The Chronicles of Teraquestria: Skyfire
Geneses Echo
“Almost there.” Highlight told himself then took another steady step on the thin rope stretched across the old buildings.
He breathed deeply, calmed his nerves, and relaxed his muscles, “Clear your mind, Balance is life. Front hoof left, back hoof right.”
With only the slightest of eye movements, Highlight peered through the glass-less window in front of him, then down at the jagged steel beams and broken chunks of concrete far below. To fall from this height would definitely give you free passage on the last train to Canterlot. "At least there’s no wind.”
Highlight grinned and continued forward. “No backing out of this now, Just a few more steps, and— done.”
Highlight stepped off the rope and into the soot covered room, turned and looked back at his friend Snicker across the gap who had helped him set up this little venture. For a little brown earth pony, he was a white as a sheet of paper. Although he was usually a fun loving little pony, he never really cared for adventure like Highlight. “You can let your breath out now, I made it.” Snicker was his best friend and Highlight had known him since they were colts but they were polar opposites when it came to stuff like this and frankly Highlight was amazed he actually came up here today.
Highlight leaned out the opening peering down at the broken walls below, he could feel the building shifting and swaying slightly underneath his weight; unlike ‘other’ earth ponies, Highlight never was afraid of heights, and his mother used to tease him about being part Pegasus… just without the wings. And since there were, no more Pegasi left in all of Equestria, he often wondered what it was like to fly as free as a bird. Unfortunately, for a sky blue earth pony with blond mane and tail, it felt more like a bird with its wings clipped. And in these desolate landscapes of Teraquestria, a flightless bird meant you were ‘easy prey’.
Highlight smiled, reached around, and tightened the belt around his flank. “Thankfully surviving youth taught me how to get in and out of places most ponies couldn’t.” For the longest time, other earthbound pony scavengers have been trying to get up here but the stairwells and elevator shafts had collapsed, and no one had the skills it took to walk a tight rope from the rooftop of the building next door. All of which left him with about five or six floors of un-molested stockpiles of pre-war goodness.
It was a rather tedious task to set up the fifty-foot line but a well-placed shot with an arrow and pulley along with a flick of the rope and the hook grabbed onto the ledge of the broken window frame. The real tricky part was in getting the rope taught enough to walk on. A risky move and it cost a lot of Knack, to have the crank built, but Highlight figured the payoff would worth it in the end.
The rumor was that the building once belonged to The Flim Flam Corporation, one of old Equestria’s biggest industrialists before the war but, no pony knew if this building was an office or apartments for well to do unicorns. And it was widely believed that they barricaded themselves up here in the days leading up to the holocaust, hording their spoils right up until the end. The Corporation had their hooves into just about everything back in their days but they best known for was their arms and weapons manufacturing and that’s what made this job the most attractive. Weapons were power now more than ever.
Highlight twisted his neck and pulled forth the pistol from its holster by the bit trigger. There was a huge hole in the front corner of the building where birds took roost for the night but Highlight figured they shouldn’t be a problem walking among them. But just because you didn’t expect danger does not mean that’s it’s not there and only a fool walked into a place like this un-prepared.
The weapon was an F&F earth pony designed model 6 that fired a twenty-two caliber round from a bottom-loaded spring fed magazine. When you held the weapon by the bit-trigger plate in your mouth the weapon would rest upon the side of your face and you could look down the sights. A piss poor design if you had to do something other than hold on to it but it was well balanced and accurate.
The room was about ten foot by twelve with three desks covered in ash and old burned and blackened monitors giving credit to the office building theory. The walls were much the same throughout; blackened by the smoke but relatively undamaged. The whole place looked as if the fireball that blasted across the city swept through here so fast that it really didn’t have much time to catch things on fire as it did far below. And when the stairwell collapsed and subsequent floors collapsed, it put those flames out before the fires could reach the top floors leaving only a skeletal frame to support everything. Up above. “Of course being one of the few building in the lee of blast wave must have helped it and those behind it to survive semi intact unlike most of the city proper.”
“Grey, grey, grey, I hate grey” Highlight thought to himself as he walked over and pulled open his first drawer. “Hmm,” he frowned as he found it empty then pushed it closed again. Another held the charred remains of files, pencils, pens and other remnants of standard off equipment, or few blackened pictures of long dead ponies, but nothing of value. What the magic fires didn’t consume, the subsequent years of chemical rains and long winters finished off, all of it junk inside one gigantic rusted and burned out mausoleum.
Highlight made his way through several room with just as much luck. At the end of a short hallway, he found himself at the bottom of a short circular stairwell. As he approached, the building shifted slightly and he felt a breeze flow through the open windows bringing with it the smell of moistened salt. “Better make this quick, feels like a storm front moving in.”
