Family
Chapter 13: Family
"Hey everypony! Sorry I'm late, I had things to take care of before I got here." Rainbow Dash threw open the door to Dawn's hospital room and strode in proudly, grinning from ear to ear. Given the situation, she might have been more been more downbeat had she not been riding the wave of euphoria that comes with a job well done.
She halted as she took in the room and realized that it was completely deserted. There was no sign of Fluttershy, who had been confirmed by the hospital staff to have been staying with the colt. She knew that Twilight and Dawn's other visitors had left, but what truly baffled Rainbow was the fact that the colt himself was missing from the bed he was supposed to be occupying.
Before panic could set in and her mind could start conjuring up countless horrific possibilities regarding the fate of the missing colt, Rainbow was startled as something white fluttered down in front of her face. She backed away frantically until she hit the wall of the room. She came to her senses just in time to see the sheets of the hospital bed slowly flutter down back onto the mattress.
"What the?" Rainbow Dash tried to process what she had just seen. Then her attention was caught by a low wheezing sound. Looking around, she finally managed to pinpoint the source, which was directly underneath the bed.
"Hello?" Rainbow Dash lowered her head to look underneath and realized what the source was. Dawn Lightwing lay crouched under the bed, his body tense, his one good wing held out and ready for attack or defense. A sigh of relief gushed out of the sky-blue mare's mouth like steam escaping from a kettle.
"Thank goodness," Rainbow breathed, "I nearly had a heart attack when I didn't see you in your bed kiddo. I didn't want to be the one to tell Fluttershy that something had happened to you."
Dawn looked like he wanted to answer, but caught himself with a soft grunt. A closer look showed his teeth gritted tightly behind his lips while his legs struggled to hold him up. He was in pain and Rainbow understood why. Guilt made her sick to her stomach. Her boisterous entry into the room had clearly startled the colt, who responded by escaping from his bed and hiding under it. Naturally, the abrupt movement had aggravated the injuries to his ribs.
Rainbow paused to blow a wisp of red hair out of her eyes before she crept closer to Dawn. "Let's get you outta there and back into bed kiddo. You okay with me pulling you out?"
Dawn hesitated, but slowly nodded. Rainbow reached under the bed with her hoof and carefully slid the colt across the smooth floor until he was free and clear. Spreading her wings, Rainbow took to the air, what little of it there was in the confines of the hospital room and scooped Dawn up in her forelegs. She paused a moment to marvel at how the colt felt considerably heavier than she had expected him to be, given his size. He wasn't much larger than Scootaloo, who Rainbow had carried for short flights before, but was a good bit heavier. More interestingly, she could feel taut, well-developed muscles underneath the bandages and coat.
As gently as she could, Rainbow deposited Dawn on the bed and pulled the sheets back over him. "Sorry," she said, giving him a smile to accompany her apology, "Didn't mean to scare you like that."
"It's...okay," Dawn ground out, the last word trailing away into a barely concealed whimper. He was still in pain.
Rainbow's smile faded as a concerned frown took its place. "I should call a doctor," she said, "We need to make sure you didn't hurt yourself any worse than you already are."
"Thanks for visiting Fluttershy," said Caramel, smiling at the beautiful yellow mare sitting by his bed, "Things have been pretty slow lately."
Fluttershy felt her cheeks heating up as she averted her gaze from Caramel. "Oh um...it was nothing." Guilt slowly built up in her mind. She had meant to visit Caramel more frequently, especially since she was partially responsible for him being in this situation to begin with. However, she had grown preoccupied with Dawn and had not been able to make the time she needed to come see her friend.
"Is everything alright?" asked Caramel, easily seeing Fluttershy's distress.
"I'm so sorry," said Fluttershy, unable to bear making eye contact with the stallion, "It's my fault you're in here and..." She paused, feeling the touch of a gentle hoof on her muzzle.
"Fluttershy, look at me." She obeyed automatically, having never heard such a firm tone from the normally reserved stallion in front of her. Doing as she was told, Fouttershy found her teal eyes making steady contact with Caramel's cerulean ones.
"You didn't do anything wrong. Flash Spark is the one who beat me up like this. If anything, I'm the one who needs to apologize to you. Even after all I did, I wasn't really able to help you at all."
"That's not true," protested Fluttershy, "You gave me time to get away from him. I just wasn't fast enough."
Caramel let out a sigh, seeing that he wasn't going to win this one. "Oh well, you're safe and that's what matters."
Fluttershy let out a soft giggle and bent down to gently nuzzle Caramel's cheek, which made his normal tan complexion flush quite red. "Thank you for being so sweet," she whispered, leaning back and blushing a little herself. “By the way,” she asked somewhat bashfully, “Are you getting out soon?”
