"Phoenix... Wake up sleepyhead." A soft voice called from beyond the veil of sleep.
I stirred groggily, my eyelids begrudgingly parting to allow in the first rays of the morning sun. I felt the warmth of the covers suddenly disappear as they were taken from me. A small groan came from my throat as I pulled the pillow over my head, body shivering from the unexpected exposure.
"Ah ah ahhh." Fluttershy chided playfully.
The pillow was quickly abducted from my grasp next, and once again I held my eyes shut against the persistent sunlight. Another dissatisfied groan escaped as I let my body go limp, covering my eyes with my hooves. My wings hung loose, resting on the mattress. I could hear Fluttershy giggling from the bedside as I fought to try and stay in bed.
'Is this a game to her?' I wondered.
"All right mister! You asked for it!" She said in a playful voice.
I tried to brace myself for whatever was coming, but I was not prepared for what happened next. An overwhelming tickling sensation rapidly consumed my left wing. My eyes shot open and my head came up off of the bed. Both of my wings folded onto my sides defensively as a rush of giggles exploded from my mouth.
"NOT FAIR!" I yelled back while still giggling.
Fluttershy laughed before giving me a little nuzzle on the side of my face. I smiled and returned the gesture.
"Come on Phoenix. I already made breakfast for us. Let's get your mane combed so we can go downstairs and eat." She said with a smile.
I suppressed a sigh and gave her a nod as I stood up on the mattress. I stretched my forelegs out as I arched my back, followed by both back legs behind me separately. It was nice to notice that as my back left leg moved around a bit, there was no pain surrounding it this morning. I jumped down from the bed and followed Fluttershy over to the vanity in the room. The little white furred colt met me in the mirror once again; however, there was something different about him this time.
I tilted my head as I looked at my refection, trying to figure out what was so noticeably different about it. I still had the same bright blue eyes, the same snow-white colored fur, the same red and yellow mane with matching tail, although with a slightly more-than-usual touch of bedhead. I spread both of my wings out and up towards the sky, my left one still acting a bit sluggish compared to its twin. I scoped out my reflection and gave myself a confident smile. My wings looked amazing compared to how they did after my incident in the forest. All my crinkled feathers finally stood straight and tall with the ones I had lost finally starting to grow in.
A strange thought once again dawned on me as I figured out why the colt in the mirror looked so different. It was because he was happy.
Fluttershy suddenly appeared behind me in the mirror which startled me. I watched while she picked up the hairbrush from last night in her teeth again. As it made contact with my mane, I was brought back to heaven's doorstep. I shut my eyes as a relaxed sigh escaped, the sensations of the brush combing through my mane filled my mind like a drug. Her touch was very gentle as she teased my bedhead back into a semi-decent looking mess. She gave the top of my head a few final strokes with the brush and brought my forelock back over my right eye.
"There we go! All handsome again." Fluttershy smiled, setting the brush back on the vanity.
I rolled my eyes at her and gave my head a quick throw to the side, bringing my forelock back over my brow. She gave a bemused grin and turned to head downstairs, motioning me to follow. I complied and followed behind her until I placed my hoof on the first step. My throat swallowed a lump as I backed up, sitting down at the top of the stairs.
'Something about this doesn't feel right...' I thought.
I watched Fluttershy descend the staircase with ease. Once at the bottom she trotted the short distance into the kitchen. With growing apprehension my eyes counted the steps that led up to me. There were ten of them not including the first or second floors as steps. I stood up once more putting my hoof down on the first step again. As I leaned forward, shifting my weight, I could tell my balance was becoming unstable and wanting to roll me forward. I quickly tried to transfer my weight back to my rear hooves but it was too late. Bringing my other forehoof down, I tried to catch my weight, but I was suddenly rolling hindquarters over hooves. My joints in my front legs buckled and I did a somersault as my body came rolling down the staircase.
I hit my rump on one step, my face on another and finally landed flat on my stomach on the ground floor. The landing had knocked all of the wind out of my body. I laid there on the floor wheezing, trying to catch my breath against my protesting chest. My limbs were all splayed out in different directions and my wings were lying limp at my sides. I felt my nose running a bit past the distinct pain my landing had provided it and gave a sniff. It brought a familiar coppery taste into my mouth and I realized that my nose was bleeding.
I heard Fluttershy's quick hoofsteps come from the kitchen and she was in front of me before I knew it. Looking up into her face, I managed a false grin past the fresh pains in my body.
"Oh my goodness!" She said in an uneasy voice. "Are you all right...?! What happened?!"