At the top, he discovered that the building opened up into a larger office area with about a dozen or so small desk areas separated by individual spacers. In the northwestern corner of a large section of wall where the ceiling had collapsed was the huge gap open to the sky. He was right about the birds; there were Gull Wing nests everywhere and the birds screeched and cried as they flew about at the sudden intrusion of their aviary. Highlight started to walk towards the opening but he could feel the building sag in its direction and with the floor covered in a hundred years of greasy bird droppings he decided against it. “Anything more than a feather’s weight and you’ll go sailing out into the open, quite possibly with the rest of the building right behind you.”
Along the back wall, he spied a single desk that sat in front of a single door and made his way over too it past the skeletal remains of an old machine that was nearly as large as he was. At one corner of the desk was blackened pole stuck in a large flowerpot. He thought it was a plant at first but it didn’t look like any tree he had ever seen before. This one didn’t wither or burn like a normal tree, this one looked like it was… well, melted.
“Strange,” Highlight thought but shrugged it off and rummaged through the drawers.
“Nothing.”
He slammed the drawer closed “Ahhh, worthless garbage.” This was going to be a complete bust. The building rocked again as the gust of wind grew; he knew he was running out of time. “Well, one last chance.”
Highlight walked over the door and studied it for a moment. Unlike most standard doors, this one was heavy duty and made with reinforced steel. Plus it had an elaborate locking system and security measures similar to those you found in a bank vaults.
The good news was that it was already open; whomever went through it last didn’t quite close it all the way leaving a small gap. The bad news was that it also meant that the stuff inside had been exposed and was probably just as destroyed as the rest of the building’s interior.
“Well, all or nothing.” Highlight holstered his pistol on his forehoof then grunted and pushed on the security door wider as the rusted hinges creaked and moaned under pressure. It was a battle but Highlight put his weight into it and jimmied his way into the room.
Inside was a huge elaborate office that took up nearly as much space as the front room had and in its center was a large single desk. Highlight let out a short whistle, to his unexpected fortune, this room had survived the ravages of time. There were large red curtains drawn over the windows bathing the room in an eerie red glow and with the lack of any of the wind, he suspected that these windows were still intact. Highlight wondered, had the door been closed, the room probably would have looked exactly like it had prior to that ill-fated day.
He walked over to the windows and snagged the pull rope for the curtains in his teeth allowing some light into the place. He was correct; the glass was indeed intact. He tapped a hoof on it, it reverberated almost no noise. “Really thick glass.” He sighed and took a moment to survey the cityscape form his new vantage point. From up here you could see everything.
He often wondered what it was really like back in the days where millions of ponies once thrived. “Friends, families... all just, wiped away like raindrops in the summer sun. Did they even know?” His eyes narrowed as his stray thoughts gathered in his mind. From here he could see from one side of the city clear across to the other. “Why? Why did this happen?”
“It was often said that over one hundred years ago in a cataclysmic rain of magical fire, the once proud pony city had turned into ash in the blink of an eye. Structures of steel, iron, and glass that once towered into the skies lay gutted, shattered, and silent upon the ground. Their skeletal remains twisted and distorted, stand frozen in eternal tragic agony. Its inhabitants, nothing more than fragmented memories, shadowed upon broken concrete walls. Their stories, which once filled this city with hopes and dreams, ripped from the pages of time, and cast into the oblivion of history. It was the end of the world… the end of ‘our’ world, doomsday. The day of Skyfire.
Canterlot, Filly-Delphia, Las Pegasus, Cloudsdale— gone in the blink of an eye, wiped from the face of the world in a bid for power that tore us apart. Then, our world fought back in the form of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Fires, Floods, and hard chemical rains. But the worst had yet to come as long irradiated winters dropped the black snows upon us blanketing everything in its caustic sludge. Death– was everywhere.
In the wake of Equestria’s fallout, the rule of law became obsolete; the etiquette of civilization eradicated. The Magic and Harmony that we as United Equines built, was forever shattered, as our world became survival of the fittest. And for those who struggle in these new and horrid wasted lands of death, it meant by any means necessary.
The survivors renamed the land Teraquestria and control the lands went to those sought its rule. Those individuals who acquired those communities created local governance and took the titles of Mayors. And with the Sentry guards at their sides, they ruled over their villages with iron hooves.
Outside of inhabited zones, Roamers, Slavers, Ravagers, Cold-blooded killers, and the mutated abominations ‘The Carni-Hunters’ that arose from the ashes, plagued over every corner of Teraquestria, hunting, killing, and even eating those who were not strong enough for the cruelty of what we had become. Equines, Domestics and other species that had survived the holocaust, fanned out across the lands in search of scraps of civilization but in the end, you were one of two things; you were either predator, or you were prey.”
Highlight turned away from the window and walked around the back of the desk to move the large office chair, but as he spun, the chair around he paused at the sight of the room’s sole occupant. Within the chair lie, the gooey skeletal, remains of a mummified pony folded and crumpled upon the seat.
