Trial and Error

Chapters

Chapter 1: A Riddle
Chapter 2: The Theory is Clear
Chapter 3: The Strange Beast
Chapter 4: The Shrouded One
Chapter 5: The Arc
Chapter 6: One Brick at a Time
Chapter 7: A Step Leeward
Chapter 8: An Invention, And Brief Tour
Chapter 9: A Sliver of Fear
Chapter 10: The Unexpected Guest
Chapter 11: Smells Like Victory
Chapter 12: Tell Me, Dear Brother...
Chapter 13: Renewing Interest
Chapter 14: Old Friend Turned Foe Turned Friend
Chapter 15: The Approaching Calm
Chapter 16: The Darkest Storm.
Chapter 17: Here's Hoping
Chapter 18: Fate Awaits
Chapter 19: The Final Link
Epilogue: A New Beginning

Chapter 1: A Riddle

Chapter 1: A Riddle

Every step foreward for you is a step leeward for another

They laughed. They laughed and laughed and laughed. They laughed at him, and his crazed ideals. They laughed until they were out of breath and couldn't laugh anymore. For years now they had laughed. Laughed at him, at his work, at everything he stood for, and at his lack of a cutie mark, at his age. Well, who would be the one laughing now?

He had done it. he had done something that none before him had ever dreamed. He had made it possible for unicorns and earth ponies to fly as the pegasi, without being constrained to those weak, pitiful excuses that had been used for decades. Now, all he needed was a test dummy...

He turned around and bolted to the door, which swung open into the stone hallway. Looking both directions, he found nothing, only torches lining the walls. but he actually had expected this, because when you live in an abandoned castle, in a forest no one dared set foot in (or at least the last time he checked, it was), you didn't get a lot of visitors. But that was how he liked it. No one to bother him, no one to laugh at him, and... no one to bounce theories off of or perform tests on.

He sighed, remembering that with every benefit came a condemnation. At least it worked the other way as well. He galloped on, at full speed, approaching the town ahead. It seemed... bigger than he remembered it. But again, he had been locked away for quite some time in that castle. Things tend to change when you've been gone ten years. Now in town, he galloped through the streets, spotting passerby that would do wonderfully for his experiment, but seemed that they were more concerned with other things, and quite content to stay on the ground.

He continued to gallop, a very precise location he had chosen, not far from the center of town, in an old, hollowed out tree. This was where he went in previous years: the town prison. The worst of the filth from all of the city was thrown down here, deep within the bowels of the earth. Bursting through the door, he knocked over what appeared to be another being, not a pony, though. It was purple and had green spines along its head and backbone. However, this was all the information he was able to collect before he burst through another door, this one leading to a staircase leading down in a spiral pattern.

At the bottom he came to an abrupt halt, suddenly realizing that, either he was in the wrong tree, or the prison had been removed from the area. All that was here was a series of machines and piles of notes, stacked carefully on the tables.He was about to go back and check if the scaly creature from before was sentient, when all of a sudden--

"Can I help you with something, sir?" said a voice from the stairwell. Looking up, he saw a unicorn descending the stairs. She was a deep shade of lavender, with a pink streak in her otherwise purple mane and tail, which were both brushed to perfectly straight lines. her cutie mark was a six sided star, surrounded by five others. It reminded him of a certain collection of stones that he had seen at his castle,in what seemed to be the main throne room.

"Yes, where are the prisoners? I should like to relieve one of his bindings."He said, trying to sound his most tolerant.

"There aren't any prisoners in here," Answered the mare with a smile. "This is a library. Well, lab, really. The library's upstairs."

"Ah, then where did they move the prison?" he asked, trying very hard to sound cordial.

"There haven't been any prisons in Equestria for two years. All the prisoners have been set free, at their bail. What, have you been living underground for the last five years?" she joked.

"N-n-no!" he lied, and he knew she saw through it when she chuckled.

"Well, would you like an update on recent history then?" she asked, getting closer. He desperately feared her getting closer, as she would probably laugh at him.

