When I was thirteen… I earned my cutie mark. It was raining, the moon’s loving light shined through the hole in my roof, the smell of cider woke me from the void and the headmaster was standing at the edge of the bed the whip grasped in his magical aura.
“Demons don’t sleep” he slurred as I was ripped out of my bed and thrown into a mirror, shards of the mirror barely missed me but the cold air stung at the gash under my right eye as he trotted closer whip prepared to strike but before it did the world began to stop, the darkness faded and everything the moonlight touched became brighter. I could see that a cross beam was on the verge of falling and for my first flight I crashed into the rotten wood, the force was just enough for the wood to fall onto the headmaster’s spine resulting in a sickening CRACK!! and as I landed… I used the last ounce of strength to snap his horn off.
The world returned to its normal speed as he let out a guttural shriek, I used my wings to grasp his horn and touch it to his throat all he did was look at me, his emerald eyes glared at me waiting to show my true self . “Do it!” he gargled, I simply stared him, hellfire burned through my veins and every memory flashed into my head but I simply looked past them calculating each choice and each possible outcome. When I finally decided I threw the horn into the chamber pot and began to walk towards the damaged roof, as I prepared my wings a bright flash emanated around the room… I looked at the headmaster (who still seemed to be awake) and his mouth was agape his eyes full of fear and disgust.
“Do you see Paradise yet?” I snorted.
He didn’t answer but stuttered “C-c-cc-cu ma-ma-mar”
I looked at my right flank and saw an orange serpentine eye with three black tentacles on each side of it, I looked back at him and chuckled “Let me guess, demons don’t have cutie marks?” And with those final words I flew off.
Ten years pass
I look at the reflection of the glasses that have become a part of me… two cobalt rings are surrounded by a sea of blackness and look back at me 'MONSTER!! FREAK!!' they call me, a remnant of dark magic that returned with Nightmare Moon. Though the new element bearers aren’t aware of my existence there are still ponies that are blinded by their fear and send militias after me when they find out about my eyes.
For the past two weeks I’ve been rooted to this cloud waiting to see how many they would send this time, see what kind of weapons they would use, the last was a five pony squad consisted of nets and spears thinking I was nothing less than a wild animal and since my coat is white I can blend in with the clouds and snow. The sun is rising when I hear marching below me; I put the glasses away, slide into the cloud and position my head slightly outside the bottom looking down at the forest, thirteen this time three pegasi and ten earthers, there never seem to be any unicorns… weapons consist of muskets, flintlock pistols and swords, while three cannons are being pulled by those in front, not military or royal guard since they don’t wear standard Equestrian or royal guard armor, most likely mercenaries I look for capture cages to find none, the “bounty” must have been raised to a higher pay if they killed me.
Check inventory: strapped around both my lower forelegs are twenty throwing knives all have been sharpened at camp, long range weapon is a crossbow with a quiver of 160 bolts minus the one already primed, chest plate supposedly made from unbreakable skin of ineighmian lion, feather shields to propel musket shots, adrenaline trigger for emergency, ten hoof made shrapnel bombs, one large knife 'borrowed' from a Griffin butcher strapped at my waist, and my hooves.
Pegasi are still in flight, earthers are preparing to fire blindly into the forest method of attack from current location: slingshot. I grip two throwing knives in both hooves and open my wings ‘three…two…one… LAUNCH’ thirty seconds till in range, my body is aimed at the pegasi in the center, the wind and cold air of the fall sting at my eyes obscuring the other two, twenty seconds the earthers start to fire the cannons filling the air with thunder, ten seconds I’m in range and throw the knives at the two surrounding pegasi and unsheathe the knife at my waist and opening my wings to slow decent, 'five…four…three…two…one' the throwing knives find their marks in the back of their necks making them drop like stones and before my target reacts I slam onto him with my lower hooves and as we hit the ground the his skull and muzzle crack open giving the grass a shade of bright red.
“SHIT!!!” a gunner yells as I throw three bombs under the cannons as they explode the inertial force of the bombs brake the wheels while the shrapnel killed two earthers.
