Guardians

     After meeting Violet, Kizuana hated her job. She'd never expected a filly like that to be part of her charge. Usually, the Temporal Task Force left the potentially emotional missions to the denizens of the planet. Once in a while, though, they were hit with something unplanned.

     She shook her head, dismissing her resent. "Arosa, fire up the engines. We're not done yet."

    Her feathered companion looked up innocently, forgetting their next destination. "Where to, ma'am?"

     "The edge of the Everfree. One of them is having a panic attack. Due to lack of sleep, probably." She smiled briefly, admiring Arosa's ability to remain positive. He was, as the saying went, a "live-and-let-live" kind of person. He really wasn't cut out for this kind of work, but he did his best.

     He stretched his nimble claws and typed in the coordinates. The clacking of the touchscreen made Kizuana flinch, but by now she was accustomed to it. The great blob of fluctuating metal around them stopped, then pulled its edges into a streamlined shape. The Divide shot out of Violet's prophetic dreamscape and back into the Void.

✴

     I quietly gathered my school equipment, letting the other students leave first. It was the end of the day, and I doubted today would be any different than every other. Still, I had a job to do at home. It might help me take my mind off things.

    I was about to leave when the teacher, Ms. Page, stopped me. "Melody, I'm sorry, but I would like to have a word with you. In my office, please." The sand colored mare directed me to a door next to the blackboard, thoroughly derailing my plans for the afternoon. If I had any, that is.

     The office was about half the size of the classroom itself, with brick walls and hardwood floor that made me seriously question cloud architecture's limits. There was mirror next to what looked like a supply closet, and three walls were lined with tall, metal bookcases. There were several photos near her desk, most of which were slightly altered for color and light. For example, her mane in the college graduation photo was a slightly more eye-catching auburn than her actual chestnut. A worn green rug had been laid under the desk.

     The older pegasus rifled through a stack of paper, finally pulling out a very familiar paper. "As you can see, I have here your flight project. Thank you for turning it in so early, but... Well, the maneuvers are a little, um, risky. Maybe you should hand this in later?"

     I frowned. I knew it was a tricky set, but I'd spent the entire night working on it. Besides, I wanted my performance grade early so it would have less of a bias. If I really got in trouble, I could just teleport out. There would be a lot of explanations, but I just wanted this to be over with. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm sure I'll be fine."

     She smiled uneasily. "I know you're a good flyer, Melody, but I don't think it's your forte. After all, you're still searching."

     She waved a hoof at my flank, which was still without a mark.

     I shifted myself so my sides were hidden. Most ponies, especially those with Gifts, already had their cutie marks. Nobody picked on me yet; that was a thing of the past. But it was coming soon. And, as bad as that was, I might lose control of my magic if I tried to retaliate.

     The teacher put her hoof back down, frowning. "I'm sorry, but it would much safer if you revised your project. I know you tried, but effort isn't always enough. Time must be taken into consideration. I'm not going to let one of my students crash for one of my assignments. Polish the edges tonight, and maybe I will grade it tomorrow."

     I took a deep breath, then took the paper. I chewed my lip to keep myself from getting angry. I knew she was just being careful, but now I had to go back through and analyze the entire thing!

     She escorted me back to the hall. At that point, I was just about ready to kick something. She was treating me like a little kid!

     Then I caught my reflection in a window. My red and pink mane had been curled this morning, and I still didn't know how to care for my wings properly. They were silky and long, but nopony could fly well on them. I had the look of a filly throwing a temper tantrum.

     Worst of all was the fact I didn't have a cutie mark, while everypony else had discovered themselves years ago. Maybe I was a little kid.

     I scowled at the reflection, earning a strange look from Ms. Page. She smiled knowingly. "Melody, I understand. I was blank for three years after my younger siblings. But look at me now! I'm a flight instructor with a perfectly happy, normal life. In fact, I honestly think not having a mark so long. I was able to try a lot of things, while everypony else was, how to say this, stuck. Why, I bet you'll get a Gift from the Great Tree, too, if you haven't already!"

     That cheered me up a little. I wasn't about to tell her the accuracy of that statement.

     She nodded. "You see? It's perfectly normal."

     I smiled as she ducked back into her office for her saddlebags. Still, something about that just seemed wrong. Then it hit me. What if I didn't have a talent? What if I never got my cutie mark?

     What if I was just normal?

✴

     Eris stretched across the old couch, nestling into the pillows. Today was her day off from patrolling the Border of Everfree, and she wasn't going to let anypony wake her up.

     She was just about to fall asleep when the roar of machinery knocked her back to the Land of the Living. The half-breed swore under her breath, then rose to find out who in Equestria dared to wake a draconequus.

