The night had given way to another Equestrian morning, this time overcast with gray clouds. It was a sign of colder weather, and perhaps even a bit of rain ahead. For now, however, it was the perfect temperature for travel, especially for six tired and bruised ponies. Despite the mild conditions, they knew this trek to Ponyville wouldn’t be an easy one. For although the road was easygoing, their minds were anything but.
As usual, Braeburn led the ragtag group, his face hardened and his lips pursed. Redheart followed right behind with her head drooping and with tiny wrinkles now present on her white face. Soarin, who was told not to fly for fear of tearing his stitches, carried Scootaloo on the ground. A cool smile hid his uneasiness of being literally dead just a few hours before. And in the rear was Cheerilee, who was a few paces in front of the moping Lucky.
Braeburn gave disdainful glance back at the convoy, the anger in his eyes carrying over from last night’s fiasco. “Hey Cheerilee. Couldya tell Lucky ta pick up the pace?” the cowpony ordered, not even trying to look at the unicorn’s face. “He’s lagging behind more than a turtle in a sea of molasses.”
The teacher, too tired to argue, said, “Hey Lucky, Braeburn said to speed up.”
The unicorn stuck his nose up in the air resentfully and replied, “Redheart, could you tell that farmer that maybe he should slow down so the rest of us normal folk can keep up.”
“You heard him, Brae,” Redheart said quietly.
Raising his voice, Braeburn replied, “Tell that thief that he ain’t the one callin’ the shots.”
Not to be outdone, Lucky retorted, “Ask him who died and made him leader!”
“Tell him pretty much everypony here!”
“Well tell him his Stetson is tacky and stupid.”
“Why don’t y’all tell him bagels are gross and disgustin’.”
At this, Lucky sprang into action, trotting towards the front of the line while exclaiming, “You take that back!”
“Only after you apologize ta mah hat!” the stubborn cowpony replied, stamping the ground as though he were about to charge himself.
Before they could fling themselves at each other, they were stopped by the remaining four ponies. With Lucky’s tail clenched between her teeth, Cheerilee began,” Guys! You are both acting like foals! Scootaloo acts more civilized than you!”
“Hey!” the filly yelped as she held onto Braeburn’s hooves.
The schoolteacher continued, “We’re team, remember? We need to work together. This…this is not what a team does. I don’t care that you guys don’t see eye to eye, but can you just put those differences aside and call it a truce?”
Wrenching himself from his comrades’ grasp, Braeburn responded, “No! Ah ain’t doing one thing with that swindler ‘til we get back to Canterlot.”
“Right back at ya, mate!” Lucky replied as Cheerilee released his tail. Not even wasting their energy to give a hateful glance at each other, the two resumed their positions on opposite sides of the convoy, while the others got back in place. An outburst like this certainly wasn’t a good sign for times ahead, especially since this was the third one in an hour.
“How do I put up with this?” Cheerilee whispered whilst shaking her head.
Soarin, who happened to be standing next to her, responded, “Just do what I do. Think of something that makes you happy. Y’know…like Lucky’s eyes.”
Cheerilee’s eyes grew wide, and she jerked her neck to the side and uttered, “What did you say?”
“Like pies. Yeah…pies,” the Wonderbolt lied. Then with a mischievous smile, he slowly began to distance himself from the vexed teacher, who now couldn’t stop thinking about Lucky.
Next to the Wonderbolt was Scootaloo, who was now following him around like a lost pup. The filly refrained from glancing up, for fear of glimpsing Soarin’s wound. The memory of the attack was still fresh in her mind, and she certainly had the cut on her cheek to prove it. She remembered how Soarin jumped into the thug to save her. How he took the bottle in the stomach…to save her. It had all left a bitter taste in her mouth, a taste that she both knew well and loathed. It was the taste of guilt, perpetually inside of her, just waiting for the moment to strike. And unfortunately, that moment was now.
“How’s…it…feeling, Soarin?” the filly asked quietly.
“You mean the stitches?” Soarin replied, smiling down as his companion. “Feels like nothin’s there, kid. But then again, it hasn’t really changed since the last time you asked me…about thirty seconds ago.”
“Right, sorry,” Scoots replied, blushing. “I’m just…making sure, y’know?”
“Naw, it’s fine, Scoots. But thanks for lookin’ after me.” The stallion began to whistle a random tune to take his mind off everything that had happened in Trottingham. Off the miners, off the thieves, off the chase, off of basically everything. Soarin knew it was a horrible place, and yet he couldn’t get rid of that aching feeling in his head, the one you get from anxiety.
