The Storm Ahead

Maelstrom awakened to the sound of singing birds. It was something that he’d never heard in the Empath Institution. It was… beautiful. The alicorn arose and started to observe his surroundings. Forest—that was all he saw. Trees, grass, flowers… wait. Those flowers looked strange. They had blue petals, each with one darker blue stripe down its middle. White stems came up from the middle. They didn’t look like any flowers maelstrom had encountered before, but…

Rumble. The pony then realized how hungry he was. He didn’t usually eat flowers, only sometimes at the school when they were served as a dessert. But those flowers couldn’t compare to the beauty of these. They looked almost magical. Cautiously, Maelstrom leaned down and tore off a petal with his teeth. Slowly chewing, he found that the taste was even better than the appearance. He ate another petal, and another, until he had consumed five flowers wholly. They tasted magical, too.

After a few seconds, the alicorn felt a pull. And this wasn’t an emotional pull—it was a literal push. He was suddenly being hurled backwards, and, even though he slammed into some trees painfully, he kept going. He was only astonished until he realized where he was actually being pulled—back towards the institution! It was quite a distance, but, at the speed he was going, he would be there in an hour, give or take a few minutes.

Maelstrom wondered how this could happen, and it confused him out of his mind, but he was a bit more focused on stopping himself! He tried grabbing onto trees, but his grip would falter. He attempted holding his hooves on the ground, but they just dragged and, because of friction, nearly caught on fire! Taking his hooves off the ground immediately, he realized the last option he had left, at least in his mind. Maelstrom was heading for a giant boulder sitting amongst the trees of the forest. Not knowing what else to do, the alicorn lowered his head, now facing the rock, and braced for impact. But instead of what he thought would happen, which was his horn driving into the rock, stopping him from flinging any further, he was flung the other way! Then it hit him. Wherever his back was facing, that was where he would go.

Although Maelstrom was relieved for a moment, the pain of hitting the same trees he had while going the other way made him wish there were another way to break this curse. Curse… magic… that’s it! The flowers didn’t just look and taste funny; they were funny, actually magical! Okay, that was all fine and dandy, except for the bulging pain in Maelstrom’s head, but how did he stop this hurtful plant prank?

Not far off, a striped pony-like creature was preparing an herbal bath to soak in. But he was surprised when a much larger pony crashed into the mixture. The creature exclaimed, startled. But as the intruder stood up, the surprised feeling turned into awe. It was an alicorn.

Maelstrom turned to the creature. “Heh heh. Sorry.” He slowly started to walk away, but the creature shouted.

“Halt!” Maelstrom stopped dead in his tracks. “Do not worry, I’m not enflamed, but I just wish to know your name. You’re a species of pony I’ve seen before, but they’re extinct, by Equestrian lore.”

The alicorn was confused by the rhymes of this being, but he answered, “My name is Maelstrom. I am an Empath.”

“Ah, yes, yes, those ponies of old. But, hm, from what I’ve been told, an Empath flies around the world, helping little foal boys and girls.” The creature gasped. “Oh my, ha-have you run away, to flee from your old elders’ ways? For though a young one should follow their heart, to turn from their family is a bad start.”

Maelstrom tilted his head. This… thing seemed to know about Empaths. But what was it, or he? “What are you?”

“I am a zebra, from a far off place, but I came here for a different taste. For my family was so strange, but now I wish I would have stayed. My name is Zarcotan, and I live in this oak.” He directed his hoof to a wide tree behind him. “But all I can eat is poison joke. Therefore I must take this bath every day, to wash the plant’s cruel curse away.”

Despite all the rhyme, which was a bit annoying, the story was quite confusing and sad. Maelstrom had to ask, “Why can you only eat poison joke?” Poison joke, the colt assumed, was that blue flower. “Why didn’t’ you stay in your home? What was your life like back then?” The alicorn silenced himself before he could say another word. Those were too many questions already. Zartoran stared Maelstrom in the eye and began his tale.