     She stalked through her house first, since the sound was close. She checked the kitchen and lounge, deciding to leave the closets be, and proceeded upstairs to her sisters' rooms. Carol didn't like loud noises, and Mayday... Well, her door was locked. But Eris knew the sound was coming from in there.

     She pondered for a second, trying to find a polite way to bust down the door. Then she remembered she could just snap herself through.

     There was a brief moment of weightlessness, and then she was in Mayday's room. Oddly enough, there wasn't any technology in here that could be making the noise. Stranger still was the perfectly blank expression on her sister's face.

     She frowned. "Hey. So, um, you know what that sound is? It's really messing with my sleep schedule." The golden alicorn in front of her shook her head passively, bent over a desk.

     Eris knew there was something wrong. She also knew it was easier to eavesdrop. Decency? Nah. It was way too early to be acceptable.

     She snapped through again, then dropped on all fours and pressed her ear to the door. It took a few moments for Mayday to register her absence.

     "There!" The defensive girl shouted. "I'm alone. Now what, you... Um..."

     Then another voice, one she'd never heard before, piped up. "'Friends' would be acceptable. We're just trying to help. Now please tell us: Have there been any strange dreams lately, ones you couldn't leave?" It sounded like a colt, but had a strange trill to his voice.

     Another voice. "Dear, this is important. We just need you to cooperate." This one was a mare, with a much silkier voice than anypony Eris had ever met. She was starting to get very worried.

     Her sister sighed. "I'm fine! I don't need your help! Whatever you're looking for, I don't have it. You... Gah! What are you, anyway?"

     "Friends, dear," the mare said.

     "No, you're freaks! You're beasts!" Mayday sobbed. Then in a smaller voice, one she only just recognized, "just like me."

     There was a fit of crying. Eris was just about to snap herself in when she realized something. Mayday and herself were almost complete opposite sides of their father, Discord, and it would just hurt her more. Neither of them had normal thought processes; She automatically directed herself to mischief and manipulation without thought, while her sister defaulted to the most nightmarish, self-destructive version of the truth without a defense mechanism.

     If she thought of herself like that... Eris could be the other side, one that looked evil but was good on the inside. She shook her head at how innacurate that was, but knew her sister could trick herself into things like that. She dejectedly lay down again and listened.

     Now the strange voices were trying to console her, but they weren't helping much. Eris had to back away in order to stop from charging in and making things worse.

     The mare spoke first. "Dear, you aren't a 'freak'. I'm not sure if we can say the same, but... Well, whatever is going on to bring us here, it's not your fault. We just need help. I know this is difficult, but please trust us."

      Then the colt worked up the courage to talk. "Let's try and make sense of this. What me and my boss know is that you have Gifts. You know, unnatural powers given by the Great Tree of Foresight. We're not sure what yours are, but it might have something to do with..." He paused, considering his next choice of words. "... There are voices, right? Extras in your head?"

     That was the last straw. First these things were interrupting her sleep schedule, then they isolated Mayday. Next they wouldn't leave her alone, and were making some seriously dangerous thoughts pop up. Thoughts that couldn't be controlled.

     Now they were asking about the Voices, and Eris would not let that go uncorrected.

     She didn't even bother snapping. She blasted the door open, half-barrel rolling into the room. She felt herself collide with the mysterious intruders, forcing them to the ground. There was a sickening pop sound, a sharp pain in her abdomen, and then it was over.

     The draconequus rose to her feet, surveying the damage. Sawdust floated through the air. The remains of the door hung pathetically on broken hinges. Her sister was barely visible, pressing herself into a corner. Most of the furniture was intact, the exception being an old wooden chair that had clearly contributed to the clogged air.

      Then she saw the intruders. They definitely weren't ponies.

      Arosa barely had time to stand before the horrible pain of a broken wing kicked in. Usually his cranial implants were able to divert it long enough, but not this time. He bit his lip to stop himself from screaming, but was left silent when he saw the twisted angle. It wasn't as bad as it could be; the only real damage was a bone fracture. Still, he wouldn't be flying until it was properly healed. Kizuana, though, was a whole other story.

     His mentor writhed on the floor, snakelike tail twisting uselessly. She'd fell on her back, popping a vertebrae in the process. Gomungans like herself didn't actually need all 253 in their skeletons, but certain ones (including the one that had come off-track) were vital for bodily control. This was, of course, forgetting about enormous shock wave of liquid pain the break had triggered.

     For a second, Eris couldn't do anything but gawk. Okay. Definitely not ponies, she thought. She completely forgot about the cut in her torso. Here were two creatures she'd never met before. They didn't even fit into any Equestrian biological orders. And they were in her house.

     She tried to speak, but couldn't think of anything. Instead, she let Mayday talk. "Who are you, and why are you here?"

     Yup. That summed it up pretty well. It could probably go without the growl, though. She made a mental note to teach her sister some social skills.