It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining bright and warm and to make that all worthwhile, Fluttershy was leaning next me. I could feel her warmth through my coat. I could even feel the beat of her heart which was gentle. We were under a tree in the playground of Ponyville Elementary and watched as the kids played. This was a moment I never wanted to end. As I wrapped my wing around her, she leaned looked up at me and said something that I couldn’t hear; it sounded like an echo through some kind of metallic object. But that didn’t matter as we both closed our eyes and leaned in closer to each other…
Then I felt a minor pain in my left shoulder. I opened my eyes and all I could see was a wall. What the hay? I thought. Where am I? Where’s Fluttersh… oh wait was this all a dream? Damn it. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of somepony trying to hold in a laugh. I unwrapped myself from my blankets and stood up and saw Leo sitting in the door way, biting his lip trying not to laugh.
“So uh…” He began, “how was your little ‘scene’ with your pillow?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I walked to your door to… wake you up and… saw you… making out with your pillow!” He said in between chuckles.
“Oh ha ha.” I said as I tossed my at him, knocking him over. Then he lost it and busted out laughing. After a few seconds, I couldn’t help but to laugh myself. It was a little silly to be caught kissing your own pillow in your sleep, but Leo’s laughing was always contagious. It reminds me of those days in Cloudsdale where we would just laugh and laugh for no reason.
“What is all the laughing about?” My father appeared with a grin on his face.
“I caught Scion making out with his pillow!” Leo shouted.
“Hohoho! You little player!” My father joked.
“Yeah, yeah I know it’s funny. Ha ha now let’s go.” I replied and pushed them through the doorway. Leo I’m gonna get you for that.
As we were walking to the kitchen, we caught a whiff of something that made our stomachs growl with hunger. We all looked at each other and said in unison, “Mom’s cooking.” I picked up Leo while my father and I flew down the stairs and into the kitchen. My mother didn’t seem to notice but when she turned around, she shrieked.
“Where did you all come from?” She asked still surprised.
“You don’t wanna know.” I replied.
She smiled. “So what was all the laughing about I heard upstairs?”
Leo and Dad both gave me an evil grin. Then dad spoke, “Scion was caught making out with his pillow by this little colt here.” Leo gave the biggest smile he could muster.
“Then we teased him about it!” My little brother added.
She chuckled. “You guys are so mean to each other.”
“It’s ‘cause we’re so masculine. It’s what we do.” My father replied in a funny deep accent.
My mother smiled and rolled her eyes as she poured apple juice into each of our glasses.
Dad was the first to finish his. “Wow this is good. Where’d you get this from darling?” He asked while unfolding his morning newspaper.
“This was from that apple stand in the market square that, I believe her name is Applejack, gave to me as a gift after buying a bushel of apples. Such a kind young mare.” She replied, putting eggs and pancakes on each of our plates as well as her own.
“Oh yeah I know her.” I replied.
“Oh really? Where’d you meet her?” She asked.
Before I was about to speak, dad bud in, “She must be friends with your girlfriend? Eh? Am I right?” He nudged my shoulder, putting extra emphasis on ‘girlfriend’.
“She’s not my girlfriend!” I whispered.
“Girlfriend?” My mother replied with a grin on her face.
I sighed. I might as well come clean before they humiliate me any further. I thought. “I have uh… a date with this mare today.” I braced myself for more laughing and joking. Instead was a gentle smile on my mother’s face.
“Well good job Scion. I’m happy you’ve gotten out of your little shell.” She said, patting my shoulder.
“Thanks mom for not laughing like these two immature mules.” I replied as they looked at me and grinned.
She chuckled. “Well it could be worse.”
“Yeah I wouldn’t want it to get any worse than what it already is now.” I replied.
We began changing the subject on to other matters. After finishing my plate of food, I started to walk to the stairs. “I’m gonna shower and get ready for my big day.”
“Don’t take too long in there doing something we don’t know.” Dad added.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I headed up the stairs. I walked into the bathroom, shut the door and turned on the shower. As I waited for the water to warm up, I looked at myself in the mirror. As I stared at my reflection, all these scenarios started racing through my head. What if I do something that hurts her feelings? What if I do something that makes an ass out of myself? What if she never wants to talk to me ever again? I snapped back to reality. No. I can’t think like that. Got to keep a positive outlook. Everything will go out as planned and nothing will go wrong. I shook off the negative thoughts and stepped into the shower. I stood there letting the warm water run through my coat. “Today will be the day.” I said to myself.
I finished up in the shower and turned off the water. Shook off any excess water and reached for a towel. After getting myself mostly dried, I stepped out. I combed out my mane to make myself at least somewhat approachable. I walked downstairs and went into the living room where everypony was doing their usual Saturday routine.
“Hey mom what time is it?” I asked.
“Uhh it’s five after nine.” She answered after looking at the clock.
“Ughh three more hours? What am I gonna do for…” An idea popped into my head and I refrained from shouting ‘idea’ like Rarity.
“Hey Leo wanna help me out on something?” I asked.
“Sure big bro.” He replied and got up.
