Shattered Notesby Crimson InkChaptersThe ErrandWeek 1: The CrashWeek 2: Living AloneWeek 3: The Crimson MareWeek 4: Another ChanceThe ErrandThe Morning He was looking around his room in a bored mood, his only sign of thinking is the swishing of his tail; a yell comes from the other room "Swift I need to speak with you!" Slightly nervous he pushes his self up with his strong wings; his secret pride. He pushes through the door to find his sister playing some music on her favorite keyboard "did you call for me Synth?" she looked up and shook her head and then tipped her head back to the room behind her. Swift let out a sigh of annoyance "mother's back isn't she?" she nodded yes and then Swift went through the door to see his mother a stern yellow pegasus standing there. "There you are Swift" he forced a smile "I need you to go and grab something for me from Canterlot" his eyebrow shot up in a questioning look "what?" "Canterlot? you don't even like me going to Ponyville" -she nodded- "why Canterlot?" "Because I need you to visit your aunt" -he was getting more and more doubtful- "what is it now?" "You hate my aunt, why would you want me to visit her?" she didn't answer and just got up and pushed him outside telling him to just do as he's told. He was quick to get on his way letting his wings unfurl from his side; the best sensation that he had ever known. The Race He loved to fly, he would do everything that most pegasus twice his size couldn't do; his wings had always been stronger than those of most. He was once told that he could out race Rainbow Dash or even join the Wonderbolts; he didn't really care not being a competitor. He would do flips and dives even when it wasn't needed, he would summersault around clouds. Laughing was ringing out from behind him, when he looked right behind him was a cyan colored pegasus that he had only heard about from family and friends "not bad kid" he was puzzled by this pony. He only said a short hello wanting to enjoy his flying entirely "where you headed?" he replied with one word "wanna race?" he shook his head but thought for a moment that it could be fun. He came to a hover so that she could catch up to him "why not?" he didn't really mind a little competition every now and then. She came right up to him and extended her hoof "the name's Rainbow Dash" he took her hoof and shook it. She lead him to a set of clouds and faced towards Ponyville "to the mayors place and back" he nodded. She did a count down and they were off; for the most part the race was even. The lead would switch between them; both racing just for the sake of flying. She was going faster now; Swift didn't have much of a chance unless she slowed for the turn back. He made the turn faster than most pegasus could go without missing it entirely; so did Rainbow Dash. He nearly ran straight into a roof taking the turn to quick and ended up in a spiral that he was lucky he hadn't flown a half inch to low. They both started to strain their wings to make it to the finish line; somehow Swift was able to push out just enough power to keep level with her. With a blur they both passed the finish line leaving behind a trail the same color as there tails. Rainbow Dash let out a roar of joy as Swift let out a roar of surprise. The air was going to fast; even for someone who loves to go fast when flying. Moments later the momentum slowed and he was halfway to Canterlot; just a few miles away from Manehattan. "You should have seen your face!" a laughter filled the air "never thought you'd be that fast" she kept laughing as she left Swift to his flight. Directly over Manehattan a strange sound had come from his saddle bag; it didn't sound friendly in anyway at all. Looking back Swift's eyes went wide; then smoke filled his vision and he fell from the sky like a rock. Synth and Mother Done playing her keyboard for the day she went to see if there was anything she had to do before going outside. When she went in her mother was in hysterics paying no attention to anything at all "finally he's gone" -a loud and long laugh escaped her lips- "no longer do I have to deal with that little brat of a sone" -Synth fell back not liking what she was hearing- "he's probally just barely reaching Manehattan and when he does then well" -she started laugh again- "bye bye my little one" Synth got out and was looking around. She ran to Swift's room and grabbed the things of his that he treasured and threw them into her saddle bag with her keyboard. In moments she was running outside and then stopped "I... can't fly there" she looked down and saw the train; surely it had to stop in Manehattan right? She got aboard and relaxed as best she could with what she had just witnessed. Hopefully she could find her brother before it was too late. She couldn't have known she would have to spend two months in Canterlot to raise the money to go find her brother at that point. What was to become of the crash landed Swift Note? Where did he even fall? Week 1: The CrashMonday It's quickly growing dark as Swift Note is struggling to the safety of land, an intense pain burning in his joints and blood staining his hoodie that was soaked from the rain. He was constantly asking himself what had happened and why he had crash landed, it was something he had never done before but now everything was different. In the crash his wings had caught on something and they were torn out from the velocity he had been falling at, he sighed finding a sheltered area and started to look through his saddlebag. He felt his heart sink when he took an inventory of what was left and only found a few pieces of paper, nothing on them and no way to write on them. He was without money in Manehattan and alone as well, no friends or family live in the area. He looks around and sees some bread thrown away and his stomach growls, swallowing all of his pride he takes it and eats as he walks off looking for a place he can sleep for the night. Completely alone he understands that somehow his mother planned for this to happen. Nightmare I'm running like I have from birth. Running from the family that doesn't really care about my body. Suddenly I'm falling towards something black. I see metal claws reaching out for me. They sharply grab my wings. Somehow I'm still falling despite my wings being held by the claws. I'm drowning now. In a scream Swift Note wakes up looking around and then swears "even when I can sleep I can't!" He stormed down the alleyway that has become his home while he struggles with his life on these streets without money or food. Thursday Today Swift got a nice surprise from where he has been getting food, a half finished cup of coffee and some bread. He was quick to return to the alleyway where nopony ever came, in minutes the drink was gone just like the bread. For once Swift felt he could actually get some sleep. He fell asleep curled up despite the rain beating down on his head. Saturday He woke up to a knife held against the back of his neck "you've got a lot a nerve being around her punk" he body tensed as the words went through his mind. He slowly got up "s-sorry, I didn't know that-" he was shoved into the wall and went silent. "It'll cost you" Swift felt tears trailing down his face "what's wrong filly?" "I don't have anything..." he was slammed into the wall again dazing him. "I'll make you deal then" despite the fear going through his head he nodded waiting "you give me that saddlebag and I'll let you stay in this alley." Scared and without an option he gave over the saddlebag and was left alone to sleep. Sunday It started to rain further and he could only curl up against the cold that is racking his body with pain and greaf, living on the streets is not a place for anypony, especially a Pegasus made Earth Pony. The rain only does one thing that is good for Swift; it masks his tears. End of Week 1 Week 2: Living AloneTuesday Swift Note was confronted again by the pony that had taken his saddle bag, this time he was given the warning that if he was there later that night he would have to pay for the use of his alleyway again. Solum he slowly walked off with the endless rain beating down on his body, he would walk through alleyways in the hopes that one of them could be his new living space but everyone was either occupied, had some kind of protector, or sleeping in the middle of the street would have been better. It was nearing midnight by the time Swift Note had found an alleyway that he was sure didn't have an owner or any pony who would claim that they were, it was dark and held little shelter from the rain that was still dampening his hoodie and body. Curling up he tried to get some sleep which was seeming to elude him as much as a safe place to sleep. Thursday It was a night time when the sudden screech of pain woke the restless sleeping form of Swift Note, afraid to stay in the alley but just as scared to move he found himself unable to relax even slightly even as his body demanded that he would relax and even begged for it as the familiar throbbing of his wing stubs started to grow to the point of agony. Without a choice he forced his body to relax so that at least if he were to die his wing stubs wouldn't be the biggest worry to protect. Agony spreads through his limbs as he slowly slips back to sleep despite the terror of the scream from before. The Fight Laughter filled the morning air when Swift Note was woken by a gale knocking him around, in pain he pulled himself up and with a groan looked back to see that his pride was still gone and bleeding "is this some kind of nightmare?" he couldn't help but muse to himself. His eyes are blood shot as they fall upon various shadowy figures and he finds himself unsure if it is morning or night, even wonders what day of the week it is but suddenly that isn't important. A blur of black only visible for a second puts him on edge as the constant laughter reaches his ears from an unknown source; the voice seems to surround him keeping him locked in one spot as it descends upon him. In fear his looks around his body tense and his wing stubs working as if ready for flight bring a pang of pain and sorrow to surface, in that instance it happened. Thrown violently against a wall a pony with wings of silver laughs "I've been looking for you Swift Note" in that instance everything went from scared and weak to hopeless. "Who are you?" no chance of avoiding what was to come Swift Note found himself ready for the worst. "Me? well I'm the one that needed that" a silence fills the air for a moment "shall we say, package delivered and it could after all only be by you swift one" a set of sharp blades suddenly appeared along his wings "shall we dance?" Letting out a sigh Swift brought himself into a fighting stance "I'm guessing I'm not getting a choice?" the nod from his attacker was all he needed to see, slowly he found himself closing his eyes and letting soft synthesized like noises come from him. And then the first strike was landed. "Well that looks like it hurts" Swift Note found himself on the ground a fresh cut along his shoulder, with a swift spin he found himself face to face with his attacker; a dingy coat around the wild look of his eyes showed more than insanity but pain. "Looks like you hurt more..." with a heart starting to become heavy Swift bucked forward and his assailant was sent flying through the air, adapting fast through he uses the momentum to fly fast towards Swift. Adrenaline drives Swift to a strong leap to avoid the in coming attack, if his fighting hadn't heavily reliant on his ability to fly and short lived he might have avoided getting his back hoof slit across the bottom. Blood stains the alleyway and stage of their battle as Swift is walking around his opponent not wanting to be to close but needing to keep his eyes on him "what is your favorite part of this city Swift Note? is it the alleyways? maybe the music scene?" it was irritating to hear his enemy's endless banter "earth to Swift are you there? hello?" the twitch of his eye was the only sign that would show though "helllllllo?!" Suddenly being attacked Swift brought the battle to his terms; hoof to hoof. Strike after strike were landed while the endless talking and laughing continued; slowly his anger and annoyance was building up with each and every word. It reached the braking point but it wouldn't brake, at least until a sharp set of knives went along his back and where his wings once were "oops was that a sore spot?" in the fallowing rage Swift threw him down and stole a knife in his teeth. "Shut the buck up!" nothing but laughing fallowed and in that moment something snapped. A sharp jerk of the head and then a tongue and a chunk of flesh landed at the ground. "You!" -another jerk- "are!" -hair and an ear fall to the ground- "bucking!" -blood spurts from an eye socket- "annoying!" He fell back seeing what had happened "by Celestia what did I just do?" on the ground he looked at the pieces of the attacker close to his bleeding form. The blood of his ear and tongue slowly being washed away by the never ending rain. The never ending rain that has been in existence from the day the prestigious wings were ripped from his body. The flash of a knife snaps Swift from his daze only to be fallowed by a sharp pain sticking out of his back and the attempted laugher of the attacker. A sharp buck sends