Chapters Chapter1: A Fine Stallion
“Look, honey. Is our child not beautiful?” A blue earth pony mare stood with a light blue earth pony stallion. She bore a crimson red mane that was pulled back into a ponytail. He had a darker blue, flat mane and a French mustache. They looked through a window into a room filled with foals. One they were looking at in particular was their newborn earth pony colt. He was light blue like his father but had his mothers mane.
“Yes, he is.” The stallion said.
“I believe Anga fits him perfectly. He looks as if he was pulled out of the sky just like you, Jaysky.” The mare claimed.
“Well hopefully he is just like me when he grows into a stallion.” Jay Sky said.
“Oh I am sure he will, darling.”
A doctor then walked up to the couple, holding a clipboard with his magic.
“Misses Purity? It looks like your son, Anga’s signs look good and there are no abnormalities. You can take him home tonight.” The doctor told the couple.
“Wonderful, are you ready to be a mother, Purity?” Jaysky asked his wife.
“Of course, Jaysky. Let us raise a fine stallion.” Purity said as she hugged her husband.
Chapter 2: Weird Feelings
“I am going to school, mother!” Anga strapped his bag onto his back and ran to the door.
“Have a great day, dear. Do well on your quizzes today! Also, do not forget to ask Miss Merry Loo about extra hours of study!” Purity said from the kitchen.
“I will, mother! Do not worry!” Anga ran out the door and down the road to school. As he ran, he spotted the sign that read Talltale Elementary for the gifted . No matter how many times he passed it, Anga always felt butterflies in his tummy. He was so excited to be able to learn something new every single day. Not only that, his teacher, Miss Merry Loo was the best teacher he'd ever had. She's sweet, she knows how to teach, she makes learning fun, unlike his parents. Anga was so happy when his parents decided they were done with home schooling him.
Then, Anga heard a familiar voice, “Hey, Anga! Over here!” He turned to see his best friend, Suiter. A gray unicorn with a short, smooth black mane that hung between his light red-orange eyes. Anga smiled and ran over to his friend. Anga couldn’t describe it, but he felt warm and happy whenever he saw his friend. Nopony else made him happier. He brushed the feelings off, thinking it was just how ponies felt whenever they saw their best friend.
“Hello, Suiter! How are you doing?” Anga asked.
“I’m doing alright, hey you did the homework, right? What’d you get for number three? Miss Merry Loo really makes challenging work.” Suiter asked, pulling out a sheet of paper from his bag with his magic. They both huddled around the piece of paper and looked at the question that Suiter had left blank. Anga could tell his friend tried various methods by all of the eraser streaks and faded writing on the paper.
“What did you try before?”
“Well, I used the method she used in class, but i get some random number.. Look.” Suiter wrote down the same thing he had tried the night before and got a very long, irrational number. Anga looked over his work carefully. He mumbled some math things while reading until he had his aha moment.
“I see your problem, Suiter. Look at the graph closely.” Anga said, pointing at the graph in the question.
Suiter tried to see what Anga was getting at, but couldn’t quite understand the problem. He replied, “Yeah, what about it?”
“The graph is a cosine graph, not a Sine graph. You used Sine instead of Cosine in your equation. The method was correct, however, you must have just had a momentary.. Um.. what is the term?”
“Brain fart.. I see it now.” Suiter replied, “Thanks Anga, you’re so much better at this math thing. I wish math was as easy as design class.”
“Easy for you, Suiter. If you do not mind, I would need help on the project.”
“What do we have here? A couple of ponies cheating on their homework?” The two colts turned their heads quickly, feeling nervous and scared for a moment. However, when they turned around, they had a sigh of relief.
“Oh, you scared us there, Miss Merry Loo.” Suiter said to the very light pink pegasus mare. She had a graying, purple, curled mane that nearly went over her glasses. Her fake frown turned to a smile as the two colts gazed upon her.
“We are sorry, Miss Merry Loo. Suiter had issues with one of the homework problems and asked for my assistance.” Anga explained to his favorite teacher.
“Don’t worry, darling. While some teachers outlaw this, I love seeing my pupils help each other to learn. Did you two figure it out?” The teacher asked.
“Yea, I.. kinda used Sine instead of Cosine.. Heh…” Suiter responded.
“Don’t worry, dear. It happens all the time. That is why you should always have somepony check over your work. Now, you two should hurry, classes are about to start.”
“Thank you, Miss Merry Loo. We will see you in class!” Anga said before running off with his friend to their first class of the day.
