Unique: Vengeance is Magic

CHAPTER ONE - THE RETURN HOME

Celestia's sun was a magnificent sight to behold that evening, as it always was. The sky, which had long ago been bright and blue, now was dim and displaying varying shades of orange and red, that accompanied the sun as it slowly descended into the horizon, signaling the end of the day, and heralding the eventual arrival of night, and with it the beauty of Luna's moon, along with her infinite stars and constellations.

It reminded Unique of another evening like this one, a few years ago from today conveniently. It was the ending of a summer day, when he took Serenity up to the top of the hill outside the village, beneath the elderly oak tree that overlooked the village and the splendid lake close to it. It was there under the branches where he summoned the courage within him, and knelt down in the grass before the pretty mare, looking right into her emerald eyes and asked her the ultimate question. A  smile crept its way onto his face as he remembered her reaction to his question; the look of surprise and awe on her face. The excited squee in her voice when she said 'yes'. The tears of pure joy running down her cheeks as she threw her hooves around him and locked her lips with his. And that unforgetable night of romance they shared together shortly afterwards.

All of it was a happy memory, and it was one that Unique would cherish for the rest of his life, and even after it.

The setting of the sun also reminded Unique that another hard of work out in the farmland outside the village was over, and so here he was, trotting along the worn dusty path through the forest, the rest of the ponies whom had also been working that day in and the around the fields not far ahead of him. Each of them wore a weary expression on their faces, but they moved with haste on the way back to the village, wanting nothing more right now than to return to the safety and comfort of their homes, where their beloved families - not to mention a warm supper and plenty of rest - would be waiting for them.

For many of the worn-out ponies returning home, the thought of a warm, relaxing bath to wash away the mud and sweat clinging to their manes and coats and tails, would probably be as welcoming, Unique mused to himself as he followed the group. Being at the back of the group, Unique could see the amount of dirt and perspiration that covered each of their bodies. Mostly the Earth ponies were the filthiest, no surprise at all really, since they had handled all of the digging and ploughing and sowing of the day. Some of the Earth ponies had mud completely covering their behinds, obscuring their cutie marks, and whatever talents and/or special meanings they might have symbolized.

The Unicorn ponies of the group - of which there were few - had put their magic to work in helping the hornless and magicless farmers, telekinetically controlling spades and rakes and hoes and the like to aid them. But not all the magic in the whole world, let alone in all of Equestria, could keep them from getting dirt on themselves, despite the little to no physical labor; their legs and hooves were covered in mud simply from standing in the fields. The mud still stuck to them as they moved along with the rest of the group back to the village, farming equipment floating above their heads, bound in the grasp of their magic as they walked.

Several shadows suddenly then shot across the ground, and Unique looked above him to see the pegasi that had lent a helping hoof that day, dirt and soil flaking from their bodies as they soared above the group below, towards the straw-woven rooftops of the little wooden cottages that were just beginning to come into view amidst the trees. Seeing how close they were to home prompted everypony to suddenly pick up the pace, breaking out near to a gallop towards the village, their once tired bodies apparently rejuvenated by the thought of the little distance that remained between them and their darling wives and children. And the meal with rest, of course.

But Unique, on the other hoof, maintained his pace, taking his time rather than rush it. True, he wanted to be back home with the mare he loved more than his life, but he would get there all the same. Besides, he was a stallion who appreciated the natural beauty of his home, and as he moved through the forest and towards the end of it, he closed his eyes, and he breathed in the fresh clean air around him. He let the fragrant smell of the wild flowers and plantlife tickle his sensitive nostrils. He listened to the faint sound of leaves in the trees around him, barely swaying in the ever-so-light breeze, and to the chirping of the birds as they began to settle down for the forthcoming night. Walking through the forest like this, alone with his thoughts, was peaceful, and he savored every second of it until he was out of the forest and approaching the village.

When Unique arrived at the entrance to the village, the farmers were already being embraced by their loved ones, their wives hugging them and planting kisses on their cheeks, while thei young foals bounced around them, eager to share stories with their fathers about what exciting things they had done today. As they began to retire to their homes, mares by their sides and their bundles of joy carried on their backs, some of them turned and, upon noticing Unique, waved a hoof at him and bid him farewell, and he responded to each goodbye with a polite nod.

When the doors to every cottage were closed, and he was alone, Unique carried on his way through an empty street, a glance here and there at each cottage showing happy families together through the windows, and Unique could not help but smile. He continued walking until he came to the other side of the village, and followed the path there towards the hill, where the elderly oak tree still stood, strong despite its advanced age, and still overlooking that same splendid lake. And built nearby that tree was his home; his small cottage, where his beautiful wife Serenity would be waiting for him.

