Cervine Wings

Year 997 LE

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Far to the west of Equestria, across a vast ocean, there lay a forest known as Dwimorholt. It is here that the secretive remnants of the once-great Cervine nations reside, ruled since the end of the Everdark by a family of nobles calling themselves 'The Eclipsed'.

Many thousands of years ago, in ages past, the Deeryneian Alliance had been one of four world powers, rivaled only by Ordinat, the Kingdom of Griffona, and the Draconic Republic. The Alliance had managed to maintain peace with the dragons, but the peoples of Ordinat and Griffona proved more difficult.

The deer were creatures born of fey blood, while the equines and griffons were of infernal descent; the two bloodlines had little love for one another. The opposing nations would often clash over concerns of territory, resources, and ideology. Preemptive strikes and acts of vengeance became commonplace, and war became the background against which life carried on.

In the end, though it was one of the most devastating disasters of all time, the destruction of the Sun and the ensuing darkness may have actually saved some of the fae races from utter extinction; though loathe to admit it, most cervid scholars agree that just before the cataclysm, the Alliance seemed destined to suffer bloody annihilation at the hooves of the Ordinat. With the onset of the Everdark, the Alliance's enemies had more pressing concerns than a petty blood feud.

It was cold comfort at the time.

The world was ending, and it seemed certain that all life and energy would fade from the land. Regardless, the Deeryneians persevered, struggling to survive in what refuges remained. When the Sun was reborn, and the survivors across the planet came forth to pick up the pieces of civilization, deer were part of the privileged few that managed to hold on to a significant number of accurate and complete historical records.

The realm of Dwimorholt became one of the first nations of the new epoch, and -- for good or ill -- one of the few sources of ancient lore and technology remaining in the modern world. It was within this realm that a young peryton hind, Arradalis ex Eclipsed, had lived for thirteen of Celestia's years, and she had vowed that ere the fourteenth completed she would leave it all behind.

"Hey Eclipsed!" It would be much easier if other deer would stop bothering her, of course.

"It's 'ex Eclipsed'. It sounds insulting if you leave the first part of it off, though I'm sure you already knew that." She was making use of one of her precious bouts of free time to stockpile supplies for her upcoming departure. She checked that her coin purse was still firmly tied to her left antler; her allowance wasn't meager by most standards, but she could only afford so much at once. It had taken her weeks just to build up a large enough stockpile of rations that she wouldn't have to worry about starving on the road.

"Oh, please. Of course I didn't mean to insult you. What kind of friend would I be if I did that?" Unfortunately, going to the market alone made her an easy target for a variety of antagonists, such as Bruijir.

"An honest one." Her fellow peryton seemed to delight in annoying her whenever he was around. He was four years her senior, but she had a higher status than him. In her experience it seemed to cancel out, in the end.

"Always so snippy. Maybe if you let me use your given name, I wouldn't have to worry about offending you with incomplete titles, eh?"

"Not happening."

"There you go again. You sure are glum today, Arry." She bristled and shot a glare his way. "Miss ex Eclipsed, I mean. Did something happen? I heard you fell asleep in the middle of your markshartship again. Did your parents chew you out over that yet?"

She gritted her teeth. He always managed to phrase things in a way to maximize her frustration. That "yet" at the end, for instance, really set her off. "No, you showed up. That's why I'm upset, I mean. I mean, that's why I'm 'glum'. Because you're here, instead of not being here. Leave." Real smooth, Arradalis. She resisted the urge to smack herself. This was why she preferred to be "snippy".

"Well, I guess if you can't hit an enemy with bullets or arrows, you can always cut them with your scathing words. Maybe you can get a megaphone to take care of the range, because your usual muttering probably won't reach an enemy before they can skewer you."

She was afraid she was going to get a headache at this rate. "Why do you always have to bother me, Bruijir."

"Because you're fun, of course. It's nice to have someone to test my wit against, even if they aren't much of a challenge." He smirked at her. "If you wanted me to stop, you'd have sicked your family on me long ago. Don't deny it."

"I don't need to go crying to my parents every time some wannabe punk comes crawling out of the gutter."

"See, I knew you could do better than that weak stuff earlier." She sighed and picked up her pace, noticing her destination ahead of her.

Dwimorholt's Grand Market usually had shops for almost anything one could want, so long as that anything didn't require custom machining or a permit to own or sell. It was also a popular destination for various changeling traders looking to offload assorted goods and merchandise; most Deeryneians rarely, if ever, ventured outside the confines of the forest, so these traders were their only source of souvenirs and merchandise from other places.

