A clear, sunny day in the fields just outside Ponyville, a place secluded from most ponies aside from Fluttershy. Of whom, since Rainbow Dash had joined them, Fleetfoot'd gotten better acquainted with. Regardless, the breeze, the shining sun, the periodic shade of clouds, it was beyond perfect weather for some extra training, and Celestia be damned if Fleetfoot didn't do just that. She started with the usual stretches and practice exercises to loosen up her joints before taking to the sky and flying around with great speed and dexterity, racing between clouds to test speed, doing flips and twirls through the sky with grace before doing a backwards tumble to the ground and flapping her wings to just barely slow her descent a foot from the ground as she flipped upright and landed on her hooves once more.
Giving a proud sigh, she smiled wide and looked at her watch, seeing that her stunts had eaten up a bit more time than she'd realized. This point was also signified by the growl from her stomach as she rubbed her belly, "Whoa there, tummy. I got your message loud and clear." She said as she tapped her chin, "Don't feel like a hay burger or a salad... It is technically my cheat day... And I have heard about a pretty good snack bar in Canterlot... Meh, whatever. May as well go give it a shot." She said as she went around in circles before her stomach roared once more, "Ow! Alright, alright, I'm goin'!" She groaned as she launched off the ground and towards the Royal home of the upper-crust ponies.
It took a little longer than she, or her stomach, would've liked, but she got there nonetheless and landed down in the main square. Searching around, she was now and then asked for an autograph or a picture, her stomach only continuing to badger her more and more as her energy was being quickly drained. Soon, she was groaning and a bit sluggish in movement before finally collapsing through the doorway of a shop with a groan and a growl from her belly, "Please tell me this is the Donut Shop..." She grunted.
"Yep, that's-- Fleetfoot?" Said a deep, growly voice as hurried hooves race over to the fallen flyer and easily lifted her onto their back. She didn't bother to waste the energy to fight back, feeling a flat surface under her chin and beneath her haunches as a sweet aroma met her nostrils. Opening up her dazed, tired eyes, she saw a small pile of donuts of multiple shapes and sizes as well as a cup of something that smelled like a cinnamon bun with whipped cream and a brown sugar atop it.
She quickly sat up and scooped a donut into her muzzle and moaned in pleased excitement, "Oh yeah, that hits the spot." She said in bliss as she continued shoveling the sweet dough rings into her mouth, taking a swig of the drink as she gasped and paused, pulling it back and staring with widened eyes, "Hold up... Is this..."
"Cinnabunny Sweet Cream with extra cinnamon? Couldn't forget it if I tried." Said the deep voice again. This time, she finally looked up to see a larger, beige unicorn with a brown mane and forest green eyes, a little hat atop his head as he gave a kind yet still worried smile to her, "Hey Fleets."
Fleetfoot stared in confusion for a moment before the nickname clicked in her head, "Wait... Joey?" She said in a sudden burst of excited shock as he gave a light chuckle rubbing the back of his head, looking off to the side with a red dusting on his cheeks.
"Ain't heard that name in a long while... Not since we were foals, anyway." He said before she jumped across the counter and tackle hugged him to the ground laughing giddily.
"Oh my Celestia, it's been years! Where've you been, you big lug?" She said with their cheeks pressed to one another's as her forelegs were secured around his neck. She pulled back to look at him as he gave a chuckle once again, giving the Arctic blue mare a bit of a noogie as she gave a groan quickly followed by a chuckle.
"Been he'e f'years, but I spent a long while in Manehatten, learnin' my craft and savin' up money t'open up my shop y'see he'e." He said as he sat up and gently pushed her off as they both got back into standing positions, Joe brushing himself off. Upon doing so, the door opened with a jingle and caught both their attentions as a pair of ponies walked in and stared back at the two, "Oh, uh... Welcome! Be with ya' in a sec!" He said as Fleetfoot waved, the two ponies seemed a bit enthralled by the famous flyer as they nodded and walked to a seat giggling excitedly. All it did was make Joe sigh, "'Ey, go ahead an' finish y'food before it gets cold. And, uh... If y'want, we can catch up afterward--" he was stopped short as Fleetfoot hugged him again.
"Of course I wanna catch up, you dork... I wanna know everything!" She said as she leaned back and smiled wide, "Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna gorge myself." She said as she hopped back into her seat over the counter and spun around to face her meal again as she went back to munching. Joe blinked watching her for a moment as he sighed and nodded with a red-cheeked smile, turning and walking off to help the other two ponies.
While Fleetfoot ate, she couldn't help but notice that these flavors were her favorites from when she was a filly. With every bite and every sip, she was taken back to back then as if it were just yesterday.
"C'mon Fleetfoot! Get out there and show those other ponies what you can do." A young Spitfire said patting the nervous filly's back as she gulped and nodded, taking a leaned down stance as she took a breath and charged forward. Rushing towards the edge of the clouds and leaping off as her little wings spread and she took flight, dodging through cloud pillars and spinning through hoops with great dexterous prowess. The crowd of ponies cheered and clapped their hooves as she went along, Spitfire cheering the loudest with a pale blue Pegasus at her side munching on what looked like a mini apple pie. Fleetfoot laughed and waved as she went by, flying up and aiming to go through a tighter hoop as a finish.
Rushing through it seemed to suddenly grow into a darker color as it gained a spark and, while she blew kisses to the crowd standing on the cloudy ring, the charge from it surged up her body causing her to scream in pain as she wobbled and slipped off, her vision going as she could hear the screams of shock as Spitfire's shout was loudest among them all.
When she woke up next, she could just barely muster the energy to open her eyes and felt that she was moving. Looking to the side, she could just barely make out a beige coat and the panting of whoever seemed to be carrying her. Before she could speak, she fell unconscious once more and fell limp against this random pony's back.
