I Can Read Names in Clouds

by Yuu

Would You Know My Name?

I heard someone talking. I snapped my eyes open and saw three fillies in the library. One of them was the sister of Curiosity, the filly with the curled, mulberry and rose bangs.

“We should match her with Gloaming,” she said. “This surely got us marks.”

The sleeping Rainbow next to me only turned on the other side.

“No, that’s a bad match,” another one said. That one had an amaranth side fringe and a light olive coat. “She should date Shimmering.”

“Why?” a third filly asked. I couldn’t see her, but I started to remember the group. This one was… cerise, and amber?

“Don’t know. It just feels right. She is part bird, anyway.”

“No, I still propose Curiosity,” cerise said. “They are both white.”

If they have logic like this, it isn’t a surprise they still haven’t found their marks....

“Well, we can also make a practical test,” mulberry said. “Let her kiss every candidate and check their reactions.”

At this point I had to interject. “Hey, what about what I want?” And how would they arrange that, anyway, while I still have a beak in this form?

“Hm, that may work,” cerise said, as if she didn’t hear me.

“No, girls,” Rainbow said, who turned her head to me and slowly opened her eyes. “She should kiss me first.” Was she still asleep?

I suddenly felt like I was standing and lying at the same time. Then the fillies disappeared into darkness, which enveloped everything around me. I also heard someone talking. It sounded very strange, I couldn't get anything similar to the languages I knew.

Wait, that meant I was still in the land of ponies. Great, I needed to turn on my translator again. Or try to open my eyes? No, translator first. And let them be someone else and not those three little fillies...

“...thank you, doctor,” a familiar voice said. Sounded like I just missed something important.

“Hm, I believe she woke up,” another, male voice said. But how did he know?

I slowly opened my eyes and focused on the surroundings. I saw a mulberry snout with a sapphire fringe looking at me... oh, yes, that should be Gloaming. And that doctor from before, Steel Hooves, was next to her.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Well.” I moved all of my limbs a bit. “I’m not in pain and I can move around, so I can say I feel not bad.”

“Do you remember what happened?” Gloaming asked.

“I had a race with Rainbow, and she flew too fast to the finish.” I paused. “Is she alright? I believe we crashed when I failed to change her course.”

“She is fine, still sleeping,” the doctor said. “Both of you are in the hospital now. We repaired all internal damage for the both of you, so she should also wake up soon.”

“Good, I'm sorry, I messed with her manoeuvring, and—”

“Don't say that,” Gloaming said. “I also saw that her course was dangerous. At least you tried to divert her from a crash landing. Maybe you really did prevent something worse, it is hard to say for sure as I’m not a flying specialist.”

“Well, maybe,” I said, “but I still feel I need more time to get accustomed to flying in this new form. Anyway, can I see Rainbow when she wakes up?”

“Yes,” the doctor said. “You may feel weakened, but you can walk now, so I will let you know.”

Gloaming seemed to believe Rainbow was responsible for all of this, did that mean...

“Does Rainbow crash often?” I asked.

“We have to treat her for minor injuries every one or two months,” the doctor said.

“I see. I hope she won't be too angry at me.” I turned and looked on a light pink ceiling of the room.

Meanwhile the doctor looked at the only machine in the room, which displayed several symbols on its screen. It was, presumably, my health monitor, but I couldn't see any cables connecting it to me. Possibly it worked like the doctor’s hoof-held scanner, reflecting signals off my body and also detecting natural emissions, like infrared.

“And please be more careful with your wings,” Gloaming said. “You have already experienced how dangerous they can be.”

“But why?” I turned my head back to her.

“Pegasi wings are layers of magic particles, which don’t let air pass through,” Gloaming said. “They also have a side effect of creating electric charges on different sides of the layer. If the wing goes through your body, it’s like a severe static shock. Your muscles suddenly contract, and your regular organ functions are disrupted, because all of them depend on specific charges in cells.”

I shivered, remembering the pain.

“Also, the electric charges induce nerve impulses, causing intense pain,” the doctor added. “Because of these effects, wings have been used as weapons. They may not have the same physical effects as hoof-blows, but they have longer range and can be moved much faster.”

“I promise to be careful,” I finally said.

