One day in Ponyville, the town was setting up for the Breezie Crossing that's soon to happen. Thanks to her trip to the "Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures", Fluttershy knew first-hoof how the fairies lived. When she heard the news a few days ago, she went into overdrive in teaching everypony about them.

Thanks to their magic working off being in a breeze, hence their name, Zephyr's job ended up being a very important one thanks to his ability to easily work the wind currents. While other Pegasi can create more localized breezes to better direct the fairies, the job gets easier if the currents are properly tuned. "Alright, that's the next setting. Too fast? Slow?"

"Hmm, might be a bit too fast. My team just made their own breeze too strong, so maybe lessen it a bit." Rainbow goes up to the nearby wind current and tests the speed in her own way. "Just barely off the mark..."

Zephyr scrunched his muzzle. "I feel like I've overshot it a few times already..."

"I know, but we're almost there. Apparently this is the first time in a long while the Breezies are crossing through Ponyville, so I really do want to make it right so everypony can enjoy it."

"Alright, I'll try one more time as is. If it's still not good enough, I'll try to use my wind magic to see if it'll help me fine-tune it better." With that, Zephyr tried his best to ever-so gently adjust the current to be a bit slower.

Since she wasn't busy with other things this time, Rainbow kept monitoring it to assist. "THERE! Perfect!"

"Whew. Guess I just really needed somepony to tell me when to stop, huh?"

"Guess so. Alright, you can relax now, I can handle the rest!" Zephyr nods at that and heads back down.

Upon landing, the Falconite noted Strings scanning the crowd with a serious look. Nonchalantly going up beside him, Zephyr whispers, "Let me guess, something untoward might happen here?"

"You're on the mark. Let's just say there are interests out there who wish to exploit Breezies for their magic. It's apparently easy to turn into potions of various effects including cloud-walking and anti-gravity." Strings eyes a few ponies, but determined no threat at the moment. "Still... is it too much to hope that Ponyville would remain sacred in this regard?"

"We can only hope. Before the Breezies come, I'll fly high and monitor from the air without disrupting them. Both for the Breezies and for anything suspicious."

"Then here." Strings gives Zephyr a magic ear cuff. "This will allow us to communicate longer distances. If you spot anything that may lead to disruption, whether to the Breezies or otherwise, let me know." Zephyr nods and takes off with the cuff on one ear and re-enhances his eyes with Galesight.

Not long after, the swarm of Breezies had come to Ponyville, much to the amazement of everypony present. As much as Zephyr enjoyed the sight as well, he noted Spike wandering around antsy. "Strings, we have a Dragon that's trying to get a good view. If he climbs a tree and shakes a few leaves loose..."

"Roger that, I'll see to him." Strings managed to find Spike as he backed into a tree and got the idea to climb it. "Spike, if you need a lift, I can provide."

"Oh! Thank you, Strings. It sucks being so short..." Spike climbs onto the Pegasus' back and watches the Breezies with glee.

"Just don't get too excited, alright?"

Zephyr quickly got an "all clear" from Strings and continued to monitor the area. He gave a start when he noticed wind coming from the direction of the White Tail Woods and heading straight for the Breezies' path. "Rogue gust of wind inbound from the west! Abort!"

"From White Tail-- shoot!" Strings looks around and quickly finds Fluttershy, with a panicked Spike getting off. "We got a problem. An unauthorized gust of wind is approaching from the west!"

"WHAT?! Oh no!" Fluttershy was about to say what they should do when surprised and shocked cries rang out. The gust had already arrived and blew a good chunk of the Breezies off course. Fluttershy quickly managed to carefully round the now-errant Breezies onto her mane. "There, you should be safe--"

"Another gust incoming, this one's even bigger!" Fluttershy looked horrified when she heard Zephyr shout that.

"Well, looks like we have our disruptors." Strings quickly gathers Applejack and a few other capable ponies to lead them into the White Tail Woods to capture whoever was responsible.

"I-if that one hits us, even with us clinging to something, we're done for!" One of the Breezies shuttered out in their tongue as they all cling to Fluttershy's mane for dear life.

"Grr, enough of this!" Zephyr flew down and counteracted the gust with his wind magic, removing it from play entirely. "Anymore gusts we need to worry about?"

