Always Already

Chapters

Prologue: Benthos
Demersal
Hadal
Pelagic
Void

Prologue: Benthos

Once upon a time, in the land of Equestria, there was magic. A great kingdom was built, peace reigned, and ponies led simple, prosperous lives. Then, without warning, the magic left.

*******

Walking among the festival tents and shrouded in root colored cloaks were a colt and an older mare. The mare was a purple unicorn with a short black mane and she had a metal staff hanging off her side that was much to big for her. Her horn was wrapped in a detachable metal case.

Trailing behind her was a scraggly young earth pony whose mane was short and white and whose fur had a violet tint. He was the ace in the hole when the mare messed up.

The purple mare walked behind a carousal and began prodding at the electrical box. A glowing blue line running from the tip of her horn to her forehead formed on the metal casing and then some tools levitated from her cloak and moved to the open electrical box. After a moment, she packed up and closed the box.

The carousal worker walked over. He was a young blue stallion who was built sturdy and who looked bored. He asked what the mare was doing.

“I'm a part of the festival's electrician team. I was tasked to go around and randomly check electrical equipment. Everything has already been tested beforehand, so I am not expecting anything unusual, but it can't hurt to have a pony on site.”

He accepted the response and went back to his booth.

The two walked away. Once a bit of distance was built between them and the carousal, the mare looked behind her at the scraggly colt and began talking.

"If you act like you belong, nobody will question you. They don't teach you that in school, nor the tribe I'm guessing, but it's valuable life lesson. “

A moment of silence passed. The mare looked back again and kept talking.

"Aren't you wondering why we are here?“

The colt did not meet her gaze. Everything else looked more fun. "I assumed it was something important.“ he said.

"At the last second I received important orders from your father. We must stay hidden and capture two black and white pegasi, last seen heading here.“

The colt looked around. Every tent had somepony inside and crowds littered the area. He made sure to speak this time.

"What's important about these two, Gale?“

Gale stopped and spun around "Well Star Gazer, I am glad you asked.“

She took a moment to glance first at the drones in the sky and then to her surroundings. Most ponies had already sat down somewhere in the limited-light zone to watch the show, but it was still crowded enough to make Gale frown. Then she shrugged.

“Did the hyena tribe ever teach you about our legends?”

“Be more specific. ”

“Well, surely, at least your father taught you about the Elements of Harmony? All about how our ancestors had all these cool powers and ancient artifacts and were protected by mythological princesses and guardians?”

Lightning Oak hadn't taught him about this. “I thought it was all mythology.”

"Well, not according to your father.“

A glowing blue line formed at the base of her horn emitter and wrapped around it until it reached the tip. Her staff levitated from her side and planted itself in the ground. She looked to the sky and started adjusting its placement. This was unusually bold of her.

“I have no idea how he figured it out, nor do I think I want to know, but he says that these two pegasi are related to these legends." Her voice trailed off. After a moment, she spoke up again "Gotcha. Can you close your eyes for a moment? You will know when to open them.”

The world went dark. Around Star Gazer were fun melodies and the prosody of voices. He heard children on the carousal ride, and the engine of the ride itself. In the stand to his left, something was sizzling. A group was laughing to his right, and the pony telling the joke had a foreign accent. There were sounds everywhere, including the important one right in front of him.

Then Star Gazer heard a split second rush of air above him. Then something clicked where Gale should be, and in front of that was the clacking of a touchscreen. Star Gazer swore that Gale was performing real telekinesis sometimes, any other pony would have fumbled moving two objects magnetically at once.

She spoke again, her voice a little bit clearer "He says that they can bring the magic back.“

Every single light went out.

There were a few screams, but the prevailing sound was hushed tones. Star Gazer opened up his eyes and saw Gale looking at somewhere on his face. She nodded. He ran.

Everything was clear. His eyes were already adjusted to the darkness, and this gave him precious seconds where he was the only pony who could see. Most ponies couldn't do much with so little time, yet Gale thought it was worth it to give him just that extra bit. She had planted an EMP at the local transformers, and just now her staff shot an EMP firework into the air, frying the local grid.

Well, she said something along those lines. Star Gazer didn't yet understand this whole 'electricity' thing nor did he care to learn.

He ran through the crowds, checking each pony. Two black and white pegasi who were unlikely to be apart were to be found. Implied to be alive, as well. Black makes a silhouette at night, but that does not help in a dense area. Furthermore, Gale's staff did not reach Canterlot. If it did, ponies wouldn't see the city in the distance and would thus already be panicking.

Her EMP did reach the festival drones though, and Star Gazer knew that it would be a matter of time before somepony would hear a crash and come to the festival to complain about a drone destroying their field. Word would get out, and ponies would start leaving.

He looped around the next big tent. Star Gazer was going to stake out at the festival entrance.

*****

Gale walked through the crowds under the guise of finding something to eat. She could hardly see past her own horn, but she didn't bump into anypony. A few stands had open fires for cooking, and these fires provided light for the crowds around them.

She managed to make her way to a bar table of one such tent and was about to order something. After scanning the ponies around her and finding nothing of value, Gale was ready to head to the next tent. Then she heard a bored couple discuss leaving, and an idea hit her. Soon, everypony would be leaving in droves. “So they will all have to pass by the entrance” she said to herself.

Gale saw the couple she overheard begin to leave, and so she too decided to make off.

“Maybe a drone malfunctioned?” said the mare to her partner.

Gale turned the opposite direction and made her way to the fields. Somepony was going to discover a graveyard of drones and run over here, and the last thing she wanted was mass panic.

Demersal

Clear Firmament galloped through the woods. She knew it was dangerous to run in the dark, but there was no time to waste. Tonight's festival was about to begin, and she wanted the best spots to watch the sky. Her brother was less enthusiastic, but nevertheless he galloped alongside her.

This winter solstice celebration was to be greater than ever before, and Clear knew of no place better to celebrate than in the valley. Traditionally the night ended with a scheduled snowfall, and this year it was decided to have everypony go outside of town for festivities and then return home to a winter wonder land.

Haze Kicker was an ash colored pegasus colt with a black mane. He stood at the same height as his sister and used to push his mane upwards. Clear Firmament's mane looked like a cloud and her fur like white rain. With her doing the talking, the pair found themselves in all kinds of trouble. She wore a small brown satchel at had a jacket with a small pouch for her flashlight that allowed her to easily grab with her wings.

Their town was built on the last flat land before the mountains, so it was surrounded by foothills, and hiding in one of those hills was the best place see the light show. Everypony knew that the festival light ruined the view. The pair galloped through the hills, brush, and briar until they both nearly tripped over some tree roots.

"There's the top!“ said Clear.

"Can we stop here?“ said Haze. Clear agreed. If she timed her brother's tiring correctly, then the light show should start soon. Truth be told, she was tired too, but she wasn't going to accept any crammed grassy knoll to gaze from. Her hooves sunk into the layer of dead leaves, and the grasses that were still alive made her now wet fetlocks itch. Clear decided to push herself just a bit more in search of something better.

Clouds covered the night sky, letting little light through. Beyond the thicket she heard a skylark, which was unusual for winter. Clear pushed past the branches and bushes and found a glade in between some evergreens. They don't lose their leaves in winter, so the ground was covered in soft moss. The skylark was still there, singing a song.

Clear felt a tap on her rump. She jumped turned, shining her flashlights in her attackers face.
"Gah, Clear please its just me." Haze said as he waved his hooves in front of him. He took a minute to arrive, owing to his avoiding of the branches, and Clear didn't see him because he didn't bring a coat because it was 'not that cold'. Or a flashlight('You already have one'). He deserved what he got. Clear turned her flashlight off then looked back and pointed at the skylark.

"A bird?" Haze quietly asked. "In these parts?"

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Clear said. She watched the bird continue to hop around. After it was done, it flew away. Clear tried to track it, but lost sight of it quickly once went into the sky.

Drones peppered the sky. The clouds disappeared and in their place were thin rows and columns that together made up a black square. Clear expected weather drones later, but something about these drones was different. Were they flying lower than normal?

