//------------------------------// // Wings. // Story: Adventures Are No Fun. // by AxalKay //------------------------------// The morning of Screeche's second Day in Dodge, Leaf made an anonuncement at breakfast. "I am heading off to Mainhatten," said Leaf with a smile. Screech hissed. "Why do you have to go?" "There is a restaurant that wants to stock our wine," explained Leaf. "Wine is difficult and expensive to transport. We don't have enough money to pay somepony to ship it for us. Not yet. I just know this is the start of something big. This time next year all of our money woes will be gone. We will eat slime with silver spoons and dance on the higest roof in Cloudsdale. What is something useless and expensive no pony would ever need?" "A yovidaphone." "I will buy you ten!" Leaf kissed his family (and Screech) before heading out the door. ------------------------------------------------------------ Screech sat on the damp ground and listened to Berry go on about grapes. She nodded. She streached her prosthetic wing. Rain drops rolled off of it. It was a marvel. She wondered how it worked. She wondered why it needed eighty nine gyroscopes. She wondered why it was blue. She would have prefered black. Or pink. Pink was a nice color. She didn't mind aqua blue. At least it wasn't red. Orange would have been nice. She did most of her flying at night and being more visible at night is never a bad thing. "Are you listening?" asked Berry. Screech shook her head. "No. Do you think my wing should have reflectors on it?" "No. You don't want to blind the other flyers. Having flashes of light coming off your own wing would be distracting if not disorienting." Berry took a grape off a vine and handed it to Screech. "Do you know why we grow grapes?" Screech looked at the walls of grape vines. "Not to make wine." Berry smiled. "Not to make wine. This is what our family has done for generations. Have you ever competed in the rodeo?" "I have." "Were you good at it?" "I broke a few records." "Did you enjoy it?" Screech poked the ground with her hoof. "Not especally." "Dad meant it. He would buy you every one of those yovidaphones. He never will. Dodge is a nice place where ponies live quiet lives." He smiled at his home. "You can kill Celestia. I am going to grow grapes in Dodge." The rain started falling harder. Screech spread her wing to feel more of the rain drops. "The rain feels nice after a long day picking grapes." "It is quite pleasant," agreed Screech. ------------------------------------------------------------ Screech woke in an unfamilure bed. She groaned. She was still in Dodge Junction. She went to her closet to grab her prosthetic wing. It was not in her closet. Screech ran to the kitchen and hissed at Cradle. "Use your words," said Cradle. "That was a word," snapped Screech. "Never mind. Where is my wing!" She stomped her hoof and bared her fangs. Cradle frowned. "That is not how you get what you want. Ask nicely." Screech hissed. "Please tell me where my wing is." Cradle smiled and patted Screeche's head. "Upstairs in your closet." Screech bit at the air. "My wing is not in the closet!" "Berry didn't take it. Leaf has been gone since yesterday. Either Periwinkle or Funny moved it." "Why!" "I don't know. Lets ask them." They found Funny in the empty field. He held a big jar of pink glitter in his hooves. On the ground infront of him was Screeche's wing. He had spray painted her entire wing hot pink. "Now everypony will be able to tell you are a girl," said Funny with a smile. The small delicate machinary that allowed her wing to bend and fold was gummed up with paint and glitter. Screech burst into tears. Her ability to fix broken things did not extend to prosthetic wings. Cradle hugged Screech and whispered reassuring words to her. Funny snapped, "Quit acting like a baby!" Cradle snapped, "She is a baby. She is younger than you are." Funny was taken aback. "She is huge!" Screech sobbed, "Good prosthetics cost a lot of money. This was the best Luna's Home For Journying Children was willing to buy." Cradle petted Screech. "We will get you a new wing. A better wing. How much did this one cost?" "Three thousand bits. A good one could cost four times more." Cradle glared daggers at Funny. "We don't have that much money. Hopefully we can get it reparied for six hundred bits." ------------------------------------------------------------ Screech tried to fly away from Mr. Nick's army of basset hounds. She spiraled and fell a short distance. She hissed at the hounds who barked more loudly. Mr. Nick held Screeches prosthetic wing in his hooves. "Can you fix it?" asked Cradle with a forced smile. "Get these fitlhy muts away from me!" "They are not muts! Those are pure bread hounds." Mr. Nick poked one of the wings joints with a dirty hoof. "I Can't be sure until I take her apart." Over the dogs' barking, Screech shouted, "He can't fix it. I lived in Canterlot. I can smell a conpony from a mile away." Mr. Nick jumped half a pony high. "I- I am not a conpony!" He cleared his throat. "Little filly I am a good honest stalion." Screech reared onto her back legs. The dogs ran. "If you can't fix it will you charge us?" "I have to this is a buisness." "Not a good one," Screech spat. She ran away as the dogs came back. Cradle sofly assured, "Screech, Sweet heart, this is not Canterlot. We do things differently here. If Mr. Nick says he will fix your wing then he will." Screech ran away. One of the hounds chased her down the street. ------------------------------------------------------------ Screech washed dog blood off her wing for the second time in three days. "Did you have to kill Houdsly?" asked Cradle. Screech said, "Yes. It chased me." "I know. I am sorry." "He can't fix it. Mr. Nick. He can't even train his muts." "I know." "Why did you pay him?" "You will understand when you have children." Screech forgot to hiss. "Maybe. I am a bat pony." "I am sure bat ponies are wonderful parrents." Screech didn't agree. "Will you braid my mane?" ------------------------------------------------------------ Periwinkle dragged Funny through the front door by his ear. "What part of 'grounded until flying pigs freez' did you fail to understand?" Funny yelld, "The part where I am being punished for doing something nice!" Screech looked up from her coloring book. "Did Silly sneak out?" Periwinkle smiled at Screech. "Your mane looks nice braded." Funny yelled, "It's Funny!" Screech said, "Not as you think." Periwinke said, "He did." "Has he always been like this, or is this recent?" asked Screech. "This is not your fault!" insisted Periwinkle. "Mom always wanted another child, but shortly after Funny was born... it was no longer an option. She babied him way too much. She realised her mistake about a year ago. He has been like this his entire life." "This is your fault!" Insisted Funny. "Everything was fine until you came along. You ruined everthing!" Prey (Screeche's pet baby racoon) hissed. Screech nodded in agreement. ------------------------------------------------------------ Screech closed her wings. Her prosthetic wing was stiff and the weight distrabution changed. Four hundred bits for greased joints and she was still stuck on the ground. "I am sorry," said Cradle. Her head was so low her muzzle nearly touched the floor. "No pony in Dodge Junction can fix your wing. We don't have any replacements either. We don't have many pegasi. You are the first one winnged bat pony in Dodge ever." Funny yelled. "I can fix it." He grabbed Screeche's wing. He ignored the girl's hissing and thrashing. His hoof found the release and her wing popped off. Screech dove onto Funny. Cradle was startled and confused. Screech was biting Funny. She panicked and grabbed a broom. Not exactly a crowbar but it would do. "Screech, let him go!" she yelled. Screech saw the broom being held like a club. She did not let Funny go. Cradle lightly batted Screech on the head. Screech jumped away from Funny and tried to hiss. She sobbed.