“A dragon shot Cloud with an arrow while you were escaping?” Sky asked, running a glowing hoof along the bloody wound.
Flitter’s cold eyes darted away from his questioning gaze. Tossing another branch into their makeshift campfire, she bit her tongue and mumbled, “Yes, that’s what happened.”
The two held the awkward tension as a log splintered in the fire. Before he could press the obvious lie, a drawn-out groan ripped through the air. “Agh! I thought your powers healed ponies, not dug out their flesh with a cheese grater!”
Sky shifted his attention to the mare squirming in his hooves. Fixing her with a look of concern, he replied, “It does, but you need to stop moving. I’m still learning how to use it.”
Cloud sighed with relief as the magic finished sealing her bleeding leg. Rotating the injured limb, she winced as the tense muscles protested any sudden movement. “Well, you’d better learn fast. I don’t think healing powers will help if it takes an hour to plug a single arrow wound.”
Flitter prodded the tender flesh with her bow, causing Cloud to squeal in pain. Shooting her a derisive snort, she drawled, “Stop complaining. There are plenty of other creatures who could use his skills more than you.”
Cloud’s watery eyes flashed with contempt as she returned the venomous glare. Her lips curled into a furious snarl as she hissed, “Why don’t you come over here and say that to my face you--”
A pair of hooves forced them apart as Sky interrupted their recurring fight. Adopting a reproachful frown, he barked, “Stop! Cloud, you’re in no condition to move, let alone fight. I’ve done my best to fix you up, so don’t waste my efforts on trivial squabbling.”
Turning around, he continued, “Flitter, don’t provoke her when she’s already injured. You’ve been really aggressive ever since we got to the pass. Is something wrong?”
Flitter’s eyes flashed with anger as she averted her gaze and growled, “I’m fine. It’s nothing important, so don’t bother asking.”
Sky ended his healing with a flicker of light before fixing her with a suspicious stare. Grasping his shield handle, he stalked towards her turned form and pressed, “We can’t afford to keep secrets from each other. If you don’t control these wild mood swings, we might mistake you for a changeling spy.”
They all cast furtive glances, each clearly wondering the same thing. Finally, Cloud broke the silence and suggested, “How about we come up with a secret code word? That way, we’d know if one of us is an imposter.”
“That’s brilliant!” Sky said, clapping his hooves together. “What should we choose? It could be something about where we all first met, the town we worked in, or--”
His voice cut off as a light-purple hoof closed around his muzzle. Shooting him a disapproving glare, Flitter muttered, “How about we make a more creative codeword while not shouting it out to a bunch of eavesdropping dragons?”
A pair of nosy guards gave starts of surprise as she blew their cover. Fixing the eavesdroppers with distrust, her pink eyes narrowed as she nocked another arrow. The alarmed dragons backed away from her hostile glare as they stammered through their flimsy excuses.
Before she could punish their spying, a pair of claws dragged them away from their concealed hiding perch. “Honestly, how many times do I have to repeat myself? Keep your snouts out of other creatures’ business if you like them the shape they are; although, I don’t know why you would.”
Spark glared down at the quivering dragons with an exasperated grimace. Tossing them aside, he let out a puff of flame and barked, “You two are on cleaning duty for the next week. Get out of here before I double the time!”
As the nosy pair scurried away, he turned to the frowning trio and mumbled, “Sorry about them. They’ve been a little antsy after escaping that prison cell.”
Flitter let out a snort as Sky gave a nod of understanding. “No problem, but try and keep your soldiers under wraps. It’s better if they don’t know what we’re planning.”
Spark made an ‘ok’ sign with his claw before turning to Cloud with a cheeky grin. “That’s not the only reason they’re being so pushy. I’ve heard some gossip that a few of my crew developed a bit of a crush on you. I guess rescuing them from the gallows and beating up their abusive boss will do that~”
Her eyes widened in shock as her muzzle fell open. Before she could process the stunning revelation, Flitter’s annoyed tone cut across as she sneered, “Yeah, Cloud gets hit on by another gaggle of guys. Surprise o’ the century right there.”
Cloud’s snout scrunched at the shallow snipe. Shaking off her surprise, she whipped around and hissed, “Don’t get all pissy with me just because the only thing you’ve ever nailed is a mare’s hoof. Maybe if you’d stop being such a prick, you might get some tail for once.”
Flitter rolled her eyes with disdain and mocked, “You’re one to talk. Remind me, how many bathroom stalls have your name carved into it?”
A low grinding echoed around the campsite as Cloud’s hoof slowly drew her sword. Leaning closer, she fixed Flitter with a dangerous scowl and growled, “Can it, bitch. At the rate you’re going, the only guys willing to touch you will be a mortician and a grave digger.”
“At least the number of guys that’ve been inside me doesn’t look like a zip code.”
A ringing cleaved through the air as Cloud’s sword emerged from its sheath. Before she could strike, Sky raised his shield and intercepted the swing, burying her blade into the ground. Wrestling the handle out of her grip, he forced them apart and shouted, “That’s enough! Cloud, go deal with your stalker fanboys by the other campfire. Flitter, come with me. We need to talk. Now.”
