On The Wings of Wind

On a cloud in the middle of a field, Zephyr was relaxing as he wracked his brain for ideas on what to do. That day ended up being one of many lazy days for Ponyville, complete with downtime from much of anything. On top of that, Strings had to leave for Canterlot again for "Official Business" which Zephyr had a good guess as to what, leaving the band to be idle as well.

Deciding to think back further to see if he could draw inspiration from the past, he remembered something that had happened during his stint as a volunteer soldier. The fact he had an 'air dash' alongside a 'strafe' now. Taking flight, he did his best to recall the feel he had back then.

"Hey Zephyr, there you are!" Rainbow landed on the cloud Zephyr just vacated. "Was wondering what you were up to!"

Zephyr chuckles. "Was just trying to recreate something I did in the past." Rainbow was about to comment when he suddenly shot down with a gust of wind, nearly resulting in his face meeting the ground. "Oookay, Be higher off the ground when trying to make it work."

"That was actually kind of cool. What did you do?"

"Something I did as a soldier. It's a type of 'mid-air dash' that's seperate from my ability to fly. I was trying to recreate the feel in an attempt to replicate it, but it's clear I need to get a grasp on it before I do anything more with it."

Rainbow pondered the situation. "I'm guessing it has something to do with your secondary wings again. I saw them... 'light up' isn't the correct term because it looked like they were surrounded by light-green wind strands."

"Hmm, I wonder..." Deciding to try, Zephyr focused on his secondaries before trying again. This time he had a bit more control over the direction of the dash. "While I'm guessing this will let me turn on a dime, it seems more limited than what I've seen you pull off..."

"Just because I'm awesome~! Okay but seriously, those hair-pin turns are actually the result of constant training on my end. It was one of the first things I wanted to master after realizing how fast I was."

That revelation surprised Zephyr but then got a smile. "And you were beginning to express doubt you'll become a Wonderbolt. Certainly there's more to being one, but they bust their flanks trying to get tighter turns for many tricks."

Rainbow blushed at that. "Flattery will get you nowhere! Anyways, I can help you practice those 'wind dashes' as I'll call them. While they aren't near as fast as your top speed, I can attest to the usefulness of hairpin turns."

"Alright, then let's-- huh?"

The two of them heard Twilight calling for the townsponies to gather in the plaza. Shooting worried looks at each other, they made a beeline for it as they heard Twilight say, "-- a joke! My future self tried to warn me about a horrible disaster that's going to occur sometime before next Tuesday morning!"

It seems like everypony was there as Applejack stepped forward. "What KIND of disaster?"

"I don't know! I got sucked back into the future before I could explain!"

Rainbow leaned towards Zephyr. "Wanna bet Twilight didn't let her future self speak?"

"A pretty safe bet."

"Run for your life!" Pinkie, despite being held up by balloons, managed to dash away in a fright.

This time Zephyr had a snarky comment. "I swear Pinkie's so dramatic at times, she gives Rarity a run for her bits." Rainbow had to bite down a snort of laughter at that.

"If you two are done whispering to each other, you and the other Pegasi spread out over Equestria. Look for any kind of problem that could lead to a disaster and I mean anything."

Rainbow Dash salutes. "Got it!"

"I'll check all the wind currents as we go to ensure it isn't a wind-related disaster!" Twilight was in full leader mode and even Zephyr found it hard not to follow.

"Perfect! I'll leave it to you!" Twilight looks at the rest of the ponies gathered, ignoring a still screaming Pinkie. "Everypony else, let's disaster-proof Equestria!"

By the time the two Pegasi were done their rounds, they had managed to confirm nothing untoward was going on. Zephyr did fix some worrying wind currents, but then confirmed it was the local wind manager being sloppy with her work. Recognizing they did all the could, Rainbow and Zephyr returned to Ponyville in short order and reported back to Twilight.

Despite everything, Twilight was still uncertain. "I feel like there's a bigger picture here, but with most of the rest of Equestria confirmed to be fine I don't know what to look for. My future self looked awful when she appeared!"

"You also looked awful during the 'Want-it Need-it' incident and that was caused by you freaking out." Zephyr made sure to point that out just in case.

"My mane wasn't singed like my future self's was! And before you say anything, no I wasn't hallucinating!" Recognizing that she wasn't lying about her experience, Zephyr wisely decided to back off for now.

It was just as good he did then because a roar echoed through Ponyville and a giant, three-headed dog suddenly appeared. Zephyr immediately recognized the visage. "Cerberus?!"