’ten left sheathe knife and don’t bother with direct confrontation for now’ I thought to myself before the rest could react I opened my wings and darted into the forest “SHOOT THIS MOTHERFUCKER!” I hear one of them shout.
Musket fire erupts behind me ‘60 seconds to reload’; I twist toward it and use the feather shields… the ball bearings bounce off introducing a slight sting to my feathers but not enough to rip them apart I open my wings again and fire the crossbow, the bolt flies and finds its target in a cerulean stallion’s eye then throw another knife that misses a cyan stallion that begins to reload ‘9 left retreat further into the forest’ 20 seconds.
“GO AFTER IT!!” the same voice shouts, obviously mercenaries.
I fly into a tree that has a makeshift camouflage tarp and prime another bolt. ‘158 bolts, 38 knives, and 7 bombs’ I slow my breathing and wait again. Branches snap as the stallions approach some muskets are on saddle mounts, while the pistols are on hoof braces and all have the look of a scared filly in a horror movie.
“Why the FUCK did you talk me into this?!” an emerald stallion squeaks at what seems to be the leader, he looks four younger than me… the leader looks at him with a sickening grin and breaks the boy’s left front legs with the back end of his musket I don’t know what’s worse, the bone protruding from the screaming stallions’ leg or the fact that I finally have a larger group of hunters with actual weapons and are just a bunch of fucking amateurs.
It takes 10 seconds to see that the remaining 8 surrounded the stallions ‘two bombs should be enough’ I begin to light the fuse when the leader starts talking “You said you needed the bits for your family didn’t you?” I freeze for a moment and put the bombs back in my saddle pack and aim the crossbow as the leader continues his vent.
“You said you needed to feed your dimwitted daughter didn’t you?” he thrust the musket onto the boy’s left lower leg breaking it while those surrounding him laughed as the leader continued “We would live like kings and all we needed was to kill this motherfucker, so if you’re going to wimp out on us now, then I suppose we’ll use you as bait” he sneers grabbing a nearby branch.
“How revolting!” I shout jumping from the tarp and land in front of the group allowing them to form a firing line drawing the leader’s attention towards me, his bright yellow coat clashes with a black military cut mane and is complete with a venomous grin filled with chipped and broken teeth… I’ve seen worse.
“So are you just going to stand there and die?” he chuckles.
I focus on my heartbeat “80 seconds” I retort making his chuckle turn into a boisterous laugh, his gang however look like they’re going to shit themselves.
“Alright I’ll bite what will happen in 80 seconds?” he coughs as he regains his breath.
I unsheathe the knife at my waist “80 seconds to kill your group and strangle you with your own intestines.” His smile drops as he scurries behind the firing squad.
“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!” he roars “KILL THIS THING ALREADY!!!”
The muskets fire... the adrenaline is triggered… everything slows down and becomes brighter; the musket balls are inches away from my face when I jump over them and shoot the cross bow at the silver stallion on the far left, the bolt finds its mark directly into his mouth ‘7 left’ I grab three knives and throw them at the other three next to him… heart, eye, throat ‘4 left’, I flip a switch on the crossbow that activates a bayonet and throw it at the chestnut on the far right ‘3 left’. I finally use the butcher knife to slice the throats of the last two and buck the cyan into the leader who then slams against rotten log as time returns. I move forward as the prick tries to fire a pistol only to hear an agonizing click from the hammer and have no results... I then stab the knife into his gut.
“What are you?” he squawks as I drag the knife across his stomach... I look into his eyes, his pupils are black pins on red platters.
I grip the long snake around my hooves and whisper “Your death.”
A Small act of kindness...
I keep the promises I make… I learned over the years if you want to cast the blame on someone else, you need to learn everything you can about them, but use what they’re afraid to lose most as the weapon of choice, even when being strangled with a piece of his own body this prick thought he would live a rich life by killing me so I show him the cost of his greed, now all that’s left is the rookie who was willing to kill in order to care for his disabled daughter and ended up with two broken legs. His magenta eyes look at me with a mix of fear and confusion, he light green coat is stained with blood. The bones protruding from legs are all that keep him from moving away.
