To Regain What was Lost

        Her hooves made no sound as she ran, the ground was too soft. The tall white pillars attached to ancient buildings offered no sense of comfort to the fleeing mare. They just shifted with the breeze, never falling, never changing, like they have been for centuries. Cloudsdale, so perfect, so serene, the perfect testament of the proud Pegasus race, some have even said it used to fly.

The mare paid no attention to this though. She needed to get away. She needed to hide, before He found her. For He had a reputation, a reputation that every good looking mare in Cloudsdale knew, and he would get away with it too, for being a part of the Council always had its perks.

Her name is Viola Crescendo, and even though she never considered herself to be pretty or sexy, most Stallions and even a few Mares would disagree. With her jet black mane and tail that perfectly matched her light brown coat, and her emerald eyes, she was quite stunning. If you were to ask her to tell you about herself, she would reply by saying she was just an average earth pony that had a knack for playing the violin. She then would gesture to her cutie mark which was just a bow in front of a sheet of sheet music. She didn’t think that she was special or that she was the most important pony in the world. Humble is an almost perfect word to describe her, humble.

        The muscles in Viola’s legs groaned as she rounded another street corner, and she stopped at the building in front of her. The Council building of Cloudsdale, large and intimidating, it was made with pure white stone and in the style of the ancient cloud structures in attempt to make it blend in to the natural cloud structures that flanked its sides. It failed, a building that was supposed to show the greatness of the government and imbed its citizens with a sort of national pride, was just an intimidating menacing eyesore. In front of the building was a statue, made of the same white stone, of the three races of ponies on a raised pedestal that would tower over even the tallest stallion. Unicorn, Earth, and Pegasus, below it was a plaque inscribed with “All together we build our world.”

        Viola looked around frantically for a guard pony or any pony for that matter to help her, but to no avail. This was His doing. He would never admit it Himself but He loved it when they ran, so He always took precaution.  ‘Oh why didn’t I listen to my friends?’ she mentally berated herself. ‘They told me not to take this job, but no I told them I didn’t believe all the rumors about Him and that surely all he wanted from me was to simply play a private concert.’

The rattle of metal against metal turned her blood cold. She ducked behind the statue and cowered low to the ground. Then He appeared, casually like nothing was wrong. He was not tall, nor small, not fat, yet not skinny. His coat was of the darkest blue, and his mane was of the deepest purple. His eyes were harshly set with the lightest of blue irises. His wings short and stubby almost nonexistent, if it wasn’t for the black and purple metal grafted into them to make them look like normal wings, you would just think they were growths, as is the case for the majority of Pegasi. His name is Lord Storm, 3rd seat to the Council of Cloud.

He sniffed the air and sighed happily. “Oh Viola, sweet, sweet Viola, your little concert for me was simply divine. If it was played at the Grand Hall of Cloudsdale, I’m sure it would have been the talk of the town.” he said with a gentle smile, but gentleness was a lie. His eyes gave it away harsh, cold, uncaring. “You know my dear. I could make that happen you know. Just one word from me and you could be playing at the premiere place of Cloudsdale, and I can guarantee you a sold out show. All you have to do is come out.” he smirked. He sniffed the air again and gave a toothy grin. ‘Ah, nothing like the smell of a pretty scared mare, to get the blood gushing,’ he thought to himself as he headed towards the statue.

She bolted, but he was too fast.  He slammed a hoof into her chest knocking the air out of her, sending her to the ground on her back. “Oh! I’m so sorry my dear! I only meant to grab you in a sweet embrace.” He looked down on her. “Here, let me help you up.” He kicked her hard the side. She groaned and rolled over curling into the tightest ball she could make. Her eyes welled up in tears. She tried to fight them back. To not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry, she failed. “Oh Viola shh, shh…” He sat down on his haunches and ran a hoof through her hair soothingly. He grinned. “I’m so sorry. I merely tripped, there is no need to cry. We wouldn’t want your pretty face to get stained with tears now would we?” His voice was gentle, but that was all that was gentle about him. He sat back up, “Now come on, get up.” He kicked her again, and again, and again, and again.

Viola cried and screamed in pain as each blow hit her. She felt bones break, bruises form, blood seep from her body, and just when she thought she was about to black out,

He stopped, and began to laugh. A deep nerve shattering laugh that made any hope Viola still had in getting away dissolve. He stopped his laughing, leaned in close to her ear, and whispered, “I’ve enjoyed our little fun so far Viola, but trust me I’m going to enjoy this even more.” He gave her cheek a quick nuzzle, and lick. She cringed.

Storm walked around Viola in a small circle inspecting her. Viola didn’t move. Her eyes filled with fear, just watched him as he made his way behind her. He grabbed her by her waist and lifted her hind quarters off the ground, and positioned her so she was on full display for him. She didn’t resist, she didn’t have it in her anymore. She only hoped it would be quick. He stepped over her and she felt it brush against her. She started to cry again. He smiled filled with lust, and positioned himself for entry.

Then he froze.

The sound of somepony whistling assaulted his ears. It was a gentle tune but yet it also had hate within it.

Viola laid immobile underneath Lord Storm, not daring to move. Yet she sought out the source of the sound. A snow white unicorn stallion with a deep red man and tail slowly came into her vision. The unicorn stopped and ceased his whistling as he regarded the scene before him. Viola almost swore that the Unicorn had an amused smile upon his face when he looked at Lord Storm.

        “If you know what’s good for you peasant, you’ll turn around and leave right now.” Lord Storm growled out.

“And why in Equestria would I do that Stormy? I mean I was out looking for you after all, but I must admit I wasn’t planning on running into you in such a…predicament.” He smiled.

“Wha, What? You were looking for…Boy do you have any idea WHO I AM!”

