Chapter 5: Of light and darkness.
Pulling the blanket back, Clear Joy exposed Sky Shimmer's injured leg, still held stiff and immobile, to aid in mending, the fracture had been quite extensive, but Doctor Helpinghoof was quite skilled, and was able to set it right. She had told him that his leg looked to be healing quite nicely, as she re-wrapped the limb in fresh bandages, and that he should be able to put weight on it in a few days time. Even better, that he should not even have a limp at all.
When her attention turned to his back, he could only grimace, not in pain, but in disgust, at his crippled, now-useless wings. Once freed from their bindings, the charred appendages hung limply from his body, lifeless and grotesque.
He did not look as she carefully unwrapped, inspected, then re-wrapped each wing, but from the sighs coming from her, he could tell that it was a bad sight to behold.
After she had finished, checked the monitors and made sure all was in order and he did not require anything, she silently slipped from his room.
Twisting and turning in bed, Sky Shimmer fought to find a more comfortable position, as he tried to figure out something to keep his mind occupied, away from his injuries and the question of what to do next.
His eye fell upon the hardbound book laying upon his bedside table. Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone. Rainbow Dash had left it for him to read, saying that it had helped her when she was in a similar situation.
Reaching over, he picked up the volume, noting the wear-marks and other signs of a well-loved book. He smiled slightly, noticing the similarities between the daring heroine on the cover, and the mare who gave it to him.
Thinking that it may help to at least pass the time, he opened the cover. Chapter 1 : The Adventure Begins...
It had been a little while since nurse Clear Joy had left the room, leaving Sky Shimmer reclined in bed, fresh bandages now wrapping his injured leg and crippled wings. Before him was the open pages of the book, hie eyes scanning each line, drinking up the words.
When he had begun to read, he did not know what to make of the story, as it simply threw the reader right into the action, no back story or clue as to who the protagonist was and why they were in the jungle in the first place.
Soon, that did not matter, as Sky Shimmer soon found himself drawn into the tale, eagerly turning each page, wanting to know what happens next, will Daring make it out safely, or will she meet some cruel fate?
She dodged the arrows, stepping on some, and did a backflip, landing on her back hooves - right on top of a hole where a spike was about to shoot upwards. She straightened herself out of the way and jumped over it. She jumped on top of another hole, and then jumped again before the spike could have time to impale her.
He was so engrossed into the tale, that Sky Shimmer did not hear the soft knocking on his door.
She kept jumping until she saw a giant slab of rectangular cement start to block off her path. Then Daring began flat-out running, moving left and right to avoid the spikes popping up everywhere. She slid under the block at the last second and stood up facing the recently placed door and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. Daring turned around and took a step - right on another trap button.
The soft knocking came again, a little louder this time, causing his ears to perk up and swivel towards the source. Turning his head, he saw a silhouette through the tinted glass timidly looking in. Why they would be trying to look in was beyond him, for the glass did not provide any visibility.
Clearing his throat, he called out. “It's open.”
Slowly the door slid open, revealing a face that made him smile, Feathersong, one of his oldest friends.
Timidly stepping through the doorway was a light green pegasus with a long white mane. When she turned towards the bed, her brilliant blue eyes widened in surprise and joy.
“Sky Shimmer!” she cried, rushing to the side of his bed, planting forehooves lightly on the sheets. “You are awake! Well, I heard that you had woken from the nurses, but when I came to see you, you were asleep again...”
Concern and worry filled her soft, melodic voice. That was one thing Sky Shimmer truly loved about his friend. Her voice could always ease any feeling of worry or anger just by listening to it's soft tones. But it really shone when she was singing, the melody carried upon her voice would lift your spirits, like a feather floating upon a gentle spring breeze, and her Cutie Mark displayed this perfectly. A music note with two feathers floating within it.
“Yeah, it's kinda funny when you think about it.” Sky Shimmer responded, laughing slightly. “I was asleep for three weeks, you would think I was well rested enough to stay awake for more than ten minutes!”
“That's not funny!” Feathersong scolded, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You were badly hurt! You needed your rest.” Sighing, she looked away, though he could clearly see tears forming in her eyes. “I...I was worried about you...”
Placing a hoof upon one of hers, Sky Shimmer smiled reassuringly. “Thank you for your concern, Feathersong. It truly does mean a lot to me.” This caused her to turn back to him, a slight blush crossing her cheeks. “I did notice you asleep on the couch last night.”
This caused her to blush a little deeper. “W-well... I was worried. I asked the nurses if it was alright if I could stay by your side, just in case you woke again and needed something... Especially considering you have no family here...”
“And I thank you for that. You are always there when I need a friend.” He nodded slowly. It was true, he had no family in Ponyville. Both of his parents had died when he was really young, both caught in a terrible avalanche out one some sort of expedition to Crescent Moon Canyon, near the borders to the Zebra homelands. After the incident, he was brought up by his uncle in Fillydelphia. When he was old enough to make it out on his own, Sky Shimmer had moved to Ponyville with an offer to join one of the weather teams.
