Chapter 4

I tried to move my left wing gently, but every movement I tried was immediately met by a stinging pain. Using my muzzle, I slowly unwrapped the dressing that was covering my injured wing. By now the wound from the bullet is nothing but a scar, yet the pain was still there. With a lack of pain killers, the only thing I could do was ignore it and hope it doesn't sting too much. But that proved to be harder than I thought, since every movement felt like I was getting shot again. Gently pulling the last wraps of the dressing, I could soon see my wing free from it for the first time. The silver feathers were messy, being wrapped around for a long time, and had some splats of blood on them. I knew that I had to clean them later, but right now I was just glad to be free from those bindings. To be able to fly again and get back to the skies where a Pegasus belong. So I showed my excitement by spreading my wings, as if showing of its glamour and beauty. But I immediately regretted this decision as a searing pain run through the nerves, causing me to close my wing immediately. The pain was like somepony was lighting my wings on fire while trying to pull it out of my body. In short, it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

"Awww…buck me!" I exclaimed in pain, as I tried to sooth the pain by rubbing my muzzle, as if I was preening it, at the base of my wing. Although my wings looked healed, the pain was obviously still there. I just hope this doesn't lead to any complications.

"No thanks…" Bolt, who was sitting beside me, said. "…besides I don't think that would do you wing any good."

I shot him an angry glare as I blush at his remark, but this doesn't affect him since he was fat to busy doing his own thing. He was sitting in front of the pile of weapons we bought, trying to tinker with them. Apparently he had some experience with handling high powered weapons like this, being a caravan guard before, and knew how to make them work better. Right now, he was cleaning his rifles, making sure they were at top shape. I tried to convince him to clean my pair of rifles, but the only response I got from that was a remark from his at me being lazy.

"Not what I meant!" I growled, still blushing. I don't even know why he would think of that. But I immediately erased my mind of all thoughts related to that, as I returned my focus back to my wings. Inspecting it, I could see know wounds that could hinder any attempts at flying. Being a medic, I was trained to wounds like that and so far, I have seen none. The only thing that worried me was the pain I was receiving, but that could have been caused by the lack of use. A short flight would bring the muscles back to work.

Knowing that my muscles might not be ready to carry me up to the air, having been stuck under bindings, I decided that a gliding text should be done. This involved me going to a relatively high place, opening my wings, and start gliding to the air. Hopefully, this would help my wings get used to flight once more. It will also get me familiarize to flying, since I have been deprived from it for a long time. Longer than a Pegasus should have been.

But this plan would require a high place to glide from. Luckily for me, we were currently camped near an old rusting water tower. Its metal feet were worn down and easily show its age, but it still looked sturdy enough to climb up on. Deciding that it would be a perfect place to jump and glide from, I stood up and headed towards it.

"Hey, where are you going?" Bolt asked, finally looking up from the rifles. He had a curios look on his face and also had worry written on his eyes. He obviously didn't like what I was planning.

"Oh, just over there towards the water tower. I'm planning to give this a stretch." I said, lifting my uninjured right wing. Although my left wing still had the stinging sensation, I was sure that nothing was wrong with it. It lolled fine and was just sore.

He looked towards the direction of the water tower and gave it a weary look. His eyes studied the rusting hulk of metal, that use to contain water, with distrust, as if it was an enemy ready to strike at us. "Well…alright." His voice trailed. "…just don't go around and hurt yourself or something."

I felt my heart enlarge as I heard that as my brain concluded what he said.

"Awww….I never knew that you cared for me that much." I said.

"I don't." He huffed, as he got back to work. "…it's just that if you die, then this journey would be useless for me."

I rolled my eyes as I trotted off. "Of course…" I said with a sigh.

Reaching the base of the tower, I looked up the spiral stair case that leads to the top. Its steps were as rusty as the entire tower and were missing some steps. But it looked safe enough to walk on, if you consider a rusty plate of metal safe, that is. I got to admit, this is probably not the best idea ever maid and my actions were probably driven for my desire to touch the air and fly. I blame the propaganda the Enclave implanted in my head and my natural Pegasus arrogance. Getting a closer look, I started to have second thoughts of this, but seeing that there was no other high place near us, this was the best I got.

Taking a step on the first plate, I brought my weight upon it and noticed that it was sturdy enough to hold me. So I began to slowly move up and smiled to know that it was sturdier than it look. I had to give props to the ponies who built this tower, seeing that it survived the apocalypse and years of fallout, and is still strong enough to support ponies walking up it.

Feeling more confident that the steps could handle my weight, I went faster, wanting to get to the top as soon as possible. But this decision was met with complain by the steps, which would soon bite me back. As I was half way through the tower, one of the steps, one filled with holes and rust, gave way and brought my entire front half down. Luckily for me, I manage to grab on to the step after that, using my left fore hoof.

"Got to be careful next time." I told myself, as I looked at the ground below. I got to admit that the water tower was fairly high.