Over the course of the day, Anga thrived in all of his classes, learning as much as he could from every teacher, from biology to physics to literature. Though gym class was a rough one for the smaller pony. While he did enjoy learning, the best part was that Suiter was in almost all of his classes, allowing the not so out going pony to have at least one friend in each class.
Then came time for the last class of the day, Anga’s favorite class, math. While a lot of ponies looked at the board as if they were reading an ancient, foreign language written backwards, he saw it as art. Every little detail had a meaning and clue to find the answer. It helped that his teacher was so good. Merry Loo got even the most mathematically challenged ponies to succeed in the class.
“So who knows the answer?” The pink pegasus asked the class as she finished writing a complex trigonometry question on the board. She looked around the room and nearly every child had a perplexed look on their faces. However, Anga was writing away on his notebook, calculating the answer. “Anyone?”
Anga then put his pencil down and raised his hoof. Merry Loo looked at the light blue earth pony and nodded, “Anga, go ahead.”
“The answer is sixty degrees.” Anga answered.
“Huh? How’d you get that? I was thinking pi over three.” Suiter suggested.
“Yes, the equation does end up giving us pi over three. However, the question is asking for the angle of the line of sight, so we must convert the answer from radians to degrees.” Anga refuted.
“Great job, Anga. That’s correct. You almost got it, Suiter.” The pegasus teacher said, “ That should do it for now. Remember class, do questions three through ten tonight for homework. Have a nice day.” As soon as she finished her sentence, the class began to pack all of their things to go home for the day. Anga neatly put his papers into his folder and placed it into his bag.
“How do you keep getting those right, Anga?” Suiter said, watching Anga pack.
“I guess it just comes to me.” Anga replied.
“Well either way, wanna come over to my place to work on our homework. You help me in math and I’ll help you in design.”
“Deal, however, I must speak to Miss Merry Loo before I leave.” Anga replied.
“Alright, I’ll meet you outside by the flagpole.” Suiter grabbed his bag and ran to the door, leaving Anga alone with his teacher.
“Miss Merry Loo? May I ask you something?”
“Of course dear, what is it?” She said as she put a stack of paper on her desk.
“Well, my parents saw my grade on the last quiz and told me to ask you for extra tutoring.” Anga said, making his teacher stare at him blankly.
“Wait really? I mean, do not get me wrong, I would love to teach you more, but you got a ninety one percent on the test. You got the best grade in the class.” She replied.
“Well.. I guess my parents expect nothing less than a one hundred percent. They called me complacent and naive.”
Merry Loo looked kind of weird to Anga, as if she was holding something back, which she was. She was biting her tongue, wanting to call his parents ignorant and over reactant. She could not believe how those parents treated her favorite student. However, she maintained her composure and took a deep breathe. If it meant keeping him away from that home for a little longer each day, she’d be happy to tutor him.
“Don’t worry, Anga. I’ll help you get better.”
“Thank you, Miss Merry Loo.” Anga was about to walk out of the classroom when he thought of one more question, “Um, Miss Merry Loo?”
“What is it, Anga?”
“What does gay mean?” Anga asked.
“Well.. it is a word used to describe a pony when they love ponies of the same gender. Why do you ask?”
“Well, Suiter and I were playing outside when some ponies from school called us gay. Am I gay, Miss Merry Loo?” Anga asked.
Merry Lo took her time to answer, as this was a question she did not expect from her most intelligent student.
“Well, how do you feel about girls? Do you have any crushes?” She asked.
“No, I do not. I have not looked at any girls that way.” He replied.
“How about boys? Any crushes?”
Anga paused for a moment, thinking about his relationship with Suiter. “Well, if the definition of a crush is liking somepony beyond friendship, would.. Suiter count as a crush?” The prodigy asked.
“Well, explain your feelings.” The teacher said.
“Well, I get excited whenever I am around him. He fills me with joy and compassion. I feel.. Safe around him. It is weird, I never feel like that around anypony, not even my parents.” Anga replied.
Merry Loo cracked a smile, “Then it is possible, but you must decide whether you are gay or not. Nopony else can decide that for you.”
“Is it wrong to be gay?” Anga asked.
Merry Loo thought for a moment. The world hasn’t really opened up to gays as of now, despite Princess Celestia’s best attempts to silence the hate. She needed to chose her words very carefully.
“Well, it’s different. Most ponies are not gay. However, I would not say it is wrong, not in my opinion. I wouldn’t go around telling ponies that just yet.”
“Can I tell Suiter?” Anga asked.
“Well, if you feel that you are ready to, then tell him. However, do not get too distraught if he does not feel the same way,” Miss Merry Loo said.