"Thank you, big brother!"

A blue Breezie was in shock at the display. "It can't be... has the Emissary... no, that's just a legend now.

"Hm? what's a legend now?" Fluttershy looks at the one who said that in confusion as she puts the Breezie group down onto a rock.

"You can understand us?!"

"Oh, I understand the language of all kinds of creatures! I can even speak yours!"

"You must be so proud..." That shocked the sibling pair when that Breezie spoke in their language. "But fine, it'll help us communicate. I'm Seabreeze and I'm in charge of this bunch of misfits."

"I'm Fluttershy and this is my brother Zephyr! I'm surprised you can speak our language as well!"

Seabreeze scoffed. "Only I can, the rest of these slackers felt like it was too much work to learn anything beyond the necessities." That got a bunch of indignant cries from his fellow Breezies.

"Nice going you two!" Pinkie Pie hopped over with everypony sans Applejack.

Rainbow Dash grimaced. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but one of the other wind managers checked the currents. Somepony somehow disabled and locked them into the 'no breeze' setting. The rest of the Breezies managed to continue just fine, but these ones will have some additional issues..."

"I guess Strings' intuition wasn't far off the mark..." Was Zephyr's response, which got worried looks from everypony else. There was a reason he was a capable Pegasus agent. "Do you think we can manage without the wind currents, Rainbow?"

"We can, but it'll be tough. Push comes to shove, we might have to rely on you."

Twilight smiles. "I can help as well. I'll probably try and undo the 'lock' on the currents--"

"Sorry, Twilight, but that isn't something you can simply 'fix'." Zephyr made sure to put a stop to that plan. "Once a wind current gets locked or disabled, you have to wait until it's lifted on its own. Forcing it back to normal has a... nasty habit of causing localized typhoons until the current repairs itself."

Rarity grimaced at that. "Oh... I don't think Ponyville, let alone the Breezies, could handle that!"

"Let's not give up so quickly, everypony!" Rainbow flashes a confident smile. "Just give me the word and leave it to me and my team. We can get the Breezies going again!"

The Breezie group sans Seabreeze let out a chorus of cries as they flew onto Fluttershy's mane again. Fluttershy gives an awkward look. "Maybe... let's hold off for now. After what they went through, the poor things are traumatized! We should give them some time to breathe first."

Zephyr made an an uncertain expression before conceding. He quickly noted Rainbow's unconvinced look. "Right... traumatized... whatever, just give the word when ready." Fluttershy smiles at that as she leaves for her cottage.

Even Pinkie noted Rainbow's look at that moment. "Dashie, you don't seem convinced that the Breezies are traumatized."

"Gee, maybe because I actually know what the face of trauma looks like?" Rainbow realized Zephyr wilted at that. "I'm not insulting you, Zephyr. It's just that I seem to have developed a sense of sorting genuine trauma from the fake ones thanks to you."

"You can basically tell a trauma malingerer from somepony with the real deal?" Was Twilight's question, to which Rainbow Dash nodded. "As much as it's disappointing if it's true, we'll just have to trust Fluttershy knows what she's doing. However... I'll see if I can't figure something out in the meantime."

Zephyr was on his way to his sister's cottage after Rainbow informed him that the Breezies were still lodged there. The Pegasus wasn't overly convinced that the Breezies actually were sick, but Fluttershy seemed convinced that they needed more rest. That didn't sit well with Zephyr's sense of duty and, thus, he set out to convince his sister that it's high time the fairies left.

When he approached the cottage, who should he see flailing in the breeze of the now-active wind current but Seabreeze. The Falconite quickly caught him in a tiny whirlwind. "Whoa there! I admire the gumption, but by yourself?"

"How are you-- you can control the wind?!" Seabreeze's mind went back to that legend again as he gave a stunned look. The whirlwind he was in not only kept him stable in the breeze, but it also fed his own magic.

"Well... 'control' is inaccurate considering the wind cannot truly be so. I'm moreso 'guiding' the wind to do what I want, but that's besides the point. How come you're by yourself?"

Seabreeze let out a huff of irritation. "Everybreezie in that cottage refuses to finish the journey despite our pollen being very important to our survival back home. If I don't get back, then my family..!"

