Swift Wing had never been the greatest student back on Earth. However, he had to admit, the Equestrian history books were fascinating. He already knew pretty much everything about Princess Luna's banishment, as well as several interesting facts about Star Swirl (thanks to Twilight), but the books covered so much, particularly during the thousand-year gap in which Celestia ruled alone, that had never been touched upon in the show. For instance, there was a war with the Griffon Empire, which began as a trade disagreement before erupting into a full-scale conflict. Then there was Clover the Clever's book, before the two sisters took the throne. Contrary to the Hearth's Warming episode, peace did not immediately break out after the combined goodwill of the three tribes drove away the windigos. The leaders of the tribes, Commander Hurricane in particular, were very stubborn, and took a long time to trust each other. Swift smiled slightly to himself as he read. Maybe ponies and humans weren't that different after all, even if ponies were better at overcoming their differences. Of course, ponies had to be united, or else the windigos would show up again.
Though some answers still eluded him. Celestia and Luna, for instance, had only come into power after they'd defeated Discord in the original battle. But he hadn't yet found out where they'd come from. Sure, they'd been mentored by Star Swirl as the first alicorns, groomed to rule the land from a very young age, but he couldn't find anything that proclaimed where they were born or who their real parents were. Perhaps he just didn't have the right books. He didn't want to start thinking of crazy conspiracy theories.
Looking out the window, Swift found that Luna's moon had risen into the night sky. He hadn't been watching the clock closely, so it was later than he'd expected. With a small sigh, he used one wing to close the book, proud of his newfound dexterity with the appendages. He'd thought about asking Rainbow what other things he could do with them, but as their flying lessons had progressed, it had become unnecessary. Swift found himself automatically using his wings more and more, the movements coming to him easier.
Swift trotted over to his desk, sparing a quick glance at his saddlebags, thinking about the photos that remained inside. He supposed he could destroy them, especially since they didn't do anything except remind him of a life he was never going back to. They just made him feel empty. But for some reason, every time he tried to tear them up, he couldn't bring himself to do so. He snorted at how irritating it was. If he'd been willing to share his origins, there were no doubt some pony psychologists who'd love to pick his brain.
Pushing those upsetting thoughts to the side, Swift climbed into bed, reminding himself of what he wanted to get done tomorrow. Besides work, which was a given, he wanted to head back to the library and check out some more books. Maybe, when he got more comfortable, he could ask Spike to teach him about Ogres and Oubliettes, and maybe play a game with him. He'd never had the chance to play tabletop games back home, but it sounded fun. The dragon seemed nice enough, although hanging out with him did carry the added risk that Twilight might get a little too curious about Swift himself. On the other hand (or hoof), Twilight really had no reason to be suspicious of him. She didn't know about his flight problem, and Rainbow wasn't the type who'd tell.
However, he eventually dismissed that as a possibility, at least for the moment. Getting too close to Princess Twilight was just too risky, at least until he'd come up with a convincing backstory he could feed her. Twilight was just too smart, and if she ran to Celestia...Swift shuddered in his bed. Part of him wished he'd never ended up so close to Ponyville, but right now, it couldn't be helped. Besides, he'd wanted to be in Ponyville, close to the mares he was so attached to. He'd just have to be careful, and they'd never figure out who he was.
With a soft sigh, Swift closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep once again.
Hard Hoof put Swift to work immediately, as usual. First he'd had to scrub the walls of Ponyville's clock tower, something that was only possible thanks to his newly-achieved flight. He didn't let his supervisor in on this, of course. Then it was off to Sugar Cube Corner, where Swift assisted in pulling out a new delivery of ingredients from Canterlot. The two ponies made fairly short work of it, hauling out large bags of flour and sugar and cramming them into the storeroom.
"Thanks, guys!" said Pinkie Pie, as Swift shoved the last bag into place. "It always takes so much longer when I have to do it by myself!"
