> A Colt's Tale
>  by my_little_medic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Awake
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  My hair slowly danced back and forth from the cool morning wind coming from my window.  I realized that I had gone to bed naked, for the cold bite of the morning air caused me to shiver.  Reaching behind my head I felt for the blanket so as to limit my exposure, but it was nowhere to be found.

"Damnit...  Must've fallen off of the bed."  I groaned.

The morning sunlight began peering through my window, attempting to raise me from my sleep by shining directly into my eyes.  I groaned as a headache began to make itself known.  My whole body felt nauseated as it began to reconnect itself with my half asleep brain.

'What a night...'  I thought to myself.  'I don't remember drinking enough to make myself sick.  Wait a minute...!  This can't be my bedroom...  My bedroom doesn't have a window.'

Ignoring the protest that my tired and very hung-over brain was staging, I raised my head off of the ground and forced my eyes open.  Instantly my headache was doubled by the sunlight as the world slowly came into focus.

'What the hell...!'  I thought, blinking away the morning film on my eyes as I took in my surroundings.

As I looked around, I confirmed that I was not on the ground of my room, or in any room to speak of.  I wasn't even indoors for that matter.  I was laying smack dab in the middle of a lush and very vibrant grass field.  The long shards of grass were swaying back and forth in the chilly breeze, reflecting the sunlight off of the morning dew, giving the appearance of being encrusted with millions of tiny diamonds.  The wind blew across my body once more, and I suddenly remembered that I was lying outside completely naked.

Trying to make rational sense of my predicament, the only explanation that I could come up with was that I passed out last night and my so called "friends" thought it would be a funny prank to dump me naked in the country.

'Bastards!'  I thought, frowning.

A fly had started buzzing around my ear and the sound was enough to remind me of my alcohol fueled headache, as well as annoy me as it buzzed back an forth.  Feeling it land on the side of my head, I swatted at it with my hand.  'CRACK!'  Instanteous, the pain threw me for one heck of a loop.  It was as if my head was the baseball and whatever hit me was the bat.  I set my head down on the ground, dizzy from what had just happened.

"Ugh....!"  I blurted out.  "What in the world was that?!"

The headache and the nausea from my hangover decided to take this time to remind me of their presence.  I brought my arms up over my head as I continued to lay with my eyes closed and head on the ground.  Slowly I opened my eyes again.  The world around me was distorted, and I felt like I had just gotten off of an amusement park ride.  Hues of red and yellow surrounded me as I looked around.  Shaking my head a bit, I raised it off of the ground once more.  The red and yellow tint was still present and as I squinted I realized that I was seeing my hair.  

I let an agitated sigh escape my lips as I thought to myself.  'So it wasn't enough to dump me naked in the woods.  They felt the need to dye my hair weird colors as well...  I guess I obviously won't be drinking with that group anymore.'

I blinked as the dizziness began to subside from my clobbering to the head.  I reached up to rub the area on my head before once again.  'Crack!'  The pain from being smacked in the same spot made me wince.  The initial trauma this time seemed less intense.  'Maybe due to the fact I wasn't trying to swat a bug away.'  I  wondered as I shut my eyes in pain again.

'What the hell is going on?!'  I wondered in frustration.

I opened my eyes and brought my hand up to my face.  A feeling of pure panic overcame me and I froze in place.  All I could do was stare at the stump on the end of my arm.  There were no fingers to speak of, just a hard grey stump protruding out of my white arm.  Slowly I lifted up my other arm to my sight, only to find the exact same thing.  

After a few moments of catatonia, I shifted my vision from stump to stump.  A realization came over me as I began to move the stumps around to get a complete look at them.  I squinted and took the two stumps, while facing each other, and clapped them together slowly.  'Clop!'  The hollow sound resonated throughout my head.  I did it again.  'Clop!'

'Hooves....  I have hooves instead of hands!'  I thought as my feeling of panic intensified.

I looked down my arms from where my hands should have been.  My arms were covered in a soft, short white fur that trailed back to my body.  But the other thing I noticed is how short my arms were.  It appeared that they were barely over a foot long at best.  Quickly I turned my head to the rest of me with the panic stricken realization continuing from there.  My body appeared to have shrunk as well and was covered in the same short white fuzz as my arms.  My legs looked the same as my arms with both feet missing.  Having been replaced by another set of the same little grey hooves.  

My breathing had quickened and my brain was a horrible shipwreck of information as everything came crashing in.  'This wasn't possible!  How could it be?!'  My rational thought process screamed.  'A dream maybe?!  How do you explain the pain in your head from where you face-hoofed yourself then?!'

I closed my eyes as tight as I could and shook my head violently.  When I reopened them, nothing had changed other than the dizzy feeling I now had.  I looked over myself, my senses all reporting back the same findings as before.

'I'm a horse...  I'm a freaking horse!!!'  I screamed in my head.

I looked down at my butt and saw a bright red fluffy tail with yellow streaks laid out behind me.  I crossed my eyes as I noticed a bright white fuzzy muzzle that stretched out in front of my face.  Carefully I brought a hoof up to my nose and touched it.

"NO WAY THIS IS REAL!!!"  I yelled out.

My voice startled me.  It was definitely mine but so much higher pitched.  It sounded as if I had gone up about two octaves since the last time I heard myself speak.

'I sound like a...'  The realization suddenly struck me like a freight train.

I quickly looked over myself again.  Noting how short my limbs were, how small my body was and how short my wings were.  I stopped right there, my train of thought derailing, exploding, burning and killing all of the passengers on board.

'WINGS?!  I HAVE WINGS!'

I looked at the appendages with wide eyes.  They were a pair of bright white feathered wings that sprouted up and out of my back just behind my shoulders.  The long feathers that stuck out towards the sky looked to be very sturdy.  While the little ones that looked to be just growing in were soft and fuzzy.  For just a moment a tiny smile came over my face but quickly faded.

'People don't just all of a sudden wake up transformed into a damned horse!  A 'kid' horse at that... not to mention one with wings!  This is just a... a very vivid dream... a dream that was triggered from a night of very heavy drinking.'

I closed my eyes tight again and curled up into a little ball on the ground.

"You're name is Jerry Mintle!  You're a fully grown man of twenty six years!  You were having a party last night with your friends at the bar to celebrate the end of a rough week.  You have sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin."  I said aloud in my childish voice.

After a few minutes I opened my eyes and slowly raised my head up to see the same grassy field.  I looked myself over noticing that I was still the same little white horse with wings.  I could feel the heat began to bubble up from my eyelids and soon the tears followed as they began to run down the fur on my face.

"How...  How is this possible...?"  I asked myself in a very shaky voice.

I laid there with my head down and let the tears flow freely for what seemed like hours.  I finally brought one of my new forelegs up to my face and wiped the remaining tears from my eyes.  I lifted my head and took another good look at my surroundings.  Off in the distance a short ways, I could see a forest that lined the edge of the grassy field I was lying in.  I followed the forest edge with my eyes and discovered that it completely surrounded the grass field.  From forest edge to forest edge, the field could only have been about a half mile in diameter.  I didn't see any power lines in the area, no planes or jet streams in the sky, no signs of human civilization whatsoever.

I took one last look at the ground before thinking to myself.  'Better get up and try to figure this out.  As unbelievable as this seems...  There's got to be some kind of explanation as to what's happened to me.'

I let out a sigh as I began to manipulate my new limbs.  First I put my front hooves flat against the ground and shakily raised myself up into a push up.  Next, I brought my back hooves underneath me until they made contact with the ground.  I slowly raised my body the rest of the way off of the ground until I was shakily standing on all four legs.

I stood there for several minutes as I learned where my new balance was and allowed my muscles to come back to life after I had lied there for so long.  

'Okay, so one leg at a time.'  I thought as I slowly lifted my left front leg from the ground and allowed the others to take over my weight.  I moved my leg forward and set it back down, transferring my weight evenly once again.  Next I lifted my right rear leg up, brought it forward and set it back down.  I did this several times while alternating limbs, only managing to lose my balance once or twice.  I began to count out an almost musical rhythm as my hooves touched the ground.  One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four.  Finally after about fifteen minutes of practice I had the walking part down pat.  

A quick growl of my stomach and a sudden feeling of nausea reminded me of the hangover I was still battling.  Another wave of nausea came rearing in and this time I retched.  The disgusting taste of old rotten alcohol and stomach juices filled my mouth as I tried as hard as I could to spit it all out.  The smell was awful as well.  I needed water badly.  My headache had come back with a vengeance after my stomach had expelled all of its contents through the wrong end.

I walked through the field and up to the forest edge.  I peered through the thick trees into the forest.  It was dark, the trees had grown so thick and so close together that they effectively blocked any direct sunlight from reaching the forest floor.  There was a sinking feeling snaking its way into my head as I took my first step through the trees and into the dark forest.
> Into the Forest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  There was only the slightest breeze through the thick trunks of the forest trees.  The leaves of the trees rustled up above as the wind blew along their tops.  But down on the forest floor the wind couldn't reach it's full potential.  The forest floor was damp and it seemed like every other step I took, I ended up with mud caked in one of my hooves.  I tried to be careful and watch where I was walking because the forest was absolutely packed full of thick bramble bushes and overgrown shrubbery.  

I tried to make a mental map of the forest as I walked through it but I quickly forgot most of what I had tried using as landmarks.  I was trying to find two things; water, and a way out of this creepy forest.  I listened for the faintest sound of running water but all I could hear were the sounds of the forest insects and the birds up in the tree tops.  At one time I heard some rustling from a bush behind me and when I turned around to look a rabbit had come out and quickly ran away.  I slowly began to walk backwards from where I had seen the rabbit, only to step on my tail and trip.  Frustrated, I stood back up only to realize that my white fur was quickly becoming covered with mud and debris from the forest floor.

I kept walking through the forest for what seemed like hours.  Finally, up ahead through the thick trees, I could see an opening with sunlight shining in.  As I approached the area, I was greeted by an amazingly clear blue lake that was reflecting the sun's rays.  There were flocks of birds flying overhead singing merrily and across the lake I could see several woodland critters enjoying the fresh water.  I walked up to the edge of the lake and dropped onto my stomach.  Taking a deep breath, I plunged my face into the cool water, slurping greedily as it soothed my dry mouth and upset stomach.  The wind had warmed up considerably as it blew through my mud caked fur and across the top of the water.

I raised my face from the water, my thirst effectively quenched.  I looked back down at the surface of the water as the ripples I had made slowed.  There, staring back at me, was the reflection of a little white colt with bright blue eyes and a bright red mane with strips of yellow through it.  I must have stared at my reflection for a good ten minutes before my expression slowly changed from that of astonishment to one of sadness and I watched as my ears fell limp to the sides of my face.

"Why has this happened to me...?"  I asked in a sad tone.

Suddenly I brought myself back to attention.  As I looked around the lake, I noticed that all of the critters that were there a moment ago had disappeared.  The birds were no longer flying around overhead either.  As I looked around, I noticed that there wasn't even the chirp of a bird to be heard.  The forest had gone completely silent.

My heart leaped into my throat as I heard a very low menacing growl from behind me.  I quickly snapped my head around to see what it was.  There next to a large bramble bush were two sickly, green glowing eyes.

Fear overwhelmed me, I couldn't move.  I could only watch as the green eyes slowly approached and what they belonged to revealed itself.  A wolf materialized from out of the bramble bush, but it appeared to be made of sticks and tree branches.  This however made it appear even more menacing.  As it took another step towards me it growled, curling it's lips up to reveal it's sharp wooden teeth.  The sounds of the twigs and branches snapping and bending as the wolf moved were sickening.

Slowly I was able to regain some muscle control in my body.  Without taking my eyes off of the wolf I slowly got my hooves underneath me.  It took everything in me to get my muscles to bring me up till I was standing.  The sudden fear had left me so shaky that I if moved the wrong hoof I thought I would end up on the ground again.  I took several slow steps backward along the edge of the lake, trying to figure out how I was going to come away from this alive.  The wolf stood there watching intently.  I took one more step backward and suddenly felt a sharp pain in my rump.  It made me jump suddenly and I realized that I had stepped on my tail again.  This was the signal that the wolf was waiting for.  The creature sprang into a sudden sprint directly at me.

I let out a scream of pure terror with my childish voice as I quickly turned and took off running.  Now I had not practiced running or even given it a try up to this point.  My body had now taken over out of pure instinct and was on autopilot.  The only objective was to survive.

I could hear and feel the wolf running behind me as his wooden paws hit the ground.  I was running blind, trying in vain to put as much distance between me and the fast approaching predator as I could.  I ran straight through overgrown bramble bushes and shrubberies.  They cut into my flesh with their large thorns and left my fur stuck to my body with sap.  However, nothing worked to increase our distance and with each passing moment I could hear the creatures steps getting closer.  

My little legs were burning and I just couldn't get anymore stride out of them than what I was already managing.

'Wait!  That's it!  I'm small and he's large!'  The thought suddenly occurring to me.

I frantically looked around as the wolf was closing his distance on me.  There just ahead was a mass of tangled trees that held a small opening just above the ground.  I really wasn't sure if I was going to fit but it was the best chance I had at survival at this point.  I made a straight line sprint for the tiny opening in the tree mess, I was just going to clear it.  I couldn't tell if I felt the wolf's breath on the back of my rump or if it was just my fear playing on my senses.  I closed my eyes as I ran through the tiny opening at full throttle.

'SNAP!'  The feeling was absolutely sickening and the pain was so intense that it made my footing slip and I went tumbling, coming to a stop flat on my belly.  The pain in my back was so intense that I let out a blood curdling scream.  I stood up slowly and looked back at the little hole in the trees I had run through.  There above the entrance was a mess of bloody white feathers that were slowly falling to the ground.  I looked up at the wings on my back.  My heart sank and my eyes began watering as I saw a bloody mess of feathers and twisted bones.  

'I destroyed my wings!'  Was all I could think.

I had forgotten I had them when sizing up the entrance through the tree mess.

A loud yelp and the sound of snapping twigs and branches quickly brought my attention back to the predator that had been chasing me.  The wolf had crashed face first into the trees.

This was my chance to get away.  I turned and took off at a gallop again, trying to put as much distance between me and my assailant.

The pain from my wings surged through my body everytime a hoof hit the ground.  I could feel warm liquid flowing across my back from my wings and cooling as the wind hit it.  I knew I was bleeding.  The tears were free flowing now, the wind from my running blowing them back along my face.

From behind me I heard a loud howl in the distance and took a look over my shoulder.  The wolf was nowhere to be found.

'Is that it?  Does that mean he's given up?'  I hoped.

But, my hopes were dashed as the familiar sounds of snapping twigs and bending branches came from ahead of me.  I barely had time to skid to a stop as another wolf jumped from out of nowhere.  I skidded to a stop and quickly tried to get my footing back to take off at another run, but it was in vain.

'The bastard was calling for help!'

As I got my footing, the wolf lunged at me.  He came up just short of landing on top of me but managed to bring his claws down on my left flank.  I let out another screeching cry as I felt the claws tearing into me.  I rolled off to the side and dove head first into a thick bush that was off to my right.  The pain in my flank was almost as intense as the one coming from my destroyed wings and between the two, I was beginning to get dizzy.  I felt the hot life sustaining liquid from within me leaking away through the deep gashes in my flank.  I decided it best not to look at the damage yet.  If I survived this bout with the timberwolves, I could worry about trying to bandage myself up later.

I regained my composure and peeked through a small opening in the bush.  The timberwolf was upright now and looking around for his lost prey.  

'I've got some time!'

The timberwolf put his wooden nose to the ground and began tracking the bleeding pegasus' scent, heading right towards his hiding spot.

'But not much!'

I looked around frantically trying to figure out where my next move would take me.  I spotted it about one hundred yards away.  A burrow that some critter had made out of the base of a tree.  It looked like it was deep enough for me to get into and away from any stray fangs or claws.

I took several deep breaths before bolting at a dead run out of the bush and towards the burrow.  The wound to my left flank almost made me trip and go rolling.  The wolf must have cut me down to the muscle, it felt like my back leg could fold on me at any moment.

A deep and sudden growl alerted me that the wolf had spotted me and was back on the chase.

'Don't look back, just go for it!'  I screamed in my head.

I was running as fast as my stubby legs could go and trying desperately to keep the coordination in my injured back leg.  I put the pain to the back of my mind as I eyed my target.  I heard a sudden growl off to my right which caught my attention.  I turned my head to see that the wolf from earlier had rejoined the hunt.

'That's not fair!'  I thought as hot tears began to stream from my eyes again.  'I'm so close!'

The wolf to my right turned and sprang into a lunge directly in my path.  He was trying to intercept me.

'Maybe I can beat him at his own game!'  I thought as I gritted me teeth.

I watched as the wolf slowly came down in my path.  With a mere twenty yards left to go to safety, I closed my eyes and put everything I had left to give into my back legs.  I coiled my back legs underneath me and sprang into a leap, my injured back leg protesting with agonizing pain.  I opened my eyes as I went airborne and looked down as I passed over the timberwolf.

'I did it!'  I triumphed.

I looked forward towards the burrow I was aiming for and realized I was overshooting it by a lot.  I was heading straight into the trunk of the tree the burrow was built in.

'How did I miscalculate so badly?!  There's NO WAY I'm that light is there?!'

'CRASH!'  I collided head first with the trunk of the tree and fell to the ground.  As I hit the ground I landed on my stomach which effectively knocked all of the wind out of my lungs.  Choking for breath and opening my eyes to nothing but blurred shapes and colors, I could hear the two timberwolves growling as they quickly got their bearings and found where their prey had landed.  I stood up as best I could and turned to find the dark entrance of the tiny burrow right in front of me.  Without wasting another second I squeezed into the burrow and pushed myself back as far as the little tunnel would allow.

I looked back at the entrance with my vision blurred and my head throbbing from my crash into the tree.  I could feel the blood oozing down my face.  I had to shut my right eye as the blood trickled into it and made it sting.  I could see the shape of a  timberwolf trying to force his head into the opening.  I curled my tattered body into a ball in the back of the burrow and watched, hoping and praying that they wouldn't be able to find a way in.  

The timberwolf let out a loud yelp as an aggravated growl from beyond the entrance told me that his partner was growing impatient.  A few short bursts of growls and yelps along with the sound of breaking branches and sticks informed me that a fight must have ensued between the two.

'Probably due to neither one being able to eat tonight.'  I concluded.

I listened carefully from inside my burrow as the two of them ran off in different directions.

"Safe...."  I said in an exhausted voice.

As my adrenaline began wearing off, the pain of all my injuries came flooding in ten fold.  It was too much for me to deal with and my brain knew it.  The only thing I remember before fading out of consciousness was wondering if I'd survive through the night.
> Discovered
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  "Twilight darling, tell me...  Why are we here in this dreadful place again?"  Rarity asked.

Twilight turned around and looked back at Rarity, letting out a sigh of frustration.

"For the tenth time...  We're here to investigate for Princess Celestia."   She answered.

"We know that already!  But, what we don't know is 'what' we're investigating!"  Rainbow Dash exclaimed in a frustrated voice as she hovered above everyone.

Twilight stopped walking and looked up at Rainbow Dash.  "Princess Celestia sent me a letter last night saying that there was some kind of disturbance in the Everfree Forest and that she would like us to investigate and report back to her if we find anything."

"Well that's all well and good darling...  But I just had my hooves done and look!  They're getting all chipped and dirty!"  Rarity said in a whiny voice.

"Ah, come on Rarity!  It does a pony good ta get a little dirty every once in a while.  It's a sign of a hard worker!"  Applejack added in with a proud tone.

"Yeah!  It's also a lot of fun"  Pinkie Pie added as she jumped into the air and landed on all fours in a small mud puddle.  "It's all ooey and gooey and feels neat in your hoovsies!"  She was picking her hooves up and splashing the mud around inside the puddle while laughing.

Rarity looked at the pink mare with a look of absolute disgust on her face.  "Well Applejack, I respectfully disagree."  She said in an annoyed voice as she turned up her nose to show a proud posture.  "Some of us are actually ladies and prefer to keep ourselves neat and proper."

Twilight let out another frustrated sigh as she turned back to Rarity with a sly grin.  "You know, the sooner we get our investigation done, the sooner we can all hit the spa."  She said.

"Aahh.  What a wonderful idea Twilight!  Very well, lead on then!"  Rarity answered as she stuck her nose in the air and trotted onward.

The air was dense with humidity as the six companions made there way through the thick underbrush of the forest.  They all followed behind Twilight as she led the way.  After what seemed like they had been walking for miles, they came across a trail of devastated foliage.  There were snapped branches and twigs that littered the path of destruction.  Along with paw prints that had been carved into the mud of the forest floor.

"Look here everypony!"  Twilight exclaimed.  "This looks like a timberwolf trail!  See all the branches and twigs littering it?"

The others gathered in around Twilight to look down the path the timberwolves had apparently left.  While Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash maintained their spots in flight above the others.

"Yeah, but...  What would they have been after to leave such a massive trail though?"  Rainbow Dash asked from her hovering position above the others.

"I really don't know.  Usually the timberwolves hunt in much more open areas than this.  I wonder what they were after that would have brought them through here?"  

Fluttershy suddenly let out a gasp and brought her hooves up to her face.  A look of sadness evident in the mare's eyes.

"What's wrong Fluttershy?"  Twilight asked in a concerned voice.

The pale yellow mare pointed down at the ground next to them.  They all turned to the direction that she was indicating and found a pair of hoof prints that had been carved into the mud.  The group looked down the trail of destruction the chase had left and saw that it was a pony that the timberwolves had been after.

Applejack took a step forward and put her hoof down next to the hoof prints in the mud.

"Why....  It was just a little one..."  She said in a shaky tone.  "Why in the world would they have been all the way out here alone?"

"I don't know, but we should follow this trail and see what we find."  Twilight remarked.

"But why?  You know as well as the rest of us there's no way a foal could out run a group of fully grown timberwolves."  Rainbow Dash said in brash voice.

Twilight turned her sad gaze up to the pegasus.  "Don't you think we should at least try?"

"Yeah...  I guess knowing is better than guessing sometimes."  Rainbow Dash answered in a defeated voice.

They all set off down the trail that the chase had left through the forest.  Before long, they came upon a mess of trees that had been freshly disturbed and noticed a small pile of little blood soaked feathers that had stuck to the ground on the other side.  

"What do ya suppose happened here...?"  Applejack asked.

"It looks like the little tyke tried jumping through that little opening right there and ended up snagging its wings..."  Rainbow Dash answered in a mortified voice.  "Poor little tyke was doing everything it could to get away..."

"Look you guys!"  Pinkie Pie's voice interrupted.

The others turned to see what it was she was pointing at.  The hoof prints had started back up again a little ways away from the mess of trees and carried on once again through the underbrush.

"Well one thing's fer sure.  Whoever it was sure gave the timberwolves a run fer their money."  Applejack said.

They continued following the hoofprints until they came to an area where the prints stopped and it looked as if a small scuffle had taken place.  When the prints were found again they noticed that they became mixed with a steady trail of blood.  They all exchanged worried and apprehensive glances with each other.  Not saying a word amongst themselves, they pressed on tracking the mix of blood and hoof prints.  

After walking just a short distance they stopped where the hoofprints had ended and a small pool of dried blood had formed.  There in the mud of the forest floor was an indentation of two large pawprints and what appeared to be the body of a large timberwolf.  

"This must be where it all ended..."  Applejack said in a solemn voice.  "Poor little tyke never even had a chance..."

Fluttershy landed on the ground and threw herself onto her stomach, covering her face with her hooves.  She began to sob as the others gathered around her.  All of them had tears in their eyes now, knowing that one of their own was missing a child that they would never see again.


~~~~~


My consciousness slowly began to come back to me, but I found myself wishing that it hadn't.  I was in so much pain that I couldn't even think of a word to describe it.  I was unable to move without triggering some massive sensation of searing pain that shot through my body like a lightning bolt.  I was only able to open my right eye due to my left eye being effectively caked shut with blood, sweat and whatever debris I had picked up during yesterday's chase.  I looked towards the small entrance to the burrow I had used as a sanctuary and after several minutes of blinking and trying to focus, I could tell that it was daytime.

'What am I supposed to do now...?'  I thought as a wave of self pity came over me.  'I'm alive, bur for how long...?  What happens when I leave my hideout?  Where do I go?  What happens if I run into another one of those monstrosities?'

I closed my eyes as I tried to search my brain for an answer on what I should do next.  Suddenly I snapped my good eye open.

'Were those voices?!'  I thought as I held my breath trying to listen as close as I could.

"I don't suppose anyone in town mentioned a missing child this morning did they?"  A feminine voice spoke.

'PEOPLE!'  I thought as a sudden rush of adrenaline brought my tattered body up onto its hooves.  I began to limp my tattered body out of the burrow.  I kept my weight off of my back left hoof because everytime I'd set it down on the ground, a searing bout of pain would shoot through my flank and threaten to drop me back onto my stomach.  I crept my way out of the burrow slowly and managed to walk a couple yards forward.  I looked around, my vision blurry, trying to decipher where the owner's of the voices I was hearing were.

"Well, we probably should get back to town and find who's missing a child."  Another female voice said.

I turned my head in the direction of the voices and my jaw dropped.  There standing in an opening amongst the trees were a group of ponies that resembled my new appearance.  I stared awestruck at the group.  Their colors the thing that attracted my attention the most.  Bright pink, light purple, a pale yellow with a pink mane.  It was hard to take my attention away from them.

I watched for several minutes until one of the group spoke up.  "Come on...  We better get back."

I took a step back as I tried to conceal myself behind a large tree.  Unknowingly I had stepped back onto my rear left hoof.  The pain that shot through my flank made it feel like I had been struck by lightning.  A sudden and loud gasp escaped my mouth as I ended up on my rump, tears flowing out of my right eye.

"What was that?!"  A high pitched feminine voice shouted.

'Oh no!  They heard me!'  I thought in a panic as I peeked around the tree.

The group still seemed to be together.  They were looking off in different directions trying to figure out where the noise had come from it seemed.

I took a deep breath as I allowed the pain in my flank to subside.  Thankfully, I hadn't been noticed.

"HEY GUYS!  OVER HERE!"  A scratchy feminine voice yelled from above me.

I looked up in a sudden panic to notice a light blue pegasus hovering about twenty feet above me.  She was looking right at me.

My ears fell to the sides of my head and my eye opened wide with panic.  I turned back to the safety of my burrow which was only a few yards away.  I forced my injured leg down to the ground and willed my beaten body to carry me back to its safety.  I had only made it a few feet when I suddenly fell forward onto my face.  Something had grabbed my tail and was holding onto it.

"Hold on little dude!"  The scratchy female voice called from behind me.

She had me by the tail and was holding me back from my safety.  I could feel the hoof beats on the ground from the group as they approached our location.  I closed my eyes and firmly planted my front hooves into the dirt of the forest floor.  With every bit of strength I could muster into my good back leg, I threw it back at my assailant hoof first.  I felt my hoof connect with her as my tail was freed and I once again tumbled back onto my stomach.

"OUCH!  OOH MY NOSE!"  The pegasus cried out in pain.

I was free!  I had my chance and I took it.  I quickly scrambled into the entrance of the burrow, the darkness welcoming me as I slid inside.  But suddenly I was jerked to a sudden stop.  Something else had my tail again, and whatever it was had a very firm hold this time.  

"NOOOOO!!!  LET ME GO!!!"  I screamed in my childish voice.

I was so close!  So close to safety and now I was being pulled backwards and out of the sweet darkness of last night's shelter.  I tried several times to reach out with my back hoof and kick whoever it was that had me like I had done before.  Only I couldn't connect with my assailant.  I was brought completely out of the burrow and was suddenly suspended upside down by my tail, which hurt quite a bit.

I was flailing in mid air, trying as hard as I could to get my assailant to drop me so I could once again make a run for it.  I started screaming, the hot tears flowing out of my eye and blurring the vision I had left.

"PUT ME DOWN!!!  NOOOO!!!  LET ME GOOOOO!!!"  I howled.

I heard several voices talking but I couldn't make out what they had said.  My mind was a mess of pure terror at the moment and the only thing I could focus on was escape.

Suddenly, I felt someone rubbing my back.  I was full on balling at this point and I couldn't stop.  I opened my eye and through the blurriness of my tears I could make out a pale yellow face that was at eye level with my upside down form.

"Sshhhh....  Calm down little guy.  You don't need to be scared now, okay?"  The voice said.

I had never heard such a calm and soothing voice before.  I tried my best to stifle my sobbing but just couldn't stop.  I was lifted up and the pressure from hanging by my tail was suddenly gone.  I felt myself being cradled in someone's arms.  I looked up as my sobbing had shifted to involuntary sniffles.  I was greeted with the warmest smile and most caring eyes I had ever seen before.  It was if all the tension in my battered body had suddenly flown away and a warm relaxing feeling filled the void.

"Shhhh...  It's okay little one.  You're safe now."  She said to me.

My adrenaline was quickly dissipating and I could feel myself fading back into unconsciousness.  I could feel her pull me in tight against her chest, the warmth of her fur penetrating my shivering body.  I took one last look up into her blue green eyes before my eye shut itself involuntarily and my consciousness wavered.

'Safe...'  Was the last thing I thought before I completely blacked out.
> A New Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  I woke to the sound of someone knocking on the door.  I opened my eyes to the peaceful darkness of my room as I listened to see if the person at my door would give up and keep on walking.  Another round of knocking quickly told me otherwise.  

"Jerry, come on downstairs and get some breakfast before school!"  An older female voice said from the other side of the door.

I let out a groan as I rolled over on to my back and put a hand up to my forehead.  'Was it really morning already...?'  I thought to myself.  I turned my head to the side and eyed the digital clock on my nightstand.

"Damnit...!"  I said out loud.

I let out a sigh as I sat up in bed and brushed the hair away from my face.  Throwing the covers off to the side, I rolled over and switched on the lamp next to the bed.  I blinked several times as my eyes slowly adjusted to the light.  My room was a mess.  Clothes had been thrown everywhere and their were numerous piles of miscellaneous junk scattered across the floor.  I groaned as I brought my feet around and sat on the edge of the bed.  With the grogginess weighing me down like the anchor of a boat, I slowly got out of bed and began to get dressed.  I put on the same jeans from the day before and a clean t-shirt.

Another knock on my door brought me out of my groggy daze.  "Jerry?!  Are you coming down for breakfast or not?"  The female voice shouted from the other side.

"YES...!"  I yelled back in an annoyed tone.

I quickly threw on a pair of clean socks and my tennis shoes before throwing my bedroom door open and heading down to the kitchen.

I walked into the kitchen to see my mother huddled over the stove as she put the finishing touches on breakfast.

"Morning..."  I said in a dry tone.

She turned to face me as I took a seat at the table.  She was a fair skinned woman with dark hair that she kept short.  For being a woman in her late forties, she had aged very well.  Her personality was always cheery and she almost always had a smile on her face.

"Good morning!"  She replied.  "Were you up all night, or did you get some decent sleep?"

I shrugged at the question.  "So so..."  I answered.

She put a small grin on her face as she playfully rolled her eyes at me.  She turned to the stove and loaded a plate with the food she had been cooking.  With a cheery hum and a bounce in her step, she came up behind my seat and placed the plate of food down in front of me.

"Thanks mom."  I said as I shot her a smile.

I had just reached for my fork when I felt her tap me on the shoulder.  I looked up at her to see that she had an eyebrow raised at me.  I could hear that she had also begun tapping her foot on the tiled floor.

"...What?"  I asked.

She pointed a finger down behind me.  I looked down at where she had pointed and saw a fluffy bright red tail with yellow streaks in it, sticking out of the top of my jeans and poking out through the back of the kitchen chair.  I looked back up at her with confusion showing in my face.

"You know your father doesn't like it when you leave your tail out.  Would you run upstairs and tuck it in please?"  She asked.

I let out a long frustrated sigh.  "Why do I care what he thinks?!  The guy's found shortcomings with me ever since I was in third grade.  You know, at one point in time, I used to actually try to make him proud.  I just quit when I found out that it was impossible."

"Stop being so damn dramatic Jerry!"  A rough male voice called from the other room.

An older man slowly walked into the kitchen with an unamused look on his face.  He had the look of a man in his early fifties.  His blond hair had begun to grey around the edges and you could see the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes.  This did not take away from the fact that he was a very strong and muscular looking man as well.

I rolled my eyes as I put my attention down to my plate, trying to ignore my father.

"I might actually have something to be proud of if you didn't try to be such a damn outcast!"  He said in an annoyed voice.  "You've never gone out for any sports, never joined a single club in school, have mediocre grades at best and the people you have taken to calling your 'friends' are degenerates!"

"Come on Mark, that's enough.  Let's just all sit down and have breakfast."  My mom said meekly.

I sat up and threw my fork back down on my plate.  "No thanks, I've lost my appetite."  I said as I stood up from my chair.

My dad quickly moved into my path.

"Sit down and eat that food you ungrateful little bastard...!"  He said in a slow and threatening voice.

I stood my ground as he approached until his face was only inches away from mine.  I saw my mother from the corner of my eye.  She had her hands up to her face and I could see the shimmer of tear streaks along her face.  I focused my attention back to my old man.

"I don't have time for your threats old man!  I've got to get to school..."  

I gulped and inched my way around his threatening form until I was on the other side of him and walking towards the door.  Suddenly I was being dragged back into the kitchen, the pain from my tail being yanked shooting up my spine.  I was spun around by my shoulder until I was once again face to face with the threatening gaze of my old man.  He grabbed my tail and pulled it up to my view, I had tears forming in the bottoms of my eyes from the sudden jolt of pain.  

"What did I say about this!  I told you that I never wanted to see this again and to always keep it tucked in!"  He screamed.

"Why's it so upsetting for you?!  It's a part of me!  Get used to it already!"  I replied, the fear evident in my voice.

The slap across my face that came next made my teeth clack.  My mother was full on sobbing at this point and she ran out of the kitchen holding her hands over her eyes.  My one piece of salvation from this nightmare had run away.

"I wouldn't have to get used to it if it wasn't there anymore now would I?!"  He yelled in a maniacal tone.

I was dragged over to the kitchen counter by my tail, my feet slipping as I tried to maintain my balance.  I turned in enough time to see him grab a large kitchen knife off of the counter.  My eyes widened with panic and I tried to get my feet under me.  With one sweep of his leg, I was on the floor on my stomach and he was on top of me holding me down.

"NO STOP!"  I screamed at the top of my lungs.  "STOP PLEASE!!!"

"You're going to learn what it means to be NORMAL!"  He yelled back, the sound of hatred clear as a bell in his voice.

I turned my head back, tears in my eyes and fear in my chest.  I saw him raise the kitchen knife and quickly bring it down towards my tail.

I turned and shut my eyes before letting out one last horrifying scream.