So seeing that there wasn't a scratch on me after that small incident, I pulled myself up and continued through the stairs. But this time at a slower pace.

Reaching the top, I noticed that it was fairly windy. I closed my eyes as I felt the cool breeze of the wasteland blow upon me. This was a good thing, since it would give my wings more lift when she started to glide down. Oh, the thought of flying again excites me, how I missed it. Now I just need to wait till the stinging pain on my wing is gone, then I would truly enjoy flight once more.

With excitement in my blood, I walked towards an area where the railing had fallen off giving me a nice place to jump. Slowly opening my wings, I could feel the stinging pain engulf it once more. But it was much more tolerable this time and I manage to open my wings without inflicting more pain on myself. This brought some confidence in me, seeing that the muscles on my wing were starting to relax, like it naturally should. I soon started to move closer to the edge, getting closer with every step. With one last intake of breath, I moved off the edge and jumped.

Normally, flight comes natural to a Pegasus. It's hard to explain how we do it, but we just do it. We just flap our wings and soon we find ourselves flying. So it wouldn't be difficult for me to glide, seeing that it involved me keeping my wing open. This was easy…until a big problem accrued.

I manage to glide for two feet when the stinging pain returned, only this time it came with great ferocity. The next thing I knew, my left wing started to close, not being able to hold the pressure of the air upon it. I tried desperately to open it again, but for some reason it didn't respond. Pegasi weren't made to fly only on one wing and I was having trouble opening my other one. So basically I was falling down to the ground, my right wing flapping desperately and left wing remaining limp. I just didn't understand, why was my left wing not responding? Looking down, I could see the ground approaching and it was getting closer and closer. I knew that this wasn't going to end well.

"I shouldn't have done this!" I said, panicking and flailing my right wing desperately. My left wing still remained unresponsive as I felt tears streaming in my eyes. Now I got to admit, that ever since I put my hooves on the wasteland I have done a lot of crying, in fact I'm surprise at the amount of tears I had in me, but you can't blame. I have been put to situations that I never imagined would happen to me.

Right now, I didn't know if I should cry because I could die from this fall, since the ground didn't look too friendly, or because of the fact my wing wasn't responding. For a Pegasus, our wings are our pride. So seeing my wing limp and unresponsive broke my heart. So maybe I should cry for both reasons, seeing that this could be my last time alive.

Seeing the ground getting closer, I closed my eyes and let it all unfold. There was nothing I could do now except wait. I just wondered what Bolt would think when he sees my limp body on the ground. I hope he won't be angry at me, since the last thing I needed was him angry at me. But I couldn't blame him if he did, because this was a stupid idea in the first place.

The next time I remember was the silence of nothingness. The empty space of waiting, where time always stood still. The wind that was blowing upon me as I fell was now gone, as I floated in the emptiness.

"Ahhhh!" I screamed; as I shot awake with a jerking pain on my wing. The same pain that I felt moments before I fell. Frantically, I moved my hooves around, panicking at the sensation that was burning my wing again. As I screamed to the top of my lungs, at frequencies I didn't know I could reach, I decided that I might be over reacting. Well, the fact that the pain was subsiding proved that it really didn't hurt that much and that I was in fact overreacting. So I decided to calm myself down by taking a deep breath. I started taking in more deep breaths, till I was calm and relaxed. But as I did I noticed that the surrounding around me were different. I manage to calm myself enough to notice that, instead of the dead wasteland, I was inside a large green tent that was filled with potions and some weird contraptions. The tent had tables everywhere and one large mattress, in which I was currently lying on. I had to admit though that the mattress was really comfortable. Well not as comfortable as the bed I had up at the Enclave, but more comfortable than the dirt.

"Well seems like somepony is awake." I heard a familiar voice say. Looking towards the opening of the tent, I smiled to see a brown earth pony walking inside with a expressionless look on his face. Although deep inside, I could tell that he was also relived to see me.

"Bolt!" I said, with joy and the relief to see him feeling my heart. To be alive after the fall was a great feeling, but to see him was an even greater one. I had to admit that I had to applaud this pony, seeing that no matter how much trouble I get myself into, he seems to stick around. Like right now, after having concluded my stupid plan, he still manage to pull me out and heal me. From what I heard, not many ponies that live in the wasteland would do that. I must be really lucky to be stuck with him.

"So, how many times do I have to drag you across the wasteland before you learn to avoid your own stupid plans?" His face soon made a small grin as he approached me and begun to speak in a joking tone.

"It's nice to see you to, Bolt." I said with a sarcastic tone. No matter how grateful I am to him, I still had to admit that he could sometimes be annoying. "But I would like to say that my plan was going perfectly fine, till my wing started to fail. I don't even know why that happened." I then lifted my wings, but was surprised to see that the right one was the only one to respond. The left wing just remained limp, as a short stinging pain emitted from it.

"Yeah…about your wing…" Bolt's voice trailed off; as I noticed another pony, a green unicorn, enter the tent, levitating a metal cup in front of him.

