Sweet Beginnings Part (2) : A Pegasus-Centric Prelude

Clematis shielded herself behind, braving glances when nopony was looking. The matches were intense, the opponents struck masterfully with their swords, but Clematis wasn't there for the matches. No, she was there to see her, Lightning Blaze.

She understood that battles were necessary but still she despised them. However, she had to admit that violence was a good look on Lightning.

Her dark messy mane was sticking to her shoulders due with sweat, the lemon streak in it standing out even more in the glow of the firelight. Droplets of sweat and a few drops of blood that were dripping from her sword trickled down her golden yellow coat.

Her bright onyx eyes were narrowed into slits (were black eyes supposed to be this bright? She had never thought it possible before she first laid eyes Lightning.) She remembered trying to forget those eyes during countless nights, for she couldn't, she couldn't, she wouldn't-

But she had. She had committed one of the most grievous sins of pegasuskind. She had fallen in love with another filly. She was a disgrace. What would her parents have said had they been alive? Would they have stood by her or would they have been too ashamed to have her as their daughter?

They would've probably been ashamed, embarrassed of having such a freak of a daughter. Freak, freak freak-

"Stalking again, Clematis", an obnoxiously familiar voice interrupted her train of thoughts.

"Swift Flight. Why are you here?", she sighed, tiredly. She knew that she was up for neither a battle nor a verbal exchange with her at the moment.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? Shouldn't you be out there sniffing flowers and having you little animal friends braid your mane and tail? This arena is for real pegasi, after all", she sniggered. It was a mocking, pitchy sound, unlike Lightning's bark-like wholesome laugh.

"What you want!", she cried out, showing more emotion than was intended.

"You think you can become friends with Lightning Blaze, one of the best fighters of this academy, by doing all of this? You, you cowardly, orphaned beggar! What are you? Nothing! You are nothing!", she sneered, before turning around and heading back.

Tears welled up in Clematis' eyes though she willed them back, swallowing the bile that had risen in her throat. Swift's words weren't true, she told herself repeatedly. Yes she was an orphan but she was no coward nor was she a beggar. She may not be as rich as some of the other foals in the academy, but she had enough to live her life normally until she started earning.

Still, those traitorous tears kept clouding her eyes until she couldn't hold them back anymore, letting them drip from her eyes and roll down her face. After a final glance at Lightning, she fled the arena.

She ran out, half trotting, half flying, before she reached the edge of the great cloud structure that was her training camp and took off, flapping her wings a bit before pushing them back and gently gliding down.

It was lucky for her, she supposed, that the camp was just above the semper-liber forest. She had always loved wildlife. She wondered sometimes if her parents had foreseen this, naming her after a plant as they had. Plant based names were almost non-existent in the pegasus community, prevalent among only the Earth Ponies.

Clematis landed right in the middle of the forest, momentarily wondering whether the trainers would wonder where she was. She shook her head. They were used to foals going to the forest to test themselves by fighting the monsters and dangerous beasts. Of course they wouldn't notice.

As soon as her hooves touched the ground, all the animals nearby crowded her. To be more specific, al the children. Lion and cheetah cubs, the rabbit kits, kittens, puppies, fledgling sparrows.

Their parents didn't come, they trusted her with their children. It was lucky they didn't make an appearance or at least one of the prey animals would've ended up as dinner. The children were too young to hunt, thankfully.

A little baby elephant stomped over to her, pushing every other creature aside and wrapped its trunk around her hoof, pulling gently, as though trying to take her somewhere.

"What is it precious one", Clematis cooed.

The elephant calf made a series of loud trumps which Clematis translated as, "plant hurt, do magic". Unfortunately, the calf was too young to construct proper sentences, though she understood the message. Had she mentioned that she had this weird ability to converse with animals?

"Show me, little one", she said and the calf, letting go of her hoof, started stomping away, looking back to make sure that she was following him.

She walked behind him, until he shoved his trunk forward, pointing to a dwarf tree. The bark of the plant seemed to have been chopped into half. Poor plant. It seemed as though it had been that way for quite a while. The leaves had already started dying.

She closed her eyes, searching until she felt her magic welling up in her wings. She gentle stroked the bark of the tree with the tip of one of her wings. She concentrated hard, sending out some of her magic to the tree. It wasn't a specific spell, simply pure magic. Her eyes fluttered open and in front of her, the tree stood, its leaves alive, its bark fixed.

"There, all fixed up", she murmured , more to the tree than the young elephant, leaning her forehead against the healed bark. Other ponies may have found that odd, but plants were alive too. Just because they couldn't make communicate, couldn't move from one place to another, didn't mean they couldn't feel.

Suddenly, she heard a sharp whistle. Startled, she looked from side to side, searching for the source of the noise. When not spotting anything unusual, she concluded that it must have been a bird.

"An impressive bit of magic over there"

Apparently not.

She turned around, coming face-to-face with a colt. His coat was as red as a candy apple, his short wind-blown mane and tail a dual of maroon and black. He had cerulean blue eyes that matched the colour of the skies.

"You're Hurricane Twist, aren't you? Record holder for the most won spear fights, Lightning Blaze's twin brother", Clematis raised a brow.

His smile, which had turned a shade smug at the mention of his record, turned into a grimace at the last bit. She wondered if there was an argument or rivalry between them.

