Grounded Flight
Opening my eyes, I found the sun beaming down brightly. The wind blew coolly across my face as I basked in the warm sun. I rolled over and felt the soft blanket underneath my hands and legs. My wings beat fast, the buzzing loud in the summer air. I crawled along to the edges of the blanket, picking a blade of long grass and bringing it towards my mouth. About to chomp down on the grass, I felt it slip from my fingers and away from me. I followed the blade in the hands of a woman with soft blue eyes and amber hair.
“No, no Crisp. We shouldn’t eat the grass.” The woman said laughing. She was sitting on the large blanket with three other people, two men and a woman. Picking me up, the woman bounced me up in the air and caught me in her wings. “You are going to be such a handful for me when you become a teenager.”
The taller man laughed and stroked his beard, “Yes, yes all boys are bound to be handfuls to a mother. Why, I remember this one boy decided to take matters into his own hands when it came to wooing the girl he loved. So impressive was his feat that he carved her a heart made out of solid crystal.”
“What happened to the boy?” The other man gruffly said, pulling off his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt. The baby girl sitting in his lap made a grab for them as they came in reach. “No honey, these are daddy’s. He needs them to see.”
“So Amber,” the other woman asked, “how do you manage being a single mother?”
“Well, the work at the library is pretty thankless sometimes, but I can’t imagine doing anything else. When you get one kid to love reading, it is completely worth it. If it wasn’t for this little bundle right here, I probably would have my own library.” She chuckled, placing me back on the blanket.
I stopped paying attention to the four adults as they droned on about this and that. Instead, I tried flapping my wings. Finding that they had sufficient power to give me lift, I flew a couple inches off the ground around the edges of the blanket. Eventually, I found myself encase in a blue aura, being pulled towards the small girl in her father’s lap.
The small girl giggled as she crawled from her perch, landing with a soft thud on the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes as I was released from the magic. Flapping over to the girl, I found her sadness causing me to fill with sadness. Landing next to her, I wrapped my wings around her. Apparently I was good at comforting. The girl slowly ceased her crying and instead started laughing. Laughing at what, I did not know until she gripped a feather and yanked it, pulling it clean out of my right wing.
I cried loudly as our parents picked us up and pulled us away from each other.
“I am so sorry Amber, I did not think she would do that. She is usually so docile.”
“Don’t worry, he’s just being a drama queen. He pulls out his feathers all the time.”
I glanced over to the small girl as she twirled the feather in her hands, eventually grasping it in her magic and placing it in her purple curls.
A strong slam to the stomach forced me awake. Instead of a small girl with purple hair, there was a beautiful young woman laying on top of me with a hungry look in her eye.
“Rarity? What are you doing?” I asked her.
She grinned at me, “Oh, nothing.... just giving you a taste of what you missed out on last night.” She was still wearing her corset and stockings, the smell of lavender was especially strong, more so than it had been last night. Smiling up at her, I pulled her head down, twirling my fingers through her hair to my face. I brushed my lips against hers.
A soft buzz came from the corner of the room. Rarity lifted her head up and looked over towards the direction of the noise.
“I do believe your pants are moving.” She said, slightly giggling.
“What? No, no, just ignore it. Not important.” I flipped her and myself over. She laid on the bed, her hair framing her face so magnificently. Purple was really her color. She wrapped her arms around my back, pulling her fingers along the joint where my wings connected to my back. Rarity then giggled. With a quick pull, she took a feather and plucked it right out of my left wing. I made a small yelp as I leapt back off of her.
She giggled as she sat up on the bed, levitating a robe over and wrapping it around her shoulders, covering up. “That’s what you get for having me wait for you.”
“You, my dear, were asleep when I got back.” I retorted, rubbing the wing where she had pulled out the feather.
“Oh, and what time was that?”
“Almost one...” I mumbled. She again giggled as she rose off the bed and kissed me on the cheek, smiling. She took the long feather and twirled it around in her fingers. Pulling herself off of the bed, she walked over to the closet and grabbed a tight black shirt and dark blue silk pants and started to get dressed. Well, more she just put the clothes over her lingerie.
“Well, aren’t you getting ready?” She said, pulling her white long coat off of a hanger and a beret off of her desk. Rarity placed the hat delicately on her head. She turned in the mirror, looking at it from both angles and then placed the hat back on the desk. After that, she took the feather and slipped into one of her curls. Smiling, she turned back to me as I was putting pants on.
“Well, how do I look?”
The sight caught me by surprise. The contrast of the brown in her hair and the white tip.
“I thought you said that you didn’t want to wear anything of that color,” I said, pointing up to the feather.
