The Storm Ahead

The deep grey alicorn arose from his lying position on his bedroom floor and stomped his hoof. “No more. They can’t control me! I am my own pony!” He paced around, his pitch-black tail whacking his bed and knocking his pillow to the wood below. “I’ve stood around too long. I’ve let them fill my head with these lies. Well, it’s about time that I do something about it! I’m getting out of here!” The alicorn then realized that he’d shouted that last sentence, which wasn’t a good idea, considering that a guard was constantly posted right in front of his door.

The flat slab of wood was pushed open as a familiar voice protested, “Oh, no, you’re not, Maelstrom Storm-Wind!” The soldier lunged for the other pony, but Maelstrom was prepared and jumped out of the way to send the guard crashing to the floor.

“Sorry, Solitude,” the prisoner said as he used his magic to levitate a candle-holder, which, by a growth spell, became larger and larger until it would surely knock out somepony, if not kill them entirely upon impact. “But you won’t stop me this time, or anypony, ever again.” The levitation stopped, and a crash sent Solitude Fortress and the over-sized bronze utility through the floor to the next bedroom below, where the screams of two female alicorns who had just been talking together were painstakingly heard. That was Maelstrom’s cue to escape.

The pony emerged through the glass window of his room, smashing it to pieces and leaving bleeding cuts across his body as he fell and landed on the stone layered ground below. He then turned his head back towards the place that had kept him hostage for so long, not because he would miss it; he wanted to see how many soldiers and teachers were after him. After four sets of eyes met his glowing yellow pair, he took off as fast as his long, sleek legs would take him.

“Get back here!” Those demands only made Maelstrom run faster. He heard hoofsteps behind him, and it surprised him how quickly his pursuers were able to catch up to him. Even more calls were heard. “Maelstrom! Just tell us what’s happened! We’ll help you!”

Maelstrom, knowing that he would surely be caught if he kept to the stone ground, suddenly spread his wings and flew off into the night sky, and his silhouette was outlined by the shining moon. It was brighter than usual tonight, and it has risen more slowly too, than it usually did. But unfortunately, it wasn’t to his advantage right now. He was trying to hide. Spying a dense forest below, he dove down into the trees, hoping his chasers wouldn’t follow. No one else would be foolish enough to dive straight into the Everfree Forest.

***

Of all the ponies in Equestrian History, of the pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies, alicorns, and changelings, the Empaths are the most special… and the least known. They seemed like normal ponies, even though they were all alicorns, interacting with each other and making relationships. But they were actually quite different from the rest of the world. Because, you see, even though ponies made friends back then, and quite frequently in fact, there would always be a young filly silently crying out in desperation, searching all their life for someone to listen to them and play with them, but never found what they were looking for. They would feel all alone, until one night, they would hear a soft, gentle whisper in the darkness of their bedroom, within their tear-stained bed-sheets.

“It’s alright, little one. You don’t have to be afraid. I have heard your sorrows and fears, and I am here to help you and be your guide.” The alicorn would speak.

“But…” the young foal would reply. “W-who are you?”

“I am Empathy.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m going to be your friend.” The Empath would smile and then sit down next to the filly or colt’s bed. “Now, tell me, what have you been going through?”

Now the little one would talk for hours, through laughter, tears, or both combined, and they felt the Empath as just a normal friend, which was good. But they were actually even better. You see, when the Empath would hear the stories of the pony, his magic would allow him to sense exactly what the child was sensing at that moment. Then they could cry or laugh with their new friends, and actually know why. And before leaving, they would use their magic to leave a part of themselves with the pony, so they could talk to it whenever needed, for the rest of their years.

But, you ask, what happens when an Empath has given out all of himself? Well, that’s the unfortunate part of this tale. The night an Empath gives out the last of their life to a young foal, their bodies die. This is why Empaths have such a small population—at least one dies every week. But their auras are ascended to the stars, where they will watch over the young ponies they have helped so long ago.

But there is yet another thing you do not know about Empaths. Though most are joyful and willing to give their lives for others, there are some that are afraid. They are afraid to die. They are afraid to give up their very life. They hate their teachers and their ways, and they often attempt to escape the school they are taught in as young foals and teenagers.

This is the story of one such Empath, a friendless one, all because he would not bow to the ways of his elders above him. He thought he would never die to the ways of his teachers, and brothers, and sisters. He thought he would never find a friend in his life.

And so, he runs.

***

“Hurry up, hurry up!” The young azure filly was becoming impatient. She irritably blew her sky blue mane out of her eyes as she watched the sun set behind the green hills far away. This was the night. The night she had waited for all her life was finally here! Oh, how the ponies below would dance! They would bask in her light, just like they did in her sister’s! But the sun couldn’t have set any slower.

