I'm seven years old.
My parents teach me how to say my 'please's, 'excuse me's and 'thank you's. My parents teach me to be a good filly. They teach me that good things come to those who wait. My parents are well-known flight coaches, the best in their profession! But they never taught me. I have a sister, Firefly, she's a few years older than me. She and I, like to fly through the sky at night, frolicking with the fireflies. She's better than me. She can fly higher than any other pegasus in her class, she got the best grade for her acrobatic flying course and even got to touch the ground! The ground! My parents are really proud of my sis. They give her everything. They even taught her how to fly when she was younger. All the praises are for my sister, Firefly. But I still love her, that's what sisters are for, right? She loves me too. Anything mom and dad taught her, she would teach me, she would leave the last cookie for me too!
One day, I was eating my breakfast, a meal of snow toast and cloud juice, when Firefly dashes downstairs looking flurried.
"Whaff haffened?" I ask, crumbs of toast spewing from my mouth. "I'm meeting up with my friends, be back home at six! See you~!" She says as she grabs a piece of toast in her mouth. She flies out before I could give her my goodbye hug. Sighing as I watch the trail of blue disappear, I tell myself, I'll hug her later. Mommy then sends me to school. I've always like snowflake school. I get to do plenty of things. Like play with my friends, Fluttershy and Windwhistler. Fluttershy, she's really shy and afraid, a bit like me sometimes. Maybe that's why bullies target us. Windwhistler, she's a tough cookie. She always faces the bullies for us. She's almost like my sister, brave. Windwhistler can't fly as well as her though. Me, Windy and Fluttershy haven't got our cutie marks yet. But Windy is good at musical thingies. Like the vio-something. I tell her that her cutie mark is bound to be music-related. She denies it, says she fears crowds. Rubbish, I tell her. That's what I says to Flutters too. She takes care of her sister Posey so well, I could call her the best foalsitter in all of Equestria! I haven't found my talent, I'm not good at anything. I don't care much for my cutie mark. Instead, I look forward to living life happily. School was fun today, I drew a picture of Princess Celestia, she's an alicorn! I don't understand why ponies call her that, she looks nothing like corn.
But once school ends, Miss Snowbolt says she has to bring me home. I wonder why. Mommy usually brings me home after school. Once we reach my house, I rush inside. Mommy's on the couch, her eyes puffy. The room felt like there was a stuffy cloud in it. There are other older pegasi in the room. Is there a party? The pegasi notice me and start saying some funny words like "Corndolances". I wonder what's that? Some kind of corn? But their gaze had something wrong, so I just nod my head. Mommy notices I'm home and hugs me. I don't know why, but I hug her back.
After all the ponies leave, I ask Mommy, "What's going on?" Mommy glances at me and starts to tear up again. That was a mistake.
***
It's night now. I see Daddy flying towards us from the raven-coloured sky and I ask him the same question. He lands and looks at Mommy. Mommy nods her head solemnly. Daddy places his hoof on my shoulder and looks me in the eye, "Dashie.. Firefly has been in an accident," He looks away now, something sparkly in his eyes, "When she was flying, somepony knocked into her and..." He stops and looks at the ground, "She hurt her wing a little..."
"Hurt her wing? That's what it's all about!" I say enthusiastically, "I get bruised wings all the time, Firefly can handle a bruised wing!"
Mommy looks as if she is going to cry. Daddy smiles weakly, "Yeah... Bruised wing... But she kinda got pushed and fell into a hole in the cloud, and because of her bruised wing, she couldn't fly. Ponies thought she was kidding around. But when they realised it was a real problem... It was too late."
"What do you mean?"
"She's up in Pony heaven now." He says as he looks up.
Pony heaven. That's where ponies go when they're ...dead. "Sis can't be dead! I didn't hug her today! She said she come back at six..." I crumple on the cloud, tears coming out freely.
***
A week later, I'm practicing how to perform a sonic rainboom. Or at least fly as fast as I can. Firefly's death taught me that things happen for a reason. And the reason for her death was that no one was fast enough to save her. I want to be the fastest pony ever. If anypony falls, I'll save them. As I am warming up, a lone firefly watches me. I look at the little fella. It's adorable. I whisper to myself, I love you too sis.
***
I look down to see Rarity falling. Without hesitation, I zoom towards her and try my best to catch up with her. All the training comes to mind. And all of a sudden, I see Firefly falling instead of the prim and proper unicorn. I flew as fast as I could, trying to catch up with the now imagined falling pegasus. Wings, don't fail me now. I shut my eyes and force my wings to flap faster. I suddenly feel lighter and snap open my eyes. Behind me is a rainbow, with more determination, I target the unicorn and pegasi and grab them in the nick of time. I fly up to Cloudsdale. Panting, but happy. Thank you Firefly. I saved somepony's life. My training did work. I prevented an accident like yours.
I love you.
