"What's it like to fly?"
Bulk Biceps looked down at the little filly, whose bright eyes blinked questioningly.
"Hurh?"
"What's it like to fly, mister?" She sat down as she spoke, "I always wondered."
Bulk Biceps pondered her for a moment. A small brown thing, so miniscule from his height, pointy little ears perked up. She was… interested? In what he had to say?
"It's… err" he grinned as widely as possible. "Easy! YEAH! Super Easy!"
.
"Go Ponyville!" Soarin cried from the finish line.
Bulk Biceps was ready: his muscles clenched, his back bent, wings buzzing like hornets ready to swarm.
The flag dropped.
Straining with the effort, he left the ground. All sounds began to dull as he strained his shoulder muscles hard as he could, clenching for that extra smidgen of flapping power.
Eyes bulging, he shifted his weight slowly, carefully, remembering how many times he had tipped too far and fell groundside head over flank. But not this time; slowly, imperceptibly, he moved his centre of gravity… forward.
And, just as slowly, forward he moved.
.
Flexing, he postured as many muscles as possible, showing how obvious this was.
"Really?"
The filly was biting her lip, either from his amazing voice, or something more subtle.
"Are you sure? It seemed very… tricky when you were up there."
Eyes widening in horror, he wondered how obvious it was.
.
"It's obvious, isn't it?"
Rainbow Dash was hovering in place, thumping the air with irritation.
"He can hardly get off the ground! Look at him; all bulk in the body, that's no good for a flyer! He should try doing something else for the Games."
Fluttershy stood her ground, knowing what was at stake.
"But he wants to fly! How can you tell him he can't compete when he tries so hard? He works on his flying every day, haven't you seen him?"
"Oh, I've seen him." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "It's like a badger building a dam of 100 pound dumbbells. But seriously, what're you getting at? You know as well as I do he can't complete in any of the flying events – he wouldn't even qualify!"
"He can!" Fluttershy looked askance. "Well, he kinda sorta can; with some help." She smiled sheepishly.
"Oh come on! Even if I did train him, there's no way I could get him ready by then."
Pink bangs swayed side to side as she shook her head.
"That's not what I mean. I think," a bright smile, "You should compete with him."
A stupefied expression appeared on Dash's face.
"You mean, race against him? That won't help his chances much." A smug look followed. "I doubt even the Wonderbolts will stand a chance, so long as I'm at my best."
.
His weight training finally pulling off, he pulled his well-toned eyebrows back together to hide the panic behind them.
"What do you mean? I practice every day! Lots of times a day! More than once, twice, err… more times! YEAH! More practice a day!"
The filly's face had not changed.
"Easy, see! Practice is good for muscles!" He posed once more.
Perked ears drooped slightly, and a worried expression took hold of the young face.
"But, your wings are so little…"
Bulk Biceps controlled his panic.
"… and your muscles are so big…"
A vein began to throb in one temple, both arms and one eye.
"It seems so difficult! Do you know why it is you're like that?"
.
"I wouldn't tell anypony, under other circumstances." The doctor was pacing back and forth, still doubting his decision.
"Any other circumstances, in fact. But this is in the patient's best interests, and I know you're willing to help."
Three pink butterflies caught the light on the listener's flank.
"Anything I can do to help, doctor. I knew it must be serious when you asked for me."
"It is indeed, but nothing as simple as the previous ones. In fact, this might be your biggest challenge yet."
Bright eyes waited attentively for the issue to reveal itself.
"You see," the doctor lowered his voice, "he can't possibly hope to compete against an earth pony."
Fluttershy looked sceptical.
"He's almost as big as a bear I know, doctor."
"That's not the problem. You're aware of why Pegasi can walk on clouds?"
She nodded. "Because we're lighter than other ponies."
"In part that is correct, but what's important is why you're lighter. It comes down to a matter of bone density and how that can affect raw physical ability. Bulk Biceps has trained all his life, and yet…"
The doctor paused; Fluttershy waited with bated breath.
"He challenged a common earth pony to a hoof wrestle over a cupcake, and came away from it with three complex fractures."
A horrified gasp.
"And missing one cupcake."
"But he'll recover, won't he?" Tears began to well in her eyes, "I don't know any more than you do about how to help him recover! Won't he be ok?"
"Oh, physically I'm sure he'll heal." The doctor walked to the window and pulled a curtain gently aside.
"It's his mind I'm worried about."
Fluttershy looked onto the green garden in front of the clinic, where Bulk Biceps sat staring down into a small pond. His ears drooped, and his face was hardly a smile. He glumly watched the water ripple with the breeze.
"His confidence is shattered, beyond anything I can hope to repair. His passion in life seems to be competing physically, yet there's no chance he can do so. I'm afraid I've done all I can." He turned to her, "Which is why I sent for you."