She stepped up to one of the many colorful stalls decorating the Autumn market. A friendly looking hart popped up and grinned at her. "Welcome, young miss. Looking for something in particular? I have a wide range of curiosities for sale." He gestured at the racks hanging off the side of his stall.

She noticed an aura of magical energy around him, and after a moment recognized it as changeling magic. She narrowed her eyes at the changeling. "Why do you look like that?"

Bruijir smacked his forehead with a hoof. "Wow, tactful."

The sales-changeling just chuckled. "Well, I do offer quite a number of items that are of interest to children, and this-" He gestured at his face. "Is a bit less scary for some of the young ones. It's my firm belief that even one small fawn leaving my shop in tears is two too many! Now, what can I get for you? Perhaps some gems for storing magical energy? Twenty Shells, and it's a steal at that." He pulled back a curtain on the front of his counter to reveal several crystals of various colors, each about the size of his hoof. Below them were some more crystals, but these were twisted into bizarre, alien shapes that wouldn't have formed under natural circumstances.

Bruijir tilted his head and pointed at them. "What are those? Are they supposed to look like that?"

"Not at all, young sir; therein lies the charm! These top crystals are genuine, Labyrinth-certified magic batteries, already pre-charged. The twisty ones you see are the failures. They aren't very useful for storing energy, but aren't they a sight? I'm selling the broken ones super cheap, only three Shells. Good thing to show off to your friends, or gift to that special deerfriend, eh?" He winked before turning to Arradalis. "What about this?" He picked up a stack of papers and set them on the counter. He lifted one up for them to see.

"Really? 'The Wonderbolts'?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, they are pretty popular even outside of Equestria. These are authentic flyers -- no pun intended -- for their airshow last month. Rare collector's items in these parts. Could be worth a lot in the future, you know! You could get it as a gift for a fan, or hang onto it yourself to resell. Only ten Shells."

Bruijir looked his stack of flyers up and down. There was maybe a few hundred in that stack alone, and he suspected that he probably had more. "Yeah... 'rare'... did you really think this one through?"

Arradalis, however, rummage through her coin purse and slapped a quarter-cent shell on the counter. "Twenty of those Shells for a working crystal, green. I'll give you the remaining five Shells for one of those flyers. Frankly, they probably aren't worth one shell, but I'm skipping to the end of the haggling to save us both time."

The deer-changeling smirked and took the coin. "Works for me." He hoofed over the crystal and the flyer. "Any questions on how the crystal works?"

"No." She grabbed her purchase and started walking away, a bemused Bruijir trailing her.

"Seriously? You hate anything to do with Equestria. Why are you wasting five Shells on a stupid flyer for an expired Wonderbolts show?"

"I have a fetish for pegasi in skin-tight outfits."

He stared for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Oh wow, I can't believe you managed that with a straight face! You really are the best sometimes, Arry. This is why I hang out with you."

"I was kinda hoping to disgust you into leaving me alone, to be honest. I don't see how my money is any of your business."

"Get real. It's gonna take more than that to get rid of me." Great.

She had checked several other stalls, looking out for any oddities that might prove useful, but she found nothing else that interested her. Her only other purchase was a sturdy traveling cloak; better suited to her planned adventure than the finery she usually wore. She reluctantly answered Bruijir's probing by stating that it was for one of her inventions. Thankfully he bought it, and she managed to ditch him before reaching her estate. She had taken a quick detour to stash the crystal and the flyer with the rest of her supplies before returning home to a pair of "concerned" parents.

She was only twenty minutes late for dinner, but they wouldn't listen to her attempts to blame Bruijir for her delay, insisting that she shouldn't be wasting so much time with her friends. As a result, she was sent to bed an hour early. It was humiliating, but it wouldn't matter in the long run: she would be leaving tonight.

Everyone else should be asleep by now.

She tossed her sheets aside and climbed from her bed. She was filled with nervous energy, and took a moment to calm down and psyche herself up. Now was the last chance she would have for backing out, and she was not going to let that happen. Sure, she was young and inexperienced. Sure, she was about to run away from her guardians, teachers, mentors, friends and family. Sure, she was about to embark on a dangerous and reckless mission into unknown territories.

She wasn't doing a very good job of calming herself down so far.

