Wind of Changeby MoonbreezeChaptersUnpredictable BehaviorUnexpected VisitorsUnwanted AssistanceUnpredictable BehaviorWhy I never! Rarity just could not believe her ears. The pony they had just saved from certain doom was being incredibly rude. How dare you! she thought while glaring at the pale-maned pegasus whose stare was still fixed on a perplexed Twilight. I even got dirt on my muzzle helping you, you ungrateful little shrew! She grew even more furious as this twit of a pony lifted her wings and lowered her front limbs, clearly preparing to simply take off without so much as a 'thank-you'. The pegasus had both of her wings up at her sides ready to be brought to the ground with just enough force to bring the slender pegasus up off the ground. The meager amount of sunlight radiating from the east was more than enough to reflect off of the silver feathers in her wings, creating a simply breathtaking display. Her wings began their quick decent to the ground, still shimmering in the sunlight. She seemed to hesitate for a split second as if her body would not cooperate with her. Just then, her left wing flexed in almost completely in a sudden jerking motion, surely unintentionally. Oh dear, I hope she didn't break anything in the fall. A look of concern was clearly visible on the white mare's face, though this was almost instantly replaced by the previous one of irritation as she began to think for a moment. If it hadn't been for us, a lot more then just a wing would be broken. The strange pony did her best to ignore the spasm in her wing and began readying herself for another attempt at take off. She once again rose her wings as she shifted her hooves into a position similar to that of a cat preparing to pounce on its prey. Does she seriously think leaping into the air will help to fly with a damaged wing? Her wings rose very rapidly over her head and were set to come down even faster than before. "Now wait just a moment!" Rarity asserted, stopping the pony dead in her tracks. The gray mare obeyed. She stopped her wings mid-beat and adjusted her hooves so that she stood up straight. The mare tilted her head to the side, her mane falling in perfect timing with the rest of her body. A look of bewilderment quickly replaced the threatening scowl she once wore. "You are not going to just fly off without showing the least bit of gratitude to the ponies who so graciously and selflessly hindered your imminent demise." The strange pony just stared at her for a moment. Rarity continued to stare back only shifting her eyes for a second to glance at Twilight, whom she'd almost forgotten was even there. She noticed her friend finally getting up off the ground. Thank goodness. I thought she was never going to get off that dreadfully dirty ground. The pegasus before them closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. She let her head fall forward as she released her breath in a heavy sigh before calmly opening her eyes. "Like I told you before," she started. There were no signs of any emotion behind these words. The pegasus' head still tilted down as if she'd lost the ability to pick it back up as she began to turn away. "I didn't ask for anypony's help." "Maybe we should just leave her be." whispered Twilight. The pegasus began walking away, clearly not caring to hang around any longer then she had to. Rarity had a look of determination on her face and was not about to let this go. "She might need some time to take in all of what just happened." The purple mare continued. "I'm sure she's confused more than anything. We don't even know what made her fall in the first place. That could be what's causing her to be so defensive." The white unicorn had heard what her friend was saying but was not truly listening. No pony could be that proud as to rather die then accept another pony's help, could they? Perhaps she's frightened. Yes, that could be it. She woke in a strange place to see ponies she had never before met. This pony wasn't ignorant, she was just scared and masking it with anger, Rarity concluded. "You can leave if you'd like, darling. I think I shall try to make our new guest feel welcomed in Ponyville. I can't stand the thought of an injured pony just wandering about by herself. I wouldn't want her accidentally wandering into the Everfree Forest or Celestia knows where else." "Well... I do have studying to catch up on. Though I could put it off a bit longer and come along with you if you wanted me to. We don't know this pony or what her intents are here in Ponyville. She could be bad news." "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Twilight." Rarity stated warmly, trying to convince her friend. "Go attended to your studies, don't worry about me. I assure you I will be perfectly fine." "Alright." Twilight said with a look of concern on her face. "Just try not to push her too far." Rarity raised an eyebrow at the comment but decided not to elaborate as to why that was a rather insulting thing for her to say. The gray mare was nearly out of sight. She had no time for such silly disputes. "I won't." She said plainly. "Now, if you don't mind, I really should be going before I lose track of her. I'll fill you in with all the details later, I promise!" Rarity had already began trotting off when Twilight began to mumble to herself, "I know you will. You always do." She playfully rolled her eyes before walking off again in the direction of home. Maybe this time she'd be able to actually make it all the way there without any more incidents. ~ "Wait just a moment, dearie!" Rarity called out as she neared the earth-bound pegasus. "Listen," she requested. "how about we forget everything that just happened and start fresh, shall we?" This had obviously gotten the new pony's attention. She slowed down but did not look back at the unicorn following her before replying in the same neutral tone as before, "I'm listening." A small smirk came across Rarity's face as she gave a quick nod to congratulate herself on getting this pony's cooperation. Good start, Rarity. Now don't scare her away, just introduce yourself and volunteer to show her around. She quickly but cautiously trotted up in front of the gray mare, studying her body language to be sure she wasn't frightening her. The sudden obstruction caused the unknown pony to stop all at once as her eyes widened in surprise. Rarity flipped her deep purple mane to the side with a perfectly choreographed shake of her head, every hair falling flawlessly into place. She cleared her throat and smiled at the pony in front of her. "Hello there," she beamed "my name is Rarity. I would like to be the first to welcome you to the wonderful town that is Ponyville." "Hello Rarity." smiled the mare. "It's a pleasure to meet you." The pegasus gave a quick curtsy before continuing. "I appreciate the warm welcome." The white pony's mouth parted and eyebrows lowered in a look of disbelief and suspicion. Did she just curtsy to me? True, it is proper manners when greeting a lady... but quite odd after the fuss she was putting up just a few moments ago. She shook her head, trying to clear these thoughts so she could focus her attention on the conversation at hoof. "Why thank you. May I ask what your name is?" "You can but it's not as fun if I just tell you." The pale-maned pony gave a slight, playful wink. "Take a guess." What in all of Equestia? Rarity glanced at the moon-and-swirl-of-wind cutie mark on the pony's flank. Lunatic, perhaps? she remarked to herself, mostly in jest but a part of her thought this could really be what the pony's name was. She must have suffered a brain injury in the crash landing earlier. She's absolutely out of her mind, getting furious over us saving her life and now, just a few minutes later, she's all smiles and playing games with me? "I'm sorry dearie but I haven't the slightest clue." "Well, you're no fun." she said while her disposition changed yet again. This time, clear disappointment radiated from her face. "Oh well." Rarity looked at her, wondering what to say. Do I have to ask? Is she not going to tell me because I didn't play her ridiculous game? "Oh, you're waiting for me to tell you, aren't you?" the mare asked after a few awkward moments. Rarity gave a cautious nod. "The name's Moon Breeze. Most skilled flyer in all of Equestria! At least I think so. I've yet to meet a pegasus I couldn't beat in both speed and especially agility." I doubt Rainbow Dash would agree with that claim. "Hello Moon Breeze. