A Visit Home (closed)

[Thund3rstrike]

It was a sunny day in Ponyville, no clouds could be seen covering the skies, Thunder Strike was on her way to visit her family and to spend some hopeful alone time away from her colleagues at work. As she was gliding through the air she closed her eyes and let out a breath before talking to herself. "It has been ages since I've been back home.." she stated, her flame orange eyes opening once again. Last time she had a week long break from work Thunder had spent the enitre time in Las Pegasus, a place she had never been before. Thinking about the time she spent alone in Las Pegasus made her visibly cringe a little, that place was too loud for her, she did not like going there alone and she'd probably never go back again. Still in flight Thunder Strike noticed that she was finally approaching the meadows just past Sweet Apple Acres. Preparing to land the speckled grey and black mare began flying downward, she was getting ready to make a quick landing. As she got closer and closer to the ground beneath her Thunder Strike slowed down just a bit, to ensure that she wouldn't break her own legs. Just barely two inches from touching the ground she began to position her legs just so that she could skid to a halt, and when she finally made that hoof to ground contact she began to skid quickly against the grass. Her skid was cut short as she crashed into some tan, blue, and white blob. That 'blob' happened to be another pony, a pony she swore was not there just a minute ago. After the two ponies stopped rolling across the grass Thunder Strike slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times before reaching a hoof up to her snout and wiping a bit of red liquid from it. "Oww.." she groaned, shifting her gaze to the tan pony just next to her. She noticed that he had few small scrapes and scratches on his face and chest. "Are you okay..?" she asked, trying to sit up. "I did not see you while I was preparing to land." 

[KDS2]

Ejaz peacefully woke up from his nap, the pegasus slowly raising up to a sitting position while yawning and stretching his large wings. It had been a little over a week since he arrived at Ponyvile and decided to stay for a while, and so far it's been an amazing experience; every pony was different in terms of personality and attitude, and a lot of them seemed to be fond of a group of mares they refered to as "The Mane 6". Ejaz made a mental note to eventually make an effort to meet this group, but since there was no time limit, the mechanic wasn't in any rush.

 

Taking a deep breath, the beige pegasus took in the scenery that surrounded his naping spot, a nice grassfield with trees nearby, and the village just a little ways away with even a yellow path leading both towards and away from it. The stallion smiled gently as he enjoyed the quiet and peaceful surroundings, especially taking a liking to the wind blowing in his face which went nicely with the relaxing heat of the sun, and the occasional sounds of birds that happened to fly by his position. All this peaceful enjoyment however, was suddenly interupted as Ejaz had heard a strong thud accompanied by the sound of somepony skidding across the grass. The pegasus only had a second to react once he spotted the mare headed for him, and could only begin to scramble to his hooves before he was body slammed and rolled across the field with an almost canine like yelp.

 

Once he came to a stop, Ejaz groaned as he could feel certain areas of his body giving him friendly little notifications of his now sustained bruises and scrapes, specifically a cut on his cheek that bled a little and a cold spot on his head that he guessed either met a puddle or was now bleeding a little, if it was, then it would definitely show a redish spot in his bleach white and cobalt blue hair that might be a bit difficult to wash out. But his current state of being wasn't currently occupying the pegasus' mind, but rather, the state of the fellow pegasus that crashed into him was what took up his thoughts.

 

"A-Am I okay? O-oh yeah I'm fine, my worry is, are you okay?" Ejaz asked after rubbing his head with a wing and shaking off his diziness, then looking over at Thunder with a worried and curious expression. "I-I mean you did slam into me and rolled around as well... S-so are you fine?" He added and inquired again with a tilt of his head, his ears flopping over a little with his motion.

[Thund3rstrike]

"I'm fine.." She replied, blinking hard. Her head hurt, and so did her neck, but she knew it wasn't anything serious. "I think you might need stitches for that cut on your forehead, you have a good amount of blood oozing out.. Would you like me to help you to the hospital?" Thunder was a bit worried for him, she knew she had hit him hard when they had collided. 

Finally able to stand up she shook debris from her mane and tail and then took a second to gain her balance again, she was a bit disoriented from her 'crash landing'. After gaining her sense of balance again she got a little closer to him to inspect his wounds. Thunder Strike moved the beige pony's bangs from his forehead and looked a bit closer. "Yeah I should probably help you to the hospital, I think we both need to be checked out.." With a small sigh she took a step back and cleared her throat, her gaze meeting his. "I should probably introduce myself as well, the name is Thunder Strike, just call me Thunder. I've never seen you around here before, what's your name?" she asked, raising a brow at him before gently helping him to his feet.