Clear Firmament squinted. They appeared to still be setting up, but no way was that going to take much longer. So she turned off her flashlights and sat. Clear looked to her brother and motioned him to sit on the moss as well.

She said "According to legend, pegasi used to control the weather.“

Haze Kicker raised an eyebrow. Then he said "Wish I could do that right about now.“

"You said you didn't need a coat.“ Clear quipped. She looked back at the sky "They say pegasi lived in the clouds where they made the weather. In one swift kick, they tore storms asunder.“

"Cool, but why did you bring this up?“

"The theme this year is supposed to be history.“

"That's not history.“

"Well I read it in a history book.“

"Those are the same fairy tales we all hear growing up. Besides, the theme only affects what merchandise is sold, and I don't see any vendors out here. "

Haze shivered. Clear wrapped her wing around him. Both ponies watched the sky. Usually pegasi kids grew out of fantasies of flight, but wings were for more than warming daft brothers. Clear never stopped dreaming. She suspected Haze felt the same.

"No really, why did you bring this up?" he said.

"The skylark got me thinking. When it wanted to, it just took off into the sky. Why can't we do that? Before you say anything, I know the official story." Clear started mimicking a school teacher. "The magic just went away. Every child was born with a little less than their parents until it was all gone."

She saw Haze smile. "And yes, I know that there are a ton of competing theories as to why, and no, I don't buy any of them. So you don't have to humor me, I know I bother you with this stuff."

"What about everyone else? What powers did they have?“

Clear was relieved. But disappointed at the same time since she could only answer with a shrug.

"Wonder what we did to lose it all. Our ancestors didn't fly or cast spells, what did they think happened?“

She shrugged again "The magic just went away. Every child was born with a little less than their parents until it was all gone.“

The night sky lit up. White lines making a cube that shone high above the valley. There was silence, and then the whirling of propellers could be heard like a thousand chirping birds. The cube deformed into a swirl of white light and then reformed into a pyramid. It dazzled with all the colors of the rainbow before collapsing. In its place, more shapes, each of which rotating and moving through the sky. The lights disappeared and a second later reappeared. The words "Welcome to the Canterlot Winter Solstice Festival“ shone in the sky.

Then it went dark and silent.

Clear Firmament and Haze Kicker were watching the sky with glee. They continued to watch, and just a bit more. This break was just a bit too long, but maybe that's required of advanced drone movement.

A crack sounded nearby. Clear's head shot towards it and Haze jumped. They were silent for a second, then looked at each other. No thunderstorms were scheduled, and there was no flash, so Clear was bewildered as to how a lightening bolt could strike so close.

More crashes. Clear dove to the ground and covered her ears, but it was no use. The sounds rang through her body and penetrated deep into her head. It was a pain that she had never felt before, and images of bones tearing like paper flashed in her mind. She wouldn't open her eyes, but she swore the earth cracked underneath her and would swallow her any second.

The shockwave made her clench her jaws before she even realized the sound was there. Then there was pain. Her face was going to burst, no, her entire body was. Throughout her body, everything hurt. Every nerve had ignited, every vein had burst, and every organ was squashed. Then her organs were squashed even more. The shockwaves squashed and compressed them until surely they were all distorted and disjointed.

Escape was not possible. Screams and shouts broke through the cacophony in her ears and the vibrations in her vocal cords. But the terror did not end. Until, after much too long, it did. Clear kept covering her ears. She couldn't sense the outside world, and so her mind was running through every manner of bad scenarios. Could she still hear? How badly were her organs damaged? What about eyesight? Internal bleeding? Was Haze alive?

She kept thinking until her senses returned. There was the sound of flowing blood and a beating heart, thankfully. Then she realized her body was cold and her fur wet and weighed down. Quickly, she removed a hoof from her ear and felt her side for wounds. Nothing, so she had to open her eyes to see that it was only mud.

She looked around her forest clearing. There were still evergreens around her and no monster was hiding in the dark. The earth was untouched, and the stars still shone. Relief washed over her and in an instant she was recovering. No catastrophe had occurred, she just panic. Then Clear saw Haze, and seeing him in terror made her panic again.

He was repeating to himself reassurances of being alright, loud enough to be heard through his hooves. The filly went over to her brother, who saw her and thus lowered his hooves.

“It's okay Clear, we're fine.”

She hugged him.

“Everything's alright, you hear?” Haze said again.

Clear furiously nodded. “Yeah, are you alright?” she said as she looked for injuries.

Cold wind washed over them. A crunchy leaf hit Haze Kicker's face, snapping him back to reality. He slowed his breathing, then shivered and looked to his sister.

“What was that?” he said with a shaky voice.

“Nothing, it's gone now.” she said.

“You think, you think somepony was shooting at us? Or a truck crashed? A couple of trucks could have crashed.” Clear saw a tear running down his face. She wrapped her wing around him and held him close. For a second, the world was still.

Another gust of wind, this one carrying the smell of food. The festival! Some hot food would be great, even if there were other ponies to deal with. But Clear looked out and saw only darkness. Originally, she ran to this hill to get away from the lights, but to see nothing was distressing. The darkness had encircled them. There was no way out and no tether to pony life. The two kids were islands in the murky darkness, and this thought weighed heavy on Clear.

Exposed. Unprotected and alone. Haze was with her, but she had to shield her brother from the alien and uncaring world. No, it was still the same world, but it no longer catered to them. This world did not care about ponies or the light they need, and nopony realized that until they were at its mercy.

Clear was about to cry. This was too much. What was out there in the dark? Please, not right now. She was too young. She had Haze with her. Please, the festival was just there. They won't have to move very far, but they will still have to move. There was no avoiding the inevitable. Clear Firmament and Haze Kicker had to push through the darkness.

She pointed in the direction of where the festival once was, and Haze looked. After a second, they looked each other in the eyes and were in agreement.

The pair ran down the hill and through the woods guided by the all to short range of her flashlight. It wasn't long before they stopped running. The air smelt like iron, or maybe an asphalt road. No longer moving on instinct, they looked at their surroundings. It was hard to see, but alien shapes hid just beyond her view. Her mind always played tricks on her, but this felt different, and so she stopped.

“Something's off.” Haze said.

“Whatever happened, I think it happened here.”

“Want to find a different way?”

“Lets get this over with instead.” Now was not the time to be weak. Clear took a step forward, and regretted it. She felt a jab of pain and jerked backwards. Now was also the time to be cautious.

Haze darted forward and looked with Clear at her right forehoof. She only had a prick, but I came from a metal shard.

“Clean, no rust, you should be fine. ”

Clear furled her eyebrows and scrunched her face. Considering everything that could go wrong, getting sick was the least of her concerns. Worst case scenario she would still have months to live, which was a pretty good deal right now.

She poked around where she stepped on shard and began looking. Haze cocked his head.

“The ground is distorted. It looks different.” Clear said.

“I can barely see you, how can you tell it's different.”

“I'm telling you, something is off. Feel the ground around you, something is off.”

Haze Kicker copied his sister. Now content, Clear continued her investigation. The fresh soil smelled of pine cones, compost, and motor oil. The smell exuded from deep incisions in the ground which led deeper into the forest. She gulped, but then straightened her posture and delved into the forest. The deeper she went, the more pieces of metal she encountered. Then she saw a tree that had lost half its branches. Beyond the tree were frightening shapes that looked back at the filly. She always saw such shapes in the dark could tell herself that they were just bushes and trees. Not this time.

She lowered his head, then approached. There was a spark, and it illuminated metal. Her heart rate rose, and her mind blanked, but it soon became obvious what she was looking at.

Clear fixed her posture and stepped onto the wreckage. It collapsed, causing her to jolt back. She then turned her head and looked around at the other crash sites. It was almost pitch black, so it was a meaningless gesture. But the filly could still infer from the shapes and angles at the edge of her vision that the forest was now a machine graveyard. Ideas about what might have caused this ran through her mind. Did all of them malfunction? Was there an engineering error? Did somepony do this on purpose? Was there an alien hiding behind the wreckage, about to abduct her? Did it already abduct Haze?