“I did say that, didn’t I? Well, when it comes to things that I adore, I somewhat disregard my own advice.” She took the feather out of her hair and started twirling it in her hands. It was all too familiar. I know Rarity had a couple of my feathers already from back in October, but it seemed like she had done this before.
“Weird question...”
“Yes?”
“Uh... you know what? Never mind. It was stupid question.”
Rarity smiled as she placed the beret back on her hair. Turning around back to me, she spun and once again asked. “Well, how do I look”
Getting up off the bed, I walked over to her and grabbed her in my arms. “Beautiful, as always.”
She blushed as she playfully smacked my arm, “Oh stop it you. One would get sick on how sweet you are to me.”
“Well, I try.” I said laughing, pulling my phone out of my pocket as I slipped on my jacket.
“Come on, my sugar supply. I must be off to Apple Jack’s. She phoned earlier, said she still wishes to talk to me and Sweetie Belle about last night. Sweetie Belle isn’t here right now so would you be a dear and find her for me and then bring her to Sweet Apple Acres? She’s probably somewhere with Spike.”
I just stared at my phone, 4 missed calls, and all from the same number. Oh... well, crap. She had called less than 10 minutes after I dropped her off. I felt a hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of it.
“Crisp? Are you ok?”
“What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”
“Did you hear anything I said?”
“Go find Sweetie Belle and bring her to AJ’s.”
“Good, now I will be late if I do not get going now.” She kissed me on the cheek as she darted from the room, closing the door behind her. I watched out the window as she walked briskly off towards the north side of town for a minute, before my phone buzzed again. Flicking it open without even thinking about it because I thought I knew who it was.
“Hey kid, what’s up?” The voice that answered was not who I expected.
“Crisp, I need you to get over to the library, now.”
“Spike, what’s going on?” Then I heard a panicking Twilight in the background and figured it was best not to ask. “Ok, yeah. I’ll be there in a couple minutes. I’m jumping out the window now. Oh and do you have any idea where Sweetie Belle is?” I said, crawling out the window
“No clue. Oh crap, gotta go. Get over here, now.” he said as the phone clicked off. As I heard the small click, my mind started to wander about what was Twilight freaking out about. Closing the window behind me, I took off in the direction of the library. A couple minutes later, I landed in the soft powder in front of the large red door. I could hear Twilight’s loud panicked voice through the thick trunk.
“We just need to remain calm. Remaining calm is the key, Twilight. Just breathe and it will all be over soon Twilight. Just keep breathing. Breathe, Breathe.” A large slap was heard, followed by a heavy sigh. And then the panicking resumed.
“Come on Twilight,” Sweetie Belle’s small voice permeated the walls. Well that explains where she is. “We need you to calm down. Just relax.”
“Yea, ain’t nothin’ ta worry about.” I could hear a loud slam after, wait... that’s Apple Bloom. Wasn’t she supposed to be with Rarity and AJ? At Sweet Apple Acres? Oh this probably can’t be good. I flipped out my phone and ran through my call log. Finding the number, I quickly pressed send on the first number I needed to call.
“Hello, darling. Have I made such an impression on you that you cannot possibly be without me for more than five minutes? How sweet.” Rarity’s voice said from the earpiece.
“Haha yes, very much so. Listen, I found Sweetie Belle.”
“Oh that is marvelous. I am about five minutes out from the farm. Would you please bring her by in, oh, about fifteen minutes?”
“Yea, that may be a problem... She’s helping Spike with a Twilight problem at the library. I’m about to go in and see what’s so crazy in there. If you would, maybe you should bring AJ over to the library to talk. You are talking about Scootaloo right?”
“Yes. I believe that is the topic of this discussion this morning, why?”
“Just wondering. You should be here in fifteen minutes if you hurry, and something tells me that you should.”
“Alright, Crisp. I will do what I can. I love you.”
“Love you, too, Rarity. See you soon.” I could hear her giggle over to phone, she was doing it so loud.
“You too. Good bye.”
“Bye.” I said, shutting my phone and opening it back up to make a second call. Putting the phone to my ear, I waited for the other side to start ringing. After a couple of seconds, the ringing started to pick up. But it wasn’t from the phone that I could hear the ringing. I could hear ringing coming from the tree. Hanging up, I tried the same number again. The ringing came from the tree again.
“Oh damn it. Just damn it Scootaloo.” I breathed as I ran into the library. Inside was a pacing Twilight, digging a deep groove into the floor of the library around the bust of...you know, I actually don’t know. Spike was following her around on the floor. Well, more being dragged around as he attempted to stop her from destroying the floor anymore. Sweetie Belle was sitting in a chair near the new ditch, with her face in her hands. There was some mumbled talking from behind the door leading to the room which Twilight had converted into her bedroom, her own personal wing.
