The Wardby zeroexev29ChaptersPrologueGroundedOne minute… One Day… One Week… One Year…UndeniableUnbelievableAirloomsPrologueAnother sleepless night… The nurse thought 2 ccs of morphine was enough… …But the pain is still unbearable… My jaw was completely shattered in the accident, I can even make a noise… I can’t tell them I’m still in pain… Even if it was intact… my head would still be fully wrapped in bandages to protect my fractured skull… My skull... “Another inch in and he would not have survived,” I heard him say outside the door the first night. “The wooden shrapnel and nails nearly pierced his brain… Thank Celestia he can even think.” Thank Celestia? Why would I thank her for this… Who would wish this upon anypony… Every night is the same… I wait for the sleep inducing drugs to kick in and knock me out, but sometimes it isn’t enough. Sometimes the pain is too much and I can’t even shut my eyes. Other nights a small sound is made and it wakes me up, by then the drugs have worn off and I must endure the agonizing throbbing sensation throughout my immobile body until morning. Unable to move… Unable to sleep… and the pain never lets up… Today marks one month since I was brought here from that terrible incident… I was sent to foreclose an old barn on the outskirts of Ponyville, just outside of Sweet Apple Acres. I approached the barn and knocked on the door. The door opened on its own, so I assumed the owner was expecting me. I walked in and set my materials on the table in the middle of the barn, and began searching for the owner. “Hello? Anypony home? I’m here on behalf of the Ponyville Board of Housing,” I said as I moved around in my quest for the owner. All of a sudden, I heard a very faint sound… a voice? I stopped for a moment to try to recognize it. I realized it was two voices, but they seemed very distant and blurry, though both sounded feminine. I could barely distinguish what was said except the last words: “Whatever you say, boss,” was what I heard. Silence… Out of nowhere, I heard loud crashes. I frantically looked around, and see wood falling from above. I looked up and saw the ceiling begin to collapse; the support beams were broken and there were at least a dozen holes in the sides and roof. Desperate, I began to start for the door, but did not think to watch my head. A large piece of lumber struck me in the head and felled me to the ground. Before I had time to get up, more support beams fell on top of my body and crushed my legs. Helpless, I began to yelp for somepony to save me, but the crashes of the barn collapsing easily overpowered my voice. The foundation was falling all around me and I laid there praying for it to end. I didn’t think I’d make it out of that barn alive, but suddenly everything went still and silent. I was unable to get up and was covered in debris. I tried to talk, but dust covered the inside of my throat, and I could barely cough let alone talk. I began to hear voices talking again. This time there were three different ones, but the first two from before were a part of it. This time, I couldn’t make out what was being said, but the conversation shortly ended and all was silent for a while. Unable to get up, I hoped my strength would return shortly and decided to rest for a moment. I looked up through the holes in the ceiling and saw the sky. It wasn’t a cloudy day, but something seemed out of place. I could barely make out a figure that was a slightly different shade of blue as the ocean of atmosphere above me. It looked like a Pegasus, only it was headed for the barn. Its shape began to grow, and I realized it was heading toward the barn itself. I could only hope it was a merciful soul who saw I was in distress. But then I realized… the figure was approaching way too fast! Was the Pegasus injured and falling? I could only wonder as it continued its blindingly fast decent towards the barn. After a few more moments, I realized it was a sky blue mare wearing goggles. She was coming in faster, and faster, and faster. All I remember before blacking out was a great flash of a rainbow spreading outward… GroundedI’m being moved to a new ward today… apparently because this one has a bigger window and I could use the fresh air. They say it’ll help me feel better… It doesn’t matter; I’ll still be using a breathing apparatus like I have been since I got here. I know the real reason. This new ward has more advanced equipment, and my specific bed is designed for ponies that will be having an extended visit. They had to use a double ward for all of the equipment, but there is still room for two beds. My wife and kids will be visiting me later today, though. Maybe the little ones will see the move as a sign that I’m recovering. My wife knows better though… and knows I’ve still got a while before I can even get out of these bandages. I haven’t kissed my wife in a month; we can’t even talk to each other… I can’t even look her in the eye. I haven’t held my kids in ages… I miss their innocent touch… being able to make them smile… carrying them on my back at the zoo… My wife had to get a job because my insurance stopped covering my expenses after the first 2 weeks. I can’t do anything to help her… The nurses wheeled my bed, and therefore me, into the new room. When I was position on the right side of the door, one of the nurses opened up the window and took in a deep breath. “You’re going to like it here! The wind blows a nice breeze right into this window, so you’ll never be stuffy,” She said. Then, realizing I couldn’t utter a reply, she gave me another dose of morphine, and they both left. They also left me in a position where I was staring straight out the window. I looked at the torturing view of the beautiful open sky, and how I’d never be able to roam its endless depths ever again. I strained my eye to look at my left side… I saw the cast that covered my wing and the splint that held it down. Then I struggled to look at my right side… but did not see the same thing. The scar was healing quite well, and the fur that grew over the amputated wing was only slightly matted. I tried not to cry because my family would be here soon and I knew that I couldn’t look so upset in front of my kids. I couldn’t help but shed a single tear, but the wind slightly blew and it dried up shortly after… I laid there for some time, as I normally do… “Hi honey,” said the most beautiful voice in the world. My wife and my children walked into the ward. She looked even more exhausted than the last time I saw her… Her eyes were heavy and she walked much slower than usual. “Hi Daddy!” I heard my two little ones shout. My son was the first to approach me; he gave me a Little hug, but knew better not to put too much weight on me, even with the drugs it was excruciatingly painful. I didn’t care though, he was my kid. He spoke: “I start school tomorrow! Isn’t that great! Mommy won’t be able to come with, but I’m a big boy so I’ll be ok!” He backed up and my little filly hopped up next to me like usual. She was small enough to fit on the hospital bed along with myself. She gave me a peck on the cheek, and pulled out something from her bag…. It was a package of stickers… She pulled out a heart and put it on my cast. “Here daddy, this one is from me because I love you!” she said. She then gave the pack to my son, and whispered something in his ear. He picked out a lightning bolt and placed it underneath hers. “I picked this one because you’re awesome, dad!” He said. My wife finally walked up to me. I had the gall to look her in the eye, and saw tears streaming down her face. I was fighting back my own, because crying led to lung convulsions which caused me even more pain. I simply looked into her eyes, hoping she could tell what I’m feeling just by looking back into