//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Demons and Angels // Story: Crashing Angels // by lillytheomegawolf //------------------------------// Midnight. For the grand city of Cloudsdale, Luna’s moon was obscured by cloud cover. Thanks to this, the naturally vibrant city lay in darkness save for the lanterns on the streets and the occasional houselight. In one of the central city apartments, surrounded by other large cloud buildings of all shapes and sizes sat the apartment of Stormy Flare and her daughter, Spitfire.  The small guest bedroom was currently occupied by a pale blue colt. It was pitch black. He tossed and turned in his bed as though under attack. Soft murmurs became plaintive cries. “N-no…” A pale blue stallion sat on a well worn couch. His tatty dark blue-grey mane bore splotches of spectra from the raincloud factory he worked at. He was surrounded by empty bottles of hard cider and all manner of other strong alcoholic drinks. In his hoof he held some kind of drink that smelt repulsive yet he could not stop the hoof that lifted it to his lips. The lonely stallion took a deep gulp and the liquid went down his gullet like fire. He collapsed against the cloud couch and threw the glass across the room. It collided with a wedding photo and shattered into a million pieces. The picture, now with added glass shards depicted an ecstatic young stallion in a suit on the alter. He held the yellow hoof of his bride as they stood there facing their family. However, the part of the frame that once depicted his bride had been torn out. All that remained was the yellow foreleg held by the ecstatic young stallion. His other half was gone. Beside the wedding photo sat a trophy case that had been smashed open. Amidst the scattered glass there lay a lone award from the Wonderbolts. The tearful stallion took another drink and the world changed around him in flickers and swirls till he collapsed on a bed of glass. “No- no… This can’t-“ the young stallion chocked as he swirled around in a dark cyclone of sadness.  It was a dark night. There was a stream flowing nearby and ponies all around partying. The pale blue stallion had a bottle of some kind of strong alcoholic beverage in his grip. It stank like a blocked school toilet. The older purple stallion with a rainbow mane at his side nudged him and took a swing of his own drink. The pale blue stallion felt compelled to follow with the drink he held. The strange concoction set his world on fire. A red flash blinded the young pegasus. He suddenly found himself high up in the blue sky on a comfy cloud. Cloudsdale hung in the distance, so peaceful yet so far. Something was wrong. Badly. Before him stood a rather young mare. She was probably still in her teens. Her coat was a much richer blue than her brothers and her rainbow mane sparkled in the sun. She was yelling something at him, angry. With him? Before he could comprehend what was going on he found himself on the ground. 
 Had she just struck him? Again the young stallion reeled as darker blue hooves impacted with his pale blue coat. He cried out in pain as a murderous rage filled the vision of the sister he so loved. Prone on the cloud he crawled closer. He cried for her to stop, to forgive him for whatever he had done. As the violent rainbow maned pegasus lashed out once more, her form flickered and the young stallion found the teenager replaced with his best friend. The firey hoof connected with his temple and the world exploded into pain. The young colt sat up and found himself surrounded by booze bottles. He felt awful... The stench of hard cider and other, rougher booze filled the air. It smelt like that cheap pub where ponies were allowed to drink until the drink came out either end and they passed out. However, the young stallion’s physical condition paled in comparison to the hurt at seeing her turn from him. She began to walk away, her expression hurt, betrayed by whatever he had done. Her vibrant yellow coat and firey mane burned like the sun in the darkness. His angel. The world grew pale and dark as she receded from his grasp. Panic filled his system. It grew rapidly toward utter desperation as she receded into the dark void, far away from his grasp. “No- please! Don’t leave…” He tried to follow her yet his hooves and wings refused to obey him. What was going on?!? His