Finally, after realizing it was not working (and that he stunk at whistling), the flier inquired, “How ‘bout you? You alright? How’s your cheek?”
“Oh, it’s fine,” the filly replied, gently tracing the cut with one of her hooves. “It kinda stings, though.”
“Sorry to hear that, kiddo. Maybe Redheart’s got something for that.”
“No, I’ve asked already. Besides, I’ve scraped myself before, so it isn’t that bad,” Scootaloo replied, showing a fraction of the confidence of her old self. “By the way, speaking of the nurse…”
“What is it?” Soarin asked in a hushed tone.
“You’ve been looking at Redheart all weird ever since we left the Everfree. You don’t…like…have a crush on her or something, do you? Gross,” she uttered, scrunching her face up as though she was allergic to the word “crush”.
But the Wonderbolt, calm as ever, replied, “No, that’s not it. It’s…ah…complicated.”
“That’s even worse!” Scoots cried, her eyes wider than ever.
“No no Scoots, not like that,” Soarin reassured, trying to hide a smirk.
“Whatever. As long as you guys don’t kiss or anything…” Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, the filly replied, “By the way…she’s kinda been acting all funny since we woke up.” Then she added loudly, “Did you two, like, have fight?”
In a panic, Soarin cupped his hooves around the young mare’s mouth, shaking his head. “Shhh…not too loud, okay? I don’t think we need any more drama here.”
“Sorry,” Scoots replied. Now whispering, she continued, “But still, you need to answer my question. Did you guys fight?”
Heaving a sigh, the Wonderbolt rubbed his mane and said, “You’re pretty observant, kiddo, I’ll tell you that. Well…I wouldn’t call it a fight, really. I dunno if you’d understand.”
“Of course I’d understand! I probably know more about fights than you’d think.”
“For some reason, I don’t have a hard time believing that,” Soarin replied, lowering his voice so no one else could hear. He cast a glance towards the nurse, his head pounding from the many thoughts swirling in his brain. Soarin hadn’t stopped thinking about his roadside operation. But strangely enough, the pony he worried for the most wasn’t himself.
“If anything, it should be me looking like crap, not her. I know something’s wrong with her. But the thing is…I just don’t know what it is.”
From the whirling cloud that held all his feelings, one thought was clear. And I’m sure as heck not gonna stop until I find out.
xxx
By some sort of divine mercy, the Elements of Love managed to make it Ponyville without tearing each other apart. Braeburn steered them towards a homely farm where luscious apples hung from trees as far as the eye could see. With Sweet Apple Acres in sight, the cowpony uttered, “Alright y’all. This is mah family’s farm, the finest slice o’ heaven on this side of Canterlot. We’re gonna spend the day here, an’ maybe head down to town an’ get us supplies. But tomorrow, first thing in the morning, we’re taking the first train right out to Canterlot. Understood?” The others mumbled their assent, nodding simultaneously. Then, giving a harsh glare at Lucky, the cowpony added, “An’ no stealin’, you hear me? Mah family don’t take too kindly to thieves.”
The group marched up to the fence of Ponyville’s first and most prosperous plantation. Rainclouds loomed in the horizon, but that didn’t stop the farm’s tenants from doing their duties. Farmers were still bucking away at trees, harvesting as much as they could before the storm came. An old mare sitting on her rocker outside the farmhouse oversaw everypony, finally spying the Elements coming up the road. Straining her old eyes, she finally made out the tell-tale Stetson on the lead stallion’s head.
“Well now, ain’t this an unexpected surprise! If it ain’t Li’l Brae!” Granny Smith hollered at they sauntered up to the porch.
Putting on a hearty smile for the family, Braeburn replied, “Howdy there, Granny! Still callin’ me Li’l Brae ah see. Ah reckon you can jus’ call me Braeburn, you know.”
Braeburn leaned in for hug, instead getting a big sloppy wet kiss on the cheek. While he reeled back to wipe the saliva off, Granny said, “You know Ah’m gonna call you whatever Ah want. Besides, to me, you’ll always be the li’l colt who always kept getting apples dropped on his head.” Setting her eyes on the five behind him, she asked, “Well now, who’re these folks? Ah don’t remember inviting no guests.”
“Granny, these are some pals Ah’ve been traveling with fer a while now. Ah know it’s on short notice, but we were hoping you could give us a place to stay until tomorrow.”