Fluttershy watched Bulk Biceps, and slowly her features took on a determined look.
"What would you like me to do?"
"He needs to find something else to pursue, something to take his mind off things. I know it may be difficult, but I fear he may not recover the same love of life if something isn't done soon."
A few birds flew through the garden, and landed in a tree singing to each other. Slowly Bulk Biceps' chin rose until he was watching the birds, a wistful look on his face…
…as a smile grew on Fluttershy's.
"I have an idea."
.
"I've got an idea!" Bulk Biceps cried, "Go play over there, er.. somewhere. Fly away!"
He turned his chiseled jaw away with a huff, eyes closed.
"I can't."
Startled, he turned back to see her flapping her miniature wings, which gave a slight hum with the effort. Eyes screwed up, she rose a foot before giving in to exhaustion, crashing softly to the grass.
"They… I tried before, but they just don't…" tears began to well, and she hid behind her scraggly purple fringe.
"Hey! Hurh! Wha-! Don't-" Wild eyed, he looked around in case anypony saw he'd made a filly cry.
The garden was empty; no one else saw his mistake. He looked back, then backed away quickly as the filly advanced on him with rage.
"Don't do what? You can't tell me not to fly! Just try again, mister, and you'll be sorry!"
"Wait! No! I didn't-!" He stopped, stood his ground against the raging beast one tenth his size, and just barely held the nerve to make eye contact.
"Didn't what!? Think I can fly? I'll fly, you just wait and see."
"Good!"
Rage turned to puzzlement.
"Huh?"
"Good! Be proud!" Gulping between breaths, his untrained brain muscles thought their hardest to say what he meant to say.
"Try again! Slow first, then fast! Go hard, then rest! Then do it again!"
His eyes popped with intensity, straining to get each word out.
She still appeared puzzled.
"But I thought you said-"
"No! Practice is good! Makes you STRONG! YEAH!" Getting into his stride, he began to lecture the filly on how much training was to him.
.
"I know how much pushing weights means to you," her voice was careful, watching for the slightest reaction, "but, maybe… you shouldn't do it for a while."
"Hurh?" Bulk Biceps' face crumpled further, which seemed impossible beforehand. Gasping, she leapt to his side, holding his hoof gently.
"But you really need to get better and the doctor said rest is-"
"Ahhh-hurh-hurh-"
Tears began to pour.
"AHHHHH-hurh hurh hurh!"
The colossal crying startled birds from their nests. Fluttershy kept track of each to calm them later.
"Shhh, don't cry mister Biceps," her concern turned to a smile, "Don't worry, because I've found something else you can do!"
With a snort on a convenient tablecloth, the crying slowed to a stop. He looked at her questioningly.
"Erh?"
She beamed. "Flying!"
His face crumpled.
"No, it's ok! You went to the Wonderbolt Academy, remember? You're a wonderful flyer, and I'm sure everypony will think so too."
Still sniffing, Bulk hesitated.
Holding eye contact, she leant in closer, lowering her voice.
"Because you'll have to train reeeeally hard to fly for Ponyville at the Equestria Games."
On his face the crumples vanished, and to Bulk Biceps the storm of his life cleared to a bright, sunny day. It really would take a lot of training to get there- what he loved to do, what he was built for.
With new found courage, he took a deep breath.
"YEAH!"
"Eep!"
.
"Ok, ok, I get it!" The filly rolled her eyes, then took on a challenging pose. "So, teach me how! Whaddo I do first, mister?"
A brief smile, and back to a frown as Bulk Biceps was all business.
"Gimme twenty hoofups! One-two-three-four-"
"Hey, slow down!" She dropped her hindquarters and began to catch up.
From a tree nearby, Fluttershy watched the pair training; Scootaloo giving everything to each push, Bulk Biceps beginning to beat the ground with his good hoof to give her a rhythm to match.
She smiled, and began to write.
"
Today I learnt that some ponies love to do what they're good at.
But when they can't do what they love, it can make them so sad… they can convince themselves there's no more they can give to other ponies, or to themselves.
"
Fluttershy looked up; now Scoots was racing from one side of the clearing to the other, at each bound flying forward with her wings' buzzing.
"
But whenever one thing they love is taken away, there's always another they can pursue; even if they can't see it right away.
Sometimes they're even better at their new talents.
And sometimes, it just takes a good friend to show them what it is.
"
Rainbow Dash sat next to her, watching the filly and stallion with a curious expression.
"They're not so different, are they?"
Surprised, Fluttershy turned to her.
"What do you mean?"
"They both try too hard, even when they know they won't beat everypony; they try anyway." She smiled. "I like that."
Dash looked back at the pair practising; if you squinted, that grass stain on the filly's flank could almost be…
Shaking her head, she took a closer look. Whatever it was, it wasn't there now.
From the distance, a shrill cry; "I did it! Yeah!"
"YEAH!"