It wasn’t death that nerved him, everypony has to deal with death all the time, couldn’t be avoided, it was more the fact that one doesn’t see the remains of the old ones too often, at least not in this good of condition. The body was that of a small stallion unicorn and it was still wearing its business suit with what looked to be a big red bow tie. “Whomever it was, sure liked red.”
Highlight closed his eyes twisted the chair to face the other way then started rummaging through the desk. “If I can’t see a body, then it’s not tomb robbing. Well, what Chardonnay doesn’t know…” Highlight quickly tossed that thought aside, he didn’t want to think about her at the moment because lately she had been giving him a lot of flak over his ‘hobbies’, and deep down inside he knew that this would be the place that could turn their lives around for the better. He loved her with all his heart but the thought of them living in this ‘Pit of Tartarus’ just hurt and to raise Johnathan in it was more than he could stand. “No, there has to be a better place, even if I have to make it myself.”
Concentrating back at his task this desk had more within it, but again, most of it was just your standard paperwork. They looked to be mostly reports about some tonic water sales or something. Well paper may not be worth much but any kind of reading material was valued anymore, even worthless things like this. And when they’re done reading them, they can be useful in other ways. “And while it may not be interesting, I know Johnathan could use some more reading practice.”
He quickly rolled a few sheets inside one of his small saddlebags and opened the center drawer. Inside was an old picture frame and highlight pulled it out dumping nearly a half-inch of dust off it. It was an old picture of two young off white stallion unicorns with stripy red and white manes and one wrinkly old green earth pony mare and one not so bad looking blond, orange earth pony mare with a hat.
“Probable some family photo but it might be worth a few Knacks.” He set it to the side and started digging again “Besides, I prefer Unicorns.”
In the years following Skyfire, ponies started searching out for all those little knick-knack trinkets that reminded them of their past then as traders and merchants noticed this, they shortened the phrase to just ‘Knack’ and eventually the term came to describe anything of value. Of course, some things were more valuable than others were but then, it all depends on who’s doing the buying. It had taken him many years of trial and mostly error but Highlight figured that he had the knack for finding ‘Knack’.
Frustrated Highlight pulled open the center drawer and let it fall to the floor spilling its contents onto the floor. He pawed through the rubbish and smiled. A key.
“Alright, now were getting somewhere.” Keys meant that something was ‘locked up’, and something ‘locked up’, meant it was valuable.
“You know,” Highlight, said looking over at the back of the chair where the corpse lay, “My father once told me that ‘locks’ were only meant for honest ponies. Not that I’m dishonest, I would never steel from someone alive, but in cases like these, some ‘treasures’ need to be… rediscovered, from their vaults. Think of it as your generous contribution to the wellbeing of those in need. And right now, my family is in need of some wellbeing.”
“Now where would that vault be,” he pondered, and then walked over to one of the pictures that hung from the walls and examined it. It was a large picture, painted from the perspective of some pony on a rooftop over what looked like old Manehatten, but it was about some big event or celebration. In the distance, you could see a stage and in its center was an object that he guessed was about five or six foot tall with an oval centerpiece and all kinds of things hanging from it, but what exactly it was, was any ponies guess. In the background there were several others just like it, only these were not lit or decorated but all the ponies in the picture seemed to be excited for whatever it was about to do. There were six ponies standing in front of the object facing it, but because they were so far away, there were no real details on them. However, they were painted the colors of Blue, Yellow, Pink, White, Purple, and Orange. The Orange pony might have a hat on but Highlight couldn’t tell. “Wonder if it’s the same one in that other picture?”
Highlight shrugged and lifted it off its hanger “Bingo.” There was a safe behind it. “So obvious.” It was about a medium size vault with a levered latch and looked well preserved. Good thing I found the key or else the only way into it was in using high explosives and I doubt the building would ‘stand’ for that,” he smirked and then inserted the key into place. “You know, whomever thought of putting ‘Safes’ behind pictures didn’t really think things through,” he said continuing his conversation with the mummy pony. “This was the first place that most ponies would have looked, and for ponies such as I, your Safes aren’t all that… safe.” He chuckled as he worked the key. He put a hoof on the latch, then Highlights eyes wide as the door swung open reveling its contents within.
Inside were more papers.
“Confound these old ponies.”
Frustrated, He sat on his haunches started pulling everything out of the vault and dumping it on the floor.
“Ahhh. Useless!”
He paused a moment when he pulled forth a large well bound leather folder and studied the front cover. It had an ornately carved symbol on it but not one he recognized. “Well… more reading material. I might at least get a little something for the cover.” He got up and walked over to the desk, placed the folder down and opened it.
“By the Forth Princess!”
Highlight couldn’t believe his eyes, it was the mother of all Jackpots combined with the fortunes of the royal sisters in one neat little package “I knew it! I knew it I knew it!” he shouted over and over skipping around the room but had to pause his little dance of joy as the building started to quiver and sway with the extra movement. A moment later the building stopped shaking and highlight stepped over and carefully repackaged the folder when suddenly and rather violently the building shook once again and gunfire echoed through the doorway, “Snicker!”