“Uh, it’s gonna take a little longer than they thought,” replied Caramel sheepishly.
“Why?”
He turned to glance out the window into his room. “There’ve been some...complications in my treatment.” Turning back, he saw the frightened look on her face. “Oh it’s not like that! It’s just that my recovery is going to take a while longer. I’m not in any danger or anything.”
Fluttershy let out a soft breath of relief. “Oh thank goodness. I was afraid that you were hurt worse than I thought.” She smiled. However, she also remembered the other reason she had come here. She looked away, blushing again and scuffing her hoof against the floor.
"Um...Caramel...uh..."
"Yes?"
The red color of Fluttershy's cheeks intensified. "Uh...after you get out...well...would you like to...w-would you l-like to...?"
"Yes?" Caramel's cheeks were also turning red as he realized what Fluttershy was trying to do.
"Would you like t-to go...go out to dinner w-with me?" Fluttershy's voice was so soft that it was barely a whisper. Only a good deal of experience on Caramel's part kept him from missing Fluttershy's request entirely.
"Yes! I'd really like that!" exclaimed Caramel, looking as though he could die happy.
"Oh! I'm so glad." Fluttershy leaned over and gave the tan stallion a light peck on the cheek. Surprised at her own boldness, she leaned back, her face having turned completely crimson.
"Ihavetogobye!" She became a yellow blur, rushing out of the room, the door slamming shut in her wake. Caramel hardly noticed, as busy as he was staring up at the ceiling, a look of utter bliss spread across his face.
"Well now, that was quite fortunate," remarked the doctor as he finished giving Dawn a thorough examination, "You haven't managed to make your injuries any worse. But in the future, please do not actively try to aggravate them like that."
Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to find out was that she had inadvertently made Dawn's condition more severe. Her relief was depressingly short-lived as the doctor rounded on her next, fixing her in place with a severe glare.
"Miss Dash, you were right to inform us. However, next time, please do so before you try something as ill-advised as moving the patient on your own. We are extremely lucky that you didn't make Mister Lightwing's condition any worse than it already was."
"Sorry," squeaked Rainbow, ducking her head.
The doctor huffed before turning towards the door. "Please try to refrain from any more disturbances this afternoon. The first healing spell is scheduled soon. I do not want to postpone it." In spite of his anger, he shut the door quietly, leaving Rainbow alone with the colt in an awkward silence.
"Uh, sorry about that," she said, rubbing her head, "I didn't mean to freak you out like that."
"It's alright," replied Dawn, "This is an unusual situation for me and a rather troubling one at that."
"Where's Fluttershy?" asked Rainbow after another drawn out moment of silence, "I thought she'd be here with you."
"She stepped out to find a book for me," replied the colt, "Although she has been gone for a while now."
"You can read?"
"I can," replied Dawn, "I was taught how. Although, I have had little opportunity to practice, so I wonder how well I can manage."
"You need to practice?"
"My Master told me that reading is a skill like any other. Once you learn it, it is difficult to unlearn, but if you don't use it frequently, it is much more difficult to use properly."
"That makes sense, I guess," admitted Rainbow, "I wonder what's taking her so long."
Dawn shrugged and looked over at the door. Rainbow could see that he was still tense and alert, on the lookout for the slightest threat. "You've really had a rough time of it, haven't you?"
Dawn's gaze flickered in her direction. "Perhaps. But I have managed to cope."
Rainbow looked at him sadly. "Nopony should have to go through what you went through. I still can't believe Applejack went after you like that."
"At least the rest of her family doesn't seem to share her views on the matter," replied Dawn, "I simply hope that I do not have to deal with her again until after I have healed."
It had been a long time since Rainbow had wanted to shed tears for another pony like this. Dawn was a young colt about the same age as her Number-One Fan. He should have been restlessly bored, eagerly awaiting his chance to get out of this crummy hospital and get into trouble playing with friends. Instead, he was anxiously anticipating and preparing himself for his next battle, not because he enjoyed fighting, but because ponies sought him out with the intent to fight. It was a wretched existence.
"Hey kiddo..."
"Yes?"
"When you get out of here, you should talk to Fluttershy about going to school."
Dawn raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Hey? You really think that's so crazy?"
"Not really," admitted Dawn, "But you struck me as the last pony that would suggest going to school."
"Hey!" cried Rainbow indignantly.
"All joking aside, why?"
Rainbow took a deep breath. "I hate the thought of the kind of life you've had to live. You should be safe in Ponyville. So far, Applejack is the only pony who's bothered you over your eyes. Nopony else probably has any idea what the Eyes of Nightmare are, so as long as we keep AJ muzzled, we don't have to worry about trouble stirring up.
"The important thing is that you need to spend time around ponies your own age. Scootaloo is a good start, but you're going to need more. You need friends Dawn. And for most ponies, school is one of the best places to make them."
