Wing and a Prayer

by Timbre Pitch

Chapter III

It was a very subdued Scootaloo that walked in the pouring rain the following day. The path she was walking was one she knew well, as it ran parallel to a small field where Rainbow Dash had her mailbox. The path went further away from Ponyville than that and led to where Scootaloo had decided to go today.
Scootaloo stepped in a muddy puddle without even acknowledging the fact as she continued. Her mind was too absorbed with the recent events. Her fur, mane and tail were completely soaked and she just couldn’t be made to care. Aside from just being soaked to the bone, Scootaloo looked in poor shape. Her eyes were red from a recent bout of crying and had small bags under them. She had neither slept nor eaten anything since finding out about Timbre’s wings.
I’m so stupid, she thought to herself. Because of me my friend might never be able to live like he should. How could I have been so dumb? ‘Let’s go into the Everfree!’ Everypony told us we were lucky with the cockatrice a few months ago, but no, I had to keep proving myself to be better than what people think of me. I don’t know why I haven’t been able to get off the ground with my own wings, but Timbre actually has flown on his own before. And now… now I took that away from him.
Scootaloo continued her downward spiral within her emotions as her hooves led her to her destination. She looked up away from the mud after almost half an hour walking at the slowest pace she’s ever gone. Fluttershy’s cottage only lay another two or three minutes away. She didn’t know how to talk to her about it. At first, after she’d calmed down and stopped running, she’d wanted to talk to Rainbow Dash, but even though they’d talked about Rainbow taking her under her wing their relationship was still new and Scootaloo wasn’t sure Rainbow wouldn’t blame her for what happened. Of course she’d blame her. It was all her fault they were in that position. Fluttershy though…
Scootaloo stopped at the little bridge in front of Fluttershy’s home. Fluttershy wouldn’t blame her, would she? Then again, Angel could have convinced her otherwise. After all, Fluttershy was not in any condition to talk to them after the whole Gabby Gums incident. How many times could you forgive a pony? It appeared she was about to find out. Fluttershy’s door opened on its own and she poked her head out.
“Scootaloo? You should come inside, you don’t want to catch a cold, do you?” Scootaloo almost said yes to the question, but walked inside after wiping off as much mud as she could off her hooves.
The warmth of Fluttershy’s cottage was a sudden indicator of just how cold and wet it was outside and Scootaloo shivered before having a towel dropped on her back. Scootaloo made no move to dry herself yet, and just stared at the increasingly wet floor. A gentle touch began to guide her to a spot next to the fireplace. Scootaloo’s walls cracked a little more.
“Scootaloo, sweetie, what’s wrong? I heard something outside and when I opened my door I saw you in the rain, crying harder than I’ve ever seen a pony cry. Please talk to me; it will make you feel better.” Fluttershy’s soft voice carried so much tender concern that the last remaining defenses around Scootaloo’s heart crumbled to dust. She wailed loudly and sobbed bitter tears into Fluttershy’s mane.
Through the sobbing, sniffing and occasional hiccup Scootaloo told Fluttershy the story. She told her all about how the Cutie Mark Crusaders had met Timbre and decided to bring her – no, him – into the club. She cried through the story of the attack by timber wolves and Timbre’s collapse. When she reached the part in the hospital her ability to talk left her before she could finish and she fell into a weeping mess, her heart feeling like it was tearing itself apart.
Fluttershy was surprised to say the least. She knew nothing of the recent events in Ponyville since she’d been with Angel over the weekend on a short trip to get some medicine because her supply was low. Fluttershy knew Scootaloo perhaps better than most of her friends did. She was aware that Rainbow Dash had recently bonded with the orange filly, but for all that Scootaloo idolized her friend, Fluttershy knew that Rainbow Dash was more likely to be a mentor for a few specific things. Scootaloo however needed something else right now. Scootaloo needed her to be more than just a friend. Fluttershy needed to take on the role of an older sister.
“Please, take your time and tell me what happened next when you are ready.” Fluttershy quietly dreaded what was going to come out of the little filly. As hard as she tried to remain calm and relaxed about it, the story had frightened her, especially knowing that this young colt whom the CMC had let into their group, interesting, that, was being treated at the hospital. But as much as Scootaloo had broken down in front of her, she feared the worst.
Scootaloo hiccupped. She’d been crying for several minutes without saying anything. Most of the grief had bled out for now and she was beginning to collect herself once more.