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Would you like me to show you around Ponyville?" "Well it would seem my wing is sprained so I don't think I'll be going anywhere any time soon. I suppose that's a good idea." "Maybe the first place I should show you to is the hospital to be sure it's just a sprain. It's just back this way." Rarity informed her, tilting her head in the direction they had come from. "I-I'd rather not. I'm fine. Really." the pegasus objected with an awkward, obviously forced grin on her face. "Oh heavens no! We must ensure you are alright before I can give you a full tour of the town!" Seeing the uneasy look on the mare's face, she decided a different course of action may be best, else she infuriate the fickle-emotioned pony once more. "If you have a problem with hospitals however," she began again "I have a friend who could at least look at it. Though she's not exactly a doctor." "Uhm... I... uh..." Moon Breeze fumbled on her words for a moment then stopped, possibly taking a moment to consider her options. "I suppose that sounds like a good idea." "Fabulous! Let's get moving then." ~ The sun was now completely visible and the town was beginning to come to life. There had been a couple of ponies out and about, hurriedly making there ways to their destinations while the two mares had been going through town. A cool wind rapidly made its way through leaves overhead, shaking some loose, causing a light snow of beautiful, though deceased, foliage to descend upon them. Yet another gust whipped along the more remote trail the two ponies were following. The cool air traveled straight through Rarity, causing her to shiver slightly. The gray mare beside her didn't seem to be bothered by the cool gust, in fact, she seemed to enjoy it. The lean pegasus tilted her head up allowing her pale blonde mane to be caressed by the autumn wind. She seemed to take in a deep breath of the crisp air surrounding her. Perhaps the fresh air will clear her mind and make her act a little less... eccentric. It would be simply dreadful if she had a mood swing whilst receiving her examination. Moon Breeze seemed to be quite tranquil now. There was no way to tell that she had had such a close call with death less than an hour ago. Just then, the peaceful mare cast her gaze at something in the distance. She squinted her eyes and wrinkled her brow, certainly trying to get a better look at whatever she saw that Rarity had not. The gray-coated pony jerked her head back and raised her ears, alerted by something. She came to a complete and sudden halt, only to break into a full-blown gallop just a moment later. I'm beginning to think this may not have been the best of ideas. Unexpected Visitors"How are you feeling, Spike?" Fluttershy asked to the baby dragon, who was still curled up on her couch. He had stopped wincing and groaning shortly after swallowing the foul-tasting herbs his caretaker had given to him upon his arrival. The light yellow pony had decided some rest would be all he needed to cure his upset stomach; the herbs were simply a temporary pain reliever. "I feel a lot better now!" grinned the purple dragon. He sat himself upright on his temporary bed before looking back at Fluttershy, still grinning. "In fact, I think I'm feeling well enough to go back home. I don't want to take up your whole day, I know you have lots of animals to take care of and all." "Oh, it's alright. I went and tended to them while you were taking a little nap. You can stay as long as you want to. It really isn't any trouble." "Thanks for the offer but I think I’d better get going now. I'm actually kinda hungry." laughed Spike. Fluttershy leered at him, her brow raised. "Ha ha, I- uh- I was just kidding around with you, Fluttershy!" he quickly tried to save the situation so he could leave and fill his empty stomach. "Oh, well okay then." she replied, though she knew he was lying to her. "Just be sure not to overdo it when you do get hungry. I really wouldn't like for you to have to come back here for another upset tummy." "Don't worry," said Spike while pushing off of the couch. He landed on the ground with a soft thump. "I'll be more careful next time," he finished, giving a reassuring smile to the pink-maned pony. "Would you like me to take you home? I think that would be good..." she mumbled while shying away, "...if you wanted me to, that is." "No thanks, I'm good. I'm gonna get going now," he said while making his way to the door, "I don't want Twilight to worry about me, ya know?" "Oh, yes, of course." She opened the door for him and gave a little smile. "H-Have a safe trip home." "Will do!" he called out as he walked away. Once he had vanished from her sight Fluttershy gently closed the door. It wasn't even close to midday and she already felt like going to bed. Well, I did get up awfully early and the woodland creatures are all taken care of... I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if I just took a short nap. There was no need to reason with herself any more than that. She simply went over to the couch; her real bed seemed awfully far away at this point. She jumped right into the makeshift bed and squirmed around to make herself comfortable. Sleep quickly followed. ~ "I would not do that if I were you!" Fluttershy slowly tossed on the couch and rubbed her eyes. That sounds like Rarity. What could she be doing here? "I've never seen anything like it. It's like in the the legends I heard from the dragons of the Eastern Empire." The half-asleep pony didn't recognize this hushed voice. She sat up, a curious look upon her face. "What do you mean 'legends you have heard from dragons'? Surely you have never talked to one, it would appear you have never even seen a bunny rabbit." Oh dear, I really should make sure the little bunny is okay. New faces can startle them so very much. She lowered herself onto the ground and walked towards the door. "I'll admit, I haven't seen more than a couple rabbits in my travels but I have never seen one with a pure white coat like this one. Now be quiet, you're going to scare him away." The butter-yellow pegasus slowly opened the door, unnoticed by the ponies in her front yard. She first noticed Rarity who looked very upset, most likely because she was told to be quiet. The next thing she saw was an agitated and somewhat frightened Angel running towards the open cottage door. "A-are you alright, Angel?" There was no response from the little bunny as he jumped up onto Fluttershy's back and began tugging at her mane. "Wh-what is it?" she stuttered, looking back at him. He extended his foreleg, paw opened, then closed his tiny paw and brought his leg back towards his body. “...you... want me to... close the door?” The little white rabbit quickly nodded and repeated the motion before jumping off her back and hiding around the corner. Normally Fluttershy would rather be safe then sorry but her friend was standing outside, just looking at her now. Surely if something was wrong, Rarity would have run by now, or at least say something, right? Despite her better judgement, the pink-maned pony opened the cottage door more so that she could take a step out and look around. She turned to her right to see a strange pony standing a few meters away from her. This mare had a medium-gray coat, similar to the color of one of the raccoons Fluttershy so diligently cared for, just a little bit darker and in beautiful condition. She had long legs with glossy dark gray hooves that were lightly coated in dirt. It didn’t make the pegasus look any less lovely, it simply made her look more real, in a sense. The unknown pony’s densely feathered wings were hanging loosely at her sides allowing the shy yellow pegasus to get a glance at the silvery plumage. The now blazing sun behind the gray pony illuminated her flight feathers. Fluttershy could swear she saw them shimmering as they absorbed the brilliant beams of light before being carefully tucked away close to her lean and nearly perfectly figured body. Her left wing was kept slightly parted from her and allowed to untuck ever so slightly. The next thing that caught Fluttershy’s eye was the mare’s mane, made golden by Celestia’s sun, as if the Princess herself had planned it to do just that. It was a shorter cut for a mare but not drastically so. The ends fell in a straight row of jagged edges. Jagged may not be the right word, there was a delicate look to them and the entire mane was most certainly soft to the touch. Fluttershy’s gaze lastly cast upon the pegasus’s eyes. The tranquil sea of blue had not been touched by the sunlight and greatly contrasted the rest of her body, which was simply aglow. They were equally beautiful, however. The soft tint of gray in them calmed the timid pony and she felt-- comfortable. That was, until she heard the pony behind the eyes she was staring so deeply into speak. “Well...?” Inquired the silver-winged mare. Huh? Oh no, was she talking the entire time? she asked herself as she ducked her head in a desperate attempt to hide from the pony’s stare. The eyes she had been lost in had turned from calming seas to icy daggers in Fluttershy’s mind, though the gray mare had not changed her expression to match what the timid pony saw. I would have seen her lips moving if she was talking. Wait... were they moving? I don’t remember anymore. She turned her head away, shying behind her long light pink mane. She glanced up through the long pink hairs and saw a small smile had painted itself across the pale blond-maned pegasus’s face now. Why is she smiling at me? I must look ridiculous and she’s just trying not to laugh. I wish I had listened to Angel and just closed the door. “It’s alright, darling” Rarity assured the terrified mare. “She’s a bit... odd,” whispered the unicorn, “but she seems to be harmless. She gave that poor bunnyl a bit of fright but that was only because she had her muzzle right by him. I think she was just a tad bit too curious for her own good, and the rabbit’s as well.” laughed Rarity. Fluttershy said nothing. She simply stared at the ground, glancing up at the strange pony every few seconds. The pony was looking at Rarity for an answer as to what to do and didn’t seem to notice her silent observer this time. The yellow pegasus glanced up once more to see she was making eye contact with the pale-maned pony. Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly and tilted her head down as far as the muscles in her neck would allow. There was the faint sound of hoofsteps. Maybe she left? Oh, I hope so. I don’t know what to do or say around new ponies. She decided she had to open her eyes sooner or later, she could start off slowly, just looking at the ground. She slowly forced her eyes to open. As she did so, something came into her vision. Her body froze as she realized it was the gray mare lying on the ground, looking up at her. Their muzzles were so close they were almost touching. “Eep!” she cried out, rearing up onto her back legs. The moment she did this everything went dark, the last thing she remembered was the sensation of falling. ~ “I told you not to do that!” “You technically didn’t say anything...” “Well for future reference, if a pony is frantically shaking their head side to side at you, that should be taken as a ‘no’!” Fluttershy couldn’t quite distinguish voices but didn’t need to, it was obvious who was saying what. She didn't want to open her eyes again for fear the mare would be looking down at her, her gray muzzle just centimeters away from her own yellow one once again. Fluttershy slowly opened one eye, cautiously glancing around with it only half open. Rarity was standing to her left, the other pony to her right. The other pony was looking at Rarity like a filly who had just broken her mother’s prized vase. This was a look she wore well. So well, in fact, that it seemed almost rehearsed. It was a look of guilt and it was a look of ‘I’m sorry’. It was puppy dog eyes and it was a cute little pout. It was the perfect apology without saying a single word. “I didn’t mean to scare her,” the pegasus said in the most sincere whisper of a voice. She turned her head to the side, away from Fluttershy’s spying eye, before quietly saying, “I’m sorry.” Rarity replied with a drawn out sigh before speaking, “I know you didn't mean to dearie. Just do try to use your better judgement next time.” The pale-maned pony simply nodded in reply. She then looked down to the yellow pegasus on the ground. Fluttershy quickly closed her open eye. I hope she didn't see me. "Hello there Miss... uhm..." began the gray mare in a much less energetic tone then she had when Fluttershy had initially met her. It was a warm and inviting tone, Fluttershy wanted to answer. She opened her eyes and tried to open her mouth but it would not listen to her. She wanted to tell this pony her name but just didn't have the ability. “Come and get off the dirty old ground, will you? What is it with ponies lying on the ground getting all dirty today? Here, let me help you,” said Rarity as she began to push Fluttershy with her muzzle. The other pegasus backed up, being sure to give her plenty of space to get up on her hooves. When Fluttershy got up she shook her mane into her face and tried to make herself as small as possible. She didn’t want to do this, it was simply in her nature. The silver-winged pegasus slowly approached her, stopping when she was a little over a meter away. She had obviously learned something from the last incident. “Uhm... Hello,” began the unknown pony, “my name is Moon Breeze.” She finished with a slow courtesy, looking for any response. There was nothing but an awkward silence. Rarity looked to both of them, hoping somepony would say something so she didn’t have to interject. “Hmm...” Moon Breeze finally spoke, breaking the silence, “your name is... Flutterby, perhaps? I suppose it could be Butterfly but who would name a foal after another animal? I like the Old Equestria version better myself, it’s a more accurate description. Either one would match your cutie mark quite nicely, which I imagine was earned by your special talent for caring for the plants and animals around here.” She turned to Rarity and added, “That’s why you brought me here, huh?” Rarity gave a little nod and smile. “That would be the reason.” There was another silent spell as the pony named Moon Breeze turned back to the pink-maned pony. She just tilted her head to the side in a look of pure curiosity. There was no sign she was going to say another word. It was clearly Fluttershy’s turn to talk. She tried to think of what to say. It took her a moment to even remember the question. There was no way should could think of something to say in reply so she didn’t think, she just spoke. “MynameisFluttershy!” squeaked the butter colored pony in a ‘shout’ that was just barely at normal conversation level before cowering even more than before. “Oh, sorry. I always like to try and guess the names of new ponies. It’s more fun that way,” smilied Moon Breeze. “Fluttershy, dear, we actually stopped by because the pony took a bit of a, shall we say, tumble, earlier today. She seems to have injured her wing and I thought you might be able to take a look at.” “Oh, uhm, well,” she quietly responded, “I suppose I could. I’m not a doctor though. Maybe you could take her to the hospital, if that’s okay with you.” “Well,” Rarity whispered, though Moon Breeze could surely still hear, “she seems to not like that idea. I’m not quite sure if it’s the hospitals, doctors, needles or what it is but she simply refused to go.” Fluttershy glanced over to the taller pegasus who was still keeping her distance. She turned back to Rarity as soon as eye contact was made. She couldn’t even talk to the pony, let alone touch her to give an examination. She felt she had to help though, she would never turn away and injured woodland creature, so she certainly shouldn’t say no to a pony who needed her help. Maybe if she treated her like a patient instead of a stranger, she could get over her shyness, even if only just a bit. “I-I’ll do my best.” Unwanted AssistanceThe land was covered in a tranquil glow from the pale light of the sun that was just about to make its appearance in the eastern sky of Ponyville. A cool breeze caused some of the leaves that had begun changing color to lose their grips on the trees they called home and float gently down to the dewy grass. The town was as quite and as peaceful as Twilight had ever seen it. This was a welcomed change in her eyes, it almost made it worth the hours of sleep she had lost. If only she wasn't so worried, then she could actually enjoy the beauty and solitude. At least Spike's in good hooves, she thought to herself. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ She had been woken up sometime around 4 o'clock that morning by the sound of loud groans that could only be coming from a creature in a great deal of pain. What in all of Equestria could that be? It took her a moment to fully awaken and realize just who was making the sound. Within seconds of that realization she was at Spike's side. "Spike! What happened to you?" she asked in a bit of a panic. Her small purple friend was curled up in a ball, his faced scrunched up in agony and his front claws holding his abdomen. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Twilight. "I... don't know... what happened..." Spike spoke between heavy breaths, "I just.. woke up... and-" Spike stopped mid sentence and tightened his grip on his abdomen. He let out a loud groan and closed his eyes tightly. "Don't worry, Spike. I'll take you to Fluttershy. I'm sure she'll know what to do." She spoke with a confidence that did not show the worry and uncertainty she felt. He was just fine when he came back from helping Pinkie Pie with some baking at Sugarcube Corner last night, though he had headed to bed almost as soon as he got home. What could have possibly caused this? she wondered. There was no time for speculation though, she had to get him help. Twilight quickly lifted Spike onto her back with her magic and headed for Fluttershy's cottage. ~ After what seemed like ages to her, they had made it to the small cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. Twilight raised a hoof to knock on Fluttershy's door but hesitated a moment, realizing it was still dark outside. Surely she's still sleeping. I hate to wake her... She rapidly shook her head. Fluttershy would understand when she saw the condition Spike was in. She tapped the door with her front hoof three times. Spike let out a more subdued groan. Twilight looked back at him with concern before turning to knock on the door again. Before she could knock though, the door began to slowly swing open. "H-Hello...?" Fluttershy spoke as she cautiously poked her head out of the door. "Fluttershy!" Twilight exclaimed, startling the pink-maned mare. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. Spike needs your help." Twilight explained what happened while Fluttershy took the ill dragon to the couch and began examining him. After a few minutes of looking him over, a very slight smile formed on Fluttershy's face. "You don't seem to have a fever." she informed the young dragon. "Your breathing and heartbeat are just fine too. In fact, you seem completely healthy. Other than your stomach ache, of course." She then turned to Twilight and said in her normal hushed tone, "I-I think that, maybe, he ate something that he shouldn't have. O-or ate too much. But that's just what I think, I could be wrong." "I may have had... just a bit more... uugh! ...cake... then I should have..." Spike admitted. Twilight shot him a look that seemed to say 'you had me all worried just because of some cake?!'