mine. I wanted to embrace them, tell them how much I love them, so much… But I cannot, not while I’m like this. My daughter whispered in my wife’s ear too, and she pulled out a shamrock sticker and put it next to the ones my children face. “This is mine… because I’m the luckiest mare in the world to have a husband like you” She spoke softly through her quiet weeping. If the casts and bandages weren’t keeping me as still as possible, I would’ve jumped out of bed to comfort her, no matter what pain it would’ve caused me. A nurse walked in the room, “Excuse me,” she said, “but visiting hours are almost up for this ward. I’m afraid you must be leaving soon.” Apparently the new ward had a different schedule from the rest. My family did not know about this, nor did I. “Oh… okay then,” my wife replied. She leaned over me, gave me a kiss, but didn’t say anything. She turned the kids around and began to walk out. When they were gone, the nurse shut the window and left too. My son… starting school without me… growing up without his dad… My daughter… so innocent… so pure… so young… how can she look at me like this… My wife… I finally stopped holding them back, and a pool of tears gathered on the hospital mattress… One minute… One Day… One Week… One Year…I’ve never had a roommate before… My old ward only had enough room for myself, my bed, and the equipment that kept me attached to this world. Not like it affected me… It seems like I’ve spent my whole life lying on this bed… It has only been a month, but the pain makes time move by so slowly… Even when I fall asleep my dreams are excruciatingly long. Dreams… Sleeping makes me forget about my injuries and the throbbing pain I endure, but I loathe sleeping just as much as being awake… My dreams tease and torture me as much as the big window in my ward. So close to being free. So close to everything I love. I’m almost happy… …but then I wake up… I wake up to the pain in my body and the torture that was in my thoughts. I wake up, and it’s still night time. I struggle to look at my clock; what seemed like hours in my dreams amounted to minutes in the real world… The real world… How I long to get out of this hospital bed and just walk around again. My dreams have tricked me into thinking I could walk or even fly… The third night I was here, I fell out of my bed in my sleep – dreaming about roaming Equestria for no reason - onto a cold unforgiving floor… That was one of the worst nights I had… Not to say any other night is comparably better… I fear for my life each night that I don’t dream about being free, but my mind is cruel and never accepts my pleas… Dreams can’t pass my time… being awake can’t pass time… all I do is look out the window that torments me as much as anything else… A few days after my family visited me, a nurse walked into my ward. I figured she was here to give me my dosage of morphine, but I looked at the clock and saw that it wasn’t time yet. She didn’t administer my drugs; instead she walked over to the empty bed next to me. She began to make it and moved my equipment to my side of the room, separated by a curtain. “Guess what, mister?” she teased, knowing I couldn’t really respond, “A nice Pegasus broke her wing this morning and has to stay for a few days. Looks like you’ll have a roommate to keep you company. Good thing too, you look so lonely just lying there all day. Well, she’ll be here in a few minutes, her name is Rainbow Dash. Who knows, maybe you two will become friends,” she said, leaving the ward afterward. …A roommate… Rainbow Dash? I didn’t know what to think about it… But the first thing that came to mind was that that accursed window will be blocked most of the time… A few minutes passed… a few days… a few months… a few years… Two nurses walked back into the room, one closed my curtain. “Sorry, but your new friend needs a little privacy for a moment,” she apologized. I didn’t care… I heard the door open and saw the shape of my doctor through the curtain. He held the door open as I saw two assistants carrying a pony into the room. It looked like a mare, and I saw a wing hang limp from one side… I looked at my own wing… the one that was still attached to me… And thought about what happened to her to cause this. My thoughts were interrupted by the doctor’s voice. “Careful, she’s still unconscious,” He said. I strained my eye to follow the silhouettes of the assistants as they placed her gently on the hospital bed. “Doctor, there are some ponies in the lobby that are anxious to see the patient,” a nurse interrupted. “They can come in, just tell them to keep it down.” “Yes, sir,” she said and left. It was quiet again, so my thoughts centered around the mare that now joined me. She still hadn't woken up, he said… When I was brought to the hospital, the doctor analyzed my nutritional intake, and concluded that I was unconscious for two days before being brought to the hospital… Despite my own suffering, I couldn’t help but hope she didn’t suffer a similar fate. The door opened again and I saw six figures enter this time. The nurse was recognizable by her hat, but I had no clue who the rest of them were. Judging by the silhouettes, they were all mares; about the same size as the Pegasus they just laid down on the bed. The doctor said, “Keep your voices down, we don’t want to startle her.” I heard one of them say, “A’right, thanks doc. We’ll keep ar voices down.” They began whispering to each other, and I couldn’t make out what they were saying. One of them backed out of the group and began to hop around. I saw her shape stop when it faced the curtain. She bounced around to the end of it and poked her head through. A pink pony with a puffy mane that resembled cotton candy looked at me and smiled. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! My friend Rainbow Dash was just outside flying and was all shooom, eeeerrrkkk, zooooom, neeeerromm! It was daring and devilish and dazzling! But then she crashed and we had to take her to the hospital. We as in me and my friends Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight, but it was mostly just me and Rarity and Twilight because we were there when she was being devilishly daring and dazzling and when she crashed and – “ “Pinkie!” I heard another voice shout. A hoof yanked the pink pony out from the curtain, and a Purple mare replaced her. She winced at first after seeing my condition, but then smiled faintly. “I’m sooo sorry. My friend Pinkie Pie likes to make friends and meet as many people as she can. I’m sorry if we disturbed you,” she said. I merely stared at her… what else could I do? After a moment, she smiled awkwardly again and retreated. “Hey gang she’s waking up,” the first voice said. I saw the others then gather around the bed, “Is she gonna be okay?” she asked. “Ohh, I’m so worried,” a soft voice responded “Is her face gonna stay that way?” said the voice I recognized from my unexpected pink visitor. All of a sudden, I heard a new voice let out a big groan, followed by the voice of the purple mare that also greeted me. “How is she, doctor?” She asked. “She’s going to be fine,” I heard the doctor assure them. “Luckily she has friends like you who got her over here in a jiffy!” I knew then that the groaner must be Rainbow Dash. I was relieved to hear she got to the hospital quickly… “How long do I need to lie here?” I heard her say, “I’ve got things I need to do!” The voice sounded oddly familiar… but in the faintest sense… “That all depends on your recovery, but I’d say a few days minimum,” the doctor replied. “You gotta get me outta here! I’m gonna climb the walls!” She responded. “Ooh, just like a spider!” said the one called Pinkie Pie. She quickly faced the doctor, “Did the crash somehow give her super-duper spider powers!?” “Nnooo, nor