Star Bolts

by Norwegian boy

Let's Talk

While Falco was flying towards AJ’s farm couldn’t help but feel very nervous, truth be told he was terrified. If he had pants he would probably have crapped in them right about now. ‘What the hell am I’m going to say to her? Hey, I sacrificed myself to save a bunch of ponies and guess what I came back as a pony.’ He just sighed. “Someone give me strength.”

He landed on a cloud over the farm, he looked down on it. “I can’t still believe that pegasus can walk on clouds.” He shook his head. “This world.” He looked over the cloud to see if he could spot her. “Let’s see, high and prissy said that AJ has been working on the farm since my death.” It didn’t take long before he saw her, it was pretty easy considering that she was wearing a cowboy hat.

She was kicking a tree not far from the house, he could also see her brother and little sister there. Falco grabbed the cloud with his legs and moved closer with the help of his wings, he stopped when he was close enough to hear what they were saying.

Applebloom. “Would you please stop working Applejack? You are going to wear yourself out.”

“How many time must I say this Applebloom, I’m fine.” She answered her little sister.

“You are not fine, ever since Falco died you have work and work. You need to stop.” Mac told her.

“I said that I’m fine, would you two leave me alone.” She told them with anger in her voice.

Applebloom looked at her brother with a worried face, he just shook his head. “Let go Applebloom, your sister is to stubborn to listen to reason.” They both walked away leaving Applejack alone.

Above them Falco heard everything. ‘I didn’t think she missed me that much.’ He grabbed the cloud and brought it closer to the ground and stubborn pony.

Applejack had just place some baskets around a tree and got ready to kick it, when she turned around she didn’t expect to see a blue pegasus lying on a cloud, looking at her with a smile on his face.

“Can I help you with something?” She asked Falco.

“Yeah, you can stop working.”

Applejack snorted. “You sound like Mac and Applebloom, I’m going to tell you what I told them; I’m fine. And who are you anyway? I haven’t seen you around before.”

He put a hoof on his chest. “That hurt, I know that I have been away for two months but that you have forgotten me that hurt’s me.” He said in a dramatic tone.

Applejack just looked at the stallion trying to decide if the he was crazy or not. “I don’t know who you think you are but you better chose your next words carefully.” She went back to her work.

“The first thing you ask me when I woke up was how I was feeling, I said that I had hit my head because I was talking to a pony that walks on four legs.”

That got Applejack to miss the tree when she tried to kick it, she looked at the pegasus. “Falco.” He just smiled. “But, you died. Luna told me that you sacrificed yourself to save Canterlot, you can’t be alive. It’s not possible, you can’t be Falco.”

Falco just stared at her. “When we went into the Everfree forest a Manticore jump out from bushes, I went straight to it and stared into its eyes. Then Manticore walked away.”

Applejack was trying to prosses what she was hearing from this strange pegasus, she was trying to decide if he really was Falco or not. She shook her head.

“If you really are Falco, what did you do with Pinkie when you first meet her.”

“I punch her in the face, I can go on all day.”

She walked over and touched his face. “It’s really you.”

“You know it.” Then he felt a hoof to his face that made him fall of the cloud. “What the hell AJ.” He stared to rub where she punched him. “Why did you do that?” He got up.

“That was because you died.” And the she kissed him on the mouth. “And that was because you saved us and came back.”

Falco touch where she hit him will trying to comprehend wat just happened. “Right now, I’m not looking forward to the day I saved a town and actually survived. Did you have to punch me that hard?”

She blushed. “Sorry, I don’t know my own strength.”

“That’s just fine and dandy but I’m here because I heard that you have been working nonstop for two months, and apparently it’s my fault.”

She hung her head. “Yeah, I guess that I didn’t handle your dead very well.”

“Look AJ, I appreciate that you care for me and you apparently love me.” Now Applejack’s face was completely red. “But that’s no excuse for working so hard, if you had keep going you could have died.”

She rubbed her neck. “Yeah, I intend ignore others advice. I’m kind of stubborn.”