Slowly, I got my hooves back underneath me and stood up. My breaths were becoming normal as my agitated chest wall finally relaxed and allowed my lungs to fill completely. I took another sniff to keep the blood in my nose from spilling onto the floor. The coppery taste hit my tongue and I swallowed it down with a tiny grimace.
"It's not as easy going down the stairs as it is going up..." I said in a shaky tone as I tried to keep my fake smile in place.
Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow at my statement before leaning down and getting a close look at my face.
A tear had welled up in my left eye as I tried to maintain my composure. The pain from my stairway spill was becoming more prominent the more I tried to cover it up. I brought my wings up to make sure they weren't injured again, looking both of my feathery appendages over with a careful eye before folding them back to my sides.
'Phew, escaped the bullet on that one...' I thought.
"...Well, breakfast is ready on the table." She said past a very obvious frown.
I nodded at her and took a few sore steps past her and into the kitchen trying my best not to limp. Walking over to my assigned seat at the table, made evident by the stool I had sat on the night before, I once again put my front hooves on the table and lifted my rear up towards the cushioned stool. I flicked my tail behind me and plopped my rump down on the cushion. There was a very sore spot on my rear from my fall on the stairs that took this time to stage a protest. Shifting uncomfortably in my seat I tried to keep my weight off of my fresh bruise.
Fluttershy walked over and took her seat at the table across from me. She still had the concerned look on her face and squinted her eyes as she focused on my face. I dropped my gaze away from hers and looked down at the plate in front of me. A small plate contained two eggs that were sunny side up and a piece of toast. A small bowl next to the plate contained some of the oat mix that I had sampled last night. Lastly, there was a tall glass of orange juice to complete the morning meal.
I sniffed again as I felt another trickle of blood trying to escape my bruised nostrils. As I was just about to bury my face in my plate, I looked up and caught Fluttershy starting on her breakfast. My eyes widened a bit in surprise as I noticed her holding a fork in the bend of the joint just above her hoof. I glanced to the side of where my plate had been set and noticed a fork sitting there waiting to be used.
'...crap...' Was the only thing that came to mind as I looked at the familiar utensil that now seemed so alien to me.
I tilted my head to the side inquisitively as I looked at the pronged metal stick. The little utensil threatening to make a very big fool out of me.
'...Fingers plus fork equals no problem.....Hooves plus fork equals..... How the heck is this supposed to work?! It's like trying to divide by zero...!' My frustrated thoughts screamed.
I reached a hoof up and slid the fork around the table top, trying to figure out a way to get it into the crook of my hoofjoint like Fluttershy had done. After several failed attempts, I let out a frustrated groan as I leaned down and picked up the utensil in my teeth. With a victorious smile I wrapped my hoof around the stem of the utensil and held it tight in my joint.
I looked up at Fluttershy who was just staring with a raised eyebrow. My smile wavered into a nervous grin and I cleared my throat before once again dropping my gaze down to my breakfast. Carefully, I brought the prongs of the fork down to the plate and dug out a few chunks of the eggs with it. I brought the eggs up to my mouth and took a bite. The taste was the most familiar thing I'd experienced so far. Nothing new or exciting about it like the apples or vegetables I'd eaten since being here.
Several small scoops later and I was becoming adept at using silverware...again. It was like trying to teach a toddler how to use the utensils except I was the teacher and student all wrapped into one package. I set the fork down after finishing the eggs and grabbed the piece of toast with my teeth, forcing the whole thing into my mouth with a hoof. Throwing etiquette to the wind by this point, I ate the oats directly from the bowl. Finally, I topped it all off by picking up my glass of orange juice between my hooves and chugging it down. Wiping my mouth with a foreleg, I looked up at Fluttershy who finally had a smile back on her face, granted it was a small one.
"Well, we should get you ready for your first day of school!" She announced from across the table.
She got up from her seat and trotted over to a counter in the kitchen that had my red backpack sitting on it. Grabbing the back pack in her teeth she brought it over to me.
I let out an agitated breath as I hopped down from the stool and landed on all fours. As I lifted my forelegs one at a time and allowed her to slip the straps around them the pack came to a comfortable rest on my back in its familiar spot.
"I went ahead and packed you a lunch for today, it's already in your backpack." She said with a caring smile.
"Thank you!" I said, returning the smile.
She turned and started walking towards the door and I followed for a few steps before she stopped abruptly.
"OOH! I almost forgot!" She said as she turned back around. Approaching her saddlebag which was lying on the floor, she stuck her muzzle inside it and dug for something.