[KDS2]

Ejaz watched curiously as Thunder checked herself for any injuries before blinking once she spoke about his own, the mechanic then froze up with slightly red cheeks when Thunder leaned closer to look at his forehead. After a moment, the beige pegasus sighed before noticing her lending him some help, which he accepted happily, but he wasn't so sure about the hospital trip. Not that it's bad, but rather Ejaz felt as though it was a lot of effort for an injury that he felt wasn't as bad as it looked. However, it was always better to check, Ejaz knew this, what he didn't just realize, was that he had said his thoughts out loud.

 

"A-a hospital? I don't think it's that bad... It certainly doesn't feel that bad... But, then again I guess it couldn't hurt to check... S-so I guess we could go?" Ejaz voices in an awkward tone of voice, blushing as he realized he  had voiced his thoughts. He was always so sheepish when it came to talking to others, especially females (and his choice for a semi anti-social life style while growing up as well as his childhood friend didn't exactly help with that). After a moment, Ejaz's eyes widened as he just realized that Thunder introduced herself.

 

"Oh apologies, I'm Ejaz, Ejaz Ferron, it's a pleasure to meet you." The mechanic introduces with a bow of his head, getting his awkwardness undercontrol and regaining his calmer attitude.

 

"I'm a traveling mechanic, and I uh, just arrived here a little more than a week ago... So it makes sense you haven't seen me." The stallion then explained with a gentle smile, and a just as gentle look in his eyes. Though he then realized that he probably had gunk and dirt in his hair, and so quickly shook his head to get it out, the hair that was tied in a bow whipping about a little, and the male accidentally making the red stain in his hair spread, and even create a tiny stream that ran down his cheek.

[Thund3rstrike]

Glancing away for a second Thunder Strike rolled her eyes before looking back at him. "Yeah, I think you should get that checked out.. You have blood all up in your mane." She said, staring directly at the red spot in the white part of his forelock. "And beides, they'll probably help clean up your other small scratches." she added, nodding to herself. 

Thunder noticed that Ejaz seemed to be a bit nervous while introducing himself, instead of saying anything about it she gave him a small smile. Since he definitely was not from around Ponyville she decided that she could let her guard down and possibly make a new friend, a friend that wasn't snother Wonderbolt. "So.. Ejaz, how long are you going to be in Ponyville?" She asked, arching a brow at him before turning away. As she turned away she began to take a few steps, since her wings seemed to be a bit sore. "Hospital is this way.. And you're a traveling mechanic you say? I might have a few pairs of flight goggles at my parent's house that I'd be more than happy to pay you to fix." This information excited Thunder, she hadn't been able to get those darn goggles of hers fixed in a few years. 

"Also, no need to be shy, I won't bite your tail off."

 

[KDS2]

Ejaz paused at hearing about a red stain in his white hair, an glanced up before letting out a huff.

 

"Aw man... Well... I guess to the hospital it is." He mutters quietly before giving his full attention back to Thunder, upon seeing her smile at him, the pegasus gave a small sheepish smile in return, the stallion then quickly caught up to the mare and walked at her side as he listened to her question.

 

"Well... I honestly don't know, usually I just stay somewhere until I either get bored or start feeling trapped..." Ejaz answers in a gentle tone, looking ahead in thought as he listned to her other suggestion and smirked gently.

 

"Yeah... I think I've been traveling for about a year now? I'm not exactly sure but that feels right... As for your googles, I wouldn't mind taking a look." The mechanic answers cheerily, though the male then blushed and paused in his steps briefly when Thunder noted his shyness.

 

"W-well... You see it's not you, it's just-... I uh, didn't interact with many ponies when I was growing up... So my social skill are kinda lacking..." The mechanic explains with an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of his head with a wing while he noticed ponyvile getting closer as he and Thunder continued their walk towards a hospital.

[Thund3rstrike]

“Traveling is fun... I travel quite often, but that’s because I am a performer.” She said, giving him a smile. “But, I don’t get bored of it since we don’t stay in one place for more than a few days usually. Occasionally on breaks I go to a place by myself.. that isn’t as fun though..” she added, shuddering at her horrible experience in Las Pegasus. 