him against the wall with a sickening crunch and gurgle. In fear he runs off in need of a new resting place. Even he wouldn't have known what was going to happen in the near future. End of Week 2 Week 3: The Crimson MareMonday: He laid down in pain from the fight he was dragged into and just curled as best as his limbs would let him against the hard wall. "Why did this have to happen?" with that he coughed up blood and the remainder of his wings ached against the remains of his hoodie. "How did I end up here? I'm one of the best fliers in my family" -he looked back and bit his lip seeing the still raw injury where his wings were ripped from the bone- "was one of the best..." His stomach growls in complaint to the lack of food that his body has received in these long weeks of living without any shelter; the only good thing about this night is that it wasn't going to rain like it had since after he was stranded in Manehattan. "I really need something to eat..." he just looks down the empty alley and sighs "not much to eat here though..." He takes a slight intake of breath and regrets it; being though his nose he got a good whiff of how he smells without having a bath in what feels like ages "I really need a bath!" Nopony responds to his plea for something to go right. He curls closer to his wall feeling a cold wind go by that could freeze him to the bone; it did just that and he cried out in sorrow knowing that he would have no salvation. He curled tighter still trying to stay warm in the cold air surrounding him. "Are you alright little one?" a voice stirs the freezing stallion to see the source, a crimson coated unicorn with a parchment for a cuttie mark with crimson ink. "Who are you?" his voice can barely get as loud as a rasp from dehydration. "Hopefully someone that can help you" -a slight tinge of sorrow was in her voice as she spoke- "you look like you need a place to sleep." In tears he looks up at her bright red eyes "please" all sense of pride was not important in that moment. A soft tug on his body from her magic helps him to his hooves "lean on me young one" he did just that only a little confused why this mare thought he was young. "T-thank you" he was so weak she was just barely not carrying him. "You're welcome" she said no more and minutes later they were walking into a little apartment barely big enough for one pony with little to make it feel like a home. She lead him to the bath and smiled softly "perhaps you'll feel better with a bath?" he smiled at the promise of a shower. He took his time; stood under the water letting the heat seep into his damp and aching bones, happily dealt with the mess of hair and tail of his, and lastly dealt with all the grime that had started to cover his body sense the accident. When he came out she was there with medical supplies surrounded by her magic aura "please sit down" he did as bid for this unicorn with the voice of honey. Moments later his shattered wings were bandaged for him "that should make you feel better" and with that he smiled not sure if he was dreaming or not. She lead him to the only bed and pulled the covers over him and spoke softly "now get some sleep little one, you've deserved it" he was asleep before the second word had reached her lips. Tuesday: He awoke in the morning to silence and started to walk around testing his rested body "wow I feel so much better" his stomach growled and he remembered just how hungry he has been for the last few weeks. A note on one of the small tables in the kitchen drew his eye and he read aloud "I had to be somewhere and won't be back for a few days, there's food in the fridge if you're hungry. Sincerely Crimson Verse." He wasted no time going to the fridge and finding a few things that he could stomach; a few crackers and some water. He started to test his muscles now that they were healing from his extended time without rest, shortly after his eyes start to close and he drags himself to the bed and is asleep yet again. Friday He has been resting well and his body is finally accepting more than just crackers and water, he can walk around like he used to, and has been able to take the bandages off his wings. He has also spent most of the time depressed staring into a mirror looking at the stubs where his once beautiful white wings were "what I wouldn't do to get these back..." Creeeek... He turns to the door opening "are you still here?" -a voice he doesn't remember- "I hope so, I really would like to talk with somepony" she came in using her magic to levitate and put all of her groceries away only leaving one bag out. Hesitant he sat at the table looking her over now that he wasn't on the verge of death; she had a crimsoned colored coat, a unicorn horn poking out from long flowing hair that was a harsh black compared to her coat and lastly her eyes that were crimson just a few shades brighter than his own. "How are you feeling?" he looked down not really wanting to look at her "I'm glad that your wings have-" a slight cry escaped his lips causing her to go to his side "I'm sorry... I know how much Pegasi love their wings" -she held his head to look him in the eyes and a slight flash of sorrow was evident in her own- "I want to help you get back in the air" his eyes flashed with hope. "How? I don't even know where mine ended up after..." he looked down flashes of black smog and cramped wings causing him to fall to the ground "it was so sudden, one second I was flying on my errand for mother... the next I'm falling and something black is rising to meet me... as if an old friend of some kind... then I was limping around Manehattan..." -a soft hoof was on his back- "nopony would take me in, I had nothing to my name beside my old hoodie... where's my hoodie?!" he was alert and looking around in a panic. A voice of honey filled his thoughts "shh shh calm down" -he was calm as if the words were his very being- "I fixed it up while I was gone" -she levitated it from the last bag to him- "how does it look?" He pulled it on and sighed softly the familiar comfort around his body "thank you" the hug was short that he gave to her curiosity starting to kick in "so how are you going to help me get back into the air?" "I'll have to tell you on monday, I still have things that need to be done..." something distant was pulling at her attention. "Things? can I help?" she never answered him and was gone, he started to pace his mind running wild with sudden fears. Nightmare Running. I've been running my whole life. I'm falling now, something is pulling me down like dead weight. I can't breathe. Water is filling my lungs. I kick out trying to break the surface. I try to scream as a metal claw is gripping my wings. Water fills my lungs quicker as I thrash against my unseen enemy. I can feel something ripping and I want to scream in agony. I feel a sharp pain but the claws are gone. I finally get up for air. Gasping. I pull myself to shore. I cough up blood; black. The blood swirls around my hooves. I limp from the water. I don't get far. Everything goes black. Saturday He woke in a fit because of a nightmare and bolted out of bed; he sits down in the kitchen staring at the fridge. "I thought they were over..." talking to himself he searches for something for his nerves "so many times I've dreamt that after losing my wings..." he could barely speak with the images in his mind "dammit!" he kicks out knocking the table over "those dreams mean nothing!" he was shaking with rage; seconds became minutes and minutes became hours before he finally was able to calm down "okay..." he opened a cupboard and smiled slightly seeing a coffee maker and some coffee beans. He spent some time figuring out how to work the machine before flicking a switch making it sputter and come to life, in a few moments he had a hot cup of coffee in his hoof "at least I have coffee..." He watches the window sipping at his bitter coffee with nothing else to do "where did she go to?" His eyes start to fall when she pushes through the door silently with her magic, he tries to keep his eyes open but is asleep shortly. She levitates him easily to bed and then goes about bandaging her own wounds "I hope that he likes you young one..." Sunday He woke in the morning to silence around him being the only pony home; it had started to rain an hour or two ago. He started to pace in a mood that was between happy and sad, he couldn't explain why he felt so alone but like he was being watched over at the same time. A banging on the door snaps him from his thoughts "who could that-" knock! "-be?" He is cautious as he walks towards the door the banging getting faster and more frantic a muffled cry coming from the other side of the door. He takes deep breaths before pulling the door open; a red pegasus no bigger than him rushes in and then slams the door. This red pegasus is gasping for air and Swift Note takes this time to examine the surprise guest that came from nowhere; a deep red coat with short and choppy black hair as well, he has a lot a piercings just at a glance two in each ear and at least 5 for each wing. The red pegasus turned around a bit tense seeing a different pony than he had expected "who the buck are you?" Swift Note wasn't one for talking and sulked back quiet "me? um I'm Swift Note" he nearly falls over when the red pegasus rushes him. Instead of falling he strikes forward catching the stallion in the muzzle "don't hurt me!" the stallion hides in the corner in case of a retaliation. The red pegasus sits in front of him and in a breathy voice not unlike the stallion that had tried to kill Swift Note "why are you in her apartment?" he curled further. "S-she saved me" Swift fell back suddenly and let out a scream having fallen in such a way to rip open the wounds of where his wings once were. He was lifted to a couch swiftly by this red pegasus and bandages were placed besides him "this is going to hurt" with that he poured rubbing alcohol on the fresh cuts; Swift couldn't hold back a roar of pain. Bandages were wrapped around his whole body swiftly, the pain starting to fade only slightly "so you're the one she mentioned the other day?" he wasn't looking for an answer and continued to talk "now I know why she was so hell bent on me making a pair of wings" he continued to ramble Swift not hearing a single word his mind focused on the pain. A sharp tug on the final bandage and Swift passes out from pain. The red pegasus spoke softly writing a few things down "hmmm your bones are thinner than most of the pegasi that I've dealt with" -he continues rambling- "he's got dense bones too" with that he writes a note and looks outside cringing "I have to get out of here or I might end up ripping him to shreads. He left a note before rushing outside; "Hey Verse, I came by while I was running form another idiot thought that a piece of silver would be enough. Anyway I saw this pony you were talking about, I have rough measurements in my head and will be able to make the wings, but I need him to come by my place on Tuesday before I'll consider making them. Sincerely Dark Tone." Week 3 End Week 4: Another ChanceMonday Swift Note woke up the the sound of hoofsteps that were coming from outside of the room and then with a slight start he jumped off the couch and looked around his eyes shining bright for the first time in what felt like months. He found himself posed besides the table stiff as a board waiting for the door to swing open. Waiting for the doorknob to turn. Waiting for whatever was beyond that door. Waiting. Slowly the doorknob turned with a white magical aura surrounding it. Slowly the door was pushed open. Slowly a timid mare as white as snow walked in shivering soaked from the rain "h-h...hello? is anypony here...she um said that someone might be here" cautious as he was Swift Note couldn't help from walking up to her "oh hi...um I'm S-soft Hoof... and um I was asked by Ch-h... Chrimson Verse to um... something about torn off wings..?" visibly Swift Note fell back with the look of pure agony on his face "ohCelestiaI'msosorryIshouldn'thavesaiditthatway!" the rapid fire way of speaking made Swift Note's jaw drop "s-sorry..." she shut the door and Swift Note was still skeptical about this mystery guest known as Soft Hoof. "It's fine..." he couldn't help but look aside trying to see his wings that he knew weren't going to be there "... my name's Swift Note... you look cold, if you want you can use the bathroom and take a shower or dry off or something like that" his memory of those three weeks on the streets still haunt him and bring the desire to help those in need. "T-thank you, are you sure though?" she smiled softly and it brought a strange thought to Swift Note's mind; she's really cute. Slightly embaressed Swift Note went and started making some coffee and when he spoke up his voice was slightly higher than normal "o-of course, I'll start some coffee or whatever it is you drink." "um I like coffee..." it was hard for Swift Note to hear her but he smiled none the less as she went into the bathroom and shut the door. After a few moments Swift Note had the coffee maker going and then a few minutes after that Crimson Verse walked through the door but she was so silent that Swift Note didn't notice watching the coffee maker do it's magic to make his favorite drink in the world "I'm guessing that Soft Hoof is