I cocked an eyebrow as I watched her pull out a roll of white bandages.
My eyes widened and I spread both my wings out to my sides, looking at both of them. I turned my gaze back to her with a pleading look. I really didn't want them tied down to my sides again after I just figured out how to use them. Plus, they looked so awesome! I really didn't want them covered.
"Come on Phoenix. You know what the doctor and Nurse Redheart said." She reminded.
I let my head and wings fall limp in defeat as I slowly walked over to her. I folded my wings against my sides and she began wrapping the bandages around them. Once the roll of bandages had been applied I gave the dressings a little tug with my wings but the wrapping didn't even budge. They were effectively immobilized at my sides.
A very childish sounding groan escaped my lips as I turned my defeated gaze back up to Fluttershy.
She reached a hoof out and stroked my mane gently.
"Just remember... After we get you to your next appointment and they see how well you're healing, then you can try flying as much as you want." She said in that familiar caring voice.
"...Okay." I said with a little grin as she comforted me.
"Now come on. We don't want you to be late on your very first day." She stated as she opened the door to the cottage.
I gave her a little nod and walked out of the cottage with her following in pursuit. She turned and shut the door behind her before trotting up beside me and leading the way to my 'second' first day of school.
~~~~~
The walk from Fluttershy's cottage to town was very pleasant and helped keep a smile on my face. Several times during the trip, birds would fly next to Fluttershy and sing their random songs to her. I couldn't put my hoof on it, but it seemed that she had a magical connection with the animals in this place. She would smile and return some of the notes to them before they would fly off and go on with their day.
We reached the market square of the town to find the vendors setting up their stalls for the day. There were many sweet scents in the air as the vendors uncovered and placed their wares out for the crowds. Regardless of the breakfast I had eaten this morning, I found my mouth watering. Fluttershy led us around the market square to avoid the crowded walkways where vendors were starting to bottleneck.
The heavenly scent of bakery fresh treats was becoming stronger with every step we took. When we had completely come around the market square, the building that came into view caused my jaw to drop. There, sitting on a pedestal amongst the landscape of thatched roofs and wood-beam houses, was the biggest gingerbread house I had ever seen. I was in shock, my brain short circuiting as I tried to drink in the sight before me. Frozen, I stood there staring, trying hard to make rational sense of the structure.
"Phoenix...?" Fluttershy called, bringing me out of my hypnosis.
My gaze trailed away from the sugar coated structure and met her eyes. She had taken a few steps ahead of me and must have noticed that I was no longer at her side. I turned my attention back to the frosted building.
"What is this place?" I asked in awe.
Fluttershy let a little laugh out as she walked over to me and stood at my side.
"This is Sugarcube Corner. The best baked goods in all of Equestria are made here!" She answered.
I couldn't take my eyes off the gingerbread bakery and it's amazing facade. The smokestack for the ovens was like something straight out of a Dr. Seuss book, all curved and sticking up in different directions. The heavenly smelling aromas emanating from it were stereotypical of a bakery in early morning.
"Would you like a treat before school?" Fluttershy asked.
I nodded my head as an overwhelming grin spread across my muzzle. She let out a little giggle and led the way through the building's stable like door.
The inside of the bakery was a bit disconnected from its outdoor counterpart. While the outside looked exactly like an overdecorated gingerbread house, the inside looked pretty much like a professional bakery. There were several glass cases that filled the front half of the store, with small tables and chairs for customers to sit and eat filling the rest. The cases were filled with fresh loaves of bread, pastries and cupcakes.
'OH MY GOODNESS...! Those cupcakes look amazing!' I thought as I approached one of the glass cases.
"HI FLUTTERSHY!" A friendly sounding female voice sounded.
I looked up at the counter space that held a cash register and saw a brightly colored pink mare hovering over it. I don't think I've seen anypony, or anything for that matter, with that much pink. Her coat was a light pink color while her mane and tail were of a much darker hue. Her mane and tail had an inflated appearance to them and looked as if a firecracker had been set off inside them.
"Good morning Pinkie Pie!" Fluttershy responded.
The pink mare dropped her gaze down to meet mine and her expression suddenly changed to that of somepony in utter confusion. I could almost here the bell going off in her head as her expression changed to that of realization.
"Wait a second...! You're that little guy we found out in the Everfree Forest!" She said almost accusingly.
I took a few steps back towards Fluttershy.
"Umm...mmhmm..." I answered.
The pink one shifted her gaze almost mechanically between me and Fluttershy for several moments.