When the incident with the return of Nightmare Moon, and her subsequent restoration to her former self, he soon had a new goal. His hopes were that he could hone his skills in flying to one day join the Canterlot Royal Guard in service under Princess Luna.
But now that was a useless dream, crushed along with his wings.
Feathersong saw the look of pain and sadness cross Sky Shimmer's face, and she quickly embraced him in a hug.
Startled out of his thoughts, Sky Shimmer looked down at his friend, a feeling of comfort and love pushing away the darkness. Sighing, he returned the embrace. “It's alright, I am ok.”
Shaking her head, she looked up at him. “No you are not! I know you...” sighing, she looked back down at the sheets between them. “You always do your best to make other people happy, to cover up your own pain and suffering for their sakes. I know it is part of who you are, but...”
Lifting her eyes, she looked right into his crimson gaze. “But.. you do not have to be like that. Not now... Not when your pain is obvious...”
Sighing heavily, Sky Shimmer brought a hoof up to lightly stroke her white mane. “I know, I know... It is just hard for me to do so...” Shaking his head, he looked out the window, watching a sparrow flutter from one branch to another. “I do not know if I even know how to deal with everything. It all happened so fast, there has not been truly any time to figure things out...”
Nodding slowly, Feathersong broke the embrace, walking over towards the window, gazing out to the world. “I know it will take time. But you have to remember one thing...”
Sky Shimmer cocked his head to the side. “And that would be?”
Turning to face him, the look of concern, as well as a hint of sternness, on her features. “That you are not alone in all of this. You do not, should not, have to try to do everything by yourself. I am here if you need me, when you need me.”
Smiling, he nodded. Always the kind heart, he thought. No matter how timid she can seem, Feathersong can be quite strong-willed when needed. Even if she is scared of flying, and sometimes her own shadow! This last thought brought a small chuckle. “I will remember that, Feathersong. Thank you.”
Puzzled by the chuckle, she was about to ask, but thought better of it. “As long as you remember that promise.” Turning back from the window, she cocked her head to the side, eying him. “So, is there anything you need?”
“Well, I am a bit parched...” He replied, just now realizing that his throat was indeed a bit dry. Must be the air in here. Hospitals have always seemed so oppressive to me.
Laughing lightly, Feathersong smiled. “Water it is!” With that, she turned and headed to the hallway in search of refreshment.
As the days went by, Sky Shimmer's wounds slowly began to mend. Doctor Helpinghoof, with the assistance of Nurse-in-training Clear Joy, used their healing magic to aid in the recovery of his broken legs, and soon was able to remove the cast entirely. Though even with the cast removed, he was warned not to put much, if any, weight onto his hooves, keeping him bedridden for a few more days at least.
Though the healing magic worked to fix his other injuries, there was nothing that any doctors could do to repair his broken wings. They remained bound and useless to his back, a grim reminder that the joys of flight were taken from him.
Even though he kept a calm, relaxed and sometimes happy demeanor when being visited by the doctors and nurses, inside Sky Shimmer was slowly slipping into a deep depression. His nights were filled with horrible nightmares, black skies and dark clouds, flashes of lightning and a sense of falling. When he awoke, covered in a sheen of cold sweat, panting, it took a while for his mind to calm down, reminding himself that it was all a dream.. until the crushing dead weight on his back told him otherwise.
True to their words, he was visited every day by his friends. Feathersong would stay and chat with him about her day, idle gossip and the kinds of nonsense that close friends tend to talk about to waste time. Rainbow Dash would join him on occasion, blabbering on about the Wonderbolts, or to see how far into the Daring Do books he was, discussing parts of the story, and always had the next volume at the ready for when he finished one book.
And just like she said, when Derpy came to see how he was doing, she would always arrive with a large basket over flowing with steaming muffins. Sky Shimmer was truly amazed at the quantity in the basket, and was even more surprised when he took his first bite, savoring the taste of the fluffy treats. She was not kidding when she said that she baked good muffins!
Time spent with his old friend, and the two new ones that were suddenly in his life, though he wished he would have met them under better terms, was a nice distraction from his dark thoughts. The random talks, tasty muffins, and sympathy from those three mares, with the visits from Clear Joy, made Sky Shimmer truly happy, not caring that he was stuck in a hospital bed.
But soon after each visitor left, the room seemed too small, empty and cold. The beeping of the equipment, the white walls and murmuring voices from outside his door, was a reminder of his situation. The hopelessness of being a pegasus that could no longer fly.
What would his life be like, how would others react to seeing him like he was now? Was there any point to it anymore, was he so useless now that he no longer could fly? Should he just save everypony's time and effort and just give up and end it? Such thoughts, and others, filled his mind, spinning and twisting, forcing his spirit into a dark hole, with no way to escape.
Sky Shimmer knew of some pegasi who live nearly their entire lives on the ground, but that was a lifestyle choice for them, not something forced upon them. All his life he lived in the clouds, flying was part of who he was, there was nothing else that mattered as long as he could take flight.