Dawn suddenly seemed to find the ceiling of the room very interesting. "Friends? Are they really that important?"
Rainbow snorted. "Trust me, friendship is everything. Just ask Twilight."
Dawn opened his mouth to ask what Rainbow meant when the door to the room slowly opened and Fluttershy crept in. "I'm sorry I was gone so long," she said as she came up to Dawn's bed, "I found some different books, but I didn't know what you would like, so I brought some different kinds."
Rainbow fluttered over to look through the books Fluttershy brought. "Oh, Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone! You'll like this one!"
"Um, I also brought a couple of romance stories if you're interested."
"Blegh, how can you read that mushy stuff? Don't go forcing it on Dawn. He's a colt for Celestia's sake!"
Dawn listened as the two went through the titles Fluttershy collected, with Rainbow Dash frequently making gagging noises and rejecting certain books for being too mushy. She was rather insistent on Daring Do, though Dawn suspected that was because it was her preference as opposed to where she thought he might like. To be honest, it did sound interesting. However another title caught his attention.
"How Weather Works: A Beginner's Guide to Weather Creation and Manipulation. Are you kidding me Fluttershy! This isn't a book, it's a textbook. We read this one in prep-school."
"Um, well...Twilight would still say it's a book..."
"That's because Twilight is an egghead."
"...And I thought Dawn like might non-fiction as well."
"Boring! Am I right kiddo?"
"Actually," interjected Dawn, "That one sounds interesting. I'd like to try it."
Rainbow stared incredulously at the ebony colt. "You're kidding right?"
Dawn shook his head. With a happy, and some would daresay triumphant, smile, Fluttershy brought the book over to Dawn and watched as he flipped it open and perused the table of contents. Both Rainbow and Fluttershy peeked over his shoulder as Dawn flipped deliberately to a specific section and began to read.
"How Lightning is Made?" Rainbow blinked as she read the chapter heading. "Why would you want to know about that?"
She at least partially knew the answer. Pegasi had long had a fascination with lightning and its creation. Back when relationships between the three tribes had been at their worst, they even strove to weaponize it in order to give them something that could compete with unicorn battle magic and overwhelm earth pony durability. While pegasi could produce and control clouds, rain, and virtually every other form of precipitation and weather phenomena, mastery of lightning had eluded them. Rainbow could buck it out of a cloud if it was of the appropriate consistency, a trick she had frequently used in her pranks. But that was the extent of what pegasi could do.
"My Master taught me that I would one day learn how to wield lightning as part of the Gale King style," said Dawn.
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash shared a disbelieving look. "That's crazy," declared Rainbow, "Pegasi have been studying and working with weather for years. Nopony has ever found a way to control lightning."
"My Master did," said Dawn, not lifting his nose from the book, "He even showed me once when he was explaining the basic principles."
Rainbow stared at him, slack jawed. "But that's impossible! If that were true, this would be bigger than when we learned to make rainbows. Pegasi have been looking for a way to harness lightning for thousands of years. The most we can do is buck it out of clouds."
"Only masters of the Gale King are able to control lightning. My Master said that it would be beyond the capacity of most pegasi. He said that the very reason pegasi wanted lightning was also the reason they couldn't wield it."
"That doesn't make the slightest sense," muttered Rainbow, "If that's the case, why are you reading that weather book? It wouldn't be able to tell you any more about lightning than what we regular pegasi already know."
"My Master died before he could reach me how to wield lightning. However, he was able to tell me that it was created in a way that emulates how lightning is normally created. I figured that I might be able to understand if I spent some time reading about it."
Another incredulous look passed between the two pegasus mares before they turned their attention back to Dawn, who was now completely immersing himself in his book. Rainbow shrugged and settled down to reread the Daring Do book that had originally hooked her in the first place. Fluttershy simply settled down, content to watch her best friend and her young ward enjoy themselves in such a quiet manner.
The day had advanced considerably before the doctor had returned. Having garnered what he had wanted from the weather textbook, Dawn had turned his attention to some of Fluttersny's other offerings. He found himself intrigued by the Fetlock Holmes novel that Fluttershy had picked out for him, finding the mystery engaging and exciting. Fluttershy found herself suspecting that Dawn would need a library card before long and that he would soon be a frequent visitor to Twiight's once he got used to being in the town proper.
The door opened and Nurse Redheart came in, bearing a covered tray. "Dinnertime," she announced cheerily.
"Huh?" Rainbow Dash looked up from her book, shocked by how much time had passed. Even Dawn seemed bemused by how thoroughly enthralled he had been by his chosen story.