She was about to call out to him, but just a second before she did so, Clear heard him approaching from behind the wreckage. So instead she started walking around it and over to him.

“Hello? Is somepony else there?” said a mare's voice from behind the wreckage. Clear's heart skipped a beat. The voice came from a thicket that was just in front of her. But nothing was there. No, there was somepony else, and she was right in front of Clear.

“I am a part of the festival medical staff. Are you hurt? I just had my colleague take a collapsed colt to the emergency room, was he with you?”

She was talking about Haze. She had to be. Clear wanted to bolt towards the mare, but she held back. Instead, Clear straightened her body and took much more cautious steps.

Only a few scattered rays of moonlight reached the forest floor, but it was enough that Clear could make out the shape of a bulky pony once she knew what to look for. The pony watched for a second, than stepped forward, revealing that she was actually a cloaked mare. She had been inspecting a knot of wires and roots in a path carved by the wrecked machine, just as Clear had been doing. Clear was not sure how long the mare had been there, but she just mentioned a collapsed colt. The mare did not at all look worried.

"You saw a collapsed colt? What color was his fur?” Clear said.

“It was quite dark.” This was bad. It had to be Haze.

“What happened to him?“

"He had a head injury. Do you have any injuries? What is your relationship with him?“

The cloaked mare was lying. She had to be. There was no way that Haze would do anything reckless without Clear by his side. Why would this mare lie to her, and with something like this? Did she do something to Haze? What if he really was injured?

The mare was looking right at her. She approached Clear, and came very close before she sat down and began examining for problems. The mare then looked her in the face and asked various questions. Can you see? Are your ears ringing? Where were you hurt?

Clear looked down at her hoof. She had not mentioned being hurt. Now the mare's attention was on the pricked hoof. After a moment, Clear showed it to the medical mare and said “I stepped on some metal. Only a few minutes ago. It doesn't hurt.”

The cloaked mare grabbed the hoof and came closer. She looked at the hoof for a second than began looking at the rest of Clear's body. Clear could now see the mare's face. She was a unicorn. Her horn had been hidden underneath the hood. Her horn was covered by an emitter, presumably the magnetic kind that most medical staff have.

"You are a unicorn." Clear said.

The medical mare paused for a second, then smiled. "What kind of pony are you?" she said.

That question wasn't important, but Clear told her that she was a pegasus.

The mare spoke.“The laceration isn't deep, but it is dirty. Your fur is absolutely covered in mud. A more thorough checkup is needed. What color is your fur?"

That question wasn't important either. The medical mare must have been reading Clear's mind, because she quickly mentioned that it was relevant for determining what she was looking at in this limited light environment

"My fur is white with light blue tint."

The mare's face then became increasingly concerned. "I can take you back to our medical tent and have some antibiotics administered."

None of this mattered. Clear needed to know if Haze was alright. “Where did you take the colt you mentioned?” she said.

Then she immediately wanted to cringe. That was far too accusatory. The mare was just trying to help. But there was no time to waste, Haze might be hurt. But, apologies to the medical mare, this was taking too long, and all this help was wasted on Clear.

“To an emergency medical tent by the festival. I can take you there.”

Clear took a deep breath. "That would be great."

The medical mare smiled and shook her head in agreement, then returned to a flat expression she had when examining Clear. She said to Clear to take the lead what once was a dense thicket. Happy to finally get moving, Clear did so. She was so eager to go back, that she overtook the medical mare and stopped hearing her steps. So Clear was going to turn around and wait, but when she did so she saw the mare standing still. Her horn gave off a faint blue glow.

The mare didn't understand. Clear really needed to get back to safety. So she drew a breath, started tapping her hoof, and looked around. Anything to hint that she was impatient, so she waved around her flashlight
to get the mare's attention. There was something big and metal by the mare's side. It was there one second, then it was gone.

The metal moved faster than Clear could react, but it had definitely hit her. She shrieked and fell into a pile of dead leaves as the metal smashed into the flashlight and grazed her hips.

The medical mare trotted forward. Her eyes were wide open but then she scowled. There was the sound of branches breaking and leaves crunching. Clear's leg was hurting. Really badly, almost unbearably so. She clenched her jaw and looked at her leg. It was covered in mud, but there was a spot that was darker than the rest, and it hurt. Was it the size of an apple? Was that ochre mud, or something else... the medical mare was there, maybe she could help.

That mare attacked Clear, but that was impossible, she couldn't have. There was no way the medical pony attacked her. It can't be, not her. Please, not now. The mare was coming closer to inspect for damage, right? That mare was angry. The pain actually hurt. Clear lowered herself and held her leg. She could deal with the mare in a second, right now her leg was torturing her. Could she walk, or were her bones broken?

The mare was above Clear, hovering a staff that was aimed at her legs. Clear tried crawling away from the mare, but she wasn't sure where to go. She was transfixed on the staff, as if she would be able to get away from it in time. It might as well have been a formality for the mare in front of her, like Clear was signaling to her that she won, the show is over, great performance by the way but really, this show is over, please let it end, its hard to keep an eye on you through tears, especially in a dark forest.

“What was Lightening Oak thinking? He really sent me to take care of a bunch of kids, didn't he? I was all cautious for nothing.”

The mare sounded angry, but there was a hint of gloating in her voice. Clear looked back and saw her the emotion in her enemy's face lit by the increasingly bright blue horn. It was contempt, only contempt. The feeling was mutual. This mare had taken Haze, and for that she must pay. The best way to start would be to wipe that stupid contempt off of her face. Her glowing annoyingly bright. It must have been blinding to the mare, who was looking down at a touchpad.

"Can you hear me now Star Gazer? The targets are a white pegasus filly and a black pegasus colt, not black and white siblings. Did you get that? Just come over to me, I am downhill from the wreckage."

Clear twisted her body, then whipped back to drive as much power into a face kick as she could muster. Then there was a muffled thump and the rustling of leaves. She landed a direct hit on the smug mare's face, probably knocking her out cold.

Clear shambled upwards. Her legs were shaking and more than once wouldn't support her weight. The back leg still hurt, not that it was important. The pain was nothing compared to that of losing Haze. At least that's what Clear thought, she still winced putting any weight on it and she stood still with three hooves on the ground.

Hadal

Clear Firmament trudged towards the glade. She was hit on the side and as such could only move at an excruciatingly leisurely pace. She could probably gallop if her life depended on it, but hopefully it never came to that. Her brother was no where to be found. Should she go to the festival and call somepony? Where was the festival? Where was the nearest doctor?

There was only the sound of breathing and crunching leaves. The forest was cold, and every step she took and every leaf she trampled took a little bit of warmth away from her. But she had to keep moving, because she was scared of not doing so.

Pitch darkness was all she could see. Patches of moon light shone onto the forest floor, but her mind played tricks, and she saw terrible shapes. There was an odd resignation. Clear Firmament had no time to be scared of the forest monsters. There was no choice, the process was already underway. All she could do was move. The adrenaline came, but it did not stay, no matter how scared she was.

She entered the mossy glade. The bare sky shone onto it, giving Clear sight. Her world expanded to a shield of evergreens around the glade. There was nopony around, and nopony could see inside without first coming in. The filly leaned on a rocky outcrop and all but collapsed to the ground. This was bad, she needed to keep going. But maybe now was a good time to attend to her injuries? No, that can happen after retribution. And finding Haze. The mare couldn't be far,

What did that unicorn mare want? She attacked without cause, no, even worse, she made up an elaborate story and attacked. Did she think that we caused the crash? That doesn't make sense either. She needs to suffer for her sins. Clear needed to find Haze. The two of them together could do anything.
The festival was supposed to be fun, but why would anything good ever happen? The current situation was dire, and Clear did not know how to proceed. The sheer helplessness and injustice that she faced paralyzed her mind. Why was everything so hard?