His burning gaze gave no room for negotiation. Tossing Cloud’s sword at her hooves, he whipped around and stalked towards their shabby tents. The two mares stared after him before shooting each other another scathing sneer. Cloud snatched the fallen blade and stomped towards the dragons’ campfire where several bachelors eagerly awaited her arrival.
Flitter considered shooting her in the back before dismissing the crazy idea. It would be much easier to deny with everyone sleeping. Retching at the hopeless dragons’ pitiful flirting, she turned to follow Sky for their private chat.
Her mind flashed back to the night they shared his tent as her stony heart fluttered with affection. Then, the brief happiness evaporated as quickly as it had come as a chorus of fake laughter erupted from the desperate dragons at one of Cloud’s halfhearted jokes. Building another layer around her broken heart, she tore her gaze from the sickening display and approached the open tent flap.
Sky’s brown coat blended into the canvas as the entrance sealed shut. Fixing her with an unreadable expression, he unstrapped his shield and asked, “Are you okay? You haven’t been acting like yourself recently.”
Flitter’s muzzle curled into a frown as she averted her eyes. Forcing back a growl, she pawed the floor and mumbled, “I’m fine! How many times do I have to say it? There’s nothing wrong, so stop asking.”
“I don’t believe that,” Sky interjected, holding up a warning hoof. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but please don’t lie to me. I hope we can trust each other enough to at least be honest.”
The two sat in silence as his burning gaze remained locked on her guilty frown. Before he could start questioning, another round of forced laughter floated in as Cloud suffered through the horny soldiers’ blatant attempts to sneak under her tail.
Flitter’s eyebrows furrowed at the infuriating sound as her boiling temper finally breached the rim and spilled out in a raging tirade of hateful spite. The arrow in her hoof snapped in half as she fixed him with a snarl and screamed, “Fine! You want to know what’s bothering me? I’m sick of always living in her shadow, like everything I do is compared to her! I’m sick of being left behind or shunted aside when she breaks some new record or defeats some massive beast! I’m sick of being ignored by everyone when she walks into the same room. I’m sick of always being the little sister!”
Her breaths came in short, rapid bursts as she released the demons plaguing her soul. Tears streamed down her cheeks with each painful word that escaped her scratchy throat. Whipping around, she buried her face in her hooves and wept as her broken heart splintered into more fragments of hatred and betrayal.
Sky gaped at her sudden outburst as a rush of concern and pity wiped away his initial harshness. Scooting closer to her prostrate form, he hesitated for a moment before wrapping a tentative wing around her shaking barrel.
Flitter flinched at the unexpected contact before settling into his embrace. Peering up with bloodshot eyes, she collapsed to the ground and cried, “Why… Why is she always the one that’s noticed? Why can’t anyone ever see me? Why is she always the b-better sister?”
The terrible words pierced his heart as her crestfallen gaze returned to the floor now wet with tears. He stared at the quivering, broken mare in his hooves as his mind flashed back to the last time the two sisters fought. Swallowing what felt like a mouthful of sawdust, he awkwardly cleared his throat and coughed, “Flitter, I hope you know that none of us see you that way. You’ve always been an amazing, noteworthy pony completely separate from anything Cloud has done.”
A familiar surge of warmth rushed through his body as his spirit reared up to aid him, but he pushed it back, suppressing the unwanted influence. Ignoring the golden aura’s advice, he reached a foreleg around her ruffled feathers and soothed, “You’ve accomplished more in the last few months than most have in their entire lives. Not only can you see into the future, but you’re an amazing archer that can pierce plate armor that would turn most arrows into matchsticks.”
He propped up her sagging mane and brushed the hairs out of her despondent face. Racking his brain for more material, he continued, “It’s not just your spirit that makes you incredible. You didn’t need any mystical powers to quickdraw on a gang of ruthless bandits, and all of us would surely be dead by now if not for your keen senses and abilities.”
A flicker of hope flashed in her eyes as his compliments cracked the walls around her stony heart. Pressing the opportunity, he praised, “Ever since we met, you’ve been the one pony I could always rely on. Whether it was finding contracts, holding off assassins, or not turning my head into Swiss cheese, I’ve always felt better when you’re by my side. Our team wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Her eyes searched desperately for any malice or deceit in his heartfelt words. Finding none, she parted her cracked lips and whispered, “Do you really mean it? Do you really feel that way about me?”
Sky smiled as he met her hopeful gaze. Squeezing her fuzzy barrel in a warm embrace, he stroked her delicate tail fibers and breathed, “I do. Now, are you going to show the world who you are, or do I have to tuck you into bed like a filly?”
A mythical blue aura surrounded Flitter as she giggled at his clever quip. Batting her beautiful eyes, she hummed, “I wouldn’t say no to a little pampering. Would you read me a bedtime story too?”
They shared a laugh at her witty comeback and cuddled together, enjoying each other’s comforting warmth. Turning to meet his relieved grin, she murmured, “Thanks for listening to me. I hope I didn’t weird you out too much with my issues.”
“No problem,” Sky beamed, running a hoof along her fluffy wings. “Just promise you won’t hide stuff like this again. I’ve been really worried about you, and I’m sure Cloud is too.”
A flicker of resentment flashed across her muzzle before being replaced by her usual smile. Snuggling deeper into his fuzzy coat, she breathed in his soothing musk and sighed, “I promise.”