"No! That will be all!" he yelled, galloping past her and up the stairs. He slid past the counter, around the creature he had knocked over before, and out the door. Once more at op speed, he wove through the crowd, not even thinking about whom to use for the experiment. At the lack of a prisoner, he would just have to use another guinea pig, one closer to home. For who better to advance than oneself?

Chapter 2: The Theory is Clear

Chapter 2: The Theory is Clear

With no one around him worthy of his genius in his eyes, Akaitora Sped through the trees, a new idea fresh in his head. No one was worthy of bearing the fruits of his labor but him. The only problem was attaching the new pieces to his body. True, he was a unicorn, and one who had studied the pony anatomy at that. He had devised the entire machination to work naturally with the muscles in a pony's back. it was to feel natural, albeit adding weight to carry.

The one thing he hadn't though about was how to attach it to himself. But he would find a way. He always had. He always would.

Arriving safely back in his lab, he tore through his notes, looking for one in particular: The design for attachment. He knew it had to be around here somewhere. Was it near the new wing set? No. The older, failed copies? No. Among the odds and ends he had pulled from the castle above? Not at all. As he was about to give up, he remembered something. The origin of his notes. All he needed was a pegasus. But where to find one at this hour? Darkness was already setting in, and all the ponies would be asleep. The pegasi slept mainly on clouds, too, therein creating yet another problem.

It was at this point that he decided to give up his thoughts for the night. Tomorrow, he would go back into town and... Town. He remembered, just on the outskirts of town, there had been a pegasus inside a cottage, alone no less. Packing his saddlebags with all manner of tools, he trotted out of the castle, a sinister grin on his face.

Arriving at the cottage, he made no sound as he approached the window. It was dimly lit, only a single candle burned inside. The pegasus in question, a yellow one with a pink mane and tail, was sleeping peacefully on the couch. He found it hard to believe, from his current view, that such creatures were as arrogant as he remembered. Then again, he remembered thinking the same thing right before being attacked by the manticore he had awakened upon his arrival in the forest..

He quietly walked around to the other side of the cottage, near the darker kitchen windows, then, using his magic, slid the window lock out of place. Stepping through the now open window, he pulled a small bottle from a pouch in his saddlebags, followed by a rope, then a rag. Dumping the contents of the bottle onto the rag, he peeked around the corner to the sleeping mare. He approached her silently, but swiftly, as sweat began to bead down his face. Just one more step, and--

*CREEEEAAAK*

The plank beneath his left front hoof had given him away, waking up the mare, who jumped into the air and backed into a corner.He would have to make this fast.

"Who, who are y--" was all she was able to get out before the rag was clamped across her mouth and nose, taking mere seconds send her back into slumber. Akaitora wiped his forehead, then looked out the windows to see if anypony had heard the outburst. Luckily, the pegasus' small voice had been quieter than the floorboard, so no one heard a thing. He quickly checked upstairs, and all through the house, hoping that he was correct in assuming that she was alone. He was happy to find that the only other being in the house was a bunny in its hutch, sound asleep.

He then got to work, tying the mare up, starting with the legs, then getting the wings, then placing a gag in her mouth in case she decided to wake up and scream. he blew out the candle, leaving only the light of Luna's full moon to illuminate the house. Opening the door, he found that the lock wasn't even in place. He could have just walked through the door. Curse his hindsight. He levitated the body, his steel-blue aura quieted to keep light from escaping it. he made a break for the forest, which was very nearby.

Upon arrival in the forest, He had stopped using his suppressor spell, allowing the light from his aura to shine through the trees. It was dark in the forest, even with the full moon shining down upon him. His path was clear, it was just too dark to see it. The castle wasn't far, only about half a mile from the edge of the forest. The door leading down into the tunnels beneath was also easy to find, if you were looking for it.

He descended down the steps into the dimly lit hallway. Torches lined the walls, aglow with a magical fire that only burned when somepony was close to it. a spell of his own design, he would have to write it down sometime... Thoughts notwithstanding, he walked down the hallway. Reaching his room, he lowered the pegasus to the ground gently, not wanting to damage his specimen.

"And now a nice cage to put you away in..." He said, leaving her to sleep in the corner. It would be at least an hour until the chloroform wore off. Besides, the dungeons were very close.

