Chapter 1: The Market

“Lily! Did you hear what I said?”

“Huh, what?” I replied as I stopped gazing at the row of books lined along one of the stall’s counters.

My mother who was once looking at me with a stern stare turned to her side, unclasping her pouch with her mouth, pulling out several bits. “I need you to go to the florist over by the vegetable sector and pick up some sunflowers for the bees.”

“Did we run out already?” I ask, looking back at the books in the stall.

Mom tapped me on the head with her hoof, getting my attention. “Yes we did.”

“Now lately you have not been doing your part as a beekeeper and it’s been angering the family. You been keeping your head buried in books instead of helping your family survive. So help us for once by simply getting some flowers. Don’t mess this up alright? Now get going, we have someone we want you to meet on the blimp.”

I bowed my head, remaining silent as I turned and trotted away towards the Vegetable Sector.

I never really liked The Market. It was always so noisy and crowded and bumping into every pony was almost guaranteed unless you are a Pegasus. I continued trotting between individual ponies, looking left or right trying to find the florist stall.

I began to go back over what she said earlier. Someone they want me to meet? Our family ain’t exactly one for meeting ponies let alone introducing ponies to others. I let the thought sink into the back of my mind as I slowed to a walk as I approached the florist stall. A older pony, with a light bronze body and equally colored eyes stayed behind the counter. She lifted her head as I approached in modest.

“Hey! Look who is back at our place! Well I be a fiddle of a filly you are here for some flowers ain't ya?” hollered the pony.

“Sure are Peggy. Sunflowers as usual.” I replied, quickly placing the bits given earlier onto the counter.

“Sunflowers?” replied Peggy, raising an eyebrow. “Don't you buy anything other than sunflowers?”

I bowed my head, ashamed. “I wished. My moth--”

“Flora? Kinda tall, light pink with a honeycomb cutie mark?” Interrupted Peggy.

“Yes...Flora Apoidea. My Mother.” I replied, though with a touch of a scowl at Peggy’s rude interruption.

Peggy ducked underneath the counter of her stall as a voice trailed her. “Aye Darling! You need yourself a fresh cup of lemonade before you go bucking off down the street or at someone.”

I looked behind me, talking as I eyed the blimp on the docking station in the distance. “I really can’t Aunt Peggy. The blimp will leave soon.”

Peggy brushed it off with her hoof. “Pff, Blimp Shrimp. You got plenty of time to have a small glass of pink lemonade.”

At this response, Peggy poured a glass of her Honey-Nut, Lemon Squeezed Pink Lemonade. Peggy sure knows how to make someone thirsty. I stepped in place, nervously trying to decide what to do.

Peggy, being herself made it worse. She slowly added several ice cubes from a cooler, using frosted tongs to move them. The ice cubes give off a gentle clang as they fall into the small glass and hit the bottom. My happiness won over me, dragging my body over to the counter and quickly shoving my snout down the glass, drinking up the lemonade like a vacuum cleaner.

“Easy girl! You’re gonna give yourself a tummy ache at that rate!” cried Peggy though her constrained smile shows she was not being all that serious.

I crunched my snout and pulled away as Peggy held the glass still, releasing my snout from it’s delicious prison. Peggy eyed me then the Sunflowers. Instinctively, my eyes followed and eventually made the connection.

“Oh. Thanks Peggy and thanks for the lemonade. It was as good as always!” I yelled after grabbing the flowers and placing them into my pouch, galloping off.

“No problem dear! Don't forget to tell Flora I said hello!” Yelled Peggy just as another customer was walking up to her.

Okay think I thought to myself. Flowers? Check. Lemonade? My stomach churned as the aching began to loom. Check. Anything else? Nope.

I took a left and then a right, zig zagging towards the blimp, everything was moving at such a good pace that I did not notice the filly in the middle of the intersection.

The momentum from me and the Filly’s lower height could not prevent the imminent crash. I got several seconds of air before colliding and grinding along the ground. A sharp hot pain shooting up the right side of my face. A whimpered loomed behind me as well.

“Oh no...” I groaned as I slowly got to my hooves, wobbling.

Several ponies began to gather from the Meat District in the West and the General/Misc Goods in the East. I slowly turned to see the filly, only to find her covered in dirt and a hoof mark imprint on her body.

“I’m so sorry!” I cried as I walked over. “I was going too fast and was thinking and could not focus..”

Tears welled up in my eyes, not only from the pain in my cheek but for pity. The filly laid there, looking down at the dirt as a long gash ran up the right side of her cheek. A tear shed not from this young pony as she slowly got up.

“Are you okay?” I asked, bowing my head to her level.

“Yes.” Replied the young Filly.

The filly walked several feet away only to fall forward onto her snout.

“Cancel that. Maybe not so much.” Came a soft whimper.