“Sweetie Belle,” I said, quickly walking over to her. “What the hell is going on? Why is Twilight in....Twilight mode?”
“Apple Bloom and I came over to get a book for her. Scootaloo was here waiting for us, with Twilight already like this”
“They literally walked in when I was talking to you,” Spike grunted, straining against the madness that was the Twilight Express. “We have spent the last couple of minutes just trying to calm her down, she keeps going on about what AJ will do to her if she knew that Twilight allowed Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to be in the same area, let alone room.”
“They're in there? How long has it been?”
“Just a couple minutes,” Sweetie Belle answered.
“Yea,” Spike said, finally letting go of his quarry. “Scootaloo said that she wanted to talk to you, like right now. So go get in there.”
I turned towards the door that contained what was hopefully the most stressful thing I had to deal with this vacation. Gulping, I walked over and opened the door.
“Well, look who it is, it’s Mr. call-me-whenever-and-I-will-pick-up.” Scootaloo said, advancing on me. Apple Bloom grabbed her arm to hold her back. Scootaloo’s face went into shock as a blush rushed across it and her small wings pushed against her leather coat. The sharp inhale of breath was all I needed to know.
“Kid, you called me four times, at 1 to 3 in the morning. It was kind of a long day and I passed out when I got back to Rarity’s. I am sorry I missed your calls.”
“It doesn’t matter now. Apple Bloom just told me that AJ is going to get your girlfriend to sign a restraining order against me. It’s going to keep me out of the town, indefinitely.” Scootaloo cried as she broke free from the grasp of the one she desired. “She already has Filthy Rich’s, and now she needs an adult from the Filigree family to make it official. It’s not fair!”
“Scoots, ya can’t leave, ya just got back home.” Apple Bloom said, grabbing her around the waist and holding her in the middle of the room. “Ah can’t see ya leave again....”
That tone... It was the same tone Scootaloo used when she was talking about Apple Bloom. I chuckled.
“And what do you think is so funny?” Scootaloo lashed at me, ripping off her jacket and buzzing her wings furiously.
“Haven’t you noticed? Apple Bloom, what book did you come here to get? Wait, don’t tell me. A law book dealing with domestic law.”
“Howdya know?” Apple Bloom said, burying her face into Scootaloo’s wings, attempting to hide her blush.
“Orphans deal a lot with domestic law. Here, see this bump?” I said, pulling back some feathers to reveal a small imperfection in the bone line. “Broken when I was thirteen, right after my sister left. I thought maybe I could run away to be near her and stay with her, but my mother found me. That’s how I ended up with one of my uncle’s.”
“Touching story, but what does that have anything to do with my situation?” Scootaloo said, letting her eyes start to well up.
“Apple Bloom is looking for any kind of loophole that will allow you to stay here...near her.”
Scootaloo froze on the spot. She must not have put it all together, but to be honest, she had not seen Apple Bloom in the cider cellar with Big Mac. Turning around, she looked into Apple Bloom’s misty eyes.
“No time like the present.” I said, quietly backing up towards the door.
“Apple Bloom. I...I want to tell you something. It’s been something I have been keeping deep down for a long time, almost three years now, and I feel like if I don’t get it off my chest now, my chances will have run out completely. I just want you to know that I-” Apple Bloom pressed her lips against Scootaloo’s, stopping her mid sentence.
From where I was standing, it looked hesitant at first, but after a second and Scootaloo loosening up, it became natural. They stood there, holding that kiss for a couple more seconds or so, I couldn't tell you, but I could feel something special from over here by the door. Tears streamed down from Scootaloo's face as she wrapped her arms around Apple Bloom, embracing her tightly against her body. Pulling away from Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, face deep red from her blushing cheeks, pulled a folded up piece of paper out of her pocket. Scootaloo’s eyes shot wide open.
“How did you get that....”
“Diamond Tiara gave it ta me. After ya were taken away ta the station, she threw it at me. Ah’ll never firget what she said ta me. ‘You and that dike peg deserve each other. Both of you are worthless. Even Sweetie Belle thinks so.’ Ah was so mad at her that Ah took the paper and put it in a drawer for a month. Eventually, with some coaxin’ from Sweetie Belle, Ah finally looked at it... Ta tell ya the truth, Ah didn’t know what ta think, but it all made sense.”
“You aren’t mad at me?” Scootaloo said, her wings starting to flutter.