“W-when the d-doctor came out, he t-told us the news.” She paused again and took a deep breath. “Timbre isn’t going to die, but he’ll probably wish he had.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened but Scootaloo continued.
“His wings are broken so bad that the doctor doesn’t think he’ll ever fly again. And it’s all… it’s all m-my fault.” Her voice rose near the end and she began to cry again, albeit quietly this time.
Fluttershy wrapped the young filly into a warm hug and began to caress her mane dry with the towel. Her mind was working hard as she thought of what to say. It’s true that Scootaloo did suggest such a dangerous ‘crusade’, but they all had agreed to it. It wasn’t her fault that danger decided to show itself. She looked down at the cerise maned young filly she was attempting to soothe. What to say? Or should anything be said? Fluttershy settled on rocking slowly and giving quiet shushing noises to calm her down.
After a few more minutes like that Fluttershy spoke.
“What are you going to do now?”
Scootaloo sniffed. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you can’t change what happened, but what you do now is up to you. Going into the forest was a mistake, you said it yourself, but was it your fault that those terrible things showed up?”
Scootaloo thought for a moment. “No?”
“That’s right. So don’t blame yourself so much. If you drown yourself in the past you’ll never be able to swim to a better future. Besides, you said the doctor isn’t sure. Maybe he’ll be alright.” A small glimmer of hope came to Scootaloo’s eyes.
“You really think so?”
Fluttershy smiled warmly. “I know so.”
Scootaloo thanked Fluttershy with a hug and headed for the door. She’d been there so long that the rain clouds were all cleared up by the weather patrol. Just before walking out she turned back to Fluttershy.
“Only problem is, what do we do now? We let a colt into the Crusaders.”
Fluttershy giggled. “I’m sure you’ll work something out. Bye now!”
XXXXX
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom sat on their haunches in the clubhouse. As angry as their sisters had been they were still allowed to meet up, as long as there was ‘No crusading until further notice’. They quickly agreed to that as part of their punishment. Their individual punishments were far from pleasant but at least they were still allowed to be together. They’d wanted to run after Scootaloo last night but by the time they got over the shock from the news they didn’t know where she’d gone and their sisters took them straight home.
The door opened to the clubhouse and Scootaloo walked in slowly. Her head was still low but she looked thoughtful. Without a word she moved to a small painted target on the floor and stood next to it. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom joined her.
“So,” Applebloom started, “did yuh have a good run?”
Scootaloo gave a sniff at the question, but her lips curled into a small smile. Her friends always knew how to make her grin.
“All the way until the rain started. After that the weather rained on my parade.”
The three girls all shared a giggle and the mood lightened.
“Timbre is a colt, huh,” Sweetie Belle asked no one in particular after a few minutes of light play with each other. A shift in topic was welcome, though nopony knew just what to think about it.
“Well, we never really said that a colt COULDN’T join the crusaders, but it’s kinda been an unwritten rule,” Applebloom said. “Isn’t that why we never invited Button to join us?”
Sweetie Belle grimaced. “That and after trying to spend time with him we just couldn’t stand him. At least he wasn’t mean.”
“Yeah, but Button was never really Crusader material, you know? Instead of trying new things he just wanted to play a lot of games. Not exactly what our club is about.” Scootaloo nodded her head as she finished.
“Timbre, on the other hoof, was okay with all our ideas, even if he didn’t have many of his own,” Sweetie Belle reminded them.
“What do y’all think Babs would say? Hav’n a boy in the Cutie Mark Crusaders changes a lot of things.” All three of them shrugged. They’d only spent about a month with their newest Crusader in all once she’d joined them. Applebloom stomped a hoof onto the target, showing an idea coming. “We can ask her about it at the family reunion comin’ up! She’s invited to come and ah just know she’ll be here then.” The other two stomped a hoof on the target too. It was a good idea. Sweetie Belle raised a hoof to her chin in thought.
“Do you think Timbre will still want to be in the club anyway after yesterday?”
Scootaloo fought hard to keep from tearing up again and barely won. She decided it would be better to change the subject a little.
“What did your sisters say about your punishment?”
As if rehearsed both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle drooped their heads and sighed. They even spoke together in unison.
“We aren’t allowed to go with them to the Crystal Empire next week.”
“Whoa, really? But you were both so looking forward to it!”
