//------------------------------// // Learning Experiences // Story: A Colt's Tale // by my_little_medic //------------------------------// Fluttershy slipped her saddlebag over her back and pulled the cinch tight around her belly using her mouth. She had a cheery smile on her face as she prepared to head to Ponyville Hospital to pick up the little colt who would be living with her starting today. She had spent the early hours of the morning getting everything tidied up inside her little cottage for his, at least temporary, homecoming. Several critters that stayed with Fluttershy had gathered to watch the shy mare as she meticulously cleaned her house earlier in the morning. She had let them all know of the arrangement she had made and told them of their new house guest. The animals seemed very happy at the arrangement, except for one small white rabbit who only crossed his arms and hopped away. Fluttershy trotted out of her house and along the dusty trail that led to town. She had on a very excited smile and had to restrain herself from galloping to the hospital. The journey to the hospital seemed to take forever, but soon she paused outside of the doors and took a deep breath before entering. The doors of the hospital opened automatically as she approached and, smiling, she trotted inside and up to the front desk where a familiar nurse pony smiled and greeted her. "Hello there Fluttershy!" Nurse Redheart greeted. "Hello nurse Redheart!" She replied. "Are you here to pick up little Phoenix?" The nurse asked. Fluttershy propped her head up and displayed a huge smile. "I sure am!" She answered. "Wonderful!" Nurse Redheart exclaimed. "Now, the doctor wanted to talk to you before we went in and got him. Besides, last I checked he was still sleeping and it seems like he needs it." The nurse stopped and showed a concerned look for just a moment. "Nurse Coldheart said he had a really rough night last night. She wouldn't say why or how though. Also, I know the night before last, he had a pretty bad nightmare as well. Poor little guy is probably still traumatized from his run in with the timberwolves." Fluttershy's smile wilted a bit. "Oh my.... I hope he'll be able to sleep in my house." She said, her voice reverting back to its shy tone. "After all, my cottage is right on the edge of the Everfree Forest." The nurse tapped a hoof to her chin before returning the smile to her face. "I think it will be all right." Nurse Redheart said. "Give it a few nights out of the hospital and I think he'll be just fine." "Oh, I sure hope so." Fluttershy replied in an unsure tone. The two heard hoofsteps coming from the hallway and turned to see the doctor come around the corner. He showed a look of pleasant surprise as he noticed Fluttershy. "Well hello there Miss Fluttershy!" The doctor greeted cheerily. "Have you come for young Phoenix?" Fluttershy nodded at the doctor. "Yes I have." She returned. "Umm... nurse Redheart said that you wanted to talk to me about some things?" The doctor nodded his head and motioned a hoof towards several cushions along the wall of the hospital foyer. They both walked over to opposite cushions from each other and sat down. The doctor cleared his throat and took his glasses off of his face before blowing on them and wiping them on his lab coat. "There is one very important thing that I need to share with you regarding Phoenix." The doctor said as he continued cleaning his glasses. Fluttershy tilted her head as a confused look spread across her face. The doctor let out a defeated sigh as he placed his glasses back on his muzzle. "There is a possibility that he may never be able to fly after the injury to his wings." Fluttershy let out a gasp and brought her hooves up to her face as she listened to the doctor's words. "Oh, that's so terrible...!" She said in a sad tone. "When he's been awake, we've tried to get him to use his wings for us. This way we can see how they are healing and what kind of motor control he's regained." The doctor stated. "So far, he has regained decent control over his right wing. Granted, it is still injured and does need time to heal. But unfortunately, he can't get any response out of his left wing at all." Fluttershy hung on the doctor's words, hoping that there would be a glimmer of hope in there somewhere. "Now, as of this moment in time, I'm still optimistic that he'll make a full recovery from all his injuries, wings included!" He added. "I just want to prepare you, being his new caregiver, that it is a possibility." Fluttershy brought her hooves back down and gave the doctor a little nod. "Is there anything I can do to help him towards his full recovery?" She asked. The doctor cast a warm smile at her. "Just be there to support him while he's healing." The doctor said as he tapped Fluttershy's hoof with his own. "I'll do anything I can for him!" Fluttershy said confidently. The doctor smiled again as he got up off of his cushion. "Honestly, I don't think the little guy could be in any better hooves." He added. Fluttershy began to blush a bit and nodded at the doctor. "Well, I have some other patients I need to go see." The doctor stated as he looked at a watch around his left foreleg. "Nurse