Highlight placed the leather bound folder into his saddlebag then upholstered his pistol Snicker wasn’t much for guns but he would fire a single round should there be any trouble. “Well, guess he found some.” As Highlight stepped into the doorway, another big thump rocked the building. Now he could hear the Gull Wings as they cried and screeched even louder than before. “Black skies, what is going on out there?” The building shook so hard that Highlight lost his balance for a second and put a hoof on the doorframe to keep from falling over.
And then he saw it as the claw that gripped the edge of the opening and its long sharp talons sunk into the softened walls. Then as one of the Gull Wings flew in too close in its complaint to the intruder that hung there, Highlight watched as the enormous creature snapped its huge beak around the bird cutting it clean in two.
“A Schreaker! But How? They don’t normally come into inhabited territories. It must have heard the Gulls cries carried on the winds and came here looking for a meal.”
A Schreaker he surmised, were once the Gryphons of old Equestria but because of mutated effects of Skyfire they had changed as well, reverting them back to a more ‘primal level’. Next to dragons, they were one of the top Carni-hunters in all of Teraquestria. This one was huge, with a wingspan that toped a good ten or twelve feet wide and a body that was ripping with muscles, he was nearly three times the size of Highlight. It had a head of curly black feathers while its body was covered in a striped black brown and grey fur coat. Around its neck was the only non-colored area with a thin ring of white feathers that continued down his breast, making him look like he was wearing a white scarf.
“I hope Snicker’s okay. I highly doubt this Schreaker would be satisfied with just one of us. I have to get back to the rope; this trip is over. And I’m not going to get a better opportunity while it’s distracted by the birds.”
The building rocked back and forth with the weight and movements of the Schreaker attached to the wall outside and it was everything Highlight had to keep both his balance and an eye on the Schreaker The building swayed so much that even the desks and other objects started moving and sliding around in the bird grease. Highlight slowly made his way to the stairwell trying not to draw attention to his self. Although he had his pistol in his teeth, the caliber was entirely too small for any real defense against this monster. No, he had to get clean away and if he could just make to the bottom of the stairs…
As the Schreaker shifted it weight, it pulled itself into the room. All the birds had flown off but had left it many eggs in the nests to feed on… and one nice plump juicy pony.
At the edge of the stairwell, Highlight stood rock still; it hadn’t noticed him yet. Schreaker’s had amazing eyesight but only if you moved. He watched as Schreaker bound from nest to nest gobbling up every egg and chick it found, the building swaying with each leap and landing and Highlight could hear bits and pieces of building falling from the floors below. “This place won’t take much more of this.”
Beads of sweat began to fall from Highlight mane, he closed his eyes, and breathed deeply “Balance is life” he kept telling himself while trying to roll with the swaying. The Schreaker kept getting closer and he knew he would have to make a break for it soon; Timing was everything.
As the Schreaker moved around, the building shifted hard with the loud clang as metal structure beams began to bend and break, one of the office false walls fell over, and Highlight had to roll out of the way to keep from being pinned underneath. “Times up.”
An eternity stretched out between the moments as the Schreaker saw his next meal and lunged for the pony, talons ripping into tops of desks as they slid on the slimy surface of the floor making the Schreaker fall short of its intended victim. Highlight reacted quickly as honed acrobatic reflexes kicked in and he stood on his hind legs at the last second and the only thing the Schreaker’s beak skewered was floorboards. “Opportunity,” Highlight didn’t waste any time in his second move leveling the pistol directly into the right eye of the Schreaker and bit down on the trigger.
Highlight got two rounds off into the creature but they were not killing shots like those that he had hoped for but he did successfully blind it on one side… and made it very angry.
As Highlight fell forward back onto all fours, he shifted his weight allowing him a step in to a downward power kick with his left forehoof into what was left of the eye socket. But as he leaned into it, the building rocked violently and Highlight, sliding on the sodden floor, missed.
The Schreaker however now had one set of talons firmly gripping onto the floor now and in a half-blinded rage, the Schreaker swept out with its other talon and back pawed Highlight catching him in the ribs causing him to lose both his breath and pistol, sending him skidding across the floor into a cubical.
The Schreaker squawked in pain but turned his head and found its quarry and digging its talons into the floor it, spread its wings and leapt. Highlight still catching his breath, managed to roll out from another strike of its powerful beak. With the floor not as greasy in this corner, Highlight managed to get on all fours but if he couldn’t get out of the cubical, he was done for.
Highlight turned and jumped onto the desk and started to go over the false wall when the building shuttered and pieces of the ceiling and walls crumbled in knocking him down once again within reach of the Schreaker then the building started to slump on one side away from the stairwell.
