Chapters The gusty winds and bullets of rain tested Luna's night of solace as the citizens of Ponyville prepared themselves for a lengthy night from the trials of a violent storm. One of the many pegasi who shared assistance with preparations of the storm coincided upon a hill, one far enough from the town and its usual busy days where he would overlook the palette of ponies and just smile at their simpleness.
This stallion, coated with light cyan fur and a candy cane mane, he sat by a boarded window upon a cushioned chair, sipping a cup of tea to whisk away the frigid chills of the night and rain. Closing his eyes with a gulp, not even the drumming thunder and violent shakes of the land could shift his mind at peace. He welcomed it, he was the creator of this storm that the Weather company of Cloudsdale so rarely asked for.
Knock knock knock
An abrupt series of tapping came from his wooden door, immensely disturbing the stallion as his eyes opened with dilated pupils that foresaw the guillotine coming down on this annoyance.
He sighed, muttering to himself as he sluggishly trotted towards the door with a warning for any passerby. "Look, if you want to stay the night until the storm is over, that's fine, but I only got space for one." He then opened the door, eyes widening in astonishment to find something small, something moving wrapped in tattered cloth.
"Holy mother of Celestia's beard." He unraveled the sheets only to find a small unicorn foal, her coat snow as white and mane cyan as his. "T-this can't be mine!" As if on cue, the lightning then whitened the sky, giving vision of a stallion's silhouette only a few metres away in his chance to to flee. "Eugh, now I know this definitely can't be mine."
In a split-second moment, the cyan stallion gave chase to the mysterious guardian of the foal, screaming as he did so, "Take back your child! I don't want it either!"
With wings beating against the sound of thunderous roars, the droplets of rain stoned the cyan pony's back as he inched closer and closer toward the silhouetted figure. He caught eye of the fleeing stallion's waving tail and clenched upon it with jaws of steel and yanked the stallion backwards and mistakenly on top of him. In a daze, recovering from the recoil, the lightning once more provided the harbinger of the storm true vision of his escapee... something that was lost of hope, filled with fear, anger and scars, and a face that couldn't bear the weight of his responsibility. He could've only been no more than sixteen years of age.
Then and there, out of sheer pity alone, the decision was made to relieve the mysterious stallion of his newly abandoned offspring and to accept her as his daughter.
With a heavy burden and the oncoming years of stress, the lonesome pony traveled lazily to his home, a bashful mind that questioning his capabilities on raising a foal. At his doorstep, he glanced at the hastily wrapped foal once more before taking her into his home. "Not even a basket... no way in Tartarus could that pony raise you on his own," he spoke to the miniature equine with a soft gaze as he inspected her. "Striped midnight blue mane, colours of the sky, and yet, you're a unicorn. Hmph, I guess I shall name you... Aerial."
With a sigh to relieve him of the recent events, he sat upon his chair, cradling the newborn with warmth in his hooves. He couldn't help himself to a smile at the idea of becoming a dad. He finally introduced himself, "Hello Aerial, you can call me Graze."
My dad always told me tales of stranger ponies, their cultures and where they came from.
He said that there were two types of ponies in this world, and that we were born from both.
Of one he said, stubbornness and selfishness created their own demise and destruction. That's why us ponies are so kind, gentle and forgiving... because there are hardly any in existence up to this date.
And the other, how they would do anything to keep those alive to feed their selfishness.
One day we'd have to chose between them; sacrifice and selfishness... but is there really a difference?
Eighteen Years Later
Through steady and calm trots down the stairs came to reveal that same abandoned mare, her mane representing the colours of the sky within her stripes as even her cloud-white coat contrasted perfectly with scarlet eyes that could instill fear into anypony's soul. Upon her flank laid a cutiemark, a single chibi wing, something rather peculiar for a unicorn such as herself to have.
Touching base of the staircase, her eyes scanned the dining room, catching a glimpse of a stallion seated at the furthest end of the mahogany table, his light cyan forehooves beneath his chin, patiently waiting for the convict to arrive.
He called out to her with a stern command, "Sit down, Aerial," and at the opposite end of the table, she had no choice but to obey her father. Setting aside the stool and dropping her weight upon it with a slouch, her hair drew over her left eye, trying to mimic her father's stature as the tension built through their silence .