A colt's voice called out to her. “What are you doing out here?”

Clear looked back for the intruder. Who else did she need to fight? The voice sounded young, so he should be easy to beat and interrogate.

“What are you doing out here?” the voice said again

A shock went through her body. This time the voice was much closer: right next to her.

On top of the rocky outcrop looking down on Clear was a colt. He had a huge build and an unkempt flaxen mane. He wore a cloak, but even in the darkness his voice betrayed that this was the silhouette of colt. A strong colt, but a colt nonetheless. His face was quite skinny. So it was all muscle underneath that cloak? Maybe he could beat her other leg so she would be balanced again.

"I am searching." Clear said. She waited a second to tell him. It was dangerous to let other ponies know that her brother was kidnapped, and what she intended to do about that. But that didn't matter. If this colt wanted her, she was screwed anyways, so skip the formalities.

"What for?" he replied.

"For the ponies that kidnapped my brother."

"You are searching for ponies in a secluded glade upon the hill? Or were you running away?"

"Watch it."

The colt smiled and looked away for a second. "Well, it worked. You found one. I captured your brother."

Oh.

This was bad. On some level Clear knew he was one of them, but to actually have it confirmed complicated matters.

And he was the one who captured Haze. And she blurted out that she was looking for him. She still wasn't sure if it was cold instinct or improvised bravado that made her say it, but it was too late now. The darkness could take her now.
But the ponies were to suffer, as Clear had ordered. How dare they just intrude on somepony's life and take it away. This colt, this exact colt right here, took Haze.

"Do not be mad, please." he said.

Acidic anger was all that Clear could feel towards the pony right there. Really now? Was he that indifferent to oth-yes, the answer was yes. Was this his idea of playing with his food? It wasn't going to work.

"I do not hate you, I was forced to." he said, looking at Clear. This was the first time he made eye contact.

Oh no, he is being serious, isn't he.

The colt sat down next to her in a much too casual manner. Looking her in the eyes, he said "For some reason the Boss wants you, so he sent ponies to capture you. My partner said something about you and your brother being able to bring the magic back, does that help you understand?"

Her ears perked up at the mention of magic, then her thoughts subsided. Really, Clear needed a moment to process the information. She spoke anyways. "Who is the Boss?"

"He is trying to bring the magic back."

This colt knew just how to push her buttons, even a none-answer like that was interesting. Magic? That couldn't be. What was this colt getting at?

"How did you meet him."

The colt hesitated. Hopefully this question didn't go to far. "I have always been with him and the gang. Many of them are the same way. I can get you all in contact if you're interested."

That just created more questions.

Clear was astonished, and a little dumbfounded. He was talking about the ponies who took Haze. Ponies. Plural. And he was here to kidnap her, presumably. Now he wants to talk about his work buddies. Why does a colt have work buddies, doesn't that violate some law? How old was he even? None of this was relevant.

"You ruined the festival and destroyed the drones! Somepony could have gotten hurt! Haze was kidnapped! Can you just answer the questions normally?"

"Sorry, I thought I had been. Can you explain a bit slower your questions?"

Something was off about the way this colt talked. The intonation, prosody, and word order were unusual. So was the pace. If he didn't fully understand Clear, that could explain his weird answer.

"How could you and the other pony just attack me and my brother?"

"Do you not want magical powers?"

"I want my brother back!"

"That can be arranged. Come with me." The colt stood up and motioned to go.

This was bad. He was going to take Clear to the other kidnappers. He was a kidnapper! He seemed nice enough, but at the end of a day he had a job to do. But the colt didn't expect Clear to fight back.

The colt looked away, and she turned her body and readied to kick. Then pain shot through her and she bit her lips. The colt looked back and gazed at her.

Clear spoke. "I can't walk. Can we stay here for now?"

"Sure" he said after a time.

This bought a little bit of time. It was all Clear Firmament could do. It had to lead somewhere.

"What do you plan to do with magical powers?" She asked.

"Nothing much, I'm an Earth Pony. But the others have big huge grand dreams. Like the pony who makes our cloaks, he wants more money for his village's school. Or the pony who wants to live forever. Oh! On the way here my partner was talking about how teleportation would change society."

What a peculiar group of criminals. Was he attempting to win Clear over?

"What does being an Earth Pony have to do with anything?"

He cocked his head. "Hmm? They don't have magic."

"According to the legends, Earth ponies have a magic of their own. But its much more mysterious and subtle."

He thought for a second. "Well, the point is...the future I have never thought about, really. I will probably keep working for the boss."

"Is that it? Don't you want to do something else?"

"What's the point? I work for the boss, or I work for somepony else. "

"It doesn't have to be that way. "

"Yes it does." He searched for an explanation for a moment. "There is no place for somepony like me."

Clear Firmament had to choose her next words very carefully. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The colt didn't answer. The darkness made his expression unreadable, and many possibilities, few of them pleasant, ran through Clear's mind. Then, the colt looked to the side and cocked his head upwards. He was just gathering his thoughts.

His next expression was clear as day. It was a bright-eyed smile. "Do you want to know, really?"

That wasn't the expected answer. There was a bit of embarrassement in the voice that almost made Clear feel sorry for the colt in front of her, so she nodded.

"Before I start, how's your leg? Do you need more time? Your brother is fine, I promise."

"A little bit more time would be great." How could she answer any differently?

"Alright, just tell me if anything changes. Oh, I forgot, what's your name?"

"Clear Firmament."

"My name is Star Gazer. I am going to ramble at you for a while to answer your earlier question."

His name was Star Gazer. His father was the boss of a shady organization('but they were good ponies, really!'). Star Gazer has five siblings, of which is he is the second youngest. He doesn't know them very well, because his father has made a habit of sending them away, somewhere, to learn. When it was Star Gazer's time, his father sent him to the Hyena tribes so as to 'learn the ways of old'. Star Gazer made special mention of one of the tribe's customs. When a member comes of age, they are to go on a solo hunt, and when they come back a divination is made based on what prey they brought back afterwards. Star Gazer brought back a pony.

"I want to show the others that I am as strong as them. No, I am in body and spirit stronger."

Star Gazer was finished talking. He really was a fascinating colt, but he still helped kidnap Haze. Well, his actions were understandable. He did spare Clear.

He killed a pony.

So far, he has spared Clear. She realized how cold the air was, and how little she could actually see. The sky clouded over during the conversation, and now everything was a vague form in the dark. She could barely see the colt in front of her

This was taking too long, Haze was in trouble, and likely, so was Clear.

"I know your leg isn't that hurt. You were faking it because you were scared. "

That statement wasn't as scary as it would have been earlier. At this point, Clear had mixed feelings about everything, but scared wasn't one of them. She felt a bit of disappointment for the colt, and anger at his father and the organization. Still, Star Gazer's words pierced her.

"Star Gazer, I'm sorry. It's been a long night."

"I understand. Lets get going."

This time, Clear stood up without hesitation. Then Star Gazer pulled something out of his cloak and gave it to Clear.

"It is a flashlight. It is dark out if you didn't notice."

Clear accepted it. "You know, I had one, until one of your own destroyed it."

"Yeah they can be like that."

"Hey, why didn't you use one."

"So I could look cool."

Star Gazer looked past Clear an pointed

"The castle is directly north of here, just past the first mountain. It should be easy to reach before sunrise. Nothing will happen until then."

Clear looked into the valley below. She and Star had different definitions of 'easy'.

"You can start walking." he said as he started walking in the other direction. Clear called out to him.

"Star Gazer?"

He kept walking. "Hey, I need to take a leak, don't stare. I will just be past the evergreens for a minute or three. Please, you should be going, to the castle past that mountain. The ponies should be all in the courtyard. Your brother is waiting."

Clear Firmament understood. She nodded, then turned around. He couldn't have seen her nod.

"Oh, Clear... Thanks for listening."

Clear smiled, then began running.

Pelagic

Clear Firmament had never been this far from home before. She had passed the mountain, and was now rising up the base of another. The clouds were parting, letting moonlight through, and so she searched for Star Gazer's castle.