Chapter 3: The Strange Beast

Chapter 3: The strange Beast

Arriving back in the room, Akaitora found his prize had awoken from her chloroform-induced slumber. "Sleep well?" he asked, as he set the cage down in a corner. The only response he received was expected: a muffled assortment of incomprehensible words spoken through the gag. He chuckled, opening the cage door by magically picking the lock. He was so glad that his family was made up of thieves. Well, what was left of them, at any rate.

He levitated his prey into the cage and closed the door with a sly smile. The gag and ropes unbound, the mare began to quiver and whine. "Stop that immediately," He said with a stern voice. Surprisingly, she did, and closed her eyes tightly. "Now, I need you to unfold one of your wings." This time, there was no response. No wings unfolded, nor did an eye open. "Come now, you wouldn't want to delay the march of progress. Open up!"

"Wh-wh-who are you?" she asked timidly. "Where are we? And why are my wings of such importance?"

"All valid questions. I suppose there is some explaining to do," he said, clearing his throat. "I am known as Akaitora. I hail from the upper reaches of Canterlot. I am here because I'm researching a way to grant unlimited flight to those not gifted with wings. YOU are here because I needed a pegasus to research how to attach the wings."

"Well, you could have just asked," said the mare, who was now standing, with eyes now open. "If you'll let me out, I could help you with your notes."

"What, and fly off to a place I can't reach when my back is turned, causing my to find another specimen? I think not!"

"Oh, I won't fly away, I promise," She said, putting on her kindest smile. "I just would have to go home every once in a while to--"

"No!" He shouted, louder than what he thought he would. This caused the mare to slink back into the corner of the cage, retaking the cowering position. "If I let you leave, you'll have the whole of the town bearing down on me in an instant! I can't let you leave. Not until my project is done, and I can pack up and leave."

"But-- but what about my animals?" she asked, almost sobbing. "They need fresh food and water while I'm gone."

"You don't have friends?" he asked, bewildered at the fact that she was as anti-social as him.

"No, I have friends," she said, standing up. "Great friends! but..."

"But what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They don't know I'm gone." The realization of the moment hit Akaitora square in the jaw, and he suddenly realized that he had taken a pegasus with a seemingly important role. She would be missed in town, and it wouldn't be long before somepony started looking for her. He facehoofed.

"What if I fed your animals for you?" he asked, trying to not sound impatient. The gears in his head were turning, formulating a plan in the back of his mind. He couldn't risk somepony asking around about his catch,, but he also couldn't leave her alone for too long. She may find a means of escape, or worse, somepony might find her. The best way, he thought, would be to take matters into his own hands.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," she said, but he could hear the worry in her voice. "I mean, you have all that work to do, not to mention the fact that you need to upgrade your lighting."

"My lighting is fine, thank you very much!" he scoffed, turning his nose up. "I have all the light I need and no more than is necessary. For you see," he said, trotting over near one of the torches, "there is plenty of light to see by."

"Oh, that reminds me, you still haven't answered all of my questions yet." She said.

"What questions?"

"Where we are and why you need my wings, of course."

Akaitora facehoofed again. "Very well. I need your wings for my flight experiment, as I had said before. As for where we are, well, I'm afraid that information is classified."

"Wouldn't you prefer the wings of a stronger, more athletic pegasus? I know where you can find one, and she'll be more than happy to--"

"What part of 'not until I finish the experiment' did you not understand? If you leave, you won't come back. Now, I need you to give me instructions on feeding your animals..."

Chapter 4: The Shrouded One

Chapter 4: The shrouded one

Donning his cape to hide his flank, Akaitora set off to the town, a list of the mare's daily chores rolled up and placed in one of the pockets. Why he had chosen to take all this on himself, he would never know. At least now he had an assistant, albeit, one who was locked in a cage. At bare minimum, she could provide conversation, supposing she would speak up, of course. He really should have scouted out the area for a better subject, but, he had what he needed.

It was nearly dawn when she finally fell back asleep, and he left without a sound. He had begun to like this mare, all prejudice aside. Pulling the list out and looking over it in the early morning sunlight, he sighed. How could one pony, especially a carefree pegasus, have so much to do?