"Are you ready?" his calm and unnerving voice asked, sending chills throughout her spine. Nevertheless, she allowed the quietude of the environment to answer for her, trying her best to keep maintain her focus. "Very well... you've brought this upon yourself." He then took a deep breath, clearing his mind and systems as he began. "What is magic?!"
Her eyes widened being caught off-guard, but yet slammed her hooves on the table with confidence. "Magic works in a similar manner to energy, in that it’s able to be stored and transferred, but not truly created or destroyed. All ponies have magic within them, which manifests itself in specific ways with each pony race!"she hastily exclaimed.
"What's the 38th element of the periodic table?"
"Strontium!"
"What is the mole equal to?"
"Six point zero two two by ten to the twenty third power!"
"What is entropy?"
"Lack of order or predictability which soon leads to a gradual decline into disorder!"
"What law did her Royal Majesty enact after the first running of the leaves ceremony!"
"No use of fire!"
"What's my only rule when flying?"
"Don't fly too close to the sun!"
"Why must you not bring home a stallion?!"
"Because you will rip him limb from limb if he hurts me, sir!"
"And why can't I do that?!"
"Because it is against the law!"
The two continued their strenuous staring competition until the father broke out into a hefty fit of laughter. He rose from his seat, flapping his wings as he reached his daughter, playfully ruffling her mane as he made his way into the kitchen. "One more question," Graze unsuspectingly notified Aerial, sending warning shocks throughout her entire body.
Dammit old man, can't you give me a break? I have three exams today and I already did mocks... I'll be fine! Aerial thought to herself, hurriedly rushing through her crammed studies in preparation for anything that could been thrown her way.
"What would you like for your eighteenth birthday, Aerial?" He returned to his panicking daughter, placing a floral patterned chocolate cake with eighteen lit candles between them.
Left breathless and in her own stupor, Aerial momentarily basked in the heat of the flickering candles. Free from the flames' hypnotic dance routine, Aerial asked out of sheer astonishment and bewilderment, "T-Today's my birthday?"
Graze nodded and an ear-to-ear smile drew upon her face as she excitedly galloped to double-check the calendar. "Hmph, you study so hard for your tests, memorizing all that work and yet you can't even remember your own birthday... are you sure you're going to pass?" Graze teased, glancing from his side as he too smiled with daughter.
Halfway through the route of the school, father and daughter trotted side by side, enjoying the cool morning breeze as even the sun was now fully at its place, bringing the rest of Ponyville to life. Blades of grass performed a low melodic tune as the wind playfully swayed them side to side. Everything was at peace.
"Dad, you do know I'm eighteen now, right? I'm practically an adult, and this is my last day of school, you don't have to walk me, ya know," Aerial complained, lowering her neck as she trotted beside the larger pegasus.
"In your mind, you'd still be fifteen if I hadn't told you," her father countered, matching his pace with hers. "But I'm not leaving until you tell me what you want for your birthday... next thing I purchase the wrong gift, you don't like it, you hate me and then you abandon your old man." He jokingly guilt tripped her with puppy eyes.
"Okay, okay, lemme think for a second." The unicorn paused in her tracks, looking to the sky in hopes the answer would come to her. "What do I truly want..." she mumbled to herself. Her eyes fixed on a cloud as an idea bolted through her mind. "Oh, maybe you can teach me how to make lightning... you know, from the clouds?"
And with those words, Graze's usual unbothered smile was replaced with something... ominous. His facial expression could only detail the events of a dropped bomb as he stared down his daughter, frightening her in the most.
"No," was all he replied. "Think of something else."
"B-But why?" Aerial jumped over her fears and had brought herself to ask.
"How about no. I'm not teaching you something so dangerous." He then continued to trail the high school route leaving his daughter behind.
"Okay, okay, sorry Dad... can you at least tell me why, Oh Great and Powerful Harbinger of the Ponyville Storms?" She tried her best to butter him up, but still reached the same conclusion.
"That's physically impossible for a unicorn such as yourself. You may be able to fly like a pegasus, walk on clouds like one too, but for a pegasus, let alone a unicorn to produce a thunderstorm by one's self is a dangerous and strenuous task, and I'm not going to put my daughter's life at risk... or anypony else's," he clarified his reason, ignoring any other request that dealt with physical harm. "You may fly like one of us, but you're still a unicorn."
Aerial paused for a moment, the words striking her with a quick blow that touched every nerve in her body. She shook it off and quickly galloped to his side realizing that he was still trotting without her and avoiding the topic.