~~~~~


I laid there holding my eyes shut tight for a few seconds before I realized that I hadn't felt the knife.  I could feel my heart pounding in my ears and my body was soaked with cold sweat.  I slowly opened my eyes to find my vision blurry and my eyelids sticky with dried tears.  I realized that I was lying on my stomach still but there was no one on top of me.  I brought my hand up to wipe my eyes but I was greeted with a familiar 'Crack!'  As my hoof met my face.  

The pain wasn't so bad this time, it was more of an annoyance.  I blinked several times, getting my eyes to clear.  I held up my hooves up in front of me, confirming what the crack to the head already hinted at.  I let out a sigh as I tried to look around through the dark and figure out where I had ended up.  The sterile smell of the room I was in, immediately made me think hospital.  I found that I was laying in a small bed with a thick cover pulled up over me.

I heard a door open from over on my left.  I raised my head up to look towards the door, letting the covers slide down my neck.

"Well hello there!"  A cheery feminine voice exclaimed.

I stared at her as she approached my bed.  She looked very similar to the group that I had run into in the forest.  She flipped a light switch on the wall next to the bed with her nose.  The lights of the room came on, giving way to momentary blindness as I blinked.  I watched as she came right up to the side of my bed.  Her fur was a pure white color which helped to show off her pale blue eyes.  Her mane and tail were a very pale pink and her mane was tucked up into a bun.  She wore an old school nurse's hat on her head with a red cross in the center.  I noticed that she had what looked like a tattoo of a red cross with tiny pink hearts surrounding it on her flank.

"I could hear you screaming from out in the hall.  Is everything all right?"  She asked in a concerned tone.

I tried as hard as I could to actually form words in my head but as soon as I would open my mouth to say something, my mind would go blank.

"Was it just a bad dream?"  She asked tilting her head to the side.

I nodded my head at her as I tried to back myself back under my blanket.

"Ohh, I'm sorry sweetie..."  She said in a caring voice as she reached her hoof up and stroked my mane.  "Those are no fun are they?"

I shook my head while still watching her.  She moved her hoof up to my forehead and held it there for a moment.  A smile suddenly spread across her face.

"It feels like your fever's finally broken.  You were burning up the last couple days."  She said

'Couple days?!  I'd been unconscious for a couple days?!'  I thought to myself.

I felt a cold shiver come over me as she pulled the blanket off of me with her mouth.  I looked myself over, noting that I was once again a pure white, as oppose to the random colors of blood, bramble and mud that I was in the forest.  My shivering body was starting to make my muscles ache.  She began to give me a very thorough exam.  She reached a hoof out to my left rear leg and moved it a bit, the movement reminding me of the injury the timberwolf had left to my flank.  The pain was sharp and it caused me to wince.  The nurse must have noticed this, for she commented.

"Oohh, I know sweetie and I'm sorry.  I just have to make sure that you're healing properly."  She said in a gentle voice.

I looked in her eyes and gave her a little nod.  She smiled and moved over to my bandaged wings.

"Can you move your wings at all sweetheart?"

I looked back at my bandaged wings.  I couldn't tell just how bad the injury was, but if I remembered correctly they had been in pretty poor shape after my encounter.

'How do I even go about making them move...'  I thought.

I had never even tried to see if I could make them move when I first found out that I had them.  I guess now was as good a time as any.  I focused on all the muscles in my back and finally I was able to make my right wing twitch.  I gasped slightly and tried it one more time.  I watched as my right wing moved up and down slowly with a little grin coming over my face.

I let a little "Ouch!" escape from my mouth as the pain from my wing reminded me why they were all bandaged up and my grin quickly faded.

"That's perfect sweetheart!  Let's not overdo it okay?"  She said.  "How does your head feel?"

'My head?  Oh, right...  From when I crashed headfirst into the tree.'  I thought as I could feel a light blush beginning in my cheeks.

I gave the nurse another nod.  I was starting to shiver more which was causing some more pain to step forward from my injuries.  I watched as she came around to the other side of the bed and reached up with her front hooves and did something with a bag of fluid that was hanging on a hook in the wall.  The bag of fluid had tubing that trailed from the bottom of the bag.  I followed the tubing trail with my gaze until I saw that it ended at my left foreleg.  The tubing was securely wrapped to my leg with bandaging.

'It's like this was a normal everyday hospital.  Except that the patient's and staff have all been replaced with these ponies...'  I thought.

"Well, you seem to be healing all right."  The nurse said with a smile.  "I'm gonna give you a little medicine to help you sleep, okay hun?"

'Sleep?  I've slept for a couple days already.  How much longer was I going to be like this?'  I wanted to protest.  To tell her that there were other places I needed to be.  But, I just couldn't get any words to come out.

I nodded my head at the caring nurse as another bout of shivering came over me.  She noticed it this time.

"Oh I'm sorry sweetheart...  I didn't realize you were so cold."  She said as she trotted over to a shelf in the corner of the room.  

Using her mouth she grabbed a folded blanket from it and trotted back over to my bed.  In one fluid motion of her head she tossed the blanket over me.  It unfolded in mid air and came to rest on top of me.

"There you are sweetie!"  She said in her cheery tone.

I managed a smile at the nurse.  After all she seemed so friendly and was really doing a lot to make sure I was comfortable.  She returned the smile before trotting back over to the other side of the bed.  I watched as she opened a drawer in one of the cabinets with her mouth and reached inside it.  She pulled out a small syringe that was filled with a bright orange medicine and walked back over to the bag of fluid on the wall.  I watched as she turned her back to me and somehow injected the medicine into the bag.  She turned back to me and once again started stroking my mane with her hoof.

"Okay sweetheart, now I want you to try and get some more sleep.  Young foals need their rest if they're gonna get better and be able to play with the others again right?"

It should have been the most annoying thing in the world, being talked to like that.  But for some reason I couldn't even get a little bit frustrated about it.  It just felt so wonderful to have someone so caring and sweet watching over you.  The way she was talking to me had brought back pleasant memories of my mother.  Memories of when she used to take care of me when I was sick or hurt.

I gave the nurse another little nod and I laid my head down on my hooves.  She slowly walked over to the wall and flipped the light switch, bringing night time back to the room.  I could feel the medicine she gave me working it's way through my veins and up into my head.  My eyes were becoming very heavy and I could feel all of my muscles relaxing and slowly becoming numb.

"Goodnight little one."  She said in a hushed voice as she began to walk out the door.  

A little smile crossed my face as I closed my eyes.

"...Goodnight..."  I answered in a cracked voice.
> Answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Dear Princess Celestia,

After searching the Everfree Forest for the last two days, we haven't found anything out of the ordinary.  We've searched from the edge of the forest near Ponyville all the way to the castle ruins in the center.  Nothing appears different with the forest and none of the animals seem to be acting any differently.  However, we did find a little pegasus colt all by himself in the forest.  The little guy was in pretty rough shape.  It looked like he had a nasty run in with the timberwolves.  We took him to the Ponyville Hospital where he was admitted into the foals wing.  We asked around town and no one in Ponyville or around the area is reporting any missing children.  It seems strange that a colt would end up by himself in the Everfree Forest but perhaps there's more to the story.  Some of us are planning on visiting him later today to see how he's healing up and to see if we can figure out where his parents are.  I hope this letter puts your mind at ease over the disturbances you've been sensing in the Everfree Forest.

Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle

A knock on the door brought Twilight Sparkle back to her senses.  She magically set her quill down on the table and opened the door.

"Oh!  Hi Applejack, hi Applebloom!"  She said with a smile.

"Hey there Twilight!  We finished up our chores early today and thought we'd see if you wanted ta head up ta Ponyville Hospital and check in on that little pegasus we found."  Applejack said.

"Yeah!  I brought some fresh apples for him from our farm!"  Applebloom said enthusiastically as she turned and showed off her bulging saddlebag.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the little filly.  "You think he's gonna be able to eat all those?"

"Of course!  No one knows how long he was out there in the forest by himself right?  So who knows when the last time he had something good ta eat was."  Applebloom added.

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes.  "Sure I'll go with you.  Give me just a minute to finish up my letter to the princess."  She said as she magically rolled up the letter and slid a seal onto it.

"Where's Spike at?  Doesn't he normally do that fer ya?"  Applejack asked.

"I sent him into town to run some errands for me.  He'll be back a little later today."  Twilight replied as she magically set the letter down in a basket labeled 'Spike.'

The three of them left Twilight's library and headed through town to the Ponyville Hospital.  As they crossed through the market area of town, they came across Fluttershy who was looking over different herbs that one of the vendors was selling.

"Hi Fluttershy!"  Twilight said as they approached the shy mare.

"Oh...  Hi girls.  I was just looking for some different herbs to expand my tea garden."  Fluttershy replied.

"You wanna come with us Fluttershy?  We're gonna go see that little pegasus ya'll rescued from the Everfree Forest."  Applebloom said.

"Oh...  Well...?"  She replied while looking up and tapping a hoof to her chin.  "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see how he's doing."

"Great!  C'mon ya'll!  Let's get going!"  Applebloom exclaimed excitedly.

The four ponies continued their short walk through town before ending at the hospital.  The doors of the hospital opened automatically to let the group in.  The usual white colored mare with her pink bunned' mane stepped up to the front desk.  A smile showed on her face as she recognized three of the ponies that brought the little injured colt into the hospital a couple days ago.

"Hello ladies!  Have you come to check up on the little one you brought to us?"  She said in a cheery tone.

"If that's all right with you."  Twilight responded.

"Of course!  He woke up this morning and has been really quiet all day.  I think some visitors is just what he needs."  The cheery nurse said.  "Follow me, I'll take you to his room."

The nurse turned and walked a short ways down the hall with the others following behind her.  She pushed open a set of double doors that had several colorful paintings of animals and birds on them.  Above the doors, the group noticed a sign that acknowledged this was the foal's wing of the hospital.  The nurse stopped just outside of an open doorway into one of the rooms.

"You have some visitors sweetheart!"  The nurse said cheerily to the occupant.


~~~~~


The medicine the nurse gave me had worked, and I had slept through the night.  I slowly opened my eyes and let out a huge yawn.  The sun was up and beaming a bright yellow glow into the hospital room through the only window.  It was definitely morning.  I shook the loose hair from my mane out of my eyes and stretched my front legs forward.  I noticed that the tubing from my left foreleg had been removed and there was just a small wrap of bandaging where it had been.  I looked around the room, noticing all the different paintings on the walls and ceiling.

'I'm definitely in a children's hospital.'  I thought to myself.

There were paintings of dragons and different kinds of animals.  But, the thing that attracted my attention the most was the painting of a bright red and yellow bird that was on the wall next to the window.  It was such a majestic and powerful looking animal.  It's wings reminded me of flames and it looked as if you'd get burnt if you reached out and touched it.

My thoughts were cut short as I heard the door to my room open.  The same sweet nurse from last night came in and she was pushing a cart with her head.  She pushed the cart up to the side of my bed before looking up at me with her warm smile.  

"It's good to see you awake."  She said in her cheery voice.  "Feeling any better?"

I looked to my bandaged flank and wings before looking back to her and giving a little nod.

"Good!  The doctor will be in a little later today to see you and ask how you're feeling.  Until then I'd like you to try and eat something.  Okay sweetie?"

I shot her a shy smile and nodded as she turned and merrily trotted out of my room, leaving the door open.  It was no surprise that I was absolutely starving.  I hadn't eaten anything since I woke up in this place.  I slid over to the food tray that was on top of the cart the nurse had brought in.  A look of confusion spread across my face as I looked down at the strange food she wanted me to eat.

On one of the plates, there was a small pile of green pureed mush that looked like pond scum.  Another plate held a sandwich which, using one of my hooves, I lifted up the top piece of bread.  The inside was filled with assorted flowers and what looked like grass.  I sighed as I set the piece of bread back down.  The last plate held a couple of, what looked like, chocolate chip cookies.  Raising an eyebrow, I grabbed one of the cookies in my teeth and brought it in between my hooves.  I took a bite and it tasted wonderful.  It was soft like it had just come out of the oven at a bakery.  With a few more bites it was gone.  I grabbed the other one and finished it off as quick as the first.

My stomach growled slightly.  I was still hungry but I couldn't bring myself to eat the nasty looking green mush or the weird flower sandwich.  I took another look at the painting of the bright red and yellow bird on the wall.  I found myself wondering what kind of bird it was.  I had never seen anything like it before.

My attention wavered from the bird on the wall and I began to visually explore my surroundings a bit more in depth.  There was a bookshelf built into the wall on the other side of the room.  It was mostly empty except for some stray decorations and a few books on the bottom shelves that were laying on their backs.

'Was I able to get out of bed?'  I wondered.  'What the hell...  I am an adult after all.'  I concluded.

I turned myself in the bed so my back legs were dangling off of the edge.  Slowly I slid my self down to the floor.  I tried to keep my front hooves dug into the mattress of the bed as I slid but quickly found that this wasn't working.  'Thump!'  I landed on my rear on the floor.  A quick and sharp pain shot through my left flank as I landed.  I stifled a scream as I let the pain die back down.   I stood back up on all fours and limped the short distance to the bookshelf.

'These are all books meant for children.'  I thought as I looked at the colorful and picturesque covers.

I pushed the books aside one by one as I read the titles until I found one that caught my attention.  'The Founding of Equestria; A Guide for the Young.'

I raised my head with a sudden realization.

"Equestria...?!"  I said out loud, announcing my confusion.

I pulled the book off of the shelf and onto the floor.  Carefully I opened up the book with my teeth and plopped back down on my stomach as I started reading.  The book talked about three different tribes of ponies.  They were earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi.  The earth ponies were blessed with strength and the knowledge of the ground.  They knew how to make plants and crops grow plentiful to keep themselves and the members of the other tribes from hunger.  The unicorns were blessed with the gift of magic and would bring forth night and day.  Finally, the pegasi were responsible for bringing forth the rain and sunshine that the crops needed to grow and thrive.  Their bodies were light and their wings allowed them to fly and manipulate the clouds.

'Unicorns...?!  Pegasi...?!  Magic?!'  I thought as I tried to wrap my mind around this concept.  'So... magic is real here... ?'

My head started to hurt as I tried to rationalize all of this.  I stuck my nose back into the book and continued reading.  I learned about the three tribes' falling out with one another and the devastating winter storm that ensued.  However, when the three tribes came together in friendship it ended the storm and allowed the land to thaw and return to life.  The three tribes named the land Equestria and vowed to work together in friendship to help each other survive and prosper.  Soon after the three tribes had founded the new land, two royal sisters stepped forward and revealed themselves.  They made an agreement with the inhabitants of the land that they would use their magical powers to bring forth the day and night.  As well as to help keep peace and harmony prevalent and to banish away any that would seek to harm their subjects.  The inhabitants of Equestria rejoiced and celebrated their new rulers by making banners and shrines to honor them in their towns and homes.

I took a deep breath as I closed the book with my teeth.  "Wow...!"  I said.

I really didn't know what to believe at this point.  My mind was an absolute mess now.  I stood back up on all fours and kicked the book back on the shelf.  I turned to make my way back to the bed but another book suddenly caught my attention.  I put a hoof on the cover and dragged it off the shelf in front of me.  Their on the cover was a picture of a bright fiery looking bird.  I took a glance up at the picture on the wall and then back down to the one on the book's cover.  They were almost the exact same.  After a few minutes of staring at the cover I looked up at the title.

"Magical Creatures of Equestria."  I read out loud.

I opened the book with my teeth and started reading.  Each page had a picture of a creature with a description of them on the page after.  There were minotaurs, big burly muscular bull looking creatures that walked upright on two legs.  Griffons, creatures with the rear body of a lion and front body and head of an eagle that can fly.

'Creatures that were only things of myth back in my world are supposedly real, living and thriving beings here.'  I thought as I read on dumbfoundedly.

I turned the page and without even thinking blurted out.  "DRAGONS...!  DRAGONS ARE REAL HERE!!!"

My eyes were huge and my jaw was on the floor.  I quickly turned the page before reading any more on that topic.  No way my brain could comprehend that at the moment.  I shut my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before focusing once more on the book.  I tilted my head to the side as a picture of a bright red and yellow bird greeted me on the page.

I eagerly read the information on the page out loud.  "Phoenix; a fiery bird known for its bright red and yellow coloring.  The phoenix is a creature that many experts know little about.  It is a fierce protector of its young and others of its own kind.  When reaching the end of its lifespan, the phoenix will burst into flame until there is nothing left but a pile of ashes.  The phoenix is then magically reborn anew from the ashes and its lifespan starts over.  This makes the phoenix's actual lifespan impossible to determine, or even to determine if a phoenix ever actually dies."

I turned my attention back to the picture on the other page as a small grin came across my face.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted and I jumped as I heard a voice in the doorway.

"You have some visitors sweetheart!"  The nurse exclaimed.

I stood up and limped over to the bed, peeking around the corner at the nurse pony.

Her eyes narrowed and her cheery smile faded a bit as she noticed me on the floor.

"Now what do you think you're doing out of bed?"  She said in stern voice.

My ears drooped and I let my gaze fall to my hooves.  I was in trouble and I had no idea what to say or even how to react.  I looked back up at the nurse and I could feel my cheeks getting hot as I started to blush through my white fur.  What made it worse was that standing behind her were several other ponies that had just witnessed me getting into trouble.

The nurse walked over to the tray that she had pushed in earlier on the cart.

"Tch!  I see you ate the cookies but didn't touch any of the other food here!  I can't say I'm surprised at that but you really should try eating some actual food instead of just sweets."  The nurse commented in an annoyed voice.  "Now come on, back into bed!"

I limped my way from around the bed over to the side that the nurse was standing at.  I took a quick peek to the doorway and saw that they were all watching as I was getting scolded.

'This is so embarassing.'  I thought as I felt my face getting hotter.  'I should just tell her no and leave.  But, I guess the chances of them letting a child do that are pretty slim...'

I let out a sigh as I stood up on my hind legs and put my front hooves on the top of the bed.  I began to try and lift myself up when I suddenly felt the nurse put her head underneath my rump and lift me up onto the bed.  I took a light tumble onto the matress and landed softly on my stomach.

'Oh the humilities just keep on coming...'  I thought as I stood up and turned to face the nurse.

"There you go!  Now enjoy your company and make sure you try and eat some more of your food okay sweetie?"  The nurse said, her warm smile and cheery tone returning.

I simply gave her a little nod to acknowledge her.  She then turned, nodded at the others, and trotted out of the room.

The other ponies at the door all slowly walked into the room.  It looked like there were three adults and a smaller pony that was about my size.  Suddenly, something caught my attention.  One of the ponies, a purple mare with a deep purple mane and tail that had a pink stripe through it, had a horn protruding out of the top of her head.  I couldn't take my eyes off of it.  My thoughts began wandering back to the book I had read about unicorns and being able to do magic.

"Umm... Hi there?"  The purple mare stated.

I was brought out of my trance and met her gaze.

'Crap!  How long had I been staring?'  I wondered.

I tried forming words in my head once again but the only thing I was able to spit out was.  "...Magic?"

The purple mare looked at the mare next to her, a very muscular looking brown mare with a blonde mane and tail that was wearing a cowboy hat.  The brown mare shrugged before they both turned their attention back to me.

"Uh, yes, I can do magic."  She answered.

I tilted my head at the purple mare and tried once again to form words in my head that I would try and speak, but nothing would come to me.  

The brown mare looked back at the purple mare and motioned her head forward as if pointing something out.  The purple mare gave her a small nod and a smile.  I watched without blinking as the purple mare's horn began to glow a pale lavender.  Soon something from the corner of my eye caught my attention.  Down in front of the three adult ponies stood a peach colored filly that had a fluffy red tail and mane with a red bow tied into it.  She was wearing a small saddlebag that looked like it was completely stuffed to bursting.  An apple came floating out of the fillies' saddlebag.  It was enveloped in the same lavender glow that the mare's horn was emitting.  The apple came floating up to the food tray and landed upright on the empty cookie plate.

For the second time today my jaw had metaphorically ended up on the floor.  There was the answer to my question I had asked myself earlier.

'Magic is real!'  I screamed in my head.  

I dropped down onto my rump and sat there staring at the apple with an open mouth.

"Ya know what?"  The brown mare asked, breaking up the uncomfortable silence that was falling over the room.  "Maybe introductions are in order."

I broke my stare with the apple and looked over at the brown mare.  She spoke with a very thick southern accent, which fit her appearance perfectly.

"I'm Applejack!"  She said proudly as she pointed a hoof at herself.

She motioned toward the purple mare next.  "This is Twilight Sparkle."  

The purple mare crossed her hooves and gave what looked like a small bow.

She pointed a hoof at the pale yellow mare next.  "This here is Fluttershy."

The yellow mare cast a shy gaze at the ground and tapped the tip of a hoof on the floor uncomfortably  She had a pale pink mane and tail and, as I squinted, I noticed she had wings which matched her fur that she kept tucked to her sides.  There was also something very familiar about her, but I just couldn't figure out what it was.

"An this here is my lil' sis' Applebloom!"  She said pointing a hoof at the little filly in front of her, who was sporting a very toothy grin as she was introduced.

I tried to return the smile but found my thoughts wandering and shifting my gaze between the group.

'Pegasus, unicorn and unless she's hiding a horn under her hat, she's got to be an earth pony.'  I thought.

Here they all were.  The members of the three tribes that the book I read had talked about.  

"Aren't you gonna tell us your name?"  A childish voice said.

I looked down at the little filly and noticed that she had a hurt look on her face.  I must have been staring again.  I certainly wasn't making any effort to intentionally ignore them.

I opened my mouth to speak finally.  "I'm Je......."  I stopped abruptly.  

A sudden realization had hit me.

'Applejack, Applebloom, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy.....  There's no way that Jerry Mintle is going to pass for any kind of "acceptable" name here.'  I thought to myself.

I started to panic a bit.  I looked around for some kind of answer.  Aware that my abrupt silence was causing the elephant in the room to grow bigger.  The others were starting to exchange awkward glances with each other.  I turned my head back towards my body and took a deep breath trying to collect my thoughts.  I noticed my tail as it stretched out behind me.  The bright red with the small streaks of yellow captivating my gaze.

'Wait!  That's it!'  I let out a tiny gasp as the thought came to me.

I turned back to the painting of the brightly colored phoenix on the wall.  It's colors matched the ones in my mane and tail perfectly.  Plus, it was a bird and I was a pegasus after all.  It had to be the perfect match!  I turned my attention back to the small crowd in my room with a small smile.

"Uh... I'm... Phoenix..."  I said in a shy voice.

"Wait, what was it again?"  Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.

I let my gaze drop a bit and I could feel the heat building in my cheeks again.

"Ummm..... Phoenix..."  I said once more.

The group exchanged glances with each other before each of them turned their attention back to me smiling.  

"Phoenix huh?  Well that's a mighty fine name!"  Applejack said.

I jumped slightly as Applebloom jumped up on the bed next to me, leaving her saddlebag laying on the floor.  She reached over and grabbed one on my hooves with her own and shook it.

"It's a pleasure ta meet ya Phoenix!"  The little filly said with a warm smile on her face.
> A Place to Stay
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  I looked up and noticed that Twilight was whispering something to Applejack.  She said something into the brown mare's ear and Applejack replied with a nod.  Twilight jumped a bit as she turned and noticed that I had been watching her.  An uncomfortable smile spreading over her face as she took a couple steps closer to the bed.

"So Phoenix... what were you doing out in the Everfree Forest all by yourself?"  She asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

'Crap... what do I say here?!'  I wondered.  

I knew this was going to come up but hadn't had time to think about what I was going to say.  I let my gaze drop to my hooves as I tried to think of what my answer should be.  The truth was always the easiest thing to remember but what was the truth?  I really had no idea how or why I ended up here, nevermind the fact that I was a little winged colt.

"I...really don't know..."  I said as I raised my gaze back to meet hers.  "I just kind of woke up there..."

It wasn't a lie, and it was the only truth that I had after all.  She exchanged a worried glance with the other two before looking back at me.

"So then, where are your parents?"  She asked.

I let out a sigh as I once again dropped my gaze.  Another question that I should have been prepared for.  After all, I was just a child in this new place.  I should have realized that it would be only a matter of time before someone asked where my caregivers were.

"They're gone..."  I said in a solemn tone.

There were several seconds of a very uncomfortable silence that filled the room.  

"Wha...What do ya mean gone?"  A childish voice said, breaking the silence.

I turned my head only to be met with Applebloom's sad and tearing eyes.  The little filly obviously knew what I meant but it seemed she was hoping that what I said carried a different meaning.

I turned my head back down to look at my hooves once again.

"....You know what I mean..."  I answered in a hollow tone.

Suddenly, I could feel I was being squeezed.  Applebloom had wrapped her forelegs around my neck and was giving me a huge hug.  I turned my head in her grasp until I was looking at her.  Her eyes were closed and she had tears flowing down her cheeks, dampening the peach colored fur of her face.  I felt the heat building up in my eyes and could feel the tears were soon to follow.

'Damnit!  She's making me cry now!'  I thought in frustration.

I shut my eyes as I tried to stifle my tears but it didn't do any good.  I pushed Applebloom away from me and dropped onto my stomach.  Quickly I buried my face in my hooves as I started sobbing.

'It's been three years since mom passed away.  Why am I so sad about it all of a sudden...?!'

My sobbing was interrupted as I felt a hoof gently stroking my back.  I looked up from my hooves to see a familiar pale yellow face.  She was standing next to my bed and had such a warm and caring look on her face.  Her blue-green eyes full of the tender love that only a caring friend or relative should possess.

"There there..."  She said as she came close and nuzzled the side of my face.  A sudden blush had sprung up from my cheeks as I felt the fur from her face brushing against mine.  It felt wonderful, like I was a child that had dropped my ice cream cone and my mother was there to console me and tell me that everything was all right.

'Wait!  That voice!  I know that voice!'  I thought as I began to recall my memories in the forest.  I knew why she looked so familiar now.  She was the one in the forest that had calmed and cradled me.  In my moment of absolute terror, she had been the one to soothe my tattered nerves and allow my overabundance of adrenaline to dissipate.

"Were you the one that picked me up in the Forest?"  I asked in a shaky voice.

"Heh!  You kidding?!"  Applejack chimed in.  "Fluttershy here carried ya all the way ta the hospital."

I could see that she was beginning to blush through her pale yellow fur.  I sat back up on my rump and used my front foreleg to wipe the tear trails from my face.  I looked back at Applebloom who had stopped crying by now and was wiping the tears off of her face as well.

"Thank you..."  I said shyly as I turned back to Fluttershy.

She shot me a pleasant smile as she reached forward and nuzzled my face again.

"It was no trouble at all."  She answered in her soft voice.  "I certainly couldn't have left you there with how hurt and scared you were."

"None of us coulda!"  Applejack stated as she stepped forward and messed my mane with a hoof.  "We look after our own!"  She added proudly.

I had let a little smile come back to my face as I looked into their eyes again.  I looked back over at Applebloom who quickly dropped her gaze.  I stood up and walked a few steps over to her before throwing my forelegs around her neck and giving her a hug.  She smiled and returned the hug.  After all, it really wasn't fair to try and push someone...er, somepony, away that wanted nothing more than to help me feel better.

"Oh!  I didn't realize that he would have so many visitors."  A male voice stated from the doorway.

I looked up as the other ponies cleared a path and revealed a sandy yellow unicorn standing in the doorway.  I tilted my head as I scanned this new pony.  He wore glasses on the bridge of his nose as well as a white lab coat with a collared shirt and tie.  His mane and tail were a rich brown color and were neatly combed back.

'Aside from the occasional hat, I haven't seen any pony wearing clothes yet.'  I thought as I stared at the unicorn.

This pony was obviously a doctor.  He had a stethoscope that was laying across his back and hanging down at his sides.  He walked into the room giving the other ponies a friendly nod.  Applebloom took a few steps back on the bed before sitting down and watching him with curiosity.

A warm expression came over the doctor's face as he stopped at the side of the bed and looked me over.

"How are you feeling today?"  He asked in a gentle tone.

I looked myself over briefly before answering him.

"...... Better... thanks..."  I said in a timid voice.

The doctor smiled and gave me a little nod.

"Can you do a few things for me?  I'd like to see how well you're healing."  He asked.

I nodded my head at the doctor.

"Good!  Can you try and flap your wings for me?"

I nodded my head and gave an uncomfortable smile.  Not only had my wings been injured, but I never really took the time to figure out how they really worked.  I turned my head to the side and looked at the bandages that covered both of my wings.  I stood up on all fours and crouched down on my front legs.  I squinted and stuck my tongue out to the side slightly as I tried to get them to move.  Once again, the right wing started moving up and down like I wanted it to.  I focused as hard as I could, but I still couldn't get the left wing to move at all.

My concentration was suddenly broken as the doctor spoke up.

"That's enough for now."  He said.

I looked back at him, a warm smile still showing on his face.  The disappointment I felt must have been evident because the doctor commented on it.

"Remember, you've got a lot of healing left to do.  No reason to overdo it right now, right?"  He said as he reached a hoof up and messed my mane.

I let my smile return and gave the doctor a little nod.

"Okay, last thing!  Do you feel like you can walk?"  He asked.

"...Sure."  I answered.

I stood up on all fours on the bed and looked up at the doctor.  His horn had suddenly begun to glow a pale yellow.  I tilted my head to the side as I looked at his glowing horn and suddenly I felt myself being lifted up off the bed.  I looked down at my own hooves and noticed that I was enveloped in the same color light that the doctor's horn was emitting.  A sudden panic came flashing across my mind as I felt the laws of gravity being broken around me.  I let out a surprised gasp as I was suddenly floating down to the floor.  Gently, the doctor set me down on all fours and the aura around me dissipated.

'Whoa!  So they can use magic on each other as well?!'  I thought.

"Well, do you think I can see you walk?"  The doctor said.  Effectively bringing me out of my trance.

I looked down at my hooves and began to walk, putting one hoof in front of the other.  The bad part was when my left rear hoof hit the floor and I transferred my weight, it brought the pain in my flank back.  I could feel that I was walking with a limp on that hoof but I kept going.

"Very good!"  The doctor commented.  "You're healing very well!"

I smiled slightly and looked to the other three ponies in my room.  They were all smiling at me and Applejack gave me a wink.  I felt my self becoming weightless again and I looked up at the doctor and saw his horn glowing its pale yellow.  Before long I was floating back up onto the bed and was set down gently next to Applebloom.

"Great job Phoenix!"  The little filly said with a huge smile.

"Phoenix...?"  The doctor said in a confused voice.  "Is that your name?"

"Umm... yes..."  I answered.  A very uncomfortable feeling manifested itself in my stomach as the doctor squinted his eyes at me.  I thought for sure that he hadn't believed me.

The doctor raised his head with a smile after a few moments.

"Well very good then!"  He exclaimed.  "I'll make sure that nurse Redheart updates it on your chart."

'Phew!'  I took a very big sigh of relief mentally.

"Now, you're healing very well but I must say that you are going to need lots of rest if you want to keep it up.  Sick foals need lots of rest so they can get stronger."  He added with an upward inflection that made me cringe a bit.  I still wasn't quite used to being talked to like I was five again.

I gave the doctor a timid nod and watched as he turned around to the other three.

"Would you all mind joining me in the hallway for a moment?  I have something that I need to discuss with you."  He stated very matter-of-factly.

I raised an eyebrow as I watched the doctor walk out the door and the three adults followed him.  Applejack turned around in the doorway and looked back at Applebloom and myself.

"Applebloom, ya'll stay here an keep Phoenix company all right?"  Applejack said before nudging the door shut behind her.

The little filly jumped up with a huge smile and yelled.  "Sure thing sis'!"