here Swift Note?" startled he spun around and nearly swung at her but stopped before it had happened "oh sorry... I thought you knew I was here." At first Swift Note nodded trying to come up with words "um err... ya she's taking a shower" he couldn't help but blush when he thought about her in the shower "she looked cold from the rain and um I know how much I e-e-enjoyed it when you brought me here after being on the streets for so long..." she snickered slightly seeing his blush spread further. "It's alright little one, she may have a roof over her head but it's barely better than your own living experience... if she were willing to live with me or Dark Tone we would let her of course but... it's a choice and it's hers to make..." she looked around a look of regret in her eyes that Swift Note wanted to ask about but was afraid of the answer so they ended up standing in silence watching the coffee maker. Shortly after Soft Hoof had gotten out of the shower and had a towel around her body as she walked behind Swift Note and Crimson Verse who being in deep thought each only stared at the coffee maker "um" -neither of them heard her soft voice "is the coffee almost done?" Swift Note and Crimson Verse turned surprised which in turn startled her causing a slight yelp to come from her mouth "s-sorry, just thought you knew I was there..." Crimson Verse gave her a soft pat and then with the coffee being finished started to grab cups and other various things. Swift Note looked at Soft Hoof and couldn't help but stare slightly drinking all of what she was physically; the soft white fur, the deep pink eyes, the eyelashes that were barely noticeable and of course the cuttie mark of a set of bandages "is there anything you want special about your coffee Swift Note?" confused he just blinked "are you okay Swift Note?" he shook his head and blushed noticing that they were both looking at him but his only rational thought was if Soft Hoof had noticed him staring or not. "Um I just prefer it black..." he hoped that had been the question she wanted an answer to, Crimson Verse nodded with a slight wink pouring everypony around a cup and adding sugar and a bit of honey to hers while only putting a bit of cinnamon in Soft Hoof's coffee. "Swift Note we should probably talk real quick" Swift Note just tilted his head in question sipping at his coffee still a little too hot for his tastes "I asked Soft Hoof here because she works with Dark Tone when helping pegasi who have broken, weak or in cases like yours ripped off wings..." she cringed seeing Swift Note cringe at the word ripped off "she's going to dress where your wings are so that um... after you talk with Dark Tone tomorrow he can start working on new wings for you..." he cringed again but nodded "so um whenever you're ready we can get that started then" slowly he found himself staring at his coffee. In a few moments he stood up and started pacing and then took a deep breath "w-whenever you're ready I am..." Crimson Verse was up and led him the couch and started to undo the bandages with her magic. "We'll make this as quick as possible Swift Note" she was slightly putting a disinfectant on the wound that would work better than the rubbing alcohol from when the wound ripped open when Dark Tone had been around. Swift Note's body was tense and when the shy Soft Hoof came over and started to softly cut at the wound to revel the wound he nearly screamed but the soothing magic from Crimson Verse made it bearable "I'm sorry... but um... this is probably going to hurt a lot but um I'll do my best so that it doesn't..." with that she pulled out a strange set of metal parts that she then secured with screws to the bone and found herself nearly in tears as she had to drill into the bone at the top "this um process will let us put the new wings in... it will make them work like any other pair of wings... it's just going to sting for a few hours..." she let out a slight sob when he let out a muffled scream into a pillow. After what felt like hours they left Swift Note to get used to the pain and hopefully for it to reside slowly into a dull ache or even disappear all together "um Verse... Dark Tone would like for him to spend the night so that if any um problems came up he could prevent anything serious..." Crimson Verse nodded with a soft sigh already knowing "and um... I know how he is... when um... colts are around who um have been around you alone... so um I'm going to be there to watch over him... plus um" the soft smile from earlier appeared as well as the faintest blush "he seems really nice" with a soft smirk Crimson Verse hugged her and thanked her softly. "I'll help you guys there... I need to stop by the um store to get something..." Soft Hoof gave her a slight doubtful look "sigh... yes I'm going to get alcohol... and yes it's because of my missing brother..." she was slightly disappointed but gave her a soft hug understanding "thank you" softly she brought Swift Note to a sitting position before sitting besides him "Swift... is it okay if I call you that?" -he nodded once- "tomorrow you're going to be meeting with a pegasus with a doctorate on pony anatomy and engenering... now he never actually went to school... but his impact on modern medicene for various injuries has earned him the honoray degrees... he's a close friend of mine and he wants you to stay at his house until he has finished with your wings... are you going to be alright if you're there alone?" he was motionless for a long moment but shortly after he nodded his head "alright... can you get ready or do you need some help?" silent Swift Note went and grabbed his hoodie and pulled it on, seeing this Crimson Verse had gone to the closet and pulled out a few hoodies and a jacket designed for the purpose of having multiple pockets "Soft Hoff you're jacket isn't quite fixed up but with the weather outside you're going to need it" she pulled it on and they walked out the door. Crimson Verse's horn came to life with magic to create slight shields against the water but it wouldn't keep them warm only dry, they walked on and after an hour or two they split off with Swift Note and Soft Hoof going into an apartment complex and up a few flights and from there into Dark Tone's spacious living space that was cluttered with various pieces of equipment and articles on biology and a lone computer in the corner that seemed to be out of the future. Crimson Verse took a different path home stopping by the liquor store and bought a few various drinks before heading home ignoring her spell to stop the rain she went home and started a bath while sipping at some of her various drinks, relaxing in the bath she let her self lose herself in memories of when she was young... back when she was a part of a royal family... when she had two daughters... back when she and her brother were safe and considered the most skilled... then it flashes away... a bag over her head... a knife in the chest... the sound of her brother's ungodly screams... screams of more than agony... screams of the danger his sister was in... and then blood pouring from her mouth... she screamed and nearly broke her neck on the tub... slowly though the memory fades and she finds herself wondering what had happened to her daughters... if they had even existed in the first place, and then the memories of her mother filled her mind and she felt calm and relaxed as nothing but joy filled her mind. She sat in the tub until the water was cold and then went to bed in a slight stupor with the thought of being at peace allowing her to sleep for the first time in weeks. Tuesday The scent of smoke and oil filled Swift Note's nostrils and then woke up quickly and then started to look around trying to find the source of the scent and saw the red pegasus that had scared him a few days ago in front of some mechanical device and was swearing under his breath. Mystified by this strange machine Swift Note found himself watching over Dark Tone's shoulder while he was ranting to himself "for the love of Celestia this piece of crap doesn't work unless I'm not looking at it" Swift Note found himself watching and wondering what he was doing. Not wanting to scare Dark Tone he slowly went forward on his side and found himself looking at a gear that didn't seem out of place at first glance "um is this gear supposed to be motionless" he was pointing at it and with a slight sigh of relief Dark Tone went and pushed it back and it started and the machine became silent running smoothly. "About bucking time" Dark Tone got up from his seat and found himself looking at Swift Note "do you know how to work with machines?" Swift Note just shook his head "well either way that greatly improved my mood today, are you're um... are the wing holders feeling okay? any discomfort?" Swift Note found himself moving his wing joints to see how they were feeling and let out a soft sigh. "They... they only hurt my pride" Dark Tone hearing this started to examine them "um do you need me to sit down?" no answer and after a moment Soft Hoof came from the kitchen a plate stacked with pancakes was balanced on her nose "do you need help Soft Hoof?" she grunted in response and he was over there helping her set it down on the table and then fallowed her to the kitchen to grab anything left but she turned around shortly after going in, they ended up tripped over each other and ended up on the ground blushing badly and both apologizing profusely. A laughter came from above the stumbling ponies that stopped them dead "careful you two love birds, we have private rooms for that kind of stuff" embarrassed badly they untangled and went to the table and just started to eat the breakfast that had been prepared for them all. It was a half hour later that Swift Note had finished eating and found himself gazing at Soft Hoof something seeming to be distracting his thoughts "hey Swift Note are you listening?" something that was borderline insanity "hey?!" something that was scaring him "you're freaking me out!" suddenly he turned from the chair running as if chased by the hounds of hell "whoawhoawhoa!" he was tackled to the ground in a state of confusion. It took ten minutes before Swift Note returned from his state of flight "w-what happened?" he got no answer both Dark Tone and Soft Hoof to nervous to say anything. Breathing deeply Swift Note got up and suddenly gasped a pain spreading along his side, terrified he looked and saw nothing confused he continued to stare until it faded with no reason what so ever about why it had hurt after the longest time they all tried to speak up but that only caused the silence to last longer before Dark Tone was the one to speak "can I talk with you alone Swift Note? I have some questions about your old wings" Swift Note physically tensed at the memory which only got him a soft pat on the head from Soft Hoof, after a second he went with Dark Tone into a bed room and the door was shut behind "sit down if you'd like. Looking around Swift Note noticed a single chair he sat there "thanks..." he felt nervous and on edge especially after their first meeting. Dark Tone didn't sit down and went to Swift Note's side and put his hoof between his shoulders "I'm going to slide my hoof back and I want you to tell me where the tips used to reach" he started back and about half an inch before his tail when Swift Note stopped him "that's an impressive wingspan," -he put his hoof at the base of one of the wing stubs- "I'm going to slide my hoof down until it's reached the point where your wings would stop in the resting position of the bottom part of your wings" with that he slowly went down and about two and a half inches down Swift Note stopped him "well um wow that's the first time anypony has ever had these measurements... well except for the princesses" he was in a slight stupor but was quickly writing down the information before turning back to Swift Note "was there ever any physical problem with your wings?" Swift Note scratched his neck "um the rounded part sometimes would rub against my neck and it caused my muscles to go raw" Dark Tone wrote down a few more notes before pulling a measuring tape from a drawer. "Okay, well that's something I'll alter slightly from the measurements to avoid, alright I need to take a few of them" with that Swift Note got up and with very little conversation took various measurements such as torso length and the barrel, the legs, and his neck length. After the final measurements were taken Swift Note was ushered out of the room and he found himself alone with nothing to do but read some of the random magazines lying around and them being mainly about engineering Swift Note couldn't understand half of what they were talking about but did find them entertaining and a bit educational. He didn't notice Soft Hoof's return or that she was reading over his shoulder when she started to doze off and had rested her head on his shoulder, in that moment aware of her he blushed but softly shifted her around so she was laying on the coach he had made his reading spot next to him. After reading for a little bit Swift Note started to doze off himself and ended up using her as a pillow in turn and even though she woke and noticed he was using her as a pillow she just smiled softly and cuddled a little closer resolving that after they woke up she