Fluttershy moved to gently help Dawn into a seated position so that he could eat his meal. When Redheart lifted the cover, the scent of food wafted over to the three pegasi in the room, making their stomachs growl. A platter of roasted hay dominated the the tray, with a small dish heaped with mashed potatoes off to one side. A fresh salad, mixed with liberal quantities of vegetables sat on the other, with a small bowl of fruit resting above it. A large glass of milk rounded out the meal. It was accompanied by a tiny bowl that held a number of pills of varying shapes and sizes.
"The healing spell you're getting enhances the body's natural recovery ability," explained Redheart, "It will be drawing on your energy in order to accelerate the process. So loading up on carbohydrates will be necessary. The pills contain vitamins and minerals your body will need to help support the healing process. Everything has been prepared while taking your dietary needs into consideration so you don't need to worry about any digestive issues."
Redheart slowly reached out and ran her hoof through Dawn's mane in an encouraging gesture. The colt flinched at the contact from an unfamiliar pony, but stilled when he felt Fluttershy's hoof rest on his shoulder, putting him more at ease.
"This may seem like a lot of food for one pony," the nurse continued, "But you should try to eat it all anyway, even if it feels like more than you can handle. We need to make sure that your body has everything it needs to heal. Trust me, you'll be positively ravenous by the time morning comes around."
A low growl emerged from Rainbow's belly and she glanced down sheepishly. "I guess we shouldn't miss out on dinner either. I'm gonna go grab some grub. You want me to pick some up for you Fluttershy?"
"Oh, um, yes please," answered Fluttershy. The topic of food got her to thinking and she sat bolt upright as a panicked realization shot through her. "Oh no! My animals, I forgot all about them. I haven't gone home to take care of them yet!"
"Relax," said Rainbow, catching the yellow mare before she could vanish out the door, "I've got it taken care of. I stopped by Ditzy's on the way over and asked her if she could take care of that. She agreed. You don't have to worry about it."
"Oh thank goodness," whispered Fluttershy as she settled back down.
"By the way, I saw Scoots and her mom while I was there," added Rainbow, throwing Dawn a mischievous grin, "Melon Cream said she'd love of have you visit them when you get out. She's gonna try to find a new house for her and the squirt tomorrow and get moved in. Apparently she's already gotten some leads on a good one."
She was gone before Dawn could come up with any kind of reply. Redheart left soon after, but not before reminding Dawn of the importance of eating all his food. He stared at the tray for a moment.
"Um, shouldn't you go ahead and eat some?" suggested Fluttershy gently.
"It would be rude, wouldn't it?" asked Dawn, looking up, "To eat while you have nothing."
Fluttershy giggled, knowing Rarity would have gushed about what a considerate gentlecolt Dawn was being by not wanting to eat in front of Fluttershy when she didn't have her own food. "Don't worry. Rainbow will bring my dinner in a little bit. You need to eat it before it goes cold."
Dawn gave her a solemn nod before tucking in.
"Now then, before we begin, I will explain the procedure," said the doctor as Fluttershy and Dawn looked on. Shortly after the colt had finished his meal, Rainbow Dash had come and gone, leaving Fluttershy with her own. Her food, not completely finished, sat on a table off to one side while she and Dawn listened to the doctor.
"You will need to relax and sit back. The procedure is painless. Because it takes such a heavy toll on your body's energy reserves, you will probably begin to feel drowsy within the first two minutes or so. Don't fight this feeling. Go ahead and fall asleep and let the spell run its course. You will fall into a very deep sleep that will last until morning. I will give you another examination to ensure that your wing and ribs are recovering properly and we will send you on your way. Simple no?"
In spite of the doctor's assurances, Dawn didn't feel very relieved. He glanced nervously over to Futtershy, who favored him with an encouraging smile. Hesitantly, he turned back to the doctor and nodded. "Alright."
The doctor lit his horn, its light falling on the injured colt and suffusing his body with a gentle warmth. The effect was immediate. Dawn felt his eyelids become heavy. His thoughts melted away into a muddled fog that reduced everything around him into indistinct blurs. The world began to slowly fade away...
He was in the forest. The branches of the trees interwove to form a canopy that closed off the sky above, surrounding him with menacing darkness filled with the sound of things moving. Eyes, ears, noses, sensory organs of all kinds turned towards him, alert and watchful, simply waiting for him to fade away to lose his guard. Once that happened, his next feeling would be their claws and teeth piercing his flesh...
He lay in an alley, concealed among piles of refuse. Outside, angry shouts still resounded through the village. The lights of torches and flashlights danced past the end. He was hidden, for now, but it was only a matter of time before they found him again. If he lost himself to exhaustion, that time would slip away and their screams of hatred would be the next thing he heard as they gleefully pounded him into a pulp...
