*CRACK*

Tears dripped from the stallion’s eyes, barely missing the old spell book splayed out in front of him as the blue magical field collapsed. Massive book-cluttered library walls rose on every side, the pony sitting at the table then slamming a hoof down in frustration. Dampening crystals placed around the table hummed softly, encasing the unicorn in a protective shield- or rather, making sure every creature else was safe from the attempted spells.

I’ve scoured the Canterlot Library, and all of the smaller ones, and these two volumes are all there is. I can’t be missing something, I’ve looked for a solid WEEK on one spell!
The activation phrase I picked is solid; Aut viam inveniam aut faciam tibi.
‘I will find a way, or I will make one.’
A suitable quote for my life, I think.

The unicorn stared at the page in front of him, a hoof shaking with frustration. The spells he was embroiled in attempting were ancient, older than any living pony. Gone was the modern way of casting, using only one’s heart and mind. No, these spells relied on spoken words to initiate the ancient and powerful tie to the leylines of the world. Similar to runes, they were a direct connection with the magic that flowed through the land. Even initiating a connection was wrought with trial and error. Everything had to be in place to not cause a catastrophic failure or severe harm to one’s self.

Hence why I’m attempting the spell on a pebble. Even if it detonates, it wouldn’t be more than a few firecrackers.
And there was nopony who Aid could ask for help, nocreaure still alive that knew how these spells worked. There was no living individual to instruct on why the spells were failing, yet considering Celestia’s elite guard used a version of the spell, Aid knew it had to work.
Now for the spell words themselves.
Ignite.
“Ignium.”
One of the small pebbles in front of him burst in to flames, yet the fire didn’t produce any heat.
Flow.
“Influunt.”
The pebble began to vibrate, as though eager to break free from the stallion’s telekinetic grip in mid-air.
FLY!
“Volant!”

The pebble promptly fell to the table, the fire sputtering out as the stallion let out a hiss, hot tears burning in his eyes.
“Why. It should move. Why isn’t it working?”
“Perhaps because the spell is incomplete?” A voice piped up from Aid’s left, the stallion then shaking his head.
“No, I’ve double checked, triple checked. That’s all that is in the- Princess?” His voice hitched, Aid scrubbing the tears from his vision as the stallion nearly fell from his chair.

“I…sorry, I didn’t-”
Letting out a soft titter, Celestia waved a golden-shod hoof dismissively, then gestured to the spell books.
“Be at peace, Aid Chaser. I am not here on official business, only taking a stroll and finding a subject of mine in distress.” She remarked, eyes softening as she looked at the stallion.
“My sister tells me that your nightmares have been improving slightly?”
Aid didn’t respond for a few seconds, lest he completely lose composure, but finally nodded.

“I can’t thank her enough for that- trying to say such at the Night Court was all I could do. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep if not for her…” The emotion that clogged Aid’s throat refused passage to any further words, the stallion shaking his head.
“I’m just so very thankful, and wish I could tell her that myself, more than a few mumbles at a court. May I request that you could let her know, if that is appropriate?”
Celestia smiled, knowing such a request would bring her sister more joy than sorrow indeed.

“Of course. Now if I may ask, what are you doing dabbling in such ancient arts? With a unicorn in your position, I can’t imagine it being used for recreational material. And I mean no offence, only stating of fact.” Celestia said, causing Aid to nod slowly.
“You’d be right of course. I don’t have the mana pool to sustain any of these spells, not without crystals. But I just might regenerate it fast enough to complete, if for but a moment. And that’s all I need. Just thirty seconds, if that.”

Celestia’s keen gaze looked over the spell, then flickered over to Aid Chaser once again. A bit of suspicion entered the ruler’s expression, but was tempered by a millennium of diplomatic experience.
“This is a flight spell, correct? It appears to be a version of the one my legionaries use in emergencies. It lets them fly like a meteor, reaching their destination within moments. My sister and I know of your hobby, Aid Chaser, so you must understand my skepticism concerning such advanced and dangerous research.”

