The Fire Maned Pegasus of Cloudsdale

How in all of Equestria, could you be so stupid? Seriously, it’s almost incredible; the idiocy you have just shown to those who have witnessed it. Here you are, lying on the grass, in the middle of a heavy storm, with a lightning bolt burn on your back. It’ll be a miracle if the doctors can get your spine to work, once this is over. What do you mean ‘overreacting?’ this is serious! Who am I? You don’t know your brain when you hear it talking to you? Don’t tell me that I’m being mean! You made me this way, you silly pony! It’s not my fault that you’re so self-loathing and negative all the time! What? How did you end up on the grass, with a gross burn mark on your back? Well, being struck by lightning has been known to produce a slight memory loss, so here’s the skinny.

You’re a Pegasus, I’m not going to bother telling you your name, because you damn well better still know it; if not, I don’t know what to do with you. You still know your name? Well good. That’s a relief.

Your coat is a bronze color, you have steely blue eyes, and your hair is a shade of dark brown. You’re not much of a looker, but you’re not ugly either. Some mares have given you the time of day, but it’s not the looks that are the problem. You’re a decent flier; you get to your home city of Cloudsdale easily enough, but if you planned on becoming a professional flier like the Wonderbolts? Forget about it. You can barely fly through an obstacle course of hoops; much less pass gym class back in high school. Those trips to the nurse’s office were some of the more memorable moments of your school life.

What you do have going for you, is that you have a bit of a physical presence, not super strong like that one stallion that says ‘YEAH!!!’ all the time, but you can hold your own in a fight, if the time came. What you don’t have going for you is smarts. Don’t get me wrong, you’re not stupid, as much as you like telling yourself that, but you won’t be winning any math competitions any time soon.

You’re a nice enough colt, but maybe a little too nice. There are times where you approach the doormat phase, not enough to be like that shy Pegasus that lives in Ponyville, but fairly close. Even so, despite all that, you seem to have a tendency to want to prove yourself, stretching yourself to your limits, just to get others to notice you. Admirable, but the problem is that you don’t think things through, causing yourself to get into more trouble that you would like. You tried to get onto the varsity hoofball team. You didn’t make it. You tried your wings out at the Fearless Flyers Competition, you did okay…until you hit a wall. No first prize for you.

And now, you are hanging with the wrong crowd. Your ‘friends’; Hoops, Score, and Dumb-Bell, a group of Pegasi that had agreed to let you into their little clique because it amused them, have dared you to fly through a particularly rough storm cloud, and come out the other side, unscathed.

Okay, forgetting the fact that that was a dumb idea that could get you killed…no wait…that IS a dumb idea! In fact, one of the Pegasi was named Dumb-Bell! That should have been your first clue, Sherclop! Here’s the thing, you threw caution to the wind and did it anyway, knowing the risks. You could have easily backed out, but nope, you had something to prove; that you weren’t a doormat, that you were a big strong tough colt, like they were, and you were going to prove it.

You got about halfway through that storm cloud, when that bolt of lightning struck your back like an electric knife. Thousands upon thousands of volts surged through your body for five seconds, but for you, it felt like five long torturous years. Like a meteor, you fell to the earth hard, with a sickening crash that could have very well killed you, if the ground wasn’t soaked with all that rainwater. But, if the fall wasn’t going to kill you, that lightning strike definitely will, if it isn’t treated immediately.

Now, there you are; laying there like the fool you are. You had a good run, but now it’s time to just give up, because it’s not going to get any better.

Wait…you feel a pair of hooves slide under you, bringing you up just a little bit, allowing you to rest your head on a foreleg. You hear a voice call out to you, but you can hardly hear it.

“Hey…can you hear me?!” the voice says, muffled. It sounds feminine. A tough, but somehow…also gentle voice. It’s got a rasp to it, but it’s soothing. Anything is better than silence at this point; lets you know that you’re alive…but just barely.

You feel yourself being shaken into slight consciousness.

“Wake up!” the voice calls out again.

The flash of lightning makes you open your eyes. It’s blurry; you’re still slipping in and out of death and life. However, one thing becomes clear. It’s the only clear thing in the world of blurriness that you are witnessing.

A mare. Yellow coat. A mane that looks like fire. She looks down at you, soaking wet…yet incredibly beautiful. Her eyes graced with the emotion of concern. She still continues to shake you, hoping to get you to talk to her. You haven’t seen a mare such as her in your life. The mane and tail looks familiar, but everything else is unfamiliar to you.

“Come on, you…” she tells you, “…stay with me…”

She’s not seriously telling you to stay with her, is she? There’s no mare that you know, that would be this concerned if you lived or died. You must be dead; she must be some kind of gorgeous wet angel. Thinking this, you get the idea that death might not be so bad after all, and have somewhat accepted it. Besides, with this fire haired siren, it’s going to be quite nice up in heaven.

You raise a hoof up, rather weakly, touching her cheek, and caressing it. Her eyes widen, and a small blush reddens her cheeks.

