The Fire Maned Pegasus of Cloudsdale

The morning sun hits your eyes like a blinding light shone in your face. You wake up instantly, covering your eyes with a free hoof. Looking down, you see Spitfire still sleeping softly on your coat. It’s a cute sight, hearing here quietly snore; you’ve never seen her asleep before. She was always a barrel of energy, but here, she’s in dreamland.

You move a lock of hair over her eyes to get a better view of her. Honestly, she is the prettiest thing you have ever….wait….stop it. No. No, do not do it. What do you mean ‘What?’ You know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. You get away from her at this instant!

Doing what I tell you to do, you furl your wings back up, and remove yourself from the bed. Her grip on you was no longer tight, so she was easy to remove. You put the blankets over her body, keeping her warm. She rustles in her sleep ever so slightly.

“Leaving already?” she whispers. You don’t respond, unsure if she’s talking to you, or whoever is in her dream. Quietly, you walk out of her room.

You walk out of the house with all the care and stealth you can muster. Just as you close the door…

“Hey! It’s him!” you hear a familiar voice behind you. Turning around, you see Surprise waving at you, but she’s not alone. Soarin, who is holding a bouquet of roses, and Thunderlane are there too. One of the two isn’t happy to see you. I can give you two guesses.

“Hey guys.” you say in a friendly manner, “Nice roses, Soarin.”

“What the hell are you doing?” Soarin asks. You guessed right; he’s the one that isn’t happy to see you.

“I was just leaving.”

“Why were you in Spitfire’s house?”

“I came by to see her yesterday and…”

“Yesterday?!” he interrupts, “You…you spent the night?”

“She asked me to stay, and I did. Okay? She’s really tired right now, so she probably might not be in the mood to see you guys, sorry.”

“She was definitely in the mood to see you yesterday! She wouldn’t even let us in!” he snaps at you, “What makes you so special?!”

“I’m her best friend.” You see Soarin’s eyes widen, nostrils flaring, he is pissed. “…Apparently.”

“You?” he growls, “A stupid, worthless Pegasus like you…is her best friend? Do you seriously believe that?”

You pause. It’s not the insult that is getting to you, but it’s the question that followed. That got you curious.

“Soarin…” Thunderlane says, “I think…”

“Shut up!” he shoots a look at Thunderlane, before turning back to you. “What makes you think you’re her best friend?”

“Spitfire told me last night.”

“Oh, she did, huh?”

“Yeah…why?”

“Soarin…” Surprise says, “Please don’t….”

“He needs to know.”

“Know what?”

“You know why Spitfire decided to hang out with you? Why she thought it was a good idea for you to visit her?” You shake your head. “Because she pitied you. She felt bad that you didn’t have any friends, so she decided to hang out with you just for a while, hoping the training would scare you off. But, it didn’t; you clinged onto her like a leech, sucking all the fun she wanted to have without you. She hasn’t been seeing you because you’re some kind of cool Pegasi, it’s because you’ve become a burden on her, and she’s just too nice to tell you to piss off.”

“That’s enough…” Thunderlane quietly says. He is silenced again with another look.

“She told me that, she told all of us that. She thinks that life would be better if you just left her alone!”

What Soarin is saying sounds unbelievable; by all rights, it should be. Spitfire told you last night that you were her best friend. Why would she lie about such a thing? You look to the others, hoping to see their faces with disagreeing looks. But they simply stand there, saying nothing. Maybe they’re scared of him, that could be it. He has been on your case the moment you came into Spitfire's life. But, why this weird feeling in your gut that he’s right?

Deep down, you do feel like a burden. Maybe you are one. Maybe she really is only being nice.

Maybe…maybe Soarin is just full of shit. Maybe he’s trying to get you away from her. Maybe he’s trying to get a rise out of you; to get you mad, to get you angry. Maybe he wants you to hit him, get YOU into trouble. You won’t have any of that. You’re not going to get beaten by this asshole! No, what you’re going to say is…

“Just hit me.”

What?

“What?” he asks you. We appear to be on the same page.

“Just hit me. You know you want to.”

Okay, I know you feel like you’re standing up to him, but listen to me. I’m your brain, and I think this is a really bad idea.

“Are you serious, right now?”

“Yeah. You’ve hated me the moment you saw me. I bet nothing would make you happier, than to see my dumb face get smashed by your hooves. So, what are you waiting for? HIT ME!”

You start walking towards him; you are very intimidating. Soarin and the others are stepping back.

“Come on! This is what you want isn’t it? Hit me! Break my muzzle! Make me uglier than I am! DO IT!”