To her utter shock, Aid promptly deflated, ears flattening to his skull. His hooves shook, and the stallion seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown before he took a shaky breath.
“Your Highness, this spell isn’t about my dream. Is this forbidden magic?” he asked, staring at his hooves for a moment. Aid then raised his head, managing to meet Celestia’s gaze for a moment.
“If so, I will gladly cease my research. But my interest in this spell is only to save ponies. Because I…”
Celestia didn’t respond for a moment, even after Aid stopped speaking.

“It is not forbidden, but it is warned against. You know how powerful these ancient magics are. If you would like to explain your intentions, I would be very interested.”
Aid let out a slight huff, the absurdity of the situation not escaping him.

“It’s not everyday a pony gets a chance to converse with you, your Highness, much less about magic that perhaps only you and Luna know of.” he mused, then sitting up and nodding.
Nocreature alive- that’s wrong. There are a few who are very much alive and know of this magic. And one of them is right here with me.

“May I explain my intentions with a question to you? And may I speak somewhat freely?” Aid asked, Celestia nodding simply as she sat down.
“Of course; I’m quite interested, and I’m sure my sister would be too. I have a few moments.”
Aid paused, biting his lip in thought before nodding.
“Thank you. My question may seem odd though.

Is this what it’s like, being immortal?”
Celestia stared, blinking in surprise. It was not often a response could catch her off guard, but this one…
“What do you mean?”
Aid gestured to his cutie-mark, then to Celestia’s.

“I am guided towards a path, your Highness. I could ignore it, and others would suffer, just like you could to a much greater extent, or so I’ve deduced. I know you are powerful, much more than you let on, and I’m not saying any of this for mere flattery. I’ve read some of the old history; things long buried, hints at horrific battles won and mentioned again. You have the capacity to save a lot of creatures- you have saved countless ones. But even with your power, your long life, your influence, you can’t save them all.” The mortal stallion stated.

“I don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse right now, but I am guided to help ponies. I am not deluded enough to think I can save them all either, because I haven’t. But Princess, this s-spell.” Aid gestured to the book, and Celestia’s eyes widened as tears burned down the stallion’s cheeks.

“I know that if I had this spell two months ago, I could have saved one more. Just one more.” he whispered, head shaking slowly.
“All of the training I’ve gotten, it’s all to help as many as I can. I can’t leave here until I know how I could have helped her, because I know I could have. Maybe if I had known about the spell earlier, I-”

A kind wing draped over his shoulders briefly, prompting Aid to look up in shock. Celestia’s face was caring, but a strange understanding shone behind her eyes.
“You are a curious but caring stallion, Aid Chaser. My sister presumed as much when she began to follow your flying exploits.” Celestia mused, then retracting her wing.

“You are right though. We cannot save them all despite our power, be it on the scale I dwell on, or yours. In that, the answer to your question is a simple ‘yes.’ Do not dwell on what you could have done, because you did not know and could not have known. Such reasoning is how I myself push onward at times.”
She then paused, casting a silencing field around the pair.

“I am sorry for pressing so much, but I had to be certain. Luna was quite adamant that your intentions were noble, but considering how dangerous these spells could be if used incorrectly, I needed to double check.” she remarked calmly, prompting Aid to look around curiously.
“Double check for what?” he asked.
“Your intentions of course, before I told you what you’re doing wrong.”

Aid’s jaw dropped open as an ancient and worn parchment page materialized in the air; the numbers in the spell book rearranging for a few seconds. The entire volume shifted, words shuffling about as the manuscript had been re-written to mask the removal of a single page.

“You are missing the ending phrase; such information and the existence of such is what I give to my legionaries once they demonstrate their ability to use such a spell. If I give this information to you, Aid Chaser, you must promise to never use it unless in dire emergency, nor disclose it to any creature. That is a formal decree.” Celestia warned as Aid stood up a bit straighter.