. Spike awkwardly grinned before cringing from another cake-related stomach pain. "I have some herbs I could give him, if that's okay" murmured Fluttershy. "I think, if you want to, he should stay here. Just until he's feeling better." "That would be great, Fluttershy. Are you sure you'll be okay though? It's still very early and I'm sure I woke you up." Twilight rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. "Sorry about that." "It's quite alright. Don't worry about me, I'm just glad to be able to help." The yellow pegasus smiled warmly. She really did enjoy helping her animal friends. "Thank you so much. I should probably get going now, I don't think I would be of much help here. I won't be able to get back to sleep either but I would like to use this extra time to get some studying in if you're alright here. Spike?" He looked over to Twilight, seeming more alert then he was before. "Are you okay staying here with Fluttershy for a while?" The little purple dragon nodded in response. "I'll be fine." "Alright," she said, going over to quickly nuzzle him. "Feel better soon." Twilight then turned to Fluttershy. "Thank you again, I owe you one. I'll be back later today to see how he's doing." The pegasus smiled and nodded and with that Twilight turned to the door and began her walk back home. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ It's certainly been an eventful morning she told herself. Just then, she caught a flash of bright pink in the corner of her eye. She turned her head in the direction of the blur to see Pinkie Pie bolt from the side of a building and hide with her back to the trunk of a tree. What could she be up to at this time of day? It seemed as though the party pony heard her very thoughts, as she peeked from behind the tree to look directly at Twilight. "Twilight!" she yelled, much louder than was necessary considering the dead silence surrounding them. Does she want to wake the whole town up!? Pinkie Pie motioned with her hoof for the unicorn to come over to her. She couldn't imagine what could be so important. Maybe she wants to tell me something about Spike. Could she have seen me take him to Fluttershy's? She trotted over to her, now very curious. "Hello Pinkie. What are you doing up so early?" "I woke up with this funny feeling that something exciting is going to happen this morning! You must have had the same feeling! I mean, why would anypony be up so early otherwise? I guess if it was the opening of Cider Season since you have to get in line REALLY early so you can get some super-delicious cider before it's all gone! But I can't see any reason other than those two. So, I obviously just HAD to come out and see what's going to happen. It'd be super sad if I missed it because I was sleeping in like a silly-filly!" "Of course." Twilight said in a rather sarcastic manner. "Why, pray tell, are you sneaking around?" "Oh! I'm not sneaking around! It might look like that but that's not what I'm doing, not at all. When I left the house this morning, my tail started a-twitchin' and you know what that means!" Answered Pinkie Pie. "Again with the Pinkie Sense of yours? Well twitchy tail or not, I need to get home and do some studying," Twilight said as she began trotting away. "Bye Pinkie." "Just keep and eye on the sky! Ooo I made a rhyme! Bye Twi! Hey, that rhymes too! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it! Gasp! Another one! Well isn't this fun!" The pink mare began giggling and continued on like this as Twilight kept walking towards the library. As much as she didn't like to admit it, Pinkie's Pinkie Sense was always right in her experience. Besides a few clouds scattered throughout the sky she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, however. Celestia's sun was just peeking out over the horizon when Twilight got a strange feeling. Twilight instinctively glanced up. She saw a gray object extremely high up falling right above her. She quickly backed away, her eyes still on this strange thing, trying to determine what it was as it crashed right through some fluffy clouds high overhead, causing them to instantly evaporate. She let out a loud gasp when she was able to make out the shape of a pony. Oh no! I have to help them! The pony was quickly coming closer and would hit the ground in just a matter of seconds. "Help! Anypony!" She yelled, though she knew there was no one around to hear. Even if they had heard her, nopony would be able to get there in time. Twilight planted her hooves firmly on the ground. I have to help them she told herself as she began to cast a spell. Her horn emitted a pink aura and almost instantly the falling pony was engulfed in a mist of pink. Twilight put all her effort into stopping its decent. It's no good! They're going too fast! She could see her magic was slowing them down but not enough to stop them from hitting the ground. She concentrated as hard as she could. A purple glow began to mix with Twilight's pink one surrounding the falling pony. Twilight glanced over to see Rarity standing at her side. They both put all their magical skills into a silent effort to save this pony's life. The pony was only a few meters off the ground now and quickly coming to a stop. Both unicorns put in all the energy they could muster. The unknown pony landed with a thud in front of them. They both winced at the sound of it and it took a moment before they dared to open their eyes. Twilight was the first to do so and stared just a moment while Rarity opened one eye ever so slightly to get a glimpse of the sight before her. The purple unicorn took a step forward and Rarity opened her other eye, taking in the full scene. They rushed over to the pony, which could now be identified as a pegasus. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief seeing that the gray mare was still in one piece and appeared not to have sustained any injuries. She seemed awfully still however. "Thank you, Rarity. You came just in the nick of time" Twilight spoke to the white unicorn beside her. I don't know what you were doing here but for this pony's sake, I sure am glad you were here. Twilight finally turned her gaze back to the pegasus whose life they had just saved. She had dirt from her impact with the ground on what had looked to be a previously perfectly groomed coat. Not too shiny but certainly in great condition. This was a pony she had never seen before. She had a cutie mark of a gust of wind in front of a crescent moon on her flank. She was surely around Twilight's age, maybe even a little younger. Twilight slowly bent down to the mysterious pegasus. She gently moved the pony's beautiful, pale blond mane out of her face. She then checked the mare for a pulse. "It's very faint but I can feel a pulse" Twilight stated. "Oh, what a relief" Rarity said, releasing the breath she was holding. "We really should get the poor dear to the hospital." "You're right. Can you help lift her onto my back?" "Of course, dearie" Rarity carefully assisted Twilight, using her muzzle since her previous efforts had used just about all of her magic. It took a little while but they finally were able to hoist the gray pony on to Twilight's back. The purple mare nearly lost her balance with the additional weight but was caught by Rarity who was close at her side. The pair began slowly making their way to the hospital, being careful to keep the injured mare steady. They were silent for a few minutes. That was fine for Twilight, who was lost in thought. What could have caused a pegasus to fall from the skies? What is she doing in Ponyville? We don't normally get too many visitors. I'm just glad we were able to catch her. Hold on just a second... "Rarity, what were you doing out so early?" Twilight questioned. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you were there but it's just an odd time for most ponies to be up." "That, my dear, would be Pinkie Pie's doing. She came to my boutique a half hour ago, perhaps, knocking as loudly as she could. I thought there may have been a fire or something of the sort to get somepony to come knocking on my door like that before the sun had even risen. Though it was just Pinkie being Pinkie. I asked what in Princess Celestia's name could possibly be so important and she just went on and on about some 'great big event' I absolutely had to be up for. I don't even think the dearie knew what it was. I tried to ask but she just disappeared on me, saying there was some place she had to go. I tried to get some more beauty rest but just couldn't seem to do so, so decided to go out for an early morning stroll. Good thing I did, too" she finished, glancing at the unconscious mare on Twilight's back. "That Pinkie Pie sure is something." "Indeed." ~ The two unicorns soon found themselves at the hospital's main doors when Twilight felt the pony on her back start to stir. Rarity stepped to the side to look at the awakening mare. "Wh-" The pegasus began as she slowly opened her eyes and looked around, still in a bit of a daze. Her eyes, which were an absolute match for the pale blue with a slight tint of gray that the sky was just at twilight, focused on Rarity. "Where am I?" "You're in Ponyville, dearie." She explained in a comforting tone. "You were falling straight out of the sky but Twilight here saved your life" Rarity continued, motioning to the now blushing purple mare still holding up the confused pony. Rarity couldn't help but to add, "I helped out a little too." The pale-maned mare looked at her wide-eyed for a moment, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She then glanced around, taking in her surroundings and quickly noticed she was on somepony's back. With that realization she struggled and fluttered her wings in an attempt to free herself. She succeeded in knocking Twilight to the ground and finally was on her own four hooves. Twilight looked up at the pegasus in surprise. The rather tall, lean pony standing before her was glaring with an unexpected furry, her exceptionally large wings, which had beautiful silver feathers interlaced with the gray ones matching her fur color, flared out in anger before the pony finally spoke. "I didn't ask for anypony's help."