"Say no more." Hearing Seabreeze had a family he wanted to get back to was all the motivation Zephyr needed. Putting the surprised Breezie in his mane for now, he knocks on the door. "Shy, I'm coming in!"

Fluttershy was stunned by the abrasiveness. "Wha-- big brother, you usually wait for me to answer!"

"Not this time. I've come with an announcement: every Breezie here has 5 minutes to prepare for their journey, no less... and no more." Zephyr glares at the Breezies who started shouting at him. "I will hear no objections. You're being--"

"Zephyr! Why are you doing this?!" Fluttershy quickly got defensive over the Breezies. "Breezies are more fragile than you or me, so they need rest after such a--"

She was cut off when Zephyr glared at her. "Fluttershy, you're coddling them. That's not an excuse when the rest of their kind managed to continue on just fine."

"That's not a good reason to excuse your abrasiveness towards them! You'll just make things worse if you try to force them!" Fluttershy started matching her brother's glare, practically using "The Stare" on him unknowingly.

Unfortunately for her, Zephyr not only had a weaker version of his own but it was backed up by determination, allowing him to match hers without flinching. "That's just life, isn't it? It never goes the way you WANT it to go. By hiding them away like this, all you'll do is delay the inevitable. And by taking advantage of your kindness, they're proving Seabreeze right: they're a bunch of incompetent slackers! Guess they really don't care about their families in their world, huh?"

"They'll make the rest of the journey on THEIR terms. I reiterate: forcing them will do more harm than good!"

Seabreeze didn't realize how fast the situation deteriorated between the siblings until it was too late, which made him feel guilty. After fighting some more, Zephyr let out an irritated huff. "Fine, coddle them if it so pleases you but some Breezies have a family they want to get back to. I'll escort him by myself if that's what it takes. The last thing I have to say is this. Kindness is like sugar. I'll leave it to you to determine what I mean from that."

With that, Zephyr slams the door behind him as he leaves the cottage. Seabreeze climbs down to eye level with a sad look. "I'm sorry I put you through that with your sister..."

"Considering that was the first actual fight we had, I guess it was inevitable. As hollow as it made me feel, we all got our choices to make." Zephyr shakes his head. "It's just you and me, I guess. Want me to carry you in my wind like I did before?"

"Let's save that as a last resort if you can't just guide me with your wind." Seabreeze didn't want to rely exclusively on the Falconite, feeling like he'd be no better than the rest of the Breezies if he did that.

Respecting Seabreeze's decision, Zephyr came up with an idea. "Perhaps mini wind tunnels will suffice for directional breezes?"

"Let's give it a try first."

The idea had merit, but needed a bit of fine tuning so it wasn't too strong or weak. Seabreeze decided that, since Breezies needed to be in large groups to properly fly on stronger winds, he couldn't afford to be picky. With that, the two set off towards the portal, with Seabreeze pointing in the direction he wants the 'wind tunnel' to blow to give Zephyr direction.

While they were skirting the southern border of the White Tail Woods, Zephyr heard a sound he hasn't heard in a long time. The sound of a clicking crossbow. "Seabreeze, get back!"

The Breezie let out a surprised cry when Zephyr managed to grab him out of the air as three *twangs* rang out. While the Falconite did manage to get the Breezie out of the firing lane, the same couldn't be said for him as two bolts pinned his primary against a tree, while one pierced his secondary.

There was one truth Zephyr had to accept when it came to his body: no matter how much he tried to train his pain tolerance, any damage to his secondary wings will always cripple him. In this instance, he nearly blacked out from the sheer agony of the bolt piercing it, which also had the effect of preventing him from casting wind magic.

"Nice shot!" A trio of Pegasi, two mares and one stallion, all approached with gleeful expressions. "While it's a shame we couldn't catch anymore Breezies, getting one with a Falconite included will more than suffice."

The criminals laugh as Zephyr did his best to cover Seabreeze. I... can't let him go because the breeze... is blowing towards those monsters... All Zephyr could do was glare at the approaching Pegasi, doing his best not to faint in agony.