~~~~~


Applejack gave the door to the hospital room a little nudge, which brought it loose from its door stop and allowed it to close with a soft 'click.'

The doctor turned around in the hallway to look at the three ponies that had followed him.  He reached a hoof up to his face to readjust his glasses before clearing his throat.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news regarding this little colt you all brought in."  The doctor said in a sad tone.

The three ponies exchanged concerned glances with each other before turning their attention back to the doctor.

"We've had our couriers flying all over Equestria to the different hospitals and shelters.  No pony is reporting any missing children.  We were unable to find any family or records of him at all.  However, now that we have his name, we'll try once more."  

"Well, I really don't think it'll do any good doc."  Applejack said.

The doctor looked at the brown mare with a raised eyebrow.

"Twilight here asked him where his folks was and he broke down in tears.  Said they was passed on..."  Applejack continued in a solemn tone.

Twilight dropped her head and let her ears fall to the side as she was reminded of her upsetting question she asked the little colt.  It wasn't meant to bring up any painful memories after all.  It was only supposed to help them figure out why he was all alone in a place like the Everfree Forest.

The doctor raised a hoof to his chin and rubbed it back and forth for a moment.

"Well, he's healing very well minus his left wing.  We're planning on discharging him from the hospital tomorrow.  However, with him being so young and having no family to claim him, we'll have to transfer him to the youth shelter in Fillydelphia for the time being."

Twilight and Applejack both let out a surprised gasp while Fluttershy dropped her gaze to her hooves.

"Fillydelphia?!"  Twilight asked in shock.

The doctor let out a sigh as a defeated look came across his face.  "We don't really have another option at this point...  It's sad to think that he's been alone for 'who knows how long?'  Now we're going to have to transfer him to a youth shelter until somepony claims him or decides to foster him."

The three ponies dropped their ears to the sides as they let their depressed faces fall to their hooves.  Applejack raised her head to meet the doctors stare.

"Isn't there anything else that we could do?"  Applejack asked.

The doctor contemplated this for a moment before an idea suddenly struck him and a smile came across his face.

"I don't suppose any of you would be interested in giving him a place to stay would you?"  The doctor asked enthusiastically.

Applejack and Twilight gave each other confused looks while Fluttershy put her hoof up to her chin in thought.

"I don't really have any room fer him at the farm...  I mean, I guess I could see if Big Mac would let him stay in his room...  But harvest season is coming up fast and I don't know if I'd have time ta keep track of him."  Applejack said.

"I know I can't do it...  I've already got Spike to look after and I really can't take any more time out of my studies for the princess."  Twilight added.

"Well, who else do we know that might be able ta take care of him?"  Applejack asked.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and let it out before taking a step forward.  "I'll do it!"  She stated abruptly.

"WHAT?!"  The other two exclaimed at the same time.

Fluttershy's brow had furrowed and her face showed a very determined look on it.  "I'll take him."  She said sternly.

Twilight's jaw fell open for a moment.  "Fluttershy....  Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?  I know that you're good with animals but a colt?  How do....."

Twilight was interrupted by Applejack putting a hoof up to her face.

"Now hang on just a minute Twi."  Applejack said.  "Maybe Fluttershy's just the match this little guy needs...  Look at the effect she's had on him since we first found him in the forest.  Today especially!  I think that she'll be the perfect match fer him."

Fluttershy's determination had wavered at Applejack's kind words and she was now blushing with a shy smile showing on her face.

"Is this something you're willing to take on Miss Fluttershy?"  The doctor asked, bringing her back to attention.

"Ummm...."  Fluttershy said shakily.  "Yes!"  She added with confidence.

"You're willing to give him a home with you?"  The doctor asked in a stern voice.  "Feed him?  Help him heal through his injuries?  Make sure he goes to school?"

Fluttershy smiled and gave the doctor a noble nod.  "I am."  She said.

"And, what if we are unable to find any family of his?  Are you willing to accept the possibility that he may stay with you permanently?"  The doctor added.

Twilight and Applejack looked at Fluttershy with growing concern evident on their faces.

Fluttershy took a deep breath in again.  "Yes!"  She said while exhaling.  "I can't allow him to be thrown into a youth shelter after all he's been through.  I'll make sure he is well taken care of and has the best life possible here in Ponyville!"

The other two looked over at the doctor who after a few moments of extreme contemplation allowed a smile through.  The sandy yellow unicorn walked up to Fluttershy and patted her on the back with a hoof.

"Well Miss Fluttershy, I guess little Phoenix will be staying with you then!"  The doctor stated in a very happy tone.  "We'll get all the paperwork done tonight and have his discharge instructions ready for you in the morning."

Fluttershy propped her head up proudly, displaying a very large smile.

"Shall we go and let little Phoenix know?"  The doctor asked as he made his way past the three mares and back to the hospital room door.


~~~~~


The door to the hospital room closed with a soft click.  I looked over at Applebloom who had a rather toothy looking grin on her face.  

"So do ya think you're gonna stay here in Ponyville?"  The Filly asked excitedly.

"Uhh...."  I replied in confusion.

I really hadn't thought about this either.  Now I was here in civilization and not just alone in some God forsaken forest by myself.  Where was I supposed to stay now?  What was I supposed to do now?  How was a 'child' supposed to get a job and find a place to stay?  My head started to ache as I tried to think about these things.

"I really don't know...  I don't know anyone here and I've honestly never even heard of Ponyville before."

"Really?!"  Applebloom said, a confused look on her face.

I gave the filly a little nod as I kept trying to figure out what I was supposed to do after I got out of the hospital.  Surely they weren't planning on keeping me here forever.

Applebloom bounced up from her seat on the bed and started bouncing on all fours around me.

"It's great here!  You'd love it!"  She said excitedly.  "Ponyville is an amazing place!  Ma family owns Sweet Apple Acres over on the edge of town!  We provide a lot of the crops ta the townsfolk!"

I looked to the apple that was on the tray next to the bed and then down at the filly's overstuffed saddlebag before looking back to her.

"I'm assuming you mainly grow... apples?"  I said sarcastically.

Applebloom stopped her bouncing and plopped down beside me.  She gave me a smirk as she nodded her head at my sarcastic question.

Suddenly, my stomach let out a loud growl.  This talk about food was reminding me of how hungry I was.  The nurse was definitely right about two chocolate chip cookies not being enough.

Applebloom giggled, hearing the loud growl from my insides.  "Well, if you're not going ta eat the food here in the hospital, I brought plenty of apples from ma farm fer ya."

I looked back at the apple on the tray.  I laid down onto my stomach and slid over to the tray, grabbing the apple in my teeth and pushing myself back up onto my rump.

'Now, how am I going to do this without making a mess.'  I thought.

I heard a couple of 'clops' and felt Applebloom jump off the bed to the floor.  I turned my head to look down at her as she picked up an apple out of the saddlebag in her teeth and turned her foreleg so her hoof was upside down underneath the apple.  She took a bite and let the apple fall into the cleft of her hoof while she chewed it up.

'Sure, make it look that easy!'  I thought sarcastically.

I raised my foreleg and turned it so the hoof was upside down like I had watched her do.  I positioned the hollow cleft under the apple and took a bite as the apple fell into my hoof.  

The juices from the apple were rich and sweet.  I closed my eyes as the sweet fluid flowed through my taste buds.  I chewed up the bite and quickly took another one, not wanting the sweet flavor to go away.  I had eaten many apples before, being one of the easiest things a bachelor can keep around for a quick snack.  But, this was by far the most enjoyable apple I had ever eaten.  Several bites later and I had chewed the apple down to the core.

Applebloom jumped back up onto the bed next me and noted that I had finished the apple.

"Well...?"  The little filly asked.  "What'd ya think?"

I let the core fall from my hoof back down to the tray.  I turned to Applebloom and wiped the stray juices from the apple away from my mouth with a foreleg.  

"That was the BEST apple I've ever tasted!"  I said with a huge grin.

She smiled back at me and nodded her head.  "Yeah, we get that a lot."

A soft 'click' alerted us that the door was being opened and it swung open to show the doctor walking in with the other three following behind him.  He had such a happy look on his face.  Twilight had what appeared to be apprehension showing on her face.  While Applejack and Fluttershy were both sporting smiles as well.

"I have some very good news for you little Phoenix!"  The doctor exclaimed as he approached the side of the bed.

'I could definitely go for some of that.'  I thought as I waited for his answer.

"We're releasing you from the hospital tomorrow!"  He said in an excited tone that he was trying to push off on to me.

My smile faded and my mind began to race at the news.  Once again, I hadn't had any time to think about what I was going to do or where I was going to stay when I was released from here.  I started to panic a bit, I had one night to figure all of this out.  But, surely they wouldn't just kick a child out of the hospital with no where to go.

'OH NO!'  I thought as a sudden realization hit me.  'I'm gonna end up in some home for abandoned children!'

It made sense!  They weren't just going to let a little colt out of the hospital on his own.  Especially after he had been picked up nearly dead in a place where these grown up ponies don't even go unless they absolutely have to.  A sinking feeling in my stomach reminded me of the apple I had just ate and was threatening to make me get rid of it the same way it came in.  My ears dropped to the sides of my head as all of this processed in my brain.

The doctor must have taken notice of my depressed state.  Of course, it wouldn't have been that hard to pick up on.

He brought his head down to meet my lowered gaze and I was brought out of my thoughts as I looked him in the eyes.

"Don't you want to hear the rest of the good news?"  He asked in a pleasant tone.

'Great, what other 'good' news is he going to spring on me...?'  I thought.

I let out a sigh and nodded my head.

The doctor pony looked back at Fluttershy and took a few steps to the side.  The pale yellow mare approached the bed and stood next to him in the opening he had made.  She smiled at me with her warm eyes and caring features.

"Miss Fluttershy has agreed to let you stay with her!"  The doctor chimed.  "Isn't that wonderful?"

I looked to Fluttershy who gave me a nod of acknowledgement.  Suddenly, happiness was overwhelming me and my thoughts of what to do next disappeared like smoke in a stiff breeze.  A smile spread across my face that I couldn't fight and once again I felt the heat in my eyes as my tears were getting ready for another public appearance today.  A few quick sniffles of me trying to fight sobbing again brought Fluttershy in closer and she nuzzled my cheek.  I threw my little forelegs up around her neck as I gave the kind mare the biggest hug I could muster.  She returned by throwing a foreleg around me and pulling me into the warmth of her fur.

Behind us, Applejack gave Twilight a nudge with an 'I told you so' look on her face.  Twilight smiled and gave Applejack an agreeing nod.  They both watched as Fluttershy and the little colt embraced each other.  Thinking that it was a perfect match after all.
> Stranger in a Dream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  I had eaten so many apples that my stomach felt like it would burst.  The others had left several hours ago.  Leaving me alone in my hospital room with only my thoughts.  My mind was caught in a civil war that was brewing inside it.  On one half were my thoughts about how I had come here, why I had been transformed, and my loathing being treated like a child.  On the other half of the battlefield, were my thoughts of what Ponyville was like, wondering where Fluttershy's house was and thinking about what fun it would be when I got out of the hospital.  It was as if the adult half of my brain were waged in a tug of war with my inner child and both sides were at a stalemate.

A different nurse had come in at dinner time pushing another cart with a food tray on it.  Her fur was a brighter shade of yellow and she had a blue mane with a white stripe in it that was tucked into a hair net with a nurses hat that rested on top.  She spoke with a much deeper voice than nurse redheart and didn't seem to have as kind of a demeanor either.  Dinner was dismal to say the least.  There was another plate of the pond scum looking goop.  A plate that had some kind of salad mixture on it, and a small bowl of sliced pears.

'No cookies this time....'  I had thought in disappointment.

I ate the pears straight away, their juices almost as tastefully potent as the apples that Applebloom had brought me.  I tried eating some of the salad but it had such a bland taste to it that it was like chewing up pieces of paper.  Once again, I left the pond scum.  I ate a couple more apples from my stash before I felt my stomach protesting.  

I looked around the room, trying to find something to hold my attention.  I was so bored that I could have watched paint dry for entertainment.  The sun was setting, it's faint orange glow through the window was getting dimmer.  I stood up on all fours and paced the perimeter of the top of the bed.  I stopped after a few minutes and plopped back down on my rump, letting out a sigh of boredom.  I looked to the wall and noticed that bright and fiery phoenix painted there.  I stared at it for a few moments before turning my attention to my wings.

The nurse had been in earlier in the day while the others were still around and removed the bandages from my wings.  I stared at them for a moment before making my right wing move up and down.  It looked like they belonged to a bird that had flown into an airplane propeller.  The feathers were very messy looking but after a few days were beginning to straighten themselves back out.  It also appeared that the ones I had lost in the forest were beginning to grow back slowly.

'Why can't I get my left wing to move...?!'  I thought.

I squinted my eyes again and focused all of my concentration on my left wing.  My right wing started to quiver a bit but I still couldn't get my left one to move at all.  Frustrated, I threw my right wing down as hard as I could while I dropped my vision down to the mattress.  A soft 'crack' sound and a quick bout of sharp pain in my wing, told me that was a mistake.

"Yeouch!"  I yelped as I folded up onto my left side.  I gave up any muscle control I had over my wing and let it fall limp over my side.  This made the pain subside a bit.  Inside my mind, I was cursing at myself for being so stubborn.

"Everything all right in here?"  The yellow nurse called as she made her appearance from the hallway.

I looked up and tried to put a fake smile on my face as I nodded to the nurse.  She obviously didn't buy it because she came trotting up to the side of the bed.

"What's the matter?  I can't help you if you don't tell me."  She said very matter-of-factly.

My ears dropped to the sides and my fake smile vanished.  I looked over at my limp wing and then back up to the nurse.

The nurse pony let out a very frustrated sigh as she took a hoof and tried to manipulate my wing.  As soon as she gave it the slightest nudge, a sharp pain shot through it and into my back which made me grimace.

"Surely you were told to take it easy on your wings?!  You can't expect after an injury like that to just be able to up and fly right away!"  She scolded in a very stern voice.

I dropped my gaze back to the mattress and felt the heat rising up out of my tear ducts again.  My manliness was being beaten into submission by the sorrow I felt at getting scolded.  I wanted to strike back verbally, but I just couldn't muster up the courage to do it.

I heard the nurse release a heavy sigh and I felt a hoof stroking my mane.  I looked back up into the nurse's eyes and noticed that her face wasn't as stern and she was sporting a very small smile.

"These things take time honey..."  She said in a softer voice.  "You've got to give yourself time to heal okay?"

I gave the nurse a little nod and she turned to walk out the door.  She paused in the doorway for a moment and turned to say something.

"I'll be right back with some medicine for you."  She said.  "Don't move!"  She added in her stern voice.

I watched as she exited the room and rounded the corner into the hallway.  I dropped my vision back down to my limp wing, the pain had dulled considerably and I ever so gently tried to get it to move again.  I watched as it quivered ever so slightly before my concentration was interrupted.

I heard a female voice clear her throat in disapproval before looking up and seeing the nurse pony standing in the door again.

'Whoa!  I wasn't expecting her to be so fast!'  I thought as I started to blush.

She had a syringe in her teeth filled with, what I assumed to be, the same bright orange medicine I had been given last night.  Only this time the syringe had a rather intimidating needle sticking off the end of it.

I wasn't shy to admit that I hated needles.  The last time I got my blood drawn before I ended up here, I had almost passed out.  They scared me and my facial expression must have shown it.

The nurse walked up and set the syringe down on the side of the bed.  I looked up at her with a plea in my eyes after seeing the size of the needle up close.

"Now, this is for your pain and to help you sleep!  If you hadn't been trying to fly already you wouldn't be needing this!"  She said in her stern voice once again.

Maybe I was fine without the medicine!  I could just try and sleep off the pain in my wing and I wouldn't need the shot.  I began to shiver as I watched the nurse pick the syringe back up in her teeth and use a hoof to make a small part in the fuzz on my right flank.  I put my head down and covered my eyes with my hooves.  The anticipation was the absolute worst part of this for me.

I felt a little jab in my flank as she inserted the needle into my body and it made me jump just ever so slightly.

'I guess that really wasn't that ba.......  YEEOWWWW!!!'  My thoughts screamed as I felt the medicine being injected.

I raised my head with my eyes shut tight and took a deep breath in through clenched teeth.  I've had injections before where the medicine stung but this was by far the worst I'd ever experienced.  It didn't last long but the soreness in my flank gave me a constant reminder that I didn't need to do anything else to hurt myself while I was here.

A couple tears had made there way out and down my face as I looked back to see the nurse removing the syringe.  She set the syringe down on a little desk next to the foot of the bed and grabbed a small band-aid in her teeth.  She stuck the band-aid over my fresh puncture wound and rubbed a hoof over my flank.

"See, that wasn't so bad now was it.  Big fillys and colts take their medicine without a fuss after all!"  The nurse exclaimed cheerily.

I rolled my eyes and let out a frustrated sigh at once again being degraded.

"Now get some sleep.  Nurse Redheart will be here in the morning to help you get ready to be discharged." 

With that, the nurse picked up the empty syringe and started to leave the room.  She flipped the light switch with her nose, bringing darkness to the room before strolling out into the hallway and leaving the door open.

I rolled over onto my stomach, tucking my back hooves in close to my body.  My right wing still dangled limp over my side.  I crossed my forelegs in front of my chest and laid my head down on top of them.

'I'm really getting tired of being scolded and talked to like a damn child...!'  I thought as a frustrated snort escaped my nose.

My thoughts were quickly becoming scrambled as the medicine began to work its way through me.  I could feel my body going numb and a warm fuzzy sensation manifested itself in my head.  I blinked, taking in the swimming shapes of my dark room before my eyes closed themselves and I feel asleep.


~~~~~


"Come on Jerry!"  An older sounding male voice stated.

"I'm coming dad!"  I answered as I ran up next to him.

"School starts Monday so this might be our last chance to go fishing this summer."  He commented.

The warm August breeze blew threw the maple trees on the river bank.  The river reflected the noon sunlight in its millions of tiny ripples that the wind was helping it produce.  We both took a seat on the bank of the river as he got our fishing poles out and began to prepare them for a day of cat-fishing.

"You know Jerry."  He piped up.  "Your first year of high school holds a lot of opportunity."

I looked over at him and watched as he spoke while tying a fishing hook to my line.

"You'll have a lot of chances for self-improvement.  There's many different sports you can go out for and there's lots of clubs that you can join in the school."

He set the fishing pole down before looking up and meeting my stare.

"The possibilities are endless."  He added finally.

I dropped my stare to my tennis shoes.  

"Dad...  Why do you push me so hard?"  I asked in a timid voice.  "I want to make you proud, but I want more than anything for you to be proud of me for who I am...  I know I'm no good at sports.  Every sport I tried in middle school I failed miserably at.  Yet you still persist on my going out for them and embarrassing myself again."

The man sighed before dropping his gaze.

"Jerry, you need to give me something to be proud of."  He said.

The words hurt like a thousand tiny knives all stabbing me in the chest at once.  I could feel myself wanting to cry and the last thing I wanted was for my father to see it.  I stood up and walked away from the river bank, the tears slowly showing themselves.

"Hey!  Don't you walk away from me!"  A voice exclaimed, making it's ferocity known to every living thing around with eardrums.

I stopped in my tracks as a bolt of fear dropped itself from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.  I turned around and met my father's stare.  His eyes had suddenly turned cold and soulless and he wore such a nasty expression on his face.

"You can't expect me to ever be proud if all you're gonna do is cry and walk away when you're faced with a challenge."  He said in a cold tone.

"You know what?!"  I retorted.  "I don't care if you're ever proud of me!  If you can't be proud of who I am then I don't want it!"

I turned once again to walk away from my father but heard hard footsteps as he closed the short distance between us and grabbed me by my shoulder.  I was quickly spun around until I was eye to eye with him.  His face showed nothing but pure hatred for me and his eyes had become red with rage.  I looked up at the sky as I watched the suns light begin to fade.  The sky had taken on a very sickening red glow and dark clouds were suddenly appearing out of no where.

"WHAT IS IT YOU WANT ME TO BE PROUD OF!"  He yelled.

I was suddenly thrown down to the ground and my father reached down and ripped my shirt off of me.  It started to rain and the wind had begun to blow with the force of a mighty storm.

"YOU WANT ME TO BE PROUD OF THIS?!"  He screamed as he pointed down to my body.

I looked down at myself, the tears were an unrelenting flood now that no gate could hold back.  I was covered in a short white fur from my neck down to my toes.  My body was nothing more than a skinny and fragile little thing that looked like it could snap in half if thrown just right.  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath trying to exhale my anxiety.  I rolled onto my stomach and tried to get my feet under me so I could make a run for it, but I felt a sickening pain that paralyzed me in my back and I was hoisted up into the air.  The pain in my back was so horrible that I thought it may actually stop my heart.  Slowly I was turned around in mid air till I was eye to eye with the demon that was representing my father.

He let out a maniacal laugh.  "It's a pity to know that the THING I created has so much wasted potential!"

He dropped whatever part of me he had been holding and I folded into a heap on the ground.  I turned my head to the side and saw a crumpled white feather wing sticking up behind me.  The pains that it was sending after being assaulted still fresh.  I covered my face with my hands as I tried to imagine what horror was to come next.

"Please!"  I pleaded.  "Let this end!  I don't care if this is a dream or reality, just please.... LET IT END!!!"  I screamed.