I limped over looking down at her. She laid there, shriveled up and shaking. Tears dotting her cheeks in places.

“Can I help you then? It’s the least I can do.” I asked.

A struggled whimper wheezed out from the filly as she nodded.

I looked around at the other ponies. Frowning as they just stood there not helping in anyway. I backed up slowly, bowing my head before moving forward, plowing underneath the ground and getting the filly’s body onto my head. I turned my head behind me, feeling the filly climb and eventually cling onto my body and neck.

I decided to take this moment to look her over as the other ponies began to leave. The filly, younger than me but not by much was a dark green like me but her most shocking feature being the small nub on her forehead. She was a unicorn. I looked around me. No pony but Earth Ponies dominated this area of Canterlot, reasons unknown at my age. I began to walk towards the distant blimp as the sun began to crest along the distant mountains...

Chapter 2: Past Mistakes are Fortunes

The air began to turn chilly as shadows loomed over the closing stalls as I jogged down one of the streets, the filly on my back. The filly, who’s name I found out be Mesmer was born in the outer regions of Canterlot, where many Unicorn’s are sent for tryouts to certain schools. She had come to The Market in search of a book to help her in Philosophy Basics II (But found nothing) before getting slammed into by me. Her cutie mark, like mine is non-existent but she hopes hers has something to do with magic.

Mesmer lightly questioned me about who I am and where I lived and even where I was going only to reveal that she too was going to Port #23 to get a ride back to where she came from. The pony laid across my back, practicing certain types of her magic around me, one of which was a water spray that I thanked greatly for considering my sunflowers needed it.

I began to turn left down onto a main street. seeing the entrance of the Air Trans Port #23 deck. I began to jog slightly, checking often to make sure the young magic filly did not do another face plant into the hard soil. As we got near, I heard the dreaded horn, the blimp was leaving. I dashed up the crescent stairs, stopping at a gate that is occupied by two guards.

“Present Identification.” One of the male ponies barked as he approached me.

“Of course.” I replied, reaching behind me only to see the filly handing the guard hers and my pass together.

“They are both valid.” The guard replied after looking at them shortly, handing them back.

The guard nodded to the other as they stood aside. The gate began to open and we dashed through. I tried to push past the crowd of people but was easily bounced back.

“Let’s try going to Level B and take the stairs down the other side to get past.” Suggested Mesmer.

I nodded, turning and dashing across the platform. The second horn blows as I barge through the doors into the poorly lit stairwell.

“We are not gonna make it.” I say between breaths as I galloped up the spiral stairs.

Mesmer remained silent as we began going down the other side of the staircase, barging through the next set of doors as the final third horn blew. The blimp has taken flight.

I dodged between several ponies as I neared the loading deck for the blimp as it was leaving.

“Flora! You forgot me!” I yelled.

Mesmer hopped off, dashing towards the gate guards. “I will get the guards for help!”

I watched as the blimp etched slowly towards the distance. I turned away, watching Mesmer talking to a guard by the gate. The guard seemed to change into a alert status, barking a order at the other guard as he expanded his wings and took flight.

A gust of wind blew against my mane as a strong heat crests over me. I watched as the guards facial expression changes to that of panic and fear as he flew over me. Several other ponies began to back away in terror, some even running. It is all I can do but to look at the blimp to see for myself what was going on.

The blimp was arching downward to the left, two smoke pillars raising from the port side. Several Pegasi began to fly off the falling blimp, some even picking up others before taking flight. I turned my head to look at Mesmer but she vanished from view. Several whistling sounds whipped by me as a team of guards flew towards the blimp. Most of the guards got the ones who could not fly, such as the Earth and Unicorn ponies.

I watched the guards carefully as they flew back to the platform, dropping the ponies safely. I watched each pony as he/she ran back to their families, crying. Like them, tears begin to slowly fill my eyes as each pony being unloaded was not Flora. A single guard rose from the blimp in the distance as it began to sink behind the mountains. As he flew back, the single silhouette of a pony hangs from his hooves. I walked to the edge of the platform as he rocketed over me, the body giving off a smoky odor from the residue on it’s darkened pink body.

I backed up greatly, first at the odor then in shock. It looked like my mother for certain but even that is doubtful. My brain was playing tricks on me, trying to confirm my suspicion of something so unreal actually happening. My mother, may have actually perished, but I knew such things were unlikely, or did I? I did not know what to do, who to go to or if I should just sit here and cry. Unfortunately, I did the latter for the longest time...

I lost track of time as I sat on the platform, watching the sun slowly set over the mountain range in the distance. A single smoke tower rose from behind, showing what seemed to be something that happened only moments ago. My ears lowered even more as I remembered what Flora said earlier. Someone special I was to meet was with her on that blimp. Unless they were a Pegasus or a lucky pony, they must of perished with her.