Unique closed the gate behind him and slid the wooden lock into place, keeping it firmly shut. After making sure it was secure, he turned around and started to walk through the garden, towards the cottage.

He felt the soft earth beneath his feet being replaced by a path of gravel, which ran in a straight line through the small garden, starting at the gate and ending just at the entrance to his home. A scrunching sound followed each step he took as he strode across the gravel towards the door. On both sides of the path, a myriad of flowers - each of them big and small in size, and in all the colors of the rainbow - were growing in neat and tidy flowerbeds, every one of them as pretty as the mare who planted them, nurtured them.

Unique smiled. Serenity loved flowers. She used to tell him about how she dreamed of Equestria being filled with flowers, spreading their natural beauty all across the kingdom and beyond the borders into other lands, bringing color and life to the rest of the world. That was her dream; to fill the world with flowers, and making it a beautiful place for children to grow up in. That was why she had set up this little garden, so she could make a start on fulfilling that dream.

Unique approached the door and knocked. From inside the cottage, he heard a familiar sweet voice. ¨Just a moment! I'm coming!¨ A moment later, he heard somepony undoing the lock, and the door opened, creaking a bit as it did. In the doorway, one hoof on the door handle, there appeared a light blue-coated mare. She had a kind smile on her face that made Unique feel warm inside, and her wide, bright emerald-green eyes, glimmering, sparkling even, like they were made from the precious gemstones themselves, gazed into his own, and into his very soul, with a look that spoke volumes of affection and compassion. Her mane was long and neat, and strands of fine jet-black hair fell down the sides of her face. On her flank, her cutie mark depicted an image of a snow-white dove holding a flower with heart-shaped petals in its beak.

With her free hoof, she was gently rubbing the large bulge on her stomach, where life had slowly been taking shape and form within the womb during the past 11 months. She was pregnant, and with his child.

Unique stepped into the cottage, the light-blue mare closing the door behind him. He turned to face her, and they embraced each other, nuzzling one another affectionately. "Welcome home, my love,"  Serenity said quietly to him. "It's good to be home, Serenity," replied Unique, still nuzzling his soulmate, his eyes closed as he felt the warmth of her delicate body against his own. The warmth spread all over him, and even inside of him, and he felt happy and rejuvenated by her.

This incredible mare, and her affection, her care for him. This was what made each hard day so worthwhile. Knowing that each morning, he would wake up, and she would be the first thing he laid his eyes on, still asleep and laying next to him, her very presence radiating a wonderful and pleasant warmth that even Celestia's brilliant sun could not match. Knowing that she would be waiting for him at the end of the day to return from the farming fields, a hearty meal prepared for the both of them, which they enjoyed together, in the company of one another, as if all they needed was each other. Unique considered himself a lucky stallion each and every day, in every moment he spent with Serenity, with the mare he loved dearly with all the love in his heart.

Serenity broke up the nuzzling, blushing slightly and giggling as she looked into her partner's sapphiric eyes. "That's enough for now, Unique. I think our guest has seen enough."

Unique gave Serenity a questioning look, his eyes still shut. "Our 'guest'?"

"Only your old brother-in-arms," spoke a male voice in a teasing tone. Unique's eyes suddenly shot open, and he immediately spun his body towards where the voice had come from, while Serenity gasped in surprise. His body instinctively assumed a defensive stance, his wings stretched out, and his horn charged with magic, ready to strike down whoever was going to be unfortunate enough to be at the receiving end.

A red pegasus with a black-and-grey mane sat at the wooden dining table, his hind legs resting on top, cross-legged. His cutie mark was of a spear being held high by a white hoof, its tip pointed up towards the heavens. On the table next to his legs, there was a steel helmet,with small metalic pegasus wings on its sides. On the front of the helmet, there was an image of a crescent moon, which looked similar to the cutie mark of a certain majestic alicorn of the night.

Usually for most ponies, the sight of an alicorn who appeared ready to fire a blast of potentially very painful magic would make them fall flat on to their stomachs and cry, begging and pleading for their life to be shown mercy. The red pegasus, however, simply sat there, his fore legs folded, no so much as even flinching in the face of danger. He observed Unique with bright orange eyes, grinning at the alicorn before him.

The pegasus chuckled. "Well, Unique. This certainly isn't any way to greet your friend, now," he said teasingly. "A simple 'hello, old buddy' would have sufficed.''

Unique's eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly recognised the stranger's voice. As quickly as he had begun charging his spell, Unique immediately ceased the flow of magic he'd been channeling to his horn, which caused the blue aura that had been surrounding it to fade away. Tucking his wings back in, he straightened himself, and stared at the red pegasus, who was still grinning at him, observing him still with those orange eyes,and acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had even happened.