I heard another maniacal laugh start and I braced myself best I could for what was coming next.  Suddenly, I heard everything around me go silent.  I opened my eyes and looked up at my demonic father.  A bright blue haze started to envelope his form.  He watched as it surrounded him and then in an instant, he was throwing his arms up as if in agonizing pain.  I squinted as the light became brighter and brighter.  Then, without any indication or warning, the form of my father burst into a million pieces and was gone in the blink of an eye.  

I blinked several times, getting my eyes to readjust.  Standing before me was a dark blue unicorn who's horn was glowing a very bright blue.  I scanned this new being and took note of all of her features.  Her fur was a very deep and dark shade of blue.  Her eyes were just slightly lighter in color as compared to her coat.  Her horn was long and came to a sharp looking point.  Behind her horn was a black crown of some sort that shimmered as it reflected the light from her horn.  Her mane and tail seemed ethereal and were contrasting shades of deep blue and purple as they wavered behind her.  She had a pair of wings that she kept spread out to her sides and stood with a very regal pose as she looked down at me.

I had no words and even if I had wanted to make my body move, I don't think I could have.  The regal unicorn threw down a very confused expression as she looked me over.  I looked down at myself and noticed that I had become a little white colt.  I turned my gaze quickly back to the unicorn who met my eyes.  She was still showing the same confused look on her face but said nothing.

After a few minutes the regal unicorn closed her eyes and the blue light from her horn became brighter.  In a few moments the light had become so bright I couldn't keep my eyes open.  I felt a warm blast of air suddenly and I was flying backwards through darkness.  I felt a cold splash of water as I landed in the river and frantically paddled my way to the surface.  As I broke through the surface I took a big gasp of air and opened my eyes.


~~~~~


I opened my eyes to my lit hospital room as I glanced around in a panic.  I slowly started to calm down as my brain realized that I had had a dream and was now back in the rea.... this world.  I took a few slow deep breaths as I calmed my nerves.

"Are you okay honey?"  A concerned feminine voice asked from beside me.

I turned my head to see who had spoken but found it difficult.  My muscles were all so slow to respond and I felt like my brain was operating in first gear.  Finally I was met with the nurses concerned stare. 

'It must be the medicine still in my system.'  I thought to myself.

I felt awful.  I was cold and shivering and could feel that a cold sweat had stuck all of my fur to my body.  I put my forelegs underneath me and slowly brought myself up to a sitting position.  My wings felt strange and I looked at my sides.  They had been folded and tucked to my sides while I slept and were firmly tied in place with bandaging.  I realized that I felt wet all over, even my belly and legs felt wet as I sat up.

I let out a sudden gasp as I realized what I had done.  I looked down at the sheet covering the mattress and directly underneath my form was a large yellow puddle.

'There's no I way I really did that!'  I yelled in my head.

My cheeks were burning and my ears fell to the sides of my head involuntarily as it dawned on me that I was sitting in a puddle of my own urine.

'I...I actually.... wet the bed...'  I admitted to myself.

"Oh!"  The nurse exclaimed.  "You must have been having a doozy of a nightmare!"

I slowly brought my defeated gaze up to meet hers which she took notice of.  I watched as all her sternness from earlier melted away and she brought a hoof up to stroke my mane.

"It's okay honey...  Let's get you cleaned up."

The nurse trotted out of the room, leaving me sitting in my puddle I had created.  This was by far the most embarrassing thing I have yet to experience since ending up here.  I was dealing with being talked to like a child and scolded now and again but this was just downright depressing.

After a few moments the nurse came back in pushing a small cart with two little tubs on top of it.  She stopped just shy of the bed before turning and picking me up in her forelegs.  I gasped a little as I was lifted up from the bed, but the nurse seemed very sure-footed as she pivoted around on her hind hooves and dropped me into the first tub.

The tub was full of warm soapy water and felt amazing as it ended my shivering from the cold sweat and urine I was covered in.  Before I knew it the nurse was sponging off my body and washing me clean.  She was being very thorough as well, uncomfortably thorough to be precise.  I didn't have the mental strength to object though.  When the humility of having my self washed was over with she picked me up and placed me in the next tub.  This one was filled with plain warm water.  She filled up a small pitcher with the water and dumped it over me a few times, bringing my sopping forelock into view and rinsing the soap out of my fur, mane and tail.

I let a small sigh escape as I remembered how convenient it was to shower.  Soon the nurse picked me up out of the tub and set my gingerly on the floor.  She went over to a cabinet on the wall of the room and pulled a large fluffy looking towel off of a shelf with her mouth.  She walked back to me and dropped the towel on top of me.

"Now, dry off while I get your bedding changed all right?"  She said.

I complied with the nurse's request and stuck my front hooves around the towel and began to rub the towel back and forth on my mane.  The rest of my body was a challenge to get dry but with a little ingenuity, laying the towel on the floor and rolling back and forth, I managed to get mostly dry.  

I watched as she quickly changed the sheets on the bed and threw the dirty ones onto the cart with the wash tubs on top of it.  When she had finished I was once again lifted up and then set back down on top of my nice clean bed.  She then proceeded to unwrap the bandaging around my wings and then wrap new and dry back around them.  I watched her as she did this glancing up at her from time to time.  She caught me looking at her at one point.

"These are to keep you from trying to fly while you're healing."  The nurse said nonchalantly.  "We don't want any more unfortunate accidents do we?"

When she finished with my bandages she pulled the covers up over me with her teeth before turning and, without saying a word, began to push the cart out of the room.

"Umm...."  I said in my timid voice, trying to get her attention.

She stopped and turned to me, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes honey?"  She asked.

My cheeks were once again burning and I knew that the fur on my cheeks had to be a bright fiery red.

"Could you....maybe....not tell any...pony about.....you know....."  I said as I dropped my head in shame.

She turned and brought a hoof up to my head and messed my mane.

"It's our little secret."  She said in a whisper as she gave me a friendly wink.

She turned and pushed the cart out into the hall before stepping back inside and shutting the light off.  Darkness once again blanketed the hospital room.  I let a little smile come across my face as I laid my head back on my hooves and let the remnants of the medicine take me back to sleep.
> Learning Experiences
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Fluttershy slipped her saddlebag over her back and pulled the cinch tight around her belly using her mouth.  She had a cheery smile on her face as she prepared to head to Ponyville Hospital to pick up the little colt who would be living with her starting today.  She had spent the early hours of the morning getting everything tidied up inside her little cottage for his, at least temporary, homecoming.

Several critters that stayed with Fluttershy had gathered to watch the shy mare as she meticulously cleaned her house earlier in the morning.  She had let them all know of the arrangement she had made and told them of their new house guest.  The animals seemed very happy at the arrangement, except for one small white rabbit who only crossed his arms and hopped away.

Fluttershy trotted out of her house and along the dusty trail that led to town.  She had on a very excited smile and had to restrain herself from galloping to the hospital.  The journey to the hospital seemed to take forever, but soon she paused outside of the doors and took a deep breath before entering.  The doors of the hospital opened automatically as she approached and, smiling, she trotted inside and up to the front desk where a familiar nurse pony smiled and greeted her.

"Hello there Fluttershy!"  Nurse Redheart greeted.

"Hello nurse Redheart!"  She replied.

"Are you here to pick up little Phoenix?"  The nurse asked.

Fluttershy propped her head up and displayed a huge smile.

"I sure am!"  She answered.

"Wonderful!"  Nurse Redheart exclaimed.  "Now, the doctor wanted to talk to you before we went in and got him.  Besides, last I checked he was still sleeping and it seems like he needs it."

The nurse stopped and showed a concerned look for just a moment.

"Nurse Coldheart said he had a really rough night last night.  She wouldn't say why or how though.  Also, I know the night before last, he had a pretty bad nightmare as well.  Poor little guy is probably still traumatized from his run in with the timberwolves."

Fluttershy's smile wilted a bit.

"Oh my....  I hope he'll be able to sleep in my house."  She said, her voice reverting back to its shy tone.  "After all, my cottage is right on the edge of the Everfree Forest."

The nurse tapped a hoof to her chin before returning the smile to her face.

"I think it will be all right."  Nurse Redheart said.  "Give it a few nights out of the hospital and I think he'll be just fine."

"Oh, I sure hope so."  Fluttershy replied in an unsure tone.

The two heard hoofsteps coming from the hallway and turned to see the doctor come around the corner.  He showed a look of pleasant surprise as he noticed Fluttershy.

"Well hello there Miss Fluttershy!"  The doctor greeted cheerily.  "Have you come for young Phoenix?"

Fluttershy nodded at the doctor.

"Yes I have."  She returned.  "Umm... nurse Redheart said that you wanted to talk to me about some things?"

The doctor nodded his head and motioned a hoof towards several cushions along the wall of the hospital foyer.  They both walked over to opposite cushions from each other and sat down.

The doctor cleared his throat and took his glasses off of his face before blowing on them and wiping them on his lab coat.

"There is one very important thing that I need to share with you regarding Phoenix."  The doctor said as he continued cleaning his glasses.  

Fluttershy tilted her head as a confused look spread across her face.

The doctor let out a defeated sigh as he placed his glasses back on his muzzle.

"There is a possibility that he may never be able to fly after the injury to his wings."

Fluttershy let out a gasp and brought her hooves up to her face as she listened to the doctor's words.

"Oh, that's so terrible...!"  She said in a sad tone.

"When he's been awake, we've tried to get him to use his wings for us.  This way we can see how they are healing and what kind of motor control he's regained."  The doctor stated.  "So far, he has regained decent control over his right wing.  Granted, it is still injured and does need time to heal.  But unfortunately, he can't get any response out of his left wing at all."

Fluttershy hung on the doctor's words, hoping that there would be a glimmer of hope in there somewhere.

"Now, as of this moment in time, I'm still optimistic that he'll make a full recovery from all his injuries, wings included!"  He added.  "I just want to prepare you, being his new caregiver, that it is a possibility."

Fluttershy brought her hooves back down and gave the doctor a little nod.

"Is there anything I can do to help him towards his full recovery?"  She asked.

The doctor cast a warm smile at her.

"Just be there to support him while he's healing."  The doctor said as he tapped Fluttershy's hoof with his own.

"I'll do anything I can for him!"  Fluttershy said confidently.

The doctor smiled again as he got up off of his cushion.

"Honestly, I don't think the little guy could be in any better hooves."  He added.

Fluttershy began to blush a bit and nodded at the doctor.

"Well, I have some other patients I need to go see."  The doctor stated as he looked at a watch around his left foreleg.  "Nurse Redheart will get everything squared away for you.  Take care of him and be sure to bring him back in a week for a check up."

"Of course."  Fluttershy replied.

The doctor exited the foyer and his hoofsteps grew fainter as he trotted down the hallway.  Fluttershy got up off of her cushion and walked back over to nurse Redheart's desk.  The cheery nurse looked up at Fluttershy with a bright smile.

"I just need you to sign this piece of paper."  She said as she pushed a paper in front of Fluttershy with a hoof.  "It's an agreement of guardianship for Phoenix."

The nurse pushed a pen in front of Fluttershy.  She picked the pen up in her mouth and signed her name on the document.  Nurse Redheart took the piece of paper back and glanced it over.  With a bright smile she put the paper into her desk then brought out a bottle of medicine and three rolls of bandaging.

"All right.  So this medicine is for his pain as well as to help him sleep."  She stated as she pointed at the bottle with a hoof.  "It's mainly for night time before he goes to bed but can be given during the day if he ends up in a lot of pain."

Fluttershy nodded her head in understanding.

"He needs to take it very easy on his wings for at least a week until he comes back to see the doctor.  The bandages around his wings only need to be changed when he bathes or when they get dirty.  They're really only to keep them at his sides while they heal.  If he wants, and provided it's all right with you, you can take them off for a little while before bed so he can stretch them."

"Oh, okay."  Fluttershy responded.

"The bandages on his left flank will need changed every night though.  The wound is healing up very nicely but he may still walk with a limp for a few days.  Hopefully, when he's back for his check up it will be completely healed."

Nurse Redheart pushed the medicine and bandaging towards Fluttershy.  She took each item in her mouth and dropped them into her saddlebag.

"I think that's about all for now."  Nurse Redheart stated as she tapped a hoof to her chin.  "Oh!  One more thing!"  She exclaimed as the thought came to her.  "His injuries shouldn't keep him from starting school as soon as possible.  I'd think that he would be able to start tomorrow after he spends a night with you."

"Of course."  Fluttershy replied.  "We'll stop and see Miss Cheerilee today before we head home."

Nurse Redheart gave an approving nod as she stepped out from behind her desk.

"Well, shall we go see if he's awake yet?"  The nurse asked as she started down the hall towards the foal's wing.

Fluttershy followed behind her with an excited grin on her face as they went through the double doors and entered the little colt's hospital room.  As they entered, they found him lying prone on the bed with a blanket pulled up to his ears, his head resting on his hooves.  They could hear his soft snoring as they approached the bed.

Nurse Redheart pulled the blanket off of the little white pegasus with her teeth and then gently began to rub his back with her hoof.

"Wake up little guy!  It's time for you to go to your new home!"  The nurse said in her cheery voice.


~~~~~


I stirred as my warm blanket was removed from my body.  I slowly opened my eyes as I felt my back being rubbed and allowed the late morning sunlight to flood in and help wake me up.  I lifted my head off of my hooves and let out a large yawn before turning my head to the two adult mares that were standing next to my bed.  I was still trying to blink the morning sleep out of my eyes as I heard nurse Redheart's voice.

"Wake up little guy!"  She said in her usual overly cheery tone.  "It's time for you to go to your new home!"

I watched as Fluttershy walked up next to the bed and looked down at me with those caring eyes.  Once again I couldn't help but smile as I saw her face.  Her smile and calm demeanor were contagious to me.

I stood up on all fours and stretched.  As awkward as it felt being in the body of a winged colt, I was starting to get used to it.  I was a lot more coordinated in my movements and had become accustomed to the way my ears pretty much moved on their own.  Plus, I had learned that I needed to be gentle when I brought my hooves up to my face.

"Are you ready to leave the hospital Phoenix?"  Fluttershy asked in her timid voice.

'Was I...?  I wondered.  'I don't really know what lies in wake outside the hospital...'

I was filled with both anxiety and excitement.  Half of me was scared to death at leaving the confines of my hospital room.  After all, it was the safest place I'd been since I'd ended up here.  The other half was filled with the excitement of getting out and being free to explore this new world.

I looked up at Fluttershy and, displaying a growing smile, I nodded my head and walked over to the edge of the bed to make my way down.  As if on cue, nurse Redheart grabbed me under the forelegs and lifted me off the bed and gently set me on the ground.  My hooves made a soft 'clop' as they contacted the tiled floor.  I turned and shot nurse Redheart an annoyed look.

"Now, don't you give me that look!"  She scolded.  "I don't want you jumping down on your injured leg yet!"

I let my expression melt back into a small smile as I walked back up to the pink maned nurse and tried to give her a hug.  She leaned down and I wrapped my forelegs around her neck and gave her a little squeeze.

"Thank you for taking care of me..."  I said softly.

She raised her head back up and then brought a hoof up and messed my mane again.

"I look forward to seeing you next week.  You had better be all healed up by then okay?"  She said with a smile.

I nodded and then turned to Fluttershy.

She motioned a hoof towards the door of the hospital room.

"Ready?"  She asked.

"Mm-hmm."  I answered.