As the townsponies, at Pinkie's signal, started running around screaming, Spike ran up to Zephyr. "Cerberus?! Is that what that is?!"

"It is indeed, Spike!" Despite the situation, Twilight was rather happy. "You know, the gatekeeper to the gates of Tartarus which is where all the greatest evils of Equestria are locked!"

"Twilight, your dark side is showing." Zephyr gave her a flat look. "You're giving off the implication that Cerberus being here and leaving the gates unguarded is a good thing."

That was when Twilight realized she was being too joyful over the situation and switched faces. "R-right! Even so, we should get him under control!"

"We already have an expert on the job." Twilight was about to ask when she saw Fluttershy rubbing a now calmer, happy Cerberus in the belly. "If you have animal issues, ask an animal expert after all."

Fluttershy giggles mirthfully. "He may look big and scary, but he's a softy who loves affection just like any good doggie! Yes you do!"

Zephyr smiles at his sister's joy. "Despite the extra two heads, he's still a puppy at the end of the day." He pauses before looking at his two sets of wings. "I can certainly relate."

"You're right. We shouldn't think any different of Cerberus if we don't think any different of you." Twilight had a thought. "Puppy..? Hey Pinkie Pie, have any bouncy balls I can use?"

Pinkie stopped screaming in fright and went back to being happy and cheerful. "Yup! I keep them all around town in case of ball emergencies!"

When they first arrived in town, both Twilight and Zephyr would have not only questioned Pinkie's mood whiplash, but also the whole "ball emergencies" thing. Now they're so unperturbed about her antics, it's to the point that they roll with it rather smoothly.

Twilight grabbed the ball from Pinkie and started leading a now playful Cerberus back to Tartarus. "Now that he's calm enough to lead back, I'll make sure there's no disaster that'll come about because of it!"

Zephyr watches as Twilight disappears past the horizon. "Shouldn't... somepony go with her to help?"

"Nah, Twilight will be fine!" Pinkie started bouncing away. "She's got Cerberus with her and, even after he's back at his post, She could easily teleport back to Ponyville."

"Alright, I'll believe you." Shaking his head, Zephyr found Rainbow and the couple went back to their training spot to help Zephyr get more practice with his Wind Dash.

The next day, Zephyr found himself back at Sugar Cube Corner early to babysit Pound and Pumpkin. Pound still loved Zephyr a lot, even more so after the adult Pegasus started play-sparring with the colt to get his 'pounding' aggression out. The highlight for Zephyr was when he found out Pound's third word spoken was "Zephy" after his first was "Dada" and second, "Pinkie".

Pumpkin was still lukewarm towards Zephyr, but ever since the Zips ended and he was able to play with her more directly, she came around to him as well. Her favorite thing to put in her mouth was one of Zephyr's feathers, much to his chagrin.

"At least both twins have accepted me to a degree." Zephyr made that off-hoof comment after he finished changing their diapers. He still couldn't get used to the smell of soiled ones.

Mrs. Cake giggled at the sudden comment. "Admittedly you didn't show it when I first asked you, but now I see great potential as a father in you. And none of that "nopony wants me" business anymore either!" Realizing she knew about his relationship with Rainbow, Zephyr puffed his cheeks at her with a severe blush which only made her laugh even more.

"Oh there you are, Zephyr!" Rainbow had just entered the store. "I'm on my way to report to Twilight about Baltimare being all clear. Wanna join?"

"Shoot, I forgot about that! Even so, I already told the Cakes I'd babysit for them..."

That got a chuckle from Rainbow. "You really are the go-to if Pinkie isn't available, huh? That's fine! Not like we both need to be present to--"

"Actually, Rainbow Dash, mind if he takes the babies with him as he accompanies you?" Mr. Cake rounded the corner with a smile. "Their Zips are over and they've been cooped up in the house for a long time. A change of scenery and some fresh air could do them some good!"

"Huh? That's fine with me, but are they able to be separate from you two?"

"No issues there! Seems even Pumpkin accepted Zephyr as an honorary uncle recently, so they should be fine as long as they're with him!"

Rainbow grins at her boyfriend. "Seems you're good with foals despite your misgivings, huh?"

"Oh quiet, you." Zephyr picks up the twins in his primary wings. Because of that, he never really needed a saddle baby-carrier since he's able to keep a good grip on the infants. "Before you say anything, I can still fly with my secondaries. I just won't be as fast."