Soarin does nothing. The others are frozen in shock. You scoff at him.

“That’s what I thought. All talk, and no balls. No wonder Spitfire broke up with you.”

WOAH! Where did that come from, dude? You’re starting to freak me out a little bit. I don’t think he’ll like that….

POW!!!

Yeah, Soarin just punched you square in the jaw.

Now, here you are, at a crossroads. Do you hit him back? Or, do you just get up and leave. You know the Wonderbolts probably have a show in a week; they always seem to. You also know you can take this guy in a fight. That punch may have hurt, but you’ve had worse.

You get up, looking at Soarin with a blank expression.

“Is that the best you can do?” you ask.

I’m not even going to ask anymore. Something inside you has snapped. All those years of being alone, all those years of having no friends. When you’ve finally found somepony willing to be with you, to laugh with you, to play with you, this Pegasus is trying to take her away from you.

He hits you again. He’s strong, but not strong enough.

“Please.” you smile, blood coming from your nostrils. “That’s your best shot?” He hits you again, “My mother can hit better than that.” And again. “You really are a wimp, aren’t you?” Again. “I thought you hated me! This is nothing!” Again. “Come on, asshole! Bring it!"

Soarin has had it. He tackles you, and wails on you for minutes. Surprise and Thunderlane grab him, trying to shake him off you.

“HEY!” shouted an approaching Royal Guard, “Just what in the hay is happening here?”

Soarin is pulled off you by the other two Wonderbolts. You get up, staggering to stay on your hooves, blood pouring out of your mouth and nostrils. The Guard looks at you like you should be dead.

“Sir? Are you okay?”

“Yeah" you spit out a blot of blood, "I’m fine.”

“No, you need to go to a hospital.”

“Nope. Don’t need it. I’m okay.” You stumble away from them, ready to go home.

“What about your attacker?”

“Leave him alone. He was just letting off some steam.” you look at Soarin, “Right?”

Soarin is speechless. Either he’s impressed that you’re still standing, or he’s scared that you’re still standing. Maybe both. You unfurl your wings, and take off to the skies, flying home.

This is going to hurt, when you get back home.

That face of yours hurts like hell now. Cleaning it was the hardest thing you had to do. Every inch of it felt like a thousand knives stabbing your face. You did your best not to cry, as you applied disinfectant, and put on the bandages, but you teared up quite a bit. Looking at your new visage, you look like you went ten rounds in the boxing ring. It’s going to take a while before it heals up.

I hope you feel better now. Never do anything crazy like that again, okay?

The next day, you hear a knock on your door. It’s frantic, who could be knocking on your door at this hour? Can’t be your boss, you don't have work today.

"Who is it?" you call out?

"Open up, it's me." you hear Spitfire's voice. She sounded worried.

You trot up to the door, unhinging the locks you had placed on it. The instant you open the door, Spitfire flies into your hooves, hugging you like she hadn’t seen you in years.

“Spitfire?!” you yelp in response.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” she shouts, “Surprise told me everything!”

“I wasn’t thinking.” Yeah, you kind of weren’t. “I just got sick of Soarin being mad at me all the time. So, I decided to give him the satisfaction.”

She looks at you, inspecting your face, crying at the sight of it.

“You know better than this! You didn’t…you didn’t…” she sobs, unable to finish what she set out to say.

“I told you. I’m a dumb Pegasus.”

“No…no you’re not. Don’t you ever do anything like this again, you hear me? You’re too important!” She hugs you again.

"I'm important?"

"Of course! You're my best friend, remember?"

That should sound comforting, really, it should. However, Soarin's words race through your mind, The way he talked to you, the way the others just stood there, it all felt so real. You had to know. You had to know if he was either telling the truth, or it was all just a ruse.

“Spitfire…did what Soarin say was the truth?” you ask. She pauses. Surprise really did tell her everything. Hesitance fills her voice. “That you only hung out with me out of pity?”

She separates herself from you shoulder, looking at you. Words can barely leave her mouth. Each passing moment she doesn't talk, your heart drops further and further down your body. You cannot believe it; she isn't denying it, and that is beginning to scare you...maybe even anger you.

“I...yes, but…” you look away from her, but she puts a hoof on the side of your face, forcing your gaze back to her. “It was only at first! I felt bad, I admit it. In the hospital, I could tell that you were sad and alone, and I wanted to do something. I thought that maybe if I hung out with you and trained you for a little bit, that you would get some confidence to make friends. But...you kept seeing me.”

“So, I really was a liability. Soarin was telling the truth.”