“I promise. If there’s such a thing for a form to sign, I’ll gladly do so.”
The Princess let out an amused laugh, shaking her head simply.
“No, your word is enough, unlike many nobles. Now then, begin the spell please. Do not say the final word with such finality, but as another sequence in the spell”
Aid nodded, levitating a small pebble over the table and focusing.

“Aut viam inveniam aut faciam tibi. Ignium, Influunt, Volant,” he said, then looking over to Celestia as she watched in approval.
“As I said, Aid Chaser, this is the spell used by my legionaries- sometimes called the Warriors of the Sun. Therefore…

For a brief moment, Celestia’s frame shifted. The regal regalia seemed to vanish- and a breastplate burning with the noble fire of an entire sun encompassed her chest, eyes aflame even as a bit of sly mirth crept into her expression.
“Tota die salutare Celestiabus!” Celestia bellowed, Aid’s eyes lighting up as the sun itself seemed to fill the library around him.
All hail the Heavenly day!

“Tota die salutare Celestiabus!” he whispered- and ducked as the pebble rocketed towards his head, embedding itself into the wood of a bookshelf behind Aid.
Celestia smiled, the library’s original light and atmosphere returning as quickly as it had changed.

“And there it is. You will, however, need somewhere to practice such an advanced spell. You will be hearing from the Pegasi school of Search and Rescue shortly. I believe they have an advanced aerial retrieval course which is perfect for this.” She mused, then levitating over a paper and parchment.
“And the official part of this matter, of course.”

As she nearly wrote a form and put her royal stamp on it (the item appearing from nowhere and vanishing just as quickly,) Aid read over one of the copies the Alicorn provided for him. His eyes misted over, and he bowed his head in thanks.
‘The writer further wishes to commend this pony for his unfailing desire to pursue a dream…’

“Your Highness, I…” Words failed him, and the stallion simply shook his head.
“Thank you.” he managed to whisper, a caring hoof giving Aid a pat on the shoulder.
“You are most welcome. And do keep following your dreams, Aid Chaser. Your best friend isn’t the only one with a betting pool by the way. Luna has made quite a bit of bits off your successful flights.”

Aid’s head shot up, mouth dropping open as Celestia laughed, making her way towards the entrance.
“WAIT, WHAT?!”
“Take care, Aid Chaser!”

The pleasant atmosphere then began to disintegrate, the scene falling to pieces as darkness crept through the diseased holes in the library. Pink eyes began to appear across all of the walls, a shrill voice screaming as the entire scene was sucked into a vacuum. Aid struggled to stay above the floor- churning through it with his hooves as through it was a raging rapid.
No. No no no no no…

The shrill scream continued, a blurry face now filling Aid’s vision as wind rushed past his fur, own hoof outstretched.
I’m so close!

Pink eyes met his, surging with hope, even as a distant ground grew in size, faster and faster. They were but moments from impact-
“Forgive me, Aid. I was not quick enough this time. Wake now, and then sleep peacefully later.”
A familiar and sorrowful voice penetrated the dream, but before Aid could wake, the pink eyes returned in full force. The scream now resolved into words-
“Why didn’t you save me?”
“NO!”
Aid to snapped awake, hoof outstretched in front of him. His sides heaved; a cold sweat plastering Aid’s fur as pink eyes refused to leave his mind. Tears traced their way in rivers down the stallion’s cheeks, breath misting in the frigid air as a gryphoness stared at him in shock.

Gabby awoke with a start, a yell piercing through her dreamless sleep. Scooting out from under the foil blanket, the gryphoness stared at Aid, the stallion sitting up and holding a hoof stretched out in front of him.
“What are….oh.”
I know that look.

Aid’s eyes were a thousand leagues away, focused on something far from the icy walls of the cave. Tears ran down his cheeks, hoof slowly shaking as it was lowered. Aid slumped forwards, sobbing softly into the crook of his forelimb.
What have you seen, Aid?