He laid on the ground in front of Fluttershy's cottage, his strength slowly ebbing away as his injuries took their toll. His eyes could only just barely make out the shape of the orange earth pony looming over him, her emerald eyes shimmering with unrestrained rage, one hoof lifting itself menacingly over his head. "Ah've gotcha now, varmint..."
"What in Celestia's name?" The doctor could scarcely conceal his surprise as he stared at the colt. Dawn's body lay perfectly still, but his eyes refused to close. They were glazed over and twitching wildly, seeing things that Dawn alone could understand. His chest bounced erratically as he took sharp, uneven breaths. He might not have been thrashing, but his limbs twitched wildly like he had been hooked up to a couple of thunderclouds and was being jolted on a regular basis.
"What's wrong doctor?" asked Fluttershy as she switched her gaze between the two, trying to decide who to look at.
"He's fighting the spell. It's taken effect, but his mind refuses to go to sleep. If I had to guess, I think I would say he's afraid to fall asleep."
"Oh no!" whispered Fluttershy, beginning to understand what was going on. Dawn's mind simply couldn't cope with his vulnerable state and wasn’t able to shut down properly. It was reacting violently to anything that might render him more vulnerable than he already was. "What's going to happen if he can't fall asleep?"
"The spell was designed to make him rest so that his body could utilize its energy reserves to accelerate the healing process. At this rate, it will continue to draw energy away from him, but because he's also using those reserves to fight to stay awake, it's taking much more energy than he can sustain. If this goes on for much longer, his reserves will completely burn out and his body will shut down."
"Shut down?" Fluttershy's eyes widened with horror as she stared at the doctor.
"In other words, he will enter a coma. At that point, it will be anypony's guess as to when or even if he will wake up again."
"No!" The words tore their way out of Fluttershy's throat with the force of a full scream, tears streaming out of her eyes. "We have to save him doctor! Stop the spell, please!"
"I can't," protested the stallion, "The spell has already been cast and nothing like this has ever happened before. It's completely outside of my experience. Once the spell is in motion, it won't be able to stop until it has run its course."
"You mean...?"
"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. Our only hope is that Dawn Lightwing will stop trying to fight it and allow himself to fall asleep."
Fluttershy leaned in close to the colt and wrapped his hoof in both of hers. Tears continued to flow out of her eyes, wetting Dawn's mane as she gently nuzzled against him. She gasped softly as she felt the twitching in his limbs begin to subside at the physical contact. Dawn was calming down. No...she was calming him down. In spite of everything, in spite of the fear and caution that had been burned into his bones, he was letting it all go because of the pony beside him, because of the mare he had completely given his trust to.
Fluttershy's lips quivered, then twitched into the tiniest of smiles. She knew what she had to do now. A gentle melody filled the room as she began to hum, then began to sing.
"Hush now, quiet now, time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now quiet now, it''s time to go to bed..."
With each successive line, Dawn's body continued to relax, the twitching motions finally fading away into complete stillness, the uneven gasps slowly coming back into a steady rhythm, his lids finally falling to cover his glazed eyes.
The doctor watched, eyes wide with astonishment. When he realized that the colt had finally, truly fallen asleep, he let out a soft sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. You probably saved his life miss. I'm not sure what magic you worked, but you completely exceeded what I'm capable of."
Fluttershy smiled and lifted her head away from Dawn's, although she didn't release his hoof from her grip. "It was nothing," she said, beaming, "He just needed to know that he was safe and that nopony was going to hurt him."
The doctor pondered this for a moment before making a note on his medical charts. "Normally I would say that you need to leave after visiting hours if you're not family. However, I believe that, in this case, we should make an exception, just in case the patient has a relapse. I believe you know what he needs, but try to be as gentle as you can with him."
The doctor left, while Fluttershy remained. She briefly considered letting go of Dawn's hoof, but decided against it for now. It was clear that physical contact with her would help him continue to sleep. An idea occurred to her. The doctor might frown on it, but he had told her to do what she thought best.
Moving carefully, Fluttershy climbed into bed with Dawn. Trying her hardest to avoid jostling his injured wing, she wrapped her forelegs gently around him, making sure she didn't hug him too hard, before wrapping her wings around him completely. Her last act was to tuck the colt's head up against her chin, giving him a brief nuzzle before Fluttershy allowed herself to join him in the land of dreams.
For the second day in a row, it was a belch of flame from Spike that brought Twilight Sparkle awake this morning. At least this time, it seemed the Princess had been willing to wait until a more decent hour to send her message rather than around the same time that she raised the sun.
Still half-asleep, Twilight reeled the scroll over to her with a line of magic before opening it and beginning to read. She grumbled out the letter's contents aloud to herself, barely comprehending. When she finished, she paused to mull over what she had read and process it. It took a good bit longer than it usually did, given the lack of caffeine running through her system at the time. It seemed strange that she had been more awake yesterday, when she had been woken up even earlier.
