The Thing That Makes Me Special

by KartalTheWriter

A Detour on the Road to Sanity

“Thorn!” I snap awake. I don't even realize I'm asleep until I feel that piercing shriek from the one who birthed me. She calls again a couple of times. I just can’t bring myself to walk out that door. How could I? I hadn’t slept at all last night.

But I’d done it.

I smile in insane approval. I have finally learned to control the magic I have inside. I really should be happier about my success, but I didn’t even get a cutie mark out of it, and that rather depresses me.

Abruptly there’s a hard knock at my door.

“Thorn! Get up or you’re going to be late for school!” Instantly upon rapping at my door, Mother comes into my room to yell at me some more.

Blinking in the light, I try to focus on Mother’s form. But she's blurry.

“Thorn, what are you doing? It’s almost time for school. Didn’t you hear me calling?” I try to lift my head but it is just too heavy. I try to speak but my mouth suddenly can't make words.

“Well? Talk to me, Thorn. Or get up.” Mother commands. It's amazing that I've gotten this far without serious detriment. I try to sit up, or stand, or anything at all, but moving is suddenly way too difficult.

Mother gets that thoughtful expression she sometimes gets and moves closer to me. She lifts a hoof to my forehead. Then she sighs.

“Aww, my little Thorny-Worny is a little sicky-wicky. Don’t worry about school, Dear. Just get some more sleep.” And with that, she tiptoes out of the room and shuts the door again.

I breathe a sigh of relief. Everything is going to be okay. This is one of my sick days.

Mother’s nice on sick days.

There’s something I’ve actually been waiting to do for a long time. I’ve been waiting for a sick day so Mother won’t yell at me when I get back.

I’m going to go visit Father.

He lives on the edge of the Everfree Forest, so it’s ridiculous to try and go out there. It’s not so much the fact that Mother hates me seeing Father, it’s just that she hates when I go near the Everfree Forest. It’s her own disaster, really. When she was a filly she got lost in the Forest for a long time and now she’s terrified of the place. I get that story every time I suggest going to visit Father. But now that I’m at a disadvantage, I can do whatever I want.

So, I pack a saddlebag with a lunch, a map, compass, and a coat. Mother would be pleased. Then I take time to write out a note telling Mother I’ve gone to visit Father. She’ll get it.

“Here I come, Dad.” I say softly.

I can’t wait to show him what I’ve learned.

I climb out the window, levitate it closed, and laugh to myself when I get the magic right. Twilight will be so proud of me. So proud, seeing I’m sneaking out late while I’m sick. I’m not worried, much. After all, I’m sure Twilight has a quick fever remedy.

It’s been a long time since I’ve gone to dear Everfree. I might not even know the way to go. But that doesn’t matter to me. The only thing I’m concerned with right now is getting to Father’s house.

I take a moment to look around once I get outside. Everything is happening in the middle of the morning. School should be starting about now. If I cared enough, I would attempt to teleport myself directly to the schoolhouse, despite what Twilight’s said about that being an advanced spell. I’ll learn it. I think I could think of a million ways to use it.

I look around, check my map, and look around again. With a shrug, I set off towards the marketplace, the first stop in my journey. Around, I see ponies of all types and colors. There’s something reassuring, somehow, about all of them. Wait, that’s weird. I used to be so skittish around others. What has happened to me?

Oh well. I won’t worry about that drastic personality change right now. Now is the time for adventures.

In the marketplace, all the ponies are selling their wares. I see Applejack at her apple stand, selling apples. I almost go up to say hello to Apple Bloom when I remember she should be in school.

As should I.

Great Princess Luna’s moon bib! I’m skipping school!

Suddenly I calm down. I’m sick, after all. The worst they can do to me is send me home. I laugh and delight in my strong excuse.

Then I look back at the map, because by now I’m distracted and I’ve forgotten what I’ve just read. Strangely, I see a familiar shape on the hill. Now that I think about it, it’s probably time for recess. So it’s not strange. In fact, it looks like Scootaloo. Forgetting that I’m technically skipping school, I call out to Scootaloo.

She jumps at my voice and looks in my direction. Naturally, she looks surprised to see me.

“What are you doing here, Thorn? Miss Cheerilee said your mother called you in sick.” I wave her question away as unimportant.

“Forget me, what happened to you?” I sit next to her on the hill. Scootaloo sighs in that way one sighs when a moment they’ve expected finally arrives.

“I was just thinking.” Scootaloo begins. She’s got this faraway look in her eyes, as if she’s not really talking to me, but to the sky where she longs to be. Then she blinks and turns back to me. “You’ve probably noticed that I don’t fly like any of the other pegasus ponies.”

“Well, you’re still young. You just haven’t learned yet.” I say. Scootaloo laughs sadly.

“I’ve heard most pegasus foals learn to fly soon after birth. Haven’t you seen Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s foal? He was practically born flying!” Scootaloo seems really upset about this.

I put my hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t cry. You’ll get it someday. I know you can fly.”

Scootaloo looks back up at me. “Who said anything about crying?” Sure enough, there’s a tear running down her face; Scootaloo just doesn’t realize it yet. I levitate a handkerchief out of my saddlebag and wipe that stubborn tear. My friend looks surprised the tear had escaped her tough exterior.

“My parents are both earth ponies. At first I thought that explained why I had trouble learning how to fly. Then I saw the Cake’s son fly with his little baby pegasus wings and it just--” Here, Scootaloo cuts off with a frustrated growl. She stands up and faces me directly, her wings flapping madly. “I mean, that little colt so much as ‘waves’ his wings and he’s four feet in the air without even trying! I try every day to fly. And every day I fail and you know what? I’m tired of being a failure!” If we were any closer to the schoolhouse, other ponies would have heard Scootaloo’s outburst. But she was smart; she was sitting in a place no one could hear her. She has experience being alone…

“Oh, Scootaloo…I’m so sorry…does anyone else know about this?” Scootaloo sighs as the last of her fury dies down. She gives me a terribly adorable look of sadness.

“No. You’re the only one who’s bothered to listen.”

Comments

[mechcl3]

awwww

[Sarkastik Menace]

[LuminousRabbit]

Aww, that was such a sweet story

[GameMakingOtaku]

Hhhmmm
Maybe you need to add the shipping tag too

Another good chapter