"I don't get it, Dad, how is it so dangerous, especially for me? If I can walk on clouds, I can manipulate them just like you! Remember? That's what unicorns do? They manipulate the magic in their environment to their bidding? C'mon, I won't even have to touch the cloud," she refuted. "Just gotta sprinkle a lil razzle dazzle, and boom! Electricity!"
She's been spending way too much time with my sister...
With a heavy sigh and restless eyes, Graze could only think of avoiding the topic rather than letting his daughter down again. "Fine, you want a reason why?" She nodded her head excitedly. "Alright, you'd get one. First of all, lightning magic is compressed, compact and any other "C" word you can think of that means to be tightly squeezed within a small area. You know what happens when lightning magic doesn't spread itself out in very long stretches?" Aerial shook her head with the same amount of enthusiasm as her nod. "The burst of unstable energy can hospitalize a pony... or worse. And you, you have no choice or say in the matter because you can't put the clouds high enough without--" he placed a sudden halt on his explanation for a moment, now realizing what he's done by observing the melancholy painted on his daughter's face. "Well, you know what I mean..."
"Yeah, I do... thanks, Dad." Now it was her turn to be vexed, taking the lead with her trot and leaving her father behind.
"Looks like we finally made it to school, thanks for the walk." She was quick to turn her back on him, making her way through the double-sided red doors.
Jeez, why did I have to remind her of * that*** Graze thought to himself, releasing the pent up tension with a heavy breath. "Alright, Aerial, we'd discuss it later... after your party," he winked to her on that note, both parting ways as they made way to their final destination. "Good luck in your test," the stallion whispered to himself, "and do try not to get distracted."
Once again seeing that bright smile on his daughter's face, Graze could have left her with peace in mind... as for Aerial, all she had to worry about was acing that test.
Multitudes of pastel colored ponies finally exited their examination room, their relieved breaths, a sign of accomplishment just for completing the final exam alone, as even then, their mumbles exchanged answers in desperation for those safeguarded extra marks.
Third to last from the dissatisfied herd was the unicorn representing the clouds herself, a smile plastered on her face, peppy and chirpy without needing a reason or care in Equestria... other than the fact it was her eighteenth birthday and officially her last day of test.
"Cara Mia! Addio! It's finally over!" She came to her knees, embracing the two ponies' legs behind her. "Liberation has come! Master has given Aerial an education, and now Aerial is free! Aerial is forever grateful!" she muffled in between the duo of unicorn's splash white fur.
"Hmm, quite." Cara Mia, the mare between the twins stated, her light-blue braided mane resting on her shoulders as she stood beside her brother and his amber-like unkempt own.
"Yes, and please do not cry in my coat ever again, it's going to take days before I get this stain out of my coat." And then there was Addio. These two were definitely twins; everything similar save for the hair.
"Anyways, I know you cannot contain your excitement for tonight, because it's your party and all, but all you announced was 'PARTY AT MY PLACE! '" He couldn't possibly seem to muster enough enthusiasm to mimic Aerial's profound happiness. "But I don't think anypony actually got the time."
"Oh, right right... the time... the time for the party... my birthday party..." Aerial mumbled to herself. "I don't think daddy even gave me an official time, he just said that I could have one."
"A birthday party?"
"I didn't think she had one," Addio recalled. "I thought it was just a regular party."
"Apparently she does," Cara Mia corrected.
"Yes, of course she does, but I didn't know she was capable of having one," the brother refuted, tilting his head towards the odd one out of the three, who by now was sitting on her haunches mesmerized and enticed by their arguing.
I love how they argue... it's so calm, interesting and not to mention, I can never quite get what they're talking about Aerial thought to herself, happily observing the two's debate in the background.
"So then what's the matter? Everypony has a birthday, this day happens to be hers," the azure maned mare continued.
"Yes, that's the point, everypony has a birthday, and everypony has a birth date," Addio refuted, stressing out the points to his sister as he became more and more restless.
"Ah, I see what you mean," Cara Mia finally understood, dropping the entire argument as if it never occurred. "But, I guess you should confront her on the matter, it seems she has a greater interest in this than I do."
"I suppose she does, but there is no point in asking."
"Why not?"
"Because it's her birthday."
