Broken Family, Healed Family

by Amos Anon

Chapter 7: Feather Flu is a Dumb Name for a Sickness (Edited June 15th, 2021)

I ran. Faster than I had ever run before.

Have to get away!

I looked over my shoulder, and my heart froze at what I saw. I ducked my head in fear, and pushed myself to go even faster.

Go, go, go!!!

I jumped over a log, its form twisted and bent beyond all semblance of its original shape, its color leeched out as if the very life had been ripped from it.

Grey. Grey everywhere.

A high-pitched whistle, piercing and haunting, filled the air, inciting my hooves to run at an even faster pace. I tripped, cutting my foreleg on a broken piece of glass. I looked down, seeing my reflection in the shimmering surface... along with something else.

My blood ran cold.

Sweet Celestia!

I stumbled to all fours, beginning to run once again, this time with a slight limp. I shuddered as I passed by what looked like the remains of a human, but didn’t stop to investigate. That could wait for later. Right now, I just needed to get away from... whatever that thing was.

Another whistle, this time much closer.

No! I won’t give up!

I increased my pace, trying to push through the pain of my wound, but to no avail. Tears of hopelessness began to run down my face, fear coursing through my equine body.

No! This can’t be happening!

Why don’t you give up?

I can’t! I won’t!

But you’ve already lost. You’re the very last.

No! I refuse to believe that!

Look around. At all the dead and dying. This place is lifeless. Admit it, you brought this to this world through your own ignorance.

No! It was an accident. How could I possibly have known?

You are a hopeless fool. Doomed to be lost and alone for all eternity. Why not let me handle it? Let me take you in. I can comfort you.

I...

You are a failure. You are alone. You cannot be anything more than a hopeless, heartless fool. All those you love are dead.

The area around me was suddenly surrounded by the ghosts of all those I loved. Some in human form, some in pony. Dad, Mom... Rainbow Dash, Ixisten, an aunt, a cousin... They were all there. I stopped, and fell to my knees in despair, somehow having returned to my human body.

What happened to your world will happen here, too. And it’s all because of you. You brought humanity to this world, and it will be humanity that destroys it.

You might be right. I can’t do it. I can’t fight it...

“ENOUGH”

The dark shadow, having nearly overtaken my bipedal form, was washed away, the dreary, grey, windswept landscape turning into a lush, green wheat field, planted in tight rows. The wind whipped at my mane before steadily dying down into a pleasant breeze. I looked down, seeing my Equine form once again.

A dark figure appeared to my right out of thin air, observing the scenery.

“A curious landscape. One, I don’t think, to be found in Equestria.”

I glanced over to the figure, recognizing it as Luna; princess of the night. I beheld her tall form, ethereal mane waving in the air. I dipped my head respectfully, though I resisted the urge to kneel in her presence.

“Princess Luna.”

She gazed at me, a curious expression on her muzzle. “I don’t believe we have met, Motodrop of the Hillberry clan, but I am aware of who- and what- you are. Is it not customary for our subjects to kneel before my sister and I?

I winced, but stayed standing. "I don't mean any disrespect; I only kneel to one entity, and I'm pretty sure His mane doesn't wave in the air like that."

She smiled faintly. "I am not offended, young one. I was merely curious. I have grown accustomed to my little ponies always bowing to our will. It is a breath of fresh air to see one such as yourself; One who has a spine, such as our subjects did in the distant past. But enough about that." Luna sat before me, somehow managing not to flatten any of the wheat in the process. My attempt was met with less success. "Young Moto, you can probably guess why I have come to you."

I glanced around at my surroundings. "Well, considering you're here without any guards, and the fact that I'm literally sitting in a wheat field that I remember from Earth, I'm going to assume this is a dream."

Luna smiled. "Indeed. Your body at this exact moment in time is sleeping off the effects of what is commonly known as the 'feather flu'. It is an unpleasant sickness that affects the body, as well as the mind." She shuddered. "I remember my first bout of feather flu. Celestia was unable to console me during the worst of it."

I chuckled as I mentally pictured Luna ralphing up her guts into a toilet, with Celestia patting her back. Really, though. Who named it Feather Flu?

Luna swept a hoof through the unripened wheat, studying the swaying stalks and the plump, hairy heads. “But that is neither here, nor there. Let us get to the true reason I am here. This place," Luna gestured to our surroundings. "is a reflection of your subconscious; lonely, true, but also beautiful in its simplicity."

...Did she just call me simple? She totally just called me simple-minded, didn't she?

"This place reveals to me your deepest desires, your greatest regrets," Luna pointed with a hoof to some distant storm clouds. "...and our deepest, most suppressed fears."

