Sky Blossom’s hooves struck the dirt road with a dull thud as she decided which path she wanted to take. Small clouds of dust formed with every step she took. The dust tickled her nose and caused Sky Blossom to sneeze. Her sneeze was small like her body frame but it still shook her every time. Her large mane bounced forward and landed directly in front of her eyes. Moaning, Sky Blossom raised a hoof and pushed the long waves out of her face. Her brilliant blue eyes shone in the light as the light, green hair was pulled away. Long lashes waving, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of the cool, morning air.
Continuing on her walk, but being careful not to breath in too deeply, Sky Blossom looked around at the large trees that surrounded the path. She smiled as she admired the bright colors of the leaves and smelled the fragrance of the outdoors. Sky Blossom always felt at ease when she was surrounded by greenery and life. Her heart fluttered as she examined the small flowers at her hooves. They smelled stronger than the ones she was used to and the colors were more vibrant, but she still felt a pang of longing for the flowers back at her old home. Her eyes brimmed with moisture when she finally left the small flowers and continued on her walk.
‘I wish that I was back home. I know it was horrible, but some parts made it all worthwhile. No one probably even knows I am gone.’ Sky Blossom thought bitterly as she began to trot faster. Her hooves began to make larger clouds of dust as she ran.
‘The meadow, the flowers, my place.’ Sky Blossom thought as she sped up. Her strides became longer and her chest heaved with each breath.
‘It is all gone. No one can know about them. Ever! No one can know!’ Sky Blossom closed her eyes to shut out the beauty she was seeing. The bright colors seemed to mock her and the trees seemed to be reaching for her. They wanted to grab her, to throw her away. She didn’t belong where she was.
‘I am all alone!’ Sky Blossom thought in despair. She had met ponies, but they could never know where she actually came from. No one would be able to understand what she was going through. She would always feel out of place in the pony infested world.
Her hooves were a blur as she sped across the dirt path. Her simple walk to clear her head had only made it easier to think about what had happened to her. Sky Blossom’s mind was filled with confusion and despair. Did she really want to go back? Even if she did, there was no way to return. Tears flew from her eyes as she ran faster and faster. She couldn’t tell where she was going and was relying on the feel of the dirt road to guide her. Sky Blossom’s eyes shot open as she felt her hoof snag on another root growing out of the ground. Plunging to the ground, Sky Blossom groaned as she tumbled forward. Dirt and twigs lodged themselves into her mane as she head contacted with the ground over and over again. She grunted as she finally hit a tree and stopped. Her entire body ached fiercely.
Sky Blossom slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times to try and clear the fuzz out of her eyesight. The trees seemed taller than they had before and the ground kept moving. Moaning, she tried to stand but soon collapsed as soon as she tried to put pressure on her legs. Craning her sore neck, she noticed bright purple spots all over her limber legs and lithe body. They seemed more vibrant than her usual bruises but dismissed the thought. Everything in Equestria was more colorful. Wincing, she noticed scratches on one leg begin to leak a bright scarlet. Even the wounds looked slightly beautiful in the light.
Holding her breath, she tried to stand one more time before giving up and lying down on the ground. Her breath came in short gasps as she lay there wondering what to do. The tears she had been shedding were smeared across her face and made her mouth taste salty. Silently, Sky Blossom hoped that the salty taste was in fact only coming from her tears. She moved her sore neck and looked around. No one else seemed to be enjoying an early morning stroll. She was completely alone. Sighing, the small pony realized how tired she was. Her head fell to the ground as she gave up and decided to rest. Her vision grew fuzzy as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness. The last thing she heard before the darkness enveloped her was the sound of a rock being thrown and hooves running toward her.
Sky Blossom opened up her eyes slowly as she heard voices talk to her. The voices were muffled and faint. Wincing, she tried to talk but stopped when the pain overtook her. Her neck craned slowly to glance at her body. Her wounds had been bandaged and her body had been washed. Confused and dazed, she looked around to find out who had been her savior. Sky Blossom was startled to find that she had several saviors to thank. She was surrounded by a bright family of ponies. They ranged widely in age, but their colors had a similar pattern. They reminded her of a barrel of apples.
There was an older mare with a white bun on top of her head that smiled at her kindly. The mare was gently wiping Sky Blossom’s back with a cool rag to get rid of the small specks of dirt that lingered. A small filly was holding a pile of dry towels for the older pony. The filly wore a big bow in her mane and gave the injured pegasus a bright smile. Sky Blossom smiled back softly and continued to look at the family around her. Her eyes widened as she saw a large, red stallion walk past her. He was larger than any other pony she had seen. His thick legs and neck hinted that he was a strong stallion. Probably used to hard manual labor. She gave him a shy smile when he looked her way. It was intimidating to be helpless in front of such a physically fit pony. Blushing, she realized how weak she must look to all of them.
“Well, glad to see ya came to.” A voice called out to the blushing mare.
Sky Blossom looked over to a doorway and saw an orange mare with freckles walk toward her. She was wearing a cowboy hat and a large grin as she trotted over. Her mane was in a loose ponytail that swayed when she walked. The wounded pegasus just gave the earth pony a weak smile as she approached. Her eyes studied her closely as she tried to remember where she had seen the mare before. Suddenly she remembered the pictures in the castle and her eyes lit up with surprise.
‘How could I be meeting all of the princess’s friends so quickly?’ Sky Blossom thought as she tried to stand.
“Don’t move sugarcube. You got hurt awfully bad.” The mare said gently when she noticed Sky Blossom’s legs twitch. “My name is Apple Jack. What can I call you?”
“Sky Blossom.” She gave the pony a look of gratitude as she allowed her body to relax.
“What happened to you anyway?” The small filly asked with wide eyes.
“Apple Bloom! That is none of our business!” The elderly pony said sternly. She turned back to Sky Blossom with a comforting gaze. “You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to.”
“It is ok.” Sky Blossom answered slowly. Her nose scrunched up as she concentrated on remembering what had happened to her. “I was taking a… walk.”
“You can’t get this best up with a walk.” Apple Bloom exclaimed.
“Apple Bloom!” Apple Jack reprimanded. The young filly fell silent once more. She gave an embarrassed grin to Sky Blossom before motioning for the pegasus to continue.
“I started to run. I ran faster and faster until I… tripped.” Sky Blossom said as she studied the ground. “I guess I was going too fast. I rolled and rolled until I hit a tree. Then it is all black.”
“Apple Jack was walking along the path when she stumbled upon ya. Brought ya all the way back here on her back.” Granny Smith said with a smile towards Apple Jack.
“Shoot, it was nothin’. I heard a rock get thrown from over where you were.” The farm pony said in an attempt to show that it was no big deal.
“I didn’t throw a rock.” Sky Blossom mumbled with confusion. She grabbed her head as a head ache washed over her.
“Well, I sure am glad that you are feelin’ better. I wish I could stay with you but I have a heap of chores to do.” Apple Jack said with an apologetic look. She looked around the room at her family members before continuing. “Who here can stay with Sky Blossom while I’m workin’?”
“I can’t stay here. I got to go help Pinkie Pie make some of my famous Granny Smith Zap Apple pies.” Granny Smith turned to Sky Blossom and began to whisper in her ear. “Secret recipe that only I know. Ready to pass it on to the younger generation.”
“All right then, how about…”