Sparks was sitting at the kitchen table, pouring over financial statements and legal documents. The end of the camp season always brought an obscene amount of paperwork. River was working at the animal sanctuary until late so Sparks was getting a head start on all the papers they had to sign and turn in. They would also have to get re-certified by the Equestrian Camp Association before the next summer as their license was expiring in a month. Sparks groaned and swiped a hoof through her mane, knocking her braid over her other shoulder and trying to get her eyes to focus on the table in front of her. But before she could throw herself into the paperwork, she was saved by a knock on the door.

She opened the door and looked down to see a bright orange pegasus filly on her doorstep. “Well hello there.”

The filly stood astride a blue scooter, holding a stack of flyers under her foreleg. “Hi! My name is Scootaloo and Applejack said I should talk to you about Camp Friendship.”

Sparks nodded and gestured inside. “Sure! My name is Seeking Sparks. Come on in.”

Scootaloo set her helmet and scooter outside the door and scampered eagerly into the house. Sparks chuckled and shut the door behind her.

“Would you like a snack? I’ve got cookies and I think I have some cherry pie left. How about some lemonade or tea?”

“Cookies please!” Scootaloo set herself on the couch, not noticing as a few flyers drifted to the floor. Sparks prepared a plate of cookies and two glasses of lemonade. Setting it all on a tray, she balanced it on her back and walked over to the couch. As she rounded the corner, her hoof slipped on one of the flyers and she pitched forward.

“Woah!” Sparks flared out her wings and managed to catch the tray just before it slid off her back. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she used her wing to set the tray on the coffee table and bent down to pick up the papers.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” Scootaloo hopped off the couch and helped her gather the fallen flyers.

“It’s okay! No worries. Accidents happen.” Sparks smiled cockily and flared out her wings. “Lucky I’ve got the reflexes of a jungle cat.” She winked at the little pegasus filly, who’s gaze had suddenly become transfixed on something off to the side.

Sparks followed her sight line to her left wing, and ruffled her broken feathers. “Oh this? Yeah I had an accident when I was a filly.”

Sparks watched as the little filly flapped her wings a few times and glanced quickly back at them. She cast her eyes down for a moment, then looked up to Sparks hesitantly.

“Can you...Can you fly?”

Sparks smiled at her and sat down on the couch, patting the cushion next to her. Scootaloo settled herself nervously, still looking at Sparks’ injured wing.

“When I was a filly, I clipped a flagpole and fell out of Cloudsdale. I hit the ground on my left side, crushing the bones of my wing.” Sparks flared out her left wing and showed the filly the broken feathers.

“My feathers never grew back in properly and my muscles and bones were never strong or stable enough to allow me to fly again. I’ve been flightless ever since.”

Scootaloo reached a hoof out ever so slightly, then quickly pulled it back.

Sparks reached her wing out to her. “You can touch it if you want.”

The pegasus filly ran her hooves over the broken feathers, feeling the clipped and jagged edges. Sparks guided her hooves further down the wing, allowing Scootaloo to feel the uneven bones under the muscle of her wing.

“I can’t fly either.”

Sparks’ ears perked up. “Really?”

Scootaloo nodded, not looking up from the broken brown feathers. “I’ve never been able to. I’ve never met another pegasus who couldn’t.”

Sparks felt her heart crack, her whole body thrumming with the urge to protect and reassure this little filly. “Well ya know it’s not all bad. I use my wings for martial arts now. I’ve learned to make them an extension of my body in a different way.”

Scootaloo smiled and looked up. “I use mine to power me on my scooter!”

Sparks wrapped her injured wing around the filly and pulled her close. “See? Who needs flying.” She winked at Scootaloo as she leaned into the embrace. After a moment, Sparks pulled away and grabbed a cookie.

“So what’s this about wanting to talk about Camp Friendship?”

“Oh!” Scootaloo fumbled with the stack of flyers and thrust one at the older pegasus. “My friends, Applebloom and Sweetiebelle, and I want to run a cutie mark day camp at Camp Friendship! We help other ponies get their cutie marks. Applejack said we should talk to you since you own the camp.”

“Sure do! My marefriend and I bought the place a few years ago. We run the summer camps there now. Cutie mark day camp huh?” Sparks studied the flyer for a moment. “I think that’s a wonderful idea! I got my cutie mark at camp you know.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “Really? How?!”

Sparks grinned and turned to show off the bright campfire on her flank. “Well I was the last one in my class to get it.”

oOo

I was deep in the forest, a bundle of sticks balanced precariously on my back. I had fluffed out my wings to keep them from falling, but the situation was still dire. I was picking my way back to camp, trying desperately to not lose any of the carefully gathered twigs on my back. A rustling sound behind me made the fur on my neck stand on end. I stopped dead, my ears flicking as I searched for the source of the sound.

Suddenly, a blue flash came tearing out of the trees and I squealed, dropping my sticks and rearing onto my back hooves, ready to fight. Running River, startled by my scream, collapsed back onto her haunches and dropped the branches she had been holding in her mouth.

“River! What in Equestria?? Where did you go?!” She started gathering up her sticks and helping me balance mine back onto my wings.

“I went to get firewood! I turned around for one second and you were gone!” River looked at me incredulously.

“Well the best tinder is found on pine trees, so I went to find a good pine stand with lots of fallen branches. Why didn’t you follow me?”

River huffed. “Because we were told not to go any further than the big oak!”

“Well it’s not my fault that Onyx Dusk doesn’t know how to make a fire.” I grumbled.

River rolled her eyes and picked up her bundle of sticks. “Will these do?”

I inspected her sticks and sighed. “Not great but we can make them work. Come on. We’re going to be late.”