My breath hitched, and I quickly swallowed, trying to dry my throat. What do I say? “T-thank you for saving me from that nightmare.”

Luna turned to me, and looked directly into my eyes, as if they could read my soul. “You are very welcome, though I am but a temporary solution. You keep much from your loved ones, Moto. My presence here will only serve to hold off those feelings unless you confront them yourself.”

“Is that what I saw? Was that what that... thing was? What about that voice that was tempting me?”

Luna frowned, and paused, looking down as if deliberating on what to say. The air grew still around us as the wind eddied, and my mane fell limp. I was about to speak, my hoof raised, when Luna suddenly met my gaze. My hoof hovered in mid-air as Luna replied;

“I suppose it could be described as a form of death.”

The wind once again picked up, and I began to breathe heavily, panic rising in my chest. I was that close to dying? “But... How? A dream can kill? I don’t understand! That’s impossible...”

A sudden hug nearly knocked me off my hooves, the action causing my breath to catch. My heart rate steadily dropped as I slowly relaxed, melting into the embrace. "I did not mean Death in the literal sense. Rather, it would be more appropriate to consider it your temptation for it. You blame yourself for leaving all those you loved behind; All those you could not save perished in that final blast, and you fear having the same happen to those that you love in this world.” The lunar Alicorn pulled out of the hug, looking directly into my eyes. “You are tempted to give up, to give in to despair. This will eventually consume you if you do not take action."

“How... how do I fix this?”

Luna smiled in understanding. “You remind me of myself in some ways, Motodrop Hillberry. I, too, have dealt with guilt and sorrow at past mistakes, and at what those mistakes caused me to become. I let my guilt consume me, and gave birth to a monster of dreams.”

“The Tantabus.” I whispered. Luna nodded in agreement.

“A grave mistake. It was only by the friendship and love I received by confiding in those I cared about that I was able to defeat it.” She pointed her hoof at my chest. “As I shared my burdens with those I love, so must you share your grief with those whom you love. Do not carry this burden alone, Motodrop. Your family holds the same grief in their hearts that you do. Know that you are not alone in your pain, and that those you love are at this moment struggling with the same fears and anxieties that you are. They are your greatest allies, and your closest friends. Your family are the first friends you make, and the ones who stay closest to you. Never forget that, young stallion.”

Luna’s form began to fade, and I reached out with a hoof.

“Luna, wait!” But it was too late. The wind picked up, the wheat blowing haphazardly around as the scenery began to turn whiter and whiter...

Why do I feel so cold?

---

“Looks like he’s waking up.”

“Moto... Hey Moto, you okay?”

Ugh. I groaned, a splitting headache lancing my skull. “Water.” I felt a glass pushed into my outstretched hoof, and brought the liquid to my lips. “How long was I out?”

“The better part of twelve hours. After you threw up that last time, you really conked out.” I sipped the drink, slowly opening my eyes.

Cursed sun. Couldn’t you just hold off for one day, Celestia? I blinked, and my vision cleared. Tumak and... Starlight? “What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you, too.”

I winced, and slowly sat up, the pain in my head doubling as the room spun around me.

“I can take care of myself, you know. I lived by myself for three years before we came here.”

“And miss out on the sleeptalking? I don’t think so!”

Sleeptalking? I looked at Starlight warily, just now noticing a notepad laying on the bedsheets. “Starlight... What were you doing?”

“Twilight wanted me to document your sickness. She wasn’t sure how someone from another world would react to pathogens not found on your home world. As it turns out, whatever magic in the portal transformed you into your current forms also instilled the average amount of immunity to each of you. Pretty interesting stuff.”

I held out a hoof, and Starlight placed the notepad in my hand. I began to read it, and my face promptly turned red. “Please tell me I didn’t say that.”

Tumak grinned. “You definitely did.”

I am SO screwed.

My sister, who was doing her best impression of a cheshire cat, pulled out an envelope. “Coloratura had to leave early this morning, but she didn’t want to wake you, so she asked me to give this to you.”

Really? Hmm. A thought occurred to me, and I blushed deeply. It couldn’t be... one of THOSE could it?... Nah... ...I snatched the envelope away from Tumak, and tore the top open. I froze, and turned to the two mares, who were holding innocent expressions. “Would you two mind leaving? I’d like to read this in private, if that isn’t too much to ask.”

“No, we don’t mind, do we Starlight?”

“No, not at all. Have fun reading your love letter, Motodrop.”

...I am going to kill them.

As the two busybodies left the room, and left me to myself, I sighed, and pulled out the contents of the envelope. I unfolded the page, and began to read the hoof-written script.

Dear Motodrop.