Unpredictable BehaviorWhy I never! Rarity just could not believe her ears. The pony they had just saved from certain doom was being incredibly rude. How dare you! she thought while glaring at the pale-maned pegasus whose stare was still fixed on a perplexed Twilight. I even got dirt on my muzzle helping you, you ungrateful little shrew! She grew even more furious as this twit of a pony lifted her wings and lowered her front limbs, clearly preparing to simply take off without so much as a 'thank-you'. The pegasus had both of her wings up at her sides ready to be brought to the ground with just enough force to bring the slender pegasus up off the ground. The meager amount of sunlight radiating from the east was more than enough to reflect off of the silver feathers in her wings, creating a simply breathtaking display. Her wings began their quick decent to the ground, still shimmering in the sunlight. She seemed to hesitate for a split second as if her body would not cooperate with her. Just then, her left wing flexed in almost completely in a sudden jerking motion, surely unintentionally. Oh dear, I hope she didn't break anything in the fall. A look of concern was clearly visible on the white mare's face, though this was almost instantly replaced by the previous one of irritation as she began to think for a moment. If it hadn't been for us, a lot more then just a wing would be broken. The strange pony did her best to ignore the spasm in her wing and began readying herself for another attempt at take off. She once again rose her wings as she shifted her hooves into a position similar to that of a cat preparing to pounce on its prey. Does she seriously think leaping into the air will help to fly with a damaged wing? Her wings rose very rapidly over her head and were set to come down even faster than before. "Now wait just a moment!" Rarity asserted, stopping the pony dead in her tracks. The gray mare obeyed. She stopped her wings mid-beat and adjusted her hooves so that she stood up straight. The mare tilted her head to the side, her mane falling in perfect timing with the rest of her body. A look of bewilderment quickly replaced the threatening scowl she once wore. "You are not going to just fly off without showing the least bit of gratitude to the ponies who so graciously and selflessly hindered your imminent demise." The strange pony just stared at her for a moment. Rarity continued to stare back only shifting her eyes for a second to glance at Twilight, whom she'd almost forgotten was even there. She noticed her friend finally getting up off the ground. Thank goodness. I thought she was never going to get off that dreadfully dirty ground. The pegasus before them closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. She let her head fall forward as she released her breath in a heavy sigh before calmly opening her eyes. "Like I told you before," she started. There were no signs of any emotion behind these words. The pegasus' head still tilted down as if she'd lost the ability to pick it back up as she began to turn away. "I didn't ask for anypony's help." "Maybe we should just leave her be." whispered Twilight. The pegasus began walking away, clearly not caring to hang around any longer then she had to. Rarity had a look of determination on her face and was not about to let this go. "She might need some time to take in all of what just happened." The purple mare continued. "I'm sure she's confused more than anything. We don't even know what made her fall in the first place. That could be what's causing her to be so defensive." The white unicorn had heard what her friend was saying but was not truly listening. No pony could be that proud as to rather die then accept another pony's help, could they? Perhaps she's frightened. Yes, that could be it. She woke in a strange place to see ponies she had never before met. This pony wasn't ignorant, she was just scared and masking it with anger, Rarity concluded. "You can leave if you'd like, darling. I think I shall try to make our new guest feel welcomed in Ponyville. I can't stand the thought of an injured pony just wandering about by herself. I wouldn't want her accidentally wandering into the Everfree Forest or Celestia knows where else." "Well... I do have studying to catch up on. Though I could put it off a bit longer and come along with you if you wanted me to. We don't know this pony or what her intents are here in Ponyville. She could be bad news." "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Twilight." Rarity stated warmly, trying to convince her friend. "Go attended to your studies, don't worry about me. I assure you I will be perfectly fine." "Alright." Twilight said with a look of concern on her face. "Just try not to push her too far." Rarity raised an eyebrow at the comment but decided not to elaborate as to why that was a rather insulting thing for her to say. The gray mare was nearly out of sight. She had no time for such silly disputes. "I won't." She said plainly. "Now, if you don't mind, I really should be going before I lose track of her. I'll fill you in with all the details later, I promise!" Rarity had already began trotting off when Twilight began to mumble to herself, "I know you will. You always do." She playfully rolled her eyes before walking off again in the direction of home. Maybe this time she'd be able to actually make it all the way there without any more incidents. ~ "Wait just a moment, dearie!" Rarity called out as she neared the earth-bound pegasus. "Listen," she requested. "how about we forget everything that just happened and start fresh, shall we?" This had obviously gotten the new pony's attention. She slowed down but did not look back at the unicorn following her before replying in the same neutral tone as before, "I'm listening." A small smirk came across Rarity's face as she gave a quick nod to congratulate herself on getting this pony's cooperation. Good start, Rarity. Now don't scare her away, just introduce yourself and volunteer to show her around. She quickly but cautiously trotted up in front of the gray mare, studying her body language to be sure she wasn't frightening her. The sudden obstruction caused the unknown pony to stop all at once as her eyes widened in surprise. Rarity flipped her deep purple mane to the side with a perfectly choreographed shake of her head, every hair falling flawlessly into place. She cleared her throat and smiled at the pony in front of her. "Hello there," she beamed "my name is Rarity. I would like to be the first to welcome you to the wonderful town that is Ponyville." "Hello Rarity." smiled the mare. "It's a pleasure to meet you." The pegasus gave a quick curtsy before continuing. "I appreciate the warm welcome." The white pony's mouth parted and eyebrows lowered in a look of disbelief and suspicion. Did she just curtsy to me? True, it is proper manners when greeting a lady... but quite odd after the fuss she was putting up just a few moments ago. She shook her head, trying to clear these thoughts so she could focus her attention on the conversation at hoof. "Why thank you. May I ask what your name is?" "You can but it's not as fun if I just tell you." The pale-maned pony gave a slight, playful wink. "Take a guess." What in all of Equestia? Rarity glanced at the moon-and-swirl-of-wind cutie mark on the pony's flank. Lunatic, perhaps? she remarked to herself, mostly in jest but a part of her thought this could really be what the pony's name was. She must have suffered a brain injury in the crash landing earlier. She's absolutely out of her mind, getting furious over us saving her life and now, just a few minutes later, she's all smiles and playing games with me? "I'm sorry dearie but I haven't the slightest clue." "Well, you're no fun." she said while her disposition changed yet again. This time, clear disappointment radiated from her face. "Oh well." Rarity looked at her, wondering what to say. Do I have to ask? Is she not going to tell me because I didn't play her ridiculous game? "Oh, you're waiting for me to tell you, aren't you?" the mare asked after a few awkward moments. Rarity gave a cautious nod. "The name's Moon Breeze. Most skilled flyer in all of Equestria! At least I think so. I've yet to meet a pegasus I couldn't beat in both speed and especially agility." I doubt Rainbow Dash would agree with that claim. "Hello Moon Breeze. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Would you like me to show you around Ponyville?" "Well it would seem my wing is sprained so I don't think I'll be going anywhere any time soon. I suppose that's a good idea." "Maybe the first place I should show you to is the hospital to be sure it's just a sprain. It's just back this way." Rarity informed her, tilting her head in the direction they had come from. "I-I'd rather not. I'm fine. Really." the pegasus objected with an awkward, obviously forced grin on her face. "Oh heavens no! We must ensure you are alright before I can give you a full tour of the town!" Seeing the uneasy look on the mare's face, she decided a different course of action may be best, else she infuriate the fickle-emotioned pony once more. "If you have a problem with hospitals however," she began again "I have a friend who could at least look at it. Though she's not exactly a doctor." "Uhm... I... uh..." Moon Breeze fumbled on her words for a moment then stopped, possibly taking a moment to consider her options. "I suppose that sounds like a good idea." "Fabulous! Let's get moving then." ~ The sun was now completely visible and the town was beginning to come to life. There had been a couple of ponies out and about, hurriedly making there ways to their destinations while the two mares had been going through town. A cool wind rapidly made its way through leaves overhead, shaking some loose, causing a light snow of beautiful, though deceased, foliage to descend upon them. Yet another gust whipped along the more remote trail the two ponies were following. The cool air traveled straight through Rarity, causing her to shiver slightly. The gray mare beside her didn't seem to be bothered by the cool gust, in fact, she seemed to enjoy it. The lean pegasus tilted her head up allowing her pale blonde mane to be caressed by the autumn wind. She seemed to take in a deep breath of the crisp air surrounding her. Perhaps the fresh air will clear her mind and make her act a little less... eccentric. It would be simply dreadful if she had a mood swing whilst receiving her examination. Moon Breeze seemed to be quite tranquil now. There was no way to tell that she had had such a close call with death less than an hour ago. Just then, the peaceful mare cast her gaze at something in the distance. She squinted her eyes and wrinkled her brow, certainly trying to get a better look at whatever she saw that Rarity had not. The gray-coated pony jerked her head back and raised her ears, alerted by something. She came to a complete and sudden halt, only to break into a full-blown gallop just a moment later. I'm beginning to think this may not have been the best of ideas.
Unexpected Visitors"How are you feeling, Spike?" Fluttershy asked to the baby dragon, who was still curled up on her couch. He had stopped wincing and groaning shortly after swallowing the foul-tasting herbs his caretaker had given to him upon his arrival. The light yellow pony had decided some rest would be all he needed to cure his upset stomach; the herbs were simply a temporary pain reliever. "I feel a lot better now!" grinned the purple dragon. He sat himself upright on his temporary bed before looking back at Fluttershy, still grinning. "In fact, I think I'm feeling well enough to go back home. I don't want to take up your whole day, I know you have lots of animals to take care of and all." "Oh, it's alright. I went and tended to them while you were taking a little nap. You can stay as long as you want to. It really isn't any trouble." "Thanks for the offer but I think I’d better get going now. I'm actually kinda hungry." laughed Spike. Fluttershy leered at him, her brow raised. "Ha ha, I- uh- I was just kidding around with you, Fluttershy!" he quickly tried to save the situation so he could leave and fill his empty stomach. "Oh, well okay then." she replied, though she knew he was lying to her. "Just be sure not to overdo it when you do get hungry. I really wouldn't like for you to have to come back here for another upset tummy." "Don't worry," said Spike while pushing off of the couch. He landed on the ground with a soft thump. "I'll be more careful next time," he finished, giving a reassuring smile to the pink-maned pony. "Would you like me to take you home? I think that would be good..." she mumbled while shying away, "...if you wanted me to, that is." "No thanks, I'm good. I'm gonna get going now," he said while making his way to the door, "I don't want Twilight to worry about me, ya know?" "Oh, yes, of course." She opened the door for him and gave a little smile. "H-Have a safe trip home." "Will do!" he called out as he walked away. Once he had vanished from her sight Fluttershy gently closed the door. It wasn't even close to midday and she already felt like going to bed. Well, I did get up awfully early and the woodland creatures are all taken care of... I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if I just took a short nap. There was no need to reason with herself any more than that. She simply went over to the couch; her real bed seemed awfully far away at this point. She jumped right into the makeshift bed and squirmed around to make herself comfortable. Sleep quickly followed. ~ "I would not do that if I were you!" Fluttershy slowly tossed on the couch and rubbed her eyes. That sounds like Rarity. What could she be doing here? "I've never seen anything like it. It's like in the the legends I heard from the dragons of the Eastern Empire." The half-asleep pony didn't recognize this hushed voice. She sat up, a curious look upon her face. "What do you mean 'legends you have heard from dragons'? Surely you have never talked to one, it would appear you have never even seen a bunny rabbit." Oh dear, I really should make sure the little bunny is okay. New faces can startle them so very much. She lowered herself onto the ground and walked towards the door. "I'll admit, I haven't seen more than a couple rabbits in my travels but I have never seen one with a pure white coat like this one. Now be quiet, you're going to scare him away." The butter-yellow pegasus slowly opened the door, unnoticed by the ponies in her front yard. She first noticed Rarity who looked very upset, most likely because she was told to be quiet. The next thing she saw was an agitated and somewhat frightened Angel running towards the open cottage door. "A-are you alright, Angel?" There was no response from the little bunny as he jumped up onto Fluttershy's back and began tugging at her mane. "Wh-what is it?" she stuttered, looking back at him. He extended his foreleg, paw opened, then closed his tiny paw and brought his leg back towards his body. “...you... want me to... close the door?” The little white rabbit quickly nodded and repeated the motion before jumping off her back and hiding around the corner. Normally Fluttershy would rather be safe then sorry but her friend was standing outside, just looking at her now. Surely if something was wrong, Rarity would have run by now, or at least say something, right? Despite her better judgement, the pink-maned pony opened the cottage door more so that she could take a step out and look around. She turned to her right to see a strange pony standing a few meters away from her. This mare had a medium-gray coat, similar to the color of one of the raccoons Fluttershy so diligently cared for, just a little bit darker and in beautiful condition. She had long legs with glossy dark gray hooves that were lightly coated in dirt. It didn’t make the pegasus look any less lovely, it simply made her look more real, in a sense. The unknown pony’s densely feathered wings were hanging loosely at her sides allowing the shy yellow pegasus to get a glance at the silvery plumage. The now blazing sun behind the gray pony illuminated her flight feathers. Fluttershy could swear she saw them shimmering as they absorbed the brilliant beams of light before being carefully tucked away close to her lean and nearly perfectly figured body. Her left wing was kept slightly parted from her and allowed to untuck ever so slightly. The next thing that caught Fluttershy’s eye was the mare’s mane, made golden by Celestia’s sun, as if the Princess herself had planned it to do just that. It was a shorter cut for a mare but not drastically so. The ends fell in a straight row of jagged edges. Jagged may not be the right word, there was a delicate look to them and the entire mane was most certainly soft to the touch. Fluttershy’s gaze lastly cast upon the pegasus’s eyes. The tranquil sea of blue had not been touched by the sunlight and greatly contrasted the rest of her body, which was simply aglow. They were equally beautiful, however. The soft tint of gray in them calmed the timid pony and she felt-- comfortable. That was, until she heard the pony behind the eyes she was staring so deeply into speak. “Well...?” Inquired the silver-winged mare. Huh? Oh no, was she talking the entire time? she asked herself as she ducked her head in a desperate attempt to hide from the pony’s stare. The eyes she had been lost in had turned from calming seas to icy daggers in Fluttershy’s mind, though the gray mare had not changed her expression to match what the timid pony saw. I would have seen her lips moving if she was talking. Wait... were they moving? I don’t remember anymore. She turned her head away, shying behind her long light pink mane. She glanced up through the long pink hairs and saw a small smile had painted itself across the pale blond-maned pegasus’s face now. Why is she smiling at me? I must look ridiculous and she’s just trying not to laugh. I wish I had listened to Angel and just closed the door. “It’s alright, darling” Rarity assured the terrified mare. “She’s a bit... odd,” whispered the unicorn, “but she seems to be harmless. She gave that poor bunnyl a bit of fright but that was only because she had her muzzle right by him. I think she was just a tad bit too curious for her own good, and the rabbit’s as well.” laughed Rarity. Fluttershy said nothing. She simply stared at the ground, glancing up at the strange pony every few seconds. The pony was looking at Rarity for an answer as to what to do and didn’t seem to notice her silent observer this time. The yellow pegasus glanced up once more to see she was making eye contact with the pale-maned pony. Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly and tilted her head down as far as the muscles in her neck would allow. There was the faint sound of hoofsteps. Maybe she left? Oh, I hope so. I don’t know what to do or say around new ponies. She decided she had to open her eyes sooner or later, she could start off slowly, just looking at the ground. She slowly forced her eyes to open. As she did so, something came into her vision. Her body froze as she realized it was the gray mare lying on the ground, looking up at her. Their muzzles were so close they were almost touching. “Eep!” she cried out, rearing up onto her back legs. The moment she did this everything went dark, the last thing she remembered was the sensation of falling. ~ “I told you not to do that!” “You technically didn’t say anything...” “Well for future reference, if a pony is frantically shaking their head side to side at you, that should be taken as a ‘no’!” Fluttershy couldn’t quite distinguish voices but didn’t need to, it was obvious who was saying what. She didn't want to open her eyes again for fear the mare would be looking down at her, her gray muzzle just centimeters away from her own yellow one once again. Fluttershy slowly opened one eye, cautiously glancing around with it only half open. Rarity was standing to her left, the other pony to her right. The other pony was looking at Rarity like a filly who had just broken her mother’s prized vase. This was a look she wore well. So well, in fact, that it seemed almost rehearsed. It was a look of guilt and it was a look of ‘I’m sorry’. It was puppy dog eyes and it was a cute little pout. It was the perfect apology without saying a single word. “I didn’t mean to scare her,” the pegasus said in the most sincere whisper of a voice. She turned her head to the side, away from Fluttershy’s spying eye, before quietly saying, “I’m sorry.” Rarity replied with a drawn out sigh before speaking, “I know you didn't mean to dearie. Just do try to use your better judgement next time.” The pale-maned pony simply nodded in reply. She then looked down to the yellow pegasus on the ground. Fluttershy quickly closed her open eye. I hope she didn't see me. "Hello there Miss... uhm..." began the gray mare in a much less energetic tone then she had when Fluttershy had initially met her. It was a warm and inviting tone, Fluttershy wanted to answer. She opened her eyes and tried to open her mouth but it would not listen to her. She wanted to tell this pony her name but just didn't have the ability. “Come and get off the dirty old ground, will you? What is it with ponies lying on the ground getting all dirty today? Here, let me help you,” said Rarity as she began to push Fluttershy with her muzzle. The other pegasus backed up, being sure to give her plenty of space to get up on her hooves. When Fluttershy got up she shook her mane into her face and tried to make herself as small as possible. She didn’t want to do this, it was simply in her nature. The silver-winged pegasus slowly approached her, stopping when she was a little over a meter away. She had obviously learned something from the last incident. “Uhm... Hello,” began the unknown pony, “my name is Moon Breeze.” She finished with a slow courtesy, looking for any response. There was nothing but an awkward silence. Rarity looked to both of them, hoping somepony would say something so she didn’t have to interject. “Hmm...” Moon Breeze finally spoke, breaking the silence, “your name is... Flutterby, perhaps? I suppose it could be Butterfly but who would name a foal after another animal? I like the Old Equestria version better myself, it’s a more accurate description. Either one would match your cutie mark quite nicely, which I imagine was earned by your special talent for caring for the plants and animals around here.” She turned to Rarity and added, “That’s why you brought me here, huh?” Rarity gave a little nod and smile. “That would be the reason.” There was another silent spell as the pony named Moon Breeze turned back to the pink-maned pony. She just tilted her head to the side in a look of pure curiosity. There was no sign she was going to say another word. It was clearly Fluttershy’s turn to talk. She tried to think of what to say. It took her a moment to even remember the question. There was no way should could think of something to say in reply so she didn’t think, she just spoke. “MynameisFluttershy!” squeaked the butter colored pony in a ‘shout’ that was just barely at normal conversation level before cowering even more than before. “Oh, sorry. I always like to try and guess the names of new ponies. It’s more fun that way,” smilied Moon Breeze. “Fluttershy, dear, we actually stopped by because the pony took a bit of a, shall we say, tumble, earlier today. She seems to have injured her wing and I thought you might be able to take a look at.” “Oh, uhm, well,” she quietly responded, “I suppose I could. I’m not a doctor though. Maybe you could take her to the hospital, if that’s okay with you.” “Well,” Rarity whispered, though Moon Breeze could surely still hear, “she seems to not like that idea. I’m not quite sure if it’s the hospitals, doctors, needles or what it is but she simply refused to go.” Fluttershy glanced over to the taller pegasus who was still keeping her distance. She turned back to Rarity as soon as eye contact was made. She couldn’t even talk to the pony, let alone touch her to give an examination. She felt she had to help though, she would never turn away and injured woodland creature, so she certainly shouldn’t say no to a pony who needed her help. Maybe if she treated her like a patient instead of a stranger, she could get over her shyness, even if only just a bit. “I-I’ll do my best.”
Unwanted AssistanceThe land was covered in a tranquil glow from the pale light of the sun that was just about to make its appearance in the eastern sky of Ponyville. A cool breeze caused some of the leaves that had begun changing color to lose their grips on the trees they called home and float gently down to the dewy grass. The town was as quite and as peaceful as Twilight had ever seen it. This was a welcomed change in her eyes, it almost made it worth the hours of sleep she had lost. If only she wasn't so worried, then she could actually enjoy the beauty and solitude. At least Spike's in good hooves, she thought to herself. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ She had been woken up sometime around 4 o'clock that morning by the sound of loud groans that could only be coming from a creature in a great deal of pain. What in all of Equestria could that be? It took her a moment to fully awaken and realize just who was making the sound. Within seconds of that realization she was at Spike's side. "Spike! What happened to you?" she asked in a bit of a panic. Her small purple friend was curled up in a ball, his faced scrunched up in agony and his front claws holding his abdomen. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Twilight. "I... don't know... what happened..." Spike spoke between heavy breaths, "I just.. woke up... and-" Spike stopped mid sentence and tightened his grip on his abdomen. He let out a loud groan and closed his eyes tightly. "Don't worry, Spike. I'll take you to Fluttershy. I'm sure she'll know what to do." She spoke with a confidence that did not show the worry and uncertainty she felt. He was just fine when he came back from helping Pinkie Pie with some baking at Sugarcube Corner last night, though he had headed to bed almost as soon as he got home. What could have possibly caused this? she wondered. There was no time for speculation though, she had to get him help. Twilight quickly lifted Spike onto her back with her magic and headed for Fluttershy's cottage. ~ After what seemed like ages to her, they had made it to the small cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. Twilight raised a hoof to knock on Fluttershy's door but hesitated a moment, realizing it was still dark outside. Surely she's still sleeping. I hate to wake her... She rapidly shook her head. Fluttershy would understand when she saw the condition Spike was in. She tapped the door with her front hoof three times. Spike let out a more subdued groan. Twilight looked back at him with concern before turning to knock on the door again. Before she could knock though, the door began to slowly swing open. "H-Hello...?" Fluttershy spoke as she cautiously poked her head out of the door. "Fluttershy!" Twilight exclaimed, startling the pink-maned mare. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. Spike needs your help." Twilight explained what happened while Fluttershy took the ill dragon to the couch and began examining him. After a few minutes of looking him over, a very slight smile formed on Fluttershy's face. "You don't seem to have a fever." she informed the young dragon. "Your breathing and heartbeat are just fine too. In fact, you seem completely healthy. Other than your stomach ache, of course." She then turned to Twilight and said in her normal hushed tone, "I-I think that, maybe, he ate something that he shouldn't have. O-or ate too much. But that's just what I think, I could be wrong." "I may have had... just a bit more... uugh! ...cake... then I should have..." Spike admitted. Twilight shot him a look that seemed to say 'you had me all worried just because of some cake?!'