It took merely minutes to reach his destination, but he walked on past it, deep in thought. 'What sort of story am I going to have to use if someone asks about...' Her name. He had completely forgotten to ask for her name! 'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' he cursed at himself, planting a hoof repeatedly in his forehead.

In his distracted moment, he had walked right through a door he hadn't intended to, at which point he realized he had gone too far. "Sir," started a mango-colored stallion, "We're not open yet."

"Sorry, just wasn't watching where I was going, I guess." He turned to leave, and walked right into another pony. Shaking his head, he apologized and helped her back up, immediately recognizing her from the day before. Before she could say anything, he galloped out, trying to find his way back to the cottage.

"Wait!" yelled the violet unicorn, galloping off after him. She had a hoofful of questions to ask him, about his strange behaviour yesterday. She followed him all the way to the very-well-known-to-her cottage, then barred the gate with her magic. Despite this, he simply hopped over the fence and into the yard, skidding to a stop atop an earth bridge. The Violet unicorn slowed her pace down to a trot as she approached.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked, noticing that the mare before him was out of breath. She held up her hoof, panting heavily. She flopped down onto the ground, and looked up.

"How... Were you able... to run... this far... from Sugarcube Corner... and not... run out of breath...?" She panted, confused at how full of vigor he was, for such a thin pony.

"That's an easy one, he said, pulling out the list, and walking off to begin his first task. "I simply cast an energy absorbing spell. You see," he explained, arriving at the chicken coop. "Most of the time, energy is sapped from other ponies. However, if you first cast a spell-reflective aura around yourself, then reverse the polarity of the spell, which would sap your own energy and feed it into you, creating a loop effect, which alone does nothing, then the spell would reflect off of your body, which would also cause the energy to be repelled from your body, you instead draw back any lost energy as you lose it, creating a neverending flow of energy that is added at the exact moment it is lost. A simple task, really."

The violet mare, now sitting upright, and now having caught her breath, looked astounded for a moment, then facehoofed. "Why didn't I think of that!? It makes perfect sense!" she shouted.

Akaitora breathed a sigh of relief. he had worried that his short rant had sailed right over her head. He had that effect on ponies. The chickens now fed, he moved on to the next task on the list: squirrels and rabbits. he walked over to the small cluster of trees, the lavender mare now following him.

"Next question: Why are you doing Fluttershy's chores for her?"

The question caught him off guard. He had forgotten to come up with a story. 'Think, brain, think!' "Uh, well... She kinda... asked me to." He answered, not entirely a lie. "See, she had to... leave town." Also not entirely a lie.

"Oh? Where did she go?" asked the mare. He knew she meant well in this, but this one had to be either a lie, or he would have to distract her. He pretended to have difficulty with getting the food to the squirrels, going for the latter of the two. A purple aura surrounded the acorns, though, and the squirrels were fed with no problem. "Where did she go?" the mare asked again, more sternly. There was no backing out now.

"Uh, I believe she said something about visiting relatives, something like that. She didn't give an exact location. Somewhere between towns maybe?" he guessed. He knew that if he went broad with his answer, then it was possible to have a piece of the truth slip out unintentinally. Seers did it all the time.

But the mare grew ever more suspicious of him. "How exactly do you know Fluttershy again?

Chapter 5: The Arc

Chapter 5: The Arc

It was about noon now. The mare, Whom he learned was named Twilight Sparkle, had finished questioning him, Thinking him strange, but otherwise well off. She had even told him a tale of a zebra (whatever that was) who she had thought the same way about not too far back. Despite his people skills being ten years in the closet, he was actually starting to make friends with these ponies in the town of... What was it again? Poniesburg? Oh well, it didn't matter.

"And that just about wraps it up," he said, all the creatures now fed and watered. "All that I have to do is check on..." He looked back at the list. "Angel."

"Well, he's probably inside, since I haven't seen him out and about all day." said Twilight with grin. "I'll just go check on him." She started toward the door, but was stopped by Akaitora'shoof holding down her tail.