angel continued to walk away, her head low. From where he lay the pale blue colt spotted tears falling from her eyes. They sparkled like priceless diamonds in the bleak nightmarish world. “Soarin!” Her voice?!? But her mouth did not move?? The young stallion’s panic continued to rise “Spitfire- Spitty- please! Just one more chance!” The mare in front of him shot him one last look with bloodshot orange eyes then took to the skies and vanished into a dark void leaving the boozed up stallion alone. Despair filled the long pegasus as he lay there, his throat hoarse and burning while his heart ached. She was gone. Never coming back. He was just like his drunk old sire. Somewhere in the midst of all the pain, he realized he was crying. “Soarin, wake up!” Though the voice was faint, the young stallion knew it came from one very special pony. The very mare who had just abandoned him. The young stallion’s world rocked back and forth and everything became distorted between his cries and that faint voice. All of a sudden something warm and wonderfull fell over his senses. He reached out in a vain attempt to pull the sensation to himself. It felt… like Spitfire. Yet she wasn’t there. His love had gone. They had all gone! Tears escaped the young stallion he desperately wriggled around and tried to hold onto the essence of his best friend. Everything jolted in shock as something smothered his muzzle. It felt almost like Spitfire, his secrete crush, was kissing him right on the mouth. It was the strangest sensation. He could not breathe and yet, right now, he would trade every last breath for another of her kisses. But, a young stallion like himself had been kissed many times? Should he not be accustomed to being kissed? Yet it was like nothing else… this ethereal kiss was so desperate, hard yet sweet. Filled with a passion that brought life to the defeated stallion. The teenaged colt relaxed and allowed the strange sensation to wash over himself. Soarin fell into the sweet, soft kiss with vigour. There was a salty wetness that seeped into the pleasure as if some pony had been crying. It was then his eyes cracked open and the youngster froze. Although his vision was hazy thanks to all the tears, he could still make out the filly he was engaged in lip lock with. He was being kissed by his best friend. Spitfire was kissing him right on the mouth. Their first kiss. He blinked rapidly and smiled widely as the salty kiss continued to build. Spitfire, his angel had her eyes closed and looked as though she were giving everything to the intimate gesture. He tightened his hold on the fiery filly in his grasp and was delighted to feel her squeeze him back. Just as his lungs began to cry out for air he felt the brush of something against his snout. Spitfire was breathing through her nose. Duh! Of course! He was such a dummy! The teenaged colt took a deep breath of air through his nose and settled back into the kiss with his best friend. The pair of young pegasi lay together for many more moments, their lips simply resting in contact with one another. Soarin had no idea what else to do at this point and was simply delighted to be this intimately close to his best friend. A warm exhale from Spitfire caught him just as he began to breathe in and he spluttered. Vibrant orange eyes opened and annoyed scowl rippled across the filly’s face as she withdrew. With the sweet moment gone, both young pegasi stared at one another with growing blushes on their faces. Although the light from Luna’s moon was dim, the pair felt as though they were radiating light from the magic moment. Something new and special had awakened. It took both youngster’s breath away and left them wanting more. The mirrored desire became dampened by uncertainty. Neither pegasus knew what to do next and they could see that clear as day on their partner’s face.  Spitfire, the pony on top, awkwardly settled down beside her best friend till they were pressed tightly together again in the one pony bed. Soarin roped his forehoof around the pretty filly until she snuggled up against him once more. A pale blue hoof rubbed at the tear stained face of the colt who had suffered in the dreamworld. All of a sudden he found his hoof halted by the light yellow muzzle of his best friend. She nudged his hoof aside and began to gently lick away at his wet face. 