Gloaming and Steel Hooves didn't comment on that and just left. I remained on the couch, maybe sleeping for some time, maybe not. Both returned in an hour. The doctor checked me once more with his small scanner and looked at the health monitor, then confirmed that I could stand from the couch. I felt a bit weaker than usual, but we made our way to another ward without any issues.

Rainbow rested on a similar couch, surrounded by Shimmering, Curiosity, Medley and another mare I was unacquainted with—she had a yellow side fringe and a gamboge coat. When she turned to look at me, I notices her mark had three vegetables of some sort. Or fruits, maybe.

“Rainbow, how do you feel?” I asked as I came closer.

“I’ve had worse.” She even smiled. “By the way, do I know you? You look a bit familiar to one griffin I knew... Well, actually all of them are very much alike to me.”

Curiosity gasped. Doctor Steel Hooves took his device and began to move it around her head.

“We raced, and we both crashed at the finish line,” I said, then I looked on the mare with the yellow fringe, “And my name is Snowy Clothes, nice to meet you.”

“You must be pretty awesome, if you managed to tie a race against me.” Rainbow made a skewed smile.

The room lurched several times and I sat on the floor to avoid falling. Looked like I still needed some more rest. The ponies around me stood just fine, but they stared intently at me or Rainbow. The doctor finished his scanning and turned to Rainbow.

“Miss Rainbow, what is the last event you can remember?”

“I ran a marathon with...” she pointed on the mare with the yellow fringe, “yesterday.”

Her name was surely a derivative from “apple”, but which one? I couldn't just call her Applesomething. Maybe just Apple? Or Triple Apple, taking her mark into consideration. While I thought about her, the mare in question turned her head down and made strange movements with her right foreleg. Like she was digging something.

The other ponies silently stared at Rainbow. Except Shimmering, who hid behind her mane. Gloaming was the first to speak.

“Do you mean the autumn one?” she asked Rainbow, who nodded. “I'm sorry, that was seven months ago. It's spring now.”

“Good joke, Gloaming,” Rainbow said, giggling.

Doctor Steel Hooves surely overestimated his healing abilities, because I felt sudden constrictions in my stomach. Maybe I can lie around here for a while, even if there is no pillows on the floor?

“Drop it, Rainbow.” Triple Apple stamped loudly. “We aren't joking.”

“She is correct.” The doctor paused and sighed. “You have sustained severe head trauma. We repaired damage to your soft tissues and bones, but we can't repair amnesia like this.”

“Doc, I’ve hit my head many times,” Rainbow said, staring at Steel Hooves, “and I never got amnesia before.”

Then she turned to mares around her and made the same skewed smile.

Gloaming lifted her left foreleg and closed her eyes with it. Curiosity shook her head.

“That may be the case.” Steel Hooves looked at the health monitor, then waved his cylindrical scanner around Rainbow's muzzle. “The effects of repetitive trauma can be cumulative. The good news is you should stay here only until this evening.”

“Yes, that's good, I hate to waste time like this,” Rainbow said, frowning at the doctor. “And thanks for coming anyway, girls.” She turned to me. “We should have a rematch some time. You can teach me some new tricks, can't you?”

The doctor nodded to others, and left the room.

“Sure,” I said, and turned to Gloaming. “I'm feeling dizzy, can we return to the library? Maybe we got an answer from my family.”

“Of course,” Gloaming said.

Before leaving I looked at Rainbow. She noticed it, but her gaze defocused without changing its direction.

“Anypony want to come with us?” Gloaming turned at other ponies.

“I would love to, if I wouldn't be a burden,” Curiosity said, and she also glanced at Rainbow.

“Me too!” exclaimed Medley.

“Sorry girls, I should get back to work,” Triple Apple said. Before she left, she turned to me and said, “Nice to meet you.”

I nodded to her. Shimmering mumbled something inaudible and went after Triple Apple.

Gloaming came closer to Rainbow and hugged her with one foreleg, saying, “See you later,” then guided us from the room.

That was good because I felt funny in hospitals. Doctors in hospitals were only doing their job, but they still reminded me of injuries and mutilations. As we left, Gloaming looked at me and folded her ears for a moment. Maybe she wanted to say something, but we walked for a while without any word.

I suddenly realised that the ponies had treated my injuries and hadn’t asked for any payment. Maybe Gloaming paid for it, but I had to find out for sure.