"Actually, I think I should handle it. I am her cousin, after all." he lied. The story he had come up with had ended up with him being related to Fluttershy, a distant cousin that had been sending letters every so often from another part of Equestria. Where, exactly, he had failed to specify, but it was somewhere far away, that not even the trains could get you there. Fluttershy had gone to visit her aunt (of no name other than Fluttershy's Aunt), and to help nurse the family dog back to health. The weather had been rough, so instead of sending the message through the mail, not likely to run for at least a week, he had hoof delivered it.

In actuality, the reason he wanted to do it himself was so he could clean up any trace of last nights happenings. He had left behind his bottle of chloroform on the kitchen counter, and the rag lying on the ground. "Really, though, I'm quite famished. Would you mind going into town and getting me an Apple?" he asked, levitating a few gold pieces over in front of her. 'That should keep her out of the way for a bit...'

Twilight picked up the coins and held them close to her face. Her eyes glowed for a moment, and a bewildered look was plastered on her face. "Th- these- these are..." She stammered, causing Akaitora to peer at her questionably.

"Is there a problem? Is my currency out of date?" he asked, thinking that mayhap he should have taken her up on her offer of a lesson in recent history.

He Wouldn't get the chance, though, as Twilight collapsed on the ground, the coins falling to the ground in front of her. "Twilight!" he shouted, worried that he had brought this on. "Are you alright!?" Had he known that the coins would have done this, he would have just asked her off for the day. He looked around, finding no one. He picked her up with his magic, and rushed her inside, fearing the worst as he lay her down on Fluttershy's bed, and draping the quilt over her. Now realizing she had only fainted, he left her be for a moment to quickly set everything he had set askew last night in order, taking under a minute, then poking his head through the door, bringing the gold coins, still lying in the dirt, back into his cape pocket.

"Now where is Angel?" he asked no one in particular. looking up, he saw an ill-tempered bunny rhythmically tapping it's foot against the top of his hutch. "Ah, this should be quick." He wandered back into the kitchen and pulled a carrot from the refrigerator. He then levitated it over to angel, who quickly devoured it, unhappy that he received his lunch late.

By the time Akaitora got to the top of the stairs, Twilight had woken up from her daze, and was back on her hooves. "How long was I out?" she asked.

"About four minutes," was his reply. "Care to share what was so horrible about hese?" he asked, levitating the coins in front of her.

"Oh, well, uhhhm...." she started, trying to find the right words. "They're... Golden Florins."

"I know that, what I want to know is why they caused you to collapse."

"Well, you see... They've been out of circulation for years. Over time, they've grown less and less common, and more and more valuable over the past eight years. When you asked me to spend them on an apple, you were asking to pay three large orchards worth for them."

"Really!?" he asked, bewildered.

"I've never seen one up close before, and you have three." This comment left Akaitora dumbstruck. when he was searching the castle for scrap to use in his experiments, he had found several chests full. He was probably the richest pony in all of Equestria, and he hadn't known it.

"Well, I suppose I should convert it to your form of currency, then. Is there anypony nearby that can equal this out?"

"The nearest one that I can think of lives in Echelon Gardens, up in Canterlot."

Canterlot. The very thought of it made his stomach churn. "I can't go to Canterlot right now," he said, turning his head down. He had a bad history with a number of ponies in Canterlot, plus the trip would cost him at least three days, and his specimen would suffer, therefore his project would suffer. "It would take too long."

"Nonsense," chuckled Twilight, grabbing two of the coins and heading to the window. She opened it and shouted. "RAINBOW!"

Before Akaitora could react, there was a cyan pegasus with a mane of six different colors hovering just outside the window.

"Take these to the Echelon Gardens, and find someone who's willing to pay for them." She said.

"Florins!" the pegasus shouted. "How'd you get your hooves on these!?"

"My friend here had them," she grinned, pointing to Akaitora. "He doesn't have any bits, but he will soon!"

With a quick salute, the pegasus sped off, faster than any pegasus he had ever seen, leaving behind a rainbow trail.

"Wow, she's fast!" Said Akaitora, aquite the feat with his jaw on the ground.

"You have no idea," chuckled Twilight.

Author's notes:

Expect one of these in every chapter ending in 0 or 5. I like to chat with my audience a bit, get to know who I'm entertaining.