***

Zarcotan was born to a peasant family of zebras. They lived in the savanna among others of their same type, and were watched over by a great master zebra, who they called “Inkosi”. Inkosi was a proud king, and, though not in bad pride, announced his tribe to the world. All the other tribes bowed. Inkosi’s tribe was the best in all the land, without a blemish in it… until a new foal was born.

For generations, zebras only ate savanna grass, and they stayed away from the mysterious blie flowers that grew on the other side of the land. The new colt could not eat any of the usual grass, and therefore, his parents decided to feed him the new plant. The foal started to turn green and grow pink spots all over his body. All of the zebras tried to find a cure. It took weeks.

While the weeks went by, other tribes started to notice something… different about Inkosi’s group. They were more withdrawn, because they were frequently searching for a cure for Zarcotan. But one fateful day, a leader from another tribe visited Inkosi; he wanted to see what his old friend had been up to. Playfully peering into other peasant’s huts, he suddenly spied a young colt alone in his home—and he was green and pink! The leader was frightened by this creature and ran back to his tribe as fast as he could. His people were very much afraid of strange creatures, and when they had learned of the colt, they told the other tribe leaders.

Inkosi was not aware of this at all, for he was still searching with the other zebras. But, one day, he heard a zebra voice. “There he is! The king who let the monster into his tribe!” Inkosi turned immediately to see many other tribes before him, with weapons in hand.

Inkosi’s friends all stopped scouring and, withdrawing spears, gathered around to defend him. The other tribes walked away, because even though there were many of them, Inkosi had the toughest fighters. They would not stop in a war until the enemy was dead. It was no use fighting an impossible battle.

Zebras found herbs all over, and made baths that they made Zarcotan soak in, but they all failed until one peasant found the right plant. Zarcotan bathed and was healed. But everyone found that the “poison joke” was the only thing the foal could eat. Every other food would make him uncontrollably queasy and sick. So he would soak everyday and it would cure him of any disease, which, though no one would admit it, sometimes they were pretty funny. Everyone would hold back snickers if Zarcotan had hiccups that would spray sparkling dust everywhere.

Inkosi’s tribe would always be frowned down upon through the years because of Zarcotan’s strange conditions. And the colt was tired of the zebra’s ways. He wanted to find new cultures and explore them! Plus, he was sick of being teased. Perhaps there was a place that wouldn’t look down on the now teenage zebra. So, in the night, he ran away, grabbing some of the poison joke and the herbs and stuffing them in a small sack he threw over his back. Then he was off.

Zarcotan traveled everywhere. He met new creatures similar to him called ponies, and buffalo, and even encountered some dragons and hydras. Zarcotan would have liked to remember slicing them to bits and becoming the hero, but he actually ran away most of the time. When he didn’t, he was almost killed. So, his life became exciting, but depressing at the same time. Because, even though new cultures welcomed him in warmly, they soon discovered his condition, and shunned him away every single time. The ponies would make sure to tell their children and grandchildren to stray from these beings.

The zebra became tired of being treated the same way he was at home, so he decided to build a house within a wide tree in a deep forest, where no one would find him and criticize him again.

Zarcotan closed the old book he’d written in. “That is, I thought no one the zebra would find, until you came, oh stranger of kind.”

Maelstrom nodded slowly, processing the new information. “So you ran away because you were judged, and you wanted to find a place where no one would judge you again, correct?” the pony exclaimed in pain as the book was again opened—and sharply closed on his nose.

“Did you not listen to the ending, young colt?!” Zarcotan yelled. Maelstrom was about to shout in ager, but stopped and began to smile.

“So… you can speak without rhyming.”

The zebra sighed. “When my native language is translated to that of a pony’s, it naturally has a poetic tune. I simply choose, you see, to rhyme because of my people it does remind.” Zarcotan looked up at the taller alicorn. “Now, why did you run away? And where have you come from in your dismay?”

“I came from an Empath Institution.”

“A what?”