Highlight lay on the floor under the Schreaker who had all four talons buried into the floor managed to put a hoof onto another wall and the building leaned heavily to one side “Black skies, if this thing doesn’t kill me, this building surely will.”
The Schreaker saw his opportunity of the helpless pony under him, opened its beak and let out a triumphant squawk. But as the building slowly crumpled to one side, free moving office furnishing hit the Schreaker on its blinded side ripping it free of its moorings and sent it falling out the hole in the wall. Then as the building continued to lean, the false wall that Highlight had his hoof on began to slide, and with nothing to grab onto, belly slid his way face first for the big hole in the wall. “Whoaahhhhhhh shhhaaahhhhh!”
More parts of the building underneath started to collapse allowing the teeter tauter weight to shift in the opposite direction reversing the lean of the falling top structure ramping the hole just as Highlight rocketed gut slid off the end and fell.
Highlight plummeted free fall off the high rise at a high rate of speed “This was it. End of the line,” he thought… then he saw something under him, big, black, and flying upwards at him. Then, Highlight had an idea, “A slim chance is better than no chance at all.”
His reflexes kicked in and although there was nothing to push on, he was able to twist his body in a slightly different angle to the oncoming Schreaker and as they collided in midair and Highlight landed on the Schreaker back instead of it awaiting talons and grappled it with all four hooves as best he could.
The confused Schreaker with the now mounted pony on its backside, screaked, twisted its self around, and dove for the ground but Highlight sank his teeth into the feathers of the white ring on its neck and held on.
The wind howled and lightning started to flash as Schreaker ducked, rolled, and darted in around the building and debris trying to shake its rider but with every move the Schreaker made Highlight shifted his weight enough to keep it off balance. But the real question Highlight knew was ‘who was going to wear out first? If he couldn’t figure out a way to get away from this thing, he knew he was a dead pony and Chardonnay would never forgive him for that. “No, I can’t die yet”
The Schreaker started to head for the ground but without immediate cover he was just as dead so Highlight yanked back on the feathered neck of the beast and caused it to climb higher into the air. The Schreaker circled around the buildings and for the first time Highlight could see just how bad the one building was. The outer structures had completely fallen so now the whole thing was teetering on the verge of one stilt center support like a ball on the head of a pin. The only thing that was keeping it up had to be the rope they used but he knew that, that wouldn’t stop it if it decided to fall.
Going back there would be impossible so Highlight tried to maneuver the brute back to the building where Snicker should be. From there into the building where they could hole up until the Schreaker lost interest, and then make an escape through the lower levels.
But suddenly the Schreaker stopped in mid-flight and hovered for a second and Highlight confused, by this abrupt change of plans didn’t react fast enough as one of the fore-talons reached up and grabbed him by his right forehoof sinking those dagger like claws deep into his flesh.
Highlight screamed in agony letting go of his grip and allowing the Schreaker the time it needed to yank Highlight off his back and flipped him in the air sending the body of the helpless pony crashing down onto the roof of the building.
Highlight, fearing that he was finally at the end of his rope, couldn’t move.
“Get up, damn it!”
He screamed at himself inside, he hurt, his hoof bled, his breath short, ribs broken.
“You have to get up.”
Highlight turned his head, the Schreaker just stood there hovering about twenty foot above him talons extended for the kill. “What in Teraquestria was it waiting for?”
Highlight let out a small laugh “Probably not often does its prey fight back. I hurt it and then had it bring me back here; the ultimate insult to injury. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that it was enjoying the moment.”
As the rain, started pouring down Highlight gathered what strength he had left and climbed onto all four hooves “Well then, I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of killing a broken old pony who just gave in.” At that moment, Highlight realized where he was. They were not on the roof where Snicker was hiding but on the F&F building. He could feel the precarious and perilous way the building was shifting. There was no place to run, no place to hide except for maybe…
He glared up at the one eyed Schreaker mentally daring him to attack, then, closed his eyes and breathed in as best he could “Balance is life.” Highlight, opened his eyes, “Times up.”
Lightning flashed across the sky signaling for the chase to begin. As the Schreaker dove for its victim, Highlight turned, ran, and slid at the edge of the wall. As he fell from the building, he snagged a broken steel cable that hung halfway off the building in his teeth, then swung his body down and back inside the office aviary. The building started to lean.
The Schreaker missed by inches, flew out, and circled around and straight into the opening once again but Highlight was waiting for him with the melted tree in mouth. It was shear agony but Highlight spun around the heavy potted end wielding it like a mace and breaking the ceramic pot into the left side of the Schreaker’s head. The building swayed.
Highlight dropped the club, turned, and without looking back ran for the stairwell. The Schreaker followed as the pony leapt down the flight of stairs. Just as Highlight thought, The Schreaker was too big for the hallway but he was also too far, too pissed off, not to follow. The ball was rolling.