Twilight's eyes closed and then shot wide open, all traces of sleep completely gone, as the message's meaning finally hit her full force. The echoes of her shout carried were carried halfway across Ponyville.
"WHAT!!!"
As the darkness slipped away from his mind, Dawn became conscious of the warmth that enveloped him. Not quite conscious, he was nonetheless aware that somepony's forelegs were wrapped around him. On an instinctual level, one engrained through years of hard experience and practice, he shied away from the unexpected contact. His conscious mind would have quickly recognized the presence of the pony embracing him as Fluttershy's and overridden his instinctual caution. However, both instinct and reason were overridden by a desire buried so deep in the colt's subconscious that Dawn had believed it to have been snuffed out entirely; the desire of a foal to be embraced by his mother.
The pure and gentle affection suffusing Fluttershy's embrace washed through Dawn's barriers and triggered instincts long held dormant and thought lost. Unconsciously, Dawn pressed closer to her and nuzzled against the mare, seeking to lose himself in the warmth of her kindness.
Thus it was that Fluttershy awoke to an unusual sensation as she felt the colt press himself against her. For a moment, she was confused. Then her heart leapt as she realized what Dawn was doing. A smile, threatening to become a grin spread across her face as she nuzzled the sleeping colt's mane. Part of her, however, was steeling against what she felt was the inevitable disappointment that would come when Dawn finally regained his senses. Once again, he would keep himself at a distance, not allowing himself to lower his guard or let go of his wariness. Fluttershy sighed softly and simply decided to enjoy this tender moment for as long as it could last.
Eventually, the inevitable occurred. Dawn regained awareness and his eyes slowly opened. Coming awake, her realized he was pressed up against Fluttershy. He flinched away, but forced himself to stop. The motion was barely perceptible as a tremor, but Fluttershy felt it all the same. She loosened her embrace, forced a smile over her disappointment, and looked down into Dawn's eyes.
"Good morning," she whispered.
Dawn said nothing, neither returning her salutation nor denying it. He simply stared back up at her, completely uncertain about how to proceed. He was already beginning to piece together what happened after the healing spell had been cast on him.
"You-?"
"Shh," said Fluttershy, putting a gentle hoof to his lips, "You can sleep some more if you want. You can't practice with your wing like that, so why don't you rest."
Dawn blinked and looked down away from her gentle, yet penetrating gaze. He didn't feel like sleeping anymore. When he was awake, he was awake. Sleep would have to wait for another time. And yet, feeling Fluttershy's forelegs and wings around him, he felt more comfortable and relaxed than he ever had in his life. He reflected for a moment on the mare who cradled him in her embrace. Again, he felt that longing stir inside him, the need to be held, to be comforted. It erupted from the empty void he felt at the center of his soul.
Dawn's reservations held him fast. To seek comfort from another would open him up to the pain once again. Someday, he would be forced to leave her. He would be betrayed in one way or another, left alone to fend for himself in the cold world. His instincts and experience told him constantly that Fluttershy would abandon him like all the rest.
Except that she hadn't. She had barely hesitated that sight of his eyes. She had stayed with him after she had seen some of the worst aspects of his personality. She had stood up to one of her oldest friends for his sake. She had introduced him to ponies that, beyond merely accepting him, moved actively to help him deal with his situation. He had never felt so safe and so loved. The previous night, his instincts had been screaming at him to keep sleep at bay, knowing that once he lost consciousness, all the threats of the world would descend on him like locusts.
But when Dawn had felt her holding his hoof, had heard her sing, his instincts had stilled, the fear and anxiety being replaced with a sense of safety and peace. It felt as though, with Fluttershy there, he had nothing to be afraid of. Dawn was obviously not a weak colt. He had evaded and subdued his pursuers, made even the beasts of the Everfree Forest wary of his presence. His current condition notwithstanding, he was not a pony who needed protection...for his body at least.
But his heart was another matter. It had endured injury after injury. It was raw, vulnerable. Even after he thought he had come to terms with the way he was living his life, Dawn still freshly felt the sting of fear, disappointment and anger when Applejack had leveled her accusations at him without the slightest provocation.
But when all had been said and done, it was Fluttershy who had soothed those wounds, who had comforted him, who had accepted him, in spite of his displays of anger and selfishness. Dawn had saved her twice, once from the monsters of the forest and once from a monster of a pony. But in the days since then, it had been Fluttershy who had saved him countless more times. She had saved him from his pain, from the loneliness that he didn't even know he was haunted by, from the fear of rejection. She had taken the empty void of his life and filled it with something meaningful.