There was something in the darkness, but her view was blocked by trees and bushes. She moved towards it, and paused when she found a patch of land on the hill where there was no obstructive plants. Clear ran into the middle of the field and looked up and across the field to see old stone walls, dyed white in moonlight.

On the hillside were old castle ruins. There were towers and crenelations that rose high above the tree line, their silhouettes just barely visible. Clear could see an entrance, but before she tried to cross the field she saw movement atop the castle walls. Was she alone? Was she spotted? She had yet to use the flashlight Star Gazer gave her, so that was unlikely.

Cloud cover returned, and the world was dark again. Clear went to the castle gate, not by crossing the field, rather under cover of the forest. The gate was wide open when she approached it, but she thought on the movement she saw. It had to have been another pony, and it could have been one of the ponies who kidnapped Haze. This night had been all too hostile, so it might not be a good idea to walk right into whatever it had left in store. Another entrance had to be found.

She circled the perimeter looking for another way in. Thinking back on her conversation with Star Gazer, she remembered the magic of old. Pegasi had long since lost their ability to fly, according to legend, but Clear was light enough that she could glide a short distance should the need arise. These ruins were built on to a hill, so there should be somewhere where the height difference would allow her to break in.

Clear looked around while she circled the perimeter. There were no obvious places, but she had to find a way to save Haze. Deciding to make do with what she had, she climbed the nearest trees. She leapt up smaller trees, jumped off of them, and glided to a bigger tree. Dull pain still came from her side, but it was manageable. What was not manageable was the rustle of leaves and the breaking of branches. What if the ponies inside heard?

Clear paused. If she was so scared of other ponies that she refused to use the main entrance, what was she going to do once inside? Her heart felt like a stone. A twisted and knotted stone. Something inside her told her to go back, but like an outside observer into her own body she decided to ignore her feelings. She had to save Haze.

Atop the tallest tree and overlooking the walls, she could see the world around her. All black with a few shapes here and there.

Getting up here gave her a feel for what she had to overcome, but this was too much. A black sea separated her from the castle walls, and Clear was unsure if she could glide that far. If she failed, her crashing into the forest below would surely alert somepony. But she had to find a way to save Haze.

Her heart beat was out of control. Her breathing, however, could be controlled. She took a deep breath and stretched her wings. Then she took another, slower breath and nodded to herself. One more breath, and Clear jumped off the tree. She felt her heart beating against her chest, she felt her limbs become tense, and she felt her guts twist, but that was all just feelings. Her body fighting her. She did not care. She was gliding. She felt wind through her fur and heard it in her ears. Now if she could just keep this up, that would be great.

The castle approached. It was horribly level with her line of sight. She wasn't losing speed, was she? Or was she too low? Was she about to fall? The top of the walls were closing in, and Clear let out a long breath. This was too tight. But she had this, right?

Clear's hooves stepped onto the stone crenelation. Her legs were weak and almost did not stop her from falling on her face. But she was inside. She was inside! What if she couldn't have stopped herself in time and she went right off the ledge? A scary thought, but not important now.

Moonlight began to break through the clouds and onto the castle. Nopony was around to see her. No, wait, there was something over there, on one of the inner walls. Was that a pony? There was a shape there. Something was there. But what was it? No way it was a pony, they would have to be lying down to make that shape, and who would do that?

The shape broke apart. Clear cowered back then down. The shape was in two moving pieces, and then she understood. It was two ponies, their heads peaking over the crenelations. They initially appeared as one shape, they must have been talking.

Clear was unmoving. Fear did not properly describe what she felt, but it was not entirely wrong. There was not a hint of dread, but she defaulted to rejecting every idea that came to her mind.

She had a lead, and she had to use it. Two ponies, right there, talking. If she could get close enough, something would happen. Surely.

Not wanting any risk, she crawled along the stone floor. Her pace picked up when the moonlight faded away, but she kept low. After much too long, she was a corner away from two ponies.

They were engaged in idle chatter. One was talking about marriage problems and the other provided jokes and advice. Nothing helpful.

But they were around the corner. Clear had to go straight ahead, deeper into the castle interior. She waited until the cloud cover returned, and then hesitated. Her insides felt like they were eating themselves. Organs hurt in multiple ways now. Going home was a good idea, because really, somepony else should do this. Did she even have a plan? No, she did not have a plan, but that was not important. Haze needed her. She could think of something along the way.

Then she heard something from the ponies that caught her attention, so she listened closely. After a minute, she could make out what they were saying.

"Anyways, brimming with confidence, he assured Ascension that the ritual only needed one of them. We will only get half the power, but the other one can be found at anytime and we can just re-perform the ritual. I had never seen the kid so full of emotion in my life. Apparently neither had the boss since he trusted the kid. “

Ascension? Was that somepony's name?

"Sounds like the start of a bad joke. Your telling me that Star Gazer waltzed into the courtyard and gave that story, all with a straight face?“

Star Gazer?

"Even worse, practically jumping with joy.“

"We really are going to see some magic tonight, aren't we?“

The conversation turned to bad jokes and idle chatter. Clear inched away. The ponies had mentioned the courtyard. Makes sense, that's where she would have performed a magic ritual. And just her luck, the archway leading to the courtyard was in her line of sight.

Now for the hard part, how to get into there without anypony noticing? Star Gazer also mentioned the courtyard, and said that everypony would be there.

There was nowhere to climb up, and no other obvious entrances. Clear's ears dropped and she sighed. The answer was simple: glide down then run through when nopony is looking. That's it, that's all she had to do. If she couldn't see anypony, then nopony could see her.

Randomly, she leapt over the walls and glided down to the archway. That was dangerous; she didn't give anything more than a quick side glance to see if the other ponies on the wall could see her, but no matter, the archway was right there.

The voices of another two ponies were to the left of her. Clear froze, then jolted to shadows. The voices were out of sight, a few pieces of ruins away. Clear was now in what once might have been a room or small house or something, but now was nothing more than a few dry stone walls jutting out of the main wall. She could see the dark archway just by looking forward, but he had no idea what direction the other two ponies were facing. It was a gamble if they faced the archway, but the gamble on whether they could see her in this darkness was one that Clear was willing to take.

At that second she nonchalantly walked to the archway.

For the briefest second her hope was lost as she saw only darkness and stone towers in front of her. Then she heard the beating of drums. Clear turned the corner and saw the silhouette of a great oak tree against a blue light, and through the low lying leaves she saw solid and moving shapes. Except for one, an unmoving silhouette pressed against the oak tree that looked like a certain long haired colt she was here to rescue.

Clear hugged the walls of the courtyard. She was not sure of what to do now, so she looked for an easy escape route in case anything went wrong. The courtyard was surrounded by stone walls. Beyond the oak tree was a tower that she could climb inside of, but it was beyond the oak tree. To her left and across the court to her right were the stone wall skeleton of what once had been a series of room. She snuck into the room to her left. It was connected to another room, and then another that in turn had an opening on the right to the castle's innermost layer of walls, the walls surrounding the courtyard.

Taking little caution, Clear moved through the rooms and the opening and now was on a small walkable path atop layer of walls just outside the couryard's higher walls. Had she not been a Pegasus, she would have been overcome with vertigo as she looked over the all too low crenelations onto the castle, hill, and valley below. The moon hung high in the sky, and under its light she could see everything so clearly.

The walkway on the walls encircled the courtyard. Since it was surely intended for ponies to defend the couryard once an army breached the other walls, there should be a path to the tower. Clear began to walk around, and soon the tower entrance was found. The inside was dark, and Clear followed the stairs upwards, smiling to herself. A plan was brewing in her head. First, she would gather some rocks at the top of the tower. Then she would drop them down, making everypony scatter. Then she would swoop down, grab Haze, then they would run and jump off the walls and into the forest where they would glide away. A few simple steps. Foolproof plan.

What was she thinking? Wouldn't that hurt somepony?