did it give her amazing healing powers. She needs to stay in bed for a few days.” “A few days? Might as well be a few months! Or a few years!” said my roommate. I was taken aback by this, but dismissed it because it wasn’t her fault I’m like this, nor does she know what I’m going through. Though I could connect with how slowly time goes by in this veritable prison. “It’s not so bad, Rainbow Dash,” said the soft, comforting voice. “Ah bet the chow here if hoof-lickin’ good,” came from the first voice. I wouldn’t know how the food tastes… I haven’t been able to eat normally my entire stay here. My “food” is given through more bags of nutrients and water. But I’ve seen the food, and it does not look appetizing at all. “And the hospital gowns… theyyy match the curtains!” said yet another voice in a shaky tone. “And look! You have a roommate!” Pinkie Pie shouted as she threw the curtain open. I finally got a look at all of the room again. A white Unicorn was holing a hospital gown by the window. An orange Earth Pony wearing a hat and a yellow Pegasus stood next to the bed. The purple Unicorn from before stood behind Pinkie Pie, who had just broke the division in the room. Then I saw Rainbow Dash. She was a slightly different shade of blue as the sky, as I noticed since she was in my line of sight to the window. She had a rainbow colored mane, and I saw her left wing in bandages. I looked at her, she looked back… …Those eyes… That voice… Why do I remember them? This is the first time I’ve seen any of these ponies… …No! I looked away immediately… Undeniable…Of all the ponies in Equestria… It was her… How… why…? …Does she even know… …what happened? …what I’ve become? …what pain I’ve been through? Rainbow Dash turned her back to me, and the other five mares simply stared at her. They exchanged some looks of doubt between each other; then looked at the purple mare, who seemed to be thinking. The white unicorn turned back at me for a moment. A stunning pony to say the least; She gave a weak smile and used her magic to shut the curtain again. I watched the shadows again as the other unicorn ran out of the room. Seconds later she returned with a book suspended by her magic. I saw her present it to Rainbow Dash. “What’s this?” She began, “Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone.” “This is the first story in the series,” her friend replied, “I own all of them.” “Noooo thanks. I soooo don’t read; I’m a world class athlete. Reading’s for eggheads like you, Twilight. Heh, no offense, but I am not reading,” She retorted, “It’s undeniably, unquestionably, uncool!” The other ponies began to giggle, and started to talk about how everypony reads. My thoughts left the conversation. I somehow realized that I was in pain, and my whole body began to throb. With every beat of my heart a surge of stabbing, bruising, and crushing surged through every vein in my vessel. I never became used to the pain, as it constantly changed location and magnitude; which led to my doubt that I will ever recover. But I’ve never felt anything like this before… My heart began to beat faster, which only increased my suffering. I tried to shout, as I have before, but the bandages on my snout and my ripped vocal chords worked against every effort. Trying to shout made my head spin. I stopped and, for some reason, summoned every ounce of my willpower to stay awake. My vision became blurry, nonetheless, and I soon blacked out… UnbelievableThey say that when a pony is dreaming, he or she immediately wakes up upon the realization that they are dreaming. They also say that dreams are a subconscious vision of one’s innermost desires and weaknesses… …I can confirm that one of these is false… I was in Ponyville! I was in the town square! Sugarcube Corner was just down the road, and I could smell the wonderful pastries all the way from where I was. The air was warm, and a gentle breeze blew through my mane. I looked around and saw a dozen ponies out enjoying the wonderful day. I could hear fillies and colts laughing and singing. I heard the local merchants advertising their wares. The atmosphere of the town square was wonderful. I looked up at the sky, my true home. I saw Pegasus ponies soaring across the vast blue ocean of air. The clouds were few and far between, but made the view all the more wonderful. My favorite part about the sky is the clouds; they’re cooler than the other side of the pillow and softer than the highest grade cotton. I turned my head, squinted, and was able to see my hometown, Cloudsdale. I moved to Ponyville shortly after deciding to go into banking. As a lender, the pay was good enough for me to not have to work much. I was able to spend my off time playing with my kids or relaxing with my wife. I met my wife in Ponyville after a few months. She happened to be one of my clients. When we met, she was already dating a different stallion, but from what I heard and saw during their appointments it seemed to not be going well. I’ve always felt kind of sleazy for listening in on the conversations; but when they split up I didn’t hesitate in asking her out. Our first date was a disaster. We met up in front of town hall in the afternoon. She was wearing a beautiful sunhat with a lily nestled in it and carried a small hoofbag on her side. We decided to do lunch; I tried taking her to a nice restaurant outdoors, but it ended up raining cats and dogs shortly after being served. Our food was ruined and we scurried under an awning at a nearby building. After a few moments of drying off, I noticed the building was Sugarcube Corner. We could smell all of the delicious baked goods, which only made our stomachs growl even more. We couldn’t resist it, and stepped inside. As we approached the counter, we observed that there were no other ponies in the store, not even at the front desk. I saw a bell sitting on the counter-top and rung it. A few silent moments passed, but then we heard the sound of hoof-steps and a yellow stallion with a white hat descended the stairs. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry, we’re closed for today,” He apologized. He had a badge on his cap that read ‘Carrot Cake.’ “How exactly did you folks get in?” He suddenly asked. I opened my mouth, but my date cut me off. It didn’t bother me, but I didn’t know I’d have to get used to it at the time. “The door was open, and it was raining,” she answered. “No offense, but that’s a pretty dumb thing to do, ya know.” “Oh dear,” he said, and then began to mumble a bit. I couldn’t catch all of it. All I overheard was “...that girl… never remembers to… been… obsessed… some ticket… what are we gonna do about her? Probably… for a few days-” “Excuse me, I know you’re not open, but can we please have something to eat. Our lunch was ruined because those Pegasus Ponies decided to make it rain,” She interrupted. Then she immediately looked at me, “Oh! No offense, hun. I meant those other Pegasi.” She turned back at Carrot Cake and repeated herself, “but ya, can we please get something to eat I’m starving!” Before he could answer, somepony else interrupted him. “Who’s there, deary?” came a shout from upstairs. “Just a couple that just escaped the downpour, Cupcake!” He turned around and shouted back, “They said they’re hungry but you know we’re not open.” “Well why haven’t you fed them already? Get those ponies something to eat.” “Alright, honey!” He then turned back to us, “For the record, we’re more of a catering company than a restaurant. We mostly just have cake and other sweets. But I guarantee they’re the best in town!” “What do ya have that’s filling?” my date asked, “I’ll eat anything really!” “Nothing satisfies more than my special Carrot Cake,” said Carrot Cake. “That sounds amazing right now,” she replied, “What do ya think, hun?” I merely nodded my head in agreement. “That’s settled then. How much is it?” “8 bits a slice. 