Redheart will get everything squared away for you. Take care of him and be sure to bring him back in a week for a check up." "Of course." Fluttershy replied. The doctor exited the foyer and his hoofsteps grew fainter as he trotted down the hallway. Fluttershy got up off of her cushion and walked back over to nurse Redheart's desk. The cheery nurse looked up at Fluttershy with a bright smile. "I just need you to sign this piece of paper." She said as she pushed a paper in front of Fluttershy with a hoof. "It's an agreement of guardianship for Phoenix." The nurse pushed a pen in front of Fluttershy. She picked the pen up in her mouth and signed her name on the document. Nurse Redheart took the piece of paper back and glanced it over. With a bright smile she put the paper into her desk then brought out a bottle of medicine and three rolls of bandaging. "All right. So this medicine is for his pain as well as to help him sleep." She stated as she pointed at the bottle with a hoof. "It's mainly for night time before he goes to bed but can be given during the day if he ends up in a lot of pain." Fluttershy nodded her head in understanding. "He needs to take it very easy on his wings for at least a week until he comes back to see the doctor. The bandages around his wings only need to be changed when he bathes or when they get dirty. They're really only to keep them at his sides while they heal. If he wants, and provided it's all right with you, you can take them off for a little while before bed so he can stretch them." "Oh, okay." Fluttershy responded. "The bandages on his left flank will need changed every night though. The wound is healing up very nicely but he may still walk with a limp for a few days. Hopefully, when he's back for his check up it will be completely healed." Nurse Redheart pushed the medicine and bandaging towards Fluttershy. She took each item in her mouth and dropped them into her saddlebag. "I think that's about all for now." Nurse Redheart stated as she tapped a hoof to her chin. "Oh! One more thing!" She exclaimed as the thought came to her. "His injuries shouldn't keep him from starting school as soon as possible. I'd think that he would be able to start tomorrow after he spends a night with you." "Of course." Fluttershy replied. "We'll stop and see Miss Cheerilee today before we head home." Nurse Redheart gave an approving nod as she stepped out from behind her desk. "Well, shall we go see if he's awake yet?" The nurse asked as she started down the hall towards the foal's wing. Fluttershy followed behind her with an excited grin on her face as they went through the double doors and entered the little colt's hospital room. As they entered, they found him lying prone on the bed with a blanket pulled up to his ears, his head resting on his hooves. They could hear his soft snoring as they approached the bed. Nurse Redheart pulled the blanket off of the little white pegasus with her teeth and then gently began to rub his back with her hoof. "Wake up little guy! It's time for you to go to your new home!" The nurse said in her cheery voice. ~~~~~ I stirred as my warm blanket was removed from my body. I slowly opened my eyes as I felt my back being rubbed and allowed the late morning sunlight to flood in and help wake me up. I lifted my head off of my hooves and let out a large yawn before turning my head to the two adult mares that were standing next to my bed. I was still trying to blink the morning sleep out of my eyes as I heard nurse Redheart's voice. "Wake up little guy!" She said in her usual overly cheery tone. "It's time for you to go to your new home!" I watched as Fluttershy walked up next to the bed and looked down at me with those caring eyes. Once again I couldn't help but smile as I saw her face. Her smile and calm demeanor were contagious to me. I stood up on all fours and stretched. As awkward as it felt being in the body of a winged colt, I was starting to get used to it. I was a lot more coordinated in my movements and had become accustomed to the way my ears pretty much moved on their own. Plus, I had learned that I needed to be gentle when I brought my hooves up to my face. "Are you ready to leave the hospital Phoenix?" Fluttershy asked in her timid voice. 'Was I...? I wondered. 'I don't really know what lies in wake outside the hospital...' I was filled with both anxiety and excitement. Half of me was scared to death at leaving the confines of my hospital room. After all, it was the safest place I'd been since I'd ended up here. The other half was filled with the excitement of getting out and being free to explore this new world. I looked up at Fluttershy and, displaying a growing smile, I nodded my head and walked over to the edge of the bed to make my way down. As if on cue, nurse Redheart grabbed me under the forelegs and lifted me off the bed and gently set me on the ground. My hooves made a soft 'clop' as they contacted the tiled floor. I turned and shot nurse Redheart an annoyed look. "Now, don't you give me that look!" She scolded. "I don't want you jumping down on your injured leg yet!" I let my expression melt back into a small smile as I walked back up to the pink maned nurse and tried to give