Her thoughts where racing, as they had been for some time now. Her tail whipped back and forth and she found herself pacing when she stopped paying attention. She had been acting on panicked, directionless autopilot. Clear was now aware of her state and situation, and now had no idea what to do.

She really did break into a castle that really was crawling with villains, all to save her brother. And now, she was practically planning a mass murder. She let out a small laugh at her situation. No way, she was better than these ponies.

She walked onto the roof of the tower and saw the stars. She took a deep breath, then looked onto the courtyard below. A whitish glow emanated from the perimeter. Everypony was clearly visible, but one stood out. He was taller than the rest and wore extravagant necklaces and bracelets that were made of bone. Next to him was Gale. She was looking around for something.

The pony covered in bone ornaments spoke up. “Now that both of them are gathered here, the ritual can begin!”

The ritual required both of them. It required both of them in the courtyard.

This was a little bothersome, but quick action was needed. For the most part the ponies below were talking among themselves and looking around. At least one was looking up and staring right at Clear, surely confirming that he was looking at a pony, a pony that was needed for the ritual.

Clear became increasingly desperate and her heart turned erratic. What could she do? There was not time to think, she had to fly, but no way would that work. But she had to. She had to, she knew it. She felt shook inside, like somepony took her soul and beat it senseless. Her heart raced, until by chance Clear flared her wings.

Something had clicked in Clear this moment. Like remembering a dream, everything fell into place and she channeled instinctual power through her body. With her wings stretched wide, she stepped off the ledge. Flying came to her just as naturally as saving Haze did.

A parabola would bring her to Haze. It would hurt to the tree or any pony, so she made minor adjustments on her curve. The Oak was wide and, really, encompassing was the best way to describe it. Without thinking her wings made subtle movements maneuvered her through through the sweet spot between ponies and foliage. Thinking about it would probably ruin the magic, so she put all her focus on what was in front of her. Which, after what felt like an eternity, was Haze Kicker.

“Clear!” He cried out. His eyes widened. “You're flying!”

Most ponies took a moment to register what happened. The crowd was stunned, probably. Clear wasn't really paying attention. Without missing a beat, Clear grabbed her brother and took a sharp turn upwards. Haze was saved, but the extra mass ruined her speed, and now they sat in the tree branches.

She hit his shoulder. “Haze! Follow me!”

“What are you doing here! Wha-How did you do that!”

Huh? Did he not feel the primal power flowing in him?

“I am here to rescue you! C'mon, help me find a spot to jump off of. We can glide out of here!”

“That was flying, I saw your wings flapping!”

“You can do it too, lets go.”

Haze cocked his head. “Clear, you were flying.”

She paused. She really did it. Her brother was here, and she actually flew. Clear felt a surge of happiness. All they had to do now was jump and fly to safety, and Clear saw the perfect launching point. Her brother was similarly ecstatic, and he came with. Together, they readied themselves to dart out of the tree.

An imposing stallion covered in bone came into view in front of the tree. He was alone. Clear recognized him as the pony that talked with Gale earlier. The stallion's horn was wrapped in a metal case, and it was glowing.

Fwip. Something shot through the leaves. Then another thing, then more. Clear and Haze dropped to sturdier branches. Every second something shot through the leaves. Clear heard the sound of bark exploding and felt splinters hit her head. She looked at the hole in the tree, and saw a screw surrounded by gnarled wood.

More objects shot through the leaves around Clear and Haze. She tried to look for a way out. Commercial horn cases could only move metal in a very limited set of directions. There had to be a pattern, so what was the stallion thinking?

Where is he getting the metal from? They were small objects like screws. This castle was used for storage of all sorts of stuff, so the material could be coming from anywhere. If it was coming from anywhere, then how could a pattern be determined?

Haze was yelling. “Ponies are moving under the tree!”

Clear looked down. A few strong Earth ponies were at the base of the tree. Then she heard another piece of metal hit the trunk. There was no time to be smart. Light was still emanating from the ground, so the ritual must still be going. Any second Haze will be able to just fly out of here.

Something was wrong. She felt that churning, heavy feeling in her.She couldn't just leave. These ponies will have magic, and who knows what they will do with it! Maybe they will be the only ones with magic. For the sake of everypony else, she had to end the ritual.

But this was real magic. A once in a lifetime opportunity for actual magic. Star Gazer had a point earlier. Could she really pass this up?

Clear leaped to the ground. In front of her was the orchestrator of this night.

“Why are you doing this!” Clear said.

To her surprise, he answered.

”To reclaim what was lost.”

They stared at each other. The crowd was silent

“Wondrous things can be done with magic. Imagine a world with no disease, or a world with endless energy. Every pony would know their true calling in life, and pegasi could fly again, as you have discovered.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“I am not with these ponies, they are merely using my services. I've spent my life chasing magic, and thanks to you and your brother, we can finally bring it back. Think about our legends and myths. Remember all the magnificent stories of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

He dropped his guard. “I dream of a better world. A world where everypony knows their purpose and where heroes are real.”

Clear almost felt sympathy. She had to think for a moment. Then he took a step forward.

“This ritual, will it make everypony magical?” she asked.

“If what I know is correct, they will in time. For now, it is only us.”

A familar mare's voice shot from the crowd. "Ascension! Let me take over from here!"

“I told you to stay back! Let me handle this.” He looked back at Clear. “You and your brother are the key to a new era. Please, your cooperation will be very helpful.”

Gale came into view beyond bone pony who was presumably named 'Ascension'. She trotted up to him and talked in hushed tones. To her surprise, they were perfectly audible, to Clear at least.

“We chose this location for a reason. Let's get a move on.”

Ascension replied. "We have days before anypony thats not here will become magical. Don't worry. Unless, of course, you doubt my expertise."

"Watch it. Don't think that you are untouchable or you will be the first one on the chopping block after tonight."

Ascension ignored her and walked forward.

Clear was uneasy. So only ponies here will have magic?
She called out."Hey, Ascension was it?"

The bone covered pony smiled wide and spoke like he was a grand Wizard."That's my name. Speak, and I may answer."

Clear heard a deriding whisper from the crowd. "Actually, that's just what he calls himself."

“Why did you attack us?” Clear said.

“I panicked. That was foolish of me, I could have hurt you. But the priority at the time was the ritual, and I had heard from the insubordinate pony aiming her staff at you right now that you were quite cunning. For what its worth, I merely wanted to suppress your movement, and I will see to it that you get top medical care if you sustained any injuries."

He paused."After the ritual of course.”

“The ponies here, what do they want to do? You want to monopolize power, but for what?”

The stallion was becoming increasingly animated. “Please, let me reiterate. I don't care about what they are doing. They merely require my service, but I am not one of them. Everypony will have magic eventually, and a perfect world can be achieved.”

Magic. It was hard to throw away, but these ponies only wanted it for evil. Equestria has moved on, and with each day it moves forward just a little bit more.

Clear called for Haze, then flared her wings. She heard a series of shouts, then took off. She flew into the sky, then higher, until she could barely hear the shouting. There was not a gust of wind to be heard, there was only the sound of her wings.

Only her wings? She looked around. It was hard to see in the darkness, so she called out for Haze. No response. Clear was in panic, and looked for a little black silhouette anywhere near her. Nothing.

She looked back at the courtyard, and she could make out every detail. Every individual pony and every leaf on the tree was easy to discern. She saw Gale shouting at Ascension, and Star Gazer was nearby, out of the crowd and looking up into the sky. She saw a cloaked stallion who was even further from the crowd than Star Gazer. He was surrounded by ruins, and atop a patch of inclined grass he watched the affair. His image said more than words ever could. He was the leader, and he was angry. Maybe Clear could leave this place with the knowledge that Gale and the others will get righteous justice.

Then she saw Haze. He was still in the tree and was making a terrified expression and had his ears drooped as if to hide his face in shame. Of all times to be scared, now was not it. Clear shouted to her brother, but he could not hear. By the looks of it, nopony heard.