"You're welcome," replied Hard Hoof, giving the pink earth pony a small salute. "Just doin' our jobs."
Swift chuckled at the exaggerated, over the top salute Pinkie responded with. It was easy to see why her Element was Laughter itself. You couldn't spend time with her and not smile. Unless you were Gilda or Cranky Doodle.
"You're doin' a pretty good job, kid," said Hard Hoof, as the two walked away from the bakery. "I wish we got more hard workers like you in this job. A lot of ponies just see it as a stepping stone to some other job, or something to milk bits out of. You seem to genuinely care about it."
"Well, I do love this town," replied Swift. "Even if I haven't been here very long, it's a nice and accepting place. I'm happy I came here, and I'm proud to do my part for it."
"Good attitude to have. And even if you don't work with me forever, your efforts are appreciated all the same. Here." Hard Hoof passed over a pile of bits, letting Swift take them and drop them into his saddlebags. "Little bonus for you. Least I could do for a new pony."
Swift smiled happily. He wasn't sure how much it would cost to move into his own place, but he was definitely approaching it. He saved more and more bits each day, and his boss was generous enough to pay him a decent wage. "Thank you, sir," he replied.
"See you tomorrow for work, Swift," said Hard Hoof, trotting away.
Swift waved good-bye, then spread his wings, eager to take to the skies once again. With a kick, he took off, feeling the air rush through his mane. While he still wobbled occasionally, and was by no means a perfect flier, Rainbow Dash's lessons had clearly paid off. Now, Swift could get off the ground with little trouble, and keep himself airborne.
Swift soared above the roofs of Ponyville, taking in the sight of ponies going about their evening business, as well as the occasional small cloud that drifted underneath him. Now that he could fly, Swift could see and feel exactly what Rainbow Dash loved about the activity. Flying gave one a sense of freedom, so similar to the feeling he had while running as a human, only amplified to an insane degree. It just made one feel alive. Like all of his trouble and fears were miles away, and he was just alone in the air, able to go wherever he wanted, and do anything. It was a sensation that humans could never capture, even with their artificial flying machines. Swift felt at peace for once in his life.
Of course, he couldn't stay up in the air all night. Swift glided over Ponyville once more, before leaning forward and touching down just outside of Twilight's castle, wanting to visit the library again before he retired for the night. His current reading on pony history had fascinated him, and he definitely wanted more. Plus, he wanted to ask if they had any books on flying that could help him improve. Rainbow Dash wouldn't always be there to hold his hoof after all.
Swift's good mood continued as he trotted up the steps and into the castle, proceeding down the hallway and into the library sector. Spike wasn't there today (probably helping Twilight with some experiment), but the ever-organized princess had labeled the sections perfectly, and Swift could now simply fly up and grab any book he wanted. He scoured the bookshelves, running his eyes over the titles, pulling out a book occasionally. Soon enough, he had a small stack, more than enough to amuse him for a couple of days.
Unfortunately for him, he wasn't used to carrying things while flying, and one of the books slipped out of his grip, falling to the crystal floor with a thump.
"Oops," he remarked.
The door opened, and Spike poked his head in, looking over at the pegasus. "Oh, hey Swift. You here to check out more books?"
"Yeah. You weren't here, so I thought I'd start getting them myself." Swift floated back down to the floor, scooping up the book he'd dropped. "I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"
"No, no, no, it's alright," Spike replied, getting the files for the books. "Really, I should've been there to help, but Twilight insisted—"
"I heard that, Spike!" came the princess' voice. The door opened again, and Twilight poked her head out. Swift noticed that, oddly enough, she was wearing a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. "You know what we're doing is important!"
"Yeah, you're right," replied the dragon, grudgingly.
"What're you working on?" asked Swift, curious.
"Oh, Swift Wing!" said Twilight, noticing the pegasus for the first time. "Sorry, it's secret...princess...business..." She trailed off.