. Spike awkwardly grinned before cringing from another cake-related stomach pain. "I have some herbs I could give him, if that's okay" murmured Fluttershy. "I think, if you want to, he should stay here. Just until he's feeling better." "That would be great, Fluttershy. Are you sure you'll be okay though? It's still very early and I'm sure I woke you up." Twilight rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. "Sorry about that." "It's quite alright. Don't worry about me, I'm just glad to be able to help." The yellow pegasus smiled warmly. She really did enjoy helping her animal friends. "Thank you so much. I should probably get going now, I don't think I would be of much help here. I won't be able to get back to sleep either but I would like to use this extra time to get some studying in if you're alright here. Spike?" He looked over to Twilight, seeming more alert then he was before. "Are you okay staying here with Fluttershy for a while?" The little purple dragon nodded in response. "I'll be fine." "Alright," she said, going over to quickly nuzzle him. "Feel better soon." Twilight then turned to Fluttershy. "Thank you again, I owe you one. I'll be back later today to see how he's doing." The pegasus smiled and nodded and with that Twilight turned to the door and began her walk back home. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ It's certainly been an eventful morning she told herself. Just then, she caught a flash of bright pink in the corner of her eye. She turned her head in the direction of the blur to see Pinkie Pie bolt from the side of a building and hide with her back to the trunk of a tree. What could she be up to at this time of day? It seemed as though the party pony heard her very thoughts, as she peeked from behind the tree to look directly at Twilight. "Twilight!" she yelled, much louder than was necessary considering the dead silence surrounding them. Does she want to wake the whole town up!? Pinkie Pie motioned with her hoof for the unicorn to come over to her. She couldn't imagine what could be so important. Maybe she wants to tell me something about Spike. Could she have seen me take him to Fluttershy's? She trotted over to her, now very curious. "Hello Pinkie. What are you doing up so early?" "I woke up with this funny feeling that something exciting is going to happen this morning! You must have had the same feeling! I mean, why would anypony be up so early otherwise? I guess if it was the opening of Cider Season since you have to get in line REALLY early so you can get some super-delicious cider before it's all gone! But I can't see any reason other than those two. So, I obviously just HAD to come out and see what's going to happen. It'd be super sad if I missed it because I was sleeping in like a silly-filly!" "Of course." Twilight said in a rather sarcastic manner. "Why, pray tell, are you sneaking around?" "Oh! I'm not sneaking around! It might look like that but that's not what I'm doing, not at all. When I left the house this morning, my tail started a-twitchin' and you know what that means!" Answered Pinkie Pie. "Again with the Pinkie Sense of yours? Well twitchy tail or not, I need to get home and do some studying," Twilight said as she began trotting away. "Bye Pinkie." "Just keep and eye on the sky! Ooo I made a rhyme! Bye Twi! Hey, that rhymes too! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it! Gasp! Another one! Well isn't this fun!" The pink mare began giggling and continued on like this as Twilight kept walking towards the library. As much as she didn't like to admit it, Pinkie's Pinkie Sense was always right in her experience. Besides a few clouds scattered throughout the sky she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, however. Celestia's sun was just peeking out over the horizon when Twilight got a strange feeling. Twilight instinctively glanced up. She saw a gray object extremely high up falling right above her. She quickly backed away, her eyes still on this strange thing, trying to determine what it was as it crashed right through some fluffy clouds high overhead, causing them to instantly evaporate. She let out a loud gasp when she was able to make out the shape of a pony. Oh no! I have to help them! The pony was quickly coming closer and would hit the ground in just a matter of seconds. "Help! Anypony!" She yelled, though she knew there was no one around to hear. Even if they had heard her, nopony would be able to get there in time. Twilight planted her hooves firmly on the ground. I have to help them she told herself as she began to cast a spell. Her horn emitted a pink aura and almost instantly the falling pony was engulfed in a mist of pink. Twilight put all her effort into stopping its decent. It's no good! They're going too fast! She could see her magic was slowing them down but not enough to stop them from hitting the ground. She concentrated as hard as she could. A purple glow began to mix with Twilight's pink one surrounding the falling pony. Twilight glanced over to see Rarity standing at her side. They both put all their magical skills into a silent effort to save this pony's life. The pony was only a few meters off the ground now and quickly coming to a stop. Both unicorns put in all the energy they could muster. The unknown pony landed with a thud in front of them. They both winced at the sound of it and it took a moment before they dared to open their eyes. Twilight was the first to do so and stared just a moment while Rarity opened one eye ever so slightly to get a glimpse of the sight before her. The purple unicorn took a step forward and Rarity opened her other eye, taking in the full scene. They rushed over to the pony, which could now be identified as a pegasus. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief seeing that the gray mare was still in one piece and appeared not to have sustained any injuries. She seemed awfully still however. "Thank you, Rarity. You came just in the nick of time" Twilight spoke to the white unicorn beside her. I don't know what you were doing here but for this pony's sake, I sure am glad you were here. Twilight finally turned her gaze back to the pegasus whose life they had just saved. She had dirt from her impact with the ground on what had looked to be a previously perfectly groomed coat. Not too shiny but certainly in great condition. This was a pony she had never seen before. She had a cutie mark of a gust of wind in front of a crescent moon on her flank. She was surely around Twilight's age, maybe even a little younger. Twilight slowly bent down to the mysterious pegasus. She gently moved the pony's beautiful, pale blond mane out of her face. She then checked the mare for a pulse. "It's very faint but I can feel a pulse" Twilight stated. "Oh, what a relief" Rarity said, releasing the breath she was holding. "We really should get the poor dear to the hospital." "You're right. Can you help lift her onto my back?" "Of course, dearie" Rarity carefully assisted Twilight, using her muzzle since her previous efforts had used just about all of her magic. It took a little while but they finally were able to hoist the gray pony on to Twilight's back. The purple mare nearly lost her balance with the additional weight but was caught by Rarity who was close at her side. The pair began slowly making their way to the hospital, being careful to keep the injured mare steady. They were silent for a few minutes. That was fine for Twilight, who was lost in thought. What could have caused a pegasus to fall from the skies? What is she doing in Ponyville? We don't normally get too many visitors. I'm just glad we were able to catch her. Hold on just a second... "Rarity, what were you doing out so early?" Twilight questioned. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you were there but it's just an odd time for most ponies to be up." "That, my dear, would be Pinkie Pie's doing. She came to my boutique a half hour ago, perhaps, knocking as loudly as she could. I thought there may have been a fire or something of the sort to get somepony to come knocking on my door like that before the sun had even risen. Though it was just Pinkie being Pinkie. I asked what in Princess Celestia's name could possibly be so important and she just went on and on about some 'great big event' I absolutely had to be up for. I don't even think the dearie knew what it was. I tried to ask but she just disappeared on me, saying there was some place she had to go. I tried to get some more beauty rest but just couldn't seem to do so, so decided to go out for an early morning stroll. Good thing I did, too" she finished, glancing at the unconscious mare on Twilight's back. "That Pinkie Pie sure is something." "Indeed." ~ The two unicorns soon found themselves at the hospital's main doors when Twilight felt the pony on her back start to stir. Rarity stepped to the side to look at the awakening mare. "Wh-" The pegasus began as she slowly opened her eyes and looked around, still in a bit of a daze. Her eyes, which were an absolute match for the pale blue with a slight tint of gray that the sky was just at twilight, focused on Rarity. "Where am I?" "You're in Ponyville, dearie." She explained in a comforting tone. "You were falling straight out of the sky but Twilight here saved your life" Rarity continued, motioning to the now blushing purple mare still holding up the confused pony. Rarity couldn't help but to add, "I helped out a little too." The pale-maned mare looked at her wide-eyed for a moment, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She then glanced around, taking in her surroundings and quickly noticed she was on somepony's back. With that realization she struggled and fluttered her wings in an attempt to free herself. She succeeded in knocking Twilight to the ground and finally was on her own four hooves. Twilight looked up at the pegasus in surprise. The rather tall, lean pony standing before her was glaring with an unexpected furry, her exceptionally large wings, which had beautiful silver feathers interlaced with the gray ones matching her fur color, flared out in anger before the pony finally spoke. "I didn't ask for anypony's help."