With an astonishingly satisfied nod of her head, the twin sister paused for a moment as she rummaged through her mind, staring at her brother. She finally emerged from her catatonic state and asked, "Do we still have the orange portal home? I'd like to lea-- I mean, make preparations for tonight's party..."
"Indeed I do, I guess you'd like to leave now then?" Addio confirmed on his side, awaiting for his sister's command, as she did with a quick but silent nod of her head. "Alrighty then, the honor is yours... just do not try not to close it too quickly this time, the last pony we tried that on lost a chip of their hoof."
"Yes, you need not remind me of that incident," Cara Mia rolled her pitch black eyes, aiming quick at the wall as a bolt of magic in similar, bright colors as her mane splattered against the plain school's wall, a live image of a room untidily packed with books, flasks, chemicals and concoctions through a cylindrical frame.
Aerial couldn't help herself to a behind the scenes preview of what the twins' rooms looked like, further more, she couldn't have been more surprised for how those two of such uptight standard could let their room succumb to such a poorly driven state. "Is that... your room?"
"Yes," both flatly responded.
"It is a bit... untidy, but I guess we'd need to do a little spring cleaning in Summer, isn't that so, Mia?" Addio chuckled.
"Haha, so it seems," the azure sister withheld her laughter as the two began their trot through the light-blue rimmed void in the wall. "I guess this is our goodbye until tonight, Aerial. Oh, and please do enjoy the rest of your birthday."
"Yes, ciao for now, and do fly low today... Celestia knows the sun is murder," Addio forewarned, popping his head out of the portal to leave Aerial with that little reminder.
She wove her forehoof back and forth, sending the twins off with a slightly disturbed smile, left alone muttering through her teeth. "How the buck did I become friends with them anyway?"
"Aha, you see! She sounds just like her father! The masculine, classy voice was heard from their side of the portal.
"Which one?" Cara Mia's faint voice asked.
"How am I supposed to know? I've never met eith--" The portal's time had come to a close before Addio's sentence was complete.
"Same old, same old, just a bunch of non-sense with those two," Aerial sighed, quickly changing her cheery mood to one more survival fit for the school grounds, stoic as she trotted throughout the school and ponies, who over time had become less friendly with her, and of course her special talent.
Shoving herself through the crowds of unwilling ponies, she had made it finally outside; fresh air and the sky above her to set her mind at rest. Her eyes fixated on a pegasus flying above, stretching and cracking the bones of his wings from the long, torturous and not to mention, extremely difficult test.
The unicorn takes a seat on her tired haunches, gazing at the sky with a dastard thought in her mind. It was her father's words, nothing big, nothing to bug her when it was said... but focus on something too much, and then it really sinks in.
You may fly like one of us, but you're still a unicorn Her father's words echoed through the machinations of her mind, as she took this time to gaze at the winged pony perch on his cloud.
Why is it so hard for him to just say that I'm one of them... I can fly better than some. I am faster than others. I practice everyday. Yet, he doesn't consider me one of them... why? Is it because my wings aren't permanent? That I can only fly for a few hours? What is it... why did he have to say that?
She took one of those deep sighs, clearing her thoughts as the wind swept her mane to the side, an unfamiliar and feminine voice entering as she erased the harsh words of her father.
It whispered, "Are you sure you're a pegasus? Are you sure you're one of us? I'd really like to see a unicorn fly."
And as the voice demanded, Aerial abruptly found herself intertwined by stringy white magic, interrupting the serene moment as the magic wrapped around her legs, kneading them closer together. The magic spreading from the web, engulfed her within its transparency as it lifted her from the ground.
"C'mon, fly... do some pretty tricks for me. You are one of them, are you not? Or are you just a simple unicorn... pftch, as if, you only know two spells; Telekinesis, and that stupid flight spell. Show me your worth," challenged the smug voice with a hiss.
Scarlet eyes scanned her surroundings, searching for the possessor of this ranged magic. Aerial strained herself with darting eyes from corner to corner, yet the only two within the vicinity was herself, and the oblivious napping pegasus.
In a blink of an eye, Aerial's mane continuously whiplashed the side of her cheek, striking it as she desperately tried to gather her bearings, finding herself flailing amongst the clouds above the school.
"HOLY SH-- wait a second," she paused, looking at her horn as her descent continued. She slapped her hoof on her face and dragged it down as she overcame the sudden, embarrassing moment of her forgetful mind. "Duh Aerial, you have wings! ... well magic to get wings."