Without a word, Gabby edged out of the blanket, walking over to sit next to the stallion. She hesitated, but finally just put a set of talons on his shoulder. The contact seemed to snap the stallion out of his stupor slightly as he looked over at the gryphoness.
“Hey, you alright?” Gabby asked cautiously, wings drooping as Aid shook his head.
“Not currently. But in a bit I will be.” he muttered, voice a strange and rather unnerving monotone.

“Anything I can do to help?” Gabby asked, frowning as the stallion simply shrugged.
Hmmm.
Gabby simply sat next to Aid, scooting a tad closer but not saying anything else.
I mean, if he wants to-
The stallion sagged slightly, leaning his head over on Gabby’s claws. The gryphoness tentatively spread a wing over the distraught stallion, a mental sigh of relief going through her mind as Aid seemed to relax slightly.
Half hugs for the win!

The stallion actually leaned against the gryphoness ever so slightly; a surprising but not unwelcome gesture.
Poor guy.
“Thanks Gabby.” Aid whispered, taking a few deep breaths and shaking his head. “I hate those…”
“Bad dreams?” Gabby asked, prompting a nod from the stallion.
“In a manner of speaking.”
She didn’t press the matter, Aid finally letting out a sigh and shrugging his shoulders.

“Well…best we try to get a bit more sleep. Thank you though.” he murmured.
“Sure thing! Helper ponies need help too sometimes.” she remarked cheerily, scooting back to her own emergency blanket.
She saw the stallion toss and turn a few times once he settled down, but sleep was also quick to claim the gryphoness, even with more than a few questions on her mind.

With a yawn and a grumble, Aid opened his eyes to a dimly lit cave, the stallion scrubbing a forelimb across his face.
Well that was horrible.
…other than the hug. That was surprisingly nice, really nice actually. I need to be sure to thank her for that.

Said gryphoness was starting to stir, yawning as she turned this way and that. Aid set a pot of water to boil, trotting his way to the entrance with a shiver.
It’s still freezing!

…oh. That’s why.
The blizzard appeared to be still in full force, if not worse. Snow was slowly piling up at the mouth of the cave, even as biting wind sought to pierce into the heart of the mountain. A brief check of Aid’s equipment indicated it was still being jammed somehow.

Ugh. Wait, what’s-
A low rumble began to build, even as the ground shook. It reached peak- and then stopped with a sudden *WUMP!*
The cave entrance promptly disappeared, snow and ice flooding inside even as Aid scampered backwards.
An avalanche. Of course. It’s not surprising with the wind and snow though.

Making his way back to the makeshift camp, the stallion waved to the now very-awake gryphoness, Gabby blinking at him curiously.
“Uh, what was that?” she asked cautiously as Aid hoofed over some ration bars.
“Well, do you want the good news, or the bad news first?” Aid asked, prompting a shrug from Gabby.

“Uh, bad news? To get it out of the way?”
Aid then gestured to the mouth of the cave, just around the bending tunnel.
“Well. An avalanche just buried the way out under a castle’s-worth of snow, so we can’t get out that way. We’ll need to navigate through the mountain, either to where you came in, or to some other exit.”
Gabby frowned, nodding slowly.

“Alright, and the good news?” she asked, smiling as Aid levitated a cup of hot chocolate over to her.
“The good news, is that I have more than enough supplies for the both of us, easily enough to last a week if we stretch it. That’s plenty of time to find our way out, even dig our way out of an entrance if we don’t have a choice.”
Gabby giggled, taking a sip and then gesturing down the dark tunnel nearby.
“Sooooo we just eat and then start walking?” she suggested.

“Yup. Probably best we head to your exit if you can remember where it is.” Aid added, prompting a proud smile from the courier.
“I can! I made marks on the wall, so we follow those, and eventually we’ll find the exit. I do think it was on a lower part of the mountain though, so it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s buried.” she mused, wings ruffling slightly.