One of the biggest complaints I've had about this story is that the chapters are too short. 1-4 were between 800 and 900 words. This one was a little over a thousand. I agree that the chapters are too slow, but really, I'm just pitching ideas around, seeing what sticks, and trying to avoid writers block. I want to try to keep the word count close together, and if you've never written your own story, before, you have no idea how hard that is. Sometimes you get stuck at roughly 200 words, and can't for the life of you decide where to go next. Other times, you have to go back and divide the story up into several pieces. I had to do that with this chapter, actually. The words flew from my fingers with such ease, by the time I stopped to check my word count, I was over 2,000. Needless to say, I shortened it for your sake. Biggest problem is, Ideas are popping from my head like popcorn, and I have to keep writing to satisfy the itch. needless to say, the next few chapters should be fruitful.

I've begun a list of spells that Akaitora has, because, when you spend as much time as he has working with spells, you start to bend the laws of reality. Expect more long and arduous rants about how magic works, as well as how flight works, because that's pretty much the bulk of the story.

I also found that mixing the cultures of the past into today's culture would yield some interesting results. You saw how Twilight reacted to those florins. A lot can change in ten years.

Well, that ends the first act of this little play, and the setting is in place and the plot's moving forward. I'd say it's a good time to take a break, but who am I kidding? It's time to write more and only feed it to you a day at a time, no matter how much I write in a day. I know, I'm mean. But, hey, you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Chapter 6: One Brick at a Time

Chapter 6: One Brick at a Time

The day wasn't even over when the cyan pegasus had returned, wearing two saddlebags across her back, and one more tied onto one of her front hooves. 'So much for three days trip,' he thought to himself.

"Was it really worth that much?" he asked, mouth agape.

"All that and more," the mare replied. "I have to go back and pick up the last of it tomorrow." She dropped the bags at his hooves, and held out the tied one so he could untie it.

"How much is left?" he asked, amazed at the great amount he already had. He could probably live comfortably for the rest of his life if he cashed in a hoofful more.

"Not much, about another half a bag. I'm Rainbow Dash, by the way." She held out her right front hoof toward him.

"Akaitora. A pleasure to meet you."

"So how'd you get your hooves on a couple of florins?" she asked. He thought he heard an accusing undertone accompanying the curious tone, but shrugged it off.

"Well, I was exploring a ruin to the south of here." truth. "When I came across this locked chest," truth. "I opened it up, and there were a hoofful of these gold coins lying at the bottom." understatement of the year.

He slung two of the saddlebags over his back, but instead of carrying the third, he simply put it inside of Fluttershy's door and locked it tight. Twilight had already gone home, something about a spike of wonderful in her back. He had no idea what that meant, but he would just have to ask her tomorrow.

Tomorrow. Would he return? would he have a need to return? Of course he would. keeping up appearances and all that for a time.

"Well, I need to get back to where I'm staying."

"Oh, where's that?"

Curse his big mouth. "Uh, with a friend of mine." not entirely a lie. he had started making friends with Fluttershy, at least.

"Alright. See you tomorrow, then." and with that, she flew off into the clouds, slow for her, but Akaitora still thought she was going fast.

Akaitora trotted back into the everfree, not able to go fast because of his burden. 'Note to self: discover or create a means of bestowing brute strength.' At least the time alone gave him a chance to collect his thoughts and even hatch a few new ideas. He aimed to try one out immediately.

"So, how'd it go?" asked Fluttershy as he entered the room. It caught him off guard, and he jumped, dropping the saddlebags he was carrying. Fluttershy apologized for scaring him, to which he just waved it off. he levitated the saddlebags over to a corner, and dropped them against the wall.

"It went fine. I even got all the chores done, with plenty of time to spare. I spent a good portion of the day updating my history with a young mare named Twilight."

"Twilight?" asked Fluttershy, seeming to know the name.

"Do you know her?"

"Know her? We're great friends!" she squeed. "Along with Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash!"

"Which reminds me, I also met Rainbow Dash. She was quite the flyer." he had a thoughtful look on his face. "She would have made an excellent specimen."

"That's what I was trying to tell you yesterday."

He stopped in his tracks. Facehoof.