"This may surprise you, but I'm not in a rush right now. Besides, I kinda wanna see their reactions to being carried while flying. Willing to bet they'll love it!"

Just like Rainbow guessed, both twins loved flying through the air in Zephyr's wing-grip. By the time he landed in front of the library, they were giggling and laughing. "Wanna guess they'll want trips like this more often?"

"You're welcome!" Was Rainbow's cheeky response as they entered the library. When she saw Spike's face in a tub of ice cream with a rather immobile Twilight, she laughed. "Wh-what's going on? Aren't you going to stop him, Twilight?"

"She certainly isn't!" Spike answered for Twilight, who continued to remain motionless. "In fact, she's not gonna move until next Tuesday! She thinks it'll prevent the disaster from happening!"

"That's fine if that's what she wants, but you need to be a better role model for the foals, Spike."

The Dragon was about to comment when he saw the Cake Twins get set down by Zephyr. He quickly cleans up his ice cream mess, both on the floor and on his face, before clearing his throat. "I mean, I'll always be a good role model, what are you talking about?"

Twilight felt a bit of relief that Spike wasn't going to torture her with Ice Cream anymore, but she noticed Pumpkin had crawled up to her and was holding her forehooves up. Rainbow noticed the action. "I think she wants you to hold her, Twilight."

But, the disaster..! When Pumpkin let out a sad noise, Twilight quickly broke down and picked the infant up. "Oh, who am I kidding? I can't resist such a sad face!"

"Verily, tis' the most dangerous weapon in all of Equestria: a baby's sad face. Right up there with puppy dog eyes" Zephyr had a lot of exposure to it and he still couldn't resist it that well.

"Buaa!" Pound suddenly put up his forehooves and jabbed the air a few times.

Zephyr recognized that Pound wanted to play-spar, having managed to teach the colt that specific action for that want, only for Rainbow to land in front of the infant. "What's up, little stallion? Putting your hooves up for a fight? I'll take you on!" She raises both of her forehooves with a grin.

Realizing she made the exact action he makes whenever he's ready to play with Pound, Zephyr tried to stop her. He was stunned when not only did she handle the infant well, she was play-sparring like it was natural for her. Zephyr couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight.

Spike raised an eyebrow at the green Pegasus. "Now if Zephyr would stop staring lovingly at his girlfriend, maybe he can--"

"Oh shut up!" Zephyr, in a massive fit of embarrassment, picked up Spike and flung him away. This caused him to hit a wall and cough up a stream of fire, aimed right at Twilight. Realizing the danger, she protectively curled around the infant in her hooves.

When the flash of green light vanished, everyone in the room adopted horrified looks. "What happened? Wait, never-mind that! Is Pumpkin safe?!" Twilight uncurls a bit and confirmed the filly was unharmed. "Oh, that's good."

Zephyr started shivering violently. "I-I'm so sorry!I didn't-- I didn't mean to and-- what have I done?!"

"Okay, WHAT happened? Show me!" Despite Rainbow's and Spike's hesitance, Twilight remained firm. When Spike showed her a mirror, she gasped. "Oh no! the exact same mane-style Future Twilight had!"

"Uuu..." Pumpkin looked up sadly at Twilight before she started crying. Pound crawled over and hugged his sister, though it was clear he was on the cusp as well.

Rainbow swooped down and picked the twins up. "It's okay! You're safe and Twilight is fine as well! Zephyr, lend me a hoof here would ya?"

"I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to..." He was still shivering on the spot holding his head.

"ZEPHYR! Snap out of it!" He jumps as he looks at Rainbow in shock. "Accidents happen, okay? You clearly didn't mean to let that happen so don't agonize too much over it!"

"Y-you're right." Zephyr quickly plucks a feather from his wing and gives it to the still-crying Pumpkin. She stopped to put it in her mouth, but it was clear she was still upset.

"Now Rainbow Dash is acting strange around Zephyr..." Spike couldn't help but snark that.

"Zip it, Spike! You aren't exactly innocent either!"

All the Dragon could do was smile nervously under Rainbow's withering glare. "R-right, sorry." A delivery suddenly gave Spike the out he needed, though he made sure to belch it in a more isolated place. Reading the letter, he looked confused. "Princess Celestia wants Zephyr to come to Canterlot Castle today. Somepony wants to see him apparently."