Suddenly, she heard her older sibling’s voice. “Luna! It is time!” Luna ran as fast as her tiny legs could take her outside of the castle walls and onto a balcony. An alicorn with a pink, sparkling mane set her hoof on the younger. “Are you ready, little sister?”

“Yes, Tia.” Luna lowered her head and confidently smiled. “I am.”

“Then go on ahead.”

The little alicorn focused with all of her might on her horn, which, after an almost hopeless sigh from the older, started to glow. Progressively the aura around it grew brighter and brighter until both Tia and Luna could see a tad bit of white rising from behind them. Luna started to falter from weakness; she had never performed such powerful magic before, but her sister cheered her on.

Maybe I should… Celestia started to think. Then she shook her head in disagreement with herself. No. This is Luna’s chance. She has waited long enough for this moment. After a few more moments of agonizing anticipation, the full white orb was fully aloft, high in the black sky, twinkling with stars. Luna collapsed immediately, but Tia caught her before a single small wing could graze the stone floor. Celestia started to worry, for her little sibling seemed unconscious, but then a small squeak made her smile.

“D… Did I do it?”

Tia embraced Luna tightly, saying, “Yes. You did little sister. You raised the moon!” The two jumped up and down in celebration, and after that, the dark blue alicorn looked down below. She was dismayed at her sight.

“W… Where are the other ponies?” she asked, sadness creeping over her. The pink-haired pony answered tenderly.

“They’re sleeping, Luna. They’ve all had a busy day. Just like you.” Tia nuzzled her sister, and then urged her off to bed. “Good night, little sister.”

“Good night, big sister.” Luna blew out the candle in her room, leaving her in darkness. She was happy about what she had accomplished, but sad that ponies weren’t celebrating her moon like they did Celestia’s sun each morning. “I wish ponies would have parties for me.” She whispered as she drifted off into a dream.

In her dream, the young filly saw another alicorn, a male, who was tall and dark, with pretty yellow eyes. “Who are you?” she called. The colt turned to her, and was alarmed.

“Who are you?” he replied, astonished. He’d never seen this girl before, and he’d spied plenty of deep blue alicorns at the school he had run from. And she had a strange mark on her flank. It was an image of even darker blue splotches, with a white crescent moon within. “What is that, the image on your flank?”

“My… flank?” Luna had no image on her flank. She hadn’t gotten her cutie mark yet. Celestia had, the first time she had raised the sun. Then the filly gasped and looked back on her plot. There was Clelestia’s cutie mark! No, it was just the same shape. This was dark blue, with a moon in the middle! It was a new cutie mark—Luna’s own cutie mark! And it was beautiful! “I got a cutie mark! I got a cutie mark! Hooray!” The alicorn bounced up and down gleefully.

“Am I missing something?” the other pony asked, tilting his head. The younger filly stopped.

“Well, don’t’ you know what a cutie mark is?”

The grey alicorn smirked. “It sounds like something a child would make up.”

Luna became defensive. “Well, it’s not! You get your cutie mark when you find your special talent! Haven’t you found your talent yet?”

“I don’t have any talents,” The male pony frowned. “At least not any that are different from anypony else. Everypony I know is the same. They’re taught that way—brainwashed that way.”

“Brainwashed in what way?” Luna curiously asked. The other lashed out.

“I don’t have time for this! I’m waking myself up!”

The princess’ eyes widened.  “Wait, you know this is a dream?”

“Of course I do! Can’t you feel it?”

“Well, yes, but I didn’t know—”

“Well now you know that I can sense dreams too! Good night, er, good morning!” The older pony levitated a rock over his head. Please wake me up, please wake me up… He stopped the levitation and the rock began to fall, but it stopped suddenly as another aura, a blue one instead of his yellow, formed around the rock, holding it in place.

“What’s your name?” Luna demanded. Her eyes became slits. “Tell me.”

“Maelstrom.” Maelstrom’s stronger magic took over Luna’s and he slammed the rock on his head, making him disappear without a trace.

Luna smiled. “Bye, Maelstrom.” She closed her eyes tight. When she opened them again, she found herself in her bedroom, wide awake. She jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to her sister’s room, shouting, “Tia! Tia Tia Tia!” When she arrived, she jumped on Celestia. “Wake up!”

“Uhn… Yes, Luna?” Celestia said drowsily.

“Tia! I got my cutie mark! Then I went into someone else’s dream and he was this tall boy alicorn and his name was Maelstrom and he didn’t’ know what a cutie mark was, so I told him and then he woke himself up by dropping a rock on his head!” Luna laughed. “It was the funniest thing ever!”

“That’s wonderful,” Celestia smiled. “Well, you can tell me even more in the morning. It’s still hours before I have to raise the sun!” She nuzzled her young sibling. “I love you, little sister.”

“I love you too, big sister.” Then Luna was off to bed again, skipping merrily as she went.