30 bits gets you the whole cake.” She seemed to have forgotten that we already paid for lunch. “We’ll take the whole cake; I’m so hungry I could eat a house!” She said. “Alrighty then, you two can go and sit over there if you want.” Carrot Cake pointed a hoof over at a table. We walked over to it; and almost as soon as we got there, he stood behind us with the cake. It looked mouthwatering and smelled like it was just baked that morning. “Here you are, you two lovebirds,” he teased as he set the cake on the table. “Oh no, this is only our first date. We met only a few days ago.” “Really now, from a first glance it didn’t look that way. You seem happy together. I remember somepony telling Cupcake and I that when we first began dating. Wouldn’t you know it; we’re now happily married. Guess what else,” He leaned in close, his eyes were ecstatic. “We’re going to be parents!” he exclaimed. “Oh, wow! That’s wonderful! Congratulations; really!” She replied. I smiled at him too. “Thank you very much. We’ve wanted kids since we were married.” “I love kids; but only when they don’t smell and chew and everything. Oh, no offense!” Carrot Cake laughed, “Oh, it’s quite alright. If you’ll please excuse me, I need to go back upstairs to my wife. We just found out the news before you two arrived. I guess that means you’re the first to know, huh.” He started for the stairs from which he descended earlier; but before he made it to the base of the staircase, he turned around and spoke again. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about the cake. It’ll be on the house. But I never caught your name, miss.” “My name? I coulda swore I told ya. My name’s Plum Pudding!” She answered. “What a lovely name for such a lovely unicorn as yourself,” he beamed and strolled up the stairs. “Thanks again, bye!” she called back. Then, looking at me, she said, “Hmm, kinda weird that he didn’t ask your name, huh. Musta forgot or something.” I didn’t mind; I had a mouthful of cake, so I wouldn’t have been able to answer him pleasantly. We finished our “meal” in silence, but it was more of a romantic silence than an awkward one. I don’t know which I enjoyed more, that scrumptious cake or Plum Pudding’s company. Maybe it was her presence that made the cake so good… AirloomsI sometimes feel like I have no right to complain about how much pain I’m in. It’s always been a personal belief that no matter how hard you have it, somepony else out there is much worse off than you are. However, one day I felt so miserable that I began contemplating what could possibly be worse than having every bone in your body shattered; unable to talk, barely able to breathe. …How silly of me to forget an answer to such a simple question… She invited me over to her home for the first time one day. I remember her saying it wasn’t very big, and she was right. It had only had a kitchen, a bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom. It wasn’t a part of an apartment or anything, either; just a small hut by the Everfree Forest. My house happened to be on the other side of town, so it took a while to reach there. I didn’t really care; I was excited to see her again. Plum Pudding and I had been seeing each other for about a month. I never paid much attention to her physical appearance during that time. She was beautiful, no doubt; but it was her personality that kept me so attached. I was always so focused on her eyes and face and voice that I never paid much attention to her body. I knocked on the door, and after a couple of minutes she answered the door. “Omigosh I didn’t know you were going to be here this early, I don’t look decent and the house is a mess and I don’t even have dinner started yet and-“ I interrupted her speech with a kiss. It was unexpectedly brief; she pulled her mouth away almost instantly. She spoke after breaking up that failed attempt at a romantic moment. “Not in front of my kid!” She snapped. My first thoughts were that of utter surprise. Never once did she mention she had a foal. I was completely off guard, but regained my composure and began scanning the room. Right behind Plum Pudding was a little yellow Pegasus colt. He was playing with a toy train set, but turned around and was staring at me. After the way Plum Pudding reacted, I prayed in my head to Celestia that he did not catch me kissing her. He seemed to not have noticed, for he did not react in any clear way. Then it struck me: She has a foal!? When was she going to tell me? Why didn’t she tell me already? Who’s the father!? I opened my mouth to speak; but as usual she knew what I was going to say just by the look on my face and interrupted me. “Ohmigosh! I never told you, did I?! I’m so sorry! Please don’t be mad, I was going to tell you sooner or later. I know I should have told you sooner but I… but I…” She began to sob. At risk of being yelled at again, I put my hoof up to her lips. She looked up at me, there were a few tears streaming down her face. I gave her a warm smile to show that I understood. I wasn’t upset at all about it, in fact. I was merely curious about the little colt. She cut off my thoughts. *Sniff* “Anyways… This is Spark Plug,” she said as the young yellow Pegasus walked slowly to his mother’s side. “Spark Plug, this is a very special friend of mine,” She continued. The little colt looked at me nervously for several awkward moments. His eyes bolted around as he surveyed my person. After thoroughly studying me, Spark Plug’s face lit up. “Mommy, he has wings just like me!” he exclaimed. “Yes, honey, you already know that there are others like you with wings,” she said; after which she let out a nervous giggle. I guess she thought I thought the boy wasn’t very bright after hearing him say that. “No, mommy, I mean his wings look just like mine!” He said eagerly. My eyes roamed to the little colt’s midsection to examine his wings, which were flared from excitement. I then craned my neck and spread out my own wing. Sure enough, they were strikingly similar in design and looks. In fact, they were nearly identical barring the color difference. I smiled at the young foal’s brilliant observation. He turned around and began to walk away suddenly. Plum Pudding looked from him back at me. “Isn’t he smart? I can’t wait to see him start school. I’ll bet he’ll make the top of his class!” She said and let out a joyful sigh. “He’s right; your wings look just like his. You could almost be his father.” “Here!” Spark Plug called from the other side of the little room. He was headfirst in his toy box, digging around for something. He threw his head up and out came a ball. It rebounded against the wall, but the colt bounced it back up as it descended. After a few moments he was skillfully dribbling the ball on his head. Enough so that he was even able to walk back towards us whilst doing so. “Here, catch!” He said, then head-butted the ball in my direction. I didn’t expect it and threw my head forward, hitting the ball with a decent amount of force. It flew forward and bumped Spark Plug on the forehead. At least it would have if Plum Pudding had not stopped it with her magic. “Spark Plug! How many times do I have to tell you not to play ball in the house!” She scolded. The young foal lowered his head in disappointment momentarily, but then trotted into another room. “Bye, Mister!” He called back. “I’ve never seen him warm up to somepony like that. He must really like you,” said Plum Pudding, “Maybe it’s a sign of good things to come; especially with number two on the way!” I blankly stared at her for several seconds, and then looked at her body. For the first time, I noticed her belly was slightly distended. It didn’t take me long to put two and two together…