“Ah never could be mad at ya, ‘cept when ya made Sweetie Belle cry. Maybe ya should apolagize ta her.”
Scootaloo smiled and threw her arms around Apple Bloom.
“And Scootaloo?”
“Yea, Apple Bloom?”
“Ah love yer mark.” She said, pressing her lips again against Scootaloo’s. This time I thought it was best to give them some space. Opening the door as quietly as possible, I slipped out and closed the door in the same fashion. Turning around, I came face to face with Apple Jack. In all the excitement in the room, I hadn’t noticed my phone buzzing like mad.
“Oh shit.” I looked over AJ’s shoulder to see Rarity with a very worried look on her face helping a calming Twilight quickly skim through a section of the library. Sweetie Belle and Spike were talking to an older gentleman, possibly this Filthy Rich Scootaloo mentioned.
“Where’s mah sister?” AJ demanded through gritted teeth. “Ah know ya know where she is. Tell me b’fore Ah have ta get the law more involved.”
“Tell me something, AJ. Why are you pushing this so hard?” I asked, backing up to blockade the door where Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were now hiding.
“I don’t have ta answer ta yer psycho confoundery. I know ya got this way with words, how else wouldya explain ya being with Rarity.” AJ spat back in my face.
“One, this is about you, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo,” AJ’s face became more intense at the mere mention of her name, “two, our relationship is none of your concern.”
“Ah didn’t want ta make it any of mah concern, but ya bein’ here right now, it’s forcin’ mah hand.”
“Just like you are with Apple Bloom. Tell me AJ, have you actually asked what your sister wants? What if she doesn’t want to see Scootaloo go away again?”
“She has no idea what is good fer her.”
“And you think you do? Why are you acting like her mother? Be a goddamn sister to her.”
“Ya don’t know what yer talkin’ about!” AJ pulled a sheet of paper out of her denim jacket pocket, brandishing it in front of her like a shield. “Accordin’ ta this piece of paper, Ah am now obligated ta remove mah sister from Scootaloo’s presence, and keepin’ her over a mile away from her.”
There it was, signed by Apple Jack, Filthy Rich and a judge. All that was needed to make if legally binding was a Filigree’s signature. Looks like Rarity wouldn’t sign it willingly, but she wasn’t the only Filigree here anymore. AJ turned her sights on Sweetie Belle.
“Sweetie Belle, d’ya remember the way that Scootaloo treated ya after ya got yer mark? How she kicked ya out of the group? She said ya didn’t keep yer promise. And now she’s tryin’ ta take Apple Bloom away from ya. D’ya wanna lose your closest friend ta that dyke?”
“Apple Jack!” Rarity almost screamed as she crossed the room and put herself in between AJ and Sweetie Belle, “whatever gave you the idea that you could talk to anyone like that?!”
“This is no longer yer concern, Rarity!” AJ roared as she pushed past her, making her way to the retreating Sweetie Belle. “Sign the damn paper and this can all end.” The crazed look in her green eyes, the unsettling way she was carrying herself, she had pretty much gone insane. I did the only thing that made sense. It wasn’t a good idea, but damned if I was going to continue sitting here watching AJ berate the Filigrees. Whipping out my lighter, I jumped in the air and grabbed the sheet of paper out of AJ’s hand. Before she realized what had actually happened, I hit the strike wheel and torched the restraining order, tossing the burning paper into the fireplace.
“There. No more restraining order.” I said, twirling the lighter in my fingers. AJ slammed me into the bookcase up against the wall with such force that books flew off the shelves, plummeting to the ground and my head. I could feel the knot in my wing stress under the pressure of the blow, but it was nothing compared to the right hook that came up to meet my left cheek. I could hear Spike gasped and Rarity, Twilight and Sweetie Belle scream as the fist met my face.
“What do ya think ya are doin’?” AJ said with such calm ferocity as I slumped to the floor, spitting up blood onto the hardwood floor and books laying in front of me.
“The one thing that would at least make Apple Bloom happy.” I coughed out, spitting blood into AJ’s face. Rarity ran over to me and placed herself, once again, in between AJ and her quarry.
“Get outta mah way.” AJ commanded her friend, wiping the blood from her cheek.
“No, he’s right. If we sent Scootaloo away, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom would never have forgiven us. This was for the best.”
“None of you know anythin’!” AJ yelled, slamming her fist into the bookshelf right next to Rarity’s face, which caused me to fume. But with the wind knocked out of me, there was little I could do but growl. “None of ya know what’s best for my sister. None of ya!”
“No Apple Jack.” Everyone turned towards Apple Bloom, who was now standing in the doorframe of the room she was taking shelter in. “Yer wrong. Yer the only one that didn’t bother ta figure out if this was what Ah wanted.”