***

Maelstrom’s eyes opened. It was still dark. Served him right for waking himself up. But that little filly was way too curious, and annoying to boot. But, that’s just the way many foals are. It was certainly the way he once was. But he had no time to reminisce as he heard a rustling in some bushes not far away. Either it was a forest creature, or…

The alicorn jumped to his hooves, ready to make a run for it. He leapt for a group of trees nearby, but another pony tackled him and pinned him to the grass. Before he could even think about speaking a word, a hoof thumped over his muzzle and stayed there. “Listen to me, Maelstrom Storm-Wind,” a female voice whispered. Maelstrom listened, not because he was afraid, but because there really was nothing else to do. His captor was a hooded pony, with a long horn much like Maelstrom’s own grey one but with a green tint to its color instead. Her wings, two bulges protruding from either side of her cape, showed, revealing her as an alicorn. She didn’t look like anypony Maelstrom had seen before, but she looked young enough to be a student.

The green alicorn must have noticed that Maelstrom was off in his own world, because she shoved her free hoof into the other’s chest, and shout-whispered, “Pay attention! I can do one of two things, Maelstrom. First,” she illuminated her horn. “I could send up a signal flare so the soldiers know I’ve found you. Then we’ll take you back, put you in a detention cell, and possibly leave you there for longer than ever before.”

The grey colt struggled under the female’s hostile hold, grunting while trying to break free. But she snarled. “Or!” That shut Maelstrom up. She continued in a less threatening voice and sighed. “Or, I could let you go to do all the moronic things you’ve dreamed of instead of going back, where they’ll just hold you until you’re grown, and you’ll never be happy. But, you can never return to the school, or, as a graduate and training soldier, I will be forced to take you in again.” The mention about being a graduate jerked Maelstrom’s memory. This wasn’t anypony he hadn’t met before. This was the first pony he’d seen when he was taken to the school. This was QuillHeart Strong-Hooves, his first real friend. But she was moved up in rank at the school a couple years later, and never seen again by Maelstrom. But now here she was.

The only thing that confused him was why QuillHeart was a soldier trainee. Only the Empaths with no Empathy ability would be turned into soldiers, and they would stay at the school guarding until natural death was brought on them. But Quill had a lot of empathy. She knew exactly how Maelstrom was feeling when he’d talk to her, and she wasn’t lying because he could see the ability in her. Strange.

Quill released her old friend and as Maelstrom stood, he was about to ask her why she was going to be a soldier when she interrupted. “One more thing, Maelstrom.” Then she wrapped her hoof around the grey alicorn’s neck and pushed her lips against his. A fiery feeling surged through both ponies, and both fell into it. It lasted for several seconds before QuillHeart let go.

“Q-Quill!” Maelstrom stuttered, his heart racing. He had no idea she felt so passionate about him. He stumbled and looked behind him to balance himself out, and when he faced forward again, QuillHeart was gone.

Go, he felt his heart telling him. He raced off into the forest without another thought.

***

“Did you find him?”

“He’s gone, Iron Trot.” Quillheart replied to her master, another alicorn but a light, dusty brown color, after she had flown back to where he hovered. He flew alone. The veteran soldier lowered his head.

“That’s because you let him go.”

Quill was surprised. Had he seen the whole conversation between her and Maelstrom? As she was about to protest, Iron Trot plunged into her, sending them both through the trees and onto the dirt below. The soldier pinned her down and his horn glowed bright. “You love him. You always did love him! I told you to let him go years back!” He shoved his hoof into the green pony’s chest, causing her breathing to become heavy. “I don’t understand. You lost your Empathy.”

“I… may have lost my ability to empathize,” QuillHeart managed to squeak out. “But I still… have… my feelings in tact… Something that neither you… nor the other soldiers have managed to keep!” Quill then used her hind legs to kick Iron Trot into the air, and she flew upward, slamming him into the ground and hearing the sound of breaking wings. Feeling triumphant at first, she became ashamed of what she had just done to her trainer and friend from over the years, so she put her wing under his body and helped him to his feet, saying, “Forgive me, master. That was rash and foolish of me. I disobeyed orders and let my heart control me instead of my head.”

Iron Trot weakly smiled painfully. “We all have our moments, young one,” the alicorn said forgivingly. But then his horn again lit up. “But that won’t matter when you’re gone.” Quill gasped and dropped Trot.

“W… What are you saying?” she nervously asked, backing up towards some bushes. Iron Trot’s horn only grew brighter.

“Take this as a favor, QuillHeart Strong-Hooves. They would only imprison you back at the institution.” The soldier started to laugh softly, then maniacally. “But I am sparing you all that. I am putting you out of your misery early!”

Quill dug her fore-hooves into the ground, bracing herself for what was yet to come.

***

Maelstrom had been flying, thinking about Quill, and the sudden kiss, when he heard a loud explosion from behind him. The sound knocked him one hundred feet again through the trees of the forest, and the impact of the growing influenced unconsciousness immediately.