I awoke instantly. I opened my eyes and raced to sit up, but nearly fell back down. A thousand questions came to mind, and I suddenly felt anxious to get up. My breathing rate increased dramatically, and my head turned every which way. I was literally twitching from direction to direction, taking in almost every detail in the room. I did not recognize this place, and felt very anxious to get out of my bed. I tried to move my legs off, so I could try and walk out, but I was too weak, and it hurt a lot. I was moving around, trying to get out from under the blanket that was over me, but it did no good. My mind was in a thousand places at once, and I couldn't focus. I tried to breathe at a normal pace as I became dizzy, but I fell back down and nearly hit the wall behind me. The machine strapped to the tubes in my arm started to beep, and it was only a matter of seconds before two nurses came in and put a needle into the tube that was connected to my arm.
It was now obvious to me that I was in a hospital, due to the white walls, the busy corridors and the cold, calculated precision with which everything was arranged. Even the temperature of the room was emanating the aura of a business environment, and the sterilized and disinfected smell of the atmosphere simply added to my observations. A pair of nurses, wheeling in a steel tray of syringes, stopped by my bedside. I decided this would be my best chance at figuring out why I was here, so I tried to talk, but the words died in my throat. I felt very dizzy and began drifting to sleep. A nurse gently grabbed me by the shoulder, and moved me back into the same position I was in. I was sweating like crazy, and struggled to fight against the nurse. I was too weak, and I couldn't stay awake. I was getting very sleepy, but I didn't want to go to sleep. I wanted to know what I did to get here in the first place.
"Rain Chaser, please, you need to lie back down and go to sleep," said the nurse, struggling to keep me down and injecting a dose into my IV
I tried to speak again. "Where... where am I? Why am I he-?"
Speech was useless, as the IV did its job. I was slowly lying back down, except this time, I couldn't control it. It was like I couldn't control my own body. My breathing slowly dropped to a normal pace, and the monitor stopped beeping. I tried kicking my legs, showing them that I couldn't go back to sleep, not now, and certainly not without knowing why I'm here in the first place, but I felt paralyzed. The pain in my body slowly went away as I started to close my eyes. I had only woken up a minute ago, and everything moved by so quickly.
I wasn't hot, but I continued to sweat as I cautiously drifted back into a dark, unwanted sleep.
***
"You should totally go and talk to her," said Charmer, with an enormous smile on his face.
"No way man, I need to wait for a better time!" I said, trying to find a quick escape from what he was attempting to do.
"Just try it. There's no better time than the present," he responded.
"Well, yeah. But if I do it tomorrow, it will be in the present then. And besides, I don't even have anything to say," I said, this time sure that it would pass as an excuse.
I watched as the two pegasi that were just by Flare's side left her, and she slowly started to trot off.
"Look! Her friends just left. She's all alone. It's just you and her, a perfect chance, slapping you in the face. Don't let it get away! She's leaving!"
"No. I'm not doing it."
"Do it!"
"NO!" I yelled. I was so loud this time that Flare heard it, though she barely took the time to glance at me. Even a fleeting glance such as the one she gave me was enough to make my heart plummet to my chest.
"Look..." He started, "Now she knows that you exist. Here, I have to take advantage of this situation for you."
"Don't you dare! I know what you're thinking! You're going to try and make a situation..." I said, this time in a more whispered tone, learning from my previous outburst.
I saw his horn begin to glow, as Flare's satchel started to slowly untie itself. I had no idea what he was doing, but I knew it wasn't good. "DON'T!" I whispered urgently. Whispering in an angry tone doesn't really work; it really only left me with a creepy-looking scowl. He laughed at that, but continued using his magic, opening the satchel strapped to Flare’s side slowly and causing what looked like a thousand apples fell out of it. She gasped and dropped to the ground, trying to catch them all before they rolled away. I turned harshly toward Charmer, but he was gone, and so was my exit.