her a hug. She leaned down and I wrapped my forelegs around her neck and gave her a little squeeze. "Thank you for taking care of me..." I said softly. She raised her head back up and then brought a hoof up and messed my mane again. "I look forward to seeing you next week. You had better be all healed up by then okay?" She said with a smile. I nodded and then turned to Fluttershy. She motioned a hoof towards the door of the hospital room. "Ready?" She asked. "Mm-hmm." I answered. Fluttershy walked to the door and I followed beside her. Nurse Redheart followed us through the hospital up to the main entrance. When we reached the automatic doors, Nurse Redheart stood at the entrance and waved goodbye to us as we walked out of the hospital and along the path into the town. ~~~~~ I couldn't get over how vibrant and lively the world around me looked compared what I remembered from the forest. The grass was the lushest shade of green and the flowers along the paths were the most colorful and tall I'd ever seen. The sunlight cast its warm yellow glow over the world making it look like something straight out of picture. When we crested the small hill that led into the center of town I stopped and let my jaw drop. The town was amazing! The houses were like something out of a storybook with there wooden beam construction and thatched roofs. The market square was massive with all kinds of different types and colors of ponies selling all kinds of fruits, vegetables and trinkets. The tallest building in town looked like an oversized gazebo and stuck up far past any of the others around it. I was like a dog in a park full of squirrels. I couldn't keep my focus on any one thing for very long as I glanced around. I lifted my nose to the air as a heavenly scent filled my nostrils and intoxicated me. I shut my eyes as I almost involuntarily let a 'mmmm' escape my throat. It smelled so good! I opened my eyes as we entered into the market area and saw where that fantastic smell was coming from. A pretty large apple vendor had set up shop in the middle of the market and there on top of the stall was a plate of freshly baked and still steaming apple tarts. I walked over to the stall and propped myself up on my back hooves to get a better smell of the fresh pastries. My mouth was a flood with saliva as the sweet scent filled my senses. "Well howdy there Phoenix!" A familiar southern sounding voice rang. I was brought out of my trance and looked over at a brown mare who was wearing a cowboy hat. I recognized her immediately as she came around the corner of the vendor stand. "Oh uh, hi." I said with a little smile on my face. "Hey there Fluttershy!" Applejack greeted as I turned to see Fluttershy trotting up next to me. "Hi Applejack!" She returned. I looked at the brown mare and noticed that she was wearing some kind of apron with pockets in it around her chest. It had the same logo embroidered on it that the vendor stand with the apple tarts had. "Is this your stand?" I asked while pointing a hoof. "Heh! Sure is! We sell everything from the apples we harvest to the pastries that Granny Smith makes up every morning." She answered. I turned my attention back to the tantalizing apple tarts that had brought me here in the first place. My mouth was still watering and my stomach was growling as I stared at them. Applejack let out a small chuckle and I turned my attention back to her. "I'm guessing ya found yer way here thanks ta Granny Smith's fresh apple tarts. You wouldn't be the first young'un that was lured over here by their sweet smell. I tell ya what..." She stated as she grabbed a small plate and put an apple tart on it. She put the plate down on the ground in front of me. "Since today's yer first day out of the hospital, this one's on me." She added. I licked my lips before giving her a quick "Thanks!" I then plunged my face into the sweet smelling pastry and took a large bite. 'OH MY GOD!' I thought as I slowly chewed up my first bite. The pastry was warm and flaky and the apple filling was definitely reminiscent of the apples that Applebloom had brought me while in the hospital. I chewed through the next couple of bites, again letting the "mmmm's" escape my throat as I thoroughly enjoyed this dessert that clearly belonged on its own pedestal. I could hear Applejack and Fluttershy talking behind me as I kept eating. I didn't focus on anything that was being said, the enjoyment of my last couple bites winning over my full attention. I swallowed down the last bite and, after making sure no one was watching, licked the plate clean. My taste buds and stomach were both very satisfied. I turned around to face Applejack and Fluttershy with a huge smile on my face. Both of them turned and looked down at me. "That was sooooo good!!!" I said with a little jump at the end. Applejack chuckled and picked the plate up, setting it on a pile of dirty ones on the side of the stand. "Well good! I'm sure glad ya liked it!" She replied. "Oh! We'd better get going if we're going to catch MIss Cheerilee." Fluttershy stated as she looked up at a small clock tower in the center of the market. I tilted my head at her with a confused look on my face. 