“Do not worry, Miss Merry Loo. Even if he does not feel like this, I will respect his wishes. We are best friends after all.”
“Well, have fun, and let me know how it goes.”
“I will, thank you, Miss Merry Loo!” Anga grabbed his bag and ran out of the classroom with a big grin on his face. He finally knew what that feeling was whenever he saw his best friend. It was not just the joy of seeing a good friend and knowing you were going to have fun. It was more than that. It was love, or something close to it.
Chapter 3: The Worst Feeling
Anga and Suited worked tirelessly to get their homework done. Anga helped Suited solve many of the problems that confused and dazed him. Suited helped Anga with all of the stitching he had to do on his scarf project. They worked in unison as a team.
“Ok, so now just go over with the stitching.” Suited said as Anga carefully sewed together the last of the stitching. He cut the string and held up the scarf with his mouth.
“Doeth thith look good?” Anga asked, muffled by the scarf.
“It looks great! You'll definitely get an A.” Suited replied.
“Thank you, Suiter. I do not know what I would do without you.”
“Heh, no problem.”
Anga folded the scarf carefully and put it in his bag. He took a deep breath before nudging his friend.
“Suiter?” Can I tell two something?” Anga started.
“Yeah? What is it, Anga?”
“Um.. I.. I like you.” Anga confessed.
“Thanks? I like you, too. I don't see why you had to say that. Typically best friends like each other. Hence the best friend part.” Suited replied.
“No, Suiter, I did not mean like best friends. I meant more as.. well..” before Anga could finish his sentence, Suiter blushed and backed up a bit, mouth hanging open.
“You mean like.. like like?!”
“Y-yes..” Suiter stood in silence, taken by complete surprise by what has developed. A moment of silence proceeded, causing Anga to doubt his chances.
“If you do not feel the same way, I understand. We can still be best friends, just not ga-” Anga was cut off by a sudden outburst by his friend.
“Don’t say that word!”
“I-I am just-”
“Anga you have to go. My parents will lose it.” Suiter began to get a tear in his eye as he said those words.
“W-what do you mean? W-we’re still friends, right?” Anga pleaded.
“ANGA GO!” Suiter turned his back to the shocked earth pony. For a moment, Anga didn’t believe that this was happening. However, when he realized he was really being shunned by his best friend, tears flooded his eyes. He grabbed his things and sprinted out of the door, balling out crying.
The entire way home Anga cried his eyes out. He showed no sign of stopping. He had just lost his best friend.
Anga burst through the door to his home in ecstatic fashion, causing his parents to jump.
“Anga! What in tarnation is wrong with you? It is not polite to run into the house like that!” His father sternly said.
“I-I am sorry father..”
“What is the matter, Anga? I have never seen you this upset before.” Anga’s mother stated.
“I.. Suiter…”Anga had too much trouble speaking through the tears and sobbing. His father put a hoof on Anga’s shoulder.
“Speak son, you can tell us anything.”
“Suiter.. Does not.. Want to be friends anymore.. He kicked me out of his home.” Anga finally said.
“What?! Why would he do that?!” Anga’s mom said with a gasp.
“I knew that boy was trouble. I must have a talk with his parents. Tell us, why would he do such a thing to our perfect boy?”
“I-I told him about my feelings for him.. And.. and.. He-” Anga couldn’t finish his sentence because of the shocked looks on his parents faces.
“What.. did you just say?” Jay Sky asked his son, looking at him as if he’d seen a ghost.
“H-he kicked me out because of my.. Feelings for him..” Anga repeated.
“You-you’re gay, Anga?!” His mom screamed in shock.
“B-by definition, yes.” Anga replied, and without hesitation, Jay Sky raised his hoof and smacked Anga across the face.
Anga fell to the ground, yelping in pain. As he tried to get up, blood dripping from his mouth, his father pushed him onto the ground, pinning him.
“F-Father?!” Anga yelped.
“Do not tell me you are gay again! You hear me, boy?!”
“B-but dad, I am g-” Anga was interrupted by another smack to the face from his father.
“If words will not work, I will beat the gay out of you!” Jay Sky continued to smack his son, even giving a full forced punch every few hits. He continued speaking, hitting Anga after every word while his mother watched. “I. Will. Not. Have. A. Gay. Son!” After one more hit, Jay Sky picked up the bloodied and bruised colt and threw him across the room. “Are you still gay, boy?!”