"That's... strange." With Rainbow's help, he was able to re-cheer up the twins before he carried them like he did before. "Well, royal summons can't be ignored. I'll drop the infants off before heading out."

Rainbow looks at Twilight, who was now rambling about how she wished she could see the future. "I'll join you. Twilight looks like she needs some time to figure things out."

The two dropped the twins back with their parents who were no longer busy. He also managed to arrange Scootaloo to live with Fluttershy in the event he was held up at Canterlot before heading out.

When he arrived at the castle, he showed the letter to the guardspony at the gate which allowed him entry. After entering the royal hall, he bows to Princess Celestia. "Rise, my little pony. I'm glad you were able to come here on such short notice."

"Not at all, your highness. You said somepony wanted me?"

"Ah, there's the stallion I wanted to talk to!" Zephyr looks over to see a joyful Shining Armor. "Sorry for the abrupt summon, but her highness figured you would be a good pony to help us!"

"Help you?"

"Yeah, see there's going to be a massive event here in Canterlot Castle in the future, though the exact date has yet to be set--"

Celestia let out a mirthful giggle. "Captain, just tell him it's your wedding! No need to dodge it subject!"

That surprised Zephyr. "You proposed! Congratulations... but as much as I'm happy for you, why did you need me?"

"Ah, yes. One of our stallions caught the feather flu and had to be admitted to the hospital." The disease's name-drop got a grimace from Zephyr. "However, we already got everypony on the payroll working to keep the castle guarded while we prepare. After some searching around, her highness gave the suggestion of asking you since you've already had a stint as a Royal Soldier."

"Hmm..." Zephyr thought about it before realizing that he could fulfill two objectives at once. The more immediate one was helping Shining Armor since he respected the Captain a lot. But the other was potentially looking out for Twilight showing up looking for forbidden knowledge that might end badly for her. "Alright, I'll do it! Just be sure to send a letter to my family that I'll be gone a while."

"Yes! thank you-- *ahem* Your assistance will be greatly appreciated, Private Windstorm." Both Celestia and Zephyr had a small laugh over the sudden shift.

As Shining Armor escorted Zephyr to the barracks, the Pegasus pondered something. "Will I need to wear Royal Guard attire this time?"

"The set you used as a soldier will more than suffice. No sense forcing you through a job while making you as physically uncomfortable as possible. Any particular area or wing you'd like to guard?"

The question made Zephyr silently cheer. "The library section, actually. Before I came here, one of my friends was freaking out over a possible doomsday scenario happening tomorrow morning. As much as I believe her, I want to make sure she doesn't do anything she'll regret by keeping a close eye on the forbidden sections."

"Per chance, is her name Twilight Sparkle?" Zephyr gave Shining Armor a shocked look which earned a chuckle. "I know about her because she's friends with your sister Fluttershy. She's my little sister!"

"Wait, really?!" Zephyr looks at Shining Armor's Cutie Mark before seeing the resemblance. "I guess magic talents of some kind run in the family, huh?"

"Certainly. Speaking as a brother, I thank you for looking out for my little sister." Zephyr smiles at that. "Ah, but could you do me a favor and not tell her I'm engaged? I want to keep it as a surprise for her, especially considering I'm marrying her babysitter from when she was younger."

"If that's what you want, then sure. Just be sure to properly explain yourself when the time comes."

Once he was kitted out and given a few pointers, Zephyr was off to the library section of the castle. I might be looking out for Twilight, but I should do my job properly and keep a close eye out for suspicious activity. From the sound of things, the Captain was worried about something happening on his wedding.

During his patrol as the sun began to set, he heard a noise from behind him and whipped around to see what it was. Nothing was there, but a nearby window was disturbed. Knowing that something was going on, Zephyr enchanted his eyes with Galesight before doubling back to investigate.

It was during Zephyr's guard shift that he realized Galesight had uses other than seeing wind currents. While that was still it's primary function, it also has the added effect of sharpening general vision and better sight in low-light conditions.

Rounding the corner, he comes face-to-face with one of the maidservants of the castle. "Oh, beg your pardon! Were you investigating something?"

Zephyr saw the maid had a strange green aura around her, but because he knew nothing of the servants he chose to ignore it. "One of the windows was disturbed, making me believe something or someone snuck in. Have you seen anything suspicious?"

"Not that I've seen. I'll be sure to report any if I do, though!" Zephyr nodded and went back onto his original route.

That was close. Who knew that rookie guard would be uncannily perceptive? Since I'm in the castle now, I should lay low until an opportunity arises.