would take him on a date or something like that. Through the remaining hours of the day and through the night Dark Tone was locked in his bed room working on designs and planing out the needed materials for the new wings and even when Soft Hoof knocked he didn't open the door until she said that he should at least eat his dinner in the room if he must and even after that he barely touched the food to absorbed with the design and various variables that he had never had to deal with before, it's a rare event when a Pegasus has wings that are longer than his or her legs. It was going to be a long night but at least Dark Tone could hear Swift Note and Soft Hoof talking which is something he hadn't heard from either unless asked a question or telling him something he needed to know. City Demons It was raining when he was pacing outside of a door that held no markings or even a door knob and he found himself wishing that it hadn't been a call for his service at such short notice, it meant he would make a sizable sum but if Shadow Wing needed him it wasn't something that would be easy. Shadow Wing has a reputation for doing dirty work for various mob bosses or others as long as they can meet his prices and were willing to cover the expenses of his tools for the job. It took what felt like hours before the door was open and he was bid in by a raspy voice "brother..." it was hard to understand half of what came from in the room that seemed to be buzzing with machinery and it was just as hard to see his brother behind the various machines but a cluster of IV's seemed to focus where he assumed his brother must be and what he saw made him rush to his side. "For the sake of tartarus, what happened to you brother?!" his brother was in a state it was no wonder he couldn't understand anything that he had said "h-how could you get into such a state?! this... this... this is impossible!" it was driving him mad with fear that his brother could die "sigh... are the files of cases in the same place as always?" he received a node and looked them over before finding the one he was working on that read "Target 627, Swift Note, Hired by an anonymous source, paid in full. Is this the one brother?" he saw his brother's eye twitch and that was the only sign he needed "I'm going to make him pay for what he did to you brother" he saw a set of other cases that were in a to do pile and flipped through them and sighed "but I can't let you get behind the few contracts you have at the moment... I'll have to finish these before this Swift Note" he went to his brother and stroked his hair "I'm going to bring you his head" he turned and walked for the door. It was silent outside and Shadow Walker found himself in a state of rage but nopony would be able to tell by looking at him, he walked along content to think of how to tackle the targets that were on a schedule before getting to this Swift Note and if that meant that he would also get to collect his brother's rewards that was fine by him. Slowly a plan started to form in his head and he couldn't help but smile; that stallion wont know what hit him. Thursday Swift Note woke up to the frantic shouts of joy coming from Dark Tone's room and what sounded like a chair falling over, before he could get up and find out what was going on Dark Tone broke from the room "I did it! I finally can get started!" at that point Swift Note gave up any hope of figuring out what was going on and sat up rubbing his sore eyes and wished that Soft Hoof wasn't gone until later tonight. It had been two days sense they had started talking about what was on their minds instead of just minor subjects and it had felt like they were two halves of the same coin, very similar to how he got along with his sister Synth Note. That's somepony he hasn't thought of for a while, it brought him to worry that she might be in danger for being left with mother alone. Before he could worry anymore Dark Tone was pulling him off of the couch "get up lazy bones we need to go and get materials" stunned Swift Note stumbled up and followed behind the ecstatic pegasus as he went outside to the bright and sunny streets of Manehatten as if Dark Tone's mood were able to control the weather. It's a good thing that Swift Note's mood wasn't controlling the because that would have been quite a shift from the happy go lucky sunshine and lingering puddles all around, it was taking a lot for Swift Note to have the desire to try and keep up with Dark Tone. They went down a street and Swift Note almost had a heart attack and feel over knocking Dark Tone down, it wasn't long before he was being helped up by the confused Dark Tone "hey are you okay?" the question remained unanswered as Swift Note was staring off into the distance "what are you looking at?" still silence. Slowly Swift Note calmed down and shook his head "huh? oh nothing" the rest of the way of the walk was silent but after a while they reached a store that had various materials and Dark Tone looked like he was a filly in a candy store "what are we doing?" Dark Tone turned to him a look of confusion on his face. "This my friend is where we will start the first steps of getting you back into the air" Swift Note when stiff as always at the mention of wings, especially his own old or the new ones they were making for him "anyway let's go find something already so we can make them!" it was hard to keep up with the ecstatic behavior of Dark Tone especially when he was looking through materials from logical to improbable at best. It felt like days before they were in line buying the materials and then finally heading home where Swift Note looked forward to curling up on the make shift bed and lay there hopefully falling asleep in the process but he knew that was unlikely with the demons that were taring at his mind. It became impossible though when they were home, as soon as they had gotten inside the room a letter on the table made him stiff, he took it quickly before Dark Tone got the chance to see it "I'm going to make dinner if that's alright Dark Tone" he received some comment about not going to eat until later so he only made himself a cup of coffee and then sat down on the couch and once he was alone started to read the letter. "Oh dearest Swift Note, you really did me a good deal of harm recently. I lay in bed, with machines keeping me alive while a skilled doctor his going through the process of bringing me back to my old self and I dare say even better than before. When I do I'll be paying you a visit, not a messenger but my presence but until then I hope this message will suffice. Sleep well swift one." He was terrified by the letter and laid on the couch in silence forgetting his cup of coffee, he fell asleep but it was far from restful. Inner Demons The eerie laughter of a synthesized voice fills my ears. The laughing grates on my nerves but I can't cover it up or muffle it no matter how hard I try. I scream and suddenly I'm not alone. He looks back at me, no not he... me. I stare at my once beautiful reflection, long and powerful wings and a devil may care look to his eyes but suddenly it changes and I find myself staring at the reflection of my body nothing but a shadow it watches me. It studies me with unblinking eyes; black and soulless eyes. It smiles at me darkly and rolls it's shoulders a mechanical mess of gears and metal where my wings should be. I strike forward but it only passes through air and the shadow engulfs my body, hurting my body. I scream and fight trying to escape. I cry as it does nothing to help me. I stop fighting but the pain continues to spread. "What did I do to deserve this?!" Saturday Swift Note woke in a fit of hysterics and found himself surrounded by darkness and the sounds of rain and thunder, and then stumbled looking for the light switch but stopped sensing a presence in the room "who's there?" it was barely a whisper but he needed an answer. Something passed him but he couldn't tell if it was living or not he couldn't be sure "I know somepony is in here" still nothing responded when all of a sudden the flash of lighting gave him a sight of the creature that had invaded his idea of safety and made it a mockery of what he needed more than anything. "What the buck are you?!" he fell back as the lightning disappeared concealing the pegasus he had fought a week or two ago, in fear he backed up trying to get his hooves under him "get away!" He felt a sharp pain along his side and then along his mouth suppressing the scream that had started to escape his lips, and then a hoof covered his mouth and a voice reached his ears "just giving you a taste of what you did to me" and with those words the hoof was removed and another cut was made along his mouth, it was enough to bring the scream out of his mouth louder than he had thought possible. Suddenly a crash filled the room and the rain outside found it's way inside and then a flash of lighting reviled the room to be empty and a window open, slowly silence settled into the room except for the beating rain around the building, Swift Note crawled to the window with intent to shut it but the rain coming through felt good on his fresh wounds. It was hours later before the sound of a key in the lock and a doorknob turning was heard to the battered and barely conscious Swift Note, and then the lights flashed on causing a scream of agony from Swift Note shortly fallowed by the scream of fear from Soft Hoof "what happened?!" Swift Note was barely able to move his head to look at the unicorn he had come to call his friend "Dark Tone!!!" it surprised Swift Note to hear her yell so loud and shortly after a startled and barely awake Dark Tone came from the room headphones blaring around his neck "what the hell happened?! why is Swift Note bleeding and soaked from the rain?!" Dark Tone looked with wide eyes at Swift Note "for the love of Luna..." he was quick to action first shutting the window and pulling Swift Note up "okay... let's see nothing major... but nothing minor either... he's shivering badly... umm..." at that point he went dumb trying to do something, anything to help him. He was wrapped in a blanket by Soft Hoof who then started giving orders to Dark Tone that shortly lead to Swift Note covered up from head to hoof and a set of various impromptu medical supplies laid out near him "I need you to get as many blankets as you can find Dark Tone" he was off quickly finding ever blanket in the apartment while Soft Hoof was working on fixing up the bleeding and shivering Swift Note "what could have done this to you?" no response and shortly after she just found herself talking about what she was doing to help "well I can make sure it's not going to get infected with my magic but I'm not sure I can keep it from scarring... especially these marks on your mouth... well, not much more I can do until you're conscious..." she stayed at his side throughout the night hoping he'd wake up in the morning perfectly fine. Sunday Swift Note woke up engulfed in blankets and with the sleeping Soft Hoof using him as a pillow "what happened last night?" she stirred and looked at him and his heart sunk seeing tears in her eyes as well as a hallow look from a lack of sleep "are you okay?" she mumbled something he couldn't quite understand and then she walked off. Swift Note tried to get up so he could fallow her but a sharp pain shot through his side causing a yelp to escape his mouth, it caused Soft Hoof to rush to his side "are you okay?!" startled Swift Note just looked at her with eyes open "oh... um are you okay?" he only nodded and slowly inched out of the blankets and from there off the bed and looked at the line along his side and winced "um, about that... sorry... If had been here sooner... I... could have at least kept it from scaring... sorry..." it pained him emotionally to see her so upset luckily it only pained him physically to hug her. His voice was thick with emotions "it's nothing I can't live with... please don't cry" she was stock still and he could feel her tears on his neck but she just couldn't return his hug "are you okay..? you can talk to me." His voice was filled of slight pain but the firm tone brought the tears rushing out and the hug to be returned in full "you were hurt... I could have done something if I was here..." after those words everything became impossible for him to understand because of the tears that were making the words impossible to decipher as well as how fast she was saying them. They sat there in silence, neither of them knowing how much time has passed or caring; one needed to let out her sorrow and the other didn't want her to be sad but as all good things do it had to come to an end. They went about their lives as if everything was fine, sharing a meal with Dark Tone, working on various parts of Swift Note's wings to be and then small chat while they were getting ready to go to bed. Author's Note Just a note (mainly for those who haven't read the comment I posted about my "daring idea") I have made a password so those of you who want to read the "work in progress" parts have the option (password is in the same comment) you are welcome to and I only ask that if you find something extremely annoying (or enough to nag at you while reading) that you please tell me (you can share on posted chapters as well of course) and if you want you can also tell me what you are enjoying about the story the most.