“So…beautiful…” you say. Your body goes limp.

You black out soon after.

Beep……………………………………..Beep…………………………………….Beep……………………………Beep………………….

The sound of a heart monitor fills your ears. You open your eyes slowly, amidst the blurriness, you find yourself looking up at a white ceiling. The room is lit only by the daylight outside, and to your side is the aforementioned heart monitor, with attachment pads on your chest.

Yeah, this looks like a hospital alright.

The door opens, revealing a Pegasus Doctor, holding up his notepad with his left wing. He looks over at your awakened state and gives you a smile.

“Ah. Nice to see you’re awake.” he tells you, “You’ve been out for quite a while.”

“Where am I?” you ask. Though you can take a wild guess, it’s best to know for sure.

“This is Cloudsdale Hospital…” he says, “and you are currently recovering from that lightning storm.”

“How long was I out?” you ask him.

“About a couple days; and you’re lucky that we’re even having this conversation, if you ask me. A few more minutes, and you would have been beyond our help.” He looked serious, no hyperbole in his eyes.

“How did I get here?” you wonder. Surely, you were in no condition to fly there yourself.

“She brought you here.” he nods, looking over to your left. You turn to where he was looking at.

There she is. That mare. The one you thought was an angel. She was real! She lies down on the nearby couch at the window, resting her eyes. She sleeps quietly…beautifully. Unlike you, though. You snore like a freight train; at least, that’s what others have told you.

“Do you know her?” he asks, noting your look of surprise.

“N-No. I don’t.” you confirm, “I have never seen her before.”

“Really?” he sounded shocked, “You don’t recognize the Captain of the Wonderbolts?”

You remove yourself from staring at the fire haired mare, and look back at the doctor with an expression that would signify a heart attack. The monitor spikes hard; your heart rate rising at an alarming rate.

“T-The W-Wonderbolts?” you gasp and stutter, “T-That’s Spitfire?”

“Yes she is. Now, I must ask you to calm down. Your heart rate is starting to worry me.”

You do what you can to calm yourself. It’s a bigger challenge than normal. Really, it’s not everyday that the Captain of the Wonderbolts goes up and saves your life, is it? Eventually, your pace is brought down to acceptable levels; your shock and awe is still there, just not enough to worry the poor doctor.

“That’s better. The strike on your back was pretty bad, and it’s going to leave quite a scar, but you’ll be ready and able to fly on out of here by tomorrow. I suggest not doing anything completely crazy when you get out; not only are you lucky to be alive, but you’re very lucky to even be flying after an injury like that.”

You nod your head in agreement. No more super crazy stupid stuff…ever.

“Good.” he smiles, “I’ll leave you to relax. You can also thank your rescuer, once she wakes up.”

The Doctor trots out of the room, leaving you alone with the mare you came to find out was Spitfire. You wander your gaze back to her. You cannot believe of all ponies, it was Spitfire that saved you. That’s why her mane and tail looked so familiar, the rest of her body was obscured by her signature Wonderbolts outfit. You never knew what she looked like underneath, until now. It’s a very rare sight indeed.

Then, you think about what you did when you saw her. Thinking she was there to greet you at the pearly gates, you caressed her cheek ever so lovingly. Your hoof meets your face just thinking about that moment of low intelligence.

Smooth move, dumbass.

She shifts around in her sleep, before letting out a wide opened yawn. You look back up at the ceiling. She’s waking up. Now what? What are you going to say? You better not make an ass out of yourself, or I swear to Celestia, I’m going to toss you out of a window, when she leaves!

“Hey.” you hear her say softly in that lovely voice. “You’re awake.” You look back to see her looking at you with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

You pause. Say something, stupid!

“Could be better.” you say, “At least I’m not dead.” You let out a chuckle. Humor; that’s pretty good.

“I’ll bet.” she chuckles too. Cool, she likes the sense of humor. Better not go overboard though; you really could have died back there. “Doctor said that you’ll be able to fly again.”

“So I’ve heard. That’s a relief.” Then, you wonder, “What were you doing out in that field, anyway?”

“Oh, that’s just where I go to think.”

“Can’t imagine wanting to still be out there, during a rainstorm.”

“I wasn’t having the greatest of days.” she says. You don’t press her any further. You don’t know her. You’re not her friend. There’s no need to get into her business. “Anyways, I have a question for you.”

She gets up from the couch, and walks over to your side. She puts a hoof on the side of the bed, staring with caring eyes.

“Just what the hell were you thinking?” she asks, “Being up in that storm cloud? You should have known it was dangerous.”

Oh great; now you’re going to have to tell her how stupid you are. Well, she was going to find out sooner or later.

“I did it on a dare.”

“A dare? Who would be stupid enough to dare you to do that?”

“You know Hoops, Score, and Dumb-Bell?”

“Yeah…” she scoffs, knowing that they are dumb enough to do such things. “I know them.”

