Quick Author's Note: Yes this chapter is fairly short, and no you shouldn't expect short chapters like this from me. This is purposely short as it is a simply an intro type chapter. I assure you that the following chapters will be much longer.
The voices above me were full of concern. I couldn’t yet comprehend what they were saying. It was as if the voices were coming from far off with the ponies responsible speaking in a barely audible tones. Slowly they became louder and more focused, and I noticed that my ears had been ringing before.
“Rainbow Dash, you should really pay more attention when you’re flying.” The voice came from my immediate left. It hinted at intelligence and a bit of authority, and was obviously a mare’s voice. I could tell that I was on my right side, and my head was rested on the grass.
“He came out of nowhere! I never even saw him!” Another voice spoke in defense. Rainbow Dash is what she’d been called. I could tell she was another mare simply from the voice, but there was something in it…a brashness. She spoke from a position directly above my head. My head was pounding at this point, my back and right foreleg let didn’t feel much better.
“Oh! I hope the poor dear didn’t get hurt too badly!” A fairly loud voice said. It seemed like the sort of thing I imagined a well-to-do pony would say. This voice was near the end of my tail, and it had a little ring to it. This pony was yet another mare.
“Ah think he’ll be fine, he’s an Earth Pony, but it does look as if Rainbow Dash did a number on him.” This voice was one that seemed to resonate inside me. There was something about it that was so familiar to me, but I can’t pin it down. Once again the voice was that of a mare. She was standing somewhere between the first and the third ponies off to my left.
“Maybe we can have a party when he gets better! It can be a…a You’re All Better Celebration!” A very energetic mare exclaimed. This was the voice of someone who was always happy, or so it seemed to me. She was situated near my tail to the right. The others either ignored her or were waiting to respond later, because none spoke to her.
“We sh-should help him. I-I mean if we can…” The soft voice trailed off. It seemed sad and concerned. The voice of someone who hated to see others hurt. Once again it was a mare, and this one was quiet. She was standing near my face, and in the direction my face was pointed. By this point my right foreleg had gone from throbbing softly to waves of intense pain, yet I withstood it. That was, until one particularly sharp stab of pain.
That was the moment my eyes shot open. The expression in them must have been extremely frightening, because the young mare in front of me stumbled back a few paces. She was a Pegasus with a soft yellow coat and a pink mane and tail.
She squeaked as she cowered back. My only reaction was a groan from the pain, and I rolled over. I saw each of the six ponies situated around me as I did this, but the sudden movement brought a new wave of pain to my head.
“He’s hurt pretty bad. We should take him into town to get help.” The purple mare, a unicorn, now in front of my face, said. I wasn’t too happy about that, I had pride, that much I knew, and I wasn’t about to let a bunch of mares carry me to town. So, with great effort, I start to stand. I almost made it too, but the pain in my leg was too much and I collapsed to the ground, exhausted from the effort and the pain.
“Whoa there sugarcube…you ain’t ready to tackle walkin’ jus yet.” The tan mare with the cowboy hat told me in amusement. This much was now obvious to me, but I didn’t state that. I didn’t want my irritation at being hurt to come across as irritation at her or any of the others. “Stallions…stubborn as mules sometimes.” She commented to no one in particular
“Well being stubborn is good! If you’re not stubborn you can't be tough enough to be cool!” The one called Rainbow Dash spoke up. I tilted my head slightly to get a good look at the mare. She was a Pegasus, and she had a light blue coat with a surprising rainbow of colors in her mane and tail. Once I saw her, I let my head drop back into place. It was too much effort to hold it up. I was surprised by the next speaker. It was the quiet one I’d scared upon opening my eyes.
“T-Twilight?” I heard her ask softly.
“Yes Fluttershy?” The purple unicorn responded kindly.
“T-town is too far. M-my home is closest.” She quietly managed to say. I watched as Twilight nodded. She seemed to see the sense in it, and that was good, because the pain in my leg was making most everything hard for me to comprehend.
“That’s a good idea Fluttershy.” Twilight told the soft-spoken Pegasus. “We’re going to get you some help, okay?” The pain at this point was causing my vision to blur, and to keep from groaning again I simply nodded slowly. “Also, what’s your name? Just so we know what to call you.” Twilight asked me in a voice that was genuinely curious and concerned at the same time. I gritted my teeth, preparing for the chore that speaking would be.
“My name is…” And with that I passed into the pitch black of unconsciousness. I was alone in the dark with only the memories of the six mares standing around me to keep me company.