And so, with a final act of will, Dawn let go of his reservations, his fears and insecurities. He let go of his caution and embraced the long-forgotten longing that spilled out of him. As Fluttershy's legs and wings drew him close, he pressed himself closer, nuzzling up under her chin, reaching out with his own forelegs and returning her embrace.
For the briefest of instants, Fluttershy's eyes widened with astonishment. Dawn had learned to accept her physical gestures of affection. But he merely tolerated them. He had held himself in check to keep himself from fighting her off. But now, finally, for the first time, Dawn met Fluttershy's embrace with one of his own. He wasn't merely accepting and tolerating her affection, now he was reciprocating.
Happiness surged through the canary-yellow pegasus. She wanted to leap up and shout louder than she had when Rainbow Dash had asked for a pet. She wanted everypony in Ponyville to know how happy she felt. But all of that was weighed down by her desire to simply let the moment continue. So a happy sigh was all Fluttershy allowed herself as she settled down. I wonder if this is what it feels like to be a mother. If so, she could certainly live with that. Fluttershy allowed herself to be entertained by the happy fantasy that she and Dawn were mother and son. She lost herself in the perfect moment shared between them...
...A moment that was soon interrupted by a loud growl erupting from the depths of Dawn's stomach. He backed away slightly to look up at her. Fluttershy couldn't help but laugh and smile at him, finally relinquishing her hold on the colt and beginning to climb out of bed.
"You wait here," she instructed, "I'll get breakfast for us."
In only a couple of hours, Dawn was successfully checked out of the hospital with the promise that he would return in three-days time for another healing spell. Already, his ribs felt much better and he was quite able to walk on his own, although the doctor had forbidden any heavy-lifting for at least another full day. His wing would have to remain immobilized.
Without Twilight to provide teleportation, Dawn and Fluttershy would have to walk through at least part of Ponyville to get to Fluttershy's cottage. This would be Dawn's first time traveling through town and encountering its inhabitants, aside from the few he had already been introduced to.
Still jittery with nerves, the colt looked around constantly, his eyes and ears on the search for any kind of threat. He only calmed slightly when Fluttershy extended a gentle wing and drew him close to her body. Luckily, the hour was still early and the two of them encountered very few ponies on their way home. It was fortunate that they were traveling through the more lightly-populated neighborhoods, limiting Dawn's exposure to unfamiliar ponies.
As they walked, they noticed shadows swooping past above. Looking up, Dawn and Fluttershy saw teams of pegasi flitting about, carrying dark tufts of clouds and assembling them over certain parts of the town and surrounding countryside. It seemed that Rainbow Dash's storm was finally being set into motion.
The two reached the cottage without any problems. Fluttershy fished out her key and unlocked the door. As she put it away, she paused to consult Dawn.
"You're probably tired from that long walk. Why don't you rest on the couch until it's time for lunch."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea my little ponies. Do you mind if I join you?"
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Every chapter is amazing.
Oh boy
I love this story!
I love the details. I love the fantastic characterizations. I love Dawn. I love the frequent updates. EVERYTHING!
Please, keep up the fantastic work!
...
Fluttershy is best pony!
2933097 The Reading and (rarely) Commenting Bigou say the same!
Celly is so gonna drop the hammer on some certain ponies.
So, when will Fluttershy adopt the colt?
Soldier, what's the reading of the Daw-o-meter?!
Nearing 90,000 sir!
90,000.... Dear Celestia....
Man this chapter resonated well with my heart. I loved the moment with Dawn and Fluttershy as if they were mother and son. So heartwarming
Now that Celestia is here, let the plot progress!
2933097 I second that!
A lot of apples gets bucked next? Wonder if AJ will get her fair share of it, Princess style?
U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! Just try to argue with my review....
Wonder how Dawn will react to Celestia. Also great story, you have me hooked.
I heard he has no chin under his beard, only another fist.
Only two chapters left
then there had better be a sequel I'm too far into this story two not know if dawn goes to school and makes friends or him earning his cutie mark
keep up the good work though
2934554
Canada! Canada! Canada!
2935249
Touche...
2935102 ... Really, it was bad enough when http://www.fimfiction.net/story/37599/wild-card did it.
2936268 I read that off a Transformers crossover.
2936357 Lol, random story plug then.
But seriously, what is the big attraction about chuck norris all of a sudden, I know he had some good stuff but a lot of it sucked as well.
D'awwwww!
Beginning mental conversion of doctor's voice to German accent.
......
nah i kid i kid
With each successive line, Dawn's body continued to relax, the twitching motions finally fading away into complete stillness, the uneven gasps slowly coming back into a steady rhythm, his lids finally falling to cover his glazed eyes.
The doctor watched, eyes wide with astonishment.