Soarin lay there in shock. The hoof around Spitfire’s back went slack and she paused her ministrations. “Hold me properly.” “R-right.” Soarin chocked in shock at the order and fumbled around till he was holding the lower barrel of his saviour who continued to gently lick his face. “I think that about does it…” Spitfire murmured as she slid back down to face her best friend. She immediately spotted the bewildered look upon his muzzle and grinned at him. “Wow… You- we-“ Soarin snuck a hoof up to motion between their lips. “We-“ “Kissed. Yes. Saltiest first kiss ever. Of all time.” The cheeky filly went on to once again lick the light blue colt’s lips. “but it was the only way I could get you to snap out of that nightmare.” “Okay…?” A few moments passed as their heart rates slowly began to recede and Soarin’s panicked breathing slowly returned to normal. He could not believe it. One moment, he was suffering a nightmare. The next… He was kissed awake by his best friend. Wait… Why was she in bed with him? On top. And why were they already kinda cuddling when he woke up? Oh, dear… “Say… Spitfire?” Soarin’s voice cracked lightly in the otherwise dead silent room. “Yes?” The vibrant yellow filly whispered back. “Why were you in my bed?” Soarin whispered back. At this question, Spitfire blushed once more. “Well. You- you were kinda having a nightmare. I tried waking you before you woke up the whole neighbourhood with your crying. Then you started calling my name like some wuss. Then you grabbed me and starting cuddling me as though your life depended on it. Best I could do on the spot was to kiss you awake. It was uh…” Now it was Soarin’s turn to blush heavily. “Why kiss me awake?” “Because-“ Spitfire paused. She shifted uncomfortably in bed till she felt feathers brush her barrel and the colt pulled her back on top. This time they lay in a more secure feeling embrace. The teenaged filly sighed and nuzzled up to her best friend’s ear. “I guess it’s just what came to mind. It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Soarin giggled softly, “well it worked.” As Spitfire slowly withdrew green irises remained locked on the angelic flick of the vibrant orange mane. Even in the darkness, the young pegasus could imagine how her mane would glow like wildfire. Their eyes met in the dark. The colt on the bottom averted his gaze quickly, embarrassed at being caught ogling his angel. Girly giggles broke the silence and the surprised colt turned his gaze upward once more. To his continued shock the light yellow filly’s tongue darted out, licked his own lips then retracted. “Say… you wanna …do that thing again?” “What thing?” “The thing where I kiss you?” “Oh.” Soarin licked his lips. They were no longer all salty. “Oh… you mean you really want to? Oh… Seriously?” Spitfire giggled softly as she lent down once more and tenderly kissed her colt. The two young ponies bumped lips. They attempted to move them in some kind of kissing action like they saw grown-ups do. Failing that, Spitfire slid her lips off his own and down the light blue muzzle till she came to rest near his ear. Peaceful moments passed as the two youngsters continued to cuddle with one another. Although neither knew how to voice the strong feelings that were welling up inside like a hurricane, they both bore large grins and fluttering hearts.  All of a sudden Soarin shifted once more, “I think we should try side to side or something… you’re getting heavy.” Spitfire eyed her bed buddy with a critical eye, “you calling me fat?” “No- just… It’s really nice, but uh… I do need to breathe.” Spitfire sighed then nodded. With much awkward wriggling about in the dark, the two young teens eventually found themselves side to side, their hooves in the air. The blanket was… somewhere… Soarin found his eyes drawn to the well toned legs of his companion and he sighed with contentment and closed his eyes. “So… what happened?” 
Spitfire’s whisper was like thunder in the quiet room. Green eyes shot open and he glanced at his companion in the dark. “Uh…” “Your bad dream… wanna talk about it?” “I- uh… in the morning?” “Wanna cuddle?” A hopeful smile spread across Spitfire’s muzzle. Although he had no idea why his best friend would want to stay in the same single bed together, Soarin was not about to reject the offer. After the rather horrible nightmare, he didn’t want to be alone and Spitfire felt like the perfect answer to his quaking heart. ‘Sorry dad, but I don’t ever, EVER want to be like you…’ The filly by his side felt his jitters and opted to just hold the young lug. She was pleased when he shifted and presented his back to her. She pressed her tummy up to his back and closed her eyes. “Good night Soarin.” “Night Spit. Thank you.” ‘Any time… pie boy… Love you.’ Spitfire let the thought roll though her head but held her tongue. There was no way she was even close to uttering those words out loud. For now, it was more than enough to simply cuddle up to the spooked colt. As a soft warm gust ticked her forehoof, Spitfire realized that her snuggly companion was already asleep. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how safe he must feel in her hooves if he could find rest this quickly after a bad dream. She closed her own eyes and settled down against the warm back of her best friend. Maybe at last they might become more than best friends? A smile remained on yellow lips as Spitfire drifted off to dreamland with that happy thought. Celestia’s early morning rays broke through the window of the cloud apartment that belonged to Stormy Flare and her daughter Spitfire. 