The six anticipated the elder’s answer, who appeared to be deep in thought. But after a few minutes of…well…nothing, it became apparent that Granny had gone into another one of her trances. Braeburn issued a sharp whistle, snapped the old mare out of her episode. Shaking her head, she answered, “Wazz-huh?…Oh, well a’course y’all can stay here! Li’l Brae’s friends are welcome here anytime!” Pointing a crooked hoof towards the barn, Granny Smith said, “Ah’ll get Applebloom to set up some mats in the barn over there.”
“A barn?” Lucky squawked in disbelief.
Braeburn wasted no time shooting a wrathful glare at Lucky, who proceeded to shut his mouth. After all, the unicorn was just as tired as the others (although the Braeburn’s Death Glare certainly helped to convince him as well).
The cowpony quickly replaced his smothering frown with a grateful smile. Tipping his hat, he said, “Thanks Granny. Ah knew I could always count on ya fer help!”
“Well you are mah Li’l Brae, you know,” the old mare said, which made the cowpony blush. “It’s just too bad Applejack ain’t here to see you. Ah’m sure she’d be happy fer the visit.” With those final words, the six headed towards the apple orchard, leaving Granny Smith to nap in peace.
“Alrighty then, y’all. We’ve got until next morning to rest and relax, and then we’re off. Why don’t you guys head into town fer a spell, maybe find some food or something,” Braeburn said.
“What about you, Brae?” Cheerilee asked.
“Listen, no offense to any y’all, but ah think I’ll just stay here. Alone.” As he headed to the forest of apples to find the rest of his family, the cowpony uttered, “Ah suppose we could all use a break.”
With one of their own members off doing who-knows-what, the other five figured they might as well follow suit. “I guess I’ll do what he said and head down into town. Heh, that’s a first,” Lucky muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
As he began to drag himself towards the gate, Cheerilee said in a soft voice, “I think I’ll, um, join you. I mean…if you’re okay with it.”
The unicorn turned towards his companion, showing just a tiny flicker of suspicion in his eyes. But this cynical flicker vanished within a second upon seeing the mare, and for once, he let his tense muscles relax. With a hint of a smile, the first he’d had in days, Lucky replied, “Of course I am.”
As the duo headed down the path to the sleepy little town of Ponyville, Redheart decided it was time to check out their make-shift quarters. Without a word, she slipped away to the barn, leaving who else but Soarin and Scootaloo in the field.
Soarin had the urge to follow up on the promise he had made to himself, and follow the nurse. But one thing was stopping him; a cute, rambunctious little pegasus with knack for action and adventure. “Come on Soarin! There’s this hill over there that me and my friends always go to. You can see everything there!” Scoots suggested, tugging on the Wonderbolt’s shirt sleeve.
“Huh, you know a lot about this place, don’t you?” Soarin asked.
“Well duh, my friend Applebloom lives here! I come and visit all the time. It’s kinda like a second home,” the filly replied, remembering all the secrets the CMC had found in these acres of rolling hills and trees. Just thinking about all the cool stuff made Scootaloo hyper, so she said excitedly, “So whaddaya say? Let’s go! Or maybe I could show you my tricks on the scooter or something!”
Soarin rubbed his side and answered, “Gee, kiddo. I would, but my injury’s killing me. I think I’ll just go and rest…”
“But I thought you said it didn’t hurt,” Scootaloo said, lilting her head to the side questioningly.
“Right…uh…I…” Soarin stammered. But damage had already been done; Scootaloo had seen through the lie. Her lips began to curl up in a pout, and her head remained tilted in dejection.
Soarin couldn’t help but feel guilty, and yet he couldn’t let this rare opportunity to slip away. Ruffling the filly’s mane, the Wonderbolt said, “Sorry, kiddo. I’ve just gotta do something for a little bit. Why don’t you go find your friend Applebloom, tell her some stories about how we kicked some mages’ butts, yeah?”
Heaving a big sigh, Scootaloo answered, “Okay…later Soarin.”
The Wonderbolt watched as she slowly hobbled away, heading towards the farmhouse they had just visited. Once the filly was out of sight, Soarin made his way to the barn, determined to actually converse with Redheart.
But when he crept through the door and saw her sitting atop a pile of hay, that determination was replaced by something else. Anxiety. And Soarin never would have guessed that something as simple as talking would feel like he was gearing up for the hardest race of his life.