“Ya don’t know what’s good fer ya.” AJ spat out, advancing on her sister. As she reached Apple Bloom, a figure stood in her way. There stood Scootaloo, in probably the worst place that she could possibly be standing. “You.” She growled, raising her fist.
“No, Apple Jack. Ya don’t know what’s good fer me. Fer the last year, all ya been talkin’ about was shippin’ me away so Ah could be away from here. Ya never asked how Ah felt about one of mah best friends gettin’ arrested and sent away.” Apple Bloom grabbed Scootaloo’s hand and stood next to her. “Ya never asked me about anythin’. Ya aren’t mom, ya aren’t Granny Smith. Yer my sister. Stop actin’ like my mom.”
It was like none of what she said even permeated the burning rage that was AJ’s exterior. “Get away from mah sister, ya little bitch.”
“No.” Scootaloo said, pushing out her chest as she once again placed herself in harm’s way to protect the one she loved. “I will never leave Apple Bloom’s side again. I spent the last year wondering if what I did to Diamond Tiara was worth it, to protect my friend. Today I know it was.” Apple Bloom wrapped her arms around Scootaloo’s waist.
“You Get Away From Her!” AJ yelled, bringing her fist forward, speeding towards Scootaloo’s face. Suddenly, a mint green aura enclosed AJ, lifting her up and placing her near the door. Sweetie Belle’s face was scrunched up in concentration as she held AJ in place away from her friends.
“Sweetie Belle...” Scootaloo whispered softly.
“Apple Jack, you listen here and you listen good. You once told Rarity that being a sister was all about give and take. How she was all taking and not giving anything. You are being worse that she ever was. I can’t believe I ever wanted to call you sister, even for a day. Yea, Scootaloo made me sad when she told me to get lost, but friends get mad at each other. I could never be mad at her forever. I forgave her. You have no reason to be mad at her. Just go.” She said, panting slightly as she let the farmgirl fall from her grasp.
The crazed look in AJ’s eyes never dissipated since I turned around and saw her. She stood up, straightening her Stetson.
“Fine. If ya’ll think ya know what’s good fer mah sister, then she’s yer responsibility now. I don’t wanna see none of ya around the farm...Ever!” AJ yelled as she slammed the door to the library, stomping out towards Sweet Apple Acres.
Everyone sat or stood in silence, in shock from the outburst, from what everyone told me, of the most sensible person in this town. The tall man looked around the disheveled room and quickly took his leave. I coughed up a little more blood in a bit of laughter. Rarity looked at me, completely distressed.
“What in the name of everything are you laughing about?” She questioned, almost commanding an answer.
“Well, Big Mac told me not to piss her off. He said that she could beat him up. But he lied, her punch is weak.” I laughed as I attempted to stand. Slumping back down after only getting half way, I felt Scootaloo and Apple Bloom help me up.
“Thanks Crisp.” Scootaloo said, tears in her eyes.
“No problem kid. I just hope AJ comes to her senses sometime. Cause right now, Apple Bloom has no place to go.”
“Oh,” Twilight said, jumping out from a massive pile of law books, “She can stay here with me, and we can have makeovers and pillow fights and...”
“As much fun as that sounds Twilight, Ah think Scootaloo is gonna put me up.” She said, nuzzling into Scootaloo’s wings. Apparently, she forgot that she was carrying me. Luckily, Spike and Rarity were there to catch me.
“Come on. Let’s get you back to the apartment. I think you earned a special treat for being so brave.”
“Yeah, I guess being hopeful for them made me be completely stupid.”
Rarity laughed as we hobbled out of the library. “Yes, I supposed being in love does.” She said kissing me on the cheek. I felt the blush spread and wings open. “Do they do that every time?”
“Only for you.” I said, rubbing my cheek against hers. “Oh No...” I said, quite somber.
“What is it, darling? You didn’t break anything?” Rarity asked, slightly panicking.
“No. I just realized. I probably won’t get any Apple Bloom Brand Brew at the Hearth’s Warming Eve Festival tonight.”
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This looks like an interesting Self Insert story!
I'll take a look at it and give a review about it!
look, don't label it as a self insert, there is no such thing as a story which is not self insert because no matter what all characters any author writes are in some way a reflection of themselves, their personality, their friends, or their enemies and thus a self-insert
2740388
Thank you for taking the time out your life to read over and possibly review this, but 2740965 is correct, this is not a true self-insert. That is because Crisp's personality is what could have been. It's more of a deviation of my mind, altered by our different lives.