What do I have to fear? I've studied and trained under great deer masters. Sorta. I don't need to have been a star student to have learned something, right? I'm prepared. I can do this. She glanced out her bedroom window, noting the position of the moon and gauging it to be around midnight. Taking a deep breath, she began channeling her magic.

She activated the runes that had been inscribed onto her aura. Looking down, she saw they were now visible just above the fur on her legs, and presumably the rest of her body as well. She closed her eyes and planted her hooves firmly, casting her senses onto the entire household.

Her own two-room tower was empty save for herself. She sensed her parents in their own tower, sleeping. Any servants and other guests that also spent the night were also asleep in their own rooms, with the exception of one of her second-cousins; he had apparently passed out in the wine cellar. Regardless, it seemed that she would have no trouble escaping unnoticed, so long as she was quiet.

She let her magic fade, and the glowing runes quickly followed suit. She grabbed her new traveling cloak from her closet and carefully left her room. She slowly climbed down her tower's staircase, grinning as she noticed the doors along her path remained in the ajar positions she had left them in. The less chances for hinges or doorhandles to squeak, the better.

She had carefully examined the household over the past few weeks, and had come to the conclusion that the guest room just below her tower had a window that made the least noise of any within a three doorway path; balancing the distance against the noisiness of the path hadn't been very simple, but she had had plenty of time to think it over. She had chosen tonight because she knew this guest room would be unoccupied.

She made her way across the room and carefully opened the window. She poked her head outside and glanced around, double checking that the coast was clear. Looking down, she suppressed a shiver; she was still on the third story, and she hadn't practiced taking off from a window yet. Still, there was a first time for everything she supposed. The sound of a throat being cleared behind her caused her to jump and bang her antlers, small as they were, against the window frame.

"Agh! Infernal's teats!" She bit back any further curses as she slowly turned, gingerly holding a hoof to her head. In the doorway stood a bespectacled deer that was affixing her with a stern glare. He was her primary watcher and teacher. Damn it all, why did he have to show up. She realized that she hadn't sensed him in the household earlier, which should have tipped her off; he must have noticed her spell. "Lanilor... you're up late."

Her teacher raised an eyebrow. "Miss Arradalis, should you not be in bed yourself? You have many lessons to attend tomorrow. If you actually pay attention this time, I might even show you how to recognize and counter various types of scrying magic."

She growled at him. "That's it? That's all you have to say about this?" She was obviously about to flee and he was simply scolding her about curfew and lessons?

Lanilor sighed. "So you haven't learned anything about diplomacy either. I will confess: I am at my wit's end. You are incorrigible, miss. I was trying to give you a chance to back down without outright accusing you of anything untoward."

"You know, you are really doing a superb job of making me want to stay right now."

He scowled. "Go ahead then. Run away. Abandon your studies, your duty, your family. You very obviously do not wish to learn. I doubt you even care about anyone but yourself. The Eclipsed probably would be better off without you."

Arradalis bristled at the implication that she could be emotionally cajoled like this. Is that all he has left? A stupid attempt to guilt trip her and appeal to her ego? He never really knew me... "I'm not an idiot, dear teacher. I don't need to prove myself to you or to anyone else." She turned back to the window and flexed her wings.

Of course I care about others. Why else would I be doing this for those stupid cowards? She cast a glance back at her teacher and noted his face seemed to be one of sad resignation now. "Thanks for being born without wings, by the way. It has always made ditching you so much easier."

After a quick step backward, she launched herself out the window and snapped her wings open, diving downward to build up momentum. A second later she pulled level and laughed. It felt good to release herself like that. She felt like she had been waiting forever to tear into that taskmaster she called teacher.

She didn't have much time though. Lanilor would certainly notify her parents quickly, and she needed to be gone before the search parties started patrolling. She had a stash of supplies that she needed to grab, and then she would exit the forest post-haste.

After a few minutes and half a mile, she spotted her target: a trio of trees that grew into a single trunk before splitting off again. She had never known if it was natural or the result of some young deer's experiment. If I'm lucky, I'll never have the opportunity to find out.

She landed on top of the joint trunk and grabbed the sack of supplies she had stored there. It shouldn't have changed since her visit a few hours earlier, but she laid it out on the ground to double check everything anyway.

The first item she checked for was an emerald ring she had stolen from her mother's collection. She placed it on one of the branches of her antlers, smiling. While forming her plan, she had decided she would adorn herself as an adventurer, taking something as a symbol of each place she visited. I managed to survive the "dreadful" Dwimorholt. This ring attests to that.