Fluttershy walked to the door and I followed beside her.  Nurse Redheart followed us through the hospital up to the main entrance.  When we reached the automatic doors, Nurse Redheart stood at the entrance and waved goodbye to us as we walked out of the hospital and along the path into the town.


~~~~~


I couldn't get over how vibrant and lively the world around me looked compared what I remembered from the forest.  The grass was the lushest shade of green and the flowers along the paths were the most colorful and tall I'd ever seen.  The sunlight cast its warm yellow glow over the world making it look like something straight out of picture.  When we crested the small hill that led into the center of town I stopped and let my jaw drop.  The town was amazing!  The houses were like something out of a storybook with there wooden beam construction and thatched roofs.  The market square was massive with all kinds of different types and colors of ponies selling all kinds of fruits, vegetables and trinkets.  The tallest building in town looked like an oversized gazebo and stuck up far past any of the others around it.  I was like a dog in a park full of squirrels.  I couldn't keep my focus on any one thing for very long as I glanced around.

I lifted my nose to the air as a heavenly scent filled my nostrils and intoxicated me.  I shut my eyes as I almost involuntarily let a 'mmmm' escape my throat.  It smelled so good!  I opened my eyes as we entered into the market area and saw where that fantastic smell was coming from.  A pretty large apple vendor had set up shop in the middle of the market and there on top of the stall was a plate of freshly baked and still steaming apple tarts.  I walked over to the stall and propped myself up on my back hooves to get a better smell of the fresh pastries.  My mouth was a flood with saliva as the sweet scent filled my senses.

"Well howdy there Phoenix!"  A familiar southern sounding voice rang.  

I was brought out of my trance and looked over at a brown mare who was wearing a cowboy hat.  I recognized her immediately as she came around the corner of the vendor stand.

"Oh uh, hi."  I said with a little smile on my face.

"Hey there Fluttershy!"  Applejack greeted as I turned to see Fluttershy trotting up next to me.

"Hi Applejack!"  She returned.

I looked at the brown mare and noticed that she was wearing some kind of apron with pockets in it around her chest.  It had the same logo embroidered on it that the vendor stand with the apple tarts had.

"Is this your stand?"  I asked while pointing a hoof.

"Heh!  Sure is!  We sell everything from the apples we harvest to the pastries that Granny Smith makes up every morning."  She answered.

I turned my attention back to the tantalizing apple tarts that had brought me here in the first place.  My mouth was still watering and my stomach was growling as I stared at them.

Applejack let out a small chuckle and I turned my attention back to her.

"I'm guessing ya found yer way here thanks ta Granny Smith's fresh apple tarts.  You wouldn't be the first young'un that was lured over here by their sweet smell.  I tell ya what..."  She stated as she grabbed a small plate and put an apple tart on it.

She put the plate down on the ground in front of me.

"Since today's yer first day out of the hospital, this one's on me."  She added.

I licked my lips before giving her a quick "Thanks!"  I then plunged my face into the sweet smelling pastry and took a large bite.  

'OH MY GOD!'  I thought as I slowly chewed up my first bite.

The pastry was warm and flaky and the apple filling was definitely reminiscent of the apples that Applebloom had brought me while in the hospital.  I chewed through the next couple of bites, again letting the "mmmm's" escape my throat as I thoroughly enjoyed this dessert that clearly belonged on its own pedestal.  

I could hear Applejack and Fluttershy talking behind me as I kept eating.  I didn't focus on anything that was being said, the enjoyment of my last couple bites winning over my full attention.  I swallowed down the last bite and, after making sure no one was watching, licked the plate clean.  My taste buds and stomach were both very satisfied.

I turned around to face Applejack and Fluttershy with a huge smile on my face.  Both of them turned and looked down at me.

"That was sooooo good!!!"  I said with a little jump at the end.

Applejack chuckled and picked the plate up, setting it on a pile of dirty ones on the side of the stand. 

"Well good!  I'm sure glad ya liked it!"  She replied.

"Oh!  We'd better get going if we're going to catch MIss Cheerilee."  Fluttershy stated as she looked up at a small clock tower in the center of the market.

I tilted my head at her with a confused look on my face.  'Who's Miss Cheerilee?'  I wondered.

Applejack looked over at the clock as well before stating.  "Ah, you got plenty a time Fluttershy.  The kids outta be getting out for lunch by the time you two get there."

Fluttershy nodded at her friend before turning her gaze down to me.

"Come on Phoenix.  We're going to go meet your teacher."  She said.

My brain had hit a rather large speed bump at hearing those words.

'My teacher...?!  I've been out of school for four years now!'  I thought frustratedly.  'I did my time!  Why the hell should I have to go through it all over again...?!'

As we walked along the path that must be leading us to the school, I tried to think of any excuse I could to get out of having to attend school.  However, I realized that no matter how hard I tried, none of the excuses I came up with would make any sense.  After all, I was just a kid here.

My left flank was beginning to ache after walking so much and I was trying to put less weight on my back left hoof.  After what felt like at least a mile, we approached a rather quaint looking turn-of-the-century schoolhouse.  It looked like a very stereotypical schoolhouse with a small bell tower on top and a flag pole next to the front door.  It seemed to be a very well taken care of building just like the rest of the town.  The path up to the schoolhouse became adorned with a white picket fence on either side that ended at the porch of the school.

I let a quiet groan escape as we got closer to the building.  'This was really happening...'  I thought.  'I'm actually having to go back through school again...'

The bell in the bell tower rang a couple times signifying lunch time.  Shortly after, the doors flew open and several fillys and colts came running out.  Some were carrying brown paper bags in their mouths and others had small saddlebags thrown around their backs as they filed out and picked spots on the school's lawn to eat.  We kept our pace as we came up to the open doors of the front porch of the schoolhouse.  I looked around at the different groups of children that were picking their spots and talking to friends.  I was getting a lot of looks and stares from pretty much all of them.

I was stopped suddenly as I ran headfirst into Fluttershy's back leg.  She had stopped on the stairs to the school suddenly and turned around to face me.  I spit out my mouthful of pink tail hair and rubbed my head with a hoof briefly before looking up at her.

"I'm gonna go talk to Miss Cheerilee for a moment.  Why don't you go and talk with some of the others and try to make some friends?"  She said with a smile.  

My ears dropped as I took another look around at the other kids.  I turned back to look at Fluttershy with a pleading look on my face.

"Can't I... just come in with you?"  I begged.

"Well...  I suppose, but these are the kids you'll be going to school with from now on Phoenix.  Don't you think you should try and get to know them?"  She said in her calm voice.

I dropped my gaze and let out a defeated sigh as I nodded my head.  She turned around and went inside the schoolhouse while I plopped down on the stairs and displayed a very shy and uncomfortable look.  I tried looking around at the other kids as covertly as possible but noticed that most of them were either staring directly at me or looking and then saying something to the others close by.

I let out another sigh as my ears dropped themselves into their 'depressed' position and I walked slowly down the stairs and off onto the lawn of the school.  I kept my gaze to the ground so I didn't have to notice that I was being dissected by everypony else's stare.

"HEY PHOENIX!"  I heard a familiar childish voice shout.

My ears perked up and I looked to see Applebloom with two other fillies grouped next to her in the shade of a tree beside the school.  I smiled a bit as I felt saved by somebo...somepony that I knew, albeit not very well yet.  I walked up to the three little fillly's, and Applebloom took the liberty of introducing me to her friends.

"This here is Phoenix!  He's the one I was telling ya'll about that they found in the Everfree Forest!"  She stated excitedly to her friends.

I gave an uncomfortable smile as the other two raised their eyebrows at me.

One of them was a pegasus pony who's wings looked a little smaller than they maybe should have been.  She had a bright orange fur coat and wings that were accented by a flipped purple mane and tail.  She stretched her neck off to the side and her pale purple eyes took on a worried appearance.

"What happened to your wings?!"  She asked in a scratchy, but feminine, child's voice.

'Well, wasn't expecting that to be the opening topic...'  I thought sarcastically.

"Uh... They got hurt while I was trying to escape from a wolf in the forest."  I answered.

The little orange filly had such a mortified look on her face as she stared at the bandages that had my wings tied effectively to my sides.  After a few moments of her staring and me not knowing what to say, she stood up and walked along my right side.  I watched her as she stopped at my right flank and her face suddenly formed a smile.  She pointed at my right flank with a hoof and turned to Applebloom.  

"Hey!"  She exclaimed excitedly in a scratchy voice.  "You were right Applebloom!  He doesn't have his cutie mark yet either!"

'My what?'  I thought as I felt something poke my left flank and I jumped a bit as a short bout of pain coursed through it.

"Ouch!"  I said as I turned to see a white unicorn filly with a curly mane and tail that had two different pale shades of pink and purple side by side.  She wore a very shocked look on her face as I turned and met her gaze.

"Oh...  Sorry."  She stated as she blushed a bit.

"Name's Scootaloo!"  The scratchy voiced pegasus said as I turned and saw an outstretched hoof in front of me.

"Uh, Phoenix..."  I stammered as I shook hooves with her.

"And I'm Sweetie Belle!"  The little unicorn stated proudly as she made the same motion.

I reached out and shook her hoof as well.

"I told them all about ya after we visited ya in the hospital!  These are ma best friends an fellow club members!"  Applebloom announced with a toothy grin.

I gave them all a confused look.  "Club members?"  I asked.

"Yeah!"  Scootaloo chimed in.  "We're the..."

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!"  They all answered in unison.

The sudden rise in decibels brought my ears limp to the sides of my head and constricted my pupils.  I ended up on my rump with a forehoof in the air in sudden surprise as they all yelled.

"What's that?"  I asked, trying to recover and sporting a very confused look.

"We try and help other colts and fillys find their special talent so they can earn their cutie marks!"  Sweetie Belle piped up excitedly.  "Only... we're the only members right now."

"Yeah, right now."  Scootaloo chimed in.  The little orange filly looked me in the eyes.  "Unless you'd like to join?!"  She added with a large pleading smile.

"Uhh..."  I managed, not sure where to go with this.

'I don't even know what a cutie mark is...'  I thought.

"Hey new kid!"  A sharp sounding female voice called.

All four of us turned to see two fillies walking up to us.  They both had very condescending looks on their faces as they approached.  One of them had pink colored fur with a light pastel purple mane and tail that had a contrasting white stripe in it.  She also had what appeared to be a tiara on top of her head.  The other one was a dull grey color with a white mane and tail.  Her mane hung down to her side in a braided pony tail and was tied off with a pink ribbon on the end.  She was also wearing a pair of glasses and a small pearl necklace.

The two gave me a thorough once over as they approached and their faces contorted into menacing grins.  I raised an eyebrow as they separated and came along both of my sides.

"Look Silver Spoon."  The pink one said.  "Another blank flank to join in the ranks of the Cutie Markless Crusaders."

'Blank flank...?'  I thought.

"Oooh, good one DT!"  The grey one answered.

'Silver Spoon?'  I thought as I looked at the grey filly's flank and saw a little picture of a shiny silver spoon with a pink heart in the handle.  I looked back to my own flank where there was no mark to be seen at all.  'Oh, I get it now...'

"So what exactly happened to you anyways?"  The pink one asked in her snooty voice as she looked over my bandaged wings.

"Uhh..."  Was all I could muster.  My mind drew a blank, I was so flustered.  I hated being bullied!  I had to put up with it pretty much since third grade till I graduated.  It wasn't my fault that I couldn't fit in with a crowd to save my life.  

"My sister and her friends found him in the Everfree Forest!  She said he had a really nasty run in with timberwolves and was almost dead when they found him!"  Applebloom piped up.

I felt my cheeks growing warm again.  I suddenly realized that I was the only male in this little gathering and I had a little girl standing up for me.

"The Everfree Forest?!"  The pink one said in a shocked voice.  She quickly cleared her throat and regained her menacing smile.  "What were you doing there?  Trying some lame activity to earn your cutie mark like these three?"  She said while pointing a hoof at Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

Her and Silver Spoon began giggling as the other three took on hurt looks and stared at the ground.

The two stuck up fillies bumped hooves several times while saying some kind of rhyme before they bumped rumps with each other showing off the marks on their flanks.

'Cutie Marks...  That must be what I thought were the tattoos on their flanks.'  I concluded.

I watched as the two trotted off to the front of the school giggling to themselves.  I turned my attention to the three silent fillies before me and took note that all three of them were missing a cutie mark just like I was.

The silence among us was getting really thick so I finally spoke up.  "So... The Cutie Mark Crusaders huh?"

All three of them bounced up smiling as they stood next to each other.

"That's right!"  Applebloom exclaimed.  "We started the club so that we could work on getting our cutie marks and quit getting made fun of for being 'blank flanks'."

"Yeah, we're the only three in our class that haven't gotten them yet."  Scootaloo said in a disappointed tone.

"But, we're gonna keep trying new things until we earn our cutie marks."  Sweetie Belle added enthusiastically.

"Well..."  I said as I looked down at my flank.  "Got room for one more?"  I asked with an uncomfortable smile on my face.
> You Are a Child!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  "You must be young Phoenix!"  A very cheery sounding feminine voice stated from behind me.

I stood up on all fours and turned around to see who was addressing me.  I saw a magenta colored mare standing over me with Fluttershy at her side.  She had a very friendly disposition that reflected out of her pale green eyes.  Her mane and tail were two different shades of a pale pink and were styled to be very bouncy looking it seemed.  The mark on her flank resembled what appeared to be three little white flowers with smiley faces in them.

"Welcome to Ponyville Elementary!"  She said with a smile.

"Umm, thanks."  I said timidly.

"My name is Miss Cheerilee and I'll be your teacher starting tomorrow!"  She stated.

I forced a smile and gave her a nod.  'Great...'

"I see you've already met some of your fellow classmates."  Cheerilee commented at the three fillies standing at my sides now.

"He sure has!"  Applbloom interjected.  "He's the newest member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

I began to blush a little bit at how ridiculous it sounded.  It wasn't that I was totally enthusiastic about joining a club with three little fillies in it.  But, I was still mostly alone here and being the 'new kid' was a really hard thing.  If anything, they were very friendly and did welcome me with open arms...er...forelegs.  At least this way I wouldn't be on my own necessarily while in school.

Fluttershy gave an approving smile and Cheerilee did the same.

"Well that's wonderful!  Just remember to keep your crusading outside of my classroom okay?"  Cheerilee said as she gave us all a wink.  "I look forward to seeing you in class tomorrow Phoenix!"  She added before turning around and going back into the schoolhouse.

Fluttershy walked up closer to the four of us.

"We need to get you some school supplies for tomorrow Phoenix.  It wouldn't be good to come to your first day of school unprepared."  She said in her calm voice.

I grumbled under my breath before giving her a nod.

"Hey Phoenix!  How about after school tomorrow you come over and see our clubhouse?  You know!  As our newest member and all!"  Scootaloo exclaimed and her wings buzzed excitedly.

'Whoa!  How's she getting those little things to move so fast?!'  I wondered as I watched in amazement.

"YEAH!  We could have... uh... a ceremony for you!"  Sweetie Belle added.

"Uhh..."  I croaked before I was interrupted instantly.

"Yeah!  Is that all right Fluttershy?!  Can he come over ta my place and see the clubhouse after school tomorrow?"  Applebloom piped up.

"But..."  I said.

"Sure, I don't mind.  As long as you're back before dark okay?"  Fluttershy answered.

I looked up at Fluttershy and let out a little sigh.

'I guess that's that then...'  I thought.

I put a fake smile on my face and nodded my head.  "Sounds great!  I can't wait!"  I feigned.

"YAY!!!"  All three fillies yelled in unison.  Which once again brought my ears cowering downward.

The bell on the top of the schoolhouse rang a couple times which must have been the signal that lunch was over.

"Well, we'll see ya tomorrow Phoenix!"  Applebloom stated.

"Yeah!  Take care!"  Scootaloo added.

Sweetie Belle gave a little nod and the three of them trotted back into the schoolhouse with the other fillies and colts.

"It's so nice to see you making friends already!"  Fluttershy said.  "Come on, let's go and get your school supplies."

I cast a small smile at her and we both started walking along the path that continued towards the other end of town.  After walking down the path a ways, I realized that my left flank and leg were getting very sore and I was having a hard time getting them to accept my weight anymore.  I had started an obvious limp by the time we reached what seemed to be some kind of commercial district of the town.  There were all kinds of stores that sold different types of wares.  I focused on one in particular with a confused stare as I read the sign out loud.

"Sofas and Quills?"  I said in a confused voice.

"Oh, my friend Twilight shops there quite a bit."  Fluttershy replied.

I raised an eyebrow and continued to limp behind her as we entered a store with a sign that had a picture of a blackboard and pencils on it.  Fluttershy pushed the door open and a small bell rang from up above the doorway.  

"Hello there!"  An older stallion announced as he made his presence known behind a cash register.  "What can I do for you two today?"

Fluttershy walked up to the counter with me following behind her gingerly.  I got a first hand look at the store's owner.  He was an older looking unicorn stallion with a beige coat.  His ash colored mane and tail were kept short and professional looking and he had a mustache that matched his mane.

A little grin came across my face and I stifled a laugh.

'Okay, definitely wasn't expecting them to grow facial hair.'  I thought to myself as I let a little snicker escape.

"Well, tomorrow is his first day of school."  Fluttershy stated.

"AH!"  The store owner exclaimed excitedly.  "Well you have certainly come to the right place my dear!  I have everything he'll need!"

The unicorn abandoned his post behind the register and went about the shelves of his store.  Fluttershy tapped me on the shoulder and motioned me to follow him.  I acknowledged her and walked down an aisle of shelves that were stocked full of different colored back packs and saddlebags.  The store owner had magically levitated a red backpack down to where I could see it.

"What do ya think sonny?"  He asked.  "It's almost the same shade of red that's in your mane and tail."

I looked back at my tail and gave it a little flick which made me grin.  He was right, it was almost the same bright shade of red minus the little stripes of yellow.

"Sure..."  I said to him and he continued over to another part of the store with the backpack magically in tow.

I followed behind and watched as he magically packed supplies into the backpack.  There were several pencils, a small box of crayons, a ruler, an empty folder and a pad of blank paper.  He magically closed the flap on the backpack and levitated it over to the counter where Fluttershy had taken a seat while she waited.  The shopkeeper took up his position behind the counter and, using his hooves, pushed some buttons on the cash register.  

"That'll be twenty bits!"  The shopkeeper said with a smile on his face.

'Bits?'  I found myself wondering.

Fluttershy opened a flap on her saddlebag with her mouth and brought out a small coin purse which she placed on the table.

A sudden realization had hit me then.  I had no money of my own and as a child no way to make money.  I was basically leaching off of this kind mare that had agreed to take me in.  She was giving me a home to sleep in, food to eat and now school supplies.  I felt pathetic and I dropped my head to the floor, my ears falling back down to the sides of my head.  I had provided for myself since I was in high school and I got my first job.  I paid my own way through college, bought my own food, paid my own rent and bought my own school supplies.  Now I was just a child that had to totally rely on others financially.

"Phoenix?  Is everything all right?"  Fluttershy asked.

I looked up at the kind mare who was holding the back pack full of school supplies out to me.  She looked concerned as I raised my eyes to meet hers.

"What's wrong?  Is it your leg?  Have we been walking too much for you today?"  She asked trying to get an explanation for why I was so down.

"No..."  I said before hesitantly answering her.  "It's just that, you're having to buy all this stuff for me after you already gave me a place to stay."

Fluttershy let out a little giggle, which caught me off guard.

"That isn't something a foal normally worries about."  She stated with a smile.  "Besides, I wanted to give you a home here in Ponyville.  Which means that I also wanted to make sure that you had everything you needed to be healthy, eat right and get a decent education while you're with me."

Her kind words and gentle eyes had yet again worked to bring a smile to my face.  I could feel my depression melting away as I walked over and she helped me put the backpack on.  I slipped my forelegs through the straps and the pack sat on my shoulders just forward of my wings.  Aside from the awkward feeling of having something on my back, it was actually fairly comfortable.  I felt her bring a hoof up and mess my mane.  She smiled and walked over to the door, opening it and letting me walk through first.  

We continued our journey through town and my leg was beginning to protest more and more with each step I took.  I watched as we came to an opening amongst the shops and houses and noticed a rather large tree off a ways that looked quite out of place.  I squinted and took notice that the tree was actually another building.  It had windows and balconies built into it and it had a sign out in front of it that had a picture of an open book on it.

"What's that place?"  I asked as I motioned a hoof towards it.

Fluttershy stopped and looked where I was pointing.

"That's Twilight's Library."  She answered with a smile.  "You remember the unicorn that showed you her magic in the hospital the other night?"

I nodded my head as I recalled the floating apple.

"That's where she lives."  She added.

'A library wouldn't be a bad stop to make.  I could definitely use as much information as I could get.'  I thought.

"Umm, do you think we could stop there?"  I asked as I took a few steps forward.

"Sure!  I bet Twilight would be happy to see us."  She answered.

We walked the short distance to the library at a slow pace due to my leg.  Fluttershy knocked on the door with a hoof and in a few moments the doorknob was glowing with a pale lavender light.  The door swung itself open and standing behind it was a familiar lavender colored unicorn.

"Hi Fluttershy!"  Twilight greeted as she saw her friend.  She cast her gaze downward and noticed me standing next to Fluttershy.  "Hello to you too Phoenix!  It's nice to see you out and about instead of in a hospital bed!"  She said with a little chuckle.

"Hello Twilight!  Phoenix wanted to stop in and see your library."  Fluttershy stated.

She looked down at me and gave an approving nod before stepping to the side to let us in.

The outside of the library was impressive, but once inside I realized just how massive the building really was.  The shelves were actually carved into the wood of the tree and there were hundreds upon hundreds of books along the carved walls.  This whole library was based around the hollowed center of this more-than-massive tree  There were doors here and there that led to different rooms and a wide spiral staircase that went to a loft up above.

I was brought out of my mesmerized state by Twilight.  "Well, what do you think of my library?"  She asked.  Her facial expression showed that she pretty much already knew the answer.

"This place is enormous!  The outside is really deceiving."  I said in an astonished voice.

Fluttershy and Twilight giggled at my remark.

"Hey, do I hear company?"  A childish male voice sounded from the loft above.

I heard soft steps coming down the stairs with little 'clicks' on the wood sounding through the library.  I turned to see who was coming down to greet us.

My mind suddenly erased itself of all thoughts and I stood there with a wide-eyed blank stare as I watched what looked like a little dragon come the rest of the way down the staircase.  The little dragon had purple scales along his sides, back and limbs while his belly was covered in green scales that started under his chin and ended under his tail.  He had green spines that stuck up in a mohawk from the top of his head to the tip of his tail.  His eyes were almost a neon green and his pupils were slitted like a serpents.

"Hi Fluttershy!"  He spoke as he gave a little wave to her.

He came up to me and displayed a very friendly smile as he looked me over briefly.

"You must be that pegasus colt that Twilight was telling me about."  He said.  "It's nice to meet you!  I'm Spike!"  He added as he stretched a claw out towards me.

"Uhh...I'm....a...."  I stammered as I stretched a hoof out and shook his claw.  "...Phoenix."  I finally managed to spit out.

"Phoenix huh?  Cool name!"  He said.  "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd never seen a dragon before."

"Umm...no not really."  I said shyly.  "I mean, I've seen them in books and pictures but never in real life."

My mind was slowly rebooting.  While I was still having some trouble accepting the fact that I was talking face to face with a dragon, he did after all seem very friendly and polite.

"Well it's my pleasure to be the first then!"  He said with a toothy grin.

I returned the grin, not sure what to say next.

"So what brings you two to the library today?  Just here for a visit or you actually wanting some books?"  The little dragon asked.

"Actually, Phoenix is the one that wanted to stop here."  Fluttershy spoke up.

All the attention was turned on me now.  I wilted a bit as I searched my mind for an explanation.

'Crap!  What do I say...'  My mind panicked for a split second.  'I need a book that tells me about this world?  No... That will throw a lot of red flags...  WAIT!  I know what to say!'

I let a smile come across my face as I turned to Twilight.

"Well... I start school tomorrow.  I was hoping that maybe I could either read or check out some books to help me prepare."  I stated confidently.

"Oh!"  They all replied in unison.

'Phew...'  I took a small metaphorical sigh of relief.

"Of course!  Go ahead and look around if you like.  Let me know if you need help finding anything."  The lavender mare said with a proud smile.

I smiled and walked over to the closest shelf and began reading off the titles that I found there.

"Actually, I need to run a couple more errands while we're in this part of town."  Fluttershy stated as she looked at an ornate clock on the wall.  "Would it be okay if I left Phoenix here while he looks around and took care of them?"  She asked.

"Sure!  I don't mind."  Twilight answered.

"Need any help?"  Spike asked Fluttershy.  "I actually need to pick up an order for Twilight at Sofa's and Quill's."

Fluttershy gave the dragon a nod and I turned to see them both walk out the door.  A little wash of melancholy came over me as I watched the door shut.  I didn't understand where it came from but I quickly shrugged it off.  I watched as Twilight walked up to where I was.

"Any subject in particular you're needing a boost in more than others?"  The lavender mare asked.

"Not really..."  I answered.  

"Well, I'm gonna go back to my own studies then.  Let me know if you need any help all right?"  She said.

I gave a little nod and watched as she disappeared into another room with an open door.

I put my nose into the bookshelves and tried to find a book that might at least contain a good majority of answers to all my curiosities.  I scanned several titles on the lower shelves but nothing was catching my attention.  I let out a deep sigh as I raised my attention to a higher shelf.  About three shelves up was a brightly colored red book whose title was written in a silver ink on the binding.  I squinted as I made out the title and read it silently to myself.

'Flying 101; A Guide for Skybound Pegasi'

I cast a glance back to my bandaged wings and then returned it to the brightly colored tome.  

'Would I really be able to fly...?'  I wondered, my thoughts drifting into a daydream of me soaring through the clouds and watching the scenery of the ground fly by in a blur.  I shook myself out of my little dream and decided it would be worth looking into.

I stood up on my hind legs, putting most of my weight on my right side to keep the pain down in my left leg.  I put my forehooves on the second shelf and tried to reach the book with my mouth by craning my neck as far as I could.  I was just coming up short of being able to grab it.  I looked around for some kind of step stool or something that I could use to gain an extra foot of height but didn't see anything that was going to help me.  I looked back up at the tantalizing tome and furrowed my brows.  I was determined to get that book down.  I pushed my weight down into my forelegs, lifting myself up enough to allow me to get my back hooves up to the next shelf.  I reached up with my teeth and grabbed the book by its binding and pulled it out of its slot.

A loud gasp echoed in my ears which made me jump slightly and I raised my sideways glance to see Twilight standing in a doorway with a shocked look on her face as she watched me.  My grip faltered as I spotted her and I tumbled backward off of the shelf and fell the short distance onto my back.  My backpack cushioned my fall but the real insult was the book I was trying to grab came tumbling off the shelf and landed square on my nose.

"OW!"  I cried as I put a hoof up to my sore nostrils.  "DAMN THAT HURTS!!!"

I heard another shocked gasp from Twilight as she trotted up to my supine form on her floor.

"Now just a minute!"  She exclaimed.  "I can understand that that must have hurt but there's absolutely no good reason for a colt to use that kind of language!"

My frustration levels were growing and I shot her a very annoyed glare as I turned over and sat up on my rump.  I stuck a hoof up to my sore nose as I continued to listen to her 'adult' tirade.

"A little guy like you really doesn't need to use language like that."  She said in what I interpreted as a condescending tone.

I was reaching a boiling point.  I was getting so tired of being talked down to and treated like a child.  My cheeks were burning with a frustrated blush.  She was still saying something but my fury was blocking her voice from my ears.  Suddenly, I felt her put a hoof on my head and start messing my mane.

"Isn't that wight wittle guy?"  She asked in a baby voice.

That was all it took for me to snap.  I quickly raised up and batted her hoof away from me in anger.  She gasped again and shot a surprised glare down at me as she tucked her hoof against her chest.  I shot her the nastiest look I could muster and, without thinking about the consequences, blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"STOP TREATING ME LIKE A FLIPPING CHILD!!!"  I screamed in my high pitched and, childish, voice.

Now, I need to clarify that I did not use the word 'flipping' when I screamed.  I used another choice seven letter word that started with the letter F.

Twilight had a look of pure horror on her face as I met her stare.

'Yes!'  I thought.  'Point driven home!'

My confidence however, was beginning to falter as I watched her expression change from pure shock to a very menacing and angry frown.  Suddenly, I felt myself being picked up off the floor.  I looked and saw that I was caught in her magic field and her horn was glowing a very bright lavender.  I began floating very fast through an open door with Twilight trotting angrily behind me.  

'I don't like this!  Where's she taking me!'  I thought, the walls of my confidence crumbling around me.

The aura around me dissipated and I dropped roughly onto a cold hard surface.  An "Oof!" escaped my mouth as I landed roughly on my rump.  I looked down to notice that I was sitting in the bowl of a pedestal sink.

"HEY!"  I yelled.  "WHAT'S THE.....UULP!!!"

I felt something shoved into my mouth as I tried to verbally protest.  It was a full on assault on my taste buds as the item made contact with them.  It was the grossest and most bitter tasting thing I've ever experienced.  It felt as if my tongue was being burned as I tried to use it to shove the item out.  Realization struck me and after a few moments of the foul taste and the smell in my nostrils I figured out what it was.

'SOAP!'  My thoughts screamed.

I grabbed at the intruder with my hooves and tried as hard as I could to pull it out of my mouth but it wouldn't budge.  I was throwing out curses and shrill cries as I tried to remove the perpetrator but none of them were understandable.  The taste was so awful and the burn of the soap was reaching all the nooks and crannies of my mouth.  Tears were unintentionally forming in my eyes as I struggled.  I opened them and saw Twilight standing over my form with a very determined look on her face.  Her horn was aglow with its lavender light and I realized that she was magically holding the soap in my mouth.

"You do NOT use that language!"  She said sternly.  "I don't know where you would get that it was okay to talk like that!  Heck, most adults I know don't even use language like that!"

I continued struggling, trying frantically to pull the bar of soap out of my mouth against her magical force.

"What would Fluttershy think if she heard you talking like that?!"  She asked.

My struggling stopped at the mention of that name and without any warning my tears started their flood down my cheeks.  I don't know why that statement made me so sad and disappointed in myself but I felt like such a jerk all of a sudden.  It brought back the memories of my mother and the infamous "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed" line that she would use.  I started sniffling and after a few moments I was full on crying over the obstacle in my mouth.  The smell and taste of the soap had taken a back seat to the anger and disappointment I felt in myself after my outburst.

I felt the bar of soap being gently removed from my mouth, a steady trail of drool following behind it.  I opened my eyes and looked up at Twilight who had a very sad look on her face.  My sobs died down a bit as I reached a hoof up to my eyes and tried to wipe them clean.

She reached a hoof up to my head and patted it gently a few times.

"As hard as it is to accept sometimes...  You need to remember.  You.  Are.  A.  Child."  She said very directly.

I nodded my head in agreement as I continued my tirade of sniffling.  The soap laden saliva in my mouth had begun to inch its way into the back of my throat and was making me cough and sputter between my sniffles.

'I was a child...  No.  I am a child...'  My thoughts relented.

I felt my pitiful form being lifted up again and I was set down gently on the floor.  A little step stool slid forward from next to the sink in Twilight's lavender glow.

"Why don't you wash your mouth out and then meet me back out in the main room."  She said in a warm tone.

I gave a nod of defeat and watched as she exited the bathroom.  I stood up on the step stool and turned the water on with a hoof.  I put my mouth in the steady stream and for several minutes, tried as hard as I could to rinse the foul taste out of my mouth.  I had only managed to dilute the taste a little bit when I finally gave up and dried my face off with a towel next to the sink.  I stepped down off of the stool and pushed it back over to the side of the sink.

I walked back out into the main room with my head down and tail dragging along the floor.  I couldn't help but think about how upset Fluttershy would be with me when Twilight told her what I had done.  I looked up and saw the lavender mare had the book that I was trying to grab floating in front of her.  I continued my slow paced and defeated walk up to Twilight until I silently took a seat on the floor next to her.

The door to the library opened with a 'click' and Fluttershy and Spike came walking in.  Spike had a small box he was carrying that was stuffed to the brim with papers and quills.  Fluttershy carried nothing, opting to put her items into her convenient saddlebag.

"We're back!"  The little dragon exclaimed as he walked over and set the box down on a desk.

Fluttershy took one look at my defeated face and her smile faded into a look of concern.

"Everything all right?"  She asked.

I looked up at Twilight who was staring at me with a raised eyebrow.  I dropped my gaze down to my hooves in shame.

"Sure is!  I was just helping Phoenix find a book on flying."  Twilight answered in a cheery tone.

'Wait...  What?!'  I wondered as my ears perked up and I looked up at her.

She was wearing a smile and shot me a little wink that the other two wouldn't catch.  A little smile spread across my face as I realized that she wasn't going to tell on me.

"Oh... well... Just remember that you're not supposed to attempt flight until after your check up."  Fluttershy stated in a motherly tone.

Another reminder of the fact that I was nothing but a child.  

"I know..."  I answered timidly.  The fresh taste of soap in my mouth reminding me of my recent revelation.

"Are you ready to go home?"  Fluttershy asked.

I nodded at her and watched as the book I was trying to reach for myself magically floated into my backpack.  I shot Twilight a quick smile.

"....Thanks..."  I said as I turned and headed towards the door with Fluttershy.

"Just remember what we talked about all right?"  Twilight called from behind us.

I turned and gave her a little wave as we left the library and let the door close behind us.
> A Place to Call Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  As Phoenix and Fluttershy exited her library, Twilight magically shut the door.  She turned around to find her assistant missing in action.

"Spike?"  She called.

"Be out in a minute!"  The childish dragon voice answered.

She rolled her eyes with a small grin as she realized where he had disappeared to.  Casually, Twilight walked up the stairs into the bedroom loft of her library and looked at her personal desk.  There sitting on the desk was a scroll that had been delivered sometime today.  An instant bolt of shock went through her as she noticed the unread scroll which beared the royal seal.  She quickly became frustrated and let out a groan.

"SPIKE!!!  Why didn't you tell me that I had a letter from the princess?!"  She yelled downstairs and through the restroom door.

A toilet flush could be heard from behind the door and Spike's muffled voice followed.

"It came right as Fluttershy and that little pegasus colt were coming in.  Uh....Phoenix!  I was getting ready to bring it to you but didn't want to be rude in front of company!"  He answered with a defensive tone.

Twilight let another groan escape as she picked up the scroll in her magic aura and slid the seal off of one end.  The sink could be heard running as Spike finished his business.

"EWWW!  What happened to the soap?!  Why's it all slimy?!"  The dragon's muffled voice called from beyond the shut door.

Twilight hadn't heard him, she was focused on the letter from her mentor and the Equestrian Deity that was in front of her.  She unrolled the scroll and began reading out loud from the top.

My Dearest Twilight Sparkle,

Your findings do indeed put my mind at ease.  However, when I asked you and your friends to investigate the Everfree Forest, I also sent a detachment of my winged guard to scout the skies above the Everfree and they did report back a most peculiar finding.  It seems that a rather large area of the forest has simply disappeared.  The only thing left in this area was an open grassy field.  I can't say that I'm going to concern myself with it at the moment due to the strange things that do happen in the Everfree on such a regular basis.  But, Princess Luna has agreed to look into it.  She seemed very intent that she be the one to examine this new finding and anything surrounding it.  
As for the little pegasus colt that you found there, I hope that he is fairing well and making a speedy recovery.  It is indeed odd that a foal would end up in the Everfree by themselves, but even more odd and worrying that they have no one out looking for them.  Such family neglect isn't unheard of but has been very very rare while I have reigned.  I hope that he will end up in caring and capable hooves.
I will try to keep you informed of anything that Luna discovers regarding the Everfree Forest.  As always, I look forward to your letters and your continuing lessons.

Princess Celestia

Twilight looked up from the hovering letter, deep in concentration.

'How could a section of the Forest just vanish?  I've never read or even heard of something like that before...'  She thought.

"Do you really think Phoenix's parents just abandoned him there?"  Spike asked in a sullen tone, effectively making Twilight jump and drop the scroll onto the floor.

"Oh...!  Sorry..."  He added as his spikes went a bit limp.

Twilight cleared her throat and gave the little dragon a warm smile.

"I don't know how Phoenix ended up in the forest.  But he did tell us his parents were gone."  She said.

Spike's upper lip quivered a bit as she spoke.

"What do you mean gone...?"  He asked.

Twilight looked at him and gave him a frown.  That was all he needed as an answer to his question.  

"Ohh...  Poor little guy..."  He said in a pitying voice.

"HEY!  Maybe I could take him over to Bon-Bon's place for some sweets or something!"  The dragon exclaimed, his spikes perking up.  "You know... to try and get to know him a bit."

Twilight gave the dragon a little nod.  A flapping sound could be heard from the window in the loft and they both turned to see a certain cyan pegasus approaching.  The pegasus squeezed her way in through the open window and landed with a soft thud on Twilight's bed.

"Hey guys!"  The pegasus greeted.  "I just flew by and saw you two talking up here, so I thought I'd stop in!"

"Hi Rainbow Dash!"  Spike replied.

Twilight gave her friend a very displeased look.

"Ever here of something called privacy?  Or knocking?  Or common courtesy?  Or...."  Twilight droned before the prismatic pegasus interrupted her.

"Okay okay!  I get it.  I'm sorry.  I'll knock next time or something."

Twilight dropped her head and let out a frustrated sigh.  Rainbow hopped down off of the bed and landed on her hooves next to Twilight.

"Sooo....what's up?"  Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I just finished reading a letter from Princess Celestia.  She says that there's a big chunk of the Everfree Forest that's missing!"  Twilight said.  "She also says that Luna is going to be investigating it and that she will keep us up to date on anything that she finds."

"Huh... that's weird....."  Rainbow replied trying to show a fake interest.  "What about the little colt we found and took to the hospital?"

"Oh, he got out this morning.  Seems like he's doing really well considering the condition he was in when we found him."  Twilight added nonchalantly.

"Wait a minute....!"  Rainbow said cocking an eyebrow.  "Who'd they release him to?  Did his parents finally show up?"

Twilight and Spike both dropped their heads again.  While it didn't affect any of them directly, it still hurt to know that a child was going to grow up without their parents.  

Twilight took a deep breath to regain her composure.  "No, his parents are deceased."

Rainbow Dash's rough facial features suddenly took on a compelled softness as the statement sunk in.

"But, Fluttershy is taking care of him now!  At least, until they find some of his family or something."  Spike chimed in.

Rainbow's jaw could have hit the floor if it stretched that far.

"Wait.... Fluttershy is taking care of him?!"  Rainbow asked as the shock subsided.

"Sure is!  She actually insisted on it when we went and visited him at the hospital yesterday."  Twilight answered.

"But....Fluttershy takes care of animals...!  Not kids...!"  Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"That's what I thought at first also.  But, when you see the two of them together and how he reacts to her....  It really is a perfect match."  Twilight said with a large smile.  "They just left here not too long ago.  Maybe you could catch up to them and see for yourself."

Without saying a word, Rainbow gave her wings a powerful flap and bolted out the window she used as an entrance earlier.  The other two in the room gave each other a little surprised glance before shaking their heads and going on with their business.

"One of these days, I'll teach her to use the door..."  Twilight said under her breath.



~~~~~



I had such an obvious limp going by the time we reached the market square again.  I wasn't even trying to hide it anymore and I had quit trying to walk at a decent pace.  The pain in my flank had more than doubled and everytime I set my hoof down on the ground it felt like someone was ramming a hot spear into it.  Between that and the fresh taste of sanitization still stinging my taste buds I'd hoped that we weren't too far away from a comfy bed and a, hopefully hot, meal.  

A few more steps and I'd had all I could take.  I sat down on my rump and with my back legs stretching out in front of me.

Fluttershy took a few extra steps before she turned and noticed I was no longer at her side.  I heard a little gasp escape her mouth as she turned around and noticed that I was now sitting on the ground.

"Phoenix...?"  She said, the concern evident.

I dropped my ears as I caught her gaze.

"Is it your leg?"  She asked as she walked back to me.

I gave her a little nod.

"How much further is your house?"  I asked in a hopeful tone.

I was really hoping that we would have already been there by now.  We had passed so many houses between Twilight's Library and the market square.  Yet, we were still walking.  The sun had turned from its warm mid-afternoon yellow to a darkening orange as the evening hours were approaching.  The shadows were starting to stretch back to the east and the little clock tower in the market square looked to be pointing towards about five o'clock.

"Oh... It's still quite a ways away..."  She answered with a frown as she looked me over.  "I guess I never told you that I actually don't live 'in' Ponyville...  My house is a little ways out of town."

Defeat was what I felt.  Defeat at the hands of a powerful foe, represented by the wound in the side of my flank.

'No way!'  I thought as the statement sank in.  'How in the hell am I going to make it the rest of the way?!'

"Umm..."  Fluttershy said almost in a whisper.

I looked up from my hooves to once again meet her gaze.

"Would you want to maybe ride on my back?"  She continued.

I cocked an eyebrow as a vision of ponies riding ponies popped into my head.  It was the most ridiculous looking thing I could have imagined and I shuddered at the thought of it.  Not only that, but I had tried horseback riding when I was younger and I remember falling three different times from the horse.  It was something I can remember not being very good at.

I brought my self out of my little trance to respectfully decline but suddenly felt something squeezing itself under my rump.

I let out a little unsteady shout as I realized that Fluttershy had taken my silence for a positive answer.  She had squeezed her nose under my rump and used her head to scoop me up from underneath.  It was a very unpleasant feeling to say the least.  As she stood up, I slid down her neck and came to an unsteady stop on her back.  She brought her wings up on either side of me and gave my body a little squeeze to keep me steady.  Her feathers tickled my sides and I couldn't help but let out a little giggle.

I was definitely blushing at this point, the burn in my cheeks was almost scalding.  I glanced around and found a few of the other ponies around us had stopped and watched.  The air was thick for a few seconds with their random bursts of cute "Awws."  For all they knew, this loving mother mare was lifting her little foal up to carry him the rest of the way home and it was adorable.  For me on the other hand, I was certainly learning yet another lesson on humility.

"You'll be a little steadier if you put your front hooves on my withers and sit up a bit."  Fluttershy's voice chimed as she looked back at me with a rather large smile showing.

I raised an eyebrow as I looked down at her back in confusion.

'What are withers...?  I know nothing about hors....er, pony anatomy!'  I thought frustratedly.

I slid my front hooves underneath me and braced them on her shoulders.  I looked back up to her eyes to see if I had guessed correctly and she shot me a little nod which led me to believe I had.  I brought my back up straight as I braced my rear hooves against her sides the best I could.

"Ok, ready to go?"  She asked as she turned her head back forwards.

"No... wait...."  Was all I managed before I felt her lift her hooves and take off at a steady trot.

I felt myself slip a little bit and I ended up on my stomach against her back again.  I felt her wings squeeze me a little tighter and realized that she must have felt me falling.  I bounced against her back as her hooves met the ground but, as she trotted onward I managed to put my hooves back on her shoul... withers, and propped myself back up again.  She was right about it making me feel steadier and after a little balancing act, I was riding smoothly on her back.

"HEY FLUTTERSHY!"  Yet another familiar voice sounded from up above.

