//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: Exposed 
// Story: Quill's Journal (a.k.a. The journey to the center of Equestria) 
// by Waterwitch222 
//------------------------------//

"And they were never heard from...EVER AGAIN!" 

Quill finished, spreading her wings slightly in the firelight. Firecracker rolled her eyes and turned around.

The trio had been walking up the mountain all day, they had just set up camp in a cave near the top. Firecracker was keeping watch outside while Quill wrote in her notebook and told campfire stories to pass the time not spent sleeping. Time Turner however, was passed out in his sleeping bag, his arms clutching the book tightly.

Firecracker squinted her eyes at the night sky, fatigue causing her muscles to ache and her bones to scarcely be felt. Quill looked at her and suddenly felt a wave of sympathy. Ever since they had met Firecracker, she had proved herself time and time again. She was brash and uptight, but she did care for her comrades very much. Quill smiled slightly as the tangerine unicorn nodded off slightly, only to wake up again startlingly.

Quill made up her mind. She walked over to Firecracker and sat next to her. Her eyes flitted from star to star, knowing each one had a purpose, a story. 

"You want to sleep? I can keep watch for you." 

Quill offered. Firecracker grimaced and turned away. 

"I understand you don't want to talk and that's fine. I just don't want you to over exert yourself. Everypony here is doing their part and nopony should do more than their share." 

she continued. 

"I can't stop thinkin 'bout Ash. I saw him! He was right there in front a me, being hurt and trapped and I could do nuttin 'bout it! Wisteria is wrong. Da abilities ain't blessings, they're CURSES!" 

Firecracker ranted, punching a cave wall with her hoof.

The sound echoed through the cave. The air soon was alive with a screeching sound. Quill felt her heart stop. She turned her head slowly and her nightmares became real. A Windigo! They usually would thrive in the cold of the Frozen North, but this one preferred the Foal Mountain. Quill nudged Firecracker, causing the unicorn to turn in horror. It was getting closer!!! Quill quickly pulled Turner to his hooves, trying to wake him up, but he seemed to be out cold. She opened his eyelid slightly. His golden eyes were replaced with an every white. He was visiting the future. Quill groaned in frustration. Of all the times to future walk, it had to be now!

Firecracker turned to Quill. 

"Well? C'mon! He ain't gonna live if he ain't awake!"

"He's out cold! He's in the future! It's impossible to wake him up now!" 

Quill answered frantically. Firecracker groaned in frustration. She picked up Turner with red magic and ran. Quill followed close behind.

The Windigo was closely following 

"I can't hold this giant lug AND fight da beast at da same time! Fly him to safety and I'll meet'cha there!" 

Quill's chest felt cold. 

"I uh..." 

she stammered. 

"What's da problem? Take him and go! It's getting closer!" 

Firecracker interrupted. Quill nervously backed away. Before Firecracker could ask again, the Windigo flew overhead, blowing an icy breeze onto the cliff.

"TAKE HIM NOW!" 

Firecracker screamed. Quill could bear it no longer. 

"I'M SORRY! I CAN'T FLY!"

Firecracker's eyes widened in shock, the truth now exposed.

The windigo's screech interrupted her answer. The ground was being frozen over by the breezes blowing, the ice crawling closer and closer to the ponies. Still slightly exhausted from her outburst earlier, Firecracker squeezed her eyes tightly and urged her magic for another teleportation. It flickered and sputtered, dropping Turner on the ground.

Quill frantically looked around for a plan B. Her eyes fell on the foggy abyss below the cliff. Her weather pony genes began to take hold of her mind, allowing her to practically see through the cloudy layer. She had an idea.

"Firecracker! Grab Turner! We're going to jump!"

Quill shouted, as the ice crept closer. 

"Are ya nuts! Ash'll never escape if we die!"

Firecracker protested.

"We won't die, I promise. We'll get out of this and I promise to confess. You have my word. But for now, just trust me."

Quill replied calmly, placing her hoof atop her fedora. Firecracker held her glare at Quill for a moment, but it soon softened to a look of concern. She nodded. The two ponies picked up their hooves, and jumped over the cliff.

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The deep snow below broke their fall, just as Quill predicted. Firecracker sputtered and cursed, spitting snow out of her mouth. She set Turner aside on a pile of pine needles, staring at Quill, who was shaking snow out of her fedora.

"Okay, we're down. Now will ya explain somethin to me? HOW IN EQUESTRIA ARE YA A PEGASUS THAT CAN'T FLY!?"

Firecracker asked hostily. Quill looked close to tears for a moment. Firecracker suddenly felt her heart soften.

"Sorry."

she said, sitting next to Quill. Quill wiped a stray tear from her face. 

"It's not your fault. It was mine. Mine for being at the wrong place at the wrong time that day..."

'9 years ago...'

"Alright Quill, you can do it! Just flap a little faster..." 

Wind Slicer said, as Quill hovered a few inches from the ground. Quill flapped her little wings faster, feeling herself being lifted into the air gracefully like a white cloud in a blue sky. She grinned. She picked up speed as she did a small twirl, throwing in a backflip to match. She watched her dad smile in amusement. 

"Alright Quill, come down." 

He said smiling. Quill laughed, but began to slowly make her way to the ground. Wind Slicer's warm smile turned to one of terror as he began to spread his wings.

"QUILL! LOOK OUT!!!" 

Quill turned to look a second to late. She was suddenly bombarded in the side by a storm cloud. A painful shock erupted on her left wing, causing her to scream in agony. As she fell down, two ponies rushed to her rescue. Her dad, and a white Pegasus filly with a distinctive blonde mane, who was later revealed to be named Surprise.

Wind Slicer got there first however, wrapping his arms around Quill as the electric blast of the lightning began to scramble her mind, knocking her out cold.

A surgery, many therapies, and hundreds of medications followed after that. While in the hospital recovering, Surprise visited Quill. She explained that she and another filly named Fleetfoot were cloud busting for an assignment at the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp, but their cloud spun out of control, careened into a weather pony's storm cloud, and crashed into Quill.

Quill didn't mind though. She was just hoping she would be able to fly again. However, her doctor revealed a week later that a muscle near the base of her wing, the muscle that allowed her wing to bend and twist to maneuver through the air, was severely damaged and out of place due to the blast landing directly on her wing. It was to close to her spine to operate without breaking, or even shattering key bones in her back. She would either never fly again, or scarcely move an inch for the rest of her life, as the back bones breaking would lead to a body wide immobilization.

Quill however, chose to leave the damaged muscle alone. She wanted to at least try to live normally rather than never move until she no longer existed. Since then, she could barely lift her left wing without using her hoof, and her right wing was constantly having it's purpose wasted to hold papers and books when a saddle bag wasn't on handy. Quill had lived that way since she was seven...

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"Since ya were seven?" 

Firecracker said with a gasp when Quill finished her story. Quill nodded, refusing to cry. 

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't know." 

Firecracker said, genuine apology in her eyes. 

"You didn't have to know. Turner found out himself, but I hoped I wouldn't have to talk about it again."

Quill said.

Firecracker suddenly lost interest in trying to stay tough. She felt the wall she had put around herself break. She wrapped her arms around Quill and pulled her into a hug. Quill stiffened in surprise. She felt tears streaming down her face from the pain of the memories. She gave in. She hugged Firecracker back. The two embraced for a few moments. As they let go, Turner suddenly lifted his head from the pine needles, his head spinning from what he saw. 

"What did I miss?" 

he asked.

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