sunk down a little bit, completely sure she knew it was me who yelled. I wondered if she had anything to say on it.

She pushed the trolley next to my bed again, but came to the other side herself, semi-lying on my bed while giving me a reassuring smile.

“Is everything alright, Shimmering?” she asked, not revealing the food this time; not that I was waiting for it as much as before anyway. My eyes were still wet and my mane was hanging over my face. Stallions didn’t usually have this long of manes or tails, but I really liked it.

I didn’t bother to reply her. What’s the point? I wasn’t going to lie and say that everything was just fine, nor did I want to tell her anything as it hurt like hell to go through all that happened. It hurt even to think about it. I simply turned my head away from her, as my gaze came across with the food trolley instead.

An old white cart with a metal frame and plastic top, nothing interesting there.

A sudden contact on my neck startled me as I quickly turned my head around and saw Nurse Redheart stroking my mane. I doubt it had anything to do with the medical stuff, she was just trying to comfort me.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

“No worries. Remember that you don’t have to be alone with your problems. Sharing it will ease your pain and make you feel better. I know it’s not much, but you can always tell me if something’s bothering you,” Nurse Redheart ended her short speech.

I glanced at her momentarily before deciding to just go for it and hug her tightly.

Tears flooded through my eyes as I cried against her soft white neck, while she patted me carefully on the back. At any other moment that would have felt awkward as hell, but right now, it was the best feeling I’ve had in a long time. I never had time to grieve before now, I had just been trying to survive. Maybe she was right and this was going to help after all. I never was that open anyway, what more could I lose?

After my mental breakdown, I had vaguely shared some details of my journey to Ponyville with Nurse Redheart; leaving out such things as murdered ponies of course. I just told her that I had escaped an attack against my village. I could tell that she had guessed the rest but didn’t ask the confirmation, however, which I was a very thankful for.

“So yeah, that’s why I’m here,” I wrapped up my shortened story. The nurse looked somehow both stunned and calm at the same time. I could tell that she was sorry for me but also worried. Did she think that those soldiers would come to Ponyville as well? What were they after anyway?

“What are you planning to do now? Are you going to go back to look for your friends and family?” the nurse asked suddenly. “We can’t just let that kind of group of soldiers attack villages and hurt everypony. They need to be stopped,” she continued.

“How can anypony stop it, you would need an army of your own to do that,” I groaned, frustrated by the situation. Part of me wanted to go back of course, but if I ran to those soldiers again, I’d be done for sure; I needed help.

“Well, Canterlot has the Royal Army of course. I’m sure that Princess Celestia would investigate the situation and capture the criminals. Not only that, but we also have the Elements of Harmony to help you too!” Nurse Redheart cheered.

I had heard about Princess Celestia before, and I was pretty sure she had a sister as well. So Canterlot and the Royal Army must be connected to them, but I had no idea what the Elements of Harmony were.

“Elements of Harmony?” I repeated in confusion.

“Oh, you haven’t heard about them?” Nurse Redheart asked. I simply shook my head, waiting for an answer.

“They are a group of ponies that each represent one of the six elements of harmony; Magic, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Honesty. They are very powerful and have saved Equestria many times. Their friendship is stronger than any known magic, and they can overcome almost any obstacle,” the nurse beamed.

‘Wow, that must be some tough bunch of ponies.’ I thought.

“You have already met one actually,” the nurse said with a wink.

“Huh, I have?” I asked confused. Redheart simply pointed on the table where the card and flowers were sitting.

“Flut... Fluttershy is one of the Elements of Harmony?” I stammered, blinking couple times before looking at Redheart’s face to see if she was actually kidding me.

“Yes. She represents the Element of Kindness,” she announced proudly.

Hmm, now that I think about it, it fits her pretty well. She helped me to the hospital and was very polite the entire time. Not to mention she had brought me the card and some flowers too, even if I was a complete stranger. A smile slowly appeared on my face.

“I need to thank her later for helping me last night,” I said while looking at the card and flowers again. “She really represents her Element well.”