The matriarch of the house dragged herself out of bed and wandered into the small family kitchen. She filled the kettle up and set it to boil. With that done, Stormy set about preparing breakfast for the three ponies in her home. As the mare went through the morning paces she could’t help but wonder what set Blaze off this time? It had been several peaceful months since Soarin had last crashed at her place due to family issues. Not that she minded his presence. It was rather nice having a colt around the house. He was helpful, full of energy and clearly loved her daughter to bits. A smile slid across her lips. It was rather cute how Soarin acted around her daughter when he thought no pony else was watching. She was sure he held something special for her. However, she was also sure that he had no idea what any of it meant. Stormy concluded, and not for the first time since she had noticed, it was probably for the best. If they grew up as best friends, noticed each other in their latter years at advanced flight school and got married as young adults, she would not be one to complain. She was sure Soarin would make an excellent husband to Spitfire one day when they were out there chasing their dreams together. With breakfast preparations finished, she poured herself a coffee and set it to rest on the bench. It was at that moment, the deep yellow mare noticed something amiss. Her daughter was always up, almost as early as she was. Even on a weekend, it was normal for her to be met by a bright eyed and bushy tailed young filly while making their early breakfast. She set off toward her daughters room and paused at the door. Not only was it open, but there was no young filly in the bed. Stormy Flare lingered for a few moments as her mostly awake brain caught up with her eyes. She turned to face the spare room across from her daughter’s space and noticed it was ajar. Driven by a growing curiosity Stormy Flare approached the room and carefully slid the door open. Rainbow Dash slowly returned to the world of the living as cracks of sunlight washed over her face. A little blue hoof rose to block the harsh sun. As her eyes opened, Dash realized she was on her side and there was a veil of pink across her vision. She lay there, content for a long while. Her mind was in a happy daze for some reason, almost as though her evening had been perfect. As the grogginess of sleep slowly left she put more effort into trying to work out why her bed had so much pink all of a sudden. Just as she closed her eyes again, something warm moved and she felt a soft muzzle brush against her tummy. The little speedster’s eyes shot open and she threw the pink stuff out of her face to reveal- “Fluttershy?” ‘I’m in Fluttershy’s house, that’s right!’ With that revelation, Rainbow Dash collapsed back down and felt her friend snuggle back up to her belly. Cerise eyes darted down to the unusual sight. Dash gave her snuggly companion a light press with her forehoof. Nothing happened. No response. Fluttershy went right on sleeping. Rainbow Dash sighed. She tentatively reached out and gave her friend a slightly bigger push. The sleeping filly snuggled up even more. Rainbow Dash had to concede that Fluttershy did look rather adorable curled up sorta in a ball against her tummy. Maybe she could relax for a few moments before getting up? It did feel kinda nice to be cuddled by the little shy pegasus. Did that mean it was okay for best friend’s to be this close? Bright red eyes shone in the early morning light as they rested upon the filly who was so near. The soft breathing of the sleeping cuddler ticked the bold filly’s tummy as she closed her eyes and tried to relax. The soft gusts of air continued to tickle the vibrant blue tummy and bright red eyes opened once more. Dash knew there was no sleep to be found for now. She might as well get up. That is if she could escape her adorable sleeping captor. The speedster gave one last light press to try and wake her bed buddy up. Nothing. Dash sighed. She wriggled backward, careful not to kick her sleep snuggler. A yellow hoof reached out and ensnared the escaping filly’s blue barrel. Dash was surprised by how powerful her friend’s grip could be. She carefully wrestled the yellow snare away then quickly wiggled away. 

It worked! Fluttershy unleashed a distressed snuffle as little yellow forelegs stretched out in search of the warm thing that was suddenly absent. 