Sparks danced and flared within the sky, her horn alit with a thick, scarlet glow as an orb of blinding light challenged Celestia's sun, forming around Aerial. Wings matching her midnight blue coat sprouted from the orb as she emerged victorious over the stranger's challenge, hovering with exhausted pants and beads of sweat dripping from her brow.
"Bucking hell, twelve years with this spell and it kicks the shit out of me every time! Every time!" She cursed.
The smell of ash found its way into her snout, causing her to sneeze with watery eyes. In distraught, those same teary eyes caught a glimpse of something on fire. Nothing in the sky, except for the sun and herself could've been that way... and for the most of it, the sun wasn't the culprit.
T-That bastard... she tele'd me too close to the sun! was her last focused thought before her wings burnt themselves out, driving her lungs mad to extraneous and high pitched cries for desperate help as gravity began to work against her.
C'mon Aerial, calm yourself down! Just focus and try to muster up another pair of wings... even though you will faint from overexerting yourself, and then die... yeah, that doesn't sound too much like a great plan. I am going to die. On my birthday. Great.
A few hundreds of meters away from kissing the ground, Aerial closed her eyes in preparation for the worst. Note that her internal composure was polar opposite from her flailing, screaming, crying and not to mention horrified expression. Her mind may have been still and had reassured her acceptance that she was going to die, yet in reality, she sounded something a bit more like this:
"I DON'T WANNA DIE! PLEASE, PLEASE, CELESTIA! DON'T TAKE ME NOW, I'M STILL A VIRGIN! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, CAN I STILL WISH FOR ME NOT TO DIE!?"
Something loud, something angry erupted in the skies with a single roll of its bellowing drums. It overcame Aerial's hoarse screaming, and it silenced Equestria. It was thunder, the sign of an oncoming storm, yet, no grey cloud was spotted in the princesses' blue sky.
"Holy crap, it's--" Aerial's words were winded away, astounded as she was met with a familiar stallion cradling her in his light-cyan hooves upon impact. "Dad."
"I don't remember you being this heavy eighteen years ago." He looked down at her with a smile, his snow-white blotted snout reaching where his candy cane mane stopped, basking in the sun as he slowly descended from Equestria's heavens, struggling to touch base with wings now at his side. Graze looked at his daughter, the life drawn out from her nearly endless screaming, her body still trembling with dilated eyes.
He had set her down and began to comfort her, patting her back as she reluctantly tried to catch her breath. "I know you can't talk... but I can't deal with the situation if you don't communicate with me. Was it level 3 magic?"
An attempt was made from Aerial, mustering up everything she can to speak. In the end, through her faults and the traumatic event, all she could have down was slowly shake her head in nerve wrecking trembles.
"Was it level 2?" Again, he found his daughter mute, but the answer clear. "Dammit..." he cursed himself, rubbing the back of his mane, finding himself in a whole new world of stress. "Alright, I didn't spot any unicorns on my way here other than you. Stay put, and I'd--"
His daughter clung to his right foreleg, repeatedly shaking her forehead in great distraught, fearing for a seconds of today's events. "I-I couldn't see anyone, Dad... all I heard was... was this voice, and then, the next thing I know, I-I-I was--"
"Shh, I know, I know... you can come with me, but the second you feel anything strange around your body, anything that isn't your magic, you grab onto me. Hopefully they aren't too accurate with that spell. C'mon, let's get a move on to somewhere safer. Double the pace and follow me, we're going to see if we can get a lead on whoever could've done this," Graze ordered as he began his trot into the school.
"W-where are we going?" Aerial questioned, following his lead and by his side like glue.
"To the Principal's office. It's about time, maybe the first and only time he'd get to see me, so I'm going to make this one trip count."
"Yeah... you really never attended those P.T.A meetings anyway... why is that?"
"Hmmm." The stallion chose to stay mute on this one, gently opening the double sided doors of the school as he made his way inside.
With the bell having struck a third time, everypony had retreated toward their respective classrooms in preparation for the day's final examination.
Through the barren halls, both father and daughter trotted slowly side by side, Graze wheezing out his heart as he did so with flowing beads of sweat and a flushed expression. "S-Slow down, Aerial... everything's just a bit all blurry right now," he begged, forcing the words through a quick breath.
"Sorry, dad. I just want to get this day over with, ya know?" Aerial apologized, placing one of her father's forehooves around her neck. "Is it your heart again?"