Anga laid on the ground, bleeding from his mouth and nose. He had a swollen black eye and his crimson red mane was a mess with blood dripping from it. Anga cried through his good eye and sobbed, which only made the pain worse. Hearing the question his father asked, or more yelled, Anga was afraid to find out what would happen if he gave his honest answer. He stumbled to get up, legs shaking. They felt like spaghetti to him. His whole body was weak from the beating, but he was able to muster up a nod. The answer his parents were not looking for.
“If you are still gay, then GET OUT!” His father yelled.
“B-But- I-I am your son..” He whimpered, choking on his tears and blood.
“We will not have any homosexuality in this house! As of now.. I have no son.” His fathers words seemed to make time stop around Anga. Was this really happening? His own father was kicking him out of his home. Anga’s heart sank as low as it could go. He wanted to scream in dread, but the pain wouldn’t allow it. He tried to move to protest, but his father turned his back to Anga along with his mother. Just like Suiter did. Anga was rejected again, this time by his own parents. Though he was in severe pain from the brutal beating his father gave to him, nothing could top the worst pain Anga was feeling now. Rejection. Everything was a blur, noises were muffled and Anga felt very dizzy. He could barely make out what was being said.
“Where did we go wrong?” His mother cried, weeping into Jay Sky’s shoulder.
“Did you not hear me, Anga?! Out! And never return!” His father yelled.
This time, Anga was able to move enough to get out of the way of his father's wrath. He fled to the door, limping at every step. By now, night had fallen on Talltale and everything was too dark too see. However, Anga just ran. He didn’t know which way he went, but he just kept going. He no longer had a home. No longer had a family. No longer had a friend. He was alone.
Anga ran for about an hour before slowing due to exhaustion and pain. He stopped next to a bench, hoping to have at least somewhere to sleep. Unfortunately he didn’t have enough energy to climb up onto the bench. As he put a hoof up, he just collapsed. He could no longer move a muscle in his body. His breathing slowed and everything became a blur once again. He laid motionless, barely breathing. He felt like he was going to die. Before he fell unconscious, though, he could hear a muffled voice. He couldn’t tell who it was or where it came from, but he could here the words, just two before he passed out.
“Anga? Anga?!” He heard hoof steps coming towards him, but he couldn’t stay awake long enough to see who it was. He passed out on the cold, hard floor.
Chapter 4: A Better Feeling
Nothing, Anga could feel nothing except the sorrow and despair he received from wo he thought were his loved ones. Rejected, beaten and outcast by his own family, he had nothing at all. Or so he thought.
Anga could hear the buzz of a ceiling fan hanging above him. For passing out on the cold, hard concrete, he was rather warm and comfortable. The ground felt rather soft now and cushy. Then he realized he was no longer outside, he was in somepony’s home. He fluttered his eyes open slowly, the light coming through the window nearly blinding the earth pony. He began to regain his vision and scanned his surroundings.
The buzz was in fact a fan that hanged above the center of the room he was in, which looked like the living space of a decently sized home. The warm look of the walls and furniture gave the impression that he was in a cottage. He looked down to see a quilt made up of various colors that reminded him of autumn. Anga then looked around to see if anyone was with him, hoping to find out who saved him and whose home he was in. Hoof steps then came from the room next door.
Jerking his head toward the sound, he saw the shadow of a pony figure come through a doorway in the far corner of the room. He still couldn’t see well, so he couldn’t tell who it was by the looks, but her voice was too familiar to be mistaken.
“I am so glad to see you’re awake, Anga.” The warm, soothing voice of Miss Merry Loo calmed any nerve Anga was feeling. She walked over and placed a drink on the small table next to the couch Anga was on.
Anga tried to get up, but Merry Loo put a hoof on his chest, preventing him from moving.
“Do not move, dear. You need your rest.” Anga relaxed at her request. His left eye had fully recovered and he could see out of that eye, but his other eye still felt weird and his vision on that side was fuzzy. Anga put a hoof to the eye, but Merry Loo moved his hoof away from the eye and placed a wet, cool cloth on it.
“Your eyes swelling has gone down, but it's still bad. It will be some time until it fully recovers.” She informed. She examined the rest of his bruised body, “So what happened, Anga? I tried calling your parents, however they did not pick up.” Anga’s ears drooped at the mention of his parents.
He sighed and spoke in a raspy voice. “I.. had explained to them why I was feeling.. Upset..”
“Why were you upset?” She asked.
“I told Suiter about my feelings.. And he.. He..” Anga started to tear up, “He kicked me out of his home..”
Merry Loo immediately hugged the earth pony and let him cuddle into her arms. “Oh Anga.. I’m so sorry that happened.”