As the cute mewing grew in volume from mouse level to something a little more deserving of the young filly and something broke in Dash. It was just too cute, she simply could not leave now. She tentatively offered her foreleg and found herself snaffled. Once again in the hold of her best friend, she could not help but notice the delighted smile that played across the filly’s face. Maybe another minute or two might be okay after all… Dash suppressed the urge to rush to the little fillies room as she snuggled up to her warm friend. She flicked the veil of pink over her eyes and closed them once again. Maybe sharing the same bed as Fluttershy did have its perks after all. As she lay there, her mind wandered and Rainbow Dash found herself wondering what it would have been like if she had awoken in her own bed. Mom would be preparing her some kind of nice breakfast while her father slept off the effects of another night’s drinking. It would be awkward seeing him sprawled out on the couch if he got too drunk to go to bed properly. But it was normal. So normal she could almost smell him from here. Sad, yes. But that was what cool stallions did right? Uncle Raincloud had even told her it was just a thing that stallions did after work. Parties or something. Whatever he said, it hardly mattered now. Her dad would be at home in no condition to do anything cool right now and she was here, in this amazing house with the coolest filly in all of Cloudsdale, second only to herself. No, wait. All of Equestria. The coolest filly in all of Equestria. A soft nuzzle from Fluttershy drew the sour filly from her thoughts. A soft giggle from the snuggling sleeper caused the cyan filly to grin. Maybe she didn’t need boys. Was that okay?  They were icky and grew up to be stinky and silly. Rainbow Dash felt her grin intensify as she continued to gaze her lanky bed buddy. Maybe if she held onto her best friend well enough she would never need a stinky boy. Fluttershy could be her best friend for life and together they would be happy.  Despite the growing pain from her bladder, Dash continued to lie there as her mind wandered to all the cool things she could do with Fluttershy.  Early morning in the raincloud home of the Dash family was punctured by loud ragged snores from the living room. A light purple stallion snored up a storm as he lay on his side. His hooves dangled over the edge of the well worn cloud couch and his one free wing occasionally twitched as it hung loosely over his side. Soft incoherent murmurs escaped as he began to shift a little in his sleep. All of a sudden, the rainbow maned stallion rolled over and fell off the couch. “Ow! What the Fa- !” A scowling light purple head popped up as the stallion glared around the room. “Oww… my head…” The big man of the house fell upon the floor once more, his hooves clutched to his head as he moaned in agony. “Oooh… how much did you drink, you big dummy…” He moaned softly as his head continued to throb mercilessly as though under the assault of a thousand thundering earth ponies. Blaze rolled slowly back and forth as the pain behind his eyes continued to build. A sickly sensation filled his vessel and he felt the urge to rid himself of whatever it was his tummy was in protest of. The pained sound of violent retching filled the otherwise peaceful morning air as Blaze’s body did it’s best to rid itself of the remainder of his alcoholic rampage. The normally powerful, charismatic drunk was reduced to a mewing colt as he lay there whimpering softly at the nasty aftershocks that continued to pummel his body. With his eyes closed and his brain imploding, Blaze wondered how much exactly he had to drink last night. A light purple wing extended and came up to offer shade from the morning sun. Now at least his closed eyes were no longer on fire too. He sighed softly as he fought to remember what exactly had to him spending a night on the couch. Hazy images floated through his banging brain as he lay there, uncaring of the mess he was in. Right now, he just wanted the pain to stop. His wife could save him. Yes, she would save him! “Gust? Help me. Where are you, Gust?” The deep croaky voice of the hungover stallion fell upon an otherwise silent room. He curled up into a tighter ball, his purple mane swished around in a giant mess while his quivering feathery shield hid his face from Celestia’s harsh rays. His memories were still extremely hazy at this point, but he could remember that he had come home to find his children talking about his lost sons.

 He had opened up to them and Soarin blew him off because the hormonal teenager clearly could not take the hard story. It must have been really hard on him too. Actually, now that Blaze thought about it, that should be no shock. Blaze groaned softly. He really should have been a better father to his only son. Blaze knew something, he wasn’t sure what, had happened. Then the front door was slammed in his face by his children as they ran from him. Shame washed over the downed stallion in a series of mighty tidal waves as he remembered what it was like leaning on the closed door, shocked that his own flesh and blood could leave him like that. Just how poorly they must think of him if running was the preferred option. One eye cracked open and was greeted by a rather large, ornate whiskey bottle. It only had about one shot of drink left in it. The once pristine branding on the outside was scratched to death and Blaze cringed at the sight of a small crack on the upper neck of the bottle. ‘I don’t remember touching that…’ A faint sense of panic welled up inside. If he could not remember drinking any his prized bottle from the far north then what else had he done? “G-gust? Honey?” With rising panic, the light purple stallion staggered to his feet and stumbled into the kitchen. He glared at his small top shelf collection that was now missing its central item. With a shaky voice, he once again called out for his wife. Nothing. 