"You... HOW DARE YOU!!!" Fluttershy suddenly landed defensively in front of Zephyr, nothing but rage in her glare for the three who just shot her brother. "Who do you three think you are, shooting MY BROTHER like that?!"

"Please, you really think you'll make a--"

"Shut your trap, young lady!" Despite their hardened pasts, the three criminals couldn't look away from Fluttershy's eyes as she glowers at them. "Is this how your mother's raised you?! You think shooting ponies and foalnapping Breezies is GOOD?! Maybe you should reconsider your life choices!"

"I...I... AUGH!!!"

The mare in the middle snapped her eyes shut as she brandished her reloaded crossbow at Fluttershy. Zephyr and Seabreeze looked horrified, unable to do anything to stop the bolt from being fired.

The crossbow never fired as three sharp *WHACKS* rang out, knocking out the trio of crooks. It was Strings who was the culprit. "That should about wrap things up here. That was brave... if not foolish of you, Fluttershy."

"Oh, t-thank you-- big brother!" Fluttershy quickly turned to the pinned Falconite with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry! T-to think of what could've happened to you... and the last time we saw each other was after a fight..."

"Shy..." With Strings' help, Zephyr was able to free himself from the tree, though the executive decision was made to keep the one bolt where it was in his secondary wing. "Perhaps... I was also coming off too strong... I'm sorry as well..."

Fluttershy hugged her brother the best she could without disturbing his wing. She then looks at Seabreeze. "I'm so glad you're safe as well, Seabreeze."

"I'm grateful that you two arrived when you did. Sounded like they wanted both of us, not just us Breezies in general..."

Strings frowns as he hoof-cuffs the unconscious criminals. "I'm curious, why are you by yourself with Zephyr? Aren't Breezies supposed to move in swarms?"

"We are, but nobreezie wants to listen to me when I saw we need to go! The portal to our realm is only open for so long... and my wife and child..."

Fluttershy immediately realized why Zephyr took Seabreeze's side when it came to leaving. "I... I understand why you're rushed, Seabreeze. But your fellow Breezies won't listen to you if you constantly shout and be mean to them!"

"That doesn't make what you're doing much better, Fluttershy." Strings let out a sigh as the Pegasus gives him a shocked look. "I understand that kindness is your greatest strength... but it's also your biggest weakness. Do you think these crooks would've turned their life around had you treated them with kindness? Even after what they did to your brother?"

Seabreeze nods. "That's exactly it! You stared them into shock because anything else wouldn't work!"

"It had to be done because they hurt my brother! It... had to be... done..." As realization dawned on Fluttershy, a rainbow light shone off Seabreeze's wing which reflected in her eyes. I understand and big brother and Strings were saying now..."It needs to be done before it's too late. We should go! Big brother, can you still run?"

"I can run I just can't fly yet. Did you have an epiphany, Shy?"

"I think she did." Strings felt a measure of pride in the mare for realizing what she did. "Be careful, though. Since Zephyr's wind magic will be disabled until his secondary wing gets healed, traveling with Seabreeze will have to be done carefully. Head back for now, I'll go grab some extra help." With that, Strings leaves the area.

While being mindful of both Seabreeze's weight and Zephyr's injured wing, the trio made their way back to Fluttershy's cottage. Once there, she was firm about the Breezies needing to leave for their own sake. Despite it needing to be done and Seabreeze's silent thanks, Fluttershy still felt hurt over having to do it.

Zephyr tried to comfort her. "I remember something Zecora once told me. "Kindness might have to be bitter like medicine, for in some situations it works better in comparison". I guess... that's her own way of teaching the lesson that... sometimes you have to be cruel to show kindness."

"Yeah..."

"I swear it's always you, Zephyr!" Rainbow wasn't too pleased to hear that her boyfriend got shot in the wings trying to protect Seabreeze. "And once again, I can't get mad at you because you never intended to get shot."

As much as Rarity wanted to calm Rainbow Dash down, she scrunched her muzzle when she realized she would've felt the same with Burst. It ended up being Pinkie Pie that cooled all the heads down.

Zephyr gives Applejack a curious look. "By the way, you've been gone for a while. What were you up to?"

