//------------------------------//
// Fidelity 
// Story: Legacy 
// by Sleep Sonata 
//------------------------------//

	“What happened anyway? It seems like I was there just yesterday.” Starry’s stomach was in knots. What if Triage found her here, or brought guards here to get back at her? She had to try to escape before she was found. 
She dashed out of the guest room and into the living room. She didn’t have time now to marvel at the size, she needed a hiding spot. The closest door to her meant she had to cross in front of the stair well, which was a risk she couldn’t take. 
Looking the other way, she saw a room with its door already cracked open. It was perfect for her to slip into and wait for Triage to leave. She darted into the room, and even though the light wasn’t out, she was able to feel around for a closet, and wasted no time in making room for herself.
May and Triage’s voices drew closer. She was able to hear their voices again. “I simply don’t understand why she would run away like that. She probably hurt herself casting that spell, as well.” Triage didn’t sound angry at all. Starry kept wondering if she really needed to be afraid.
“She didn’t say anything about that when she got here. She did seem a little down in the dumps, though. I put her up in my guest room.” Starry could hear May gasp as she opened the adjacent door. “Starry? Where are you. Triage says she needs to talk to you.” Starry stayed put. She was still too afraid to face her. She knew Triage would never forgive her for what she’d done.
All of a sudden, the door to her closet were thrown open, and Triage was staring right into her eyes. Starry was sure whatever she planned on doing, it wouldn’t be good, but she did deserve it.
Triage leapt forward, and embraced Starry, for once, it wasn’t a death grip. “Starry, Darling! Oh, we thought we’d lost you forever! How on earth did you find May Day?” 
Starry couldn’t understand why Triage would’ve been happy to see her. “Triage? But...I...why are you happy to see me, after what I did to you and the others?” 
The expression on Triage’s face didn’t change for an instant. She maintain her overjoyed smile and tears of joy. “Sweetie, you were just upset. It happens to everypony. Your way of expressing it was just more... kinetic.”
Despite that reassurance, Starry could not stop fretting. “What about the others? Are they OK?”
“They’re fine. They’re actually waiting out in my carriage right now.”
Starry wasn’t just happy, she was overjoyed. She couldn’t help but bend over and cry, but Triage caught her and helped her back to her feet. “Take a minute to collect yourself. There’s no need to rush.”
Starry sniffled, but was otherwise able to pull herself together. Triage escorted her out of the room, where May Day was waiting for her. “Starry! There you are! Are OK?”
Starry gave her a nod, and wiped away the last of her tears. She was genuinely beginning to feel better. “Yes. Thank You May Day.”
Outside, Starry had never known the relief of seeing her friends smiling to see her. She was still nervous about how they would react, but that melted away the instant she saw their smiles. 
Butter cup was the first to reach her. “Starry! Oh my goodness! Are you alright? We were all so worried about you. We had no idea where you’d run away to.”
Honey rushed up to her soon afterwards, followed by Compass Rose. All of them expressed nothing but joy at seeing her again. Starry had to ask them. “Why were you all worried about me? I could’ve really hurt you. I thought I had.”
“Sugar, you were just scared. That spell you cast was just an accident. We all know you would never hurt us on purpose.” Honey to give Starry a hug, but winced from a pain in her leg. “Though, it did hurt just a tad.” It had been a while since Starry had heard a joke, and it it wouldn’t have been better coming from anypony else. 
“How did you find me?” Starry asked. “I just ran into the woods. I didn’t know where I was.”
Triage and May Day stepped forward from behind her. “We actually had no idea where you ran off. We turned the whole town upside down looking for you. You did do a bit of damage to my clinic, so I came out to visit May. She is the Fix-it Filly, after all.” her ears perked after she finished her sentence. “Oh my. I almost forgot why we came here. Do you think you’d be able to start now, May?”