“At least I’ve got some pleasant company; that’ll make the trip a bit nicer.” Aid said softly, a tender smile easing onto his features for a brief moment.
“Thank you, by the way.”
“W-welcome.”

Gabby felt her face light up; busying herself with sipping her hot chocolate. Usually such things wouldn’t phase her- but having a nice individual to interact with did wonders for highlighting how much she missed such interaction.

Aid smiled, not missing the blush but at the same time not thinking too much of it. He wasn’t a total flirt like Wind Sheer, but certainly wouldn’t miss a chance to compliment an individual, much less a lovely female, gryphoness or not.

She’s a lot less intimidating than other gryphons though- now that I see her, she’s about as big as me. Maybe a bit more, but not much.
Lovely eyes too. Wait. Did I really think about a gryphoness in terms of-

Their meal of ration bars, water, and hot chocolate was quickly finished, and the two began to pack up their simple supplies. Aid set aside a portion of the items for Gabby; mainly some food, water, first aid kit, and a useful tool or two. The rest went into the duffel bag and Aid’s personal pack. After looking around for a moment, they set off down the dark grey tunnel, Gabby taking the slight lead. A lantern was levitated along by Aid, and the gryphoness had a small emergency flashlight strapped to her shoulder to light the way.

“So Gabby, mind if you tell me a bit about yourself? Otherwise it’s going to be a long and quiet walk. Which is fine if you’d prefer.” Aid asked. He assumed by the excited chirp that such silence was not going to be commonplace.

“Sure! Whatcha want to know? I grew up in Griffinstone, back when it was still even more of a dump. It’s getting better, but still not great. Anyhow, I’ve been delivering stuff as long as I could fly, and even a bit before that! Small items when I was a hatchling, bigger stuff when I was older. I don’t run the post office or anything, but I’m the one who delivers the majority of items! After meeting the cutie mark crusaders- OH! You don’t know about them, huh?”

Gabby took a deep breath, then regaling Aid Chaser with her quest to find a cutie mark those years ago, prompting the stallion to chuckle softly.
“I have to say, your intentions were noble indeed. I’d say it sounds silly, but I’d be a total hypocrite.” the stallion mused, Gabby smiling as she led him along the tunnels. The bland walls would have blurred together if not for the occasional claw-marks, of which the gryphoness followed, keeping them on her left.

“It was silly though, but just because I couldn’t understand. Thanks to them, I did find out I was good at a lot of other stuff! Like, stuff I never thought to even try! I learned to play the clarinet, bake, make a few potions…I even built a boat and learned to sail! They even let me try my claw at dental work and hoofball! Somehow, I just picked it up really fast, but like, who would have thought? I certainly didn’t know, but I tried it and it just clicked! But along the way, I was helping creatures all the while, and that’s what I didn’t understand. It just feels right, so it’s what I try to do! We need more helpers in the world anyhow.” she now took a deep breath, a slight flush on her cheeks. “Erm. Sorry.”

“Nuh uh. No saying sorry for happy word vomits!” Aid retaliated, still musing over Gabby’s excited explanation with an amused smile.
Quite a multi-talented creature you are, Gabby.
“I’d really like to hear about all of those interests sometime, if you don’t mind. I don’t know much about them.” Aid admitted, prompting a certain gryphoness’s feathers to fluff slightly.
“Really?”
“Really. I’m genuinely interested, if it’s not too much trouble.”

In the short time Aid had know Gabby, ‘speechless’ wasn’t a word he’d use to describe her. Yet somehow his words seemed to cause that effect, the gryphoness refusing look at the stallion for a few moments other than nodding. Yet it didn’t seem to be in a bad way…
Huh. Wonder if she doesn’t get asked that much.

One set of Gabby’s words seemed to stick in his mind however, causing Aid to stumble, the stallion’s brow creasing in thought. Gabby paused, head tilting curiously, teal eyes slightly narrowed.
“Aid? What’s up?”
He shook his head, waving a hoof as they continued to walk.
“Sorry. Just- what you said. About helpers.”
“Yeah?”