'Who's Miss Cheerilee?' I wondered. Applejack looked over at the clock as well before stating. "Ah, you got plenty a time Fluttershy. The kids outta be getting out for lunch by the time you two get there." Fluttershy nodded at her friend before turning her gaze down to me. "Come on Phoenix. We're going to go meet your teacher." She said. My brain had hit a rather large speed bump at hearing those words. 'My teacher...?! I've been out of school for four years now!' I thought frustratedly. 'I did my time! Why the hell should I have to go through it all over again...?!' As we walked along the path that must be leading us to the school, I tried to think of any excuse I could to get out of having to attend school. However, I realized that no matter how hard I tried, none of the excuses I came up with would make any sense. After all, I was just a kid here. My left flank was beginning to ache after walking so much and I was trying to put less weight on my back left hoof. After what felt like at least a mile, we approached a rather quaint looking turn-of-the-century schoolhouse. It looked like a very stereotypical schoolhouse with a small bell tower on top and a flag pole next to the front door. It seemed to be a very well taken care of building just like the rest of the town. The path up to the schoolhouse became adorned with a white picket fence on either side that ended at the porch of the school. I let a quiet groan escape as we got closer to the building. 'This was really happening...' I thought. 'I'm actually having to go back through school again...' The bell in the bell tower rang a couple times signifying lunch time. Shortly after, the doors flew open and several fillys and colts came running out. Some were carrying brown paper bags in their mouths and others had small saddlebags thrown around their backs as they filed out and picked spots on the school's lawn to eat. We kept our pace as we came up to the open doors of the front porch of the schoolhouse. I looked around at the different groups of children that were picking their spots and talking to friends. I was getting a lot of looks and stares from pretty much all of them. I was stopped suddenly as I ran headfirst into Fluttershy's back leg. She had stopped on the stairs to the school suddenly and turned around to face me. I spit out my mouthful of pink tail hair and rubbed my head with a hoof briefly before looking up at her. "I'm gonna go talk to Miss Cheerilee for a moment. Why don't you go and talk with some of the others and try to make some friends?" She said with a smile. My ears dropped as I took another look around at the other kids. I turned back to look at Fluttershy with a pleading look on my face. "Can't I... just come in with you?" I begged. "Well... I suppose, but these are the kids you'll be going to school with from now on Phoenix. Don't you think you should try and get to know them?" She said in her calm voice. I dropped my gaze and let out a defeated sigh as I nodded my head. She turned around and went inside the schoolhouse while I plopped down on the stairs and displayed a very shy and uncomfortable look. I tried looking around at the other kids as covertly as possible but noticed that most of them were either staring directly at me or looking and then saying something to the others close by. I let out another sigh as my ears dropped themselves into their 'depressed' position and I walked slowly down the stairs and off onto the lawn of the school. I kept my gaze to the ground so I didn't have to notice that I was being dissected by everypony else's stare. "HEY PHOENIX!" I heard a familiar childish voice shout. My ears perked up and I looked to see Applebloom with two other fillies grouped next to her in the shade of a tree beside the school. I smiled a bit as I felt saved by somebo...somepony that I knew, albeit not very well yet. I walked up to the three little fillly's, and Applebloom took the liberty of introducing me to her friends. "This here is Phoenix! He's the one I was telling ya'll about that they found in the Everfree Forest!" She stated excitedly to her friends. I gave an uncomfortable smile as the other two raised their eyebrows at me. One of them was a pegasus pony who's wings looked a little smaller than they maybe should have been. She had a bright orange fur coat and wings that were accented by a flipped purple mane and tail. She stretched her neck off to the side and her pale purple eyes took on a worried appearance. "What happened to your wings?!" She asked in a scratchy, but feminine, child's voice. 'Well, wasn't expecting that to be the opening topic...' I thought sarcastically. "Uh... They got hurt while I was trying to escape from a wolf in the forest." I answered. The little orange filly had such a mortified look on her face as she stared at the bandages that had my wings tied effectively to my sides. After a few moments of her staring and me not knowing what to say, she stood up and walked along my right side. I watched her as she stopped at my right flank and her face suddenly formed a smile. She pointed at my right flank with a hoof and turned to Applebloom. "Hey!" She exclaimed excitedly in a scratchy voice. "You were right Applebloom! He doesn't have his cutie mark yet either!" 