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Chapter 4 & 5

Chapter 4: Officially new lives

Awaking with a start, Steam groaned out as he tried sitting up. The last bit of adrenaline in him seemed to have been reserved for him waking up, as he shot upright... only to groan out in pain and slump back down. Opening his eyes, he was blinded by the bright whit light he saw from the ceiling. Taking several moments to adjust, he'd ease himself to a sitting position again, slowly. He felt a tug from his back, and would glance. Any pegasi's worst fear was not flying. And as it was, he had a wing wrapped up in bandages with a splint along the bone.

After the initial shock, he decided to reach out, unhook the tether keeping him to the bed, and got up to walk around. It seemed his back had healed up well, and only the wing was the last to suffer. Walking over to the body mirror, he realized he was older. Much... older. His face was more defined with a soft complexion, body seeming a bit lithe but built.
"Just how long was I out...?" He'd ask himself. Then the adrenaline wore off, and he nearly collapsed. His body not having been in use for so long meant his limbs were weak. It took about 5 minutes for him to even get steady and 10 minutes more to properly gain motor functions. He was busy stretching his working wing, the left one to be precise, as he walked to the window.
"It's night out...." He said in barely a whisper, as he got to witness one of those moments in his lifetime where he got to just... stop and stargaze. He hardly had that chance in most days.

Then he tried to recall any memories of times past what he did remember. What DID he remember? He knew he specialized in Cloud Work, and heating. An adept at some tech-y things due to Cloudsdale's advanced Factory Machines. But why did those memories seem falsely placed?
For crying out loud he couldn't remember his own NAME!

His ears perked as he stopped and turned around, having heard the door open. A mare with a light green mane and soft blue eyes was there, but seemed to freeze in place... then suddenly sprint back out the door. "Steam" was quite confused.
And then a minute later suddenly a small group of ponies busted into the room, crowding around him. Though, through the commotion, his eyes fell on two mares with names he could... mostly remember. A mare with a coat as smooth as liquid silver, and the other mare, as graceful as a Lavender Lilly.

Of course, he sat there and waited. And after a long silence after the commotion fell, an alicorn padded up to him. The same he described as a Lavender Lilly.
She would sit infront of him, and she seemed saddened he did not talk first nor seemed happy. But then she looked intrigued.
"Do you know your own name?"
That question alone... seemed to perplex the stallion pegasus for a long moment. But then he would look up and answer.
"Steam Blade, resident of Cloudsdale and Expert Weather Pony." He'd say. This was meant from a few... less than happy gasps.
"I thought as much... I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle. And you, dear, have just woken up from a Two and a half year coma."

Silver would walk out of the room, luckily having been at the back, so her departure was unknown. Nopony realized how much this affected her, at least mentally. For more than two years, she'd visit every day to this very hospital. To be able to make sure the stallion she had so fondly loved, would make it out at some point. TWO YEARS.
Two years did she cry, worry, wonder. Her life had evolved without him, but to her, it had stopped. Without Steam by her side it seemed so... dull.

A moment later, she realized she had walked outside, in the small garden area outside the hospital. She sighed, as she sat down on a bare patch of grass, and looked up. Looking back, she's really adapted. Being a pony had a lot different than to a human. But, she felt more like a mare than a woman than she ever had. In fact she'd renounce humanity and call herself Equine in a heartbeat. But, Ste-- Nick. Nick had no memory. Nick no longer existed in that Light-Blue stallion inside that hospital room.

However Silver failed to notice the soft hoofsteps coming her way. And then, a warm, gentle hoof touching her softly at her back.
"Hey, Umm... Twilight said I should talk to you. Any idea why?"

Silver nearly snapped her neck as she turned around to find that Steam was standing there, looking curious. Curious, handsome, down right all she could want.
"Oh, Uhm... I'm not sure why she would. I'm nopony special."

Steam would give a small frown, and shake his head, moving to sit next to her.
"No, no you're something else. I don't think a Princess would personally recommend talking to another with no reason behind it. I'm sure you heard already. But, I'm Steam Blade." He'd say. His tone was different. Cautious... but also a tad infatuated.
Was that spark still there, for him?

Silver did not look at him, looking away as she answered. "I-I'm... w-well, I changed my name to Silver Soul a while back. To better fit how I seem to have a smooth level of emotion and are "Pure" to heart." She'd say.

Steam frowned once again. Her voice was getting shaky. Unsteady. Something was off. So, he'd move a wing to gently wrap around her. He was cautious about doing so, but Silver looked about ready to break into tears. By the time he had scooted closer and held her she was most certainly crying, but able to cry into his shoulder. While he could tell there was sorrow... he sensed joy in those tears too. He was no changeling, he couldn't be certain. But his instinct told him.

Twilight stood at the doorway to the hospital entrance with a smile, writing a few things down on the clipboard held in her magic. She looked to her right, to whom Nurse Redheart happened to be standing.
"Both me and my personal student, Silver Soul, authorize his re-lease and healing period to my responsibility. He will be safe, I assure you."

Nurse Redheart took the clipboard once Twilight had signed her name, and nodded "Well, of course, Princess. And might I ask... is there something between those two? No mare so willingly cries on just any stallion's shoulder." The white coated mare would ask, looking to the duo in the gardens.