May Day dashed inside, and in what seemed like only a few seconds, returned with a cart filled with tools and 2x4’s. “Absotivly Posibalootly. It’ll be like it never happened at all.”

When the ponies returned to town, Starry was surprised that nopony gave her curious look. Aside from the occasional greeting from passersby, the six didn’t receive any special attention. It was almost like they were used to seeing a bat pony just walk down the street. 
“They don’t seem too concerned that a freak is walking around in broad daylight.” Starry observed.
Triage was slightly taken aback back Starry’s statement. “Freak is an awful strong word. Sure, your eyes are strange and your wings aren’t feathery, but you’re still a pony, just like them. To treat you any differently would just be indecent.”
Triage’s explanation of the town’s hospitality made her feel better, but she still needed time to adjust to not being an outsider. As she walked along with the group, back toward Triage’s Clinic, Starry got a closer look at what one of her fits could do.
There wouldn’t have been any need to open the door for May Day; there simply wasn’t one. Not that they could have used that entrance, anyway. There was a substantial crater directly across from where the threshold used to be. Starry tucked her ears back in shame, but May seemed more impressed than anything.
“Wow, Triage. You were kidding when you said it was blown away.”
“I mean what I said. Do you think you can make it presentable.” Triage was visually worried at the damage, which only made Starry feel more ashamed.
“No problemo. I’ll fix’er up lickity split!.” Again, May Day seemed to move faster than lightning. In no time at all, she had already laid temporary planks across the crater, so the ponies could walk into the building, and the door frame was completely replaced. Starry had never seen such intense focus before. It was inpony the amount of work she could do in such little time.
When May had finished, the only thing more astonishing that the speed with which she did the job, was the quality of the work itself. There wasn’t a nail nor a splinter out of place. She hadn’t just repaired the damage; she had renovated the doorway. “The floor panels are temporary until I can get some new bedrock. But for now, you can consider it good as new!” May Day hopped inside to demonstrate the safety of the new floor. 
The other ponies were astonished. Triage seemed as giddy as could be. “Oh, this is simply marvelous, May! How can I repay you?” Triage began reaching for her bit-purse, but May Day intercepted her hoof.
“No need. This one is on me.” She began to gather up her tools but noticed that Starry was still in awe of her craftsmanship. As she ran a hoof along the silky smooth woodwork, she almost jumped out of her skin when May came up from behind. “Pretty cool, huh? It’s actually a good thing you demolished this when you did. I was here last week, and the place seemed like it was about to fall down.”
Starry gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Thank you, May. Even if I had my memories, I don’t think I’ve met anypony as uplifting as you. I’m really grateful.”
“You’re going the mountains, aren’t you?” May suddenly blurted. Starry was aghast.
“Wait, how did you know that? I never even mentioned traveling anywhere.”
“It’s obvious, silly. You said you were grateful, like you about to leave for a really, really long time. You’re also a bat pony, so I know you’re nor from around here, so you had to just be making a pit stop. You already came from the city heading west, and the only thing west of here is the Hadrian Mountains, which is where bat ponies come from anyway, so that has to be where you’re going.” May finally took a breath, and then grinned from ear to ear.
Starry’s jaw hit the new floor. She could not fathom how a regular earth pony could be that insightful. “That’s remarkable.”
“I guess. Alright girls, throw your bags in the wagon! We’re off to adventure!” May day exclaimed to the rest of the group. 
Rose stepped up, obviously puzzled by May’s enthusiasm. “Uhh, May, do you even know what we’re going to need for this trip.”
“Du’uh. Of course I do. I’ve got it all in the cart; 4 days worth of food and water, fresh bandages, a fire starter, 6 tents, and a paddle ball.” The other ponies were impressed but Rose was still confused.
“A paddle ball?” she asked.
“Well we don’t to get bored to death. C’mon, Let’s get crackin’!”
Starry watched as the others packed they’re things. If she had been exiled from her homeland, it wasn’t out to be such a bad punishment.