Fluttershy had suddenly stopped and I felt myself lunge forward a bit.  Once again she applied enough inward force with her wings to keep me steady.

I looked up to see who the owner of the voice had been and Fluttershy did the same.  A sky blue pegasus came soaring down in front of her and with a quick flap of her wings landed on her hooves.  I looked around Fluttershy's neck and suddenly I was transfixed on what I saw.

I don't think I'd ever seen such an explosion of colors before.  

'They don't even make tie dyed shirts that have that much color.'  I thought as I stared at her.

Her mane and tail had all the prismatic colors of a rainbow through them.  But, the most captivating thing was the dark pink color of her irises.  She gave her tail a flick which brought any stray hairs from flight back under control and then ruffled the feathers on her wings before folding them to her sides.

"Hi Rainbow Dash!"  Fluttershy said.

"Hey!"  She answered.  "I just got done talking to Twilight.  She said that you're fostering the little pegasus we found in the Everfree?!"  

"Mm-hmm!"  She answered as she turned her head back towards me.  "He just got out of the hospital this morning."

The chromatic pegasus walked over to Fluttershy's side to get a good look at me.  I couldn't help but stare into those pink eyes of hers.

She turned her head back to Fluttershy, displaying a concerned look.

"You sure you're gonna be able to take care of him?  I mean, he was quite a handful out in the forest."  She stated.

I gave her an annoyed look as I listened to her.

'Sheesh!  It's not hard to see that I'm right here...!'  I thought.

"Oh, I think everything will be just fine."  Fluttershy stated confidently.

Rainbow turned her attention back to me and I stuck my tongue out at her and blew a raspberry.  It was a very childish thing to do thinking back on it but hell, when in Rome right?  

She shot me a surprised look before narrowing her eyes in frustration.

"Hey...!"  She stated crossly.

I shot her a smug grin and then tilted my head upwards proudly.

"Phoenix...!"  Fluttershy's displeased voice echoed.

'Whoops...'  I thought suddenly.

I turned and saw Fluttershy giving me a cross look and I wilted a bit.  I turned my attention back to Rainbow Dash.

"...Sorry..."  I said in a quiet voice.

She gave a smug smile before reaching up and roughly messing my mane.

"That's all right..."  She replied.  "So Phoenix huh?  Cool name!  But, you know... I think you still owe me something after bloodying my nose in the forest though."  She added sarcastically.

I searched my memories before finally remembering somepony grabbing my tail and me kicking them in the face.  I wilted a bit more as I remembered now where I had heard her voice and seen her before.

"Uhh....Sorry about that too."  I added.

"Eh."  Rainbow said as she shrugged her wings.  "It's all good.  You've got a heck of a kick in you though, I'll give you that."

A little grin came across my face at the stray compliment.

"So how long before you can fly again?"  She asked as she pointed a hoof at my wings.

I gave her a little shrug of my shou...withers before I caught Fluttershy shaking her head and sending an awkward expression towards Rainbow Dash.  Rainbow and myself both displayed a raised eyebrow before Fluttershy caught me looking at her.

"Oh, uh, we should get going Phoenix.  We still have a little ways to go to get home and then we'll sit down for a nice yummy dinner."  Fluttershy said as she shot me that caring glance that always managed to pacify me.

I gave her a little nod before turning my head back to Rainbow Dash.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around little dude!"  She said as she grabbed my neck in one foreleg and gave me a gentle hoof-noogie with the other.

"I guess I'll stop by your cottage tomorrow morning when I'm finished with my weather duties so we can talk."  Rainbow Dash added, talking to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy gave her friend a nod and in a prismatic blur the pegasus was up in the air and off into the clouds above.  I was awestruck at her flying ability.  I don't remember ever seeing anything move so fast that it left a trail behind it blur.  I gave a quick glance back to my wings.

'Would I be able to fly like that?'  I wondered.

"You ready?"  Fluttershy asked.

I nodded as I took one last look up at where Rainbow Dash had disappeared to.  Fluttershy soon took off at the same steady paced trot as before.  I was ready for it this time and had myself effectively braced up.  We continued along a smooth dirt road that led out of the town and over a few small hills.  After scaling the last hill a quaint little cottage came into view at the end of the road.  Fluttershy quickened her pace slightly as she came down the little hill and approached what must be her home.

It was small but what it lacked in size it definitely made up for in character.  It looked like a lot of the other houses in the town but it had that farmhouse feel.  As we got closer I could see a chicken coop that was neatly fenced in as well as a neat looking pond that was a stone's throw away from the house.

"Well, we're here!"  Fluttershy said excitedly as she cast a glance back to me.  "Welcome to your new home Phoenix!"

I threw her a smile as the words rang inside my head.  As we approached the door she opened it up with a hoof.  We took a couple steps inside and Fluttershy flipped a light switch on the wall with her nose.  The late evening sunlight that was quickly becoming nothing more than a dim glow was quickly replaced by the brightness of the lamps in the main room.  She turned and shut the door behind us before taking a few steps into the center of the room and laying down on her stomach.  I treated that as my cue to take up walking on my own again and slid off of her back and onto my hooves.  The break from walking had definitely helped.  While I was still hurting, it was much more tolerable to stand and walk on my own again.

"Why don't we get those bandages off of you for now.  That way you can stretch your wings for a bit and take a nice hot bath."  She stated as she walked up to me.  "While you're taking your bath I'll get a nice dinner prepared for us."

I sighed and nodded my head.

Fluttershy grabbed one end of the bandages and brought them loose so they fell in a small pile around me.  The feeling reminded me of taking my socks off at the end of a very long day and the ecstasy that normally followed.  I looked back at my wings to see that my left one had sprung back to its usual position on its own accord, sticking up and off to the side a bit.  I moved my right wing as I remembered where the muscles had been and how to control them.  I stretched it straight up into the air from the top of my back and gave a small grin.

"My goodness."  Fluttershy said in a surprised tone.

I looked over at her to see what had her so surprised.  She turned her attention from my wings to my eyes.

"I never noticed it before but, you certainly have rather large wings for being as young as you are.  They look really strong too."  She continued.

I smiled at her for a brief moment before remembering that one of them was pretty much useless.  I dropped my stare to the floor as my smile faded.

"That might mean something if they both worked..."  I said with the depression evident in my voice.

Fluttershy stuck a hoof under my chin and brought my eyes up to meet hers.  She had a nice warm smile on her face again.

"You just need some more time to heal is all.  You can't rush that process, especially after such an injury."  She said.

I gave a defeated nod and turned my attention back to my wings and stretched my right one upwards again so I could have another look at it.

"Besides, with wings as strong looking as these...  I bet you'll be an amazing flyer once you've recovered."  She added as she ran the edge of a hoof up along the tips of my feathers.

The feeling from her doing this was intense and sent my brain into a nose dive.  It was as if each feather tip that she touched sent a really powerful tickling sensation through my wing.  It folded itself up against my right side almost involuntarily as a really loud giggle escaped my mouth.

I heard Fluttershy let out a little gasp and I turned to see her displaying a sly grin.

"You're wings are ticklish!!"  She said in an almost accusatory tone.

I dropped my jaw a bit as I watched her stick her nose to the underside of my right wing while it was at my side.  Using the tip of her nose she brushed several of my feathers along their tips.  This caused the same sensation as before and I couldn't help but let loose another bout of childish giggling.

'Ticklish....!  Really?!  Even as a kid...well...first time as a kid, I wasn't ticklish.'  I thought

"It's really rare to find a pegasus that has ticklish wings."  Fluttershy said with a slight giggle herself.  "The only other one I know of is Rainbow......oop!"  Fluttershy stopped abruptly, throwing a hoof up to her mouth.

I raised an eyebrow as she looked down at me and brought her head down to my level, a worried expression evident on her features.

"Don't tell anypony I told you that okay?!  She made me promise that I would keep that a secret!"  She said almost as if in a panic.

"Uh, yeah, I promise I won't say anything about it."  I answered.

Her warm smile returned and she took a few steps towards me and started nudging me towards an open door.  I stumbled a bit as I got up and walked where she wanted me to.  The door led into the bathroom of her cottage.  This was my second look at the inside of a bathroom in this new place, but the first time I actually was focused enough to pay attention to the details.  Surprisingly, it was a lot easier to focus on the details when I didn't have a bar of soap magically held in my mouth.  The amenities were pretty much the same as I was used to, just a little lower to the ground if nothing else.

She walked over to a pristine looking claw foot tub and turned the water on.  After adjusting it to where she thought the perfect temperature would be, she turned back down to me with a smile.

"I'm gonna go get dinner ready.  You take a nice hot bath and clean up and then come out when you're done."  She said.

I gave another nod and she trotted out of the bathroom, closing the door till it was open just a crack.

I lifted myself up onto my back hooves while placing my front ones on the edge of the tub.  The tub really didn't look all that hard to get into.  Even for a small colt like me it looked very manageable.  The steam from the water was starting to fill the small room and I watched as bubbles formed on the top of the water.

'Fluttershy must have added some kind of soap or bubble bath.'  I thought.

I lifted myself up to the edge before trying to slide my rear legs over the edge and carefully navigate my way into the water.  Should have taken a different approach though.  For as soon as my right rear leg was over the edge of the tub, I slid the short ways down the porcelain edge and landed with a splash in the water.  The only thing I had managed was to keep my head above the water.

The water felt amazing as I splashed down.  The warmth penetrated my sore body and the scent of the soap Fluttershy had added was very pleasant as well.  It smelled like a mix of rose and lavender and it was almost intoxicating to the senses.  I rolled over onto my back in the water with my head opposite the side of the faucet.  I adjusted my left wing with a hoof and moved my right so I could lay down.  As the feathery appendages submerged into the hot water, the sensation that they fed into my brain was one of pure ecstasy.  I could feel all of the muscles that connected them to my body relaxing.  At first it was an alien sensation but soon I realized that my left wing, the one that I thought useless, had feeling in it.  A smile came across my face, happy in the knowledge that I might actually be able to fly.

I took another look over myself as I laid there in the tub, the warm water still flowing from the faucet and surrounding me.  My tail with its bright red and yellow hair floated along the surface of the water, I gave it a quick flick at the dock and let a little laugh escape as it made a part in some of the bubbles.  I let my head rest against the wall of the tub and saw some of the fiery colored stray hairs from my mane float from around my neck.  I took a deep breath as I let all of my muscles relax into the water.

A final realization had hit me and caused a rather large smile to come across my face.  For the first time since I ended up in this unexplainable new world...  I was comfortable and even enjoying being in my new body.  The sound of the faucet running continued and provided a white noise that, paired with the relaxing feeling of the warm bath water and the scents of the soap, effectively tranquilized me.  Within a few minutes, I had drifted off to sleep.
> The Nightmares Continue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  'Where am I?!  What is this place?!'  I wondered, standing panicked in the middle of a dense forest.

I had absolutely no idea where I was or how I had ended up in this dark place.  I looked up, hoping to find some area where the sun would shine through.  Unfortunately, the trees were unnaturally thick and gnarled together at their tops.  Any light from up above was effectively filtered into a very dull grey.  There was only enough light to make out the shapes close to the forest floor.  The most noticeable thing about my surroundings however, was the complete lack of sound.

I could feel my sneakers sinking into the mud of the forest floor as I stood there trying to get my bearings.  I lifted my feet up out of the ruts that I was making and took a few steps until I was standing next to a tree.  I grabbed the trunk with my hands and placed my feet close to the base which helped keep me from sinking down into the mud.  No matter how much I tried to focus my vision the only thing I could make out were the dull grey outlines of the trees around me.

"HELLO?!"  I braved through the silence.

The only reply I received was the echo of my voice.  

It was very unnerving being surrounded by complete silence.  While I kept telling myself that I was free to move around as I pleased, my mind felt trapped.  To my mind, it was the equivalent of being thrown into a locked room.  I took several slow deep breaths to calm myself before trying to figure out where I was supposed to go.

I looked around through the dull light and finally found what I could only assume was some kind of path.  It led through a section of the trees that wasn't so thick and overgrown.  With an audible 'squish' I left the tree that I was clinging too and stepped down onto the muddy forest floor.

I followed the path at a steady pace, stopping every so often to listen for any signs of life or sounds at all.  Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity I caught a faint sound of running water off in the distance.  The uneasiness seemed to relent a bit with the silence of this forest finally broken.  I kept heading down the path ahead of me, the sound of the water steadily gaining in volume.

I followed the sounds of the water through the gnarled trees until up ahead there seemed to be an opening in the forest that was letting in light.  I made my way along the muddy path, the dull grey light becoming brighter with every step I took.  I took a deep breath both physically and mentally as the light became brighter.  The feeling of entrapment and panic I've had since I ended up in this place dulling a bit now that there was actual light and sound.  I kept walking along the path, the sound of rushing water straight ahead.  Soon I came upon the end of the path and I stood at the bank of a wide and intimidating river.

I looked across the river to try and make out what was on the other side.  The only thing I could see for what had to be miles in either direction, was thick overgrown trees.  It didn't even look like there was an opening big enough for me to fit through if I could find a way across the river.  I looked up at the sky and saw that it was blanketed by an overcast of grey clouds.  The wind picked up as I stood there and created small waves in the river which washed against the shore I was standing on.

'Damn...  Just when I thought I was actually getting somewhere...'  I thought.

With a sigh of defeat I turned to head back the way I came.  As I took a step I was suddenly falling forward, tripped by something on the ground.  I caught myself with my arms and avoided face planting in the mud.

I turned my head and looked at my feet.  I displayed a puzzled look as I saw something wrapped around my right foot.  I rolled over and sat up.  I reached out and tried to unravel whatever was wrapped around my ankle.  As I touched it though it wrapped itself tighter around me.  

"OWW!"  I cried as I felt the crushing pain in my ankle.

I got a better look at what was wrapped around my ankle and saw that it looked like some kind of serpent tail.  I followed it with my eyes and spotted where it led back into the water.  I reached out once more, this time with a panicked determination, and tried to undo the tail from around my ankle.  Once again, it wrapped itself tighter around me and this time I could feel it pulling me towards the water.

I turned over onto my stomach and dug my hands and my unbound foot into the mud of the shore.  I felt like I was winning now in the tug of war against whatever monster was trying to drag me into the water.  However, it was a short lived victory.

I heard a massive splash from the river behind me and I turned to see an enormous monster bringing itself out of the water.  It let out a roar that made my heart skip a beat and absolutely terrified me.  I was frozen in place, the pure terror seizing all of my muscles.  The monster rose at least thirty feet out of the water and then stared down at me.  It had the face of a dragon with the body of an enormous serpent.  It had two long and muscular looking arms that came out at its sides that ended in razor sharp clawed hands.  It's eyes were a bright and sickly looking yellow that scanned over my paralyzed form.  With a grin that flashed it's pearly spiked teeth I felt myself yanked from my spot on the shore and suspended upside down in the air by my ankle.

I let out a yell as I felt myself leave the ground and was suddenly suspended in mid air.  The creature sank back down into the water until its head was level with my body.  I watched as a menacing grin came across its face and suddenly I was falling down into the water.  I took a breath at the last minute before I met the surface of the water with a painful splash and was pulled under.  I could feel myself being dragged further and further into the depths of the river.  The pressure from the water made my ears pop and the pain from my sinuses was becoming overwhelming.  I struggled as hard as I could against the monster that was dragging me down to a watery grave.  

I stopped suddenly and quickly realized that I was at the bottom.  I reached down to my ankle and felt the lizard's tail still clenched there.  I pulled, scratched and prodded as much as I could, trying to get the monster to release me.  My lungs were on fire and my chest was screaming against the painful stillness I was forcing on it.  I needed air and I needed it now!  My eyes adjusted to the murky water long enough for me to see a shimmer of something close by on the bottom of the river bed.  I reached down for the item, hoping that it was something that would help me.  I grabbed the item and pulled it from the muddy bottom.  It was the remains of a dagger, dropped into the river long ago.  The tip of the blade had broken off but enough of a jagged edge remained that it could still be useful.

I brought the jagged piece of steel down into the monster's tail and felt the pressure of him holding me release.  I felt myself start floating towards the surface.  I took one last look down at the bottom of the river and allowed my eyes to focus.  There along the bottom were dozens upon dozens of skeletons and random bones lying in piles.  Another wave of fear washed over me at the site, but as I looked close I realized that none of the skeletons appeared human.  They all looked to have been previously owned by quadrapedal beings.  

A sudden stabbing pain in my chest reminded me that I couldn't breathe underwater.  I turned upwards and pushed my sore and oxygen starved muscles upwards.

'How far down was I...?!'  I wondered in panic.

I saw very little light up above through the murky water.  I just tried to follow the sense of floating that my body was turning to.  Another quick and intense burst of pain came from inside my chest and I almost took a breath instinctually.

'I'm not gonna make it...'