A while later, she'd awoken to hurried steps and worried voices around her, many that she didn't recognize. Opening her eyes again, she saw the same beige back she'd been carried on, a colt possibly a little older than her talking to a unicorn. "Is she gonna be alright? Her wing looked pretty messed up when I found'a..." He asked worriedly with an accent she hadn't heard before. Once she finally processed what he'd said she groaned to sit up only for a sharp pain in her wing to force her back down, alerting the doctor and the colt as they rushed over to her, "Oh t'ank Celestia, you're awake!" He said in a relieved tone as the doctor turned her onto her side to avoid laying on the injured wing.
Her eyes now adjusted to being open again and the dimness of the room, she could tell that she was, in fact, in a hospital room. Now fully facing him, she could see that this colt did seem a bit bigger than her and had a brown mane as well as green eyes. Though what caught her eye most was the odd burn marks, he was soaked, had a few scrapes and bruises as well. He saw her looking at him oddly as he looked down and saw the injuries, giving a light chuckle, "Hey, hey. Don't worry about me, 'kay? You're the one in a hospital bed. These'a nothin' in comparison. You got a name, by the way?" He asked hopping into a seat at her side.
Fleetfoot struggled to speak as she was just barely able to rasp out, "F-Fleet--" she was cut off as she began coughing, a sad look on her face as she shook her head.
"Fleet? Hmm... Well, until y'can tell me the rest, I'll call ya' 'Fleets'! How's that sound?" He asked with a sad yet confident smile as she thought and nodded, "A'right, Fleets! I'm Joe." He said simply as Fleetfoot seemed to stare as if waiting for the rest, "Uh... That's it. My name's pretty simple but I've been told I'm a simple colt, so I guess if the horseshoe fits." He said with a nervous chuckle. She giggled a little but quickly began coughing after, covering her muzzle as she seemed to curl up a bit from the recoil of it.
"Joey, I think we should let her rest. Besides, it's getting bad out there and I don't know if--" the doctor was cut off as the lights suddenly went out, causing a panic outside of the room, "Darn, the generator must've been struck by the storm... I've got to go calm the other patients. Stay here with her, okay?" He said rushing off as Joe gave a salute and turned back to her as she seemed to shudder in fear, still curled up from her coughing fit prior. Joe watched her as he tapped his chin before reaching over and taking her hoof, "Hey, we're okay. The storm won't get us..." He said before she clung to his foreleg and looked at him with teary, worried eyes. He stared at her as he smiled and climbed into the hospital bed, hugging her tight and avoiding her wing as he felt her shivers slow, "It's okay... The lightning won't touch ya'... Not while I'm here, okay?" He said softly as she nodded and curled into him, giving soft whimpers as they laid there. Awaiting the storm's end in one another's embrace.
Fleetfoot stared into the steamy cream reflecting back at her, a small smile on her face at the memory as she sighed, 'Can't believe I almost forgot about that day... Almost kinda scary.' she thought with a sad glance over to Joe who was taking and filling orders, 'Joey saved my flank after I fell and stayed with me for the week or so it took for the weather ponies to clear up the storm... All I could do was hide and cry without ever saying thank you or even being able to make a sound...' she thought with a more sorrowful glance in her eyes as she smiled a little taking another swig of the thick sweet cream.
She gave a content sigh as she finished her final sip, a clattering coming from in front of her as she saw Joe taking her plate, "Feelin' bettah'?" He asked with a knowing smirk as she huffed for a moment before giving a light chuckle.
"Yeah, that really hit the spot! Tummy is happy, so I'm extra happy!" She said playfully rubbing her belly as Joe laughed a bit, "But hey, Joey... How'd you remember my favorite after all these years anyway?" She asked with a genuine curiosity as Joe seemed to think for a moment.
"Y'know, that's a good question... Only answer I can come up with is that was th'first time I'd heard'ja really talk after a few weeks of hangin' 'round with ya'." He said simply as he seemed to mix a new one with his magic unconsciously as he recalled the event, "We were just hangin', tryin' our best t'ignore the weather when the heat went out in the hospital. You were freezin' so I went t'getcha somethin' t'warm y'up... I just kinda threw some stuff togetha' from what the Cakes had brought ovah' from their shop and brought it back. It warmed you up quick an' I finally got to hear your voice. Y'know, without the coughin' and whatever after. That's when y'first called me 'Joey'." He said with a thoughtful smile as he placed a refill in front of her.
Fleetfoot stared in shock as she remembered the event, every recollected word becoming a scene playing in her head. The electricity dying, him running off. She felt so alone in that small window of time before he came back. She blushed a bit, shaking her head as she chuckled nervously, "Jeez, Joey. You got a steel trap up there, don'tcha?" She said playfully as the two laughed. Joe sighed and wiped a tear from his eye as he looked outside and noticed that it seemed to be darkening, a lightning flash appearing outside. Giving a quick gasp, he leaned over and covered Fleetfoot's ears from the incoming thunderclap that followed, the flyer in question staring confusedly at him before peering out to see the sudden storm. She stared for a moment, taking it all in before she connected the dots and went wide eyed, turning back to look at Joe who gave a relieved smile.
She simply stared at him and smiled, slowly clutching his hoof and leaning into it as she felt a darkness in her. Not the drink and definitely not a negative feeling whatsoever. She felt a wholeness, the warmth of memories a while gone and the deep connection to a long lost friend. While ponies outside rushed around panicked for somewhere to hide from the cold rains outside, Joe and Fleetfoot kept one another in warm, loving company as they reminisced like they once did long ago.