“Is what he said true?” I ask gesturing toward the prick.
“Y-yes” he gasps. I move closer.
“Do you know who ordered the hit?” I ask shifting through my saddle pack and find a vial containing a neon yellow potion
“N-no” he answers. I sigh uncork the potion and pour the salve onto his wounds.
“What is-ARRRGHR!!!!” he screams as his bones meld and slither back into his legs I put the vial back into the pack and turn towards the field, kill him or not more hunters will come and one of them is bound to have answers.
“Listen to me and pay attention-” I growl “-You are going back to whatever town you came from, you will forget that I exist and you find a better job because if I ever see you again… that-” I point back to the prick “-will be your daughter.” I look back at him; fear grips his eyes “Do you understand?” I coldly ask.
He nods and I nod back placing the glasses over my eyes and prepare to leave BLAM!!! fire burns between my ribs as I look back, he called my bluff but wasted his only shot ‘FLY!!’ the instincts shout… without hesitation I jump off the ground and crash into a tree breaking my right shoulder, ignoring the new pain I jump again this time being able to stay airborne for another 10 seconds, another shot rings out and the projectile kicks up dirt inches from my face this time I drop all the equipment I had and jump again only now could I finally fly.
‘Higher! Higher!’ my thoughts scream as the pain engulfs every inch of my body, blood falls from the wound making each passing second feel colder.
“NO!!!!” I shout “I WILL NOT DIE TODAY! I WILL NOT DIE TODAY!” I repeat the sentence like a dark mantra over and over and over again as if expecting the wound to heal.
I fly until the sun is setting and I see a town ‘Is it real?’ I think ‘What will I say?’ ‘Will I even make it?’ my question is answered as my wings stiffen and I plummet to a cottage… my vision flashes red as the sound of breaking glass and screams fill the air
“Please” I gasp coughing blood.
I hear a mare with an odd accent say “Wait with him.”
A bright blue flash fills the room leaving me with what seems to be another mare, she doesn’t speak but I can hear her shaking she inches closer and gentle, soft blue eyes look into mine. As she lifts the glasses off I shut my eyes “MONSTER!!!” I shout.
“shhhhh” her voice is soft and acts like a lullaby while she rubs a hoof on my scar as if I was an injured animal “It’ll be okay help is on its way, you can open your eyes I won’t hurt you” tears run down my cheeks as I comply, she shifts back but doesn’t scream my vision is still too blurred to see her fully but I can see a long pink mane “Such pretty eyes” she finally says.
“LIES” I growl as I cough up more blood
“Fluttershy?” a voice shouts outside the door, the familiar sound of magic is heard as the door shifts open “Oh my Celestia!” the voice gasps. My eyes close again and my body goes limp “What is your name?” the new voice asks.
Unconsciousness finally takes me as I whisper, “My name... is Frostbite”
Screaming... is the first thing I hear, the crackling of fire and the smell of burning fur. I never asked to be born, I never asked for my mother to be burned alive by close minded zealots in the depths of the Everfree forest as a foal only to be recovered and raised in an orphanage whose headmaster would spend every waking moment whipping me for no apparent reason other than having eyes that were different from a 'normal pony’s'. Every time I tried to hide from the headmaster I would always think of the Elements of Harmony… Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Magic, these elements always did play a role in my life.
The 'honesty' from the Headmaster that I would be whipped until whatever darkness resided in me was replaced with whatever bright light he pulled from out of his rotten mind, the 'loyalty' of the villagers to their old gods as they burned my mother alive, the 'generosity' of the orphanage for giving me my own room whose roof had collapsed years before I arrived leaving me to freeze when the winters arrived, the cold obnoxious 'laughter' of the other orphans as I was whipped each day only to heal for a few weeks just to be whipped again and when barren couples tried to adopt they would emit a venomous giggle at the snow white Pegasus who would be swallowed up by the crowd of fillies and colts, the 'kindness' from my mother as she left me for dead and refusing to tell the village elders where I was if it meant saving herself, and the 'magic' of knowing that there is no harmony… there is only pain, there is only betrayal, and there is only death.