.............................. SHE"S A WITCH
Twilight's eyes closed and then shot wide open, all traces of sleep completely gone, as the message's meaning finally hit her full force. The echoes of her shout carried were carried halfway across Ponyville.
"WHAT!!!"
.....OH.....SHIT.....
50 bits caramel is a solar cultist
I litteral and figurative storm brew
How ominous...
Well my heart stopped from so much dawwww so the doctors needed 2000 volts to get it started again that's how badly my heart stopped my doctors thought I would need a heart transplant. But all I needed was 2000 volts. I should have taken that warning to heart.
i.imgur.com/SECzdPX.jpg
fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/029/3/9/trollestia_by_daughter_of_fantasy-d5t7o9p.jpg
I am predicting, that by the end of this, Mother: Fluttershy Father: Caramel
In prison: Cirrus and Flash.
Leaving Ponyville to go die in a deep canyon, preferably: Appejack.
ok, so it just HIT me how well the relationship between Fluttershy and Dawn developed. it was paced perfectly, felt completely natural to the point i didn't even realize it was happening, yet wasn't shocked it did.
honestly, this is one of the five best stories i've ever read. not fanfics, not pony fanfics, but one of the best stories i've read ever, including the dozens of professional works i've read. AND I'M NOT EVEN DONE YET!
Bwahaha! Trollestia strikes again.
31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7yot70nl11ru6x16o1_500.jpg
I now know what you meant in the author's notes about D'aww and Hnng!
.
Fetlock Holmes- ...
Fluttershy holding him in the bed-
The last line-
Also, I originally thought that Caramel was gay, but you are rapidly changing my mind, and for that I thank you. You wrote his character so well, and I am grateful to be shown that I can be wrong. Unlike Applejack, of course. You, sir/ma'am, have earned a
3531335 You got to give Celestia this one man. the setup is too perfect.
That isn't...! Oy vey....
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
5241513 I was not ready for the amount of feelz in this chapter, Please kill me...
Trollestia is trolling.
Excuse me.
HHHNNNGGG--!! *thump*
And this is why a Ponies/MTG crossover had flutters as a legitimate SAINT to the Selasnya Conclave. She is the avatar of peace.
the desire of a foal to be embraced by his mother. D'awwwwwwwwwwww HNGGGGG *Dies of cuteness* great now i wont be able to read the end cause i'm dead
Fluttershy leaned in close to the colt and wrapped his hoof in both of hers. Tears continued to flow out of her eyes, wetting Dawn's mane as she gently nuzzled against him. She gasped softly as she felt the twitching in his limbs begin to subside at the physical contact. Dawn was calming down. No...she was calming him down. In spite of everything, in spite of the fear and caution that had been burned into his bones, he was letting it all go because of the pony beside him, because of the mare he had completely given his trust to.
Fluttershy's lips quivered, then twitched into the tiniest of smiles. She knew what she had to do now. A gentle melody filled the room as she began to hum, then began to sing.
"Hush now, quiet now, time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now quiet now, it''s time to go to bed..."
With each successive line, Dawn's body continued to relax, the twitching motions finally fading away into complete stillness, the uneven gasps slowly coming back into a steady rhythm, his lids finally falling to cover his glazed eyes.
The doctor watched, eyes wide with astonishment. When he realized that the colt had finally, truly fallen asleep, he let out a soft sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. You probably saved his life miss. I'm not sure what magic you worked, but you completely exceeded what I'm capable of."
Another Flutershy could have song is this...
https://youtu.be/fPisDzhYrCg
I've been getting so engrossed in this story I forgot to comment...
Well, here goes:
Holy shit. This is probably the best story o have ever read on this site. The characters feel spot on, the backstory works perfectly with the show to an almost disturbing degree. It's to the point I would be surprised if the Eyes of Nightmare were a canon thing that Applejack would react the exact way you described.
Not only that, but the way you've written dawn's character is amazing, he feels like a real person... I'm just flabbergasted. I can't believe this is the first time I've found this series.
Dat cliffhanger!
That was actually a really good cliffhanger. whilst I expected celestia after the letter, I definitely did NOT expect her at Shy's house or yet. Jesus, What's next XD
Hello trollestia, nice to see you again.
Ah a direct attack on my feels is it? Oh shame for you seeing Inside Out recently has exhausted my supply of feels but bloody good effort nonetheless my man. Seriously though, this chapter is great for both Dawn and Fluttershy even if Celestia tried to steal their thunder at the end.
PS Inside Out is absolutely amazing and I highly recommend anyone who hasn't seen it yet to do so immediately.
Aww, so much snuggle. And all I have is this pillow. It'll have to do.
Awwwww momma Flutters is ubër cute
I was expecting Fluttershy to sing that song because it fits her completely. I've read 2 other stories where Fluttershy makes things better by singing that song.