"Umm…who's that?" I asked curiously, as I watched the green unicorn approach me.

Bolt moves forward and sits by my side as the unicorn sat in front of me and levitated the cup down on the matters, offering it to me. Looking towards it, I noticed it was water. So I grabbed it with a hoof before taking a sip. He gave a small smile as I continued to look at him with a weary expression on my face.

"That is Doctor Green…" Bolt said, pointing a hoof towards him. Doctor Green, like seriously? Obviously somepony's parents didn't have enough creativity in naming their foal. They just went on the first detail he had and stuck that as his name. "…he is the doctor of this small tent town that we are currently in and is also the one who treated you while you were knocked out. It's amazing how many bones you broke with that fall. Luckily the doctor had potions at hand."

"Oh, well…umm…thank you." I said shyly, feeling bad that I criticized his name.

"No problem, Ms. Silver, it was my job." He said, giving another smile. "Although, I do want to talk about more pressing matters."

"More pressing matters?" I asked, not sure what he was talking about.

"Yes, matters that led to this incident in the first place." He said, nodding.

Oh, he must me talking about my wing. But I don't think there is much of a problem. My wings just needed some rest and all, right?

"You see, Ms. Silver, while you were unconscious I did a check up on your wing. Although I am not an expert on pegasi I am able to see some complications."

I took a gulp as I heard this, not liking what he was saying. The way he was stating this, it looked like that I have a serious problem. Which I don't…at least I hope I don't. But what could possibly be wrong? Other than having a sore wing, I think I'm completely fine. I just need a rest that's all.

"From what I have examined, it seems like you have been hit by a bullet at the base of your wing, am I correct?" He asked, looking at me.

I nodded in reply, knowing that the bullet pierced through there and was the common source of my discomfort.

"Alright then, another question. Are you having trouble controlling your left wing?"

I nodded my head again as I tried to lift my left wing to no avail. It still wasn't responding and I was dreading on where this was heading. I just hope I'm wrong.

He gave a sigh as he looked down sadly. "Then my suspicions seems to be correct. Ms. Silver, the bullet that hit you, although caused no outer damage, seemed to have pierced through crucial nerves and muscles. I might not be an expert on pegasi, but I think those nerves control your wing coordination, while your muscle is used for wing movement. Before you ask, no, this cannot be solved by magical potions. The damage seems to be permanent. I'm sorry to say this, but your left wing seems to be nonfunctional and would most likely impede your ability to fly."

I stared at him with disbelief as his words entered my ears before piercing through my heart. Everything he said jabbed into my heart, causing great pain, as great as the pain I felt on my wing. Like I said, flight was everything to a Pegasus and being told that you could not fly makes us feel useless. It is a gift given to us, something that makes us special. So having it taken away would crush any Pegasus. Like me, who was now grieving as the words processed in my head. Pegasi were meant to fly, not being stuck to the ground. It made me feel useless, being not able to do the only job I had. That would mean that I would have to walk all the way to the outpost at Clodsdale…

The thought soon hit me like a bullet. If I had no ability to fly, then how would I be able to get back? The only way to get to Enclave bases was to fly. Now I have lost that ability. I might never be able to get home, to go back to my friends and family. I would be stuck in the wasteland for my life, slowly rotting away as the landscape engulfs me if I don't get killed by the deadly ponies first.

Now like I stated earlier, I have done a lot of crying. This was no different, for my eyes begun to water at the thought. This was just too much to take. The loss of flight, the fact that I might not be able to go home. These were all hard blows and I desperately needed somepony to comfort me.

So I buried my face on my hooves, letting all my tears flow down as I cried all about this. I didn't know what to do anymore. I might as well give up, knowing that there was no hope for me. I was going to die in this wasteland and I could do nothing about it. I was going to be deprived from the beauty of flight, forever stuck on the ground.

As I cried my heart out, I felt a hoof wrap around behind me. Choking out cries and letting tears drip from me eyes, I looked up to see Bolt, with his hoof around me. He was giving me soothing look on his face. He wasn't saying anything, but the look on his face gave me comfort. Ever since I got stuck in the wasteland, he was the only one who helped me and cared for me. Now here he was doing again, supporting me with a silent look on his face. He didn't need words to sooth me, as his expressions were calming enough.

So I buried my face on his chess, having both my hooves wrapped around his neck. I could tell, from the sudden tension on his body, that he was shocked by my actions. But his muscles soon calmed, as he pulled me into a hug, bringing me closer to him. His right hoof soon stroked my mane, as he tried to calm me down from my grief and sorrow. He gently hums, as if trying to calm a foal from crying. I had to admit though, I really felt like a foal who was crying helplessly. Probably because I was in fact crying helplessly. I let my tears soak his chest, but he didn't seem to mind. I cried and cried, not knowing how long I did so. Right now, he was the only one I trusted the most and the only true friend in a place where friends almost never exist.