A bit later, Zephyr took his place beside another guard as the sun slowly dipped past the horizon. His partner noted that the Pegasus was trying to stay awake. "The later shifts can be brutal if you're not used to it. Are you sure you can keep going?"

"Truth be told, I'm here on suspicion of somepony potentially coming into the library. If she keeps to the regular sections, then all should be fine."

"Ah, making sure this somepony stays out of the forbidden sections, huh? Makes sense, but just to let you know the Starswirl section, while normally under lock, is a more permissible section for those close to Princess Celestia."

Twilight might head there, too. "Thank you for the heads up."

After night had well and truly fallen, Zephyr found himself patrolling near the entrance to the Starswirl Wing when he heard somepony speaking. " I don't understand. It's supposed to be right here... How are we supposed to find it now?"

"Find what exactly?" Twilight jumped five meters in the air when Zephyr spoke behind her.

"Hey Zephy! Imagine seeing you here!" Pinkie Pie and Spike were there as well and were unperturbed by Zephyr's appearance.

"No! We've been caught! B-but Zephyr, could you find it in your heart to let me go? I-I need to get to Starswirl's Wing or else we might be in danger!"

That got a flat look from the Royal Guard temp. "You mean the one right behind you?" When Twilight looked, she was exasperated that it was right there all along. "You really didn't need to sneak around like that if that was the wing you were after. I was worried you'd go into a more forbidden section."

"Ah... ahaha, I... guess so?"

Spike snorted in laughter through his ice cream. "Told you sneaking was unnecessary, Twilight!"

"Hang on, let me grab somepony who can unlock it for you." Noticing the shadow of an approaching Unicorn, Zephyr calls him over with a salute. "Twilight Sparkle is requesting access into the Starswirl the Bearded Wing."

"Oh, Twilight? Of course, let me get that for you!" With a flash of his magic, the guard unlocked the door.

"Ah, thank you." With that, the three of them entered the wing with Zephyr following behind. Twilight suddenly gasped as she rushed to a mirror. "Look! I look just like future Twilight... The last sign has come true!"

"Wouldn't you look like that AFTER the disaster and not before it?" Zephyr dared to ask that out loud.

"It depends on what the disaster actually is! We need to find that time-stopping scroll ASAP!"

Spike looked at all the books, scrolls, and tablet fragments on all the shelves. "It could be anywhere in here! How are we supposed to find it before dawn?"

"I don't know, but we have to try! Zephyr, I know you're on the castle payroll but could you give us a hoof?"

"Oh fine. I'll just say it's a direct order from the Princess' personal student if I need to justify it."

"That's fine! I need all the help I can get!"

With that, the group of 4 split up to search the library for a "Time-stopping Spell" before dawn breaks. Zephyr had started perusing what was in the corners when he quickly caught a fragment of an ancient tablet before it dropped on the floor. When he went to put it back, he stopped dead in his tracks after he saw what was depicted on it.

When the search failed and Twilight braced for disaster, nothing happened. As if to punctuate that fact, Princess Celestia decided to take a stroll through the wing as well. "Good morning, Twilight. Love the new hairstyle. Happy Tuesday!" She continues on until she sees Zephyr with a look of horror and shock. "Private Windstorm, may I ask what it is that's got you so speechless?"

It was Zephyr's turn to jump 5 meters in the air. "O-oh, your highness! I apologize, I know I'm not authorized to be in here. But... what do you make of this?" He shows the fragment he was staring at the entire time.

There, depicted in a worn, carved stone, was a Pegasus with two pairs of wings.

The image shocked even Celestia. She had never seen a pony like Zephyr in her entire existence, but seeing something so ancient depicting him was shocking even to her. After looking through the other nearby fragments and confirming none of them were related, she shook her head. "I don't know. Was this part of a prophecy or something else? Starswirl must have thought it important if he preserved it here."

Zephyr didn't know what to think anymore. He always thought he was just some kind of mutation of the standard Pegasus. That tablet made him question what his very existence even was now.

After some additional thought, Princess Celestia smiled. "Regardless what your role in the future is, I'm certain you'll overcome it with the help of friends and family. As strange as fate is, trying to actively avoid it has a bad tenancy to bring it closer. Until it comes, live your life the best you can."

"I... I understand, Princess Celestia. I can only hope my fate isn't something that may lead to Equestria's downfall..."

So sayeth the hopeful fool...