Anga started to cry into her shoulder before continuing, “T-Then when I told my parents.. They.. they beat me.” Merry Loo gasped, putting a hoof to her mouth in shock. Anga continued, “When that did not make me straight.. My father told me to.. Leave.. And never return.. A-and that he no longer had a son..” Then, he completely broke down in her arms. He balled out crying and screaming. Occasionally crying about no longer having a home or family and how nobody loved him because he was gay.
That entire time Merry Loo held him in her arms, petting his mane and doing everything she could to comfort him. After a few minutes of this, Anga’s break down was slowing down, but he was still sobbing uncontrollably. At that moment, Merry Loo made a statement that Anga had not expected to here in a million years. One that would change his life forever.
“Oh Anga, you can stay here as long as you want. If Purity refuses to be your mother, then I will be your mother.” Anga’s eyes widened. He looked up to his teacher and stared into her eyes, mouth hanging open. He couldn’t believe it. His favorite teacher of two years was offering to be his mother in place of the ones who abandoned him. Most would be hesitant to accept this offer, however, Merry Loo was sweet, kind and smart. She cared for all of her students dearly, especially Anga.
“R-really?”
“Really.”
After a moment, Anga smiled for the first time since the previous day. He leaped into Merry Loo and embraced her in a big bear hug.
“Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you!” Merry Loo smiled at Anga’s outburst of happiness. His happiness was hers, and Anga’s new life was just about to begin.
Six months had passed since Miss Merry Loo took Anga in. Over that time, while getting in contact was difficult, they got Anga's biological parents to officially let Merry Loo adopt Anga. While there was the option to file for child abuse, they decided against the charge due to Anga not wanting to recount the incident.
While all this happened, there was one event that had not yet occurred in Anga's life. He was still cutie markless. He may have been good at math and school in general, but he hadn't found what his purpose is yet. That is until one fateful moment.
Anga was reading a book in his new room Merry Loo had given him. It was a small room, but big enough for Anga. His adoptive mother was pretty good at decorating rooms, so she made it look bigger than it was. She was so good, Anga didn't realize their house was a modern, flat roof home. He could've sworn they were in a cottage the first few days of living there.
Anga heard a light knock at the door. He got up from his book and opened his door to his new mother.
“Hey Anga, I just wanted to let you know I'll be on the roof for about an hour. The air conditioner is out and I'm going to see if I can fix it.” She informed the young colt.
“Can I come, too?” He asked, having a brief moment of excitement.
“Sorry, Anga, it's too dangerous for you.” Her words disappointed Anga. She had given him so much, yet he hasn't gotten the opportunity to return the favor. He wanted to do something for her, something to help. She continued, “besides, I do not have a ladder for you to climb, and while you are still young, I do not think I could carry you. My older body is getting to me.” She giggled a little bit, making Anga chuckle a bit.
“Be a good little colt while I'm up there.” They shared a hug before she walked out of the home and flew up to the roof. Anga went back to reading his book.
About an hour had passed and Anga didn't even notice. He was so indulged in his book that it didn't occur to him that he could no longer hear any noises coming from the roof like before. When he finished the book, he stretched and walked out of his room, hoping to see Merry Loo. However, he didn't, which brought a little disappointment to him. He was hoping they could do some math together. He then looked at the time to see when she'd be back. The clock read 2:45.
“Wait, that can not be right, Miss Merry Loo said she would be done in an hour. If I am not mistaken, that was at 1:20..” Anga began to fill with worry for his mother.
He walked outside and looked up to the flat roof. He couldn't see her, but that could've been due to her being in the center.
He called out, “Miss Merry Loo? Are you almost done?” No response. That's when Anga really started to panic. Had something happened to his new mother? Was she in trouble?
“Miss Merry Loo?! Miss Merry Loo?!?!” He kept calling for her, still getting no response. He quickly looked around for someone to help. No one was around. Now of all times booing was out on a walk or anything. Just Anga's luck.
He then looked around for a way for him to get to the roof. A ladder, a trampoline, anything. He then remembered the tree in the backyard was tall enough to reach the roof. He ran around the house to the backyard and started climbing the tree. It wasn't the sturdiest tree, but up until the top, the branches should hold the weight of a colt. He started climbing the tree, inching his way up slowly due to his lack of athletic ability. After a few moments, he got high enough to see the top of the roof. Though he couldn't see his mother yet.