Swift watched, confused, as Twilight's eyes widened, staring unblinking at him. Her jaw slowly dropped, leaving her mouth gaping open at the sight of him. Swift felt sweat began to drip down his neck as she didn't speak.
"Um...Princess? You okay?" asked Swift.
Twilight still didn't respond, and it was starting to scare him. She was looking at him like he was some kind of abomination that'd appeared out of nowhere. He wasn't one-hundred percent sure, but he thought he saw traces of fear in those purple orbs.
Spike, having retrieved the forms, passed them over to Swift, before looking back at Twilight.
"Uh, Twilight?" he asked, waving a claw in front of her eyes. "Equestria to Twilight?"
Twilight finally blinked, but she still didn't take her eyes off Swift. He signed his names on the book checkout forms, feeling her eyes on him every second. It was actually painful.
"Yeah...Spike, I'm fine," Twilight breathed.
"Okay...great," Swift finally spoke up, grabbing his books again. "I guess I'll...see you later, then."
"Sure...later..." replied Twilight, that dumbstruck expression still frozen on her face.
Swift briefly wondered if he'd broken any speed records with how fast he ran out of the castle.
She knew.
There was no other explanation for that look. She had to know. Even if she didn't have the whole truth, she had to know he wasn't supposed to be here. He'd barely been here for more than a few weeks and she'd already figured it out. Swift cursed Princess Twilight Sparkle as he paced around his rented room. She knew and she was going to send him back and there was nothing he could—
Swift stopped himself, taking several deep breaths. He reminded himself that it wasn't over yet. Twilight could've accused him right out in the open back there, and yet she didn't. He wasn't sure why she was hesitating, but nonetheless, she'd given him a chance.
"Option one," he muttered to himself, "I go to Twilight and confess everything. Maybe she'd understand, and she wouldn't tell the others." After mulling over it for a few minutes, he slapped himself with one hoof. "Yeah, right. What reason would she have to believe that you're telling the truth? She'd probably just guess that you're some spy sent to infiltrate Equestria. Scratch that." Maybe she wouldn't send him back then, but she'd ensure he got locked in a dungeon for the rest of his life.
"Option two..." Swift sighed. There really was no good option two. The only thing he could think to do was run. Get out of Ponyville before Twilight came for him, find his way to another town, maybe change his name. They didn't know his Cutie Mark, so even if they put out a warrant for him (he had no doubt they would), there were probably more red pegasi with blue manes, and he'd remain undiscovered for a little while.
Swift groaned. "Who am I kidding?" If he fled to any other city in Equestria, the authorities would eventually track him down. His only choice was to get out of the country. Get away from ponies in general. Pray that whatever sentient species he ended up with didn't see any reason to send him back.
Grunting, Swift grabbed his few possessions and shoved them into his saddlebags. He didn't have a map with him, but prior to coming, he'd studied an official map of Equestria and the surrounding territories. If he headed east, and got to Baltimare fast enough, maybe he could catch a boat across the Celestial Sea and get to Griffonstone. It was as good a plan as any.
Grabbing the pencil he'd managed to buy with a small amount of savings, Swift scribbled down a quick note.
Dear Hard Hoof,
I had to leave town. I'm sorry, I can't explain. I'm sure you'll get an explanation in the news soon enough. Thank you for giving me a chance when I needed one.
Yours,
Swift Wing
He stuffed the letter into an envelope, before taking one last look around the room. His library books were still there, but he figured he might as well leave them. They wouldn't do any good on the road. There didn't appear to be anything he'd forgotten. Swift sighed quietly to himself, wishing that things had gone any other way. But he never seemed to be the lucky type.
Picking up the room key with his mouth, Swift locked the door. He would check out of the inn, stuff the envelope under Hard Hoof's door, and be gone before Twilight could make any decisions. Then it would be a life on the run. Swift closed his eyes as a single tear dripped from his bright blue eye, before shaking it off.
"It doesn't matter," he mumbled to himself.