"Wrangling some crooks in the White Tail Woods. They were the reason this group of Breezies got blown off-course. Strings even gave us permission to... "rough them up as we saw fit" to do so." Everyone present could tell she had vented some personal frustrations on the criminals.

Twilight managed to finish fixing Zephyr's wings, much to his relief. "What about the breeze needed to send these little ones on their way?"

"We tried. Too strong or too weak." Rainbow let out a sigh. "We might have to rely on Zephyr's wind magic after all..."

"Actually, I managed to figure something out thanks to a quick trip to the Castle of the Two Sisters. I can actually transform us into Breezies as well!"

"Wait really?!" Seabreeze spoke up before he looked away in thought. "Maybe... alright, there's something I should mention now that you can do that. Fluttershy, have you heard the Breezie legend of the Emissary of Free Wind?"

"No, I only know about the physical characteristics of Breezies. Was this what you almost mentioned earlier?"

The Breezies all look at each other in confusion as Seabreeze nodded. "As the legend goes, there was an entity in the world beyond ours that was capable of controlling the wind as freely as it could breathe. If the expedition were to find it and earn it's help, the journey home would no longer be perilous thanks to the winds provided. The legend further states that sometimes the Emissary could take on a Breezie form and their appearance would be unique from others."

Rarity connected the dots. "You're thinking Zephyr could be this Emissary of Free Wind?"

"Heh, sounds similar to his title of "Winds of Freedom" in the Crystal Empire!" Zephyr pouted at Rainbow for that.

"Well... regardless of the legend, the more Breezies in a group, the better able they can handle stronger breezes." Fluttershy made that call. "So the more the merrier. You want to join us, big brother?"

"... Alright, I'm just worried my wind magic will go out of control during or after the process..."

"Don't worry, me and mine will help protect you in the event of that happening or if any crooks try to ambush you." Strings reappeared with Bon Bon and Lyra in tow. "I can also help with the breeze if necessary."

"Thank you, Strings. Now, let's begin. You'll probably feel strange... and squishy during the transformation, so don't worry!" With those words, Twilight begins casting the spell.

Everypony else had transformed into standard breezies just fine. When they all looked at Zephyr, they were shocked at the sight. While his body was standard, his wings had three segments in the larger bunch with their tips all pointing up. The smaller bunch had two segments, with the last one ending in a point similar to a triangle. The final difference was that the wings glowed a light-green similar to benign wind magic.

Before anyone could say anything, Zephyr's new body suddenly created a large wind-like aura around him. All the Breezies present suddenly felt like they could fly without issue no matter what direction the wind was blowing. Seabreeze was astounded. "It's true! The legend is true!"

"Maybe because Zephyr is a Falconite? Since we don't know if Falconites of the ancient past had wind magic, ah' wonder if this is proof that at least some did?" Applejack put that forward.

Zephyr nods. "I'm inclined to believe that as well. There's no way I could've turned out like this had I not been a Falconite."

Strings and his fellow protectors looks at the group in amazement. "Guess you don't need that breeze, huh? We'll still accompany you in case more crooks decide they want to foalnap Breezies."

Fluttershy was so overjoyed, she said something in the Breezie language, much to the confusion of her friends and family. That got an embarrassed squee from her. "Uh... I meant let's go!"

Thanks to the aura Zephyr's Breezie form made, the journey was incredibly easy for how dangerous the world was for them. What was telling is that other errand Breezies who got separated from the first swarm earlier had joined this one after seeing them. For every new member added, the aura increased in size, strength, or stability as if the aura had a mutualistic relationship with Breezie magic.

Seabreeze, having learned from Fluttershy that he was being too harsh, managed to gain a level enough head to support some of his flagging members. Strings, Bon Bon, and Lyra managed to make the journey with the Breezie group, with Lyra documenting the new phenomena for posterity.

At the end of the journey, the group managed to make it to the cave where the portal was. Strings told his mare companions that they were free to return to Ponyville as the Breezies filtered through. What the Ponyville residents saw was breathtaking.

Zephyr's aura drew the attention of many Breezies that were already there, though not before many celebrated reunions. Seabreeze himself reunited with his wife and child, which made Fluttershy and Zephyr cry when the scene reminded them of Squall with their mother.