PrologueAnother sleepless night… The nurse thought 2 ccs of morphine was enough… …But the pain is still unbearable… My jaw was completely shattered in the accident, I can even make a noise… I can’t tell them I’m still in pain… Even if it was intact… my head would still be fully wrapped in bandages to protect my fractured skull… My skull... “Another inch in and he would not have survived,” I heard him say outside the door the first night. “The wooden shrapnel and nails nearly pierced his brain… Thank Celestia he can even think.” Thank Celestia? Why would I thank her for this… Who would wish this upon anypony… Every night is the same… I wait for the sleep inducing drugs to kick in and knock me out, but sometimes it isn’t enough. Sometimes the pain is too much and I can’t even shut my eyes. Other nights a small sound is made and it wakes me up, by then the drugs have worn off and I must endure the agonizing throbbing sensation throughout my immobile body until morning. Unable to move… Unable to sleep… and the pain never lets up… Today marks one month since I was brought here from that terrible incident… I was sent to foreclose an old barn on the outskirts of Ponyville, just outside of Sweet Apple Acres. I approached the barn and knocked on the door. The door opened on its own, so I assumed the owner was expecting me. I walked in and set my materials on the table in the middle of the barn, and began searching for the owner. “Hello? Anypony home? I’m here on behalf of the Ponyville Board of Housing,” I said as I moved around in my quest for the owner. All of a sudden, I heard a very faint sound… a voice? I stopped for a moment to try to recognize it. I realized it was two voices, but they seemed very distant and blurry, though both sounded feminine. I could barely distinguish what was said except the last words: “Whatever you say, boss,” was what I heard. Silence… Out of nowhere, I heard loud crashes. I frantically looked around, and see wood falling from above. I looked up and saw the ceiling begin to collapse; the support beams were broken and there were at least a dozen holes in the sides and roof. Desperate, I began to start for the door, but did not think to watch my head. A large piece of lumber struck me in the head and felled me to the ground. Before I had time to get up, more support beams fell on top of my body and crushed my legs. Helpless, I began to yelp for somepony to save me, but the crashes of the barn collapsing easily overpowered my voice. The foundation was falling all around me and I laid there praying for it to end. I didn’t think I’d make it out of that barn alive, but suddenly everything went still and silent. I was unable to get up and was covered in debris. I tried to talk, but dust covered the inside of my throat, and I could barely cough let alone talk. I began to hear voices talking again. This time there were three different ones, but the first two from before were a part of it. This time, I couldn’t make out what was being said, but the conversation shortly ended and all was silent for a while. Unable to get up, I hoped my strength would return shortly and decided to rest for a moment. I looked up through the holes in the ceiling and saw the sky. It wasn’t a cloudy day, but something seemed out of place. I could barely make out a figure that was a slightly different shade of blue as the ocean of atmosphere above me. It looked like a Pegasus, only it was headed for the barn. Its shape began to grow, and I realized it was heading toward the barn itself. I could only hope it was a merciful soul who saw I was in distress. But then I realized… the figure was approaching way too fast! Was the Pegasus injured and falling? I could only wonder as it continued its blindingly fast decent towards the barn. After a few more moments, I realized it was a sky blue mare wearing goggles. She was coming in faster, and faster, and faster. All I remember before blacking out was a great flash of a rainbow spreading outward…
GroundedI’m being moved to a new ward today… apparently because this one has a bigger window and I could use the fresh air. They say it’ll help me feel better… It doesn’t matter; I’ll still be using a breathing apparatus like I have been since I got here. I know the real reason. This new ward has more advanced equipment, and my specific bed is designed for ponies that will be having an extended visit. They had to use a double ward for all of the equipment, but there is still room for two beds. My wife and kids will be visiting me later today, though. Maybe the little ones will see the move as a sign that I’m recovering. My wife knows better though… and knows I’ve still got a while before I can even get out of these bandages. I haven’t kissed my wife in a month; we can’t even talk to each other… I can’t even look her in the eye. I haven’t held my kids in ages… I miss their innocent touch… being able to make them smile… carrying them on my back at the zoo… My wife had to get a job because my insurance stopped covering my expenses after the first 2 weeks. I can’t do anything to help her… The nurses wheeled my bed, and therefore me, into the new room. When I was position on the right side of the door, one of the nurses opened up the window and took in a deep breath. “You’re going to like it here! The wind blows a nice breeze right into this window, so you’ll never be stuffy,” She said. Then, realizing I couldn’t utter a reply, she gave me another dose of morphine, and they both left. They also left me in a position where I was staring straight out the window. I looked at the torturing view of the beautiful open sky, and how I’d never be able to roam its endless depths ever again. I strained my eye to look at my left side… I saw the cast that covered my wing and the splint that held it down. Then I struggled to look at my right side… but did not see the same thing. The scar was healing quite well, and the fur that grew over the amputated wing was only slightly matted. I tried not to cry because my family would be here soon and I knew that I couldn’t look so upset in front of my kids. I couldn’t help but shed a single tear, but the wind slightly blew and it dried up shortly after… I laid there for some time, as I normally do… “Hi honey,” said the most beautiful voice in the world. My wife and my children walked into the ward. She looked even more exhausted than the last time I saw her… Her eyes were heavy and she walked much slower than usual. “Hi Daddy!” I heard my two little ones shout. My son was the first to approach me; he gave me a Little hug, but knew better not to put too much weight on me, even with the drugs it was excruciatingly painful. I didn’t care though, he was my kid. He spoke: “I start school tomorrow! Isn’t that great! Mommy won’t be able to come with, but I’m a big boy so I’ll be ok!” He backed up and my little filly hopped up next to me like usual. She was small enough to fit on the hospital bed along with myself. She gave me a peck on the cheek, and pulled out something from her bag…. It was a package of stickers… She pulled out a heart and put it on my cast. “Here daddy, this one is from me because I love you!” she said. She then gave the pack to my son, and whispered something in his ear. He picked out a lightning bolt and placed it underneath hers. “I picked this one because you’re awesome, dad!” He said. My wife finally walked up to me. I had the gall to look her in the eye, and saw tears streaming down her face. I was fighting back my own, because crying led to lung convulsions which caused me even more pain. I simply looked into her eyes, hoping she could tell what I’m feeling just by looking back into mine. I wanted to embrace them, tell them how much I love them, so much… But I cannot, not while I’m like this. My daughter whispered in my wife’s ear too, and she pulled out a shamrock sticker and put it next to the ones my children face. “This is mine… because I’m the luckiest mare in the world to have a husband like you” She spoke softly through her quiet weeping. If the casts and bandages weren’t keeping me as still as possible, I would’ve jumped out of bed to comfort her, no matter what pain it would’ve caused me. A nurse walked in the room, “Excuse me,” she said, “but visiting hours are almost up for this ward. I’m afraid you must be leaving soon.” Apparently the new ward had a different schedule from the rest. My family did not know about this, nor did I. “Oh… okay then,” my wife replied. She leaned over me, gave me a kiss, but didn’t say anything. She turned the kids around and began to walk out. When they were gone, the nurse shut the window and left too. My son… starting school without me… growing up without his dad… My daughter… so innocent… so pure… so young… how can she look at me like this… My wife… I finally stopped holding them back, and a pool of tears gathered on the hospital mattress…