At first, Redheart seemed to be deep in thought. But when she saw Soarin peeking through the barn door, she quickly stood up. “Soarin? W-what are you doing in here? Are you looking for something?”
“Well actually…” the Wonderbolt began, closing the door behind him. “I am. I was looking for…for you.”
Redheart instinctively began to back away, replying, “Really? If you don’t mind me asking…why?”
But Redheart’s darting eyes sold her out, and Soarin said, “Uhh, I think you already know why.” Leaning himself against a wooden beam, the flier continued smoothly, “Listen to me Red, I’ve been keeping my mouth shut for a while now, and I figure now is a better time than ever to get this over with.”
“What do you mean?” the nurse answered obliviously.
Sighing, Soarin shot back, “I mean it’s time dropped the act. What do you got against me, huh? Why are you like a rock when I talk to you?”
“Really Soarin, I don’t know what you mean. I think I should be going,” the mare said, turning her back towards him. But before she could take another step, the pegasus flew overhead and plopped himself right in her path. “Soarin, I really think you shouldn’t be flying-.”
“Come on, nurse,” Soarin interrupted, keeping his voice low. Acting a bit more stern than usual, the pegasus uttered, “I’m not dumb, and neither are you. If I—we—are going to work together for a long time, we need to be able to do it with a clear mind. A clear conscience. Not clouded with…with…this. Huh, I don’t even know what it is, but it’s clouding my brain so much I can’t even think straight. You need to tell me. For both our sakes.”
Redheart stared into Soarin’s eyes, and the two locked on each other for what seemed to be forever. The nurse’s face was stolid as usual, showing no signs of breaking. In fact, neither pony seemed ready to crack.
But finally, one pony simply couldn’t keep up the charade. Heaving a tired sigh, she replied, “Okay. After everything we’ve been through, I suppose I owe you some answers.
“Don’t you ignore—wait…really?” Soarin uttered, more than a bit shocked at Redheart’s sudden turnaround.
But the mare’s tone was sincere, answering, “Yes. You’re right…you deserve to know.”
Sitting atop a bale of hay, she began, “I hope you don’t mind a sermon, Soarin. As you can probably tell, I don’t exactly like to talk about myself too much.” Taking off her treasured nurse cap, she said, “This is going to sound crazy Soarin, but unicorns aren’t the only ponies with magic. Sure, they can cast spells and wield it and whatnot. But certain other ponies, like me, have a…a special kind of magic flowing through them. And it gives the pony a unique special ability.”
Redheart peeked up at the Wonderbolt, who was staring at her with a rather unsettling look in his eyes. Perhaps it was the lack of light in the barn, but Soarin’s eyes seemed to have gotten darker. “You’re still with me, right?” the nurse whispered.
The pegasus blinked once, and his eyes flickered back to their normal green hue. “Yeah, yeah, I hear you,” he replied, shaking his head. “But, uh, what does that have to do with me?”
With a muted voice, Nurse Redheart explained, “Let me put it this way, Soarin. When I heal others, I do not simply make the pain go away. After all, that pain must go somewhere, right?” Suddenly, right as she finished her sentence, the mare shot out her hoof and plucked a feather off Soarin’s wing. The Wonderbolt gave a yelp of pain, and a stinging sensation began to throb in his side.
But before he could complain, Redheart laid her hooves upon the side where his feather was torn from his skin. She closed her eyes, and for the first time, Soarin could see a faint glow where her hooves touched his skin. When she took them away, the pain was gone, almost like…magic.
Befuddled, the flier looked back up the mare, recognizing that her face was slightly winced in pain. Clearin her throat, Redheart continued, “Do you see? When somepony is in pain…I can feel that pain as well. And that is how I am able to take it away. I take their pain…and put it inside of me.”
The mare gave a strained chuckle, adding, “I probably sound crazy, and I understand. But what I’m saying is the whole truth, Soarin. That is why I know what my patients are going through, because I’ve felt it all myself. I’ve felt what it’s like to be burned, to be cut, to have a limb amputated, and once…”
Her voice trailed off with a slight tremble. Redheart continued to stare at the floor, remembering that horrible, horrible feeling she had back at Trottingham. Turning her gaze at the Wonderbolt, she uttered softly, “To die.”
At first, Soarin didn’t get what Redheart was trying to say. I can’t even imagine, he thought, pitying the poor nurse. But then, almost like a freight train, it hit him. What she had done back at Trottingham, how she had saved his life; Redheart’s point was clear. She died…so that he wouldn’t have to.