“Higher, I must get higher.” He climbed to the top of the tree where the branches got really thin. However that didn't stop him. He managed to get the best view he could of the roof. What he saw was his biggest fear. Miss Merry Loo laying motionless next to the unit, barely breathing. Anga stood there for a moment, shocked at what he saw. The air conditioner must have been leaking a toxic fume because Anga could smell something strange coming from it. However, that was in the back of his mind. All he knew was his new mother was in trouble.
He reached a hoof out to try and get to the roof, but it was barely out of reach from the center of the tree. He edged his way to the edge of the branch, hoping it would hold his weight long enough to get onto the roof. He nearly reached it when he heard a crack come from beneath him. His heart sank as the branch gave way. Anga fell a story to the ground, hitting his head on a branch on the way down. As he hit the ground, a ring came into his ears, everything was a daze and he couldn't feel his left ear.
It took a moment for him to recover, but he shook his head and started to climb the tree again. This time, there was no way he’d get to the roof. The branch that would allow him to get on the roof was gone. It broke under his weight and now Anga had no way of getting to his mother. Feeling helpless, he started to tear up.
“Miss Merry Loo! Mom!” He climbed back down, desperately looking around for a way to save his mother. He ran back around the house, hoping and praying somepony was walking by. Specifically a Pegasus.
Finally, a small sense of relief. A couple was walking together across the street, one of them Bering wings. Anga didn't hesitate, he ran across the road toward the ponies.
“Help! Help!” He yelled, catching the attention of the couple.
“Hm? What- oh my!” The purple female unicorn said with a Gasp as she turned to Anga. The male, blue Pegasus did the same.
“What happened young man?!”
“Mother.. accident.. fell.. tree.. on roof!” Anga couldn't get the words out. He was panting from all the energy he was spending.
“Ok, let's get you to a hospital and we’ll call your mother.” The Pegasus said.
“No! She is in danger! Help! Roof!” He managed to say, getting a confused look from the Pegasus.
“Wait, your mom is hurt?” The unicorn asked. Anga quickly nodded. She continued, “hun, I'll call paramedics. You go get her down.” The Pegasus nodded and followed Anga to the house to save Merry Loo.
By the time the paramedics got there, the Pegasus had gotten Merry Loo down from the roof and was blowing wind onto her with his wings. The medics put her on a stretcher and into a white carriage with a Red Cross on it. Anga had thanked the couple and ran to the carriage.
“Will she be ok?!” He asked the medics.
“She'll be fine. There must have been mild in the venting system that she inhaled. But she'll make a full recovery. Now onto you, let's get you to a doctor soon.” The medic said. Anga tilted his head in confusion.
“Why? I am not the one that is hurt.” He asked.
The medic looked at Anga with concern, “you.. don't realize it, do you?” He asked.
“Realize what?”
Then he pointed to Anga’s bleeding ear, or lack thereof, “half of your left ear is missing, bud.” Anga stood there frozen in shock. He brought his hoof up to touch his ear. When he did, he felt a sting of pain shoot through the ear. He noticed that places his hoof should have been touching flesh and fur, he felt nothing. His eyes widened as he looked at his hoof. It was covered in blood that came from his ear. He stared down at the blood for a moment. Then everything became blurry, everything sounded muffled and he was losing color in his vision. He toppled to the ground unconscious, passing out from the pain and shock of losing his ear.
He had no idea how long he was out, all he knew is that he had nightmares of him losing Merry Loo. Being helpless to save her. If only he wasn't a measly earth pony, if only he had a way to fly up to save her before she got too bad. If only he had wings.
Anga woke with a jolt. Sitting up in the hospital bed panting. He looked around him, seeing the shades of white you tend to find in hospitals. He saw one doctor who was writing something down on a clipboard. He didn't seem to notice Anga was awake. Anga looked in a mirror that was on the wall towards the foot of the bed. A bandage covered what was left of his left ear. He touched it and jumped at the sting he felt. There was no more bleeding but under the bandages, it was still an open wound. Then it came back to him.
He turned to the doctor with a look of concern.
“Miss Merry Loo! Where is she?! Is she alright?!” Anga called, making the doctor jump.
“Oh my, you scared the daylight out of me. However I'm glad you're awake.” He said as he walked over to the bed.
“Is Miss Merry Loo alright? Is my mother ok?!” He kept pestering the doctor about his adoptive mother until he finally said something about the hurt Pegasus.
“Just calm down, ok? She's fine, we extracted the mold inside her lungs and she's breathing fine now.” The doctors calmed Anga down a bit, but he wanted to see for himself. He started to get out of the bed. The doctor tried putting a hoof over him to stop him, “hey, you should rest. You are low on energy, so you shouldn't exert yourself.”