The building trembled violently as the Schreaker forced its way into the narrow halls, Highlight could see the open window and the vast amount of tension of the ropes as they started to snap. Highlight ignored everything, the pain, the monster, the building. Everything but…
“Mother always compared me to a Pegasus, just without the wings. I sure wish I had those wings right now.”
….
“Highlight!” Snicker screamed in horror as he watched the building fall from the sky. When it hit the ground in a colossal roar, his own building shook so violently that Snicker though that his was going to fall as well.
After the building settled, Snicker raced for the edge of the building in hopes that he could find Highlight but even the rain could not stop the cloud of dust and debris that filled the air and he could see nothing. The horror of everything soaking into his memory as it played its self over and over again, Snicker bit into one of his hooves.
“What am I supposed to do? And what do I tell Chardonnay? Oh my stars, If I have to go back and tell Chardonnay that Highlights dead, she’s gunna kill me!”
Tears welled up in his eyes as he paced back and forth, no good, the friend he had known since they were colts, was gone, buried under the pile of rubble. Snicker turned and headed for the stairwell.
“Clop, clop, clop.”
Puzzled at the odd sound Snicker paused but brushed it off as settling debris. As he reached the doorway, he heard it again.
“Clop, clop, clop.”
“No, that’s too regular.” And with that, Snicker turned and ran back to the edge with a sliver of hope in his heart. The dust cloud still lingered, but the rain had finally started making progress allowing for a better view. Snicker scanned the devastation below but his hope started to crumble again when he caught a movement from the rope around the crank. When the building fell, it nearly ripped it from all but one bolt in the rooftop. The clopping sound came again and Snicker, gulped away his fear of heights and leaned way out. And there dangling just beneath the crown molding, was Highlight, quite literally hanging on the end of his preverbal rope.
Snicker was both relieved and elated. “Woo! You are one lucky pony, hang on, I’ll get you up.”
With the crank damaged, Snicker couldn’t haul him up, but he was able to lower him down to a ledge a few stories below and Highlight was able to crawl through a window.
“Highlight,” Snicker called as he bound down the stairs and onto the floor where he thought his friend was.
“In here,” Highlight shouted as he heard him coming.
Snicker about skidded past the doorway into the old apartment but found his friend laying on the floor in the bedroom. By the looks of him, Snicker was amazed that he was still alive. “Oh my, Highlight, I… I tried to warn you about the Schreaker as soon as I saw it. I never expected it to go inside. Here let me help you up. You think you can walk?”
“It’s okay Snicker. You did good. I’m just glad it didn’t come after you when you fired off that round.” Highlight breathed with shortened breaths, but shakenly, climbed back onto all fours “Ya, I think so. But help me get this pack off first.”
Once the straps were all undone, Highlight could breathe a little easier and then a smile crossed his face and he let out a little laugh. “I did it Snicker, all these years have finally paid off.”
Puzzled, Snicker set the bag on the floor.
“In that bag… is the answer to all our dreams. Go ahead; open it.” Highlight added as his eyes drooped.
Snicker popped the latch and looked inside at the leather bound folder but hesitated in opening it up. A worried look crossed his face, “I… I don’t know Highlight, this may be one of those things where ‘The less I know’, would be better. If the Mayor or Ash finds out about it, they may…” Snicker looked over at Highlight and paused in mid-sentence as he watch his friend fall to the ground as the exhaustion consumed him and passed out.
“Don’t worry, I got you from here.”
….
Highlight; opened his eyes. Then, the stench filled his nostrils. “What in Teraquestria is that?” Highlight looked around; he was in a room, but not the last room he remembered. He was also on a bed with a blanket over him, he didn’t remember that either. The room was small but clean, with a couple of oil lamps lit for light, one on a small table next to him, the other next to the door. His breathing was easy but lightly constricted, he check his body. His hoof and torso had been bandaged and Highlight figured that Snicker must have gotten him back to the village while he was out cold.
Then the door opened and in walked another pony. An Earth Pony stallion about the same size as Highlight with an all grey coat, and a white and grey stripped mane and tail and Highlight immediately recognized him as Sharlitin the village healer “Great,” Highlight thought, his lack of enthusiasm showing. It’s not that Highlight hated the pony, or thought he didn’t have any medical skill; it was in the fact that he always just wanted to ‘cure’ ponies by removing parts of their anatomy, even when it wasn’t necessary. But he was the only ‘healer’ around and he makes enough Knack off the Mayor to stick around.
The horrible stench erupted into the room and the healer pony brought forth a steaming bowl of liquid in his mouth and linens balanced on his back. Highlight sat up and covered his nose, “What is that?”
The healer walked over and set the concoction down on the table. “Ah, I see you’re awake. This is bowl of my mother famous vegetable broth, it’ll help you mend.”
Highlight looked at the brown goo in front of him and he could see that it was filled with a variety of twigs grasses and roots of all kinds and not a single one of them a ‘vegetable’. And it smelled like a den skunks that that died and have been sitting in a flooded drainage ditch for a month, “Pass.”