"Wait...! Fluttershy... what's going on here?!" She asked narrowing her eyes.
"Well... Phoenix got out of the hospital yesterday and now he's living with me..." Fluttershy answered with a smile.
Pinkie Pie let out a shocked gasp as she hopped over the counter in a pink blur. Suddenly I was airborn, Pinkie Pie had picked me up under my forelegs and hoisted me into the air.
A surprised scream escaped my throat and I looked down into the pink one's bright blue eyes.
"I can't believe you've been out of the hospital since yesterday and no pony told me!" She said with an agitated voice.
'...help...!' Is all I could think.
Her expression suddenly turned into a bright and cheery smile and she started giggling uncontrollably. I was suddenly pulled against her chest into a very tight hug while she continued to stand on two legs. I felt the breath being squeezed out of me by her forelegs. She finally dropped me back onto my own hooves and came back down onto four legs. She brought her head down until our noses were almost touching.
"So Phoenix huh? That's a really unique name! I'm Pinkie Pie!!!" She wasted no time in taking my hoof and shaking it so vigorously that I feared it would detach. "It's a pleasure to meet you! Even though we've already met once, but I don't know if that really counts as an official meeting since no pony was introduced. I mean, you were really freaked out, what with all the screaming you were doing so it didn't really seem like you were in the mood to meet any new ponies at the time." She took a breath finally before continuing. "But now you're here and you must be really nice which makes sense you know, since you're staying with Fluttershy and all, her being one of the nicest ponies I know."
I was dumbstruck as my brain barely managed to keep up with my ears, attempting to follow her words which were coming out at break-neck speed. Her gasp surprised me, my ears folding to the side of my head defensively while a forehoof came up off the ground. I leaned back towards Fluttershy.
"YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?!?!" She yelled at me while pausing for an answer.
"....umm...." I stammered.
"I GET TO THROW YOU A PARTY!!!" She answered.
"...huh...?" I managed.
"It'll be so much FUN!!! You'll get to meet all kinds of new ponies from here in Ponyville!" She said with the excitement levels still rising.
"Umm...Pinkie...?" Fluttershy suddenly spoke up, thought not very loudly.
The pink mare turned her attention to Fluttershy.
"I don't mean to be rude but, it's Phoenix's first day of school and I don't want him to be late."
"Oh! Even more of a reason to throw him a party!" Pinkie replied while still wearing her overgrown smile.
In an act that I can only describe as disappearing and reappearing, Pinkie Pie was suddenly behind the counter of the bakery again. I blinked a few times and decided it best not to try and figure out how the peppy pink one worked. She was reaching into one of the glass cases and came up with a brightly colored cupcake resting on a hoof.
"Here ya go!" She said as she held the multicolored treat out to me. "I made these fresh this morning! They're my special recipe. Just what a little colt needs before his first day of school!"
The cupcake looked so tantalizing and once again I found my mouth watering. I took a couple steps forward and lifted up a hoof, taking the cupcake into the hollow and bringing it up to my face for a sniff. I gave Pinkie Pie a quick smile before shoving the whole thing in my mouth and chewing it up. My eyes rolled back as all the sweet flavors of the culinary concoction overwhelmed my taste buds. It took me several minutes to whittle down the mouthful of cupcake, but eventually I swallowed it down.
"Well...? What'dja think?" Pinkie asked.
I smiled up at her as my tongue cleaned the remnants of frosting off of my mouth.
"BEST. CUPCAKE. EVER!!!" I proclaimed with a little jump at the end, the sugar already affecting me.
Pinkie Pie giggled. "That's what I like to hear! Consider it a have-fun-on-your-first-day-of-school cupcake!"
"Thank you!"
"Sure thing!" She turned her attention to Fluttershy. "I'll talk to you later about the... ittlelay oltcay" The pink baker added while gesturing in my direction.
'...Really...?' I thought with a grin.
Rolling my eyes, I turned around to face Fluttershy.
"Have a nice day Pinkie Pie!" Fluttershy said before looking down at me. "Ready?"
She turned and walked out the door with me in tow. Turning around slightly, I took one last look at the super-friendly pink mare who was waving a hoof at me. I returned the wave and hopped out the doorway and beside Fluttershy.
~~~~~
The rest of the way to the school was nothing special. Fluttershy tried to make small talk about my first day of school which, admittedly, did kind of make me feel better about it.
We came across the familiar white picket fences that lined the street up to the schoolhouse. As the building came into view a feeling of impending doom sunk into the pit of my stomach. There were several other children outside the schoolhouse. Some were running around and playing, burning off their morning energy in preparation for sitting still for several hours.