"So it's true... an Emissary of Free Wind has blessed us at long last..." An elderly Breezie had drifted down with a smile. "Not a single Breezie was left unaccounted for this expedition. I thank you all so very much!"

"Not to be rude, Elder, but they need to leave before the portal closes!" Seabreeze was worried about that.

"Hohoho, no worries. The Emissary's aura will keep the portal stable!" He points to the portal, which now had a whirlwind border instead of a thin, white one. "Perhaps this is a sign... that my position's duty is over."

Seabreeze quickly knew what the Elder meant. "Since the Emissary is a Falconite..!"

"Doubly so." Seabreeze chatters excitedly with a few other Breezies and they all take off.

His wife approached the siblings with a soft smile. "Thank you for bringing my husband back home. I can only hope my baby will have the same courage as you do."

Zephyr suddenly felt compelled to put a leg onto the giggling baby's head. "May you grow up a strong, capable leader, little one..." A swirl of light-green energy flowed down Zephyr's leg and into the baby, who gained a symbol on the forehead in the same shape as his wings.

Twilight was astonished. "Zephyr, what did you do?"

"I... I don't know. I felt compelled to do that for some reason..."

The Elder smiles at the sight. "Blessing one of our little ones as well. Truly these are glorious times. Ah, but our gift to you might be a bit large for you in this form, so feel free to leave through the portal first."

"Before you do, here." Seabreeze had returned and gave Fluttershy a flower in her mane. "For everything you've done for me and mine."

"I'll cherish it!"

Not long after the Ponyville residents went back out to Strings, a group of Breezies came out carrying a silver-colored charm with a glowing emerald inset. Seabreeze nods at the group. "Return to normal, that we may offer this relic of ours."

Twilight obliged and everypony returned to normal. The Breezies offered the charm to Zephyr, who put it on his forehoof since it was the right size. At that moment, a gentle breeze filled the area as the Falconite started floating a bit without even flying. Pinkie gasped at the sight. "Zephy's becoming one with the wind! Don't let him blow away!!!"

"Really, Pinkie? Ah' doubt he'll actually turn into wind." Was Applejack's sarcastic remark.

"She's not completely wrong though." Zephyr opened his eyes as his hooves touched down. "Before I could feel and sense the wind. But... now I feel I AM the wind!" As if to prove the point, he starts playing around with a small breeze in his other forehoof. Twilight was stunned at the level of control he had now.

"According to the Elder, this charm was given to us for safe-keeping by a previous Emissary who "wished to fling a light into the future". What that means, I don't know, but with us giving you that we hope our ancestors can rest easy now." Seabreeze smiles at the group. "Again, thank you all for everything. Please close the portal behind me once we're all through. May the breeze ever guide you forward!"

With that, all the Breezies pass through the portal one last time before Zephyr closed it. Twilight quickly realized something about the charm. "It seems to be one of those 'trade-off' relics. It gives you near perfect wind manipulation at the cost of stifling how much power you have."

"Works for me, I really don't need more powerful wind magic for everyday life."

Strings breaths a sigh of relief. "I'm glad everything worked out. Shall we all head home?" With a round of agreements, everypony started heading back to Ponyville in the sunset. The agent managed to talk to Fluttershy more privately. "I hope you remember what you learned today, Fluttershy. Kindness is both a gift and a curse... but I have no doubt that losing your kindness would leave Equestria worse off and I don't mean defense-wise."

"Thank you, Strings. And thank you for saving me and my brother!" She smiles at him, leaving the agent with an unknown feeling he's never felt before as the flower in her mane shines a rainbow light.

To think that the Breezies are not only surviving... but thriving all these eons later...
A species so fragile, I thought they would have gone extinct long ago.
Yet it is thanks to ponykind that they can continue on.

...

I wonder... if this is whatShemeant... all those years ago...
No, I've made my choice and I won't deviate.
But... as a gift to a species' drive to survive, that is why I granted that little one my blessing.
For I know now I will be unable to change their nature, even after regaining my full power.
It is all I can do for them now...

Author's Note

I'll admit, I couldn't resist using that symbol because it was a perfect representation of Breezie!Zephyr's wing shape.