“Suit yourself, but if that hoof starts to fall off on its own, you know where to find me. At least let me change the dressings.”
Highlight held out his forehoof, “How long was I out?”
The healer got to work in removing the old bandages, “About several hours now, its dark out now, your friend carried you here on his own.”
“Ya, he’s a good friend.” Highlight looked at down at his swollen forehoof, there were stiches over three deep gashes where the Schreaker had grabbed him and tossed him like a rag pony to the top of the building.
The healer then produced a small bottle of liquid, popped the cork on it, and poured it over the wounds; it burned like fire.
“Ahhh. Yaaa! Highlight reacted and pulled his hoof away “Dark skies, what is that stuff? And why does it smell… minty?”
“Not sure, another one of my mother’s things, she used to use this on cuts all the time. I think back in the days before Skyfire, ponies used to either drink this or at least wash their mouths out with this stuff. Actually this isn’t that bad either way,” he added and took a swig of the concoction.
The healer sat the bottle down and finished in his wrappings, “Well, the other good news is that your ribs were not broken but a couple of them were dislocated, you should count yourself as one lucky pony, not many survive a Schreaker attack. Fact is; I think you are the first one that I can recall.”
“Thanks, but I don’t really believe in luck.”
The healer looked at him, “Anyway, I’m done, and you have several visitors outside. Shall I tell them you’re up and send them in?”
“Ya, sure.”
As the Healer walked out, Snicker walked in and Highlight was grateful to see his friend. “Thanks Snicker, for hanging around up there.”
“I thought you’re ticket to Canterlot was punched for sure Highlight. How are you feeling?”
“Better, and I thought so too. But, I guess I snuck off that train when the conductor wasn’t looking.”
“I’ll say, and another thing, when you were falling, why did the Schreaker catch you? I would think it would have been easier to pick you carcass off the ground.
“Oh, that’s easy; Schreaker’s are predators, not scavengers. They prefer to make the kills themselves or eat their prey alive and screaming.”
“I still say you are one lucky pony.”
“And how many times to I have to keep telling ponies, I don’t believe in luck. It’s all about keeping your wits and thinking fast. That’s all it is. Well, enough about that, what’s done is done. More importantly, how’s Char, I figured that once she found out about all of this that she would have been there in ten seconds flat.”
“She was. Both she and Johnathan have been here by your side all afternoon, but as it got dark, the healer and I convinced her that you didn’t have your hooves in the grave as of yet and that I would come by and tell her if there were any changes.”
“Good, good. She had a dream several nights ago and told me that she had really strong and bad feelings about this whole operation, as if death itself had its hooves deep into that place. She had been worried for days that this whole thing would end in tragedy.
But, I’m up, and that Schreaker’s dead and with it we can lay her worried mind to rest. It’ll be the best news you can give her when I walk through that door. Now, what about the other thing?”
“Don’t worry Highlight, I brought your packs here, but I took the liberty to hide that folder for you. We can grab it on the way home tonight.”
“Did you look inside?”
“No, and quite frankly, I don’t want to know what’s inside, but I would like to ask one thing. What CHS?”
“I don’t know, why?”
“Just curious, it was on the cover,”
“Guess I was more worried about what was inside, I didn’t really take a look at it.” Highlight slid out of bed and onto three hooves. He set the wounded hoof down and put weight on it. It hurt a bit; he could feel the threads move but felt overall that he could walk. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Highlight!” A voice boomed from outside the healers hut. Highlight parted the curtain of the doorway and glared at the coral brown earth pony that pushed himself through a crowd of other ponies before him, “great.”
Ash Elmsbark was the villages head Sentry and the Mayors personal flunky but at four foot nine, and ripping with muscles, it didn’t take much to intimidate other ponies. And if that wasn’t enough, he carried his much beloved pounding stick wherever he went. While other sentries carried a variety of firearms, Ash used a thirty-inch long, weighted baton holstered to his left shoulder within easy reach for those who ‘stepped out of line.’
“Mayor Hackberry wants a word with you.”
“You can tell him I’m kinda busy.”
“You owe him a building.”
“He can take it out of my allowance,” Highlight said and started to walk past the brute but Ash stepped in front of him, blocking his escape. Highlight stopped and took a step back and furrowed his brow as the anger welled in him “Look the whole damn thing was a bust; the place was an office building.” Highlight reached around and grabbed his lightened pack then tossed it on the ground before the brute allowing all the papers to spill out. “The only thing I managed to salvage was this, so if the mayors interested in the costs of orange juice from a hundred years ago, he can have every last one of them. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m done having fun for one day.” And with that, Highlight turned and walked away. He didn’t care, that’s all they were interested in, and if they wanted more, they knew where to start digging.
….