One minute… One Day… One Week… One Year…I’ve never had a roommate before… My old ward only had enough room for myself, my bed, and the equipment that kept me attached to this world. Not like it affected me… It seems like I’ve spent my whole life lying on this bed… It has only been a month, but the pain makes time move by so slowly… Even when I fall asleep my dreams are excruciatingly long. Dreams… Sleeping makes me forget about my injuries and the throbbing pain I endure, but I loathe sleeping just as much as being awake… My dreams tease and torture me as much as the big window in my ward. So close to being free. So close to everything I love. I’m almost happy… …but then I wake up… I wake up to the pain in my body and the torture that was in my thoughts. I wake up, and it’s still night time. I struggle to look at my clock; what seemed like hours in my dreams amounted to minutes in the real world… The real world… How I long to get out of this hospital bed and just walk around again. My dreams have tricked me into thinking I could walk or even fly… The third night I was here, I fell out of my bed in my sleep – dreaming about roaming Equestria for no reason - onto a cold unforgiving floor… That was one of the worst nights I had… Not to say any other night is comparably better… I fear for my life each night that I don’t dream about being free, but my mind is cruel and never accepts my pleas… Dreams can’t pass my time… being awake can’t pass time… all I do is look out the window that torments me as much as anything else… A few days after my family visited me, a nurse walked into my ward. I figured she was here to give me my dosage of morphine, but I looked at the clock and saw that it wasn’t time yet. She didn’t administer my drugs; instead she walked over to the empty bed next to me. She began to make it and moved my equipment to my side of the room, separated by a curtain. “Guess what, mister?” she teased, knowing I couldn’t really respond, “A nice Pegasus broke her wing this morning and has to stay for a few days. Looks like you’ll have a roommate to keep you company. Good thing too, you look so lonely just lying there all day. Well, she’ll be here in a few minutes, her name is Rainbow Dash. Who knows, maybe you two will become friends,” she said, leaving the ward afterward. …A roommate… Rainbow Dash? I didn’t know what to think about it… But the first thing that came to mind was that that accursed window will be blocked most of the time… A few minutes passed… a few days… a few months… a few years… Two nurses walked back into the room, one closed my curtain. “Sorry, but your new friend needs a little privacy for a moment,” she apologized. I didn’t care… I heard the door open and saw the shape of my doctor through the curtain. He held the door open as I saw two assistants carrying a pony into the room. It looked like a mare, and I saw a wing hang limp from one side… I looked at my own wing… the one that was still attached to me… And thought about what happened to her to cause this. My thoughts were interrupted by the doctor’s voice. “Careful, she’s still unconscious,” He said. I strained my eye to follow the silhouettes of the assistants as they placed her gently on the hospital bed. “Doctor, there are some ponies in the lobby that are anxious to see the patient,” a nurse interrupted. “They can come in, just tell them to keep it down.” “Yes, sir,” she said and left. It was quiet again, so my thoughts centered around the mare that now joined me. She still hadn't woken up, he said… When I was brought to the hospital, the doctor analyzed my nutritional intake, and concluded that I was unconscious for two days before being brought to the hospital… Despite my own suffering, I couldn’t help but hope she didn’t suffer a similar fate. The door opened again and I saw six figures enter this time. The nurse was recognizable by her hat, but I had no clue who the rest of them were. Judging by the silhouettes, they were all mares; about the same size as the Pegasus they just laid down on the bed. The doctor said, “Keep your voices down, we don’t want to startle her.” I heard one of them say, “A’right, thanks doc. We’ll keep ar voices down.” They began whispering to each other, and I couldn’t make out what they were saying. One of them backed out of the group and began to hop around. I saw her shape stop when it faced the curtain. She bounced around to the end of it and poked her head through. A pink pony with a puffy mane that resembled cotton candy looked at me and smiled. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! My friend Rainbow Dash was just outside flying and was all shooom, eeeerrrkkk, zooooom, neeeerromm! It was daring and devilish and dazzling! But then she crashed and we had to take her to the hospital. We as in me and my friends Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight, but it was mostly just me and Rarity and Twilight because we were there when she was being devilishly daring and dazzling and when she crashed and – “ “Pinkie!” I heard another voice shout. A hoof yanked the pink pony out from the curtain, and a Purple mare replaced her. She winced at first after seeing my condition, but then smiled faintly. “I’m sooo sorry. My friend Pinkie Pie likes to make friends and meet as many people as she can. I’m sorry if we disturbed you,” she said. I merely stared at her… what else could I do? After a moment, she smiled awkwardly again and retreated. “Hey gang she’s waking up,” the first voice said. I saw the others then gather around the bed, “Is she gonna be okay?” she asked. “Ohh, I’m so worried,” a soft voice responded “Is her face gonna stay that way?” said the voice I recognized from my unexpected pink visitor. All of a sudden, I heard a new voice let out a big groan, followed by the voice of the purple mare that also greeted me. “How is she, doctor?” She asked. “She’s going to be fine,” I heard the doctor assure them. “Luckily she has friends like you who got her over here in a jiffy!” I knew then that the groaner must be Rainbow Dash. I was relieved to hear she got to the hospital quickly… “How long do I need to lie here?” I heard her say, “I’ve got things I need to do!” The voice sounded oddly familiar… but in the faintest sense… “That all depends on your recovery, but I’d say a few days minimum,” the doctor replied. “You gotta get me outta here! I’m gonna climb the walls!” She responded. “Ooh, just like a spider!” said the one called Pinkie Pie. She quickly faced the doctor, “Did the crash somehow give her super-duper spider powers!?” “Nnooo, nor did it give her amazing healing powers. She