She had also stowed a pair of saddlebags holding two weeks of compact travel rations, as well as a map, a blanket, and a spare cloak -- one of her own, with a more 'noble' look. She donned the pack, then lifted a small pouch holding what extra Shells she could scavenge without drawing attention. It wasn't much by her standards, but it would help her stay fed for some time in foreign lands. She tucked it into her pack as well.

Her Wonderbolts flyer and magic battery were also still present. The flyer might be useful for deflecting suspicion if she was caught. Honest, mister guard, I'm in Equestria to watch the Wonderbolts! They are my favorite flyers! She pretended to retch. Hopefully she'd never need to use it, but five Shells wasn't bad for a bit of insurance. The magic crystal was likewise not intended for a specific purpose, but having an extra boost of magical energy might be useful, if not critical. She'd rather have it just in case than be without at a crucial moment.

There was only one other item left: a hoof dagger that she had stolen from her martial instructor's armory. She took a moment to admire the complexity of the mechanism. The entire thing was held within a gauntlet that was worn above the hoof, concealing the short blade when not in use. It had an ingenious set of mechanisms that allowed for the right pair of hoof flexes to extend or retract the blade.

It was nothing compared to some of the relics of ancient Deeryneian engineering, technologically speaking, but it was a weapon she actually knew how to use, and she felt it was more than suitable for her purposes. She strapped it to her dominant hoof, her left, and toggled the small latch near that top that acted as a safety and locked the blade in place.

Arradalis looked up into the sky, grinning. This was it. She was free. She no longer had to suffer dull and repetitive lessons at the hooves of wingless dotards. She no longer had to pretend respect for her parents and their "friends". She no longer had to worry about mingling with boring commoners and even more boring nobles. She no longer had to worry about adhering to the schedules and deadlines set by her mother, or holding herself to the exact poise and attitude expected by her father. She could finally forge her own destiny.

She felt like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She needed a purpose, however, something to drive her. Becoming a vagrant wandering the wilds was no fate for someone like her; she would set out on a quest to avenge the misfortunes of her people and remind the world of the real power of the perytons.

She laughed. She laughed like she hadn't for years. She imagined herself laughing directly at Celestia. Your ancestors did me and mine a great disservice, oh horned alati, "goddess" of equines. She would do something far greater than simply taking her place in a long line of ineffectual nobles hiding in their trees. She would go down in history as the one who put paid to the lie of "Sol Invictus".

She rubbed her gauntlet, imagining herself descending upon the solar alicorn. She would stare into those ancient eyes, now filled with shock and anger, as her blade helped her create a world with one less tyrant. With a light head, a heavy pack, and a noble quest held in her heart, she once more took to the air and made her way to the western edge of Dwimorholt.

The caves of Mount Canter were a wondrous natural formation. Some might consider it lamentable that so few even knew of them these days. Via, however, only cared about their utility. After all, it was difficult for adversaries to track a secret rendezvous if they didn't know the meeting location even existed.

He could appreciate the various crystal formations in a technical sense, but they never inspired many feelings for him. Perhaps it was just the fact that they were inside a cave; he didn't much care for caves these days. They did make useful mirrors, though, and he took a moment to verify his disguise. "Royal Guard" would be so much easier if I didn't have to steal the armor. They all look practically the same anyway; nopony even pays attention to all the details.

He was in the middle of striking poses when he heard a soft cough behind him. "You're a little short to be a royal guard." He jumped and spun around to see a pink pegasus staring at him. "You are Via, right?" He didn't like to admit it, but he had trouble recognizing specific ponies sometimes. Her red mane -- tied into a ponytail -- and her cutie mark -- a red heart with a sawtooth waveform cutting across it -- did help him narrow it down.

"Ah! Heartbeat! Uh yes, of course, Via. Me. That's right." He could be a master of conversation when needed. Apparently, when talking with his boss, it didn't count as a "need".

She giggled. "I wish you would at least pick one unique disguise to wear, so I don't have to guess whether it is actually you each time we meet."

He shifted on his hooves, looking away. "Well you see I don't really like making use of my disguises but it is still something I need to practice. Variety is a part of that. To be honest I would rather not use them at all but what can one do?" He felt a slight grimace tugging at his mouth. He had a tendency to rattle his words off quickly when he wasn't putting on a persona.

