Finding Faith

by CoolBreeze


Finding Truths

My Little Pony: Finding Faith
Chapter 8 “Finding Truths


        “Here, drink this.” someone says.  I can’t see, everything is dark but I comply anyway, I have no choice... I don’t know what’s going on at all.  I keep feeling appendages that I’m not familiar with, and others that don’t seem to exist at all. And then there’s the pain in my face that spikes when I try to breath through my nose.

        The cool touch of glass on my lips, a slight tingling sensation and then my head tilts back gently under the direction of another, I feel cool liquid flowing into my mouth and I swallow greedily.  The glass is removed from my mouth and I sigh as my head is allowed to return to its former position.

        “John?  John, are you okay?” the voice asks, are they talking to me? Oh... yes I’m John.  That’s right... and I’m a unicorn pony.

        I realise the reason I can’t see is because my eyes are clamped shut and also that all the ‘weird’ nerve signals my brain is receiving are because I’m in a quadrupedal body, that of a pony.  I feel myself adjust to this at the realisation and slowly open my eyes, my mane seems to have been brushed back because for once I can’t see it in my view.  I blink slowly, adjusting my eyes to the light, I’m in a quaint little building and I can smell sugar all around me. Sugar and blood.  The tangy smell is strong and I wonder who it belongs to.

        “He’s awake, Lyra!  Where’s the medical kit?”  That same voice calls out from nearby.  I turn my head ever so slightly towards the source and groan when I my muzzle scrunches autonomously, sending a spike of pain rushing to my brain.

        A beige coated pony moves into my view, pigment blue and pink mane curled atop her head. Bon Bon scolds “Hold still you silly colt!” before putting a gentle hoof to my foreleg. “You smacked your muzzle good on the counter when you blacked out.”

        My ears twitch when I hear the sound of hooves returning from somewhere, Bon Bon turns her head towards the sound “Lyra, good!” Bon Bon says, the edgy tone softer than I remember it for.

        “Okay Bonnie, just let me... ah! Got it!” Lyra says, accentuated by a popping noise probably indicating she’s opened something.

        “Okay Lyra, help me by holding this menace to sanity down so I can check his muzzle.” Bon Bon instructs as she turns towards where Lyra has just appeared. Lyra strides over and effortlessly places her forehooves on me, keeping me steady while Bon Bon returns with some sterile cloth.  I wince when she applies the cloth to my muzzle and choke back a cry of protest.

        Drawing away with the bloody cloth she looks down at her handiwork ( hoofiwork? ) and nods to herself before using her free hoof to gently press on my muzzle in various places, I wince when she brushes a spot that feels tender before she leans back and puts the same hoof to her chin and rubs thoughtfully, eyes directed elsewhere.

        “Did he break it?” Lyra asks after a moment of silence, still holding me still.  Did I mention this minty mare is stronger than she looks?  But before Bon Bon can work up an answer to the question at hoof, I feel an itch higher up my nasal passage and open my mouth ever so slightly, trying hard not to scrunch my muzzle up in discomfort.

        Oh no... not a sneeze, not now.  Naturally I don’t get a choice in the matter and I tilt my head back ever so slightly and sneeze violently, globules of blood and mucus fly in a scattershot right up into the air and rains back down on the three of us, coating us in the disgusting mixture of bodily fluids.  I blink several times, shocked that it happened before both females begin groaning in mixtures of disgust and mild surprise at the muck that now spatters them in various places.

        Well the good news seems to be I didn’t break any bones, just rupture a blood vessel in my nasal passage, no biggy, bad news is my saviours, for lack of a better term, are now coated in my vital fluid and disgusting mucus that had been residing deep inside my nostrils.  I feel a pang of sympathy for them, they clearly work hard to keep up their body image and now their manes and coats are messed up by me.

        “Uh...” I begin, “Sorry ‘bout that... couldn’t stop it.  Good news is I don’t think anything is badly damaged?” I finish lamely, like my well being is the center of the universe.

        Lyra grins at this before looking over at Bon Bon, whom I notice is giving me a dirty glare.  Great, I pissed off the already grouchy sweets pony who could probably cut me up into tiny ribbons and use me as a part of her new confectionary line.

        “I’m going to have a shower, Lyra put up the sign, it’s close time anyway.” Bon Bon says, before giving me one last glare and finally moving out to the back of the store.  I turn my head to look up at the mare who was holding me down before she grinned sheepishly and stepped away from me.  A few moments later I hear a click and then hoofsteps returning to me.  Again my ears seem to twitch in the direction the sounds originate, something I hadn’t noticed them doing since I first found myself here in Equestria with Scootaloo.

        Lyra helps me up onto my hooves and offers me a tissue which I carefully blow my nose into before depositing it in a wastebasket behind the counter. “So... what happened?” Lyra asks before continuing, “You managed to levitate your bit pouch and then you kinda went a little crazy there for a bit.” She indicates to her head, rotating her foreleg in circles.