'My what?' I thought as I felt something poke my left flank and I jumped a bit as a short bout of pain coursed through it. "Ouch!" I said as I turned to see a white unicorn filly with a curly mane and tail that had two different pale shades of pink and purple side by side. She wore a very shocked look on her face as I turned and met her gaze. "Oh... Sorry." She stated as she blushed a bit. "Name's Scootaloo!" The scratchy voiced pegasus said as I turned and saw an outstretched hoof in front of me. "Uh, Phoenix..." I stammered as I shook hooves with her. "And I'm Sweetie Belle!" The little unicorn stated proudly as she made the same motion. I reached out and shook her hoof as well. "I told them all about ya after we visited ya in the hospital! These are ma best friends an fellow club members!" Applebloom announced with a toothy grin. I gave them all a confused look. "Club members?" I asked. "Yeah!" Scootaloo chimed in. "We're the..." "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!" They all answered in unison. The sudden rise in decibels brought my ears limp to the sides of my head and constricted my pupils. I ended up on my rump with a forehoof in the air in sudden surprise as they all yelled. "What's that?" I asked, trying to recover and sporting a very confused look. "We try and help other colts and fillys find their special talent so they can earn their cutie marks!" Sweetie Belle piped up excitedly. "Only... we're the only members right now." "Yeah, right now." Scootaloo chimed in. The little orange filly looked me in the eyes. "Unless you'd like to join?!" She added with a large pleading smile. "Uhh..." I managed, not sure where to go with this. 'I don't even know what a cutie mark is...' I thought. "Hey new kid!" A sharp sounding female voice called. All four of us turned to see two fillies walking up to us. They both had very condescending looks on their faces as they approached. One of them had pink colored fur with a light pastel purple mane and tail that had a contrasting white stripe in it. She also had what appeared to be a tiara on top of her head. The other one was a dull grey color with a white mane and tail. Her mane hung down to her side in a braided pony tail and was tied off with a pink ribbon on the end. She was also wearing a pair of glasses and a small pearl necklace. The two gave me a thorough once over as they approached and their faces contorted into menacing grins. I raised an eyebrow as they separated and came along both of my sides. "Look Silver Spoon." The pink one said. "Another blank flank to join in the ranks of the Cutie Markless Crusaders." 'Blank flank...?' I thought. "Oooh, good one DT!" The grey one answered. 'Silver Spoon?' I thought as I looked at the grey filly's flank and saw a little picture of a shiny silver spoon with a pink heart in the handle. I looked back to my own flank where there was no mark to be seen at all. 'Oh, I get it now...' "So what exactly happened to you anyways?" The pink one asked in her snooty voice as she looked over my bandaged wings. "Uhh..." Was all I could muster. My mind drew a blank, I was so flustered. I hated being bullied! I had to put up with it pretty much since third grade till I graduated. It wasn't my fault that I couldn't fit in with a crowd to save my life. "My sister and her friends found him in the Everfree Forest! She said he had a really nasty run in with timberwolves and was almost dead when they found him!" Applebloom piped up. I felt my cheeks growing warm again. I suddenly realized that I was the only male in this little gathering and I had a little girl standing up for me. "The Everfree Forest?!" The pink one said in a shocked voice. She quickly cleared her throat and regained her menacing smile. "What were you doing there? Trying some lame activity to earn your cutie mark like these three?" She said while pointing a hoof at Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Her and Silver Spoon began giggling as the other three took on hurt looks and stared at the ground. The two stuck up fillies bumped hooves several times while saying some kind of rhyme before they bumped rumps with each other showing off the marks on their flanks. 'Cutie Marks... That must be what I thought were the tattoos on their flanks.' I concluded. I watched as the two trotted off to the front of the school giggling to themselves. I turned my attention to the three silent fillies before me and took note that all three of them were missing a cutie mark just like I was. The silence among us was getting really thick so I finally spoke up. "So... The Cutie Mark Crusaders huh?" All three of them bounced up smiling as they stood next to each other. "That's right!" Applebloom exclaimed. "We started the club so that we could work on getting our cutie marks and quit getting made fun of for being 'blank flanks'." "Yeah, we're the only three in our class that haven't gotten them yet." Scootaloo said in a disappointed tone. "But, we're gonna keep trying new things until we earn our cutie marks." Sweetie Belle added enthusiastically. "Well..." I said as I looked down at my flank. "Got room for one more?" I asked with an uncomfortable smile on my face.