Twilight thought about her response for a time, before nodding "Something old that I hope shall be renewed in a new way. The two deserve each other. Besides... there's great things destined for him. I feel it."

"He's not just any normal pony, after all."

Chapter 5: The Re-match

A week had passed since Steam woke up from his coma. And honestly, he thought he would have had a harder time adjusting to things, a new life. He was residing in Ponyville, under the supervision of Twilight herself. Of course, it had taken a lot of convincing to allow him to have his own home. But, the residents didn't mind.

I mean, Rainbow Dash gets a neighbor now, yeah?

He found himself out on the porch to his cloud home, stretching his wings. It had taken only a day to get used to them, after the split had came off three days ago. Sore as they had been he took to flying like he had his entire life. Everypony was impressed, except a peculiar cyan mare. Said mare would fly from her home to his right now, landing gently upon the cloud-made porch.

"Heya Steam, how are you settling in?" She'd ask, flapping her wings a bit till they settled and she could walk up to him.
He look to her with a shrug, as he folded his own wings back up from inspecting them. "As it is, I'm... having a hard time believing that I had been in a Coma for two years. And nopony will tell me HOW I ended up in the Coma, as if it's taboo to talk about it."

Rainbow Dash had to take a moment to look away and cringe softly for a moment. His coma had been her fault. Her doing. She had to make it up. Being friendly...er than normal ISN'T enough. Then she looked back to him, with an idea in mind.

"Say, how about a friendly race? You seem to fly well enough, why not up against the Best flyer in Equestria?" She'd both boast and challenge to him, with a smug grin for added effect.

Steam would only stand up and take a step forward to her, and he gave a frown... that turned into a smile "Oh, you're on, Dash. Where to?"

Rainbow took her time to think this over. His body, as healthy as it looked, had not been used for a while. She had to take time to think carefully. What were her limits, and could he have similar?
"Umm... How about seeing how far we can get towards Canterlot? I know, quite a distance even by flying. But I figure we both need a challenge." She'd say, her eyes glared at Steam.

Steam would flare out his wings, giving a challenging gaze back at her "It's on." he'd say simply. One thing Rainbow noticed right away: his wingspan was about a foot longer than her's. How is that possible? No male pegasus had a wingspan larger than her own!

Of course, that moment of hesitation led to Steam flapping his wings a bit, before giving a powerful thrust upward and he was in the air, without any running start. Sure, a bit more effort to do a stationary take off, but he managed it well. Looking down, he'd shout to Rainbow "Well, are we racing or what?"

Rainbow gave a laugh, and took a small gallop before leaping into the air and shooting after him. He would re-aim himself and shoot off into the sky, a orange-blue flame blaze following him. To Rainbow this was a tad interesting, but also impressive. His natural body formation and mane/tail colors allowed a trail of color. His was specifically orange-blue, like a gas-flame, only flimsier. Her's was more straight rainbow.

The two hardly talked, but Rainbow discovered quickly that Steam was out-pacing her. Despite having the larger wings he could propel himself forward with greater force than her. This caused her to start pushing herself to keep up. He didn't boast or taunt her at all, but the widest grin was on his face. He was flying, and it made him happy.

He then decided to have fun with it, ramming through clouds, doing aileron-rolls, corkscrews. No matter what he didn't loose any inertia.

She did her best to keep up, forcing her wings to flap harder. She was panting, he was naturally faster! Because his wings were larger! You'd think the weight of them would slow him down, or his own natural weight!

As they started nearing Canterlot airspace, the two didn't realize a duo of quite famous pegasi were watching the two. They didn't think much of it.
That is until Rainbow had pushed herself too far, and nearly locked up her wings mid-flight. She gave out a pained scream as a cramp came up in her right wing. And she would have started to plummet, if not for the fact Steam seemed to double back in a full half-circle in about three wing flaps, and dive just a bit under her to catch her on his back, and shoot off back to ponyville. He was going a bit slower, but, it was the act itself that was impressive.

He'd start to slow down to a casual flight speed, in order to talk to Rainbow.
"Dash, what was that? Your wings looked ready to lock up! How hard were you pushing yourself?" He'd ask, giving a worried glance to her.
Dash had been massaging near the base of her right wing, and with a defeated sigh, she painfully spoke her admittance.
"I-I may have been pushing myself too hard to keep up with you. By the halfway mark I was running out of breath. Your wings are just... naturally bigger. I was trying my best to keep up, but I couldn't!"

Steam would take a moment to think about this. Once remotely near Ponyville he'd stop and set down on a cloud, and have her move off in order to turn and look at her.
"Dash, you should have said something. I don't want to see you hurt because you got a point to prove. That's just down right... stupid." He'd say, moving to put a hoof on her shoulder. Dash would look up from looking down at the cloud, into his eyes.
"Dash. There's no reason to push everything just to keep your pride. Sometimes your pride is knowing your abilities."

Steam would have continued his speech, if not for a VERY loud scream coming from a road leading away from Ponyville. Almost instantly did Steam flap his wings and shoot off, faster than Rainbow has seen even the Wonderbolts fly!

And then a cone started to form around him.

Author's Note:

After a VERY long absence I now have my account back. Let's get to it.

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