The ErrandThe Morning He was looking around his room in a bored mood, his only sign of thinking is the swishing of his tail; a yell comes from the other room "Swift I need to speak with you!" Slightly nervous he pushes his self up with his strong wings; his secret pride. He pushes through the door to find his sister playing some music on her favorite keyboard "did you call for me Synth?" she looked up and shook her head and then tipped her head back to the room behind her. Swift let out a sigh of annoyance "mother's back isn't she?" she nodded yes and then Swift went through the door to see his mother a stern yellow pegasus standing there. "There you are Swift" he forced a smile "I need you to go and grab something for me from Canterlot" his eyebrow shot up in a questioning look "what?" "Canterlot? you don't even like me going to Ponyville" -she nodded- "why Canterlot?" "Because I need you to visit your aunt" -he was getting more and more doubtful- "what is it now?" "You hate my aunt, why would you want me to visit her?" she didn't answer and just got up and pushed him outside telling him to just do as he's told. He was quick to get on his way letting his wings unfurl from his side; the best sensation that he had ever known. The Race He loved to fly, he would do everything that most pegasus twice his size couldn't do; his wings had always been stronger than those of most. He was once told that he could out race Rainbow Dash or even join the Wonderbolts; he didn't really care not being a competitor. He would do flips and dives even when it wasn't needed, he would summersault around clouds. Laughing was ringing out from behind him, when he looked right behind him was a cyan colored pegasus that he had only heard about from family and friends "not bad kid" he was puzzled by this pony. He only said a short hello wanting to enjoy his flying entirely "where you headed?" he replied with one word "wanna race?" he shook his head but thought for a moment that it could be fun. He came to a hover so that she could catch up to him "why not?" he didn't really mind a little competition every now and then. She came right up to him and extended her hoof "the name's Rainbow Dash" he took her hoof and shook it. She lead him to a set of clouds and faced towards Ponyville "to the mayors place and back" he nodded. She did a count down and they were off; for the most part the race was even. The lead would switch between them; both racing just for the sake of flying. She was going faster now; Swift didn't have much of a chance unless she slowed for the turn back. He made the turn faster than most pegasus could go without missing it entirely; so did Rainbow Dash. He nearly ran straight into a roof taking the turn to quick and ended up in a spiral that he was lucky he hadn't flown a half inch to low. They both started to strain their wings to make it to the finish line; somehow Swift was able to push out just enough power to keep level with her. With a blur they both passed the finish line leaving behind a trail the same color as there tails. Rainbow Dash let out a roar of joy as Swift let out a roar of surprise. The air was going to fast; even for someone who loves to go fast when flying. Moments later the momentum slowed and he was halfway to Canterlot; just a few miles away from Manehattan. "You should have seen your face!" a laughter filled the air "never thought you'd be that fast" she kept laughing as she left Swift to his flight. Directly over Manehattan a strange sound had come from his saddle bag; it didn't sound friendly in anyway at all. Looking back Swift's eyes went wide; then smoke filled his vision and he fell from the sky like a rock. Synth and Mother Done playing her keyboard for the day she went to see if there was anything she had to do before going outside. When she went in her mother was in hysterics paying no attention to anything at all "finally he's gone" -a loud and long laugh escaped her lips- "no longer do I have to deal with that little brat of a sone" -Synth fell back not liking what she was hearing- "he's probally just barely reaching Manehattan and when he does then well" -she started laugh again- "bye bye my little one" Synth got out and was looking around. She ran to Swift's room and grabbed the things of his that he treasured and threw them into her saddle bag with her keyboard. In moments she was running outside and then stopped "I... can't fly there" she looked down and saw the train; surely it had to stop in Manehattan right? She got aboard and relaxed as best she could with what she had just witnessed. Hopefully she could find her brother before it was too late. She couldn't have known she would have to spend two months in Canterlot to raise the money to go find her brother at that point. What was to become of the crash landed Swift Note? Where did he even fall?
Week 1: The CrashMonday It's quickly growing dark as Swift Note is struggling to the safety of land, an intense pain burning in his joints and blood staining his hoodie that was soaked from the rain. He was constantly asking himself what had happened and why he had crash landed, it was something he had never done before but now everything was different. In the crash his wings had caught on something and they were torn out from the velocity he had been falling at, he sighed finding a sheltered area and started to look through his saddlebag. He felt his heart sink when he took an inventory of what was left and only found a few pieces of paper, nothing on them and no way to write on them. He was without money in Manehattan and alone as well, no friends or family live in the area. He looks around and sees some bread thrown away and his stomach growls, swallowing all of his pride he takes it and eats as he walks off looking for a place he can sleep for the night. Completely alone he understands that somehow his mother planned for this to happen. Nightmare I'm running like I have from birth. Running from the family that doesn't really care about my body. Suddenly I'm falling towards something black. I see metal claws reaching out for me. They sharply grab my wings. Somehow I'm still falling despite my wings being held by the claws. I'm drowning now. In a scream Swift Note wakes up looking around and then swears "even when I can sleep I can't!" He stormed down the alleyway that has become his home while he struggles with his life on these streets without money or food. Thursday Today Swift got a nice surprise from where he has been getting food, a half finished cup of coffee and some bread. He was quick to return to the alleyway where nopony ever came, in minutes the drink was gone just like the bread. For once Swift felt he could actually get some sleep. He fell asleep curled up despite the rain beating down on his head. Saturday He woke up to a knife held against the back of his neck "you've got a lot a nerve being around her punk" he body tensed as the words went through his mind. He slowly got up "s-sorry, I didn't know that-" he was shoved into the wall and went silent. "It'll cost you" Swift felt tears trailing down his face "what's wrong filly?" "I don't have anything..." he was slammed into the wall again dazing him. "I'll make you deal then" despite the fear going through his head he nodded waiting "you give me that saddlebag and I'll let you stay in this alley." Scared and without an option he gave over the saddlebag and was left alone to sleep. Sunday It started to rain further and he could only curl up against the cold that is racking his body with pain and greaf, living on the streets is not a place for anypony, especially a Pegasus made Earth Pony. The rain only does one thing that is good for Swift; it masks his tears. End of Week 1
Week 2: Living AloneTuesday Swift Note was confronted again by the pony that had taken his saddle bag, this time he was given the warning that if he was there later that night he would have to pay for the use of his alleyway again. Solum he slowly walked off with the endless rain beating down on his body, he would walk through alleyways in the hopes that one of them could be his new living space but everyone was either occupied, had some kind of protector, or sleeping in the middle of the street would have been better. It was nearing midnight by the time Swift Note had found an alleyway that he was sure didn't have an owner or any pony who would claim that they were, it was dark and held little shelter from the rain that was still dampening his hoodie and body. Curling up he tried to get some sleep which was seeming to elude him as much as a safe place to sleep. Thursday It was a night time when the sudden screech of pain woke the restless sleeping form of Swift Note, afraid to stay in the alley but just as scared to move he found himself unable to relax even slightly even as his body demanded that he would relax and even begged for it as the familiar throbbing of his wing stubs started to grow to the point of agony. Without a choice he forced his body to relax so that at least if he were to die his wing stubs wouldn't be the biggest worry to protect. Agony spreads through his limbs as he slowly slips back to sleep despite the terror of the scream from before. The Fight Laughter filled the morning air when Swift Note was woken by a gale knocking him around, in pain he pulled himself up and with a groan looked back to see that his pride was still gone and bleeding "is this some kind of nightmare?" he couldn't help but muse to himself. His eyes are blood shot as they fall upon various shadowy figures and he finds himself unsure if it is morning or night, even wonders what day of the week it is but suddenly that isn't important. A blur of black only visible for a second puts him on edge as the constant laughter reaches his ears from an unknown source; the voice seems to surround him keeping him locked in one spot as it descends upon him. In fear his looks around his body tense and his wing stubs working as if ready for flight bring a pang of pain and sorrow to surface, in that instance it happened. Thrown violently against a wall a pony with wings of silver laughs "I've been looking for you Swift Note" in that instance everything went from scared and weak to hopeless. "Who are you?" no chance of avoiding what was to come Swift Note found himself ready for the worst. "Me? well I'm the one that needed that" a silence fills the air for a moment "shall we say, package delivered and it could after all only be by you swift one" a set of sharp blades suddenly appeared along his wings "shall we dance?" Letting out a sigh Swift brought himself into a fighting stance "I'm guessing I'm not getting a choice?" the nod from his attacker was all he needed to see, slowly he found himself closing his eyes and letting soft synthesized like noises come from him. And then the first strike was landed. "Well that looks like it hurts" Swift Note found himself on the ground a fresh cut along his shoulder, with a swift spin he found himself face to face with his attacker; a dingy coat around the wild look of his eyes showed more than insanity but pain. "Looks like you hurt more..." with a heart starting to become heavy Swift bucked forward and his assailant was sent flying through the air, adapting fast through he uses the momentum to fly fast towards Swift. Adrenaline drives Swift to a strong leap to avoid the in coming attack, if his fighting hadn't heavily reliant on his ability to fly and short lived he might have avoided getting his back hoof slit across the bottom. Blood stains the alleyway and stage of their battle as Swift is walking around his opponent not wanting to be to close but needing to keep his eyes on him "what is your favorite part of this city Swift Note? is it the alleyways? maybe the music scene?" it was irritating to hear his enemy's endless banter "earth to Swift are you there? hello?" the twitch of his eye was the only sign that would show though "helllllllo?!" Suddenly being attacked Swift brought the battle to his terms; hoof to hoof. Strike after strike were landed while the endless talking and laughing continued; slowly his anger and annoyance was building up with each and every word. It reached the braking point but it wouldn't brake, at least until a sharp set of knives went along his back and where his wings once were "oops was that a sore spot?" in the fallowing rage Swift threw him down and stole a knife in his teeth. "Shut the buck up!" nothing but laughing fallowed and in that moment something snapped. A sharp jerk of the head and then a tongue and a chunk of flesh landed at the ground. "You!" -another jerk- "are!" -hair and an ear fall to the ground- "bucking!" -blood spurts from an eye socket- "annoying!" He fell back seeing what had happened "by Celestia what did I just do?" on the ground he looked at the pieces of the attacker close to his bleeding form. The blood of his ear and tongue slowly being washed away by the never ending rain. The never ending rain that has been in existence from the day the prestigious wings were ripped from his body. The flash of a knife snaps Swift from his daze only to be fallowed by a sharp pain sticking out of his back and the attempted laugher of the attacker. A sharp buck sends him against the wall with a sickening crunch and gurgle. In fear he runs off in need of a new resting place. Even he wouldn't have known what was going to happen in the near future. End of Week 2