"You could just be yourself then."

"Well Equestria isn't the safest place to go 'natural' in for several reasons" He shrugged and dropped his disguise. Instead of a pegasus royal guard in oversized golden armor, there now stood a small changeling in oversized golden armor. "Everlight would want my head on a pike if I betrayed our kind's existence to others."

Heartbeat blinked. Via looked vaguely like a pony, but for his small size and slender build. His head also seemed a bit more canine than equine, and he seemed to have holes through his hooves and wings. He had told her his appearance was not indicative of changelings as a whole, but she had no other point's of reference. "It still surprises me a little when you transform like that. I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to it."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it you are unlikely to encounter many changelings yourself. That uh would at least be very wishful thinking on my part to be honest I don't know what the hives might end up doing. Ideally their plans though won't involve you ever meeting them. I hope that sounds at least a little bit as assuring as I intended."

"Calm down, it's no big deal. We are here for a reason, so let's get down to it." She flashed him a quick smile before pulling a file out from under her wing. "I got the profile you sent. Deeryneian, peryton. A flying deer, huh? I wasn't even aware there were deer with wings."

"I wouldn't expect you to as there is quite a bit of history tied up into their current... state. This is stuff even before 'Everdark' that we are talking about. Suffice it to say that perytons have had a bit of a population issue for quite some time and on top of that they are very secretive to, uh... outsiders. Non-fey."

"Ah, this is one of those old 'bloodline' things then? I suppose changelings have a bit more knowledge then?"

"Er... probably." Heartbeat raised an eyebrow, causing him to chuckle. "I'll remind you that I'm not a hiver and I have no idea what they might have hidden away in their secret libraries. Though, deer though do have trade relations with several changeling... entities. I did actually get the initial tip and profile information on the target," he nodded at the file, "from a changeling trader that frequents Dwimorholt."

"I see. Tell me more about the target. You recommended recruitment. I want to know why."

Via coughed into his hoof. "Right. Of course. Yes." He nodded, sending the helmet he was wearing over his eyes. He jumped at the sudden loss of vision, prompting another giggle from Heartbeat. One moment and an impromptu game of 'throwing a helmet across the cave' later, Via managed to collect himself again. "Sorry."

Heartbeat hid her smile behind a hoof. "Please, do go on."

"Okay. Target is named Arradalis -- interesting etymology on that one by the way and okay please stop glaring back on track -- she is very headstrong and craves independence. She is part of a line of nobles that basically govern the current Deeryneian home of Dwimorholt. Her parents put her through extensive schooling and training, pretty standard stuff honestly for someone in her position yet apparently she is flunking most of her lessons though due to lack of commitment or attention or something."

Heartbeat smirked. "So, she's some lazy, spoiled kid? I think we get enough of those in Canterlot."

Via shook his head vigorously. "No not at all. It seems to be less an issue of intelligence or drive and more one of resistance to authority. She is said to spend much of her free time on self-directed projects. She's actually developed her own version of several spells independently and has worked on prototypes for things such as artificial wings and concealable hoof-bows though most of her attempts at actual construction fail the ambition is still quite impressive for a child of her young age."

Heartbeat began pacing in front of him, brow furrowed in concentration. "Continue."

"Yes of course I wouldn't expect you to approve recruitment on that alone. She's demonstrated a proclivity for the kind of planning and thought processes that are invaluable for shadow operations and more to the point last week she fled Dwimorholt. Profile suggests she has grievances with Equestria and/or Alicorns out of a concern over honor or something based on historical events. She's likely planning to attack Celestia somehow."

Heartbeat froze. "Really? She's not the least interesting prospect, I'll admit, but you want to recruit some wannabe terrorist? I'm wondering why we shouldn't just report this to Captain Shining Armor and let Equestrian security handle it."

"She's just a kid and from what I know of her getting apprehended by the guard is probably one of the outcomes least likely to have a happy ending. It doesn't matter how nicely they'll handle her she is not going to cooperate with them. I haven't even mentioned all the other problems she might run into without supervision." Via gave her a pleading look. "We don't need to let her get caught up in some criminal network or spend her life caged by authorities."

Heartbeat held a hoof to her chin, making a show of thinking it over. Her grin betrayed her thoughts, however. "Fine, I'll let you give it a shot. So..." She put a wing across his shoulders and pulled him close.

"Er..." He saw a predatory grin forming on her face.

"What's the plan?"