“I must see her, I must see for myself that she is ok.”
The doctor sighed, “nothing's gonna convince you, is it?” Anga shook his head. “Alright, I'll take you to her. Just remember, she is probably resting right now. Follow me.”
Anga followed the doctor down the white, gurney filled hallway. They walked for a few moments, going up a stairwell and came to a resting room not too far from the contamination rooms. The doctor opened the door to see another doctor taking notes next to a sleeping Merry Loo.
“Sorry to bother you, but he was very insistent on seeing her.” He said as Anga ran into the room. The other doctor cracked a small smile and moved over so Anga could get to his mother.
“It's fine,” she said, “I'm just finishing up and she is no longer contaminated. I think this'll be good for her and him.”
She finished writing something down and pinned the clipboard under her wing and walked to the door where the other doctor was standing.
“Let's leave them be for now. They've been through a lot.” The female doctor told the male doctor. He nodded in response and closed the door behind them, leaving Anga and his adoptive mother alone.
Anga cuddled next to the sleeping mare, eyes watering from seeing Merry Loo like this. He stuck his muzzle into her shoulder and sobbed.
“Oh, Anga, you don't have to cry.” Anga shot his head up. Merry Loo’s eyes were open, barely, but still open. Anga smiled widely and embraced her in a hug.
“Oh I am so happy you are ok!! I was so worried!” He called.
Merry Loo giggled, “as was I for you. Your ear must've hurt.” She said, looking at his torn off ear.
“I-I was so scared I would lose you..” Anga confessed. “It was worse than losing my parents.. this day turned awful..”
“It's not all that bad.” She said, baffling Anga.
“H-how is it not bad? Y-you nearly died! We are in the hospital!” Anga said.
Merry Loo giggles, “you have not noticed, have you?” Anga looked at her curiously. Sure he hadn't noticed his ear until someone pointed it out, bug he knew about it already. Also, what was so good about it? He hated it. Then she glanced down at his flank, motioning for him to look as well. He obliged, and what he saw was unbelievable.
From all this pain, from all the worry, from the terrifying feeling of nearly losing your last loved one, he got his cutie mark. A pair of dark blue, open wings. He finally knew what he wanted to do with his amazing mathematical skills.
In that moment, he knew that he was going to give earth ponies the ability to fly.
About 2 years had gone since Anga received his cutie mark. He started coming up with various designs and blueprints for mechanical wings for earth ponies. While in the very early stages, the things he was making were extraordinary. So much so that he already had a company ask him if they could use a part of his design for one of their projects. Anga was becoming a successful engineer, and he was only 14.
Despite his success, he didn't like to show his face around other ponies because of his ear. He was self conscious about it and whenever someone would ask about it, he'd get flashbacks to that day. He would start trembling, getting the feeling of losing Merry Loo again.
Merry Loo saw this and wanted to do something about it. She reached out to many different ponies to help fix it, no idea really striking her as perfect. Not until she came across one pony from her past that had the perfect idea.
She walked up to his room with excitement for Anga and the surprise she had for her adopted son. She knocked on the door with a smile on her face. Anga opened the door and was a bit taken back with the unusually large smile Merry Loo had.
“Yes? What is it, Miss Merry Loo?” He asked.
“Anga, I have a surprise for you.”
“Oh, thank you. What is it?”
Then she stepped aside, “I will let him give it to you.” Anga’s jaw dropped. Behind Miss Merry Loo stood a pony that he was all too familiar with. The fact that he would do something for him astounded Anga. There stood Suiter, with a bag in his magical grasp.
“Hey, Anga. Long time no see.” He said, almost blushing. Anga had to take a moment to process what was happening. His old friend, who kicked him out and was basically told they were no longer friends was here in Anga’s new home.
“Suiter.. what.. what are you doing here? I had thought you wanted to cut any ties with me.” Anga said.
“Yea.. I'm so sorry about that.. back then, I was just kinda.. confused. My parents had always told me to stay away from homosexuals. So I acted as though my parents would act. I thought about that for the past two and a half years.. then I heard what happened and I saw Miss Merry Loo in town. She told me that you were kinda self conscious about the whole ear thing.” Suiter said. Anga put his hoof to his now scarred half ear.
“Y-yes..” Anga said shyly.
“Well, that got me thinking, I should do something to make up for what I did.. so I came up with this.” Suiter used his magic to lift out a black top hat with a red stripe. Anga's mouth dropped even more. He never expected his old friend to make him something like this. Especially something this amazing.
“Suiter.. I.. I love it!” He said with a smile, letting Suiter place it on his head. It fit perfectly.