River trotted along happily next to me as we made our way back to camp. We were among the older campers now, ready to start working as counselors in just a few years. So, many of the activities were old hat to us, even as counselors often changed around each summer. I set my wood down next to the fire circle and joined the group of younger fillies. One looked at me strangely and I braced myself for the questions about my injured wing, but she just gestured to my blank flank and whispered something to her friend.

I sighed and settled myself between River and another of our friends. I looked down at River’s flank where a soft green willow tree stood out against her bright blue fur. River had gotten her cutie mark ages ago while doing chores on her family’s tree farm. I was the only one in our age group who hadn’t gotten mine. I sighed and turned my attention back to the empty fire pit.

“Seeking Sparks.”

I jerked my head up at the sound of my name. Our counselor for that week, Onyx Dusk, was a pale pink stallion with a black and white mane and tail. He was holding out a set of stones to me.

“Would you like to teach these foals how to start a fire?”

“Um. Sure.” I gulped and looked around at my fellow campers. River nudged me and I slid off the log. I kneeled beside the fire circle and surveyed the wood. Parsing it out into three groups, I started to explain the foundations of a good fire.

“Well. You need three types of wood for a campfire. The smallest, tinder, is your spark point.” I held up the small, dry twigs I had gathered from the pine tree stand. “It will ignite fast and help you get a flame started, but it will burn out quickly.”

I held up sticks that were slightly thicker. “Kindling is bigger and set around the tinder so that the flames will catch to it. These will last longer than tinder, but are really just for making the flames strong enough for fuel.” I held up the logs.

“Fuel is your biggest wood and is what keeps the fire going once you’ve got it started.”

“How do you set it up?” One filly asked timidly.

I smiled, feeling my confidence rise the longer I talked. “Well there’s a few ways that you can arrange your fire depending on what you’re using it for. Tonight we are going to make a typical campfire…”

I continued explaining the different fire structures as I built up a little arrangement of tinder and kindling. Once I had it all set, I stopped talking and held my breath as I scraped the two stones together, creating sparks. After a few scrapes, the sparks caught on the tinder and the fire roared to life.

“Woah!”

The young campers all stared at the flames, looks of awe, admiration, and delight crossing their faces. I felt a strange warmth in my chest as I watched them. I loved seeing them so impressed. I had loved teaching them!

Suddenly, there was a flash from behind me, and I turned to see a sparkling white light fading from my flank. In its place was a bright orange and yellow fire sitting utop two crossed logs. A campfire. I broke out into a huge grin.

“I got my cutie mark!!”

Onyx smiled at me as all the foals rushed over to look at the new image on my flank.

“Nicely done Sparks. I think you are going to make a fine counselor one day.”

My eyes welled with tears as I caught River’s gaze. She was beaming at me, pride and excitement gleaming in her eyes. I closed mine and felt the warmth of the fire on my fur, heard the chatter of the campers around me, and smelled the pine and campfire smoke on the summer breeze. I knew I was exactly where I belonged.

oOo

“And I’ve been working at camp ever since.”

“That’s awesome! So your special talent is making fires?” Scootaloo stared at Sparks, her eyes wide and excited.

“Partially.” She chuckled. “The glow of the flames also represents the growth and excitement that I hope to bring to all my campers. And the energy of the fire represents my enthusiasm for teaching others and for throwing myself into any project.”

Scootaloo beamed at her. “That’s amazing!”

“And you know, if I had never broken my wing then I never would have moved to Ponyville and gone to Camp Friendship. Who knows what I would be if I had stayed in Cloudsdale.”

Scootaloo looked at her wings, then back at Sparks pensively.

“Some things are simply meant to be.” The older pegasus said with a smile. “Everything you go through will help shape and teach you. Just because we are different,” She stretched out her broken broken wing, “doesn’t mean we have anything less to offer.”

Scootaloo buzzed her wings and smiled. “I guess it doesn’t matter if I ever fly.”

Sparks shrugged. “I don’t know if you will, but you certainly don’t have to. You have your own unique talents, skills, and experiences. And I think you are going to run an amazing day camp.” She winked at the filly.

Scootaloo leapt off the couch in excitement. “You mean we can use Camp Friendship??”

“Of course!”

Scootaloo crushed Sparks in a hug. “Thank you!”

Sparks chuckled and embraced her. “You’re very welcome. Now tell Applejack hello for me won’t ya?”

“Definitely!”

Sparks led Scootaloo out and watched as she sped off on her scooter, scattering flyers all over town. She had never met another flightless pegasus either, and it felt so good to see her experience making a difference to somepony else. Sparks sat back at the kitchen table, wondering what Scootaloo’s parents had said to her about her disability.

She pressed a hoof lightly to her belly. She loved being a counselor. She loved teaching the kids, taking care of them, and seeing them try new things and grow. But that always ended at the end of the summer. Talking with Scootaloo had felt like that...but better. She had supported her, showed her she wasn't alone in her struggles. It felt almost...motherly.

oOo

When River got home that night, Sparks was laying on the couch, the paperwork completely forgotten.

River sat on the arm of the couch. “How was your day?”

“That little filly Scootaloo came by to ask if she and her friends could run a cutie mark day camp at Camp Friendship next week.” Sparks didn’t take her eyes off the ceiling.

“Oh that’s so cute! You told her yes I assume?”

Sparks didn’t answer. She just sat up and looked at her girlfriend. River raised an eyebrow.

“Honey? Are you okay?”

Sparks looked at her, bright orange eyes meeting emerald green ones. “I want a baby.”

Author's Note

Thank you for reading! The story of River and Sparks' foal continues in my story, A Life Desired.

If you would like to see your OC's backstory come to life, feel free to PM me! I am open for commissions.