I could barely see a faint light up above which symbolized the surface of the water and my salvation.  It was still so far though.  One more bought of pain in my chest and I convulsed, unintentionally taking a breath of the murky river water.  I closed my eyes, my throat and lungs burning in pain from the water entering my body.  I took another breath of water and felt myself starting to fade.

~~~~~

I opened my eyes to take in my last images and saw a bright light up above.  The water was so clear now and carried with it a taste of rose and lavender.  My mind connected the dots in a hurry as I suddenly realized where I was and what I had done.  My body convulsed again and I flailed around inside the tub as I fought to bring my head up above the water line.  I felt my back hooves touch the bottom of the tub and I rocketed myself up and out from under the water.  I came up from the water coughing and sputtering for air.  I threw my front hooves over the edge of the tub to hold myself there.  

I greedily sucked in as much air as I could between my coughing and sputtering.  I heard the bathroom door fly open on its hinges as it hit the wall.  I opened my eyes and saw nothing but shades of bright reds and yellows against the light of the bathroom, my sopping wet forelock obscuring my view.  Another round of coughing took over as my body tried to expel all the water I inhaled, once again trying to get as much fresh air in my lungs as it could.

"Oh my!  Phoenix, are you all right?!"  Fluttershy's voice called.

I heard her hoofsteps approach the tub and then saw her pale yellow hoof sweep my wet forelock out of my eyes.  I was once again met with that caring face of hers.  Her blue green eyes were full of worry as she reached a hoof over and shut off the water.  She lifted herself up on the edge of the tub and reached a hoof down into the water.  When she brought it back up, she was holding the drain plug and hung it around the faucet.

I finished another round of coughing as she came back over to me and slid her forehooves under my forelegs.  Gently, I was lifted out of the tub and set down on a bath mat in front of the tub.  My chest was still burning from my near-drowning in the tub and the taste of rose and lavender bubble bath littered my mouth.  

"What happened?!"  She asked in a concerned voice.

"Ummm..."  I said in a hoarse voice as I started to blush.  "I think I fell asleep..."

A little gasp escaped from Fluttershy as she stared down at me.  

She turned away for a moment and I watched her grab a towel from a shelf with her teeth.  She turned and threw the towel over my dripping form.

"But, how could you fall asleep in the tub?"  She asked.  "You were just going to wash up and then come out for dinner."

I felt her start rubbing the towel back and forth through my wet fur and mane.

"I don't know..."  I said, feeling ashamed.  "The bath water was really relaxing and I don't think I realized just how tired I was after all the walking we did..."

She lifted the towel up and away from my face and I could see that she was smiling now.  I gave my head a tilt as I looked at her and she let out a little laugh.

"Well, I guess we should both be grateful that you didn't drown in my bathtub."  She said in a joking voice.

I gave her a little grin as she threw the towel back over me and continued to dry me off.  After she finished drying off my body and mane, she wrapped the towel around my tail and pulled it down, wringing most of the water out.  My fur, mane and tail were still damp but nothing that a little bit of air drying wouldn't fix.  Fluttershy threw the towel over the edge of the tub to dry and stepped out of the bathroom for a moment.  She returned shortly with a roll of bandaging in her mouth.  

She stepped over to my left side and pulled the wet bandaging off of the wound on my left flank.  I turned my head to get a look at how the wound was healing.  It looked like it was healing very nicely.  The wound itself had been stitched closed at the hospital and the area around it seemed to have shaved clean of any fur.  The fact that I had a bald spot on my flank was the only major external issue I could find.  However, I knew I had several days of healing left to do internally.  The long walk today was proof of that.

She ripped a few pieces of the bandaging free of the roll and applied them to my flank.  She gave an approving nod at her work and then escorted me out of the bathroom.  

We walked over to a small table in the corner near the main room, the smell of cooked vegetables thick in the air.  It smelled heavenly and my stomach let out a loud rumble as we approached the already set table.  Fluttershy took a seat on a cushion that was on the floor.  On the opposite side there was a little stool with a cushion on it.  The table was barely low enough for me to see over and I quickly realized that I was going to need the slight elevation increase if I wanted to eat.  I put my front hooves up on the table and lifted my rump up onto the little stool.

I got a nice look at the food Fluttershy had prepared.  There was a pretty hearty looking helping of steamed vegetables which seemed to be the main course.  Off to one side was a small pile of what looked like dry oatmeal and off to the other looked like....

"Is that hay...?"  I asked in confusion.

"Mmhmm."  Fluttershy answered.  "Does everything look all right?"

'Well....  I guess that makes sense in a weird way.'  I thought to myself.

"Sure does.  Thank you!"  I replied.

My stomach let out another rumble as I leaned down and took my first bite of food.  The vegetables tasted fantastic and helped to get rid of the leftover taste of rose and lavender in my mouth.  They were the first to disappear from my plate.  I took a small bite of the dried oatmeal next and decided that it was worth finishing.  While having a strange consistency, the taste was almost sweet.  Reluctantly, I turned my attention to the small portion of hay that was sitting on my plate.  I leaned down and took the smallest bite I could.  As I chewed it up I realized that it had a really enjoyable taste to it.  The taste was fairly sweet, almost like the dried oatmeal, and it had a really pleasant crunch to it.  It didn't take me long to quickly finish off what was left on my plate.

There was a glass of water sitting next to my plate and I reached out to grab it.  I stopped just short though, looking at the glass then back down to my hoof.

'Wait a minute...  How's this suppose to work...?'

I stared between the glass and my hoof for a few moments before an idea popped into my head.  I brought my hoof around the bottom of the glass and slid it towards me where I gently squeezed the glass in between both hooves.  I managed to bring the glass up to my mouth and toke a large gulp, only spilling a tiny bit out the corners of my mouth before triumphantly setting it back down on the table.

A little giggle from Fluttershy brought my attention to her.

"Well...  You definitely eat like a growing colt."  She said with a smile.

I looked down at my empty plate and then over at hers.  She hadn't even eaten half of what was on her plate yet.

"Oh sorry...  I didn't realize I had eaten so fast..."  I said.

"Oh no.  I understand.  I could hear your stomach rumbling as soon as you sat down."  She said with another little giggle.

I could feel a light blush spreading across my cheeks as I looked back down at my empty plate.  I definitely had the feeling of being comfortably full.  She had prepared just the right amount of food for me.

"Why don't you go ahead and take your medicine for tonight.  It's starting to get late and I want to make sure you have a good night's sleep in you before your first day of school tomorrow."  She said as she walked over to a small counter where she had set her saddle bag.  She stuck her face into the open flap of the bag and brought a medicine bottle out in her teeth.

She brought the bottle over to my place at the table and took it in her hoof before popping the lid off of it with her teeth.  She gently shook a bright orange pill out of the bottle and onto the table.  She replaced the cap and set the medicine bottle down on the table as well.

'Whoa!  That pill is huge!'  I thought.  'Good thing it's not a suppository!'

"Go ahead Phoenix, bed time isn't that far away."  She reminded.

I gave her a little nod and leaned down and picked the pill up in my mouth.  I grabbed my glass of water with both hooves again and took a drink, successfully swallowing the pill.  I set my glass back down and looked over at Fluttershy.  She smiled and gave me an approving nod.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something run across the floor of the cottage.  As I turned my head to get a glimpse though it was already gone.  

'A mouse maybe?'

"Fluttershy, do you have mice?"  I asked.

"Oh yes, lots of mice actually."  She said with a smile.

I cocked an eyebrow at her answer and pleasant tone.  

"Isn't that bad?"  I asked in confusion.

Her smile faded a bit and she tilted her head.

"Why would that be bad?  They're very friendly and they help by picking up any crumbs from the floor."  She replied with an equal amount of confusion.

"But...  Wait...  Friendly...?"  I stammered.

"Of course.  They're just shy right now since they've never seen you before.  I told them that you would be staying here so they were prepared but I was just sure that they would hide for a while until they got to know you.  I'm really surprised that none of the other critters have come out to say hello yet though."  She continued nonchalantly.

I took another look at the insides of her cottage.  There were little holes carved into the woodwork in every which way and there were birdhouses hanging from the rafters of the ceiling.

'...Birdhouses...?'

"Sooo.... you have all these critters..... living with you... in your house?"  I managed to spit out.

"Mmhmm!  The majority of them have been living with me since I moved to Ponyville.  My pet bunny Angel has been with me since I first came here from Cloudsdale.  They come and go as they please for the most part but they always end up coming back.  I guess I just have that effect on them."

I didn't know where else to go with this.  All signs pointed towards it being perfectly normal for her to have all these different critters living with her.  Who was I to argue with something she'd been used to for so long?  After all, I was the guest here.

"You know, it's getting kind of late.  Why don't you go get ready for bed while I clean up after dinner."  Fluttershy stated.

'Really?  It didn't seem like it was that late...'  I thought.

I looked around the walls and finally found a cuckoo clock hanging on a wall next to the staircase.  I squinted as I tried to make out where the tiny hands were pointing.

'Seven thirty...!  That's late?!'  I thought in frustration.

I looked out the windows of the cottage.  The evening glow had faded into twilight and the night sky was aglow with some of the brightest stars I'd ever seen.  The only remains of the day were left on the horizon and quickly succumbing to the darkness of the night sky and its stars.  I've been going to bed somewhere between ten o'clock at night and three o'clock in the morning for the last ten years of my life.  I can't remember the last time I actually went to bed this early voluntarily.

I turned back to see Fluttershy looking at me.  She was waiting for some kind of acknowledgement it seemed.  I looked down at the dirty dishes on the table and then saw the cookware that was used to prepare dinner sitting in the sink.

"Could I help you clean up at least?"  I asked.

"No, that's not necessary.  There's really not that much to do, shouldn't take me more than a few minutes.  You go on upstairs and get ready for bed okay?"  She replied with an appreciative smile.

I let out a sigh before nodding my head and making my way up the stairs of her cottage.

'So this is what I'm destined to...  A repeat of school all the way back to elementary, early bed times and curfews, and the condescending remarks and comments that only an adult trapped in a child's body would understand...'  I thought as I topped the stairs.

I looked around once at the top of the stairs and noticed that the upstairs consisted of just one large room.  There was a decent sized bed off on one side of the room next to an open window.  A vanity with a large mirror behind it took up most of another wall and there was an open closet door with a dresser next to it that took up the third.  The forth wall was the one directly behind the staircase and held only some colorfully painted designs that adorned two large windows.

I walked over to the vanity and looked at the little colt that was staring back at me in the mirror.  His mane was an absolute mess and looked like it had stray hairs that shot out in every direction.  I let a little giggle escape at the sight.  Next I spread my right wing out to the side and stared at it for a moment.  It actually was fairly impressive for being on such a small pony.  I thought back to the sensations my wings had fed my brain in the tub.  I focused hard trying to remember where the feelings had originated so I could send the proper signals to my left wing.  I squinted my eyes, creased my brows and stuck my tongue out to the side as I found the muscles I wanted and made the connections.  To my amazement, my left wing gave a little twitch and then slowly stretched itself out and off to the side to mimic my right.  My reflection gave me the biggest open jawed smile it could muster after that.

"YES!!!  I DID IT!!!"  I yelled in triumph.

I stood up on my rear hooves and did a little turn in front of the mirror in a sort of victory dance.

'I'm going to do it!  I'm going to be able to fly!'  I told myself in my head.

I heard a light flapping and turned to see Fluttershy flying up the stairs.  She landed with a soft 'clop' next to me.

"Is everything all right?"  She asked.

"LOOK!"  I said as I turned back to my reflection in the mirror.

I squatted down on my front hooves with my rump still in the air and took on the same facial expression as before.  The little colt in the mirror stared back at the two of us as he raised his right wing to the sky and his left wing slowly followed suit.  I brought my front hooves up off of the floor in a cheer for myself.

"IT WORKS!  MY LEFT WING!  IT WORKS!  I GOT IT TO MOVE!!!"  I yelled triumphantly as I turned back to Fluttershy.

She replaced her worried expression with one of joy and came in close and nuzzled the side of my face.

"That's wonderful!  I'm so happy for you!"  She replied in an excited tone.

I returned her affection and turned back to my reflection in the mirror.  It was such an amazing feeling I had seeing myself with both wings stretched out.  I brought both wings down and stuck them straight out to my sides.  My right wing complied and my left wing lazily followed suit.  I squatted down and posed in front of my reflection like I was a track runner getting ready for the starting gun.

'I look awesome!'

A tap on my wither brought my attention back to Fluttershy.

"Don't overdo it now all right?  Remember that you're still healing."  She reminded with a smile.

I let out a little groan and brought both wings in to my sides.

"Don't worry Phoenix...  After your check up with the doctor, you'll be flying in no time!"  She added.

I shot her a smile and gave her a nod before she pushed me towards the bed with her nose.  I complied and started walking towards the bed.  She turned and grabbed something off of the vanity before turning and following me.  I stood up on my back hooves and lifted myself up onto the bed using my front hooves.  Of course, that wasn't before Fluttershy stuck her head under me and helped me up.  I didn't blush so much this time.  Seems I was actually getting used to the little humilities I was having to put up with as a kid somewhat.

My head was starting to swim a bit from the medicine as it worked its way through my body.  I could feel my muscles slowly relaxing themselves without consent and my eyelids were starting to get very heavy.  I pulled the covers back from the pillows, stumbling a few times, until I had made an opening for me to lay in.  A few sounds of Fluttershy's flapping wings and then a light bump on the bed signified that she had joined me.  I looked up to meet her eyes and noticed that she had something in her mouth.

'A hairbrush...?'  I thought as I cocked an eyebrow.  'Really?!'

"Fluttershy... is that for me?"  I asked, already knowing the answer.

She gave a nod with a toothy grin showing behind the hairbrush in her mouth.  She set the hairbrush down on the bed so she could speak clearly.

"It will be a lot easier for you to make your mane look nice in the morning if we can get it under control now.  Go ahead and sit down and I'll take care of it for you."  She said.

"But, don't you think it's a little strange..."  I started but was interrupted by a rather large yawn.  "...for you to be brushing a boy's mane...?"

She let out a little laugh as she reached a hoof out and messed the mane on top of my head.

"Well, I want you to look your best for school tomorrow for one thing.  And besides, it's just us here so no pony else will ever know."  She said in a reassuring tone.

She had a point after all.  Plus the medicine was really working on me now.  I was yawning about every minute and was starting to have troubles keeping my balance.  I felt way too tired to argue anymore on the subject and just decided to let her tame my wild mane.

"Okay, just keep this between us though all right?"  I asked.

She gave me a nod and picked the hairbrush back up in her teeth.  I turned around to face the headboard of the bed and sat down.  I felt the bed shake lightly as Fluttershy took a seat directly behind me.

'I guess it makes sense...  I can't really hold a comb or hairbrush myse.....OOOOoooooohhhhh.....!'

A soft coo escaped my mouth on its own as I felt her start brushing me.  I closed my eyes as the bristles of the brush slid their way through the hairs of my mane.  Oh my goodness I was in heaven right now.  This felt absolutely wonderful.  I brought my ears down to the sides of my head to allow an unimpeded stroke of her brush.    She worked it from top to bottom along the back of my neck.  I could feel myself almost fading into sleep between the medicine and the relaxing strokes of the hairbrush before her voice brought me back.

"Okay, turn around for just a moment."  Fluttershy chimed around the hairbrush in her mouth.

I stood up and turned to face her before sitting back down.  She brought the brush up to my forelock and took a few strokes through it.  The familiar hues of red and yellow came into view over my right eye.  She took one final stroke, pushing my forelock off to the side before setting the brush down so she could talk.

"There, all done!  You should see how handsome you look now."  She complimented.

I gave her a little grin.

"Okay, time for you to get some sleep.  Go ahead and lay down and I'll cover you up."  She continued.

I complied with her wishes and laid down on my stomach.  I tucked my hooves in close to my body and let my head fall onto the soft pillow.  I could hear the soft flaps of her wings and the bed shook gently as she left it.  She set the brush down on the stand next to the bed before grabbing the covers.

'This feels ten times more comfortable than a hospital bed.'  I thought as I let my body relax.

I felt her bringing the covers over my body and a sudden realization hit me and caused a sudden wave of fear and anxiety to wash over me.

"WAIT!"  I yelled as I shot my head up off of the pillow and looked back at Fluttershy.

She let out a startled gasp and set the covers back down at the foot of the bed before flying over next to me and landing back on the bed.

She leaned down next to me with a worried expression on her face.  "What's the matter?"  She asked.

I turned my face back down to my pillows.  I felt ashamed for what I was about to bring up.  More of the fact that I haven't dealt with a problem like this for several years.  Let alone that I was really a grown man.

I took a deep breath before saying my bit.  "I've been having really bad nightmares almost everytime I fall asleep lately.  I'm really scared of what kind of nightmare I'm going to have tonight...  I don't know if I really want to fall asleep..."

There was silence between us for a few moments before I felt the warmth of Fluttershy's fur against my own.  She laid down on the bed next to me and covered my form with her wing.  I looked over at her and was met with her caring blue-green eyes only a few inches away from my own.  She gave me a warm smile as she nuzzled the side of my face lovingly.

"Tell you what, I'll stay in here with you for awhile and make sure that if you're having a nightmare I'll wake you up.  How's that sound?"  She asked.

I smiled and nodded at her.

'What was it about her that managed to pacify me when my anxiety ran so rampant?  Could she really hold that much love in her heart for me already?'  I wondered.

The medicine certainly wasn't wearing off anytime soon and its effects were becoming more prevalent as the minutes ticked by.  Fluttershy turned her head and grabbed the covers in her teeth, pulling them up over both of us.  I snuggled up against her and let my head fall back down to the pillow.  She began to hum a soft lullaby from next to me and I shut my eyes.  I let a smile spread across my face as I drifted off to sleep, knowing that tonight there would be no nightmares.
> The New Kid
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  "Phoenix...  Wake up sleepyhead."  A soft voice called from beyond the veil of sleep.

I stirred groggily, my eyelids begrudgingly parting to allow in the first rays of the morning sun.  I felt the warmth of the covers suddenly disappear as they were taken from me.  A small groan came from my throat as I pulled the pillow over my head, body shivering from the unexpected exposure.

"Ah ah ahhh."  Fluttershy chided playfully.

The pillow was quickly abducted from my grasp next, and once again I held my eyes shut against the persistent sunlight.  Another dissatisfied groan escaped as I let my body go limp, covering my eyes with my hooves.  My wings hung loose, resting on the mattress.  I could hear Fluttershy giggling from the bedside as I fought to try and stay in bed.

'Is this a game to her?'  I wondered.

"All right mister!  You asked for it!"  She said in a playful voice.

I tried to brace myself for whatever was coming, but I was not prepared for what happened next.  An overwhelming tickling sensation rapidly consumed my left wing.  My eyes shot open and my head came up off of the bed.  Both of my wings folded onto my sides defensively as a rush of giggles exploded from my mouth.

"NOT FAIR!"  I yelled back while still giggling.

Fluttershy laughed before giving me a little nuzzle on the side of my face.  I smiled and returned the gesture.

"Come on Phoenix.  I already made breakfast for us.  Let's get your mane combed so we can go downstairs and eat."  She said with a smile.

I suppressed a sigh and gave her a nod as I stood up on the mattress.  I stretched my forelegs out as I arched my back, followed by both back legs behind me separately.  It was nice to notice that as my back left leg moved around a bit, there was no pain surrounding it this morning.  I jumped down from the bed and followed Fluttershy over to the vanity in the room.  The little white furred colt met me in the mirror once again; however, there was something different about him this time.

I tilted my head as I looked at my refection, trying to figure out what was so noticeably different about it.  I still had the same bright blue eyes, the same snow-white colored fur, the same red and yellow mane with matching tail, although with a slightly more-than-usual touch of bedhead.  I spread both of my wings out and up towards the sky, my left one still acting a bit sluggish compared to its twin.  I scoped out my reflection and gave myself a confident smile.  My wings looked amazing compared to how they did after my incident in the forest.  All my crinkled feathers finally stood straight and tall with the ones I had lost finally starting to grow in.

A strange thought once again dawned on me as I figured out why the colt in the mirror looked so different.  It was because he was happy.

Fluttershy suddenly appeared behind me in the mirror which startled me.  I watched while she picked up the hairbrush from last night in her teeth again.  As it made contact with my mane, I was brought back to heaven's doorstep.  I shut my eyes as a relaxed sigh escaped, the sensations of the brush combing through my mane filled my mind like a drug.  Her touch was very gentle as she teased my bedhead back into a semi-decent looking mess.  She gave the top of my head a few final strokes with the brush and brought my forelock back over my right eye.

"There we go!  All handsome again."  Fluttershy smiled, setting the brush back on the vanity.

I rolled my eyes at her and gave my head a quick throw to the side, bringing my forelock back over my brow.  She gave a bemused grin and turned to head downstairs, motioning me to follow.  I complied and followed behind her until I placed my hoof on the first step.  My throat swallowed a lump as I backed up, sitting down at the top of the stairs.

'Something about this doesn't feel right...'  I thought.

I watched Fluttershy descend the staircase with ease.  Once at the bottom she trotted the short distance into the kitchen.  With growing apprehension my eyes counted the steps that led up to me.  There were ten of them not including the first or second floors as steps.  I stood up once more putting my hoof down on the first step again.  As I leaned forward, shifting my weight, I could tell my balance was becoming unstable and wanting to roll me forward.  I quickly tried to transfer my weight back to my rear hooves but it was too late.  Bringing my other forehoof down, I tried to catch my weight, but I was suddenly rolling hindquarters over hooves.  My joints in my front legs buckled and I did a somersault as my body came rolling down the staircase.

I hit my rump on one step, my face on another and finally landed flat on my stomach on the ground floor.  The landing had knocked all of the wind out of my body.  I laid there on the floor wheezing, trying to catch my breath against my protesting chest.  My limbs were all splayed out in different directions and my wings were lying limp at my sides.  I felt my nose running a bit past the distinct pain my landing had provided it and gave a sniff.  It brought a familiar coppery taste into my mouth and I realized that my nose was bleeding.

I heard Fluttershy's quick hoofsteps come from the kitchen and she was in front of me before I knew it.  Looking up into her face, I managed a false grin past the fresh pains in my body.

"Oh my goodness!"  She said in an uneasy voice.  "Are you all right...?!  What happened?!"

Slowly, I got my hooves back underneath me and stood up.  My breaths were becoming normal as my agitated chest wall finally relaxed and allowed my lungs to fill completely.  I took another sniff to keep the blood in my nose from spilling onto the floor.  The coppery taste hit my tongue and I swallowed it down with a tiny grimace.

"It's not as easy going down the stairs as it is going up..."  I said in a shaky tone as I tried to keep my fake smile in place.

Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow at my statement before leaning down and getting a close look at my face.

A tear had welled up in my left eye as I tried to maintain my composure.  The pain from my stairway spill was becoming more prominent the more I tried to cover it up.  I brought my wings up to make sure they weren't injured again, looking both of my feathery appendages over with a careful eye before folding them back to my sides.

'Phew, escaped the bullet on that one...'  I thought.

"...Well, breakfast is ready on the table."  She said past a very obvious frown.

I nodded at her and took a few sore steps past her and into the kitchen trying my best not to limp.  Walking over to my assigned seat at the table, made evident by the stool I had sat on the night before, I once again put my front hooves on the table and lifted my rear up towards the cushioned stool.  I flicked my tail behind me and plopped my rump down on the cushion.  There was a very sore spot on my rear from my fall on the stairs that took this time to stage a protest.  Shifting uncomfortably in my seat I tried to keep my weight off of my fresh bruise.

Fluttershy walked over and took her seat at the table across from me.  She still had the concerned look on her face and squinted her eyes as she focused on my face.  I dropped my gaze away from hers and looked down at the plate in front of me.  A small plate contained two eggs that were sunny side up and a piece of toast.  A small bowl next to the plate contained some of the oat mix that I had sampled last night.  Lastly, there was a tall glass of orange juice to complete the morning meal.

I sniffed again as I felt another trickle of blood trying to escape my bruised nostrils.  As I was just about to bury my face in my plate, I looked up and caught Fluttershy starting on her breakfast.  My eyes widened a bit in surprise as I noticed her holding a fork in the bend of the joint just above her hoof.  I glanced to the side of where my plate had been set and noticed a fork sitting there waiting to be used.

'...crap...'  Was the only thing that came to mind as I looked at the familiar utensil that now seemed so alien to me.

I tilted my head to the side inquisitively as I looked at the pronged metal stick.  The little utensil threatening to make a very big fool out of me.

'...Fingers plus fork equals no problem.....Hooves plus fork equals.....  How the heck is this supposed to work?!  It's like trying to divide by zero...!'  My frustrated thoughts screamed.

I reached a hoof up and slid the fork around the table top, trying to figure out a way to get it into the crook of my hoofjoint like Fluttershy had done.  After several failed attempts, I let out a frustrated groan as I leaned down and picked up the utensil in my teeth.  With a victorious smile I wrapped my hoof around the stem of the utensil and held it tight in my joint.

I looked up at Fluttershy who was just staring with a raised eyebrow.  My smile wavered into a nervous grin and I cleared my throat before once again dropping my gaze down to my breakfast.  Carefully, I brought the prongs of the fork down to the plate and dug out a few chunks of the eggs with it.  I brought the eggs up to my mouth and took a bite.  The taste was the most familiar thing I'd experienced so far.  Nothing new or exciting about it like the apples or vegetables I'd eaten since being here.

Several small scoops later and I was becoming adept at using silverware...again.  It was like trying to teach a toddler how to use the utensils except I was the teacher and student all wrapped into one package.  I set the fork down after finishing the eggs and grabbed the piece of toast with my teeth, forcing the whole thing into my mouth with a hoof.  Throwing etiquette to the wind by this point, I ate the oats directly from the bowl.  Finally, I topped it all off by picking up my glass of orange juice between my hooves and chugging it down.  Wiping my mouth with a foreleg, I looked up at Fluttershy who finally had a smile back on her face, granted it was a small one.

"Well, we should get you ready for your first day of school!"  She announced from across the table.  

She got up from her seat and trotted over to a counter in the kitchen that had my red backpack sitting on it.  Grabbing the back pack in her teeth she brought it over to me.

I let out an agitated breath as I hopped down from the stool and landed on all fours.  As I lifted my forelegs one at a time and allowed her to slip the straps around them the pack came to a comfortable rest on my back in its familiar spot.

"I went ahead and packed you a lunch for today, it's already in your backpack."  She said with a caring smile.

"Thank you!"  I said, returning the smile.

She turned and started walking towards the door and I followed for a few steps before she stopped abruptly.

"OOH!  I almost forgot!"  She said as she turned back around.  Approaching her saddlebag which was lying on the floor, she stuck her muzzle inside it and dug for something.

I cocked an eyebrow as I watched her pull out a roll of white bandages.

My eyes widened and I spread both my wings out to my sides, looking at both of them.  I turned my gaze back to her with a pleading look.  I really didn't want them tied down to my sides again after I just figured out how to use them.  Plus, they looked so awesome!  I really didn't want them covered.

"Come on Phoenix.  You know what the doctor and Nurse Redheart said."  She reminded.

I let my head and wings fall limp in defeat as I slowly walked over to her.  I folded my wings against my sides and she began wrapping the bandages around them.  Once the roll of bandages had been applied I gave the dressings a little tug with my wings but the wrapping didn't even budge.  They were effectively immobilized at my sides.

A very childish sounding groan escaped my lips as I turned my defeated gaze back up to Fluttershy.

She reached a hoof out and stroked my mane gently.

"Just remember...  After we get you to your next appointment and they see how well you're healing, then you can try flying as much as you want."  She said in that familiar caring voice.

"...Okay."  I said with a little grin as she comforted me.

"Now come on.  We don't want you to be late on your very first day."  She stated as she opened the door to the cottage.

I gave her a little nod and walked out of the cottage with her following in pursuit.  She turned and shut the door behind her before trotting up beside me and leading the way to my 'second' first day of school.


~~~~~


The walk from Fluttershy's cottage to town was very pleasant and helped keep a smile on my face.  Several times during the trip, birds would fly next to Fluttershy and sing their random songs to her.  I couldn't put my hoof on it, but it seemed that she had a magical connection with the animals in this place.  She would smile and return some of the notes to them before they would fly off and go on with their day.

We reached the market square of the town to find the vendors setting up their stalls for the day.  There were many sweet scents in the air as the vendors uncovered and placed their wares out for the crowds.  Regardless of the breakfast I had eaten this morning, I found my mouth watering.  Fluttershy led us around the market square to avoid the crowded walkways where vendors were starting to bottleneck.

The heavenly scent of bakery fresh treats was becoming stronger with every step we took.  When we had completely come around the market square, the building that came into view caused my jaw to drop.  There, sitting on a pedestal amongst the landscape of thatched roofs and wood-beam houses, was the biggest gingerbread house I had ever seen.  I was in shock, my brain short circuiting as I tried to drink in the sight before me.  Frozen, I stood there staring, trying hard to make rational sense of the structure.

"Phoenix...?"  Fluttershy called, bringing me out of my hypnosis.

My gaze trailed away from the sugar coated structure and met her eyes.  She had taken a few steps ahead of me and must have noticed that I was no longer at her side.  I turned my attention back to the frosted building.

"What is this place?"  I asked in awe.

Fluttershy let a little laugh out as she walked over to me and stood at my side.

"This is Sugarcube Corner.  The best baked goods in all of Equestria are made here!"  She answered.

I couldn't take my eyes off the gingerbread bakery and it's amazing facade.  The smokestack for the ovens was like something straight out of a Dr. Seuss book, all curved and sticking up in different directions.  The heavenly smelling aromas emanating from it were stereotypical of a bakery in early morning.

"Would you like a treat before school?"  Fluttershy asked.

I nodded my head as an overwhelming grin spread across my muzzle.  She let out a little giggle and led the way through the building's stable like door.

The inside of the bakery was a bit disconnected from its outdoor counterpart.  While the outside looked exactly like an overdecorated gingerbread house, the inside looked pretty much like a professional bakery.  There were several glass cases that filled the front half of the store, with small tables and chairs for customers to sit and eat filling the rest.  The cases were filled with fresh loaves of bread, pastries and cupcakes.

'OH MY GOODNESS...!  Those cupcakes look amazing!'  I thought as I approached one of the glass cases.

"HI FLUTTERSHY!"  A friendly sounding female voice sounded.

I looked up at the counter space that held a cash register and saw a brightly colored pink mare hovering over it.  I don't think I've seen anypony, or anything for that matter, with that much pink.  Her coat was a light pink color while her mane and tail were of a much darker hue.  Her mane and tail had an inflated appearance to them and looked as if a firecracker had been set off inside them.

"Good morning Pinkie Pie!"  Fluttershy responded.

The pink mare dropped her gaze down to meet mine and her expression suddenly changed to that of somepony in utter confusion.  I could almost here the bell going off in her head as her expression changed to that of realization.

"Wait a second...!  You're that little guy we found out in the Everfree Forest!"  She said almost accusingly.

I took a few steps back towards Fluttershy.

"Umm...mmhmm..."  I answered.

The pink one shifted her gaze almost mechanically between me and Fluttershy for several moments.

"Wait...!  Fluttershy... what's going on here?!"  She asked narrowing her eyes.

"Well...  Phoenix got out of the hospital yesterday and now he's living with me..."  Fluttershy answered with a smile.

Pinkie Pie let out a shocked gasp as she hopped over the counter in a pink blur.  Suddenly I was airborn, Pinkie Pie had picked me up under my forelegs and hoisted me into the air.

A surprised scream escaped my throat and I looked down into the pink one's bright blue eyes.

"I can't believe you've been out of the hospital since yesterday and no pony told me!"  She said with an agitated voice.

'...help...!'  Is all I could think.

Her expression suddenly turned into a bright and cheery smile and she started giggling uncontrollably.  I was suddenly pulled against her chest into a very tight hug while she continued to stand on two legs.  I felt the breath being squeezed out of me by her forelegs.  She finally dropped me back onto my own hooves and came back down onto four legs.  She brought her head down until our noses were almost touching.

"So Phoenix huh?  That's a really unique name!  I'm Pinkie Pie!!!"  She wasted no time in taking my hoof and shaking it so vigorously that I feared it would detach.  "It's a pleasure to meet you!  Even though we've already met once, but I don't know if that really counts as an official meeting since no pony was introduced.  I mean, you were really freaked out, what with all the screaming you were doing so it didn't really seem like you were in the mood to meet any new ponies at the time."  She took a breath finally before continuing.  "But now you're here and you must be really nice which makes sense you know, since you're staying with Fluttershy and all, her being one of the nicest ponies I know."

I was dumbstruck as my brain barely managed to keep up with my ears, attempting to follow her words which were coming out at break-neck speed.  Her gasp surprised me, my ears folding to the side of my head defensively while a forehoof came up off the ground.  I leaned back towards Fluttershy.

"YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?!?!"  She yelled at me while pausing for an answer.

"....umm...."  I stammered.

"I GET TO THROW YOU A PARTY!!!"  She answered.

"...huh...?"  I managed.

"It'll be so much FUN!!!  You'll get to meet all kinds of new ponies from here in Ponyville!"  She said with the excitement levels still rising.

"Umm...Pinkie...?"  Fluttershy suddenly spoke up, thought not very loudly.

The pink mare turned her attention to Fluttershy.

"I don't mean to be rude but, it's Phoenix's first day of school and I don't want him to be late."

"Oh!  Even more of a reason to throw him a party!"  Pinkie replied while still wearing her overgrown smile.

In an act that I can only describe as disappearing and reappearing, Pinkie Pie was suddenly behind the counter of the bakery again.  I blinked a few times and decided it best not to try and figure out how the peppy pink one worked.  She was reaching into one of the glass cases and came up with a brightly colored cupcake resting on a hoof.

"Here ya go!"  She said as she held the multicolored treat out to me.  "I made these fresh this morning!  They're my special recipe.  Just what a little colt needs before his first day of school!"

The cupcake looked so tantalizing and once again I found my mouth watering.  I took a couple steps forward and lifted up a hoof, taking the cupcake into the hollow and bringing it up to my face for a sniff.  I gave Pinkie Pie a quick smile before shoving the whole thing in my mouth and chewing it up.  My eyes rolled back as all the sweet flavors of the culinary concoction overwhelmed my taste buds.  It took me several minutes to whittle down the mouthful of cupcake, but eventually I swallowed it down.

"Well...?  What'dja think?"  Pinkie asked.

I smiled up at her as my tongue cleaned the remnants of frosting off of my mouth.

"BEST.  CUPCAKE.  EVER!!!"  I proclaimed with a little jump at the end, the sugar already affecting me.

Pinkie Pie giggled.  "That's what I like to hear!  Consider it a have-fun-on-your-first-day-of-school cupcake!"

"Thank you!"

"Sure thing!"  She turned her attention to Fluttershy.  "I'll talk to you later about the... ittlelay oltcay"  The pink baker added while gesturing in my direction.

'...Really...?'  I thought with a grin.

Rolling my eyes, I turned around to face Fluttershy.

"Have a nice day Pinkie Pie!"  Fluttershy said before looking down at me.  "Ready?"