“They were the ones that dared me.”

“Are those Pegasi your friends?”

“Not really.” Indeed, if they really were your friends, they would be in the hospital to see if you’re okay. They’re not. The Doctor didn’t say anything. They’re probably off making another dumb colt make a similarly dumb mistake.

“Not really? Then why did you do such a silly thing like that?”

“You’re going to think I’m stupid, if I tell you.”

“What?” she shakes her head, “Come on, it can’t be that bad. Were you drunk? It would be okay if you were drunk.”

“No.” you shake your head, “I wasn’t drunk.”

“Then, what was it?”

“Because…I sort of…wanted to be their friend.”

A pause. She looks at you with disbelief. She almost couldn’t believe you just said that. She opens her mouth, and it looks like she’s about to give you a serious talking to about your taste in friends, but then…

“Why?” she asks.

“I’m not exactly Mr. Popular. I just wanted to…fit in, I guess.”

“And you thought that flying through a storm; risking your life, would get you to make friends?”

“I told you I was stupid.”

“You’re not stupid. Foolish maybe, but not stupid.”

“You don’t even know me!” you tell her. You didn’t mean to sound rude, but the tone on your voice made it seem like you were angry with her. She is caught off guard by your tone, stepping back just a bit. Once you realized what you did…”O-Oh shit, no.” you stammer like crazy, “I-I didn’t mean to sound like that! I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” she grins, knowing your apology was sincere, “Don’t worry about it. You did just survive a lightning blast to the back. Actually, I do know you…kind of.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I see you around town sometimes. For a strong looking colt such as yourself, you’re kind of a doormat, no offense.”

“None taken. You noticed that, huh?” you smirk.

“I don’t forget something like that. I also remember you from the Fearless Flyer Competition. You were doing pretty well, until you made a wide turn and hit a wall.” she chuckles, thinking about the incident.

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up.” you take it in stride. It’s not a particularly good memory, but you don’t care at this point. “Just one of many of my not-so-proud moments.”

“We’ve all been there.” she assures you, “I wasn’t perfect from the get go.”

“Yeah, but you’re perfect now.” you blurt out. A slight blush graces her cheeks, flattered at the compliment.

“Lucky for you, flattery gets you so far with me.“ she chuckles. More and more it feels like you’re slowly winning her over. Can’t imagine why; so far, you have told her that you are friendless, and freely admit to suck at flying. “It’s not often I’m told that I’m perfect.”

“I don’t believe that.” you say, “You’re probably told that left and right, every day of the week. Hell, I think you get told that you’re perfect, just by walking out the door.” She laughs. You made a mare laugh. This day gets simultaneously better and weirder by the second. You nibble your hoof as she is distracted by her laugh, to make sure you’re not dreaming. Nope, it hurts. This is real, alright.

“As awesome as that would sound, it’s really not as much as you think.” she tells you.

“Well, you should.” you blurt out again. “Especially now, since you can add 'Hero of Dumb Colts’ to the list of great things that you’ve done.”

“Again, you’re not dumb. But thanks.” she smiles at the compliment, “Hey, I’ll tell you what. If you want, maybe I can help you get better at flying, since you seem to keep putting yourself down about it constantly.”

“Really? You would do that?” you ask, “I figured somepony such as yourself would be too busy.”

“I do have my free days, you know. It’s not like I’m not busy twenty four seven” she puts a hoof on your shoulder. “When you get out of here, come by the Cloudosseum. That’s where I train my team on the weekdays. Maybe I’ll show you a trick or two, when I see you.”

You cannot believe it. The Captain of the Wonderbolts, the greatest flyer in all of Equestria, has not only saved your sorry flank, but is offering to help improve your flying skills. Actually, she’s offering to GIVE you flying skills! What was a really bad day, has now become a pretty awesome day! Then again, you’re still in the hospital, not to mention that your back still kind of hurts.

You were thinking about this for so long, you failed to realize that you hadn’t replied to her offer.

“O-Oh! Right. Yeah, of course! That sounds great!”

“Cool!” she sounds excited, “I’ll see you when you get out of here, then.” You watch her go to the door, before she turns back around. “By the way, training starts at one o’clock, so you can come at any time during then. You can watch and see how I train my team. Maybe if they aren’t busy afterwards, I’ll introduce you to them.”

“You’d introduce me to the Wonderbolts?”

“Yeah, they’ll love the attention. Especially from big fans.” she smiles, “See you soon.”

“Wait.” You call out to her. She looks back at you. “I almost forgot.” You watch her give her full attention to what you were about to say. “Thank you…for saving my life. If you weren’t there, I would have been totally dead.”

“What are friends for?” she says. You freeze at the word ‘friend’.

Before you can respond, she walks out the door, leaving you alone.

You rest your head on the pillow, with a goofy grin on your face. Spitfire. Your rescuer. Your new trainer. Your friend. Things seem to be looking up for you.

Now, you have to figure out how to not screw it up.