 The house was dead quiet. Blaze hurried down the hallway to his bedroom and through the open door. The bed was untouched. Gust had not slept at home with him. That meant she was out there somewhere all alone on a cloud somewhere. Daggers pierced the heart of the hungover pegasus as he turned and fled the room, his eyes moist with tears. No. A stallion did not cry! With increasingly unsteady breaths Blaze fought back his panic, despair and fear for his wife. First things first. Drink! 

The veteran drunk knew that he had to fix his hangover as fast as possible. Pills, where were they? Ah! Having spotted the cupboard above the fridge, a light purple hoof shot out and opened it up. Inside, the small collection of magically enhanced pills for various family emergencies had an empty box in place of his hangover pills. Great… Brassed off at himself for failing to stock the much needed drugs, Blaze hurried to the sink and hastily gulped water right from the tap. Once finished messily drinking, he hastened to the fridge and threw it open. Nothing useful met his eyes. ‘When did honey last do any shopping for food?’ Blaze sighed. Lacking any ideal options he closed the fridge and grabbed some hay. Crunch, crunch. Crunch, crunch. The purple jaw worked away at the raw, hay. It didn’t taste great by itself, but it was at least food. Blaze hurriedly got himself another drink, in a glass this time, then sat down in a defeated heap at the dinner table. “What can I do now…?” He wondered out loud. Blaze knew he probably smelt like the worst pub in town. Going out in public like this was probably a bad move. But he also wanted to find his wife. She rarely left him without talking to him first. ‘But what if she did say something and I just can’t remember it?’ Nervous panic from possible actions washed over him like a dark storm. What was he missing? Blaze hastened from the table and came to a stop in the entrance to their lounge. A few bottles were strewn around the room but that was unfortunately not an unusual sight after a hard night. Blaze hurried back into the bedroom intent to look for anything that might give a hint as to where his precious Gust could be. 

Dread welled up inside as the lonely stallion searched for clues. He was coming up empty, just like the cider bottles beside the couch. What if this time Gust had left him for real and wasn’t coming home? What if she was with another stalli- No! She would never do that! Blaze cradled his pounding head once more as shockwaves from his declaration wracked his mind. He had to be right, Gust had never shown any interest in any other stallions before. She would not leave him for another. But then another thought occurred to him in a slow seeping wave of dread: What if Soarin and Rainbow Dash had run away and never saw him again? What if his whole family left him? He would forever be abandoned to a life of drunken misery as he worked in the Rainbow Factory. “Where are you, Gust…” Blaze moaned softly as he collapsed against the bedroom wall.  The silent room failed to answer it’s distraught master. Despite the pounding in his head, Blaze leapt up. He hurried back into the kitchen and gave his face and shoulders a quick wash in the sink. The lonely stallion span around to face the doorway to the lounge. His wife. She was out there, somewhere in the wide open world and he was in here. He had to do something now or go crazy under the assault of his own terrible thoughts. Light purple hooves carried their master to the front door. Although he was not entirely steady upon his own legs Blaze thrust open the gateway to the outside world and cringed as bright light smacked him in the face. 

Determined to find his wife he gazed around the street. There were a few pegasi out, enjoying the morning air. He withdrew inside and took a few deep breaths. ‘What if some pony smelt me as they flew past?’ 

He didn’t want questions or pity. But he had to find Gust! ‘You will go crazy in here if you stay…’ The hungover stallion stepped outside, closed his door then unsteady took the skies. If Blaze were to be anywhere, it was the outer clouds of the grand city. With his head still pounding with each and every wingbeat Blaze forced himself to head toward the edge of town in the hopes of finding his wife on one of the smaller clouds that orbited the city.