Sighing heavily, Sky Shimmer reached over to the bedside table, picking up the volume on top of a small stack of books. All different volumes of Daring Do, thoughtfully provided by Rainbow Dash. At least, when alone and faced with such depressing thoughts, he could loose himself for a while in a book.
Turning a few pages, he found where he had left off, and rejoined Daring Do on another one of her many adventures.
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“There has to be something here! Somepony must have a way, an idea or even a suggestion of what could help!” cried a voice into the dimly lit corridors.
Row upon row of bookcases lined the walls, filled to the brim with old, dusty volumes of ancient Equestrian history and lore. Magical candlelight illuminated the darkness, pushing the shadows to the far corners of the vast library. Though the light was not truly needed, for the one pacing between the rows, searching each shelf for a volume, scroll, parchment, anything that could help, was able to see quite well in the dark. One could say that it was part of her very being.
“No, that's not it.” the soft voice mumbled to herself, as another volume was placed back onto the shelf it came from. “This one would only be good if it was some sort of curse...” with a heavy sigh, yet another scroll was re-rolled and tossed onto a pile. “Is there nothing here that can help at all! What use is a grand library if it does not contain useful information!”
This last ended in a near shout, the windowpanes vibrating slightly, dust stirring from the shelves, dancing in the air only to settle back down onto another area. Looking around the room, a heavy sigh filled the silence, teardrops slowly falling onto the soft carpet underhoof.
A slow creaking sound interrupted the silence, causing the crying mare to turn her head towards the doorway, bright light from the hallway beyond flooded the room, casting deeper shadows and illuminating the distraught form sitting in the middle of the library.
“I thought I heard somepony in here. It is nearly morning, I am surprised to find you in here...” came a soft voice from the doorway. Stepping inside slowly, the expression on the pony's face turned from surprise to concern, as she spotted the other. “Dear sister, what is the matter?”
Hearing the voice caused the distraught pony to raise her head, looking at the figure of her sister silhouetted against the light of the hallway. “Oh Tia! I do not know what to do!” Leaping to her hooves, the younger sibling rushed into the warm embrace of her elder sister, burying her muzzle deep in the soft, radiant mane.
Celestia placed a hoof around the shaking shoulders of her younger sister, worry now etching their way across her face. “Luna, what is it that has you so upset?”
Taking a deep breath to try and control her voice, Luna looked up at Celestia, trying to think of what to say, how to explain it all. “Well, do you remember hearing about that horrible accident that happened in Ponyville the day of the wedding between Shining Armor and Princess Cadence?”
Remembering getting word about the accident soon after it had happened, Celstia nodded slowly. “Yes, a poor pegasus was gravely injured after being hit by the edge of a sonic rainboom and a thundercloud. Thankfully he survived the crash.” Tilting her head to the side, she looked at her sister, puzzled. “Why has this incident so upset you? Ponies do get injured all the time, as unfortunate as that is.”
Luna shook her head, her usually regal and starry mane hanging limply around her. “I know that.” sighing, she thought for a moment before continuing. “The pegasus' name is Sky Shimmer. I have been following his dreams since the accident.”
This brought a slightly concerned look to her sister's face. “Luna...”
Bringing a hoof up, she waved the comment away. “I know, I know. I should only help to guide the dreamers when they are in need, and not meddle in their privacy.” shaking her head, she closed her eyes, a tear escaping to fall down her cheek. “But you do not understand. His dreams are filled with terror, darkness and nightmares, ones that even I am powerless to stop.”
Releasing herself from the embrace, Luna turned and walked between the shelves, hooves making hollow sounds echo throughout the vast royal library. “When I first looked into his dream, feeling fear resounding throughout the night, I learned something about him...”
Not saying a word, knowing that to interrupt now would serve no purpose, Celestia simply followed her younger sister in silence.
Stopping, Luna turned to look back. “He had his heart set to join my Royal Guard, and was practicing so very hard to be accepted. The sky, flying, it was his life! And now that dream has been taken so suddenly from him!” Unable to hold back any longer, Luna openly wept, the carpet beneath their hooves darkening with each drop. “How can fate be so very cruel?”
Sighing, Celestia walked slowly to her sister's side, draping a wing comfortingly around the dark alicorn. “Fate can be quite cruel at times, and not even powerful magic could prevent such a thing from happening. I checked into it myself, the doctors did all that they could to try and help him, but the damage to his wings was far too great for even the most powerful of healing magics.”
Shaking her head, Luna looked up in defiance at her elder sister. “But there has to be something, some way to fix it! There has to!” voice breaking, Luna collapsed to the floor, her heartbreaking sobs echoed throughout the halls. Kneeling down next to her, Celestia tried to console her dear sister.
She has her heart so set on this, she thought to herself. Turning her head, she gazed at the endless rows of books and scrolls. There does have to be something we can do, or somepony who may know something...