Ponies were moving underneath the tree. Clear watched as her brother made an hideous dash further up the tree as something reached for his leg. She had to do something, but what could she do? Every unicorn's horn was primed and ready to fire metal at her. Some of the pegasi were trying to fly. Some even got off the ground. Star Gazer was staring aimlessly into the sky. There was nothing else here, so what was he looking at?

Everything clicked into place. Nopony could see Clear yet. Only she, and possibly Haze, had magic. If Ascension was correct, than any second the sky would fill with angry pegasi. Clear needed to know if Haze had his pegasus abilities back, and she could prove it by getting his attention.

Clear waved her hooves in huge arcs and tried to make her self obvious. Haze was looking every direction imaginable, so by dumb luck he should see her soon. Finally, after Clear zipped through the sky, they locked eyes.

Clear raised her arms, trying to motion for Haze to go up. When it clicked in him, he looked down for a second. He needed help. Or, more likely, an incentive. Clear waved her arms in an 'X' motion. Enough was enough, he needed to quit messing around. Haze knew full well that she would find him a way out, and that was the problem.

Haze pleaded to her, probably. Clear wasn't looking. Instead, her sights were aimed at the cloaked stallion near Star Gazer. She dove for that pony.

She moved a bit slower than she expected, or maybe she was higher up than previously thought. During her descent, she had time to think. This was the first time all night that doing so wasn't dangerous. It really was the same night, wasn't it? Usually she would wake up before the fun part of her dreams, so maybe tonight was real.

The sky's frozen isolation was wonderful, Clear decided. Once she was close enough to the ground to feel warmth again she realized how shackled and numbed she had been her entire life. Heavy. That's what came to Clear's mind. Everything about the ground was so heavy and crowded. The ground and all its denizens overwhelmed the senses and so dulled them. Clear looked to her brother, and saw his bewildered expression. There was fear, but mostly confusion. Gale went from confusion to a deer-in-the-headlights look. Ascension was muttering to himself. Star Gazer was absolutely terrified. Clear wasn't sure why, its not like she was aiming for him.

At the last second, Clear pulled up next to the cloaked stallion and wrapped her wing around his neck in a single slick maneuver. Enough was enough, it was time to enact justice.

Clear addressed everypony. “None of you have magic yet. That makes my wings the strongest thing in this courtyard. Let my brother go or this stallion dies.” A bit harsh, but these ponies deserved it. Truth be told, Clear didn't really plan how she would kill him, but at least with her and the hostage so close nopony would dare lob metal slugs at them. Was it even possible to choke him with her wing?

Nopony reacted. So they do value their own, and are deliberating. Maybe nopony wanted to make the decision. The crowd was currently shifting. Ascension, Gale, and a few others shoved to the front. Who had authority here? Gale sure seemed confident, but she deferred to Ascension earlier. Star Gazer certainly wasn't their leader, but his name carried some weight and he was the nearest free pony. It had to be him then. He would take Haze to safety.

Clear looked to him, then felt her heart sink. Star Gazer cowered back. His ears hung down and the color was drained from his face. His tail hung under his shaking legs. Star Gazer refused to meet Clear's eyes, and this, more than anything else, terrified her.

Gale yelled. “Get away from him!”

Clear hesitated. “Then let my brother go”

Ascension's horn started to glow. “A world of magic is more important than a single stallions life. I can't believe I have to tell you this.”

Gale snarled. “Star Gazer, kill him.”

Star Gazer leaped into action.

Clear's heart skipped a beat. She looked to Gale, who in return looker her in the eyes. She also heard the snap and thud sound.

Gale cleared the lump in her throat. “Forgive me...Please, grant me permission to take care the child” she said.

A deep voice came from the hostage. “No need.”

Clear felt a leg bear down upon her back. It happened before she could react, but her wing was no longer around her hostages neck. No, she was on the ground, underneath a leg that probably weighed more than her entire body, and she was being crushed. Maybe a rib had already popped, or worse. The stallion was much stronger than expected. Her wings should be stronger, but all she could do was struggle.

Struggle to breath, that is. Her last bit of breath left her alone as she groaned. The world moved around her, but that didn't matter because she just had the air slammed out of her and now she couldn't breath and this was really really bad. If only she could tell the stallion currently killing her that she was going to die. Then, as if her wishes were granted, his weight shifted, and she managed to gasp.

Clear looked off the ground to see Gale bowing. "Forgive me Lord Lightning Oak"

Lightning Oak? As in King of Canterlot Lightning Oak?

"Gale, you are relieved of your duties for the rest of the night."

"As you request, Lord Lightning Oak."

"Star Gazer, make sure the other pony is tied down."

"Yes, father." Star Gazer ran off.

The stallion, the King of Canterlot shifted his weight off of Clear, slightly.

"As you might have figured out, the ritual is quite simple. As long as you and your brother are in this general area, we can undergo the ritual, which gives me time to talk to you. I am impressed, little filly. Your actions took all of us off guard. The real question is, are your actions born from bravery, or arrogance? Most ponies can't think of anything bad happening to them, because that stuff just doesn't happen in our cushy modern lives. Maybe you didn't quite internalize what happened and didn't expect anything bad to happen to yourself."

Clear's heart was an orchestra, but she was still as a rock.

"Now bravery, perseverance, initiative are all qualities you don't find often among ponies. I think you have these qualities, and you are squandering them."

Clear try to do a push up with her wings. It didn't work, the stallion's leg was still pushing her down.

"Case in point."

Clear's wings were free to move about, apparently. No matter how hard she pushed or how she tried to leverage herself, nothing happened. The stallion's cloak was obviously hiding the body of a bodybuilder.

He made a comment about how Clear almost got him, then looked to his men and laughed. Clear used this opportunity to reach her wing into her bag and pull out the flashlight Star Gazer gave her earlier, and then drove it right into him just above his hoof. Lightning Oak recoiled. Only for a second, but that was enough for Clear.

She dashed forward and shambled upwards. She was about to kneel over and was gasping for breath. Forcing herself into good posture, she looked looked Lightning Oak in the eyes. When he grasped the situation, he smirked.

"You really are amazing. I've met just over a dozen ponies like you in my life, and each of them is a household name today. Some of them are right in front of you, if you want to meet them as well. Magic or not, your tenacity will bring you places, someday. Today I would like you to stay here for a few minutes. We can discuss matters further after the ritual."

"You are King Lightning Oak, and you lead these ponies."

He nodded.

"You hurt ponies."

The stallion's face turned dour. He looked down and swallowed. "I have hurt ponies"

The stallion's honest response took Clear off guard. She flew upwards to hover above Lightning Oak when she processed her thoughts. She then looked around to see that she was the only one moving.

"Little filly, I would really like if this ritual worked and for some of that pain to have meaning."

She spoke "You didn't have to do it."

"Nopony has to do anything. I am motivated by something greater than myself, the idea of a magical world. Imagine for yourself a fantasy world where everypony is free, safe, and able to be masters of their own fate, instead of being a cog in a system that just survives."

"It's gone, and the world has moved on."

"We can bring it back. It's normal to be scared of change, but we can change for the better."

"And for the worse."

"Why are you so against the possibility of a better world? Do you know how many ponies can be helped by magic? Why are you not fascinated by this?"

"Because I've seen what you and the ponies here have done when you had power over me and Haze. What happens when you have actual magical powers? You've already justified hurting others for the greater good, how far will you take it when you can conduct magical rituals and spells? I refuse to force others to hurt."

The stallion smiled. "That's a good choice of words. The ritual doesn't have to hurt, but I am asking you to volunteer."

"I accept, on a few conditions. I want you and everypony here to gallop out of the castle the second I stop talking. Then I want everypony to keep moving, until you are beyond the boundaries of Equestria. You will be the last to feel power. You, specifically, I want you to promise to fade into obscurity. A nod will suffice."

"I accept the last position. You can take my place if you like."

That took Clear off guard. The stallion continued.

"Tell me, do you believe in free will? "

Clear flew away, towards Haze, who now felt the magical power within him. She didn't see Star Gazer, but the crowd beneath her was in complete frenzy. Hopefully he was alright. Lightning Oak was stalling for time.