Week 3: The Crimson MareMonday: He laid down in pain from the fight he was dragged into and just curled as best as his limbs would let him against the hard wall. "Why did this have to happen?" with that he coughed up blood and the remainder of his wings ached against the remains of his hoodie. "How did I end up here? I'm one of the best fliers in my family" -he looked back and bit his lip seeing the still raw injury where his wings were ripped from the bone- "was one of the best..." His stomach growls in complaint to the lack of food that his body has received in these long weeks of living without any shelter; the only good thing about this night is that it wasn't going to rain like it had since after he was stranded in Manehattan. "I really need something to eat..." he just looks down the empty alley and sighs "not much to eat here though..." He takes a slight intake of breath and regrets it; being though his nose he got a good whiff of how he smells without having a bath in what feels like ages "I really need a bath!" Nopony responds to his plea for something to go right. He curls closer to his wall feeling a cold wind go by that could freeze him to the bone; it did just that and he cried out in sorrow knowing that he would have no salvation. He curled tighter still trying to stay warm in the cold air surrounding him. "Are you alright little one?" a voice stirs the freezing stallion to see the source, a crimson coated unicorn with a parchment for a cuttie mark with crimson ink. "Who are you?" his voice can barely get as loud as a rasp from dehydration. "Hopefully someone that can help you" -a slight tinge of sorrow was in her voice as she spoke- "you look like you need a place to sleep." In tears he looks up at her bright red eyes "please" all sense of pride was not important in that moment. A soft tug on his body from her magic helps him to his hooves "lean on me young one" he did just that only a little confused why this mare thought he was young. "T-thank you" he was so weak she was just barely not carrying him. "You're welcome" she said no more and minutes later they were walking into a little apartment barely big enough for one pony with little to make it feel like a home. She lead him to the bath and smiled softly "perhaps you'll feel better with a bath?" he smiled at the promise of a shower. He took his time; stood under the water letting the heat seep into his damp and aching bones, happily dealt with the mess of hair and tail of his, and lastly dealt with all the grime that had started to cover his body sense the accident. When he came out she was there with medical supplies surrounded by her magic aura "please sit down" he did as bid for this unicorn with the voice of honey. Moments later his shattered wings were bandaged for him "that should make you feel better" and with that he smiled not sure if he was dreaming or not. She lead him to the only bed and pulled the covers over him and spoke softly "now get some sleep little one, you've deserved it" he was asleep before the second word had reached her lips. Tuesday: He awoke in the morning to silence and started to walk around testing his rested body "wow I feel so much better" his stomach growled and he remembered just how hungry he has been for the last few weeks. A note on one of the small tables in the kitchen drew his eye and he read aloud "I had to be somewhere and won't be back for a few days, there's food in the fridge if you're hungry. Sincerely Crimson Verse." He wasted no time going to the fridge and finding a few things that he could stomach; a few crackers and some water. He started to test his muscles now that they were healing from his extended time without rest, shortly after his eyes start to close and he drags himself to the bed and is asleep yet again. Friday He has been resting well and his body is finally accepting more than just crackers and water, he can walk around like he used to, and has been able to take the bandages off his wings. He has also spent most of the time depressed staring into a mirror looking at the stubs where his once beautiful white wings were "what I wouldn't do to get these back..." Creeeek... He turns to the door opening "are you still here?" -a voice he doesn't remember- "I hope so, I really would like to talk with somepony" she came in using her magic to levitate and put all of her groceries away only leaving one bag out. Hesitant he sat at the table looking her over now that he wasn't on the verge of death; she had a crimsoned colored coat, a unicorn horn poking out from long flowing hair that was a harsh black compared to her coat and lastly her eyes that were crimson just a few shades brighter than his own. "How are you feeling?" he looked down not really wanting to look at her "I'm glad that your wings have-" a slight cry escaped his lips causing her to go to his side "I'm sorry... I know how much Pegasi love their wings" -she held his head to look him in the eyes and a slight flash of sorrow was evident in her own- "I want to help you get back in the air" his eyes flashed with hope. "How? I don't even know where mine ended up after..." he looked down flashes of black smog and cramped wings causing him to fall to the ground "it was so sudden, one second I was flying on my errand for mother... the next I'm falling and something black is rising to meet me... as if an old friend of some kind... then I was limping around Manehattan..." -a soft hoof was on his back- "nopony would take me in, I had nothing to my name beside my old hoodie... where's my hoodie?!" he was alert and looking around in a panic. A voice of honey filled his thoughts "shh shh calm down" -he was calm as if the words were his very being- "I fixed it up while I was gone" -she levitated it from the last bag to him- "how does it look?" He pulled it on and sighed softly the familiar comfort around his body "thank you" the hug was short that he gave to her curiosity starting to kick in "so how are you going to help me get back into the air?" "I'll have to tell you on monday, I still have things that need to be done..." something distant was pulling at her attention. "Things? can I help?" she never answered him and was gone, he started to pace his mind running wild with sudden fears. Nightmare Running. I've been running my whole life. I'm falling now, something is pulling me down like dead weight. I can't breathe. Water is filling my lungs. I kick out trying to break the surface. I try to scream as a metal claw is gripping my wings. Water fills my lungs quicker as I thrash against my unseen enemy. I can feel something ripping and I want to scream in agony. I feel a sharp pain but the claws are gone. I finally get up for air. Gasping. I pull myself to shore. I cough up blood; black. The blood swirls around my hooves. I limp from the water. I don't get far. Everything goes black. Saturday He woke in a fit because of a nightmare and bolted out of bed; he sits down in the kitchen staring at the fridge. "I thought they were over..." talking to himself he searches for something for his nerves "so many times I've dreamt that after losing my wings..." he could barely speak with the images in his mind "dammit!" he kicks out knocking the table over "those dreams mean nothing!" he was shaking with rage; seconds became minutes and minutes became hours before he finally was able to calm down "okay..." he opened a cupboard and smiled slightly seeing a coffee maker and some coffee beans. He spent some time figuring out how to work the machine before flicking a switch making it sputter and come to life, in a few moments he had a hot cup of coffee in his hoof "at least I have coffee..." He watches the window sipping at his bitter coffee with nothing else to do "where did she go to?" His eyes start to fall when she pushes through the door silently with her magic, he tries to keep his eyes open but is asleep shortly. She levitates him easily to bed and then goes about bandaging her own wounds "I hope that he likes you young one..." Sunday He woke in the morning to silence around him being the only pony home; it had started to rain an hour or two ago. He started to pace in a mood that was between happy and sad, he couldn't explain why he felt so alone but like he was being watched over at the same time. A banging on the door snaps him from his thoughts "who could that-" knock! "-be?" He is cautious as he walks towards the door the banging getting faster and more frantic a muffled cry coming from the other side of the door. He takes deep breaths before pulling the door open; a red pegasus no bigger than him rushes in and then slams the door. This red pegasus is gasping for air and Swift Note takes this time to examine the surprise guest that came from nowhere; a deep red coat with short and choppy black hair as well, he has a lot a piercings just at a glance two in each ear and at least 5 for each wing. The red pegasus turned around a bit tense seeing a different pony than he had expected "who the buck are you?" Swift Note wasn't one for talking and sulked back quiet "me? um I'm Swift Note" he nearly falls over when the red pegasus rushes him. Instead of falling he strikes forward catching the stallion in the muzzle "don't hurt me!" the stallion hides in the corner in case of a retaliation. The red pegasus sits in front of him and in a breathy voice not unlike the stallion that had tried to kill Swift Note "why are you in her apartment?" he curled further. "S-she saved me" Swift fell back suddenly and let out a scream having fallen in such a way to rip open the wounds of where his wings once were. He was lifted to a couch swiftly by this red pegasus and bandages were placed besides him "this is going to hurt" with that he poured rubbing alcohol on the fresh cuts; Swift couldn't hold back a roar of pain. Bandages were wrapped around his whole body swiftly, the pain starting to fade only slightly "so you're the one she mentioned the other day?" he wasn't looking for an answer and continued to talk "now I know why she was so hell bent on me making a pair of wings" he continued to ramble Swift not hearing a single word his mind focused on the pain. A sharp tug on the final bandage and Swift passes out from pain. The red pegasus spoke softly writing a few things down "hmmm your bones are thinner than most of the pegasi that I've dealt with" -he continues rambling- "he's got dense bones too" with that he writes a note and looks outside cringing "I have to get out of here or I might end up ripping him to shreads. He left a note before rushing outside; "Hey Verse, I came by while I was running form another idiot thought that a piece of silver would be enough. Anyway I saw this pony you were talking about, I have rough measurements in my head and will be able to make the wings, but I need him to come by my place on Tuesday before I'll consider making them. Sincerely Dark Tone." Week 3 End
Week 4: Another ChanceMonday Swift Note woke up the the sound of hoofsteps that were coming from outside of the room and then with a slight start he jumped off the couch and looked around his eyes shining bright for the first time in what felt like months. He found himself posed besides the table stiff as a board waiting for the door to swing open. Waiting for the doorknob to turn. Waiting for whatever was beyond that door. Waiting. Slowly the doorknob turned with a white magical aura surrounding it. Slowly the door was pushed open. Slowly a timid mare as white as snow walked in shivering soaked from the rain "h-h...hello? is anypony here...she um said that someone might be here" cautious as he was Swift Note couldn't help from walking up to her "oh hi...um I'm S-soft Hoof... and um I was asked by Ch-h... Chrimson Verse to um... something about torn off wings..?" visibly Swift Note fell back with the look of pure agony on his face "ohCelestiaI'msosorryIshouldn'thavesaiditthatway!" the rapid fire way of speaking made Swift Note's jaw drop "s-sorry..." she shut the door and Swift Note was still skeptical about this mystery guest known as Soft Hoof. "It's fine..." he couldn't help but look aside trying to see his wings that he knew weren't going to be there "... my name's Swift Note... you look cold, if you want you can use the bathroom and take a shower or dry off or something like that" his memory of those three weeks on the streets still haunt him and bring the desire to help those in need. "T-thank you, are you sure though?" she smiled softly and it brought a strange thought to Swift Note's mind; she's really cute. Slightly embaressed Swift Note went and started making some coffee and when he spoke up his voice was slightly higher than normal "o-of course, I'll start some coffee or whatever it is you drink." "um I like coffee..." it was hard for Swift Note to hear her but he smiled none the less as she went into the bathroom and shut the door. After a few moments Swift Note had the coffee maker going and then a few minutes after that Crimson Verse walked through the door but she was so silent that Swift Note didn't notice watching the coffee maker do it's magic to make his favorite drink in the world "I'm guessing that Soft Hoof is here Swift Note?" startled he spun around and nearly swung at her