The stallion couldn't help but give a slow nod and a sheepish smile to that. "I know you're going to nag me just like my sister, 'You shouldn't overexert yourself like that!' " He jokingly mocked with a high pitched voice. "But it was either you or a five minute break, and I think I chose wisely."
Even through his constant coughing and exasperated breaths, he drew a smile, graciously knowing his daughter was there to help him. Aerial, however, was zoned out, haunted by the traumatic experience as it flashed through her mind. She looked up to her father in hopes to mimic his cheerful mood, something to ease her mind, but the words of his past self refused anything but.
"You may fly like one of us, but you're still a unicorn."
She held back everything at that line; every tear, every brutal word, every broken nerve, but through their silent trot, she finally looked passed it and called him out on it. "I won't have needed you there if I was a real pegasus." Graze's light cyan ears flickered upon her words, catching on as their lengthy trot to the principal's office finally came to a halt. "If I could control this spell on a whim--No, if I had wings, I wouldn't have needed you there to catch me."
"If I had permanent wings, I would sleep on clouds without the worry of falling when they timed out. If I had wings, I could've gone to flight school, probably join the Wonderbolts if I really would have amounted to it, but I guess we would never find that out now, could we? If I had wings--and for the most of it--I could've recovered from that fall... I won't have needed you there.I can't always rely on daddy when things go to shit."
I'm going to let that one pass Graze quickly thought to himself.
"But no... you're right," she quaked, "I am just like any other unicorn. A unicorn whose dreams of flying i-is... is like--"
"A disabled bird?" The stallion gave his daughter a stoic look, straining to reach his daughter's height with a kneel. "That disabled bird we tried saving? Is that what this is about?"
"Yes and no," she sniffled, allowing Graze to sway her mane from the tears. "It's relevant, though. Why does life try to be so unfair to us. It gives us these things it knows we can't deal with. Why give me wings?"
"It's not unfair. Sometimes we just forget because it's not relevant at that point of time, but since you're probably feeling what that little bird felt; desperation, loss of hope, you just may finally get it... also, your hair is all messy, allow me to fix it?"
With a silent nod and a wipe away of her tears, she turned around, permitting Graze to tend to her midnight blue mane.
"Ten years ago, I remember this filly--awful 'lot resembling you--came screaming at me, poofy sad eyes as she came banging on my door asking for help. Now, I've never seen anypony so scared in my life, so I bowed down to her and tended to her worries--
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Graze worriedly asked in a rush. "Are you hurt?!" He begged to find out, watching as the energetic filly unicorn of the sky hopped continuously to gather his attention.
"Dadtheresalittlebirdwhoneedsourhelpandshe'sdyingandIcan'tevenfindthemother. PLEASE HELP IT!" The filly Aerial yelled.
Bewildered at what he suppose was the Equestrian language, Graze profusely blinked, astonished at the words that came from his eight year old daughter. "I'm not sure where you learnt that word, but I think I'm going to have to soap your mouth again." He evilly smiled with a glare. "If you tried slowing down your speech, I maybe able to understand and help, okay?" Aerial then nodded and widened her mouth agape. "Nuh-uh," Graze smiled, hushing Aerial before the next onslaught of incomprehensible words. "Deep breath. Speak words slowly and daddy will help you."
"Mhmm!" The filly determinedly nodded as she took a lengthy, deep breath. Upon exhale, she instantaneously grabbed her father's cheeks and stared him down with bright scarlet eyes. "Bird. Dead. Outside. Mother nowhere to be found! Please help!"
Without any further excuse, Graze knelt to his filly, letting his wing down onto which Aerial struggled to crawl upon and onto his back. "Giddy up, Dad, we need to hurry!"
~One hop, skip and a jump later~
Finally, the two had arrived, a saddening sight was bestowed upon the father and his daughter. Before them laid two chicks had taking shade underneath a tree from Celestia's blazing sun, one peeping in distress for its mother and the other struggling to breathe, its miniature chest expanding every so often... even then, it had become a rare sight.
"Look, daddy! He's not breathing, go help it, give it CPR or something!" Aerial begged with a demand.
With a grim expression, he looked at his daughter and knew that she was going to disprove of every word he was going to say. "I can't help..."
"Wh-what? Why?! You promised you'd help him!" Aerial shouted, as he had expected.