She turned and walked out the door with me in tow.  Turning around slightly, I took one last look at the super-friendly pink mare who was waving a hoof at me.  I returned the wave and hopped out the doorway and beside Fluttershy.


~~~~~


The rest of the way to the school was nothing special.  Fluttershy tried to make small talk about my first day of school which, admittedly, did kind of make me feel better about it.

We came across the familiar white picket fences that lined the street up to the schoolhouse.  As the building came into view a feeling of impending doom sunk into the pit of my stomach.  There were several other children outside the schoolhouse.  Some were running around and playing, burning off their morning energy in preparation for sitting still for several hours.

We approached the steps of the schoolhouse and Fluttershy stopped.  She turned her attention to me and I feigned a smile.

"I hope you have a good first day, Phoenix.  I'll see you this afternoon when you get home from Applejack's."  She spoke up as she leaned down and gave my face a loving nuzzle.

The show of affection made me smile and I returned the gesture.  I didn't realize my mistake until it was too late.  My attention was drawn to the muffled laughter of several children.  I noticed Diamond Tiara and her lackey Silver Spoon standing at the forefront of the group.  They tilted their heads, letting out a most grating and obviously sarcastic 'aww.'  My cheeks started to feel warm and I took a step back from Fluttershy.

"Be good for Miss Cheerilee today okay?"  Fluttershy added.

I nodded at her and turned to head into the schoolhouse.  The old but not forgotten smell of chalk dust and worn erasers filled my nostrils.  My anxiety levels were on the rise as painful memories of my previous school years came flooding back.  I gave a quick look behind me to catch Fluttershy spreading her wings and taking to the sky.

An empty feeling crawled into my mind as I watched her disappear.  My attention turned to the inside of the schoolhouse.  There were twelve desks all lined up in equal rows and columns facing the blackboard.  Four desks from front-to-back and three from side-to-side.  It seemed each desk had a backpack or saddlebag sitting next to it.

'They must have brought their stuff in before they went out to play.'

The bell above the schoolhouse sounded its ominous tune, signalling the start of the school day.  I turned around inside the entryway and saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon leading the herd of school children inside.

"Move it new kid!"  The pastel colored menace shouted in a shrill voice.

I jumped a bit and took a step back into the corner of the entryway, allowing the other children to pass as their giggles resonated in my ears.  My ears dropped and I took a look back towards the door.  This was my chance wasn't it...?  I could just bolt for the door and skip the disaster that this day was destined to be.  As I debated what was inevitably a bad decision, three familiar fillies came striding in through the door.

"Heya Phoenix!"  Applebloom called excitedly.

My ears perked up a bit and a small smile came over my face.

"What are you doing stuffed into the corner?"  Scootaloo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"...Pretending I'm invisible...?"  I answered in a downtrodden tone.

The three fillies took on concerned expressions as they exchanged glances among themselves.  They all turned back to me smiling and Sweetie Belle grabbed my hoof.  She pulled at my leg motioning me to stand up, which I slowly complied.

"Don't worry... It won't be so bad."  She stated in a soft voice as she led me into the classroom with the other two following behind.

"Yeah!"  Applebloom piped up.  "Soon enough we'll all be back at mah farm and crusading fer our cutie marks!"

I took one last pleading glimpse at the open door, salvation escaping my grasp.

We walked up to an empty desk along the side of the room.  Thankfully, it wasn't in the front row.  Scootaloo took a seat at a desk on the opposite row and Applebloom took her seat front and center right in between Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.  Sweetie Belle slid her saddlebag off and took a seat at the desk in front of me.  I grabbed my backpack strap in my teeth and slid my leg out letting it fall over to the other side.  I slid it up against my desk and clumsily took my seat.

The desks were what you'd expect to find in a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse.  They had the tabletop and seat combined with a little entry at the side, though the seat had no back.  The seat was very uncomfortable and allowed my body to remind me of the fresh bruise on my rump.  My little gymnastics routine down the stairs definitely had come at a price it seemed.

The sound of a closing door behind the classroom shook me out of my reverie.  Cheerilee trotted into the classroom from the entryway and in between the rows of desks.

"Good morning my little ponies!!!"  She greeted enthusiastically.

"GOOD MORNING MISS CHEERILEE!!!"  The rest of class answered.

She trotted up to the large desk at the front of the classroom before turning to the rest of the class.

"Well everypony!  We have a new addition to our class today!"  She stated in a more-than-cheerful tone.

'...Oh no...!'  My eyes snapped wide with terror.

"I'd like to introduce everypony to Phoenix!"  She finished by motioning a hoof towards me.

You could have heard a pin drop from a mile away, the silence was so complete.

I sunk into my seat and put an uncomfortable grin on my face as I turned and met the stares of everypony else.

"Phoenix...?"  Miss Cheerilee asked, her voice an island amidst the sea of quiet.

I turned my attention back to her, beads of sweat pooling on my forehead.  She motioned me up to the front of the room with her.

'...Oh no...no no no.....Please please NO...!'  My inner voice screamed.

"Come and introduce yourself to the rest of the class!"  Her tone full of overbearing cheerfulness.

'....crap...'
> The New and the Review
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  The whole class turned to face me as my ears drooped to their all too familiar resting places.  While my visual attention was focused on Miss Cheerilee, I was still very aware of everypony's eyes on me.  I swallowed a lump nearly the size of a boulder as my frozen joints finally responded to my unwanted commands.  Sliding out of my seat and landing on all fours with a 'clop,' I made my way along the far row of desks to the front of the room.  The hollow echo of my hooves on the hard wood was the only noise that broke the silence.  My cheeks had taken on a very uncomfortable burn while beads of sweat soaked the fur on my forehead.

'There's no escaping this...'  I thought as I took a ragged breath.  'Just get it over with...'

I rounded the front corner of desks where Diamond Tiara was sitting, warranting a bored yawn from her as I passed.  Sighing in resignation, I took the last few steps to stand next to the overly cheerful teacher.  Forcing myself, I brought my gaze up to meet Miss Cheerilee's.  She tilted her head to the side and motioned with a hoof towards the rest of the students.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to the class!"

That unbelievably optimistic tone of voice seemed like it would be my end.  I was like a criminal on trial, the faces of the students supplanting those of the jury.  Thankfully the only thing missing from this scene was having to swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Another sigh escaped as I turned to face the class, their eyes both accusatory and inquisitive.  Some of them wore bored looks with half-shut eyes, while still others were waiting at attention for my first words.  My ears were all but glued to the sides of my head from how much I was sweating, they were spending a lot of time in that position after all.

"...Uh...I'm...a......Ph-Phoenix..."  I managed to spit out, barely through a stutter.

Forcing an uncomfortable grin onto my face, I looked back at the teacher, hoping for some kind of cue that I could go back and melt into my seat.  However, I should have expected it wasn't going to be that easy.

"How old are you?!"  A shrill voice called from the front row, startling me and bringing my attention back front and center.

Diamond Tiara was leaning forward in her seat, waiting for an answer to her question.

"...Wh-what...?"  I managed.

"Tch!  I said... How. Old. Are. You?!"  She repeated in a very condescending tone.

'Oh crap! That's one more thing I never thought of ...' My mind raced as it tried to come up with a number, any number, that would make sense.

"What's the matter?!  Don't you know how old you are?!"  Diamond Tiara's mocking voice rang in my head, causing me to lose any concentration I may have had towards answering her.

"Now Diamond Tiara, there's no need to be rude to your new classmate."  Miss Cheerilee chimed in, giving a stern look with her eyes but never losing her smile.

"Well, he's the one being rude!"  She whined defensively.  "He's not answering my question!"

If my cheeks got any hotter, they would have burst into flame, and at that point I would have gladly welcomed it.  I needed to think fast, even if only for something to stall with.

"...Uh... Well... How old do you think I am?"  I managed, followed by a very small grin.

"DUH!  That's why I asked-"  Diamond Tiara started but was cut off by an excited Scootaloo.

"OOH OOH!!"  She shouted thrusting an orange hoof into the air while her wings buzzed excitedly.  "I'm gonna guess you're eight!"

"Hey!  You guessed it!  I'm eight years old!"  I said though an uncomfortable grin, mentally relieved that my gambit had worked.

"YES!"  Scootaloo shouted as she gave a little hoof pump.  "You're the same age as me!"

I returned a crooked smile as the heat from my cheeks finally started to dissipate.

"HMMPH!"  Huffed Diamond Tiara, turning towards Scootaloo.  "Well if that's the case...  Why are his wings so much bigger than yours?!  ...Hmmm?!"  An evil grin spread across her face.

Scootaloo sunk back into her seat, scowling.  I watched as she glanced back at her wings, her expression softening into one of dissapointment.  While it was nice to have the attention off of me and focused on anypony else, I didn't like the outcome.  A frown curled across my muzzle as I squinted towards Diamond Tiara.

"At least she HAS wings..."  I blurted out.

A few short gasps from the children filled my ears as all eyes were once again turned back towards me.  The heat in my cheeks began rising again and the gaping mouths and wide-eyed stares from the other children made me realize that I must have said something awful.  Diamond Tiara turned her gaze back to mine with a look of absolute shock on her face.  The awkward silence was back with a vengeance, if only for a few short moments.  They say time flies when you're having fun, but when you're uncomfortable, it may as well be cement.

"Now Phoenix!"  Miss Cheerilee said in a stern tone.

I turned towards her, the once cheerful expression on her face now replaced by one all together serious.

'That couldn't have been that bad... could it?'  I wondered as I watched her.

"That's a really mean thing to say to anypony!  We're all created equally in our Princess's eyes and therefore each other's!  It doesn't matter if you're an Earth pony, unicorn or a pegasus; we're all ponies through and through!"

My eyes managed to find my hooves as she continued scolding.  My ears twitched as I picked up on the giggles from the other students towards the back of the room.

"Now...  I want you to tell Diamond Tiara that you're sorry."

Taking a deep breath I reluctantly let my eyes meet Diamond Tiara's.

"Sorry..."  I managed with a shaky tone.

A one-sided grin grew across her face and she turned her nose up as if to shun my apology.  "Hmmph!"

"Now Diamond Tiara, I believe that you owe Scootaloo an apology.  Don't you?"  The teacher pony said while shooting a stern look towards the pink menace.

"Tch!  What for?!"  She replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Just because somepony doesn't grow as fast as others, doesn't mean they're any less special than the rest of us."  She added, her cheerful demeanor returning.  "Now I want you to apologize to Scootaloo for your comment about her wings."

Letting out an agitated sigh, the obviously over-spoiled earth pony turned around to face the orange pegasus.  Scootaloo still had a hurt look on her face and her wings were drooping, apparently a reflection of how she was feeling.

"Sorry I made fun of your wings..."  Diamond Tiara stated with a mock sincerity.

"...Sure."  Scootaloo answered less-than-enthusiasticly.

Miss cheerilee's bubbly personality had been restored and she was once again the cheerful teacher she had been when she entered the classroom.

"Very good!  Now, Diamond Tiara, I want you to write a short essay on pegasus ponies and in it I want you tell us why some of them grow faster than others and why some of them grow just a little bit slower."

The stunned expression on Diamond Tiara's face elicited a smug smile on my own.

"And Phoenix?"  The teacher continued.

My attention quickly shifted to Cheerilee, now smiling more out of worry.

"I want you to write a short essay on Earth ponies telling us why they're just as special as pegasus ponies."

Giving the cheery teacher a little nod, I started to inch my way back to my desk.

"Now, does anypony else have any questions for Phoenix?"

'Damn...'

Turning back to the class I was greeted with a sight that brought a bit of elation with it.  There were no hooves in the air and everypony seemed bored with me now.

"Ok Phoenix, go ahead and take your seat."  Cheerilee said as she turned and walked over to the blackboard.

Complying with the teacher's directive, I hurried back to my desk.  As I rounded the corner I couldn't help but look past Diamond Tiara.  I was briefly met with a look of disgust that followed me all the way back to my seat.  Eventually, she turned her attention back to the blackboard.  As for me, while I couldn't do anything about the random stares I was receiving, it felt great not to be the center of attention again.

"Okay everypony!  Are all of you ready for our math lesson this morning?"  Cheerilee asked as she picked up a piece of chalk with her mouth.

Several dissatisfied groans were heard from the class as she started etching out different math problems on the blackboard.  The squeaks of the white dust stick were one more thing that reminded me of the horrors of my previous days in school.  My ears twitched at the sounds of several students shuffling through their bags and back packs.  I grabbed my own with a hoof and brought it up to my desk.  Fumbling with the zipper, I finally managed to open it with my teeth and pull out my paper.  Automatically, I reached into the bag for a pencil before the gears of my mind ground to a halt.  I found myself staring at the collection of pencils that had settled at the bottom of my backpack, wondering how I was supposed to write with no fingers.

"All right everypony!  Does everyone have a fresh piece of paper in front of them?"  Miss Cheerilee asked as she set the chalk down.

My attention turned to the strange colt sitting next to me.  He was a unicorn with a burnt-yellow coat and a lighter green mane and tail.  He wasn't necessarily tall compared to the other colts I had seen, but his neck was a lot longer than anypony else's so far.  Nonchalantly, I took a glance at his flank noticing that his cutie mark was a...snail?  I watched as he retrieved a pencil from his saddlebag with his mouth and then began copying the math problems from the blackboard to his paper, using his teeth to manipulate the implement.

'That makes sense...'

Shoving my head into the darkness of my backpack, I grabbed a pencil in my teeth before letting my bag drop back to the floor.  The implement carried with it a taste that I remembered from my previous years in school when I had a bad habit of chewing on my writing instruments.  Staring down the length of my muzzle, trying to see the pencil I held, I began to manipulate the item with my tongue.  Finally getting the pencil to a position where I could use it I looked up at the board to see what kinds of math problems we were all learning.

My heart jumped and I couldn't help it as a chuckle escaped around my otherwise occupied mouth.  There on the board were three of the simplest math problems.  Eight multiplied by eight, five multiplied by eleven, and nine multiplied by ten.

"Would anypony like to solve the problems on the board?"  Miss Cheerilee asked.

"Miss Cheerilee!"  Diamond Tiara exclaimed as she waved a pink hoof in the air.  "I think it would be polite for us to let  Phoenix go first!  Since it's his first day and all!"

She ended her announcement and shot a look back at me with a very smug grin of her own.  I rolled my eyes as I allowed the pencil to fall from my teeth and threw a hoof over it so it wouldn't roll off my desk.

"What a nice idea Diamond Tiara!"  Cheerilee announced before asking me, "Is that all right Phoenix?  Do you need a little time to work the problems out on your paper?"

Not being able to help it, I cocked a grin.  "Nah, I'm good!  Eight times eight is sixty four, five times eleven is fifty five, and nine times ten is ninety."  I announced proudly.

"Very good Phoenix!"  Miss Cheerilee beamed.

Casting a glance to Diamond Tiara revealed a pink pony whose mouth was agape and eyes wide with surprise.  Flexing my new level of pride I shot her a wink.  Her eyes narrowed as she turned back around in her seat defeated at her attempt at humility.  'Score one for the new kid'  I thought as my smile grew a bit.

"Let's try something else for just a moment."  Miss Cheerilee announced.  Once again, my attention was brought back to the now erased blackboard.

The teacher picked the piece of chalk back up and began writing out three more problems on the board.  As she finished and stepped aside, I had to cast out another snicker.  Sixteen times four, eighteen divided by three, and five times two times ten.

"Phoenix?  Would you like to try these problems as well?"  She asked.

"Sure!  Sixty four, six and one hundred."  I announced, my level of cockiness quickly growing.

My ears flicked back and forth as I picked up several astonished gasps and whispers from the other students.  I could have sworn I heard Sweetie's voice among them, surprised at their newest member.

"My goodness Phoenix!"  Cheerilee announced with a look of absolute elation on her face.  "Okay, one more set of problems before we get back to our normal lesson."

Several of the students had once again turned to look at me, the former new kid, now math-genius that graced their humble classroom.

Miss Cheerilee quickly erased the blackboard and picked up the chalk once more.  She etched out another three problems on the board before stepping to the side again.  'Oooh...  Trying to trick me, eh?'  I thought with a little snicker.  Sixty seven divided by two, five cubed and sixteen times "X" equals one hundred and twenty eight were the new equations.

"Wait a minute..."  The burnt-yellow unicorn sitting next to me spoke up.  "Why is there a letter in that last one...?"

"It's just a basic polynomial."  I answered absently, his attention turning to me with a raised eyebrow.

"A what...?"

"A mathematical expression containing variables, which in this case is what the 'X' represents."

The unicorn colt cocked his head before slowly turning back to the front of the class.  I returned my gaze to the blackboard and caught sight of a confused looking Miss Cheerilee.

'Uh oh...  Maybe I'm taking this a bit too far...'  I thought as my cocky smile faded a bit.

"Uh...  Thirty three and a half,"  I clicked my tongue as I substituted for the exponent, "one hundred and twenty five and ...  'X' equals eight."  I answered finally.

Miss Cheerilee shook her head in what must have been amazement as she looked to the blackboard then back to me.  Not entirely sure if what happened was a good thing or not, I slowly began inching my way back down into my seat.

"Phoenix...  Your math skills are impressive!"  The cheery teacher beamed as her puzzled look faded into her omnipresent smile.

My uneasiness vanished as I sat back up in my desk, my own smile returning.

"Thank you, Phoenix, that's enough for now.  Let's go ahead and continue our lesson from yesterday."

My ears picked up the dissatisfied groans of the other students as they retrieved their pencils again.


~~~~~


The rest of the lesson was boring to say the least.  The problems on the board were so simple and yet Miss Cheerilee was constantly stepping away to work with students one on one as they had trouble solving the problems.  My mind had begun wandering and I found myself constantly stepping between my daydreams and the classroom.  When I wasn't completely zoned out I saw the teacher moving between students and couldn't help but notice that she was at Diamond Tiara's desk much more than the rest.  I picked up many a frustrated groan from Diamond Tiara which made me grin a bit.

"Okay my little ponies!  It's time for morning recess!"  Cheerilee's voice sang.

My ears were brought cowering to the sides of my head as the cheering of happy children nearly deafened me.  I waited patiently for the stampede of fillies and colts to exit the schoolhouse before sliding out of my own desk and onto my waiting hooves.  Being able to stretch each individual appendage out felt wonderful, especially after sitting in the same position for what seemed like hours.

I trotted outside, the level of excitement I held for recess was only dismal when compared to how happy I was just getting a break from my desk.  Making my way around the front of the schoolhouse, I caught sight of the Cutie Mark Crusaders on the other side of the schoolhouse.  They eagerly waved as I trotted up to them.

"Wow Phoenix!  Ah' had no idea ya were such a brain when it came ta math!"  Applebloom teased.

"Bleah...!"  Scootaloo blurted while sticking her tongue out.  "Although, it was really cool to see you put Diamond Tiara in her place!"  She added.

"Umm...  Do you think that maybe you could help me with my math work sometime?"  Sweetie Belle asked timidly.

Smiling, I released a little chuckle.  "Of course, I'd be happy to."

Sweetie Belle smiled as she stood up and hoofed Scootaloo in the shoulder.  "Well?  Are we going to do this or what?"

Scootaloo rubbed her shoulder a bit before answering.  "Sure!"

"I CALL A MONSTER!"  Applebloom yelled.

"ME TOO!"  Sweetie Belle added.

"ME THREE!!!"  Scootaloo finished.

"...huh...?"  I managed as my ears unfolded themselves.

"We're gonna play monsters in the Everfree!  Aaannnddd, since you didn't call out, you get to be the helpless pony!"  Scootaloo announced a little too proudly.

"W-wait...what...?"

"The three of us'll go and hide in that little patch of trees over there."  Applebloom explained as she pointed to a staggered bunch of conifers behind the schoolhouse.  "Then, we'll count to ten and YOU have to try and make it to the front of the schoolhouse without being caught by one of us MONSTERS!"  She finished with an exaggerated inflection.

I let out an exasperated sigh at the thought of this game of reverse hide and seek.  However, before I could voice any objections, the three excitable fillies had taken off at a gallop into the little patch of woods.  I groaned while trotting past the schoolhouse and into the makeshift Everfree.  Looking around I couldn't see hide nor hair of the Crusaders.  A voice rang out causing my heart rate to spike.

"Hurry up and find a place to hide already!"  Scootaloo's voice echoed from somewhere.

Another groan escaped as I found a fairly large tree stump close by.  I walked over and squatted down behind it still looking around for any sign of the other three.

"OKAY START COUNTING!"  Scootaloo yelled.

Reluctantly deciding to humor them, I closed my eyes and silently started counting to ten.  'one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten'

"Ready or not here I come!"  I said in an elevated voice.

My ears flicked to and fro as I caught fleeting sounds of whispered giggles among the rustling trees.

'Crap that's right...  It's not hide and seek.'  I scolded myself mentally.  'Finding them is the last thing I want...!'

Cautiously, I got up from my perch behind the tree stump.  I could hear the other children playing around the playground and could just make it out through the trees.  Drawing in a deep breath, I started to creep slowly towards the edge of the woods, my eyes sweeping left and right.  A twig snapped from behind and I playfully rolled my eyes while turning to see who was trying to sneak up on me.  However, as I scanned the area I saw no sign of any of them.  Turning back towards the schoolhouse I got a fleeting glimpse of a purple tail vanishing behind a rather large tree.  A suddenly wolfish grin appeared on my face and my heart quickened as my adrenaline began to flow.  I crouched down as low as I could manage and took several slow steps towards the tree she had ducked behind.  As I reached the tree, I sprung into the air to land on the other side.

"BOO!" I yelled before noticing that she wasn't there.

"RRRRRAAAAAWWWWRRRRRR!!!"  Bellowed a scratchy female voice from behind me.

I must have cleared over a foot in the air as a high pitched whinny escaped my mouth.  Without any further thought, I took off at a dead sprint towards the schoolhouse, towards salvation.  Serpentining through the remainder of the trees, I dared a glance behind me only to see both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle in hot pursuit.  Their expressions were that of pure childish ecstasy I couldn't help but mimick as all rational thinking left me and I momentarily forgot I was supposed to be an adult.  My attention focused on the schoolhouse stoop as a fit of honest laughter forced its way out.

I barreled through the playground at full tilt as a few of the other kids watched us go by.  I had just rounded the corner of the playground and was coming around to the front steps when a red maned filly suddenly leaped out from behind a stray tree on my right.  There was no time to react as the Apple Bloom shaped projectile landed right on top of me, tackling me to the ground.

"GOTCHA!!!"  She hollered in her high pitched southern twang.

The other two slowed down to a trot and came up to us still laughing.  Apple Bloom slowly got to her hooves and stepped off of my much abused form.  The impact had knocked the wind right out of me and a fresh pain started to blossom in my injured hind leg.  All that aside, I stood up laughing almost hysterically.  That was by far, the most fun I had had in years.

"That was soooo FUN!"  I exclaimed, still trying to get my breath back.

"YEAH!"  Sweetie Belle chirped.  "And you almost made it too!"  

Scootaloo had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.  Not that she was about to stop anytime soon.

"Was it really that funny?"  I asked, a smile still plastered on my face.

She was having trouble forming words through her laughter.  "Y-you ... whinnied ... like a little ... FILLY!!!"  She finally gasped out as she rolled onto her back, laughing even harder.

"I DID NOT...!"  I said defensively while still holding onto my smile.

"Actually, you kinda did!"  Sweetie Belle stated matter-of-factly, barely supressing a giggle

I thought back to when Scootaloo jumped out and startled me, the image of myself in midair howling with fear was clear as day.  I bit my lip as I tried to stifle my own laughter but it was of no use.

"Yeah... I guess I kinda did, huh?"  I admitted.  "I wonder where that even came from...?"

"Okay my little ponies!  Recess is over now, come on back inside!"  Cheerilee announced from the school's front steps.

The four of us complied with the teacher's request and made our way across the lawn to the front steps.  I could really feel the effects that Apple Bloom's tackle had left as we walked.  My hind leg ached every time I put my weight onto it and several spots along my ribs had random pains that would come and go with my breath.  Apple Bloom had an apparent density to her which rivaled that of a pony sized wrecking ball.

"What's our next subject?"  I asked.

Scootaloo turned around to face me as we kept walking.  "Reading, spelling and writing."

"Oh..."  I answered as I paused next to my desk.

Pretty sure I had the reading and spelling aspects down pat.  But writing was a whole different topic, at least... without hands it was anyway.


~~~~~


After trying several times and earning a lot of confused looks from my fellow classmates, I decided that trying to hold the pencil in my hooves wasn't going to work.  Relenting, I picked up the wooden dowel in my mouth, the taste of the eraser on my tongue causing me to wince a bit.  I could feel the drool levels of my mouth already rising in response to the invader.  Letting out a sigh, I closed my lips around the utensil and curled my tongue into the back of my mouth as to avoid another rubbery taste invasion.  

"All right everypony!  I want you all to copy the sentence from the board to your papers.  Then, I want you to correct it so it's a proper sentence!"  She beamed.  The fifteen minute recess from her students must have recharged her cheeriness batteries.

Looking down at the pad of paper on my desk, one thought kept coming to mind.  'Oh how I missed my hands...'

Reluctantly I touched the pencil to paper, my eyes darting from the blackboard back to my scribbling as I tried to make semi-legible letters appear.  It was a battle fought in vain.

I had taken up about a third of the paper trying to write my oversized mockery of the English language with my mouth.  A four year old who was just learning to write their name would have laughed at my attempt.  I gritted my teeth into the wood of the pencil, frustration getting the better of me.  Deciding to try again, I touched the utensil to the paper once more.  Slower this time, I tried to move the pencil with a bit more finesse.  It seemed a tad easier to control the more I concentrated, but once again the sentence came out looking like a Kindergartner's handy work.  A sigh of defeat was building from within as I decided to try once more on the little bit of space left on the paper.

"Okay everypony!  Go ahead and pass your papers..."  Miss Cheerilee started before tapping a hoof playfully to her chin.  "To the pony to your right!"

Looking down at the chicken scratches before me, another round of sweat was starting to wet my forehead.  The sounds of shuffling papers filled my ears as I turned to my right and saw the burnt-yellow unicorn handing his paper over to another stubby looking blue-green unicorn.  He turned to face me with a paper in his mouth, his half-cocked eyes full of blissful ignorance.  Grabbing the paper from him in my teeth, I didn't even have time to stage protest as he leaned his long neck over and grabbed my paper from my desk and brought it back to his own.

"Okay, let's start at the beginning!"  Cheerilee stated as she picked a piece of chalk up in her mouth.  "So, the first thing is that the letter A in this word should be capitalized since it's at the beginning of the sentence."

"Pssst...!"  My burnt yellow desk neighbor called.

Turning my attention to him, he picked up my paper and held it up for me to see.  He pointed at the beginning of the supposed sentence.

"Uuhh...?  Is this capitalized?"  He asked in a confused tone.

"Umm...  Yes?"  I answered with an uncomfortable grin.

"Oh...  It's just....  your writing is really hard to read..."

"Snails?"  The teacher suddenly interrupted.

Both of us turned our attention frontward.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Uh...  I'm just having a hard time reading Phoenix's writing."  

Miss Cheerilee casually strolled over to see what was so hard to read about my writing.  She sure figured it out in a hurry at that first glance though.

"Oh my!"  She exclaimed.

She turned to face me, a shocked expression held on her face.  I turned my downtrodden gaze up to meet hers and after a few moments her face suddenly lit up.

"I think that for the rest of this class we'll all just check our own work."  She added.

I raised an eyebrow, unsure of what just happened.  One moment she was shocked and appalled, the next she was completely happy.  The teacher pony made her way back up to her blackboard and continued to correct the sentence as if nothing had happened.  Turning my confused stare back to the paper in front of me, I quickly made all of the necessary corrections that he had missed, ignoring the corrections the teacher was trying to explain.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we handed papers back to their respectable owners and continued on with the English lesson.  I once again found myself daydreaming as familiar material seemed to work as an unofficial sedative for my brain.  Of course, that's until Miss Cheerilee made the announcement that it was time for lunch.  Looking up at the clock above the blackboard, I made the discovery that it was noon on the dot.  Miss Cheerilee stepped over to a rope hanging from the ceiling and gave it a few short tugs, sounding the bell on top of the school.  

Once more, the classroom was filled with the excited cheers and quick hoofbeats of the students as they filed out the doors.  I grabbed my bag and found the paper sack which contained my packed lunch from Fluttershy.  Carrying the lunch sack in my teeth, I exited the schoolhouse only to trip over something at the top of the stairs and go tumbling to the bottom.

"Haa!  So not only do you need lessons in writing, you need them in walking also!"  The familiar bullies voice rang.

"Nice one DT!"  Her little grey lackey accompanied.

Sitting up on my haunches and trying to take record of any new injuries, I turned to see the duo trotting away with their heads and tails held high.  A few choice words were mumbled under my breath that I didn't feel anypony else needed to hear.  Getting back to my hooves was a slow process, the pain in my back leg grew more prevalent after being dumped down the stairs by a stray hoof.  Thankfully, my lunch hadn't spilled out of the sack.  Picking up my lunch, I limped over to the side of the schoolhouse where my three new companions usually were.  Sure enough, they were all lying on their stomachs in the grass, shaded by a large tree.

Applebloom was the first to notice my limp.

"What happened to ya?  Ya weren't limping like that at recess..."

"Diamond Tiara tripped me and I fell down the stairs..."  I answered with a dejected tone.

"GAAHHH!!!"  Scootaloo shouted.  "Why does she have to pick on us so much!!!  Why can't she just be nice for once!"

"She thinks she's better than all of us because we don't have our cutie marks yet..."  Sweetie Belle explained.

"There's a huge difference between thinking your better and just being a bully..."  I retorted.

I dumped my lunch bag out on the grass, its riches littering the ground.  A sandwich, a fresh apple, some celery stalks and a ...juice box?  My frown suddenly did a flip and a smile graced my face.  It seems being a kid again did come with some perks after all.

We ate our lunch on the grass, the conversation changing rapidly between today's new member initiation and what activities we were all going to attempt to try and earn these cutie marks.  I'm pretty sure I heard 'base jumping' in there somewhere but decided not to ask.  As we finished our lunch, all of us stayed in our shady spot, my back leg was in no condition at this point for me to do any playing.

"You guys can go play without me if you want.  Don't let me hold you back."  I announced.

"Nah!  We're not gonna leave our newest member all by himself.  Besides, it's given us time to plan tonight's activities to earn our cutie marks!"  Scootaloo answered.

I shrugged my shoulders as the sound of the bell signaled the end of lunch.  Slowly, I got back to my hooves and accompanied the others back into the schoolhouse.

"What are we learning next?"  I asked as we climbed the steps.

Scootaloo pushed her body into my left side when she noticed I was having trouble putting weight on my injured hoof.  It took me by surprised but did help me steady myself on the stairs.

"Geography and history!"  She answered.

"Yep!  Then it's time to head to the clubhouse!"  Applebloom added in.

Scootaloo and myself were just approaching our desks when the realization hit me.

"Wait a second..."  I said as I looked up at the clock on the wall.  "So, we only have school for five hours?!"

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow and exchanged a confused glance with the other two across the room.

"Umm... Yeah?  What did you expect?"  She answered.

"Well..."

After spending over a decade of school getting up early to be on time for the first class which always seemed to start at eight o'clock sharp, it was just dawning on me that school today started at nine and would be over with at two.

"I guess I don't really know."  I answered.  "Just thought that it would be longer for some reason."

"Nope!  Last lesson!"  Scootaloo answered in an excited tone as she took her seat.

I slid back into my desk and watched as the other kids shuffled in and did the same.  Miss Cheerilee watched with her usual smile plastered across her face as the last student took their seat.

"All right my little ponies!  It's time for our history review!"

Once again, the sounds of dissatisfied groans filled the classroom.  The teacher wandered away from her desk, ignoring the students' protests, and pulled a chart down from above the blackboard.  

"Does everypony remember where we left off last lesson?"

As I focused on the visual aid that now covered the blackboard I could see that the chart contained a timeline with information posted at certain years.  No doubt significant pieces of the past here in Equestria.

"OOH OOH!"  A pony from towards the front called while waving an excited hoof in the air.

"Yes Twist?"  Miss Cheerilee addressed the student.

"The latht lethon covered the founding of Fillydelphia and the protetht of the Griffin Empire!"  The curly-maned filly answered.

"Very good Twist!"  The teacher confirmed.  "So, today we are going to finish our lesson on the founding of Fillydelphia and hopefully squeeze in a little review of the Discordian Era for next weeks test."

'Phillydelphia...?!'  I thought.  'No way...'

I was hooked on Cheerilee's every word from that point onward.  At one point I resumed trying to write using my mouth so I might be able to have some notes to look back on.  I couldn't get the fact that this world had a city named Phillydelphia in it out of my mind.  The similarity between my world and this one may be some kind of clue as to just what happened to me.


~~~~~


The bell to signal the end of the day nearly made me jump out of my desk.  I had my nose buried in my nearly legible notes trying to make some kind of connection with all the information I had taken down during the history lesson.  I looked up just in time to see Miss Cheerilee walking away from the bell rope.

"All right my little ponies!  I hope you all have a fantastic rest of your day and we'll see you next time!"  She announced over the sounds of the students laughter and the noise of papers and pencils being shoved into bags.

"Awesome!  Now we can go crusading for our cutie marks!"  Scootaloo beamed.

The orange filly already had her bags packed and slung them over her back before approaching my desk.  She looked down at the notes I had been taking before raising her eyebrows and looking up at me.

"Umm..."  She started.

"I know...  My handwriting is terrible..."  I said as I dropped my chewed pencil into my bag.

"Handwriting...?"  She asked in a confused voice.

"Err...  Mouthwriting?"  I corrected.

Her face was locked in utter confusion before she looked back down at my notes.

"Uh...  You spelled Fillydelphia wrong...  I think."

"Huh?"  I stated before looking down at my notes.  "How do you figure?"

"Fillydelphia is spelled with an F...  not a PH."

"An F...?"  I asked as I squinted up at the chart covering the blackboard.

It confirmed that she was indeed correct.  There on the pull-down was the name 'Fillydelphia' in bold letters.

'You've got to be kidding me!'  I thought as I looked on at the chart.

I stared dumbfoundedly at the letters on the chart unaware that most of the other students had exited the classroom by now.

"So... you ready to go crusading or are you just going to sit at your desk all afternoon?"  Scootaloo's voice interrupted.

A half cocked grin crept across my face as I met her stare.  However, before I could enjoy the pleasantries an afternoon away from school would offer, Miss Cheerilee's voice rang across the hustling classroom.

"Phoenix and Diamond Tiara!"  She called from the front.  "Would you two please come see me before you go?"

That was never a good sign.  I gave a fleeting glimpse to the exit and the other students who were gleefully filing outside.  I wondered what this was about.

"That can't be good..."  Scootaloo said with a concerned look.

Rolling my eyes at her I retorted, "Gee thanks..."

"We'll wait for you outside okay?"  She said before turning and joining the other two who had already made their way to the back of the room.

I let a sigh escape as I shoved the contents of the top of my desk into my bag and zipped it shut with my teeth.  Stumbling a bit, I managed to get my forelegs through the straps of the bag.  Looking up to the front of the now almost empty classroom, I could see Diamond Tiara standing in front of Miss Cheerilee with just as much confusion on her face as I must have had.  Both ponies turned to meet me as I approached.  The teacher pony was wearing her usual overbearing smile and of course Diamond Tiara had the familiar scowl on her face.

"I've got some wonderful news for the both of you!"  She announced showing a very proud posture.

Both Diamond Tiara and I looked at each other for a moment with raised eyebrows before focusing back on Cheerilee.

"I thought this up during our writing lesson today!  Since you are so good at mathmatics Phoenix and Diamond Tiara has the best writing in the class...."

'...Oh crap!'

"You two are going to tutor each other!"  She finished with a proud flick of her head.

We both cast each other glances at the same time.  Our eyes were wide with disbelief.  Both of us turned back to Cheerilee before we simultaneously blurted out one word.

"...WHAT!!!"