We approached the steps of the schoolhouse and Fluttershy stopped. She turned her attention to me and I feigned a smile.
"I hope you have a good first day, Phoenix. I'll see you this afternoon when you get home from Applejack's." She spoke up as she leaned down and gave my face a loving nuzzle.
The show of affection made me smile and I returned the gesture. I didn't realize my mistake until it was too late. My attention was drawn to the muffled laughter of several children. I noticed Diamond Tiara and her lackey Silver Spoon standing at the forefront of the group. They tilted their heads, letting out a most grating and obviously sarcastic 'aww.' My cheeks started to feel warm and I took a step back from Fluttershy.
"Be good for Miss Cheerilee today okay?" Fluttershy added.
I nodded at her and turned to head into the schoolhouse. The old but not forgotten smell of chalk dust and worn erasers filled my nostrils. My anxiety levels were on the rise as painful memories of my previous school years came flooding back. I gave a quick look behind me to catch Fluttershy spreading her wings and taking to the sky.
An empty feeling crawled into my mind as I watched her disappear. My attention turned to the inside of the schoolhouse. There were twelve desks all lined up in equal rows and columns facing the blackboard. Four desks from front-to-back and three from side-to-side. It seemed each desk had a backpack or saddlebag sitting next to it.
'They must have brought their stuff in before they went out to play.'
The bell above the schoolhouse sounded its ominous tune, signalling the start of the school day. I turned around inside the entryway and saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon leading the herd of school children inside.
"Move it new kid!" The pastel colored menace shouted in a shrill voice.
I jumped a bit and took a step back into the corner of the entryway, allowing the other children to pass as their giggles resonated in my ears. My ears dropped and I took a look back towards the door. This was my chance wasn't it...? I could just bolt for the door and skip the disaster that this day was destined to be. As I debated what was inevitably a bad decision, three familiar fillies came striding in through the door.
"Heya Phoenix!" Applebloom called excitedly.
My ears perked up a bit and a small smile came over my face.
"What are you doing stuffed into the corner?" Scootaloo asked with a raised eyebrow.
"...Pretending I'm invisible...?" I answered in a downtrodden tone.
The three fillies took on concerned expressions as they exchanged glances among themselves. They all turned back to me smiling and Sweetie Belle grabbed my hoof. She pulled at my leg motioning me to stand up, which I slowly complied.
"Don't worry... It won't be so bad." She stated in a soft voice as she led me into the classroom with the other two following behind.
"Yeah!" Applebloom piped up. "Soon enough we'll all be back at mah farm and crusading fer our cutie marks!"
I took one last pleading glimpse at the open door, salvation escaping my grasp.
We walked up to an empty desk along the side of the room. Thankfully, it wasn't in the front row. Scootaloo took a seat at a desk on the opposite row and Applebloom took her seat front and center right in between Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Sweetie Belle slid her saddlebag off and took a seat at the desk in front of me. I grabbed my backpack strap in my teeth and slid my leg out letting it fall over to the other side. I slid it up against my desk and clumsily took my seat.
The desks were what you'd expect to find in a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse. They had the tabletop and seat combined with a little entry at the side, though the seat had no back. The seat was very uncomfortable and allowed my body to remind me of the fresh bruise on my rump. My little gymnastics routine down the stairs definitely had come at a price it seemed.
The sound of a closing door behind the classroom shook me out of my reverie. Cheerilee trotted into the classroom from the entryway and in between the rows of desks.
"Good morning my little ponies!!!" She greeted enthusiastically.
"GOOD MORNING MISS CHEERILEE!!!" The rest of class answered.
She trotted up to the large desk at the front of the classroom before turning to the rest of the class.
"Well everypony! We have a new addition to our class today!" She stated in a more-than-cheerful tone.
'...Oh no...!' My eyes snapped wide with terror.
"I'd like to introduce everypony to Phoenix!" She finished by motioning a hoof towards me.
You could have heard a pin drop from a mile away, the silence was so complete.
I sunk into my seat and put an uncomfortable grin on my face as I turned and met the stares of everypony else.
"Phoenix...?" Miss Cheerilee asked, her voice an island amidst the sea of quiet.
I turned my attention back to her, beads of sweat pooling on my forehead. She motioned me up to the front of the room with her.
'...Oh no...no no no.....Please please NO...!' My inner voice screamed.
"Come and introduce yourself to the rest of the class!" Her tone full of overbearing cheerfulness.
'....crap...'