The stallion sighed, staring at his hooves for a moment before looking over to the cheery gryphoness.
“It’s really similar to something I heard when I was young. It stuck with me, and I guess I built part of myself around it. It was a local performance for children- the stallion toured around everywhere with his shows. They were always happy, comforting things. All I really remember is that he had a calm, nice voice, wore a rough sweater, and had lovely puppets.” Aid explained, a bit of wistfulness entering his voice.

“I was lucky enough to see one of his shows live, not a recording of one on an old film reel. When talking about the news, and hearing scary things, he said to everypony; ‘my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Aid nodded to himself slowly.

“I wanted to be a helper, Gabby. I didn’t really understand that back then, but as soon as I got my cutie mark, it just clicked. My talent is more of a sense, not a specific skill. I had to develop all of that on my own. It’s kind of nice in a way; I was left to pursue whatever I wanted, but all the while knowing I had to help creatures.”

Turning to look over again to the courier, Aid was surprised to see her attentively listening as they walked, sparking eyes occasionally flickering over to him. The gryphoness’s gaze was brimming with curiosity, but also shone with a unique understanding. Such attentiveness nearly made the stallion stumble again- because there was not even a hint that Gabby was humoring him, like many other creatures. She genuinely seemed to understand.
You’re a lot more than meets the eye, aren’t you, Gabby?

“Not sure what I can say to that, other than I can’t agree more.” Gabby mused, her usual bounding energy seeming to reined in slightly.
“How did you get your cutie mark, Aid? If I may ask?”
Aid couldn’t help but smile, looking at the odd mark on his flank briefly.
“So, I guess that fascination hasn’t worn off JUST yet?”

“Quiet, you.” Gabby grumbled- but Aid didn’t miss the blush on her features. It was accompanied by a slight smile, so that was a plus.
“Well, I was being watched by a foal-sitter. My parents were out and about, and wanted to make sure I was going to be alright. I was just drawing, and there was just this really weird itch, but not that I could scratch. I knew something was wrong, so I just began to look around.” Aid explained, letting himself become lost in the memory ever so slightly.

“I went to the hallway and found my foal sitter, Mint Pick, breathing rather heavily. All I heard her say was something about finding her bag, and I felt like I needed to get it.” the stallion let out a slight shrug at that.
“I brought it just before she collapsed. Apparently, it had an emergency inhaler for a lung condition. If I hadn’t been able to get it….” he shook his head.

“Anyhow. When I got the bag itself, and was bringing it back, that weird itch was just focused on those actions. Somehow just feeling ‘yes, this is what I should be doing.’ And then once she was breathing easily again, the itch stopped, and left this mark on my flank. I think that’s about-GAH!”
The stallion failed to pay attention to his own hooves, stumbling over a set of uneven rocks and nearly faceplanted onto the cave floor-
If not for a strong limb that halted his decent, Gabby grinning as she helped him back up.

“Thanks for telling me, really! I think that’s tooooootally awesome!” she exclaimed as they continued to walk, the courier paying no mind to Aid’s tumble, nor the slight embarrassed flush on his cheeks.
“So, like, you are told when a pony needs help? That’s. So. COOL!” She squeaked, hopping into the air briefly.
“Pretty much. I just get a sense when a pony needs help. Not sure how they’ll need it, but I’ve tried to be trained to respond in a variety of ways.” Aid explained.

“Makes sense- and smart of you! Hmmm.” Gabby mused, then glancing to Aid’s cutie mark again.
“…What do the wings mean?”
Aid couldn’t help but smirk, trying his hardest not to chuckle.
Well why not. Would make for more conversation, and I think she’s one of the few who just might not laugh.
“Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe a fast response time? Or maybe it’s because I love to fly.”
“WAIT. YOU WHAT?”

Author's Note

A bit of backstory for Aid. Poor guy...
They begin their cave journey! And a certain spark seems to be kindled...