Awoken

Chapter 3: Winter Wrap Up

I think the same question was going through our heads as we walked. What now?

We escaped, but now what? The Rainbow Factory was our home. There's nowhere for us to go. Toaster is right, we can't go back now, they'll kill us. I don't have a home to go back to. My parents are both dead.

I glanced over at Amber. "Where do you live? We can take you back there if you want."

She shook her head. "I don't want to go back."

"Why?"

"My mom died from cancer last June. My father hates me. He gives all his attention to my older sister, who's a wonderbolt-in-training, and my younger sister, who's only 4 months old. It's hard being the middle child. Nopony cares about me. I bet they wouldn't even notice that I was gone..." She averted he gaze to the ground.

I sighed. "I know exactly how you feel."

She looked up. "Huh?"

"Nopony cared about me either. My parents were both killed in a fire. I had no friends, and everypony seemed to hate me cause I couldn't fly. Praise the flock and all that. None of them knew the truth."

"What was the tr-"

"I don't like to talk about it," I snapped, ending the conversation.

She quickly dropped her eyes back to the ground. "Sorry..."

We walked in silence for a few minutes before I remembered her cries for help in The Factory. I can fly! Really! I was just too full of myself! I just need a second chance!

"How'd you fail your flight exam?" I finally asked.

She glared at me. "I don't like to talk about it."

"Fine, suit yourself," I said, annoyed that she was mimicking me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught her glanced over and sigh. "I was too confident. I was always a great flier, and I knew I would ace my flight test. I executed the first two sections perfectly. Clear and fly. Fall... That was where I screwed up. I thought I could do better than all of the other ponies that passed. I knew there were no extra points for keep my wings closed for longer, but I wanted to show off... I did it anyways. I fell for one second longer than was required, and when I tried to pull up... Both my wings snapped. I don't know what was worse, the pain from my broken wings, or the fact that I had failed my exam all because of one stupid mistake that was all my own fault. As you've probably guessed, I never reached complete..."

I nodded slowly, understanding. Clear, fly, fall, complete. Basically the whole flight exam. Clear the clouds, fly through the hoops, close your wings and fall then pull up before you hit the ground, then fly to the gates and complete your test, becoming a full member of the flock.

However, this filly's "not being given a chance" wasn't quite what I had expected. She was given a chance. She just didn't use it well. It was her own fault that she failed. Flying wasn't about how athletic you are. You also have to be a quick, smart, thinker. Which obviously Amber was not. I should have just left her back at the factory.

"I see." I said, trying to keep my anger under control.

I stopped walking as a town came into view. "There's a village over here!" I called to Toaster, who was still following a ways behind us at he bottom of the hill.

He didn't answer, just growled at us.

"Well somepony's not happy," I muttered, rolling my eyes. We began to walk down the opposite side of the hill, towards the town.