needs to stay in bed for a few days.” “A few days? Might as well be a few months! Or a few years!” said my roommate. I was taken aback by this, but dismissed it because it wasn’t her fault I’m like this, nor does she know what I’m going through. Though I could connect with how slowly time goes by in this veritable prison. “It’s not so bad, Rainbow Dash,” said the soft, comforting voice. “Ah bet the chow here if hoof-lickin’ good,” came from the first voice. I wouldn’t know how the food tastes… I haven’t been able to eat normally my entire stay here. My “food” is given through more bags of nutrients and water. But I’ve seen the food, and it does not look appetizing at all. “And the hospital gowns… theyyy match the curtains!” said yet another voice in a shaky tone. “And look! You have a roommate!” Pinkie Pie shouted as she threw the curtain open. I finally got a look at all of the room again. A white Unicorn was holing a hospital gown by the window. An orange Earth Pony wearing a hat and a yellow Pegasus stood next to the bed. The purple Unicorn from before stood behind Pinkie Pie, who had just broke the division in the room. Then I saw Rainbow Dash. She was a slightly different shade of blue as the sky, as I noticed since she was in my line of sight to the window. She had a rainbow colored mane, and I saw her left wing in bandages. I looked at her, she looked back… …Those eyes… That voice… Why do I remember them? This is the first time I’ve seen any of these ponies… …No! I looked away immediately…
Undeniable…Of all the ponies in Equestria… It was her… How… why…? …Does she even know… …what happened? …what I’ve become? …what pain I’ve been through? Rainbow Dash turned her back to me, and the other five mares simply stared at her. They exchanged some looks of doubt between each other; then looked at the purple mare, who seemed to be thinking. The white unicorn turned back at me for a moment. A stunning pony to say the least; She gave a weak smile and used her magic to shut the curtain again. I watched the shadows again as the other unicorn ran out of the room. Seconds later she returned with a book suspended by her magic. I saw her present it to Rainbow Dash. “What’s this?” She began, “Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone.” “This is the first story in the series,” her friend replied, “I own all of them.” “Noooo thanks. I soooo don’t read; I’m a world class athlete. Reading’s for eggheads like you, Twilight. Heh, no offense, but I am not reading,” She retorted, “It’s undeniably, unquestionably, uncool!” The other ponies began to giggle, and started to talk about how everypony reads. My thoughts left the conversation. I somehow realized that I was in pain, and my whole body began to throb. With every beat of my heart a surge of stabbing, bruising, and crushing surged through every vein in my vessel. I never became used to the pain, as it constantly changed location and magnitude; which led to my doubt that I will ever recover. But I’ve never felt anything like this before… My heart began to beat faster, which only increased my suffering. I tried to shout, as I have before, but the bandages on my snout and my ripped vocal chords worked against every effort. Trying to shout made my head spin. I stopped and, for some reason, summoned every ounce of my willpower to stay awake. My vision became blurry, nonetheless, and I soon blacked out…
UnbelievableThey say that when a pony is dreaming, he or she immediately wakes up upon the realization that they are dreaming. They also say that dreams are a subconscious vision of one’s innermost desires and weaknesses… …I can confirm that one of these is false… I was in Ponyville! I was in the town square! Sugarcube Corner was just down the road, and I could smell the wonderful pastries all the way from where I was. The air was warm, and a gentle breeze blew through my mane. I looked around and saw a dozen ponies out enjoying the wonderful day. I could hear fillies and colts laughing and singing. I heard the local merchants advertising their wares. The atmosphere of the town square was wonderful. I looked up at the sky, my true home. I saw Pegasus ponies soaring across the vast blue ocean of air. The clouds were few and far between, but made the view all the more wonderful. My favorite part about the sky is the clouds; they’re cooler than the other side of the pillow and softer than the highest grade cotton. I turned my head, squinted, and was able to see my hometown, Cloudsdale. I moved to Ponyville shortly after deciding to go into banking. As a lender, the pay was good enough for me to not have to work much. I was able to spend my off time playing with my kids or relaxing with my wife. I met my wife in Ponyville after a few months. She happened to be one of my clients. When we met, she was already dating a different stallion, but from what I heard and saw during their appointments it seemed to not be going well. I’ve always felt kind of sleazy for listening in on the conversations; but when they split up I didn’t hesitate in asking her out. Our first date was a disaster. We met up in front of town hall in the afternoon. She was wearing a beautiful sunhat with a lily nestled in it and carried a small hoofbag on her side. We decided to do lunch; I tried taking her to a nice restaurant outdoors, but it ended up raining cats and dogs shortly after being served. Our food was ruined and we scurried under an awning at a nearby building. After a few moments of drying off, I noticed the building was Sugarcube Corner. We could smell all of the delicious baked goods, which only made our stomachs growl even more. We couldn’t resist it, and stepped inside. As we approached the counter, we observed that there were no other ponies in the store, not even at the front desk. I saw a bell sitting on the counter-top and rung it. A few silent moments passed, but then we heard the sound of hoof-steps and a yellow stallion with a white hat descended the stairs. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry, we’re closed for today,” He apologized. He had a badge on his cap that read ‘Carrot Cake.’ “How exactly did you folks get in?” He suddenly asked. I opened my mouth, but my date cut me off. It didn’t bother me, but I didn’t know I’d have to get used to it at the time. “The door was open, and it was raining,” she answered. “No offense, but that’s a pretty dumb thing to do, ya know.” “Oh dear,” he said, and then began to mumble a bit. I couldn’t catch all of it. All I overheard was “...that girl… never remembers to… been… obsessed… some ticket… what are we gonna do about her? Probably… for a few days-” “Excuse me, I know you’re not open, but can we please have something to eat. Our lunch was ruined because those Pegasus Ponies decided to make it rain,” She interrupted. Then she immediately looked at me, “Oh! No offense, hun. I meant those other Pegasi.” She turned back at Carrot Cake and repeated herself, “but ya, can we please get something to eat I’m starving!” Before he could answer, somepony else interrupted him. “Who’s there, deary?” came a shout from upstairs. “Just a couple that just escaped the downpour, Cupcake!” He turned around and shouted back, “They said they’re hungry but you know we’re not open.” “Well why haven’t you fed them already? Get those ponies something to eat.” “Alright, honey!” He then turned back to us, “For the record, we’re more of a catering company than a restaurant. We mostly just have cake and other sweets. But I guarantee they’re the best in town!” “What do ya have that’s filling?” my date asked, “I’ll eat anything really!” “Nothing satisfies more than my special Carrot Cake,” said Carrot Cake. “That sounds amazing right now,” she replied, “What do ya think, hun?” I merely nodded my head in agreement. “That’s settled then. How much is it?” “8 bits a slice. 