Nurse Redheart just smiled softly and stood up, walked to the trolley and removed the cover. There was a healthy looking salad with nuts and berries and some orange juice. Suddenly, I felt hungry again. I pulled the trolley closer and grabbed the plate on my hooves, before starting to eat.

Redheart walked to the window and looked outside. It didn’t look like she was watching anything particular, just staring outside. It was as if she was sad, now that I looked more closely.

“Is something wrong, Redheart?” I asked after swallowing the food I had been chewing. The white mare jumped slightly, before sighing and closing her eyes.

“Well, I’m just worried about Ponyville. What if those soldiers attack here too? I don’t want anypony to get hurt,” the nurse said timidly, still looking out of the window.

I... I guess that was a possibility, but I didn’t want to believe it; at least for now. I had already escaped one attack and my friends and family might be dead, and there was nothing I could do to help them. I didn’t want to think about the whole thing now, but she kept bringing it up. What if they really come here and hurt Fluttershy and Nurse Redheart? I felt the familiar feeling of sadness creeping inside of me again. It felt like a big rock was stuck in my throat, while my eyes got all watery again. Why would somepony do something like that? I turned my head away from Nurse Redheart and tried not to cry.

The nurse took a peek behind her and looked at me, before gasping and trotting closer to my bed.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel sad. I mean, I understand you... You’ve been through a lot in the last couple days and I... I really care about you,” she said while having a slight tone of pink on her pure white cheeks.

I slowly turned my head to face her and smiled softly as she gently stroked my mane.

“Thank you, that means a lot to me,” I said, while a lonely tear ran along my face. I’m not sure if it was because of the kindness I got from her, or for the bad memories from the attack, but it sure felt confusing. Like I was both sad and happy at the same time. I didn’t know what I should be feeling. A complete mess; that’s what I was.

“No problem, you can always talk to me if something’s bothering you,” she offered again, receiving a simple nod from me in return.

She then turned away and walked to the door. I wanted to stop her but figured that it would be kind of rude to hog the nurse all to myself. She probably had many other ponies to take care of besides me, but the idea of being left alone wasn’t all that tempting either.

“Um, Nurse Redheart?” I asked quickly before she got a chance to slip away. She stopped and turned to me, smiling softly.

“Yes, Shimmering?”

“I, um... Would it be possible to release me today? I don’t want to lay here alone all day, thinking about what happened...” I muttered while slowly bumping my forehooves together. It probably looked pretty darn cute to her.

She giggled quietly before answering.

“Of course it’d be possible, is that what you really want? You still don’t have anywhere to go now do you?” the nurse asked. Well, it was true, but I didn’t want to be here either.

“Well, I don’t have anywhere to go...” I sighed.

“I might have an idea,” the mare suddenly offered. “I could ask somepony to show you around the town and take you to Mayor Mare. She’ll come up with some place for you to stay I’d imagine,” she continued.

“That would be great, but I don’t really have too many bits left to pay for my stay. I don’t have a job either,” I muttered back. All my savings were in the smoldering ruins of a house that used to be my home.

“Oh, don’t you worry, everything will be alright. If nothing else, I’ll invite you to my house until you find your own place. Besides, we could always use a fast pegasus to run our deliveries,” Redheart said with a giggle.

My jaw dropped, simply because I didn’t know what to say anymore. If Fluttershy ever had to compete for her title as the Element of Kindness, it would be against Nurse Redheart. Not that I knew any other ponies from here yet. If they were all this kind, I’d be the happiest stallion in the Equestria.

Redheart just giggled at my stunned expression.

“You know where to find me if you can’t find any other place to stay; I will be working here until midnight,” she continued.

Oh, she was actually being serious?

“I’ll come to check on you in an hour and then we can let you go. I’ll also bring somepony to show you around the town!” my white caretaker beamed.

I nodded at her as she left the room. I then got up from the bed and walked to the window and looked outside.

‘What a wonderful town...’