“Oh…oh my Celestia…I put you through that?” Soarin questioned.
“That is why I have learned to conceal my emotions,” the mare continued. “So I can hide the pain I feel inside. That is my blessing…and my curse.”
“So…all those times you’ve healed me…that time when I…died…” Soarin couldn’t help but feel he was at fault. He had known something had happened while he was unconscious; the sudden aging of the nurse made that obvious. But knowing that it was because of him…
The pegasus sidled out of the barn, while his companion followed close behind. The white pony placed her hoof tenderly on the distraught pegasus, consoling, “Please Soarin, don’t be hard on yourself. I’ve been doing this for my whole life! Besides, it isn’t all bad. It allows me to feel their joy, their innocence, and their love as well. And perhaps that is what makes it all worth it.”
The duo took a seat in the grass next to the barn, with Redheart’s hoof still rubbing Soarin’s broad back. As guilt coursed through his veins, the flier whispered, “Why? Why do you help me? I must have put you through so much.”
“That stint back at Trottingham; that was the first time I’ve ever done something like that. And…and I hope I should never have to do that again. But I knew that I had to try something, not just for your sake, but for hers as well.”
With her head, she motioned towards the orchard, where two fillies could be seen relaxing under the shade of a tree. Scootaloo was happily chattering away, while her friend listened with wide-eyed wonder. With a content smile, Redheart said, “Scootaloo looks up to you, Soarin. I can sense the happiness she feels when she’s near you. And frankly, I think you’re the only reason she’s still going. She’s a strong one, yes. But you…you’re her protector, her rock. If something were to happen to you…”
“I help you, because you’re the only one who can help her.”
The duo cast their gaze on the pastures of Sweet Apple Acres, where Scoots and Applebloom had begun to run around in glee. Soarin took in Redheart’s words, realizing just how much trust she had given him in one swift moment. As they both laid their caring eyes on the orange filly below, they began to slowly nod their heads. And despite their differences, for the first time, the two realized they shared something in common.
“Y’know Red, what you do is crazy. Uncanny, really. But then again, that’s what the Element of Understanding’s supposed to do, huh?” Soarin conversed, a laid-back grin spreading across his face. “You’re on the border of miraculous, Red. What’s the point of keeping it a secret? You help ponies. Why keep all the good you do to yourself?”
Pursing her lips in the thought, the mare stared up at the sky as she searched for an answer. Finally, with a subdued tone, she answered, “I guess I don’t really know Soarin. I suppose I’m just afraid of what others might think of me. How’d you feel just now, when I told you were causing me pain?”
“Uhh…bad, I guess,” he replied sheepishly.
“Well, that’s one of the reasons why I don’t tell anypony,” Nurse Redheart answered. “That way, I’m the bad guy, not you. Besides, if the only way I can impact somepony’s life is by telling them I can do magic tricks, I’m not really doing my job, am I?”
Satisfied, the Wonderbolt placed his hooves behind his head and lay back on the soft grass. To his surprise, the normally stiff nurse did the same. Soon, the two ponies were staring solemnly into space, taking in the sheer beauty of peace and quiet. Although the sky was overcast, a nice breeze made up for the gloom, carefully blanketing the two in its comfort. Aside from the cheers of the two fillies and Winona’s faint barking, the world was quiet. No Shadows, no dark magic, no mystery. Just two simple ponies unwinding together, realizing that maybe…just maybe…they’re not as different as they once thought.
Still watching the clouds, Redheart broke the silence, stating, “I can tell you care for her just as much as I do Soarin. Element of Understanding, you know? You’ll do just fine. I can trust you.”
She turned her head and stared into the Wonderbolt’s emerald eyes, giving him a kindhearted look. And at that moment, Soarin realized she was giving him a glimpse of something most ponies never saw. It was a glimpse into the heart of the Element of Understanding; a heart that held benevolence and concern for not only Scoots, but the rest of her companions as well.
“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t just care for her, you know. I care about everyone else too,” the devoted nurse said, living up to her name. With a chuckle, she added, “So try not to sacrifice yourself too much, okay?”
“I’ll do my best, Red,” Soarin replied. “And, uh, thanks.”
Redheart nodded her head before lying back on the grassy hillock with her pegasus companion, where the problems they had been facing seemed to vanish. And as it would happen, neither pony wanted to leave.