I slowly stood up, looking amongst the now empty platform. Brochures and loose items were the platforms primary debris. A gentle wind gust blew several brochures over the platform and down the thousand or so feet to the valley below. Flora did not perish was all I could think of as I began walking back to the golden gate that lead back near The Market. My best bet was to head directly to the Canterlot’s Summit Hospital which is relatively close and see what her condition was.

I pushed open the slightly jarred golden gate back onto the desolate streets. The Market down the dirt road was deserted as well, counters abandoned and doors wide open. Several smaller ponies were off in the distance, seemingly raiding a stall that sold candy. I turned down the path away from The Market, beginning to gallop towards the Summit Hospital, hoping for the best but at the same time, fearing the worst.

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It was early in the morning by the time I got to the Hospital, at least from my ability to tell due to the moon’s position. The Summit Hospital is exactly as it is named. It’s a hospital on the summit and shockingly one of the best hospitals in Equestria. Its isolated location keeps patients in a peaceful setting and the summit challenges those who wish to break habits and addictions.

I entered the hospital slowly. I was scared and shy, not exactly knowing what to do. I walked up to the receptionist, keeping my head low.

The receptionist must of had radar built into her or something for almost instantly she looked over the counter down at me.

“Are you lost?” She asked. A pitiful look slowly appeared on her face.

I tapped my hoof against the white tile flooring. “N-No, I am looking for my mother.”

The receptionist looked over her desk, pushing aside some papers and folders till she got to a book. Instantly she flipped it open and went half way through.

“Name?” She asked.

“Mine or my mothers?” I replied, my voice slowly being lowered as I began to feel like everyone is staring at me.

The receptionist looked up from the book, looking back over the counter down at me again. She slowly began to smile as she reached into a cup and pulling out a small sucker, handing it to me.

“Your nervous are you not?” She asked.

“Y-Yeah” I stammered, eyeing the exits for some odd reason as I took the sucker.

“I like the apple ones the best.” She said as she crossed her hooves on the desk.

I looked up at her, puzzled. “What?”

She pointed down at the sucker. “Apple Suckers are my favorite. Try it.”

I looked down at the sucker, completely blank in thought as I peeled off the wrapper with my mouth.

“Trash bin is to your left.” She stated as she continued to watch me.

I looked first to my right, shaking my head as I corrected myself back to the left. I walked over, placing the wrapper in the bin before walking back to the front of the desk, sucker in mouth. I slowly began to calm, breathing more lightly.

“So, once again. Name of your mother?” She asked as she looked down at her book.

“Flora Apoidea. I’m her daughter Lily.” I replied, moving the sucker around in my mouth with my tongue as I watched the white stick swirl around.

The receptionist flipped through some pages, moving quickly to the F’s then the sub category A.

“Your mother is not in here. When was she admitted?” She asked, flipping around some pages.

“I think I saw her get flown in from the Blimp Accident.” I replied, my ears drooping as I recall the event. I turn silent.

The receptionist caught onto this as well, seemingly omniscient with me and the Hospital. She reached over, pressing a button somewhere on her side of the desk.

“Can someone send me a nurse and a guard?”

“Will do. Jen will be there in a minute.” Came back a voice.

I walked over to the seats nearby, climbing onto one of the loftier ones, curling up.

A voice echoed over the P.A system.

“Nurse Jen, please report to the Lobby. Your presence is needed immediately.”

The voice quickly changed tones to a rougher female voice as well.

“L.P Guard #453, report to the Lobby now.”

I shrunk my head even lower as it seems the Hospital went into full hive mode. I watched the desk carefully as a young pony, older then me by far approached the desk from the receptionists side, talking to her. The receptionist looked around before noticing me, pointing me out. The nurse followed her pointing and nodded, walking over to me.

My head was nearly half deep into the chair when the nurse came up to me.

“Can I help you with that?” Came her voice, soothing almost.

I looked up slightly, seeing the pink haired unicorn pony, a medical logo as her cutie mark.
“Help me with what?” I asked.

The pony pointed to the gash in my right cheek. Almost in that instant, the pain returned, slowly throbbing. I nodded as I squeezed shut my eyes, ignoring the annoyance of the pain. I heard the pony open a kit nearby, the sound of her horn coming to life as well. I watched out of the corner of my eye as the pony walked over with several items floating around her. She looked into my eyes as she held a cloth to a bottle, holding it upside down several seconds before capping it.

“This is gonna burn. Alright?” She asked as she slowly brought the cloth to my gash.

I began to shake like a leaf as the cloth approached me. As soon as the cloth touched my gash, a searing burn flushed my face, sweeping from my right cheek across to my left. I took a breath as the nurse began to clean me up, both the wound and my general appearance. The nurse began to pick me up as I began to doze off. As I looked up at the desk, I saw the receptionist show the guard her book. The guard seemed to look over at me as I passed by on the nurses back, bowing his head...