“I know,” Sweetie Belle exclaimed in dismay. “But they told us we had to stay here instead and to make sure to visit Timbre to ‘remind ourselves why we think things through’. She raised her forelegs and hoof-quoted that last bit. “Makes sense though. We’re all to blame for his…” Sweetie Belle trailed off. They didn’t need to say it. They all knew.
After a minute of silence Applebloom spoke up.
“Well, Crusaders, let’s go see how he’s doing. Maybe he doesn’t know yet.” Their lighter spirits began to get heavier again.
XXXXX
Timbre woke up slowly. He did not want to open his eyes. His whole body ached dully, and he could feel his heartbeat in every limb he had. At least the bed he was in was comfortable. He didn’t want to ever move again because when he tried to take a deeper breath he found it only caused the pain to multiply exponentially.
“Shh…” a voice said near him. Even though it was just a sound he knew it was his mother. Only a mother could make a noise that was so soothing to the soul.
“Hi, mom,” Timbre said weakly. He opened one eye slightly. “My sheets aren’t this color.”
Timbre’s mother laughed softly. He always did try to put a humorous spin on things when he could.
“I could ask the nurse to change them when she comes in next. I’m sure she’d be happy to.”
The hospital then. As memories of the previous day returned to him he knew that was the only place he could be now. He started to struggle up but was stopped by both his mother’s hoof and her voice.
“Try not to move much, little songbird. You’ll make your injuries worse.”
There was no resistance to her gentle suggestion. He knew better than to do anything other than what his mother told him to when she spoke so carefully.
“Mom, how bad is it? I hurt all over, but part of me I can’t feel at all.”
Timbre’s mother had all night and day to pick out how to tell her precious little colt the news. “The doctor says you’ve broken some bones in your wings and until he is able to see you again later tonight he doesn’t know how well they will heal up, but he’s going to do his best.”
Timbre looked away for a moment. He knew what it meant if the doctor wasn’t sure. He decided to verify it anyway. “So, I might not fly anymore?”
“That is a possibility, but don’t think about it. You just do your best to rest up and heal. The doctor has you in a big cast and you’ve already got a lot written on them from your visitors.”
Timbre wasn’t sure whether to be excited or embarrassed that people had come to see him laid out in a hospital bed all broken. He decided to remain neutral in the end.
“Who’s written on it, mom?”
“Well let’s see now. I was first of course, then Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity. Berry Punch, Lyra and Bon Bon all came in after Pinkie mentioned it to them. Button’s mother wrote next, and your teacher came. Apparently this scribble is supposed to be Gummy’s. Derpy drew a muffin over here, and my cousin Thunderlane stopped by but didn’t write on it. And lastly Fluttershy just left a few minutes ago. She wrote on it too.”
It was nice to have so many well-wishers. There were three names he’d been hoping to hear though, but they weren’t listed. As if the thought was a summons, there was a timid knock on the door before it opened and the three Crusaders came into the room.
Timbre’s mother stood up and headed toward the door, taking note of the repentant look on the fillies faces. She departed with a comment of letting them have a few minutes. The three fillies slowly made their way over to his bed. Applebloom was first to speak up.
“Um, Timbre? How are ya doin’?”
“I can’t remember the last time I had so much sleep, actually,” Timbre said with a pained smile. He wanted to sit up, but the body cast made it impossible to shift his weight enough to do so. “All things considered I guess I’m okay.”
They looked at him with relief. Sweetie Belle put her fore-hooves on the bed and looked at the cast.
“That can’t be comfortable. Do you need any help?”
“No, thanks. I probably shouldn’t try to move at all. Since, you know… I’m broken.”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo began. “We’re really sorry about that.”
“Sorry? About what?”
“We didn’t mean to get you hurt,” Sweetie Belle said. “But because we decided to go into the forest you got hurt. We really didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“Yeah, if you hadn’t had to save us from the timber wolves you wouldn’t be in here now. Not like this.” Applebloom moved to take a seat in a nearby chair.
“So, you are sorry that I decided to stay and protect you from the timber wolves?”
Scootaloo looked shocked. “No! We are glad you were able to, but we’re sorry you were hurt. Especially because you might never… you could forever lose…” Scootaloo’s eyes glistened with tears ready to fall at a word.