"Look carefully, Aerial... not even the mother wants any part of this." Graze nodded his head toward a third larger bird, comforting Aerial for what was about to come.
The mother bird hopped to the side of the livelier one, feeding it as it blatantly ignored the existence of the other. "W-Why, is she ignoring the other one..." Aerial stuttered, detesting the mother dove.
"They aren't like us, Aerial... the mother knows he is about to die, so she just--"
"Left him for dead?" Aerial responded for him. "T-that's not right... that's not how it's supposed to be. When I'm sick, you've never left me, so how is this any different? Why is she being so unfair?" Aerial questioned, nearing the disabled baby bird as the two others flew away, frightened by the larger creature.
"It's not her who is unfair... it's just the way of life," Graze stated.
"Then why is life so unfair? Aerial inquired. She stared down the chick, hopelessness becoming a recognized member of the disheartening moment.
Graze shared the silence, accepting it as time moved onward, each passing second closing the doors of fate upon the struggling chick. The sun was setting upon their hill, shadows of the three stretching toward the two story house.
"In memory of him, should we prepare a burial?" He spoke with uncertainty in his words.
"No! No no no! He still has a fighting chance, and we can help! All we have to do is just--I don't know... magic?" Now even Aerial herself was unsure of what to do. "I just... I just can't let him die knowing we could've done so much more, please?" She begged, tugging at his coat.
"Aerial..."
"Please, daddy! We need to do this! It will haunt my conscience forever and I will grow up to become a rebel if we don't do this." She threatened him... or so she thought.
Bemused, he gave a lengthy sigh with the outcome already set in his mind, but deep down in his mind he knew she wouldn't have let this down for years to come. "Fine... but on one condition!" Aerial's ears cocked up on this with a gleeful smile.
"Yes, yes! What is it?" She enthusiastically begged for it.
"You must practice your magic on this one; Telekinesis for the least. You have your level 3 Magic course coming up and I don't want you to fail, understood?"
"Mhmm! I have something better in mind, though... I've been through your library of books on unicorn spells and magic." She paused with a sheepish smile, Graze raising an interested brow to that. "Ehehe, sorry... but I think with this spell, I'd more than pass my exam and save this bird!"
"Oh really, and what spell is that? Better yet, what level of magic is that?" He gave her a mindful glare, knowing that she had broken his personal space through break-in and entering his room, as well as his study.
"It's a level two spell," the uncourageous filly answered with a cough, preparing for even the better half of her answer. "And the spell is... urhm, well... you know... that spell." She coughed again with a mumble. "F..ht."
"Excuse me?" Graze pardoned her, bringing his ear in closer for a better understanding.
"It's Fl..ht."
"Louder, Aerial," he demanded.
"It's flight, okay? It's the flight spell, because I feel a bit lonely at home sometimes after school, and you're always out on work up in the clouds and I just wanna visit you but I can't because I'm a unicorn and you're a pegasus and I really wanna just get this done and please please please don't be mad at me! Please dad, I'm sorry! Last week was "Bring your Filly to Work Day" and I was practicing this spell just for that but I couldn't make it time and I was jealous that everypony else got to see where their father worked and I didn't!" She exclaimed in one quick go. "But, maybe if I can use it on the bird, it can fly with its mommy again!"
Graze was astounded by her outburst, just all of it. Never in his life did he think his daughter felt this way that it came to a point where she desperately wanted to change her way of life. "I didn't know all this, darling... why didn't you tell me? Heck, I didn't even know it was that day last week. How did you know?"
"Oh, I went through your mail!" Aerial beamed, ignoring her father's infamous bemuse look.
"Alright, give it your best shot, but after this we're going to have a talk about personal space, okay?" He informed to which Aerial gladly nodded, getting her way. "Have you been into my closet?" For once, Aerial finally shook her head. "Good. Well, let's go to it, then."
"Alright." The filly Aerial anchored her tiny hooves into the dirt, mumbling some words as she tried recalling the spell. Although, it was a level higher for her, Graze just stood back and watched his daughter proudly with high hopes for a successful cast of wings on the chick.
Sparks of magic flew from her horn, dancing in the air as the beads of sweat through furious concentration beat down her brow. She clenched her teeth, scrunching her face as an orb of light illuminated the evening even brighter appeared before her. Luckily for her, the opportunity that presented itself came with a smaller creature rather than herself, and the amount of magic to be used, even though it was of a higher level, would in turn cost much less.