He picked up exactly where he had left off in his mind before arriving, and pulled out a quill, an inkwell, and a blank scroll. He wrote down a few lines at the top, outlining the purposes of his next important project.

To hold a pegasus from flight.
To keep the bound pegasus from leaving beyond a set barrier.

He had just finished writing these down and a few theories as to how the device would work when he heard a loud gurgling sound. H let it slide by, paying it no heed. Then it happened again. He turned, and saw only Fluttershy sitting quietly in he cell,dragging her hoof in circles in the dust.

"Did you hear something?" he asked.

"Oh no, nothing at all," she lied. He could tell because the noise occurred again, accompanied by Fluttershy's vain attempts to cover her stomach with her forelegs as the skin jiggled a bit.

"Oh! I'm so very sorry, where are my manners? Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" he asked, not waiting for an answer before trotting over to the door.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, you don't have to if you don't want to..."

"Nonsense." He came back with a wooden tray with five apples, two bottles, one containing a clear liquid, the other an amber liquid, and a small loaf of bread. he levitated it over to her, and proclaimed: "Guten Apetit!"

"You didn't have to do this for me," she said, digging into the loaf of bread the moment he turned away.

"Actually," he said, matter-of-factly, "I did. You see, If I hadn't I would have to listen to your stomach churn all night. In a little while, I won't have to, but for now, let's just call it reconciliation for bringing you here."

Fluttershy nodded, and began to eat one of the apples. One bite, and her eyes grew to be saucers. It tasted fresh off the vine. But how could that be? Apple season was months away, and the only place to get them this fresh this time of year was miles away. How could he have been all the way to Apploosa and back in under five minutes?

"Where did these apples come from?" she asked.

"I have a greenhouse just a few rooms down. I made it so I could be self-sufficient. It's always summer in that one room, a result of one of my machines. But my word isn't credible, and hasn't been for years, so I gave up on explaining how they work."

"Why isn't your word credible? You seem to know what you're talking about."

"It's a long story."

"I've got time."

Chapter 7: A Step Leeward

Chapter 7: A Step Leeward

"It started when I was but a colt, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Well, that's the farthest back I can remember. Anything before that is bits and pieces."

"So what happened when you were a colt?"

"It was my second year of school. Only two students in my class had their cutie marks. The over-achievers, we called them. They were always ahead of the rest of the class, mainly by choice. But enough about that. Our assignment was to design some sort of contraption that performed a simple task. Nothing magical yet. My device was to be a launcher that sped Unicorns and earth ponies into the air, to fly like the pegasi. I had seen the Wonderbolts perform, and was so entranced that I dreamed of flying."

"That sounds like a wonderful dream. Is it possible to grant a magical horn to pegasi and earth ponies?"

"Scientifically speaking, no, but there are untested theories about it. If I set my mind to it, I could probably come up with something. If I ever do, You'll be one of the first to know, okay?"

"That would be wonderful! Anyway, please continue your story."

"Right. Sorry. Rambling again. Anyway, the teacher saw my finished paper and took it to a higher administrator, who called my parents in. Apparently, dreaming of... how did he put it? 'tossing ponies off of high balconies,' I believe. anyway, he said it was immoral, and would cause harm to those around me. He asked them what they wanted to do to help set me back on a moral path."

"I think it's wonderful that you wanted to explore new possibilities."

"Thank you. but my parents agreed with the headmaster, and I was sent back a year into a class that was younger than me. Not quite Magic Kindergarten, mind you, but pretty close. I once more had to go through and learn that pegasi and unicorns and earth ponies were all different, and that only alicorns had the power to both perform magic and fly."

"I remember, back in Flight School, we were taught to celebrate the differences, and rely on the others for assistance when needed."

"Well, it was different back then. We were all taught to believe that we were better than pegasi ad earth ponies, because Earth ponies were talentless, and pegasi were arrogant and carefree, and that only the unicorns had a superior intelect that all else lacked. I saw otherwise, though. The day I snuck out of my house, the day I saw my first pegasus not in a book, the day I saw the wonderbolts performing Daring tricks through my binoculars, that day I decided, I wanted to fly, to be as free as they were."

