Hope Blooms

by BirbNerd17

Chapter 3: Going Home

Willow Bloom rolled out of the hospital with a sigh. She was going home. Finally, she was going home. She stared at the world, it was so much more bright and colorful than their hospital room. She stared around as her family walked out behind her.

“Close your eyes Willow Bloom, we have a surprise for you!” Her mother said.

Willow closed her eyes as she felt her mother set something small and fluffy in her hooves.

She opened her eyes to see a tiny owl chick sitting in her lap. She squealed with joy.

“You actually got me one!?” She whinnied excitedly.

“Yep.” Her father said.

“Thank you thank you thank you!”

“We just wanted you to have some creature to keep you company while you recover.” Her mother whinnied.

“But you could have gotten me a puppy, or a cat, or even a bunny. But you got me this.” She neighed.

“You’ve always wanted one.”

“I know I have.”

Willow and her family made their way home and she sat in her room.

“I’ll be okay,” she reassured herself.

She stared down at the little owl that was snuggled in the blankets of her bed.

“Hi there Lumius.” She softly whinnied.

Lumius, she chose the name by starting with Luminous, a term for light, and getting rid of some letters. It was a fitting name, the little owl was a light in her life.

The little owl shuffled a little, making himself comfortable.

“Yeah, I’m gonna be okay.”

***

Willow stared out her window, her legs were a lot better now, she was hoping the scars would go away sooner, but only time would tell if they were permanent.

She walked downstairs and stepped out into her lawn, she walked down the road of the town, she stretched her wings. Her stomach grumbled.

“Guess I could take a quick fly over to Sugarcube Corner for a snack.” She whinnied, fanning out her wings, she flapped once, and fell to her right.

She looked back to see what was holding her up. And all at once it struck her. She couldn’t fly. Her right wing… it was torn to shreds. Like a ton of bricks the weight of this realization crushed her. She stared at her wing, tears filling her eyes.

See, it would be okay, if the Ursa had just pulled out some feathers, but the base of the wing was the problem, a good chunk of it was completely gone.

Willow curled her legs together tears now streaming down her face. She didn’t want to walk anymore, she just wanted to cry. Suddenly all the pain she felt that she had learned to ignore came flooding into her in waves. She couldn’t think straight, the world seemed hostile and dark. She just sat there, crying, in the middle of the day, right in the center of Ponyville Plaza.

She felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder, and an unclear voice rang in her ear, she couldn’t make out the words but they sounded young. She looked up, and as blurry as her vision was with all the tears she knew who this was. Her best friend hugged her right, and almost all at once the hurt got lighter. She looked Cella in the eyes, still sobbing. She tried to speak but Cella shushed her.

“Willow, hey, it’s gonna be alright.” She whinnied, her voice soft and gentle, “C’mon, get up, let’s get you home.”

Willow nodded as Cella helped her up, the two walked back to Willow’s house and Cella explained all that she saw of what happened to Willow’s parents.

Willow sat down once she was inside, still sniffling.

“Willow Bloom, sweetie, why are you so sad? Did something happen?” Her mother asked.

“I-I…” Willow sat, tripping over her words, her breath uneven and her fur soaked by her tears.

“Take a breath honey.” Her father neighed.

Willow took a couple breaths then looked her mother in the eyes, fear and pain and sadness glowing in them. “Mom… I can’t fly.”

***

Willow sat in her room, curled up in the blankets of her bed. She’d calmed down, but with that calmness came clearer thought. She started to think of the consequences of not being able to fly. She’s always dreamed of being a wonderbolt, she was such a good flier before. Now all she could think was of her crushed dreams. She couldn’t even get in the air, and what good is a Pegasus who can’t even fly.

Willow sighed and pulled Lumius closer to herself, he cheeped a little she she gentle nuzzled his head.

She stared back at her flank and thought for a while.

“…if I can’t get a cutie mark… am I… purposeless?” She wondered aloud.

She set a hoof gently on the scar, was this her destiny? A scar, was that all she was supposed to do? Be in pain?

She tried to reject the thought, but thoughts like that don’t just go away, they creep deeper and deeper into your mind until they take over.

She set her hooves back on her mattress and sighed.

“What can a flightless Pegasus even do?! Weather and flying, that’s what Pegasi do! Not… not this.”

Tears came back to her eyes.

“So is this it? Is this my destiny, forever grounded, unable to do what I’m made to do?”

She got out of bed, “this can’t be all? Can it?”

Lumius stared at her, tilting his head.

She sighed.

“It is… isn’t it.”

Comments

[PonyofEntropy]

Looking forward to reading more of this story. Poor filly reminds me of my luck.