“No! No he wasn’t! When I really got to know you, when you told me about your life, and when I saw who you were past your shyness, everything changed. All the fun I had hanging out with you, all the days we talked, when we trained together, and went to the movies, and played games…that was real!”

“But…Soarin said that you didn’t have any fun around me.”

“Soarin’s a jealous asshole!” she fired back, “I've never had more fun, than when I was with you.”

Your heart skips a beat. Did she really just say that?

“Really?”

“Yes! You may have a habit of bring yourself down, acting like there’s nothing special about you, but you’re wrong! You are special!”

“Spitfire…” there is still suspicion in your voice.

“Don’t…don’t say my name like that. Like I’m feigning sincerity. I told you the night before that you were my best friend…and I meant it.”

“You did?”

“Yes. I've known many earth-ponies, unicorns, and Pegasi. In all my years, there’s no one out there…cooler than you.”

Your heart flutters. You’re on top of the world…maybe even the stratosphere. Spitfire really meant what she said. The truth is embedded in her sparkling eyes. You really are her best friend! She’s been with you for so long, that you have yet to find a single flaw about her. She’s smart, beautiful, but most of all, she’s your friend.

You suddenly lean in and kiss her on the lips.

Wait…no. NO! Don’t do that!

She lets out a surprised moan, as you continue to passionately lock lips with her.

Stop…stop it!

Her forelegs move to your chest, as she presses them against your coat.

She’s trying to push you away! Knock it off!

You move your hooves down to her perfect rump.

STOP!

You push her away. Tears flowing from your eyes, in shock at what you just did. She looks at you, wondering what just happened.

“I’m sorry. You have to go.” you say, pushing her towards the door.

“Wait…I…” she says, but you aren’t letting her finish.

“I’ll see you later.” you get her outside, “Have a good day.”

“Wait!” She says, but you slam the door shut, locking it to its fullest potential. You can hear her knocking furiously, but you pay no mind to it.

It’s time that we have a talk, Mister! You. Me. Bathroom. Now.

You gallop into the bathroom, and look into the mirror. You begin talking to yourself, specifically, you start talking to me.

Now, just what the hell is the matter with you?!

“I don’t know! It just happened!”

She was making you feel better, and what did you do? You kissed her! Forcefully!

“I couldn’t help it! She…she made me feel…good…about myself.”

How could you do that? How could be so stupid? Why do I even bother with you? I'm your conscience, your thoughts, and you go off and do the illogical thing! You never think things through! Never! All you do is one stupid thing after another! You nearly died in that lightning strike, you got yourself beaten up, and now you kissed your best friend in this world, potentially damaging your friendship with her!

“This is different!”

How?!

“BECAUSE I LOVE HER!”

A pause. Really?

“Yes…” tears pour from your eyes. There’s no hiding it anymore. “I’ve been in love with her since the moment I met her.”

But…how? I should know about this. I’m you. I’m the one that talks to you, the voice inside your head, narrating your every move. How did I not see it?

“You’ve noticed it. You just kept telling me not to go through with it.”

Thinking back to all those times, all the moments, it suddenly all makes sense. The hoof holding, the long stares, the obvious attraction you have for her. This…this changes things, doesn’t it? You’re in love with Spitfire, the Captain of the Wonderbolts. Do you have any idea what this means? What are you going to do? How are you going to do it?

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” You put your hooves on your face, hiding yourself from your own reflection. “I really fucked up, didn’t I?”

Yeah, you sure did, buddy. Look, I know that she means everything to you. You are willing to walk through fire for her, right?

“Of course, I am.”

Then…you’re going to have to let her go.

“What? I’m not going to stop being her friend!”

I’m…I mean WE aren’t saying that. We can still be her friend, but face it, you and her? It’s not going to happen. Look at her. She’s beautiful, she’s popular, and no offense, but you’re kind of…

“Lame?”

I was going to say ‘out of her league’. You’re her best friend; why ruin a good thing with something like this? Isn’t hanging out with her enough?

“I wish it was.”

It’s going to have to be.

You sigh. This is the way things are, and will always be.

“Okay…” you say, “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. If I really love her, I have to let her go.”

Exactly. You should tell her tomorrow. She might be really mad at you right now.

“Okay. I will. You mind leaving me alone for a while?”

Sure thing. Take all the time in the world.

The next afternoon, you go to her house. You pray that she’s home, but more importantly, you pray that she isn’t mad at you. You approach her doorstep with trepidation, but you make it. You knock three times. Nothing. You do it again. Still nothing. One more can’t hurt.