“You could have fooled me, why don’t we go back to the house and tell them that you are going to stop this madness. But first.” He went over to the cloud and hick it so it disappeared. “I still don’t understand how pegasus can do that.”

They stared to walk back. While walking Applejack asked him.

“So, where have you been?”

“Sun shore city.” He answered her.

“I heard about that place, you have to take a boat from Manehattan. Isn’t it sun there 24/7?”

Falco shrugged. “Pretty much.”

Applejack stopped. “Wait a minute, are you telling me that you have been alive for two months?” Falco nodded. “Why didn’t you come early?”

“That’s a good question AJ and I have an answer but something tells me that Twilight also want to know where I have been, but first we are going to tell your family that you are going to stop working and then we are going to find your friends.”

Whit that said the went to tell her family. When arrived at the house Applejack told them that she was going to stop working and the made the rest of the family happy, when they told that the pegasus was Falco they didn’t believe her at first but then Falco told them what he did when he arrived and the convinced them.

Applebloom was happier and the others that Falco was alive, he helped her get her cutie mark after all. She gave him a hug so hard that she almost choked him, luckily for him her siblings manged to pry her of him.

“Man, I never thought that you sister was that strong.” After they had talk to Applejack family, she and Falco headed towards the town. “She almost killed me.” Falco stop and put a hoof on his neck. “It still hurt.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’m pretty sure that she didn’t mean it.” Applejack told him.

“I’m not so sure about that.” He stared to walk again. “I heard from high and prissy that Twilight and Skittle suffered when the Shadowbolts arrived, I know that Twilight lost part of her horn but what happened to Skittle?”

Applejack looked at him with a confused face. “Skittle?”

“Oh right, the pegasus with the colourful hair.”

“You mean Rainbow Dash, well.” She stopped. “When the Shadowbolts arrived in Ponyville…”

Falco cut her off. “I already know that part, Twilight told me. I want to know what happened to Rainbow Dash?”

“Right, her pride took a hit. She has always said that she is the fasted pegasus in Ponyville, in Equestria. When one of the Shadowbolt manged to pin her to ground and knock her out she chance, she has stopped talking to use and she almost don’t leave her house. I don’t know what happened to her.”

Falco was listing to her and he knew exactly what happened to Dash. “Are you telling me that her ego took a hit and she won’t admit it?”

She thought about what Falco said. “Huh, I never thought about it that way. She does have a big ego so that could be the problem.”

Falco couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Oh man, her ego gets hurt a little and she gives up. I would laugh if I didn’t was so pathetic. Oh man.”

She looked at him with one of her eyebrow raised. “Are you any better?”

“No, I’m not.” He looked at her. “Can you go and gather the rest of your friend and meet me at the library? They should be at Sugarcube corner.”

She nodded. “Sure, what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to talk to the pegasus with a ego and see if I can convince her to come out from her house.” He was about to take of but then he remembered something. “Do you know where she lives, I have no clue.”

Applejack could help but smile. “She lives in a cloud house, it’s the only one in town. It’s usually over the park.”

“Thanks.”

He gave her a kiss on the cheek, he then took to the sky. Applejack just stood there red as a tomato, she shook her head and headed towards town to find her friends.

Falco flew through town felling the wind through his fur. “Man, I can understand why pegasus like to fly. This feeling is great. I still miss my friends and my Arwing.” As soon he said that his mood dropped.

He then member the time he spent with Fox and the rest of the team, all the missions the went out together. He shook his head. “Forget it Falco, there’s nothing you can do now. There’s no way home, this place is my home now.” He frowned. “Why did that sound depressing?” He then saw Dash’s house. “I can think about that another time, time to talk with a pegasus with big ego.”

When he landed in front Dash’s door he could see that she had manged to make a house out of clouds, there where windows and a second floor. He couldn’t help but stare at the house. “I think I’ll never understand this world, maybe I should stop trying.” He just shook his head and went over to knock on the door.

After knocking on the door, he went a little while but no one answer, he then knocked again and this time. “Go away Fluttershy, I don’t want to talk.”