“And so, the Princess of Twilight used her Alicorn magic to bring harmony back to the lands with the power of the Light of Celestia during the days and the Light of Luna in the nights.”
“But father, why does the light of Luna fade form night to night?”
“You know, I asked my father the same question when I was your age,” Highlight said smiling and looking down at his son, the little green earth colt snuggled up under the blankets.
Johnathan yawned, “And what did he say?”
Highlight leaned in, moved a lock of his fiery red mane. “He said,” barely above a whisper, “that balance is life. The Light of Celestia shines upon us reminding us of the good that is in this world, but there cannot be light without darkness. The Night Mare hides in those shadows, waiting for us in our darkest hours, but as long as there is a spark of hope within our hearts, the Light of Luna shall always guide and remind us that the night shall never last forever.”
Highlight leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. “Good night son.” Highlight stood and tucked the little colt into bed, stood and turned. In the doorway stood the most beautiful Unicorn mare, he had ever seen; her off white coat and her long curly forest green mane and tail absolutely glowed in the candles light. Oh how he loved her.
Chardonnay stood there as he got up, walked over to her, and kissed her softly. The closed the door to Johnathan’s room and walked into their own bedroom. She put her head underneath his and leaned into him, the tears welling up in her eyes again for the umpteenth time that afternoon. “Oh Highlight, I thought I had lost you today, I knew something was going to go wrong today, I just knew it.”
“Shhh. It’s okay Char, I’m alright. You were right. Something bad did happen. But it’s over now and everything is back to normal.”
Highlight smiled and pulled away from her, walking over to the table where he laid the leather bound folder “Fear not my sweet, for the worst of our troubles will soon be over, because in here is, out ticket out of this place.”
Chardonnay looked at him with a puzzled expression as he tossed the folder down in front of her. She reached out with her thoughts, and activated her magic. Her Unicorn horn started to glow and its light slowly started to snake downwards for the floor, then wiggled it way over to the folder wrapping its self around it until it had a firm grasp of it then bent its light upwards and lifted the folder in front of her. Then a second tendril forked off the first undoing the clasp, reached in and pulled forth the object from its slumber.
Chardonnay couldn’t believe her eyes holding on to the large shiny red object and Highlight stood there with a grin a mile wide across his face.
“Highlight,” she gasped, “do you know what this is?”
“I sure wouldn’t be this happy if I didn’t. Yes my dear, you are looking at, probably ‘thee’ last Fire Ruby in all of Teraquestria. And as soon as I can work out the details with Skimmer, we can leave this place forever. Heck, there’s probably enough Knack in that to start our own Village where ever we want.”
“You do know that Mayor Hackberry’s not going to just let us walk out of here.”
“I know, and I figure that after all this stuff calms down I’ll go work a deal with Skimmer. He owes me a few ‘favors’ after I did some work for him a few years ago. Well play it like he’s needs us to go on one of his long haul trade routes like we’ve done before.”
“Yes, but, whenever you’ve done that, Johnathan and I have never gone with you. How do you plan on sneaking us out?”
“Skimmer sometimes goes on real long expeditions and allows other family to go with him and if Hackberry gets insistent that we stay… well we’ll just have to convince him otherwise.”
“Well, what about Snicker, all of our other friends?”
Highlight slowly walked over to her and put a reassuring hoof around her shoulder and kissed her softly on her neck “I know you’re worried but they’ll be alright, we’ve talked about this for years and this is our only opportunity.”
Chardonnay was quiet; she wanted to be excited but found the whole thing overwhelming and quickly placed the Ruby back in the folder. Something gnawed at her but couldn’t put a hoof on it. She ignored it and brushed it aside, for now it was unimportant. She sat the folder down and embraced him. She was just happy that he was alive, that’s all that mattered to her. She loved him more than anything, If he was happy, so was she. She kissed him on the lips then reached out with her mind once again and pushed him onto the bed.
“Easy there,” Highlight said smiling, “healer said not to over exert myself.”
Chardonnay rested herself across his body and kissed him again “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.”
Highlight beamed back at her and brushed away a lock of her mane.
“Now what are you smiling about?” She giggled.
“Oh nothing, just trying to picture you with a hat.”
….
Blackened shadows danced as Luna’s light glistened off the ash and dust that had turned to mud in the afternoon downpour as brick and steel clattered in the detritus that was once the last of the skyscrapers of the old world. But, within its depths, its heartbeat stirred and gathered strength. The power of earth could not, would not contain it. It’s will to be free was stronger than ever, it could feel the wind as it calling for it. It stirred and broke free of its bonds, its long talloned claw reaching for the sky. Then in vibrating waves, it unleashed its fury, sending its bonds flying. The one eyed Schreaker was free.
He stood there for a moment and gazed upon Luna’s light, then down at his talon, and the remnants of the pony that was within his grasp. He took a long hard sniff of the blood, licked his talon clean, then with a mighty thrust, returned to the skies once more.