Timbre looked at Scootaloo. She was the only one he could really see since his head could only move so far in his position. After a few seconds of looking at each other he said firmly, “I am not sorry at all. You three are okay and if I got hurt to make sure of that, I’m okay with it. You three are my friends.”
The tears fell to the floor, but for a good reason. Scootaloo was happy. She still felt terrible that the condition of his wings were uncertain, but so far he’d forgiven them. Or maybe he didn’t think there was a need to forgive them?
“You know what,” Sweetie Belle said, “you are the first colt to ever join the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
Applebloom piped up. “Yeah! We never meant for that to happen. I mean before you moved here we tried to see if Button would be joining us but then we figured he wasn’t exactly the Crusading type.”
Timbre would have nodded if it wasn’t so difficult. “Yeah, I can see that. The only ‘crusading’ he’s done is probably in his video games.” They all laughed a little at that. “So you figured out I’m not a filly, huh?”
All three blushed a little in embarrassment and looked away. It was Applebloom who answered the question.
“Well, we didn’t realize because you were so… well… you know…”
“Yeah, I know. I’m cute like a filly and my tail is so fluffy that nopony notices much else. I get it a lot.”
Sweetie Belle giggled. “That and between Scootaloo and Babs, we just figured you were a tomcolt.”
“I know,” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Babs acts like a colt sometimes, doesn’t she?” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle stared at Scootaloo. “What?”
They all laughed light-heartedly, though Scootaloo wasn’t sure what she was laughing for.
“So can I stay a Crusader then or are you kickin’ me out?” Timbre looked at Scootaloo with a grin though he meant the question to be for all of them.
“It’ll be up to my cousin, Babs,” Applebloom replied. “But I think you’ve proven yourself a Crusader. I think we can convince her.”
Unseen through a crack in the door Timbre’s mother smiled.
XXXXX
Walking carefully to not jolt himself Timbre stepped out of the front doors of the hospital with his mother.
“Remember,” the doctor called out to them, “come back in a week so we can have another look at your wings.”
They nodded to the doctor. Timbre’s cast had been cut to cover his mid-section and wings only. He felt weird having his wings locked in a straight out position. But it was the best way for them to remain until they could have the specialist look at them. It was good to find that Las Pegasus had a pony who specialized in wing injuries. This improved his chances quite a bit, according to the doctor.
While walking casually toward home Timbre sighed in relief. He’d been in the hospital three days and he was getting antsy. It was so much nicer to be outside walking that cooped up in a little room doing nothing. Those video games must really be something if Button could stand to be that way. They were little more than half way home when he heard a familiar buzzing of wings and saw Scootaloo coming toward them on her scooter, wagon in tow. He smiled at the sight of his friends.
“Hey! Timbre! Over here!” Scootaloo shouted. Timbre deadpanned then covered both eyes with one hoof.
“Where? I can’t see you, Scootaloo! The doctor said it was actually my eyes that are broken, not my wings!” Timbre’s mother looked surprised that her little songbird was finally starting to open up and be himself around other ponies.
The humorous jibe caused a tiny wince in Scootaloo’s countenance, but she covered it quickly by rolling her eyes. The CMC pulled to a stop next to the pair. Timbre looked to his mother and said he’d catch up.
“Okay, but don’t be long and don’t go anywhere but straight home.”
“I won’t.”
“So what’s the word,” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Yeah, what did the doctor say,” Applebloom added.
“The doctor is having me see a specialist next week. He says we’ll know for sure after that. He’s letting me go home for now as long as I rest it and don’t do anything I don’t need to. So still no Crusading for me for a while.”
Scootaloo looked down at the dirt for a moment before speaking up. “I’m still sorry that you got hurt. I hope you will be able to fly again someday.” Timbre smiled.
“Hey now, don’t worry about it. If… if it turns out I can’t fly again I’ll just learn to live with it.”
“I hope you never have to learn that,” Scootaloo said too quiet for Timbre to hear. He looked at her questioningly. “Nothing,” she said louder.
“Any plans yet for our next crusade once I’m out of this,” Timbre asked cheerfully. The three fillies looked at each other with big grins.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SKY DIVERS! YEAH!”
Timbre covered his face with a hoof.
The group split up a moment later and in her mind Scootaloo prepared a letter.
Dear Princess Celestia,
This week I learned that when your mistakes cause problems for others it’s important to ask for forgiveness, but sometimes before you can ask somepony else to forgive you, you have to learn to forgive yourself.