“Hey I’m gonna take little colt here and take him around town before my date. I haven’t spent a lot of time with him since we moved here so I’ll have him back before then.”
“Okay. Be back soon.” Mother replied.
I closed the door and hopped off the front porch. “Hey Leo wanna go for a flight?”
His face lit up. “Really?! Are you sure mom won’t mind?”
“She doesn’t have to know.” I replied. “Here, hop on my back.”
He jumped on my back with a tiny thud. He was always really small for his age. It still worries us that something else might be wrong with his development but we try not to think about it. I’ll have mom get him a checkup at the hospital later. Ponyville does have better medical than Cloudsdale. I thought to myself.
“You ready?” I asked
“Ready!”
“Alright hang on!” I replied.
He held on tightly as I took to the air. I began flying at about a hundred hooves in the air before I heard him shouting above the sound of the wind.
“Go higher!”
“I’ll go above the cloud line!” I shouted back.
When I made it above the clouds, I spotted a large cloud enough for him to be safe on. With a soft puff, I landed on it as Leo slid off my back. He walked over and looked over the edge.
I was getting nervous and walked closer to him, ready for anything that might happen. “Leo be careful.”
He turned to me and stood right in front of me and motioned for me to come closer. “Can you fly faster? I wanna feel the wind in my mane again.”
“You betcha buddy.” I replied
He jumped on my back again and I waited for him to hold tight before I took flight. I picked up speed and over the sound of the wind, I heard what sounded like Leo saying, “Look Sci, no hooves.” Before I could say anything, I felt the pressure of his body weight slide off. I turned my head and saw him falling straight down.
“Oh shit Leo!” I yelled and immediately flapped my wings as fast as I could to try and catch him.
He fell straight through a cloud as if it was nothing and picked up speed. I heard him screaming. “Scion! Help me!”
No matter how fast I flapped my wings, I couldn’t close the gap between us. “Come on wings! Don’t fail me!” I shouted as loud as I could but it wasn’t enough.
Leo was about 100 hooves above from hitting the ground that a light blue object flew and caught him. Before I knew who or what it was, I made my way to the ground. Once I landed, I collapsed. As I panted trying to catch my breath, my wings hung limp at the ground, all the strength gone from trying to catch Leo. I couldn’t hold myself up so I fell to my side. A few minutes later I heard familiar voices, “Scion!” I looked up and there was Leo in the arms of Rainbow Dash as she flew towards me. She set him down and surrounded me. My panting and heartbeat didn’t slow even as I rested.
With no strength in my neck, I turned my eyes and looked at Rainbow. She wore a very worried expression on her face. “Scion! Scion look at me. Are you okay?”
I tried to speak but no words came out.
Without saying another word, she placed her ear on my chest. Then she placed her hoof in the same place.
“What’s wrong with Scion?” Leo asked as he teared up.
“Oh no,” she began, “his heart’s beating much faster than it should be and it’s showing no sign of slowing down. He way over exerted himself.”
“What do we do?” Leo asked, now crying.
Rainbow didn’t say anything as she tried to pick me up but my loose body made it much too difficult. “Help!” she shouted, “Somepony help!” I felt my eyes start to close as they began to roll back into my head.
Rainbow tapped my face with her hoof. “No, no stay with me Scion. You’re okay stay with me.”
A few seconds later, another voice appeared a deep voice that seemed familiar. “What’s wrong?”
“I need your help. We need to get him to Nurse Redheart right now. If we don’t he won’t make it.”
Without any further words being heard, I felt my body lift up and quickly escorted away.
“Kid! You need to come with us!” I heard the stallion say.
My panting and heart rate didn’t slow and I felt myself slowly drifting as I was carried through a large doorway.
“Nurse Redheart!” I heard Rainbow shout.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” A voice replied.
“His heart’s beating too fast and his panting won’t stop!” She answered.
I was laid on what appeared to be a stretcher and felt something cold on my chest that must’ve been a stethoscope.
“We need to get him to the Emergency Wing stat! Dr. Wingheal!” The voice shouted.
I felt myself drifting into darkness.
“Stay with me kid!” another voice said.
“Scion!” I heard Leo shout.
That was the last thing I heard before I felt a small pinch on my arm. My eyes shot open and saw an IV needle in my arm and doctors everywhere in a small room. I heard radical beeping and turned to my left and saw a machine hooked up to my chest showing my heartbeat.
The door to the room was still open as I heard my name being called. Leo looked through and tried coming in but he was stopped by a doctor who tried to keep him out. All of a sudden, I couldn’t breathe and a loud beeping was heard.
“He’s not breathing!” The female nurse with pale pink hair said.
Two doctors made their way to each side of me. “Redheart get a tube in him!” the one on the left shouted. “Dr. Wingheal his heart won’t slow down.” The one on the right said.
As the nurse began to put a tube down my throat, I choked and tried to move but couldn’t.
“Easy. Easy… alright it’s in.” the nurse said.
“Alright we need to slow his heart down or it’s going to burst.” The doctor on the left said.
I turned to my left near the door and saw Leo weeping and Rainbow with her hooves over her mouth with a tear flowing down her face. I couldn’t fight any longer and drifted off into darkness.