Something was wrong, the orb of light began to fade and Graze, even through all the excitement, kept a careful eye on his daughter. Blood began to drip from her snout, and all she had to do was aim for the flightless bird. A gusty wind almost blew his mane back, as dirt, grass and stone began to pitch from the epicenter of the spell. "That's enough, Aerial, let it go!"
Things were getting worse and worse with each passing second. She had lost all control and hell was now breaking loose. "NO! I CAN DO THIS!" Her voice tried to overcome the raging storm around her. "I CAN SAVE HIM!" She took aim for the bird and shot the haywire spell.
The storm finally subsided with the spell complete, Aerial now laying peacefully on the floor as she fell unconscious through the straneous task. She was unable to reap the benefit of success or failure, passing out before the outcome had revealed itself... even though if it was horrendous for the most.
The chick had imploded, its blood smeared upon the tree's bark, staining the grass and even Aerial's coat. Graze, however, was unmoved by the chick's status or the blood that was on their hooves, all that was on his mind was the safety of his little girl.
He rushed to her side and placed an ear upon her chest, his heart put to rest as he heard hers. "Thank Celestia," he exclaimed a appraisal to the Gods for the greatest of mercies he was blessed with. However, things could have gone much worse than an imploded bird, a nose bleed, a tainted yard and to his surprise, a cutie mark; A golden wing that laid upon the side of Aerial's sky blue flank.
One failure closer to the perfected spell that soon became her special talent; Flight.
"--so you see, Aerial," Graze ended his story, tying her mane to its usual style. "Life isn't unfair, it gives back to us in the process. If it wasn't for that small bird, you wouldn't have gotten your cutie mark. Life acts unfair to teach us what fairness is, so that one day, we won't act unfair to others... y'know, like what you told me of you not needing me there to rescue your hardback flank when you actually did." He playfully winked at her with a pat on the back. "Well, your hair is done, and I must say, it is a masterpiece! Just look at your reflection, even I'm jealous of how good looking you are!"
Through the reflection of the mirror, Aerial took a sneak peek at her dad's so-called "perfected hairstyle". In five words or less, it was a complete disaster, a braid on the right side of her mane, a bald patch through the top and a pig tail on the right with her red hair band no where to be found.
She looked back to her father and embraced him lovingly to his surprise. "Thank you, Dad... I love it."
"Don't worry, Aerial, even though you may not always need me, I'd be there whether you like it or not... it's my job." He ended the embrace and stared her in the eyes for something a bit more relevant to what she wanted to hear.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier... maybe you truly are a pegasus, but I never did consider those wings yours, to be honest. I just pictured it as... the little bird giving them to you; Nature's way of saying that maybe you are meant to be a pegasus through earning it, rather than being born one. Do you know why?" he inquired, to which she shook off. "It's because you have potential, you'd appreciate it more and it was life's way of being fair to you. No matter who says what, even if it maybe me, you are more a pegasus than anyone, because you've achieved something great like that."
And with that being said, he alone walked towards the Principal's office to deal with their unwanted business, to finally find the culprit of his daughter's attempted murder.
With a vibrant smile on her face and a final sniffle to wipe away the bonding moment between the two, she followed in his footsteps but came to a sudden halt as a voice reached out to her.
It whispered, "That stallion cannot be trusted. He is a murderer and a thief. You must ask yourself this, Aerial, why does a pegasus who works at a cloud factory need books of unicorn spells? Heed my warning and stay away from that stallion."
Oh yeah? And why should I listen to you! You tried to kill me! Aerial hissed a thought in her mind.
"Pftch, it was just a test and you passed!" The mysterious feminine voice responded with no worry. "Look, I'm no killer like your dad, I have more faith in you than him!"
Stop saying that! He's my dad and I won't allow you to bad mouth a good stallion like that! Aerial commanded. Ugh, look at me... talking to a voice in my head. She facehoof'd.
"Yes, a good stallion you know absolutely nothing about his past or present. Look, kid, it's your birthday, right? I know it's your birthday, you don't even have to answer that one... but, how about I give you a little 'I'm sorry I tried to murder you' and a birthday gift? I think it's time you earned your wings."
If you try anything funny on me, my dad will not hesitate to kill you! Aerial snapped with a warning.
"Don't worry, I know he'd * try** to. That's what I'm counting on, to show you what kind of pony he really is."*