I had planned to speak to you about this in person before I left for Manehatten today, but unfortunately, you looked to be in a pretty poor state, so I decided to let you rest. The past few days have been fun for me, and it was great meeting you and your family. The other day when we sang together I couldn’t help but notice that you have a true passion for music. When I said that you could have a future in the music industry here in Equestria, I meant it, which is why I have a proposition for you.

If you are willing, I may be able to get you in as a backup singer either with Songbird, Sapphire, or myself. You will be expected to be vocally trained in Manehatten, and as such I have set up a vocal coach for you through my agent. Lodging and food will be supplied, as well as a generous stipend for your time. This does mean, however, that you’ll be away from your family for months at a time. Tours often last between three to six months, and there will be little personal time during those months. I’m not trying to scare you away from the job, Moto, I just want you to understand what you will be doing if you decide to accept my proposition.

I’ll be on tour for the next few months, so I’ll drop by Sweet Apple Acres after my final show to get your answer. I’m not going to push you to take this position if you don’t want it, but I will remind you that it’s very rare for these opportunities to present themselves, so make your decision wisely.

Your friend:

Rara.

She’s right. If this had happened on Earth, I would’ve jumped on it in an instant, but... things have changed. My family... I sighed. This decision wouldn’t be easy. I placed the letter on my lap, and rubbed my forehead. Darn it, Rara. Why’d you have to spring this on me?

I glanced out the window, my headache somewhat relieved, but a dull ache persisted. Well, no point in dwelling on it now. I wonder what time it is. I did some mental math. Huh. Must be pretty close to 10. Last time I slept that late was... years ago. I swung my hind hooves over the edge of the bed, and instantly, the room began to spin around me

...Oooookay. I promptly laid back down, and pulled the covers up, placing the letter on the bedstand.

---

You ever get those days where everything goes perfectly? Where nothing goes wrong, and everything just works out?

Yeah, me neither.

And so I found myself treading water in a pond, with Rainbow Dash holding her gut laughing.

“Um... Mind giving me a hand? Not that you’re busy right now or anything.”

“H-how does... oh, haha!... how did you manage to... oh, HAHAHAHAHA!!!”

I grumbled, and slowly made my way to the shore of the swimming hole. Hey, flying is harder than it looks, okay? Wasn’t my fault that I managed a complete backflip by total accident, only to plow straight into the lake. If anything, Rainbow should’ve been concerned, not laughing herself to death.

Said mare was gasping for air, pounding the ground with a hoof as I pulled myself from the water, moisture dripping from my fur.

“You know, you could get me a towel or something.”

Rainbow slowly calmed herself, a stray giggle escaping now and then as she wiped the tears out of her eyes. “Ah, just get up there in the air again, and you’ll dry off fast enough. Still, though. How in Equestria did you manage that?”

I shrugged. “I was just trying to do as you suggested.”

“I told to to flap harder, not flip yourself completely upside down!”

“Well I’m sorry for not picking this up right away, Okay? In case you haven’t heard, I only got these wings a week and a half ago!”

Rainbow giggled, and simply motioned to the sky, where Hawk and Anima were both maintaining a simple hover with looks of concentration on their faces. Neither had noticed my little predicament, being too focused on their task. “Just get up there and keep going. You’re not hurt, are ya?”

Oh. NOW she asks. “Yeah, I’m fine, no thanks to you.”

“You’re welcome. Now get up there.”

Unbelievable. But I complied, slowly flapping my wings until my hooves lifted off the ground. I began to sweat, and pushed a little harder, my wings flapping at a faster rate. Alright. That’s ten feet.

“Good. Now maintain that height.” Rainbow Dash hovered next to me, giving me instruction. “Good, now slowly tilt your wings forward as you flap to move forward.” I did as she asked, and I began to move forward. “Okay, now tilt your wings backward as you flap to come to a stop... Nice. You’ll be dry in no time.”

I glared at her in annoyance, but refrained from saying anything. This mare can really get on my nerves sometimes.

“Hey, at least you’re not stuck learning magic with Twilight. You think I’m intense? She’ll put you to sleep.”

Fair enough.

“Okay, now slow your wingbeats, and land just like I showed you earlier.” I began to descend... a little too quickly. "Don't slow them that quickly! You’re coming in too hot... Moto!”

Ah, (Censored).

WHAM.

“Pffffft... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Rainbow, when I get my head out of this tree, I’m gonna kill you.

Author's Note:

(edited June 15th, 2021) More of the same for this chapter, lol. Lots of dialogue changes, largely between Moto and Luna. The rest was just changing a word here and there, and fixing spelling and grammar mistakes.

I am Motodrop, and uniqueness is a terrible thing to waste... or is it 'A mime is a terrible thing to waste'? Meh, whatever.