 

Listening to him talk she nodded, understanding to some extent about how he grew up being basically alone. “...Yeah... I know how that goes.” She replied quietly, dropping er gaze for a quick second. “I only had my brother to play with when I was younger, I got picked on for my messy mane and tail and my speckles. And now everypony I went to school with wants to be my friend... all because I am a Wonderbolt.” Thunder shook her head, chuckling softly. “I hope I didn’t sprain a wing.” 

 

After a while of walking through the village and chatting they arrived at the hospital and checked in. While sitting in the waiting room Thunder Strike picked up a magazine and quickly flipped through the pages before tossing it back onto the pile of magaizines on the table next to her chair. “They never have anything good to read..” She grumbled, glaring at the pile and sticking her tongue out. “What’s your favourite thing to do besides fixing things?” She asked, turning her head to make eye contact with him. Looking into his eyes she noticed that his eyes were almost the same colour as her but a bit more red, his were like red hot coals whereas hers were the colour of red-orange flames.

 

//Sorry for the late reply! I fell up my steps outside and busted my face and have been suffering with a concussion since Tuesday!//

[KDS2]

"Performer?" Ejaz pondered curiously as he watched Thunderstrike describe what she did, he guessed he could sympathize with her lifestyle, always traveling with no real place to call a home, just multiple hotels to temporarily stay at. He himself had yet to go to Las Pegaus, but from the way Thunder shuddered, Ejaz could guess she didn't have the greatest time there, much akin to how he didn't have the best time when he was in Canterlot.

 

Ejaz couldn't help but give Thunderstrike an apologetic look, he truly felt sorry when he heard of how she only had her brother to play with, and the mechanic could feel anger begin to boil in him when the mare described how she was picked on and why. Ejaz could never even wrap his head around why somepony would hurt another just because of some differences, it just didn't compute to him. But he did understand where Thunderstrike was coming from.

 

"I uh, I mostly wanted to be by myself. I really only had one friend, and that was because she had interacted with me constantly and I just gave up trying to be alone... For the most part..." Ejaz explains rubbing the back of his head with a wing.

 

"So... While I can't sympathize with your inability to make friends when you were a filly... I can sympathize with being picked on... For me, it was cause I liked tinkering with things more than interacting... And because my wings are much larger than a normal pegasus..." Ejaz explains smiling gently as to show he held no grudges towards those that were mean to him. The mechanic then blinked in surprise as he heard Thunderstrike explain how popular she became when she became a Wonderbolt, and shrugged in indifference.

 

"Well... There are jerks who also end up becoming part of organizations with amazing reputations, so I'm not becoming your friend because of that." The biege pegasus states honestly, cause it was true. What someone is a part of doesn't matter, what does is who that person is, and from what he's seen, he can definitely say he liked Thunderstrike for who she was, not what she was a member of. Ejaz's attention was then taken off Thunderstrike as he looked and observed Ponyvile with amassing curiosity as they walked through towards a hospital. Taking in all the smells, the sights, and especially paying attention to the attitudes of the civilians they walked past. He was trying to get a general feel for the kind of aura the town had, and so far, it was really friendly, something he did enjoy.

 

Ejaz then looked up at the top of the hospital with curiosity as he and Thunder entered, the mechanic staying completely silent throughout the entire time Thunder checked them both in and found a seat to sit on an wait. Even then, Ejaz was completely silent as he absorbed all the little details of the hospital he could, only stopping and turning to look Thunderstrike in her eyes when she addressed him, noticing their similar eye colors and inwardly chuckling a little.

 

"Me? Well... Flying... I uh, I really like flying... And... Relaxing under a night sky?" Ejaz answers with a mix of awkwardness and confusion, there wasn't many things he did aside from fixing and flying, so his list of other activities he liked to partake in was incredibly short, the mechanic even awkwardly admitting to that.

 

"I don't exactly have many things I do, aside from fixing things and flying..." The male admits as he opens a wing and curls it up in front of him like a roll of paper towels. After culring his wing all the way, it had clicked in Ejaz's mind that Thunderstrike might be freaked out by his unnaturally flexibile wings and the pegasus softly sighed as he put his wing back in it's nutural position against his side, and semi-expected Thunder to at least ask something about it.