“Knee it fitted your style. I can also adjust it for when your noggin gets bigger, too. Oh, and that's not all.” Suiter then pulled out a cooler and red bow tie and watch. “The whole collection.”
Anga was nearly in tears. To think that they both cared so deeply for him.
“T-thank you.. thank you so much!” Anga pulled them both into a group hug, smiling as wide as he could.
“Heh, don't get me wrong, I'm still straight. But.. I hope you can forgive me for my homophobic act.”
“This is more than enough of an apology.”
From then on, Anga and Suiter remained friends forever, and Anga would wear that hat nearly twenty four seven.
Five years had passed since Suiter had returned into Anga’s life. Five years since his surprise he got. He's barely taken off that hat since he got it. Though not all was well.
Anga had stalled in his work, hit a brick wall. He couldn't find anyone in Talltale willing or able to help him with his dream project. Not even the companies that asked him to design something for them would helps. After major contemplation with himself and Merry Loo, he decided that it was time to move. He was now 19, a successful engineer and needing a change.
The goodbyes were tear filled, heart jerking and emotional. Even though it was just Anga, Suiter and Merry Loo. They all said their goodbyes, hugged and wished each other luck as Anga wasn't the only one moving. Suited had decided to move to Manehatten to work for a boutique until he could create his own.
“I will miss you both dearly. Promise to write to me, ok?” Merry Loo said as she embraced them both in an emotional group hug.
“We will, Miss Merry Loo.” Suited said.
“Yes, we will.. mother.” Anga said, sniffling back a tear.
After a few moments of embrace, they parted ways, and Anga would embark on a year long journey across Equestria, trying to find the perfect home with the perfect business partner.
He finally found a home in the small town of Ponyville where he met a nice, shy, talented unicorn by the name of Swil Fender. They met in a bakery where Anga happened to be working on a part for a client, and Swil happened to be nearby.
Swil noticed something about the blueprints, but was unable to tell Anga due to his huge shyness. So he asked someone in the shop to point it out. The yellow earth pony mare walked over and joyfully told Anga what was wrong.
“Hey! Nice drawings!” She said.
“Uh, thank you.. um..”
“Double Lemon, at your service! The orange guy over there told me to tell you that there's a practical problem of some doohickey with your plan!” Anga looked over at the orange unicorn who started to shy under the table at the yellow pony’s words. Anga looked back at the yellow pony and nodded.
“Thank you, I think I will go speak to him.”
“No problamo! I'll get you two some more muffins!” Lemon walked away cheerfully. Anga hadn't realized he was talking to the shop owner, and wouldn't for a while.
He walked over to the orange pony with a blue, shaggy mane almost covering his hot pink eyes. Anga set down the blue prints on the table and smiled.
“Hello, I was told you noticed something about my design. Would you be able to inform me of what you see? This is for a very important client and it needs to be perfect.” Anga said, making the orange pony why even more. Anga say this and awkwardly tried to keep his smile.
“I-I am sorry, how rude of me. My name is Anga, what is yours?”
The orange pony looked down and seemed to mumble, “S-Swil Fender…”
“I am sorry, I did not quite catch that.”
“S-Swil F-Fender..” he said with a slightly more annunciated tone.
“Ah, well then, Swil Fender, could you point out the flaw you see?” Anga slid the design toward Swil, which made him jump up from his shyness and glow with excitement.
“W-well, the design itself is pretty good, h-however the practicality is a bit o-off. It will work, but the mechanics won't b-be able to build it efficiently. The cost of this build will destroy any budget.” Anga's jaw dropped at the sudden change in tone. This shy pony went from cowering under the table to talking an entire essay on how it wouldn't work. This amazed Anga, and he knew he found his partner.
“Thank you for the advice. Say, do you love around here?” Anga asked, getting a shy nod from Swil. He continued, “would you like to help me further with this project? I have been looking for a business partner for a while and you seem quite fluent with this kind of work.”
Swil nodded more boldly this time, making Anga think that he had been looking for a partner, too.
From then on, Anga and Swil became partners in their own business, making parts and gadgets for commissioned companies. Anga later found more friends and was one of the original fam members. He then later convinced the shy Swil to join the fam as well, who hadn't before due to his shyness. Eventually, Anga found love in a stallion named Electric Spark, recently married.
Every time he can, Anga writes to his friend in Manehattan and his adoptive mother, telling of his wonderful life he is living, and how he can't wait to see them again and introduce them to all the friends he's made.
And the wonderful life he was able to live because his teacher took him in at his darkest hour.