"That's me alright, darling", he winked cheerily, the grimace on his face swiftly replaced by a brilliant grin. She supposed he was handsome. She may have even been attracted to him, just as many other fillies were. If she was normal, she bitterly thought.

"Also said to be the biggest flirt in the academy, if I am right", she deadpanned.

"I have no idea where I got that reputation from, sweetheart", he replied, but his grin widened even further.

"Sheesh, I wonder", she grumbled.

"So you do have some spunk in you! I wouldn't have thought, after the whole incident with Swift", he huffed.

"Wait, you saw that", horror dawned upon her. This colt, this stranger had heard Swift Flight insult her, seen her break down afterwards.

"How could you just let her say all of that to you? How could any pegasus let somepony say such things about them?", he exclaimed.

"It's not like she was wrong", she ruefully laughed. "Besides, her words did not upset me all that much. They were just the tipping point", she admitted.

"Still, if I were in your place I would've already challenged her to a duel, beautiful or not", he mumbled the last part but Clematis still heard it. She raised a brow, though internally she couldn't help but agree. Swift was as beautiful on the outside as she was ugly on the inside.

"I don't like fighting, I've never had", she shrugged, turning away.

"I don't understand your way of thinking, I love fighting and battles, but to each their own, love. But still, you should stand up for yourself. Battles are sometimes necessary. You like nature, don't you? Well, predators eat prey, don't they, only those who are strong survive, right? And guess what, you're acting like a prey animal, running away instead of standing your ground, darling", he pointed out.

When he put it that way... It did sound pathetic, not fighting back. She loved all animals equally of course, but if she were to be one of them, she'd rather not be the prey or worse, a weak predator.

"You do have a point", she admitted. "And stop calling me darling."

"Sure, whatever you say, sweetheart", he laughed and flew off. She shoo her head but couldn't keep a smile off her face. She had finally gained a friend, at least she hoped so.

"Hey didn't I tell you to leave. This arena is for fighters, actual pegasi, not wimps", Swift's loud obnoxious voice said in what the other filly thought was a commanding tone, though to Clematis it was simply a too scratchy sound.

"What is it with you and coming after me? Careful, or one might think that you have ah, other intentions", Clematis replied.

It seemed to take Swift some time to comprehend the underlaying meaning. After all, being accused of being a dyke was not an everyday occurrence. Clematis felt like a hypocrite, accusing somepony of being exactly what she herself was, but it was overshadowed by the spark of satisfaction at Swift's noticeable flinch.

"How dare you!", Swift growled and her hoof flew forwards, about to strike her in the face but Clematis caught it, much to her own surprise and twisted. There was a sickening snap that indicated a broken bone. Swift yelped, cradling her now broken hoof, her expression shocked and horror-struck.

"Please leave me be", Clematis stated politely, as though she hadn't just broken Swift's hoof. The other filly shot her a scathing glare but did as she was told, flying away without a word.

Clematis couldn't believe herself. She had just willingly broken a bone, she had just willingly hurt somepony. It was surreal and disgusting, yet so satisfying...

No, Swift Flight had it coming for a long time. Besides, in the nature, only the toughest survive.

"Huh, guess you do get to see miracles every now and then", a voice remarked.

"Hurricane", she greeted, turning around.

"For somepony who doesn't like fighting, that was quite brave. I never did get your name though", he remarked.

"Really? You followed and gave advice to somepony whose name you didn’t even know? It is Clematis by the way", she replied.

"Rare name, I must say. And as for following somepony I didn’t know, well, I was intrigued", he shrugged.

"Anyway, thanks for encouraging me, I guess", she said.

"You guess! Come on, I was the epitome of encouraging, if I do say so myself. By the way, do you know you look absolutely gorgeous when you're enraged, darling?", he smirked.

"Didn't I tell you to not call me darling?", Clematis raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, whatever you say sweetheart", he grinned and walked away. She resisted the urge to groan. That, that utter coquet...

"You looked quite cozy with my brother over there", a voice remarked. Clematis turned around, snapping, "Who in the name- Lightning Blaze"

"Yes, that would be me. Why, do you know of me?", Lightning quirked an eyebrow.

"You've hold the record for the most won sword fights in the academy. Of course I know you", Clematis fibbed casually, unwilling to explain that her reasons for knowing Lightning were vastly different.

"Can I ask what you meant by 'looking cozy with your brother'?", she inquired.

"Aren't you involved? I assumed you were the unlucky filly who got to be his fillyfriend of the month", she scoffed.

"No, we're not involved. But even if we were, why do you care? Hurricane has had multiple affairs."

"I just came to warn you. Whether you are his friend or fillyfriend, do keep in mind that he is a horrible, arrogant philanderer. I suggest you stay far away from him, for your own good", Lightning coldly replied.

Clematis was torn. On one hoof Lightning was the object of her infatuation while on the other hoof Hurricane was her first ever friend, who had encouraged her, no matter how pushy he had been. Her choice was made.

"Please don't insult my friend in front of me. Any further disparaging will have me compelled to tell him", she stated, just as coolly as Lightning.

"Very well then, so be it. If you wish to be a pathetic little whore, then who am I to stop you", with a final scathing look in her direction, Lightning turned away.

Clematis felt as though her heart had been shattered into a million pieces.