“Wrong gender Skittle and I’m not going anywhere until we have talk.”

“Look pal, I don’t know who you are but I don’t feel like talking right now.”

“If you don’t feel like talking, then what do you call this?”

Falco could actually hear her brain crack. “Just shut up and leave me alone.”

That didn't work. ‘Alright, that didn’t work time for another tactic.’ He smiled a little. “Oh, what’s the matter? Is the little pegasus afraid? I heard about your little defeat, are you just going to hide in your house like a coward?”

He heard some noise inside her house so he decided to step away from the door so he could be ready for Dash, I didn’t take long before Rainbow came out through the door and she was mad.

“I’ll show you who is a coward.”

She flew towards him with incredible speed, she tried to punch but Falco manged to doge the attack with ease. She flew past him.

“Is that all you got? That was pathetic.” He said while he turned around to face an angry Rainbow Dash.

“Alright, you ask for it pal.”

She flew towards him again with even more speed but Falco just stood there waiting for the right moment to act, when she was just a few centimetres from him grabbed one of her hoofs and threw her over his shoulder and into the cloud. She landed on it with a thumb.

He looked down on her. “Are you done?”

The answer he got was a hoof to his nose, Dash got up and was ready to attack again. “We are not done.”

Falco staggered back after the punch he got from Dash, he put a hoof on his nose. “Son a of bitch, first Twilight poked me, then Applejack slapped me in the face and now you hit me in the nose. What’s next? You are going to kick me in the crotch? Shit Skittles.”

Dash manged to calm herself down a little but was still ready to attack. “Alright, who are you? The only one that called me Skittles died two months ago.”

“I not dead, yet. But if you ponies keep hitting me I might be dead soon.” He rub his nose. “I like it better when you followed me around on the cloud.”

Dash’s eyes widen. “Fffffalco? It’s not possible, princess Luna told us that you died.”

“So, I been told.” He stopped rubbing his nose and took a look at good look Dash for the first time, she looked almost like Twilight. Her fur and hair was a mess and she also had bags under her eyes, the only thing that was different was that Dash stank. He wadded a hoof in front of his face. “Wow Skittles, you stink.”

She was a little embarrassed. “Yeah, I haven’t taken a shower in a while.”

“You don’t say so, here’s what we are going to do.” He walked over to her and stared to push her to her house. “You are going to take a shower and then we are going to the library where your friends are.”

She tried to struggle. “Wait a minute.”

“No butts, you are going to take a shower.”

She wanted to protest but she was to tired, she eventually gave up and went headed to bathroom to take a shower. While she was doing that Falco look around her living room and one thing was clear.

“What a mess.” He cloud see junk lying around the room, food scattered around the room. “Time to get to work.” He stared to clean up the mess. “And here I thought that my room on the Great Fox was a mess.” He said while cleaning.

When Dash was finished with the shower she felt like a new mare, she walked to the living room and when she arrived, she saw that Falco had cleaned there.

“I see that you have been busy.”

He was sitting on her couch. “You place was a pigsty, I cleaned your living room.” He got up and headed to the door. “Come on, let’s get to your friends.”

“I can’t.”

That made Falco stop just as he was about to open the door, he turned around. “What do you mean you can’t?”

“I’m supposed to the element of loyalty, but I couldn’t help Twilight when one of the Shadowbolts snap her horn off.” Her ears folded as she looked down at the floor. “It’s my fault that she lost her horn, some friend I am.”

“Listen Dash, I talk to Twilight and there was nothing you could have done. You can’t blame yourself.”

She walked to him so they were almost face to face. “It is my fault, you weren’t there so you don’t know what happened. You don’t know how I feel.”

“You are right, I wasn’t there but I know how you feel.”

Dash turned her head away. “I doubt that.”

“When I was young me and my friend was playing the forest, it was probably one of the best days of my life until my friend died.” Dash looked him. “We came to a river, a very big river and the only way across it was a tree. I told my friend that the tree didn’t look safe but he didn’t listen, so he stared to walk over. When he almost halfway across the whole thing stared to shake and he feel into the river.”