Through the countless shouts, the last question still rung in her ears. Lightning Oak was stalling for time, but it was an interesting thought process, and a part of Clear couldn't help but feel that he was genuinely trying to reach out to her. As Clear and Haze flew into the sky, she heard Lightning Oak shout something along the lines of "This isn't the only way."

Void

Clear Firmament and Haze Kicker flew through the sky in silence.They both felt their magic fading. The kids enjoyed their time, for they had returned to a home they never knew they had. The world was empty, and that made it open and free. There was only Clear and Haze, and together they had their own kingdom.

The sun was soon to rise, and it was during this hour that the air was at its best. Clear loved the wind running through her feathers, and it felt heavenly when she dashed through the sky. She couldn't help herself, she had to go a fast as her wings would take her. Haze watched in awe as she performed daring acrobatics, to which he tried so hard to modify into safe yet visually impressive stunts. Together they would race through the sky, and when a pony won, they would break off with their favorite trick. Clear didn't care about winning, she only enjoyed the wind in her feathers. She suspected Haze felt the same. She gracefully stopped this game when she could no longer ignore her slowing down.

Haze didn't seem to mind. Clear laughed as he started flying upside down. She wasn't sure if he realized their gradual loss, but she wasn't going to ruin the moment. Clear flew alongside him, and they played a game of I-Spy as their bodies descended. It was easy to beat Haze because he was slow to realize just how good Pegasus sight was, but as the sun started rising, he started winning more and more.

When they neared the ground, they were both laughing. Clear put her hoof out to brush past the Evergreen branches, but even at her humble speed the spiky leaves still hurt. Haze laughed, and that made Clear laugh as well. On the ground he nearly fell when he took his first step, then managed to eke out an awkward shuffle while laughing. Clear nearly fell, too, then took a minute to familiarize herself with the ground.

It was morning now. Then it hit her. This will never happen again. It was over, now a memory. Just as the future is anticipated until, in one instant, it becomes the past, their kingdom existed until it didn't. It is already a memory, and it was always already a memory.

The entire night, last night, existed a few hours ago. Mere hours ago, Clear was convinced that she would die, and was scared of an end to her future. That lost future no longer existed. Instead, Clear had a new future, and one day that too would no longer exist. Haze knew this too. Their lives might as well have already gone by.

Clear heard rustling in the bushes. Then she heard panting. A staff shot out of a thicket, which Clear just barely dodged. It pierced the ground past her and Haze. She looked over to the thicket, and saw a glowing horn come into view. At the corner of her vision, she saw Star Gazer's head poking out behind a tree.

Gale approached. Her eyes were locked on Clear.

“Hey, did you know that this is your fault.” Gale said with a fake enthusiasm. “You ruined everypony's night, and you hurt King Lightning Oak. You are criminals now.”

Haze spoke. “Why did you come-”

“Quiet. Shut up. Just sit there and nod. I will kill you two. I will kill you, understand? Do you have any idea how difficult it was to prepare the ritual? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and you threw it all away. I don't understand. Do you understand what you just did? Because I sure don't. You threw away the opportunity for magic to return because...because you don't like us? Because I was forceful with you? Do you understand how many possibilities ponykind would have had? Because I sure don't.”

Clear felt nothing.

“The past is over. The magic is gone. Equestria has moved on, and so should you.”

Gale was screaming “Are you kidding me? This is literal magic we are talking about!

“Gale, I miss it too. All I want right now is to fly again. I want that moment back, but one day that moment would fade into memory again, and I can't spend my life chasing this.”

Hatred flared within Gale. “So everything is worthless? Why bother with anything? Is that what you are saying?” It hurt Clear to see Gale this way.

“Please, that is not what I am saying! If you chase the past, you will lose your future! Everyday ponies wake up and look for new ways to create a better future. This drives us forward. It hurts to give up magic, it really does, but the King didn't want it to help us, he wanted it to rule forever.”

“You threw it all away! You did this! It;s your fault Equestria will never have magic again!”

"I don't know what you were planning, but I heard your conversation with Ascension. If you ponies really wanted magic, you would have listened to what I said."

Gale charged at Clear with her horn forward. Clear dodged, but in doing so she twisted her injured hoof and fell to the ground. Pain shot through her body, and when she looked up, Gale was right above her, ready to stomp on her neck.

Haze was next to her, twisting his body. In one swift movement, he spun on his forehoof and kicked Gale right in the chest with enough force to push her over Clear and onto the ground.

“Everything comes to an end someday.” he said. Haze stepped between Clear and Gale and made himself imposing. No, that came naturally, he didn't do anything.

“So you are going to kill me?” Gale said, to which Haze shook his head. For a second her face was one of confusion, then it morphed to relief, then back to a cold anger.

Clear spoke with sadness. “Do you really want us cut your life short?”

“Go ahead, you said it yourself, if one day everything will just be a distant memory that will die with me, then so be it, get it over with. It doesn't matter if I die now or later, and I know you want vengeance.”

Clear said “Gale-”Her speech was cut short by a crashing sound behind her. Gale's face contorted into pure hatred and she began shouting. When Clear looked behind her she saw Star Gazer wrapped around the metal staff, wrestling against Gale's magnetism. In a fluid motion that Clear couldn't follow, he twisted and threw it into the trees. Then the colt sprang in a few beautiful strides past Clear and towards Gale, then sunk his teeth into her neck. A deluge of blood came out, enough to drown a child in. Gale barely moved, but after a moment it was obvious that she was dead. Star Gazer avoided eye contact.

He spoke. “Did you really mean all of that?”

Clear was at a loss for words. If she spoke, she thought that she wouldn't be able to hold herself back. What she was holding back, she wasn't sure, but she was scared that it wasn't tears.

“You have your vengeance now. I am sorry that I got it, but you won in the end.”

Those words hurt Clear. This sight hurt Clear. This isn't what she wanted. Gale was dead, now just a memory and a dead body. Clear felt her own body tear itself apart. Her heart was trying to burst out of her chest. She felt her body try to move away, anywhere that was away from here. This was so horrible.

He did this for her. He took a life in her name. A few hours ago, that blood might have been on Clears hooves. Maybe it still was.

She and Star Gazer looked at each other. What she saw was a resolute and stern pony, and he was covered in blood. Clear had no choice, she had to let it all out. Star Gazer had to feel her sadness, fury, and pain. He had to understand what he just did.

But she refused. Star Gazer was a pony, just like them, and he understood full well what it means to take a life. He understood better than anypony else here, and that was the problem.

“Don't do that ever again.” she said. “Gale is dead. Now, we can actually escape, together. But make sure you don't ever try something like that ever again.”

Star Gazer said “Together...” then smiled. “You tried so hard, but I am not a hero. That is why I could help you, but no matter what happens, I am not a hero. I am Lightning Oak's son. Canterlot is a day's walk south of here. I'll tell them Gale tried to kill me for hesitating earlier. I can not tell you what Lightning Oak will do now. Now go.”

Clear was unsatisfied. Haze nudged her to leave, but she couldn't leave like this. Star Gazer can't be left like this.

"Hey, what did your father mean when he asked if I believed in free will? He was speaking earnestly and not stalling for time, wasn't he?"

Star Gazer wouldn't meet her gaze. "I am not sure. Yes, he was speaking honestly. Oh, yes. Its a deal. I promise.” Star Gazer said.

Clear knew exactly what he was referring to, and so she agreed to leave. A weight was lifted from her mind, but she was still unsatisfied. She never told him that yes, she meant all of that. Even worse, she never corrected Gale. Everything will end someday, and that is why she couldn't hurt Gale.

Author's Note

This story was supposed to have been published not too long after the show ended, but life got in the way. Feedback is appreciated. I feel like the pacing was weird, but at this point I have done so many revisions that I just want to publish this.

The castle was loosely based on a real one, and this story is very loosely based on a much larger story I wanted to write.