but stopped before it had happened "oh sorry... I thought you knew I was here." At first Swift Note nodded trying to come up with words "um err... ya she's taking a shower" he couldn't help but blush when he thought about her in the shower "she looked cold from the rain and um I know how much I e-e-enjoyed it when you brought me here after being on the streets for so long..." she snickered slightly seeing his blush spread further. "It's alright little one, she may have a roof over her head but it's barely better than your own living experience... if she were willing to live with me or Dark Tone we would let her of course but... it's a choice and it's hers to make..." she looked around a look of regret in her eyes that Swift Note wanted to ask about but was afraid of the answer so they ended up standing in silence watching the coffee maker. Shortly after Soft Hoof had gotten out of the shower and had a towel around her body as she walked behind Swift Note and Crimson Verse who being in deep thought each only stared at the coffee maker "um" -neither of them heard her soft voice "is the coffee almost done?" Swift Note and Crimson Verse turned surprised which in turn startled her causing a slight yelp to come from her mouth "s-sorry, just thought you knew I was there..." Crimson Verse gave her a soft pat and then with the coffee being finished started to grab cups and other various things. Swift Note looked at Soft Hoof and couldn't help but stare slightly drinking all of what she was physically; the soft white fur, the deep pink eyes, the eyelashes that were barely noticeable and of course the cuttie mark of a set of bandages "is there anything you want special about your coffee Swift Note?" confused he just blinked "are you okay Swift Note?" he shook his head and blushed noticing that they were both looking at him but his only rational thought was if Soft Hoof had noticed him staring or not. "Um I just prefer it black..." he hoped that had been the question she wanted an answer to, Crimson Verse nodded with a slight wink pouring everypony around a cup and adding sugar and a bit of honey to hers while only putting a bit of cinnamon in Soft Hoof's coffee. "Swift Note we should probably talk real quick" Swift Note just tilted his head in question sipping at his coffee still a little too hot for his tastes "I asked Soft Hoof here because she works with Dark Tone when helping pegasi who have broken, weak or in cases like yours ripped off wings..." she cringed seeing Swift Note cringe at the word ripped off "she's going to dress where your wings are so that um... after you talk with Dark Tone tomorrow he can start working on new wings for you..." he cringed again but nodded "so um whenever you're ready we can get that started then" slowly he found himself staring at his coffee. In a few moments he stood up and started pacing and then took a deep breath "w-whenever you're ready I am..." Crimson Verse was up and led him the couch and started to undo the bandages with her magic. "We'll make this as quick as possible Swift Note" she was slightly putting a disinfectant on the wound that would work better than the rubbing alcohol from when the wound ripped open when Dark Tone had been around. Swift Note's body was tense and when the shy Soft Hoof came over and started to softly cut at the wound to revel the wound he nearly screamed but the soothing magic from Crimson Verse made it bearable "I'm sorry... but um... this is probably going to hurt a lot but um I'll do my best so that it doesn't..." with that she pulled out a strange set of metal parts that she then secured with screws to the bone and found herself nearly in tears as she had to drill into the bone at the top "this um process will let us put the new wings in... it will make them work like any other pair of wings... it's just going to sting for a few hours..." she let out a slight sob when he let out a muffled scream into a pillow. After what felt like hours they left Swift Note to get used to the pain and hopefully for it to reside slowly into a dull ache or even disappear all together "um Verse... Dark Tone would like for him to spend the night so that if any um problems came up he could prevent anything serious..." Crimson Verse nodded with a soft sigh already knowing "and um... I know how he is... when um... colts are around who um have been around you alone... so um I'm going to be there to watch over him... plus um" the soft smile from earlier appeared as well as the faintest blush "he seems really nice" with a soft smirk Crimson Verse hugged her and thanked her softly. "I'll help you guys there... I need to stop by the um store to get something..." Soft Hoof gave her a slight doubtful look "sigh... yes I'm going to get alcohol... and yes it's because of my missing brother..." she was slightly disappointed but gave her a soft hug understanding "thank you" softly she brought Swift Note to a sitting position before sitting besides him "Swift... is it okay if I call you that?" -he nodded once- "tomorrow you're going to be meeting with a pegasus with a doctorate on pony anatomy and engenering... now he never actually went to school... but his impact on modern medicene for various injuries has earned him the honoray degrees... he's a close friend of mine and he wants you to stay at his house until he has finished with your wings... are you going to be alright if you're there alone?" he was motionless for a long moment but shortly after he nodded his head "alright... can you get ready or do you need some help?" silent Swift Note went and grabbed his hoodie and pulled it on, seeing this Crimson Verse had gone to the closet and pulled out a few hoodies and a jacket designed for the purpose of having multiple pockets "Soft Hoff you're jacket isn't quite fixed up but with the weather outside you're going to need it" she pulled it on and they walked out the door. Crimson Verse's horn came to life with magic to create slight shields against the water but it wouldn't keep them warm only dry, they walked on and after an hour or two they split off with Swift Note and Soft Hoof going into an apartment complex and up a few flights and from there into Dark Tone's spacious living space that was cluttered with various pieces of equipment and articles on biology and a lone computer in the corner that seemed to be out of the future. Crimson Verse took a different path home stopping by the liquor store and bought a few various drinks before heading home ignoring her spell to stop the rain she went home and started a bath while sipping at some of her various drinks, relaxing in the bath she let her self lose herself in memories of when she was young... back when she was a part of a royal family... when she had two daughters... back when she and her brother were safe and considered the most skilled... then it flashes away... a bag over her head... a knife in the chest... the sound of her brother's ungodly screams... screams of more than agony... screams of the danger his sister was in... and then blood pouring from her mouth... she screamed and nearly broke her neck on the tub... slowly though the memory fades and she finds herself wondering what had happened to her daughters... if they had even existed in the first place, and then the memories of her mother filled her mind and she felt calm and relaxed as nothing but joy filled her mind. She sat in the tub until the water was cold and then went to bed in a slight stupor with the thought of being at peace allowing her to sleep for the first time in weeks. Tuesday The scent of smoke and oil filled Swift Note's nostrils and then woke up quickly and then started to look around trying to find the source of the scent and saw the red pegasus that had scared him a few days ago in front of some mechanical device and was swearing under his breath. Mystified by this strange machine Swift Note found himself watching over Dark Tone's shoulder while he was ranting to himself "for the love of Celestia this piece of crap doesn't work unless I'm not looking at it" Swift Note found himself watching and wondering what he was doing. Not wanting to scare Dark Tone he slowly went forward on his side and found himself looking at a gear that didn't seem out of place at first glance "um is this gear supposed to be motionless" he was pointing at it and with a slight sigh of relief Dark Tone went and pushed it back and it started and the machine became silent running smoothly. "About bucking time" Dark Tone got up from his seat and found himself looking at Swift Note "do you know how to work with machines?" Swift Note just shook his head "well either way that greatly improved my mood today, are you're um... are the wing holders feeling okay? any discomfort?" Swift Note found himself moving his wing joints to see how they were feeling and let out a soft sigh. "They... they only hurt my pride" Dark Tone hearing this started to examine them "um do you need me to sit down?" no answer and after a moment Soft Hoof came from the kitchen a plate stacked with pancakes was balanced on her nose "do you need help Soft Hoof?" she grunted in response and he was over there helping her set it down on the table and then fallowed her to the kitchen to grab anything left but she turned around shortly after going in, they ended up tripped over each other and ended up on the ground blushing badly and both apologizing profusely. A laughter came from above the stumbling ponies that stopped them dead "careful you two love birds, we have private rooms for that kind of stuff" embarrassed badly they untangled and went to the table and just started to eat the breakfast that had been prepared for them all. It was a half hour later that Swift Note had finished eating and found himself gazing at Soft Hoof something seeming to be distracting his thoughts "hey Swift Note are you listening?" something that was borderline insanity "hey?!" something that was scaring him "you're freaking me out!" suddenly he turned from the chair running as if chased by the hounds of hell "whoawhoawhoa!" he was tackled to the ground in a state of confusion. It took ten minutes before Swift Note returned from his state of flight "w-what happened?" he got no answer both Dark Tone and Soft Hoof to nervous to say anything. Breathing deeply Swift Note got up and suddenly gasped a pain spreading along his side, terrified he looked and saw nothing confused he continued to stare until it faded with no reason what so ever about why it had hurt after the longest time they all tried to speak up but that only caused the silence to last longer before Dark Tone was the one to speak "can I talk with you alone Swift Note? I have some questions about your old wings" Swift Note physically tensed at the memory which only got him a soft pat on the head from Soft Hoof, after a second he went with Dark Tone into a bed room and the door was shut behind "sit down if you'd like. Looking around Swift Note noticed a single chair he sat there "thanks..." he felt nervous and on edge especially after their first meeting. Dark Tone didn't sit down and went to Swift Note's side and put his hoof between his shoulders "I'm going to slide my hoof back and I want you to tell me where the tips used to reach" he started back and about half an inch before his tail when Swift Note stopped him "that's an impressive wingspan," -he put his hoof at the base of one of the wing stubs- "I'm going to slide my hoof down until it's reached the point where your wings would stop in the resting position of the bottom part of your wings" with that he slowly went down and about two and a half inches down Swift Note stopped him "well um wow that's the first time anypony has ever had these measurements... well except for the princesses" he was in a slight stupor but was quickly writing down the information before turning back to Swift Note "was there ever any physical problem with your wings?" Swift Note scratched his neck "um the rounded part sometimes would rub against my neck and it caused my muscles to go raw" Dark Tone wrote down a few more notes before pulling a measuring tape from a drawer. "Okay, well that's something I'll alter slightly from the measurements to avoid, alright I need to take a few of them" with that Swift Note got up and with very little conversation took various measurements such as torso length and the barrel, the legs, and his neck length. After the final measurements were taken Swift Note was ushered out of the room and he found himself alone with nothing to do but read some of the random magazines lying around and them being mainly about engineering Swift Note couldn't understand half of what they were talking about but did find them entertaining and a bit educational. He didn't notice Soft Hoof's return or that she was reading over his shoulder when she started to doze off and had rested her head on his shoulder, in that moment aware of her he blushed but softly shifted her around so she was laying on the coach he had made his reading spot next to him. After reading for a little bit Swift Note started to doze off himself and ended up using her as a pillow in turn and even though she woke and noticed he was using her as a pillow she just smiled softly and cuddled a little closer resolving that after they woke up she would take him on a date or something like that. Through the