I cast my thoughts back, yes I had levitated the bag but... that wasn’t what had caused all this... what was it... I struggle to remember the important detail, some thought had set me off and I wanted to know what it was.  I can feel a sense of excitement, remembering my moment of triumph with magic but I hold it back, there’s more important things to be concerned about.

        Lyra levitates what appears to be a medical kit over towards us, using her magic to carefully close and seal the sterile case while she waits for my response.  My tongue feels thick in my mouth and my jaw refuses to cooperate and allow words to flow forth from its confines.  I stop and think hard before finally getting the words I want out, “I... I remembered something.”

        The kit lowers to the counter with a gentle clunk while Lyra looks at me inquisitively.  I take a deep breath and recount everything since the moment I found myself hanging from the branch in the tree.  Try as I might though, I can’t shrug the feeling that something happened while I was out cold, something important to who I was before all this and I convey that to Lyra.

        “So you remembered how old you were and it kind of sent you off on a trip through crazy land huh?” she finally says.  I instantly recoil, my head snapping back and ears laying flat as I realise how crazy it all sounds until she raises a hoof and presses it gently to my chest, “Hey now, I’m not saying you’re crazy, just that it triggered some episode in your mind. I’m glad it wasn’t magic that made you go a bit crazy, just a memory... but that means you’re basically a big episode waiting to happen.”

        I nod slowly, leaning forward again, my ears returning to their standard position orientated towards the source of conversation, “Where I come from I think we’d say that I'm a minefield and some poor soul is walking through it and hoping not to be sent to the everafter.”

        She gives me a curious look and I roll my eyes, naturally I’d think of something to say that goes clean over the head of the other participants. I consider explaining what a minefield is until I remember that I can’t remember what a field of mines actually is, just that it is something that hurts or kills others.  Wow... how awful.

        “Uh, well yeah, anyway... I guess I am just an apple short of a bushel, right?” I end up responding with a nervous chuckle.  Lyra rolls her eyes and prods me a little roughly, “You are not crazy, crazy pony, sheesh!”

        Wait... what!?  Double negatives?  Okay I cannot let this slide.  “So... I am crazy?” I ask cheekily, giving her my best “I am curious” look.  The effect is delightful, she frowns before giving me a gentle knock on the shoulder with a hoof and a glare.

        “Sorry! I couldn’t help it.  Besides we were getting a bit somber.  Hey... why don’t you go check up on Bon Bon make sure she’s okay and I’ll clear my head out the front of the store for a few minutes?” I suggest to the older mare with an honest smile.

She considers my proposal before nodding and giving me a comforting pat. “Okay John, but if you need anything just come back in.  Bon Bon is prickly but not a pony to turn away those who need help.” she turns and makes her way out of the store front, leaving me alone with my thoughts.  Not that I have many other than to go out the front and cool off.

I carefully make my way back outside, leaving my bit pouch on the counter where it had been relocated, I trust the mares enough not to mess with it, after all, they gathered all my bits together and put them back in while I was unconscious, a sure sign of their honesty.

The door bell tinkles as I push it open and step outside, carefully slumping against the window of the store displaying various confectionery for sale.  I feel exhausted and not just physically but mentally and also emotionally as well.  It’s been... what? Just over twenty four hours since I found myself here in Equestria? And already I’d started to fall in love with a local resident, tried cracking open her protective shell, found work with an honest farm mare and her brother, made several friends and had begun unravelling the mystery that is my brain.

Why can’t anything be simple?

“Mister, are ya okay?” I snap out of my thoughts and look up from my slumped position to find a yellow mare, roughly my age looking at me in concern.  The accent is familiar and it takes me a moment to piece it together and realise that it’s the same accent that Applejack carries.  She flicks a lock of red mane from her face and tilts her head quizzically, awaiting my answer.

“Oh, uh yes I am okay, just needed a breather is all.  I’m John by the way.” I say, extending a hoof politely toward her. She takes it instinctively and gives it a hearty shake, leaving me with a slight muscle ache just above the shoulder.  Same hoof shake as Applejack, they must be related.

“Oh ah’m Applebloom, mah sister, Applejack, has been talkin’ mighty high of you recently.” she says with a smile.  I return the facial expression but peer around her at another pony standing just beyond the threshold of the conversation, “And you are?” I inquire.

The marble coated mare steps forward and I get a good look at her alongside Applebloom, she has a sense of style I’ll give her that. Her mane is trimmed and brushed, she looks smart yet rather pretty and gives off an air of practicality. “I’m Sweetie Belle...” she trails off, I believe she’s unsure of how to continue the conversation but I don’t get much of a chance to pick it up for her due to Applebloom pushing in.

“Besides helpin’ mah sister round the market... ah’ve seen ya with an old friend of ours.” Applebloom starts and helps me up from my slump with a gentle tug.  I examine her expression to try and get a feel for the kind of situation I’m in before she continues. “And ah don’t mean to upset ya or tell ya how to live your life John, but that filly is usin’ ya to solidify her delusion.  Only pony who’s gonna get hurt by that is her and y’all, especially y’all seein’ how friendly a fella ya are.”