 

//Hey it's completely fine, as long as you're okay. Take as much time as you need considering you must be recovering still, I know what it's like to have a really bad concussion so don't push yourself for my sake okay? Just take it easy ^^ \\

[Thund3rstrike]

Nodding the speckled grey mare gave him a small smile before looking up at the ceiling. "Yeah, I don't really care all that much for the fame.. I just really like what I do. And there are some ponies that I work with that are all for the fame but are rude to their fans.." Glancing back at him she noticed how he was using his wing, she gave him a weird face but then cleared her throat. "Now.. I am not trying to be rude at all... But how do you you have that much flexibility in your wings?" She asked, arching a brow at him. She was a bit freaked out, but in more of a curious way. 

"Well that is good that you like flying, I mean, you aaaaare a pegasus. Do your wings make gliding a bit easier? And does the flexibility make it easy to dodge things such as trees?" Thunder had questions upon questions to ask, but for now she would keep it simple with just a few questions at a time. "The night sky is very beautiful, especially when all of the stars can be seen and when the full moon shines.. It's nice to lay on a cloud to get  a better look, but laying in the grass is nice too." 

 

After a few minutes of chatting the two were each called back into different rooms to be examined for serious injuries. All the usual measurments were taken by the nurse before the initial check up.. Height, weight, temperature, blood pressure.. While Thunder Strike quietly waited for the doctor to come she sat on the examination bed (is that what it's called??) and began to pull a few stray twigs from her messy tail. Within a few minutes the doctor was in, inspecting her head-to-hoof. He made sure to check over her wings to see if they had been sprained at all.. The doctor had spent at least fifteen minutes checking her before telling her that she had bruising on her left wing, and that she had a stiff neck. Other than all of her small cuts and bruises she was good to go, but she had to take it easy on her wing for a few days while the bruising healed. 

Thunder was released back into the waiting room and waited patiently for Ejaz to come back out. While she waited she picked up one of the magazines off of the table and began to flip through it to look through the pictures, not really paying much attention.

[KDS2]

Ejaz nodded as he listened to Thunderstrike agree on the idea of fame and the cons of being popular. The stallion was glad that Thunder didn’t take his opinion as an insult to herself (as some have, which only confused the pegasus a little more), he didn’t want to lose the friendship of somepony who seemed so nice. Inwardly, Ejaz sighed when he heard the question on his wings, having heard it enough times in his life that he’d be fairly rich if he got 10 bits every time it was said. But, the stallion smiled as he could tell Thunder didn’t mean to be rude at all, not just from her words, but also from her tone. Ejaz then opened his wing again and curled it up once again in front of him as he looked at the mare next to him.

 

”Well... When I was a colt... I was... I was told it was a symbol for what my talent will be in the future.... But honestly, I think it’s some kind of birth defect.” The stallion states softly, letting his wing return to it’s original position before jumping as he was suddenly bombarded with questions from the mare he was currently waiting with. Ejaz actually having a tint of red noticeable on his cheeks due to him not being used to recieving this level of attention.

 

”A-Actually... It makes gliding a bit harder, becuase it requires more focus, and if I don’t give it enough, my wings get loose and aren’t stiff enough to cut through wind easily.... as for making turns.... I can’t exactly compare becuase I don’t know what it’s like to have other kinds of wings... But uh... I have been asked to join the Wonderbolts once or twice thanks to these wings so.... I guess they make a big difference? I know for sure I can maneuver through forests pretty easily...” The mechanic explains contemplatively, thinking and remember each of the moments he described, including a painful memory of faceplanting the dirt and grass when he let his wings loose mid flight. Ejaz hoped that Thunder was satisfied with his answers, before his smile grew as he listened to the mare talk on how she too, enjoyed the night sky.

 

”I agree completely! I really like being in the clouds when I stargaze, especially since all the clouds that could block the view are under me! But another good spot is on top of a nice tall tree, high enough to feel a nice windy breeze, but low enough that you can see civilization and the world around you. I have always loved relaxing in trees for that very reason, but yeah I can agree that the grass is nice too, but in my honest opinion the clouds and the trees are the best spots....” Ejaz rants passionately, pausing as he realized that he ranted and blushing in embarrassment as he glanced at the mare beside him briefly.