I couldn't just leave, watching the mare of my dreams struggle over my idiot friend's idea of an icebreaker, so I went to help. I bent down and started to pick up the apples near me, carefully making sure that I didn't miss any. I walked toward her and filled up the bag with the apples in my hooves.
"I am so sorry about this. I don't know what happened, really," she said, looking as if she had disappointed everyone in the town market.
"It is perfectly fine, honestly," I said. "I will guarantee you that you aren't the first one to drop something in Ponyville. As far as I can tell, with the ponies that live here, we should be known for it."
She started to laugh, and I, now lacking conversation said, "So..."
"IDIOT!" I thought to myself. I have nothing to say! It felt like minutes had gone by before I repeated it again, this time more prepared for what to say next.
"So," I started, pretending as if this was the first time I had ever really taken the time to notice her. "Isn't your name Flare Dasher?"
She paused, and then said, "Yes. And you are Rain Chaser, right? I recognize you from flight school."
"Yeah, that's me. I've seen you at flight school too. Aren't you training to join the Wonderbolts?"
She giggled a bit, making me feel like I had made a big mistake. "Yes. Well, kinda. I’m looking more toward stunts and performance, but eventually, yes, I do want to become a member of the Wonderbolts."
"That's a very interesting career choice. Why did you decide to do that?" I asked, realizing what a stupid question that was. Her cutie mark was a spark of lightning surrounded by fire! Of course she would like flying fast!
"Well, I always liked watching Rainbow Dash when I was a kid, how she would leave the trail of rainbow behind her," she started, clearly enjoying the topic. “I also really loved her sonic rainbooms she always ended her performances with. But what I think I loved most about her is how she was inspired to become a Wonderbolt, the same way I was."
"And how was that?" I asked.
"By watching them and dreaming about the day when I would eventually do it," she finished.
"Simply amazing," I thought to myself. She truly is a work of art. I was sure of two things after that conversation was over. I knew that I was madly in love with her, and that all of the apples were back in the bag, leaving me without a reason to keep talking.
"Well, thanks again for helping me, Rain Chaser. I hope to see you again soon. Who knows? Maybe we can meet up again sometime." she said, with a smile on her face and a cheerful tone to her words.
"Yeah, I'd love to. I-I'll see you later!" I said, my voice climbing to a yell as she left the market.
I started walking back the other way, still looking back the way I came, when I walked face first into Charmer.
"That must have been the most awkward thing I've ever heard you say," he said, starting to laugh. I punched him in the shoulder, not out of anger or disdain, but because we were friends, and I had finally talked to Flare.
"So... I was thinking about setting you up with her tomorrow. I'll probably change the topic, so you don’t strike her as some boring mare who talks about the same thing over and over again..." he started.
He went on about his new plans for the next few days, weeks, and so forth. I laughed, and he did too, both of us realizing the weird moment that day had bestowed upon us.
***
I woke up from my dream, realizing I had dreamed that memory exactly as it happened. I remembered all of it. I felt less of an urge to get up, remembering the great success the last time I had tried to stand. I sat up, this time slower and more relaxed. The light was off in the room, and the small bedside table-light was on, casting an eerie glow on the walls. The window on the wall behind where the bedside table was had no light coming out of it now, unlike how it was when I was last up. Had I been asleep all day- or longer, for that matter? I took in a deep breath, sat up, and started looking around. I was admiring the light coming out of the cracks of the door when I suddenly stopped.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something. I looked over to my right, and saw that there was another bed right beside me, separated only by the table in between the two beds. I had no idea it had been there the entire time. I bent over, trying to get a closer look at who occupied it. I didn't realize who it was at first, but when I did, it felt as if my heart had stopped beating for a full two seconds. I squinted my eyes to make sure, but I didn’t need to. I knew who it was. There was no denying it.
I felt fear in the back of my mind as my gaze traveled up the half covered, charcoal- colored body. I stared intensely at the multicolored mane which resembled fire, and then the cutie mark. Lighting. Lightning, surrounded by fire.
It was Flare.