I carefully step around the mare and give her an unimpressed glance before finding the words that need saying in my throat as they form in my head.  “I don’t know either of you from a bar of soap, but I do know Scootaloo a bit better than most, at least I think I do and frankly you’re concerns are unfounded, I am well aware that she is damaged and needs help.  Why else would I be doing everything in my feeble power to help her get better?” I stomp a hoof, feeling frustrated, “What I want to know is what happened to make her this way, why am I left to pick up the pieces of the orange pegasus?”

That get’s their attention, a look of regret plays out over Sweetie Belle’s face while Applebloom gazes into my eyes.  I feel like she’s searching for something in them, but I dismiss it, I need these answers. Scootaloo needs these answers.

Taking a measured step towards Applebloom, I press a hoof to her chest, “Why did I have to be the one to keep her from potentially drowning herself?” Both girls wince at that and I find their eyes suddenly locked on mine, I nod confirming the statement to their silent question.

        “She... she wouldn’t have... would she?” Sweetie asks, “She was close to it.” I answer, turning to look at Applebloom who’s biting her lip, nervous or worried? I ignore the alarm bells in my head that keep warning me to back the hell off, I need these answers, like I need air to breath and the ground beneath my hooves to stand upon.

        Finally Applebloom speaks up, breaking the nerve racking silence that had completely consumed us for a few minutes. “Ah got mah cutie mark... then Sweetie Belle got hers.  Scoots was so sure she’d get hers right after.” she pauses, I notice her eyes are glazed over as she remembers something that she had clearly been trying to forget. “But she didn’t... an’ she got right upset about it too.”

        Sweetie Belle puts a comforting hoof to her friend’s side and picks up where the earth pony left off, “We tried to help her... we got ours when we weren’t trying but... she seemed to think we were trying to stop her from finding hers.  She started to accuse us that we weren’t trying hard enough to think of things to do.”

        That... doesn’t sound like Scootaloo... not the one I know.  I realise my jaw is hanging slightly open, mild surprise etched into my features and I force my jaw back up, closing my mouth.  I had a feeling... anxiety can lead to paranoia and then the added stress of never being able to get her mark would lead to depression a very dangerous mix.  I’m no psychologist but that girl is a time bomb waiting for something bad to happen...

        “Why? Why are cutie marks so darned important?” I decide to play up my own appearance a bit, “I don’t have one, never had and likely won’t ever have one either, I don’t care, a silly mark on my flank isn’t going to adversely affect my life, I’m good at whatever I try, that’s my talent. So why is it she so utterly believes her life is worth squat without one!?” I stamp a hoof feeling anger boiling up, familiar to the recesses of my suppressed mind.  I’ve been in this situation before...

        Sweetie Belle shrinks back, using her earth pony friend as cover, “They don’t - aren’t - I mean-” she babbles, her voice getting high with panic.  I realise my mistake and take a deep breath and step back.  It’s hard, part of me wants to accuse them of not having done enough for Scootaloo as her friends, but I know the truth, they did everything they could think of and the demons in Scootaloo’s head had finally won out.

        I look down at my hooves and say, my voice quiet, “I guess... I’ll just have to fix her since nopony else can. Thanks for the insight girls, I need-” I stop when I hear the sound of hooves pounding on stone and twist to look in the direction it’s originating from.  I catch a glimpse of orange and purple and feel my heart throb in panic.

        No no no... “SCOOTALOO!?” I cry out, not even caring I might disturb somepony.  Without a moment’s thought I immediately abandon the storefront and the two mares as I gallop after the pegasus.  Caution to the wind I feel my muscles strain and ache after the work of the day and more importantly the fall I had just earlier.

        “SCOOTALOO!?” I cry again, hoping desperately to call her back.  I catch sight of a purple tail turning down an alley and slide around the corner after it only to glimpse it yet again elluding me.  I put on a burst of speed and ignore my muscles screams for rest and slide around the corner, now I can see her and she’s galloping as fast as she can and for an athletic and fit pegasus, that’s pretty darn fast.

        “WAIT!” I call at the top of my lungs, I’m short of breath now and I’m finding it hard to focus on anything other than forcing my limbs to motor at top speed.

        I’m gaining on her, her pace is slowing and I’m drawing in closer towards her the distance closes rapidly as we draw nearer to the town hall. “Scootaloo!” I rasp, my breath short.

        Two metres becomes one and a half, and then a single metre and then I can almost reach out and grip her tail in my mouth, but just as I reach out to do just that, she jumps up into the air and I’m blasted down by a gust of downward air. I hit my head hard on the stone street and grunt in surprise. I slide to a stop and groan, struggling to get back up just in time to see the pegasus turn and leave without a look at me, but it’s not her inability to even look at me that causes a lump to form in my throat... it’s the drop of liquid that splashes on the side of my muzzle.  I lick at it out of habit and immediately taste salt.

        “Scootaloo...” I whisper to the air.