On the second knock, the door opens. Spitfire is on the other side. She looks at you, but no words come from her mouth. She looks as if she wants to say something, but nothing is spoken. You speak first.

“I’m sorry.” you say, “I shouldn’t have done that. I took advantage of your friendship, and did something that I’m not proud of. You have every right to hate me; I wouldn’t blame you. I hate me too. If you want, I would like to continue being friends, if that’s okay with you.”

No words from her. She continues to stare. There is no indication how this day is going. You’ve said your peace; it might be time to go.

“I’ll see when I see you, then.”

“Hold on.” Spitfire finally speaks. You look back at her. She alternates between staring at you and the ground below. “I don’t hate you. I was just…caught off guard. I never really expected you to do that."

“I know, and I apologize for it. I’ll never do that again.”

She pauses with a curious look, before replying..."Never?”

“Yes." you put a hoof on your chest, doing a solemn swear. "As Celestia as my witness, I will never kiss you again.”

“I see….” She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and exhales slowly. It’s a strange moment, to be sure. Then, when her eyes open, she flashes a smile. “Okay then. Friends it is.” She reaches out a hoof.

“Really?”

“Yeah! You think something like that would stop me from being your friend?”

“Kind of…”

“You give me too little credit, dude. I’m not the kind of mare that ends a friendship, when sudden kisses happen.” she chuckles.

You look back down at her hoof. You couldn’t believe the quick recovery she showed. As time passes, you grin, and finally shake her hoof.

“Okay.” you smirk, “Thank you for being so understanding.”

“No problem. Hey, would you like to come inside for a rematch? I'll let you win, if it'll make you feel better.”

“Not today. Maybe later, alright?”

“O-Okay. I’ll see you later in the week, then?”

“You bet.” you wave her goodbye, “I’ll see you around, Spitfire.”

She smiles, and closes the door. You step off the porch, on your way back home. You’re conscious is clear, and the two of you are still the best of friends.

As you prepare to walk home, you spot an interesting sight. Soarin stands not too far away from your left. The moment you notice him, the two of you share a look, but he doesn’t seem to be there to antagonize. Quite the opposite; it's a look of regret. Again, it’s a curious sight. You go to him; he steps away from you slightly, like he’s afraid.

“Soarin?” you wonder, “What are you doing here?”

“You’re….you’re talking to me? After what I did?”

“In all honesty, I should be hitting you back. But you guys have a show coming up.”

“Not for another week or so.”

“Oh.” you chuckle, “That's embarrassing. Well, now I really should have hit you. The only reason why I didn’t pummel you after all that, was because I didn’t want you flying out there with a black eye.”

“You really freaked me out, you know? I didn’t expect you to act like that.”

“Neither did I.”

“Surprise told her everything. Spitfire gave me the verbal beating of a lifetime.”

“Did she kick you out off the team?”

“No. Just if I did it again, she would do the same to me, tenfold.” Soarin looks at you funny, like he’s really confused. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Talking to me, like we just had a slight disagreement?”

“I don’t know. Tell me what you are doing here.”

“I…” he sighs, “I wanted to apologize. I thought it would be harder to do. Look, I really did a number on you, and if you want to hit me back, then go…”

WHAP! You sucker punch him across the face. Damn dude. That was a hard hit. His eyes are widened, his mouth open. He puts a hoof across his jaw, before looking back at you. A little bit of blood drops from his mouth.

“Okay…I deserve that.” he looks almost impressed, “Did you ever consider a career in boxing?”

“Nope. Never did, and never will. This doesn’t mean we’re friends, by the way. You think that apologizing to me, is going to take away all the crap you have pulled in six months? All the insults, all the dirty looks, everything? This only means that I will tolerate you, from now on.”

“That’s fair."

"To be honest, though...apologizing, and letting me hit you...is a step in the right direction."

"Hey..." he looks at you with a smirk, almost in admiration. "You seem like an alright colt. And you can date Spitfire, it’s okay.”

“I wasn’t planning on dating her.”

“What? But…you spent so much time with her! I thought…”

“No. We’re just friends.”

“Shit, that’s why…sweet Celestia.” he looks down in embarrassment.

“We all make mistakes, Soarin. Now, run along. You're going to need an ice pack for that jaw.”

“No kidding.” he nods, “I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Maybe.”

Soarin flies off, onto his destination. That went better than expected, too. Well, everything is back to the way it was, without the antagonizing Soarin, of course. Will you be friends with him? Probably. But for now, merely tolerating him is a good step. Just as long as he doesn’t beat you up again. If he does, you’re more than ready to handle him.

Looks like things will be alright, after all.