“Lord ‘Reggie’ Storm, 3rd seat on the Cloudsdale Cloud Council. One of the three council members that is in charge of the Guard. You’re also a big patron of art and music here in Cloudsdale for obvious reasons.” He eyed Viola. “Can’t really blame you I guess, she is quite the looker.”

“Now see here you little...”

“Let’s see what else?” he interrupted Storm.  “Well it is widely believed you killed your own parents for political reasons, but there is no evidence to support this. But we both know it was you don’t we Stormy. There was also once a group of Mares that were forming a court case against you. The charges were of course rape and just before they were about to go public with it all the Mares in question just disappeared along with any evidence they might have had. Now isn’t that just the weirdest thing. What do you think Stormy?”

“How do you know about...” Storm shook his head and glowered at the unicorn. “What I think you peon is that you’re starting to get on to my last nerve! Now I’m going to give you one last chance to turn around and forget everything you have seen here and leave!” Lord Storm said, his voice as cold and unfeeling as his demeanor.  He stepped away from Viola and slowly made his way towards the White Unicorn.

“I really can’t do that, besides I know you really don’t plan on letting me leave here do you?”

“Hmph, you’re smarter than you look Unicorn.” Lord Storm replied with a wicked smile. He unfurled his metallic wings revealing their extremely sharp bladed edge, and went into a full speeded gallop at the Unicorn.

Lord Storm began to laugh as he drew closer to the Unicorn. The Unicorn didn’t move. The edge came right next to the Unicorns neck, and stopped. The Unicorn looked right into Storm’s eyes. As the Pegasus struggled to move panic quickly spreading.

“How…wha…why can’t I move…how are you…doing this?” the Pegasus stuttered in fear.

        The Unicorn only walked off to the side of Storm and examined Storms right wing. “This is actually really good craftsmanship here Stormy, but of course I guess you could afford wing work like this right? One of the benefits being a noble I guess.” He said.  He grabbed unto the dull edges of Storm’s wing and gave it a little tug. “Hey Stormy, do you know why Pegasi can’t fly anymore? Do you know why the majority of Pegasi that are born now a day have stunted wings or in a few cases no wings at all? Do you know why you can’t walk on airborne clouds like your ancestors could before? Cause I do. I mean the majority consensus is that we are just in a transition of an evolutionary phase. Every generation Unicorns horns get smaller, Earth Ponies lose a bit more of their connection to the ground, and Pegasi wings get smaller and smaller, Hell there are full grown ponies out there that don’t even have a cutie mark.”

“We are all slowly making our way to one single new species of pony. That’s what they say.” He chuckled. “That’s a nice thought, but that’s not the reason why. The reason why is so absurd to them that they would not even consider it.”

“What the hell are you prattling on about you lunatic?”

“I’m not a lunatic, if anything you’re the lunatic,” he muttered underneath his breath as he gave Storm’s wing a harder tug. He sighed and let go of Storm’s wing. “What is currently holding you in place Stormy?” He asked walking back in front of Storm.

“How in Equestria should I know you…?” Storm stopped his eyes widened in understanding. “Who are you?” he whispered.

“Oh who am I? I thought you would never ask.” The Unicorn sat down and clapped his front hooves in glee. Then Storm’s right wing cracked in half. Exposed hollow bones grafted into fake metal shaped wings leaked blood all over Storm’s right side. Storm tried to scream but his mouth could not open.

“Sorry Storm, can’t really have you screaming now could we? I mean a screaming mare running down the street near your house and the council building in the middle of the night, that doesn’t draw suspicion. It never does in this neighborhood, but a screaming stallion. Now that’s another story.” The Unicorn said with a stern gaze. Storm started to hear a buzzing in his head, as he noticed the Unicorns horn start to glow.

“Once there was a Dragon that lived blissfully in the sky

Arrogant to the turmoil below

Then one day he did look down

And saw all the ponies down below

Mistreated

Oppressed

Blindly following the orders of their sister queens

The Sun and the Moon

This filled the Dragon with sadness to no end

And filled him with rage

He went down and gave up his form

Becoming a pony himself

He raised an army

Took down the sky

Killed love on crystal steps

He tricked the Moon

And watched it die

He Unleashed Chaos and Truth

And on the grandest day in the Sun’s year

He stormed her castle and hunted her

And on the tallest tower the Sun did plead for her life

He answered with bladed edge and a decapitation in the night

And when it was all said and done the Dragon did disappear

Only leaving these parting words

‘If need be I’ll come again’”

The Unicorn sickly sang. As the buzzing in Lord Storm’s head worsened, his left wing split in two. Blood, bone, and metal feathers rained onto the ground. Storm looked at the Unicorn more afraid than he had ever been in his life, as the Unicorn leaned into his ear and whispered, “I’ve come back for all of you.”

“I should have let her go,” is the last conscious thought Lord Storm ever had, as a force hit him sending him sprawling to the ground.

Viola watched all of this off to the side her eyes growing heavy. The exhaustion from her mad dash in the night and the blows her body took finally catching up to her and, as she slowly faded into unconsciousness “Was that magic?” was her final thought.

            In the early morning of a new day a pony did scream aloud in front of the council building statue. For a Pegasus stallion with a coat of the darkest blue and a mane of the deepest purple did lie against it, in a bloody heap. His shattered pointed metal feathers were staked into his flesh pinning him against the pedestal of the statue, leaving him in full display for anypony who looked. His mouth was wired shut, and his eyes opened glazed over and distant with no hope of ever changing. Above his head written in his own blood, “And the Dragon did reappear one day and what he saw reignited the call of war” was stained into the stone.

“What our ancestors referred to as magic has to be some kind of device or chemical reaction that we somehow lost knowledge of during the passage of time.”

-Professor of science at Canter University