 

”Uh... S-sorry... I uh... Got kinda carried away there...” He apologized before blinking as the docter called him and seperated the mechanic from the performer. In the patient dorm, Ejaz sat on the examination bed and watched with ears perked in curiosity as a doctor looked him up and down and checked for any injuries, putting bandage wraps on his head and telling him it was a miracle he didn’t get a concussion. The doctor also applied ointments and bandages to his bruised and cuts respectively, all in all Ejaz was quite comfortable throughout the ordeal. That is, until the doctor examined his wings, the mechanic sighed as the doctor was surprised by their flexibility and initially believed they were broken. After explaining his wings to the doctor, Ejaz quietly left the dorm with a warning not to jerk his head or move too quickly in a quick moment, bandaids on his side, hooves, and cheek, and finally a bandage wrap that went under his bangs and covered the wound that stained his white hair. Once out, Ejaz glanced around before noticing Thunder and heading over with a warm grin on his expression.

 

”Hey I just finished, how did yours go? Are you okay?” Ejaz asks as he approaches, and sits, next to Thunderstrike, the mechanic watching with his head tilted and his ears perked in curiosity.

[Thund3rstrike]

"You should have taken up on becoming a Wonderbolt! We need more ponies with different skill sets.." She said, keeping an eye on his wings so that she could observe them. "But you do seem like you'd probably get a bit nervous getting put on the spot like that.. And you probably like fixing things a lot better." 

Taking a moment to listen to the stallion as he went on about stargazing she felt her cheeks warm up just a bit, she didn't know other ponies could feel the same she did about the stars and star gazing. "What is your favourite constellation? Mine is Virgo the virgin pony.." She stated. "There is a super tall tree I'll have to take you to one of these nights, you can see almost all of the stars from there, on a clear night it is absolutely gorgeous."

Thunder giggled as he apologized for how he had went on about the stars before they had both been called back. She thought it was kind of cute in a way. 

After a bit of waiting Thunder Strike looked up to see Ejaz walking towards her with a smile on his face. She stood up from her seat and walked a few steps toward him. "Yeah I'm okay, I brusied up a wing and they cleaned up my small cuts. How are you? Did they give you stitches or no?" As she asked him questions she was interrupted with a grumble from her stomach. "Ahh... I think we should go find something to eat, I'm starved." She said, letting out a small laugh. "It will be my treat, a welcome to Ponyville."

[KDS2]

Ejaz took a sigh and released the breath he didn’t even know he was holding. He was glad to hear that she’ll be alright, the mechanic then blinked as Thunder had questioned his own condition.

 

”Oh me? Well uh... I’m actually a-okay... I just might have a concussion so I need to be a little careful how fast I move.... I’m uh... Honestly sorry you ended up with worse injuries than me...” Ejaz states softly as he watches Thunder rise and meet him halfway. He was about to say something before pausing as he heard the rumble that is the mare’s stomach. Ejaz chuckled softly as he too, could feel his stomach desiring some form of sustenance. Upon hearing her offer for food, the mechanic smiled brightly before giving a nod.

 

”Sure, I’d love to go eat, thank you for welcoming me!” Ejaz happily cheers with a bow of his head, mentally thinking about what Thunder had suggested eariler. Ejaz had in fact, contemplated going and actually accepting the offers to join the Wonderbolts, and while he had denied it before, now that he met Thunder, he might join after all.

 

”You know what Thunder, to get back on the subject of the Wonderbolts, I-... I might join after all... If uh... You’d be there with me...” Ejaz offers awkwardly as he looked away in shyness, a tint of red on his cheeks as he felt a little vulnerable, before remembering something else Thunder said and blushing a little harder.

 

“And uh, the things is .... I-I actually don’t have any problems when I’m put on the spot... It’s... It’s during individual interactions that I get all... Discombobulated...” The pegasus shyly admits with a sheepish grin. “Yeah... I’m weird...” With that statement, Ejaz fell into an awkward silence (at least awkward for him), he didn’t really know what else to say before something came to mind as he remembered her commenting on how he liked fixing things.

 

“As for liking to fix things, very much so actually, it’s uh, kind of my passion... and the cool thing is... I can use my wings to pick stuff up and use things like screwdrivers wrenches, kind of like the way Diamond Dogs use their hands. The only thing I like more than fixing, is helping, so I won’t be bothered much if I join the Wonderbolts.” Ejaz informs happily, looking at his wings and curling their tips like fingers before letting them back to their normal position as the other hospital occupants began to stare, an action which only made Ejaz take a step closer to Thunder out of a sense of nervousness and vulnerability.