“I just watched as he fell into the river, then stared to float down the river. I stared to run after him trying to find something that could help him, I found nothing. Eventually he manged to grabbed a stone, he held on for his dear life. I told him that I would save him even I didn’t know how, I looked around for something to pull him to safety but I found nothing.”

“I felt so helpless that I couldn’t save my friend, but somehow he knew. He just gave me a smile and then he let go of the rock. He drowned and I just watch as he did and here’s the worst past Dash, I was ten years old when it happened. You don’t think how I know how you feel, I know exactly how you feel. But unlike you I didn’t hide in my house, sure I hide in my room for a few days.”

“But I promise that I would never let it happen again.” He looked at Dash who was shocked of what she heard. “Don’t you dear tell me that I don’t know how you feel, but the different is that you have still the chance to make a different.”

“And what’s that?”

“You have a choice here Skittle. You can stay here and fell sorry for yourself or you can do something, and that’s helping me stop the Shadowbolts. The choice is yours.”

He turned around and ran out the door, then he jumped of the cloud while shouted “Geronimo.” Dash ran over to the edge of the cloud to see if he was alright, she saw that he was just hovering in the air. “That was not so cool as I thought.” He flew towards the library. “See you around Skittles.”

Dash walked back into her house, she closed the door and walked over to her couch and sat down. She let out a long sad sigh. “What am I going to do?” She said to herself.

“Falco was right, you are a coward.” A voice told her.

Dash looked around to see who was talking, she saw no one. “Great, now I’m losing my mind.” She leant back and looked at the celling.

“Don’t you ignore me you coward.”

Dash got up. “Alright, show yourself.” Right in front of her appeared a ghostly little filly. “What the... Who are you?” She said while pointed at the filly.

“I’m you, you coward.”

Dash blink a couple of time. “Your me?” The filly nodded. “How? What’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you what’s going on, you are running away from your friend like a coward. That’s what’s going on.”

“What friend?” Dash asked the filly.

“Twilight Sparkle, you are supposed to be the element of loyalty. Then why not liv up to the title?” Little Dash answered.

Dash shook her head. “I don’t deserve the title, I fail her when she needed me.” She hanged her head in shame. “I’m a failure.”

“Oh bu uh, you do one mistake and you think you are not worthy. You are not a coward, you are pathetic.”

That got Dash to see red. “Don’t you dear call me that, you don’t know me.”

Filly Dash hit her head with a hoof. “Duh, I am you, you idiot. Tell me something, did you run away when those kids bully Fluttershy? No, you protect her from them. And right now, Twilight needs her friend and Falco need our help to stop the Shadowbolts. Like Falco said; You can stay here and fell sorry for yourself or you can do something. The choice is yours.”

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, the little Dash was right. She didn’t abandon Fluttershy when she was in trouble and she wasn’t about to do it Twilight, Falco and her younger self was right, she was a coward.

“I’m not going to stay here and fell sorry for myself, I’m going to help Falco stop the Shadowbolts.”

She flew so fast out the door that filly Dash almost fell to floor, she looked out the door. “Wow, I can still see that I’m as fast as I am now.” She then looked around the house. “Can’t complain about the house, it’s awesome.”

Rainbow flew as fast as she could towards the library, as she flew she wonder what her friends would say about her behaviour for the last two weeks. Do they hater her, she shook her head. ‘No, they can’t hate me, they are my best friends.’ As she approached the library she could see a pony sitting by the door, it was Falco.

She landed beside him. “Why aren’t you inside with the others?” She asked him.

He looked at the door. “High and prissy and her friends are inside, Twilight and AJ are trying to convince them that I am alive, and it’s not going well.” He looked at Dash. “Are you ready to face them?”

“No really, but I have to face them sooner or later.” She took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s do this.”

With that said the both walk into the library to face her friends.

Author's Note:

The next chapter will come when it is finished.

Comments

[Silent Echo]

Great chapter.