30 bits gets you the whole cake.” She seemed to have forgotten that we already paid for lunch. “We’ll take the whole cake; I’m so hungry I could eat a house!” She said. “Alrighty then, you two can go and sit over there if you want.” Carrot Cake pointed a hoof over at a table. We walked over to it; and almost as soon as we got there, he stood behind us with the cake. It looked mouthwatering and smelled like it was just baked that morning. “Here you are, you two lovebirds,” he teased as he set the cake on the table. “Oh no, this is only our first date. We met only a few days ago.” “Really now, from a first glance it didn’t look that way. You seem happy together. I remember somepony telling Cupcake and I that when we first began dating. Wouldn’t you know it; we’re now happily married. Guess what else,” He leaned in close, his eyes were ecstatic. “We’re going to be parents!” he exclaimed. “Oh, wow! That’s wonderful! Congratulations; really!” She replied. I smiled at him too. “Thank you very much. We’ve wanted kids since we were married.” “I love kids; but only when they don’t smell and chew and everything. Oh, no offense!” Carrot Cake laughed, “Oh, it’s quite alright. If you’ll please excuse me, I need to go back upstairs to my wife. We just found out the news before you two arrived. I guess that means you’re the first to know, huh.” He started for the stairs from which he descended earlier; but before he made it to the base of the staircase, he turned around and spoke again. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about the cake. It’ll be on the house. But I never caught your name, miss.” “My name? I coulda swore I told ya. My name’s Plum Pudding!” She answered. “What a lovely name for such a lovely unicorn as yourself,” he beamed and strolled up the stairs. “Thanks again, bye!” she called back. Then, looking at me, she said, “Hmm, kinda weird that he didn’t ask your name, huh. Musta forgot or something.” I didn’t mind; I had a mouthful of cake, so I wouldn’t have been able to answer him pleasantly. We finished our “meal” in silence, but it was more of a romantic silence than an awkward one. I don’t know which I enjoyed more, that scrumptious cake or Plum Pudding’s company. Maybe it was her presence that made the cake so good…
AirloomsI sometimes feel like I have no right to complain about how much pain I’m in. It’s always been a personal belief that no matter how hard you have it, somepony else out there is much worse off than you are. However, one day I felt so miserable that I began contemplating what could possibly be worse than having every bone in your body shattered; unable to talk, barely able to breathe. …How silly of me to forget an answer to such a simple question… She invited me over to her home for the first time one day. I remember her saying it wasn’t very big, and she was right. It had only had a kitchen, a bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom. It wasn’t a part of an apartment or anything, either; just a small hut by the Everfree Forest. My house happened to be on the other side of town, so it took a while to reach there. I didn’t really care; I was excited to see her again. Plum Pudding and I had been seeing each other for about a month. I never paid much attention to her physical appearance during that time. She was beautiful, no doubt; but it was her personality that kept me so attached. I was always so focused on her eyes and face and voice that I never paid much attention to her body. I knocked on the door, and after a couple of minutes she answered the door. “Omigosh I didn’t know you were going to be here this early, I don’t look decent and the house is a mess and I don’t even have dinner started yet and-“ I interrupted her speech with a kiss. It was unexpectedly brief; she pulled her mouth away almost instantly. She spoke after breaking up that failed attempt at a romantic moment. “Not in front of my kid!” She snapped. My first thoughts were that of utter surprise. Never once did she mention she had a foal. I was completely off guard, but regained my composure and began scanning the room. Right behind Plum Pudding was a little yellow Pegasus colt. He was playing with a toy train set, but turned around and was staring at me. After the way Plum Pudding reacted, I prayed in my head to Celestia that he did not catch me kissing her. He seemed to not have noticed, for he did not react in any clear way. Then it struck me: She has a foal!? When was she going to tell me? Why didn’t she tell me already? Who’s the father!? I opened my mouth to speak; but as usual she knew what I was going to say just by the look on my face and interrupted me. “Ohmigosh! I never told you, did I?! I’m so sorry! Please don’t be mad, I was going to tell you sooner or later. I know I should have told you sooner but I… but I…” She began to sob. At risk of being yelled at again, I put my hoof up to her lips. She looked up at me, there were a few tears streaming down her face. I gave her a warm smile to show that I understood. I wasn’t upset at all about it, in fact. I was merely curious about the little colt. She cut off my thoughts. *Sniff* “Anyways… This is Spark Plug,” she said as the young yellow Pegasus walked slowly to his mother’s side. “Spark Plug, this is a very special friend of mine,” She continued. The little colt looked at me nervously for several awkward moments. His eyes bolted around as he surveyed my person. After thoroughly studying me, Spark Plug’s face lit up. “Mommy, he has wings just like me!” he exclaimed. “Yes, honey, you already know that there are others like you with wings,” she said; after which she let out a nervous giggle. I guess she thought I thought the boy wasn’t very bright after hearing him say that. “No, mommy, I mean his wings look just like mine!” He said eagerly. My eyes roamed to the little colt’s midsection to examine his wings, which were flared from excitement. I then craned my neck and spread out my own wing. Sure enough, they were strikingly similar in design and looks. In fact, they were nearly identical barring the color difference. I smiled at the young foal’s brilliant observation. He turned around and began to walk away suddenly. Plum Pudding looked from him back at me. “Isn’t he smart? I can’t wait to see him start school. I’ll bet he’ll make the top of his class!” She said and let out a joyful sigh. “He’s right; your wings look just like his. You could almost be his father.” “Here!” Spark Plug called from the other side of the little room. He was headfirst in his toy box, digging around for something. He threw his head up and out came a ball. It rebounded against the wall, but the colt bounced it back up as it descended. After a few moments he was skillfully dribbling the ball on his head. Enough so that he was even able to walk back towards us whilst doing so. “Here, catch!” He said, then head-butted the ball in my direction. I didn’t expect it and threw my head forward, hitting the ball with a decent amount of force. It flew forward and bumped Spark Plug on the forehead. At least it would have if Plum Pudding had not stopped it with her magic. “Spark Plug! How many times do I have to tell you not to play ball in the house!” She scolded. The young foal lowered his head in disappointment momentarily, but then trotted into another room. “Bye, Mister!” He called back. “I’ve never seen him warm up to somepony like that. He must really like you,” said Plum Pudding, “Maybe it’s a sign of good things to come; especially with number two on the way!” I blankly stared at her for several seconds, and then looked at her body. For the first time, I noticed her belly was slightly distended. It didn’t take me long to put two and two together…