“An Empath Institution; it’s where they train Empaths to become, well, Empaths or, if they lose their ability, soldiers.” Maelstrom answered.

Zarcotan looked confused. “Never have I heard of such an idiotic idea! Empaths cannot lose their power! It can only be taken away by the strongest magic!” the zebra shook his head. “I have no idea what this place you speak of is, but, I tell you the truth, it is not a true Empath Institute.” Anfter some more pondering, he spoke again. “In fact, I have met Empaths, and they train their children at home! Never has there ever been a school for them.”

Even though he disbelieved his new acquaintance, Maelstrom’s memory was suddenly jogged as he remembered what had really happened the day he was entered in the Institution.

Young foal Maelstrom was sitting on the floor of his home, playing happily with his toys, and his mother was watching over him. His father had gone to war a month ago. Suddenly, two alicorns in armor burst in and grabbed the colt. His mother screamed as one soldier shouted, “Singing Breeze, neither you nor your husband shall see this child again!” When Singing Breeze tried to stop them from abducting her child, the other soldier took his spear and ran it through her, killing her instantly. They closed the door as blood seeped out of the bottom and flew off.

“No!” Maelstrom screamed. He fell to the ground and sobbed. “No…”

“It’s alright, young Empath.” Zacotan put his hoof on the colt. “It’s alright.”

From that day on, Maelstrom vowed that he would avenge his mother’s murder, find his father, and overthrow the so-called “Institution”. And Zarcotan vowed to be his guide.

***

And so, the years went by. Maelstrom trained under Zarcotan's mentorship. And, Princess Luna raised the moon every night, and watched the ponies sleep under it, wishing they would appreciate it as much as they did her sister's sun. But she would go into a pony’s dream every night as well and aid them. It was a just a small token of her power. The princess wished that she could show more, but her sister ruled in the day. She was kept silent.

One night, the mare Luna found herself in a dream she found to be familiar. The settings were a dark forest at night—a setting she knew far too well from one other dream in her foalhood. Before her stood another sight she remotely knew: a tall grey alicorn stallion with black flowing hair, wings spread like a warrior ready to strike. A name came to Luna’s mind.

“Maelstrom?”

The stallion turned his head toward the princess. “You?! You were in that dream, from my—”

“Foalhood!” Luna interrupted. She cleared her throat. “I… never introduced myself. My name is Luna, and I am, as some would say, the Princess of the Night. I raise the moon you see in your awake life after each sunset.”

“I remember you completely.” Maelstrom chuckled a bit. “You were annoying.”

Luna was taken aback. “I… I beg your pardon! Annoying?” She got in a defensive stance. “Who do you think you are?”

The grey alicorn stood up proud and tall. “I am a warrior, princess. I am here to avenge what has been done to my family and vanquish the lies told to me as a colt; for I was once part of a colony that would fly across the world, giving up their lives for the children that were alone at night, with no one. Someday I wish to fulfill that, after my priorities have been cared for.”

Luna was intrigued. So she asked more. Maelstrom answered more. "So, what colony is this that you speak of?"

"My lady, I am an Empath. For thousands of years, we have flown across the worlds, aiding young ponies with troubles. We hear their cries and come to rescue them and become their friend."

Luna hung her head. "If only you knew the troubles I have currently. I could use one of you to come to my rescue." She walked up close to Maelstrom and set her hoof on his chest. "Will you come to my aid tonight?"

The grey alicorn shook his head sadly. "Forgive me, Luna. i have much training to do. I must find the conspirators of my parents' death and my own corruption."

Luna was about to weep, but she held back her tears and held up her head. “It is time that I must go.”

“I must, too, for it is time for my training.” The stallion started to walk away.

“Wait!” the princess called. “Will you find me? After you have completed your goals?”

Maelstrom nodded. “I promise.” He trotted off into the darkness, leaving Luna no choice but to blink back to her reality.

Luna sighed as she awakened. “I shall cry every night for you.”