remaining hours of the day and through the night Dark Tone was locked in his bed room working on designs and planing out the needed materials for the new wings and even when Soft Hoof knocked he didn't open the door until she said that he should at least eat his dinner in the room if he must and even after that he barely touched the food to absorbed with the design and various variables that he had never had to deal with before, it's a rare event when a Pegasus has wings that are longer than his or her legs. It was going to be a long night but at least Dark Tone could hear Swift Note and Soft Hoof talking which is something he hadn't heard from either unless asked a question or telling him something he needed to know. City Demons It was raining when he was pacing outside of a door that held no markings or even a door knob and he found himself wishing that it hadn't been a call for his service at such short notice, it meant he would make a sizable sum but if Shadow Wing needed him it wasn't something that would be easy. Shadow Wing has a reputation for doing dirty work for various mob bosses or others as long as they can meet his prices and were willing to cover the expenses of his tools for the job. It took what felt like hours before the door was open and he was bid in by a raspy voice "brother..." it was hard to understand half of what came from in the room that seemed to be buzzing with machinery and it was just as hard to see his brother behind the various machines but a cluster of IV's seemed to focus where he assumed his brother must be and what he saw made him rush to his side. "For the sake of tartarus, what happened to you brother?!" his brother was in a state it was no wonder he couldn't understand anything that he had said "h-how could you get into such a state?! this... this... this is impossible!" it was driving him mad with fear that his brother could die "sigh... are the files of cases in the same place as always?" he received a node and looked them over before finding the one he was working on that read "Target 627, Swift Note, Hired by an anonymous source, paid in full. Is this the one brother?" he saw his brother's eye twitch and that was the only sign he needed "I'm going to make him pay for what he did to you brother" he saw a set of other cases that were in a to do pile and flipped through them and sighed "but I can't let you get behind the few contracts you have at the moment... I'll have to finish these before this Swift Note" he went to his brother and stroked his hair "I'm going to bring you his head" he turned and walked for the door. It was silent outside and Shadow Walker found himself in a state of rage but nopony would be able to tell by looking at him, he walked along content to think of how to tackle the targets that were on a schedule before getting to this Swift Note and if that meant that he would also get to collect his brother's rewards that was fine by him. Slowly a plan started to form in his head and he couldn't help but smile; that stallion wont know what hit him. Thursday Swift Note woke up to the frantic shouts of joy coming from Dark Tone's room and what sounded like a chair falling over, before he could get up and find out what was going on Dark Tone broke from the room "I did it! I finally can get started!" at that point Swift Note gave up any hope of figuring out what was going on and sat up rubbing his sore eyes and wished that Soft Hoof wasn't gone until later tonight. It had been two days sense they had started talking about what was on their minds instead of just minor subjects and it had felt like they were two halves of the same coin, very similar to how he got along with his sister Synth Note. That's somepony he hasn't thought of for a while, it brought him to worry that she might be in danger for being left with mother alone. Before he could worry anymore Dark Tone was pulling him off of the couch "get up lazy bones we need to go and get materials" stunned Swift Note stumbled up and followed behind the ecstatic pegasus as he went outside to the bright and sunny streets of Manehatten as if Dark Tone's mood were able to control the weather. It's a good thing that Swift Note's mood wasn't controlling the because that would have been quite a shift from the happy go lucky sunshine and lingering puddles all around, it was taking a lot for Swift Note to have the desire to try and keep up with Dark Tone. They went down a street and Swift Note almost had a heart attack and feel over knocking Dark Tone down, it wasn't long before he was being helped up by the confused Dark Tone "hey are you okay?" the question remained unanswered as Swift Note was staring off into the distance "what are you looking at?" still silence. Slowly Swift Note calmed down and shook his head "huh? oh nothing" the rest of the way of the walk was silent but after a while they reached a store that had various materials and Dark Tone looked like he was a filly in a candy store "what are we doing?" Dark Tone turned to him a look of confusion on his face. "This my friend is where we will start the first steps of getting you back into the air" Swift Note when stiff as always at the mention of wings, especially his own old or the new ones they were making for him "anyway let's go find something already so we can make them!" it was hard to keep up with the ecstatic behavior of Dark Tone especially when he was looking through materials from logical to improbable at best. It felt like days before they were in line buying the materials and then finally heading home where Swift Note looked forward to curling up on the make shift bed and lay there hopefully falling asleep in the process but he knew that was unlikely with the demons that were taring at his mind. It became impossible though when they were home, as soon as they had gotten inside the room a letter on the table made him stiff, he took it quickly before Dark Tone got the chance to see it "I'm going to make dinner if that's alright Dark Tone" he received some comment about not going to eat until later so he only made himself a cup of coffee and then sat down on the couch and once he was alone started to read the letter. "Oh dearest Swift Note, you really did me a good deal of harm recently. I lay in bed, with machines keeping me alive while a skilled doctor his going through the process of bringing me back to my old self and I dare say even better than before. When I do I'll be paying you a visit, not a messenger but my presence but until then I hope this message will suffice. Sleep well swift one." He was terrified by the letter and laid on the couch in silence forgetting his cup of coffee, he fell asleep but it was far from restful. Inner Demons The eerie laughter of a synthesized voice fills my ears. The laughing grates on my nerves but I can't cover it up or muffle it no matter how hard I try. I scream and suddenly I'm not alone. He looks back at me, no not he... me. I stare at my once beautiful reflection, long and powerful wings and a devil may care look to his eyes but suddenly it changes and I find myself staring at the reflection of my body nothing but a shadow it watches me. It studies me with unblinking eyes; black and soulless eyes. It smiles at me darkly and rolls it's shoulders a mechanical mess of gears and metal where my wings should be. I strike forward but it only passes through air and the shadow engulfs my body, hurting my body. I scream and fight trying to escape. I cry as it does nothing to help me. I stop fighting but the pain continues to spread. "What did I do to deserve this?!" Saturday Swift Note woke in a fit of hysterics and found himself surrounded by darkness and the sounds of rain and thunder, and then stumbled looking for the light switch but stopped sensing a presence in the room "who's there?" it was barely a whisper but he needed an answer. Something passed him but he couldn't tell if it was living or not he couldn't be sure "I know somepony is in here" still nothing responded when all of a sudden the flash of lighting gave him a sight of the creature that had invaded his idea of safety and made it a mockery of what he needed more than anything. "What the buck are you?!" he fell back as the lightning disappeared concealing the pegasus he had fought a week or two ago, in fear he backed up trying to get his hooves under him "get away!" He felt a sharp pain along his side and then along his mouth suppressing the scream that had started to escape his lips, and then a hoof covered his mouth and a voice reached his ears "just giving you a taste of what you did to me" and with those words the hoof was removed and another cut was made along his mouth, it was enough to bring the scream out of his mouth louder than he had thought possible. Suddenly a crash filled the room and the rain outside found it's way inside and then a flash of lighting reviled the room to be empty and a window open, slowly silence settled into the room except for the beating rain around the building, Swift Note crawled to the window with intent to shut it but the rain coming through felt good on his fresh wounds. It was hours later before the sound of a key in the lock and a doorknob turning was heard to the battered and barely conscious Swift Note, and then the lights flashed on causing a scream of agony from Swift Note shortly fallowed by the scream of fear from Soft Hoof "what happened?!" Swift Note was barely able to move his head to look at the unicorn he had come to call his friend "Dark Tone!!!" it surprised Swift Note to hear her yell so loud and shortly after a startled and barely awake Dark Tone came from the room headphones blaring around his neck "what the hell happened?! why is Swift Note bleeding and soaked from the rain?!" Dark Tone looked with wide eyes at Swift Note "for the love of Luna..." he was quick to action first shutting the window and pulling Swift Note up "okay... let's see nothing major... but nothing minor either... he's shivering badly... umm..." at that point he went dumb trying to do something, anything to help him. He was wrapped in a blanket by Soft Hoof who then started giving orders to Dark Tone that shortly lead to Swift Note covered up from head to hoof and a set of various impromptu medical supplies laid out near him "I need you to get as many blankets as you can find Dark Tone" he was off quickly finding ever blanket in the apartment while Soft Hoof was working on fixing up the bleeding and shivering Swift Note "what could have done this to you?" no response and shortly after she just found herself talking about what she was doing to help "well I can make sure it's not going to get infected with my magic but I'm not sure I can keep it from scarring... especially these marks on your mouth... well, not much more I can do until you're conscious..." she stayed at his side throughout the night hoping he'd wake up in the morning perfectly fine. Sunday Swift Note woke up engulfed in blankets and with the sleeping Soft Hoof using him as a pillow "what happened last night?" she stirred and looked at him and his heart sunk seeing tears in her eyes as well as a hallow look from a lack of sleep "are you okay?" she mumbled something he couldn't quite understand and then she walked off. Swift Note tried to get up so he could fallow her but a sharp pain shot through his side causing a yelp to escape his mouth, it caused Soft Hoof to rush to his side "are you okay?!" startled Swift Note just looked at her with eyes open "oh... um are you okay?" he only nodded and slowly inched out of the blankets and from there off the bed and looked at the line along his side and winced "um, about that... sorry... If had been here sooner... I... could have at least kept it from scaring... sorry..." it pained him emotionally to see her so upset luckily it only pained him physically to hug her. His voice was thick with emotions "it's nothing I can't live with... please don't cry" she was stock still and he could feel her tears on his neck but she just couldn't return his hug "are you okay..? you can talk to me." His voice was filled of slight pain but the firm tone brought the tears rushing out and the hug to be returned in full "you were hurt... I could have done something if I was here..." after those words everything became impossible for him to understand because of the tears that were making the words impossible to decipher as well as how fast she was saying them. They sat there in silence, neither of them knowing how much time has passed or caring; one needed to let out her sorrow and the other didn't want her to be sad but as all good things do it had to come to an end. They went about their lives as if everything was fine, sharing a meal with Dark Tone, working on various parts of Swift Note's wings to be and then small chat while they were getting ready to go to bed. Author's Note Just a note (mainly for those who haven't read the comment I posted about my "daring idea") I have made a password so those of you who want to read the "work in progress" parts have the option (password is in the same comment) you are welcome to and I only ask that if you find something extremely annoying (or enough to nag at you while reading) that you please tell me (you can share on posted chapters as well of course) and if you want you can also tell me what you are enjoying about the story the most.