"So then what did you do?"

"I started designing wings to try to fly away and join them. One day, one of my classmates saw what I was drawing, a unicorn with wings above it, and informed the teacher. Then the Headmaster, then my parents. But this time, it was more than just them. A division of the Canterlot royal guard was brought in. Apparently, the student had reported my drawing as a depiction of Princess Celestia's wings being cut off. They hadn't even bothered to find out what it was from my perspective."

"That's horrible!"

"It was. From that point on, I kept all of my questions to myself, and eventually, I had filled my closet with notes on flight and how wings could be made from synthetic materials. My parents knew nothing about it until one day, they found it. I... I was disowned that day. My father told me to get out of his house, and never return. My mother said nothing, she only sat and wept. My brother, who had supported me, slipped a scroll into my saddlebags as I left, telling me to meet him at a fountain in a square not far from where we lived, to come at midnight, and to come alone."

"Did you?"

"Of course. Where else was I to go? I had no friends, and was marked with terms like 'heathen', 'terrorist', and on an unrelated note, 'blank flank'. People steered their children away from me with haste. If I didn't talk to the one pony who wanted to help, then what could happen to me was anypony's guess. I met him, at the location, alone, at midnight. He had done some time in his life, and his cell mate was a pegasus who had just been released. He told me to go to a certain location, where he would meet me and take me under his wing. No pun intended."

"So you were raised by a pegasus then?"

"No. I waited a week, but he never showed up. By then, I was incredibly hungry, having not eaten in days. Begging didn't help, they only pointed and laughed at me. So I became a thief. Not the kind that pulls off big jobs and sells to a fence. No, just enough to get me through. During that time, however, I was still an outcast. People would scoff, jeer, throw rocks. I remember this one time somepony even tried to light me ablaze as I slept."

"The nerve of them, picking on a child like that!"

"Actually, I was fully grown by then. I had spent eight years living on the streets of Canterlot. It was on that day that I decided to leave. I meant to find a way to pursue my dreams, and I aimed to do just that. After about a month of wandering the area, I found this place, looking as if it had been abandoned hundreds of years ago, but still incredibly sturdy. The local flora supplied me with food for a while, but eventually, I knew it would run out. So I watched and studied the nearby town, as their primary job was growing and harvesting apples. I learned from them what was the best time to plant, to harvest, and what to watch out for."

"So you learned from the Apple family?"

"Is that who they were? if so, I owe all credit to them for teaching me. Anyway, I explored this place a bit, and found all sorts of things. It also seems that a war was fought here, ages ago. most of the pieces surrounding us were dug up as large chunks, probably armor, but some weapons too. I had severed almost all contact with the world around me, and I've been locked away in here of my own accord for the past several years. And that's the story of my life."

"To think of all the problems you went through, I'm not surprized that you turned out this way."

"Yes, well, It's my past, and I wouldn't trade it away if I could. It drove me to create, and the fruits of my labor are mine to enjoy. Here. Try this on."

"A collar? What's it for?"

"Unless you'd rather stay in the cage, of course. I can work with that..."

"Will it help you with your research?"

"It has the potential to."

"Well, How do I look?"

"Like a yellow pegasus with pink hair wearing a collar around her neck with a glowing light attached to a mechanism on the collar. What did you think you looked like?"

Chapter 8: An Invention, And Brief Tour

Chapter 8: An Invention, And Brief Tour

"Okay. Not too tight?" Akaitora asked, gathering up a few spells to transfer over to the emerald, whose pale green light was emanating from the device.

"No, it feels fine." said Fluttershy. "What does it do?"

"Nothing, yet. I wanted to know how well it fit first, so I could adjust it if need be." A steel-blue magic aura surrounded the gem as the spells were swapped over to it."I prefer to do things one step at a time, while multitasking if I can. This time, I could both check the fit, and put some spells on it. Temporary, of course."

"Why only temporary?" asked Fluttershy, taking off the collar and holding it out for him to take back. "Wouldn't it be easier to just make the spell last longer so you don't have to cast it over and over?"

"A good question. The reason I made the spells temporary is so that I can check to see that they work and not have to completely start over if it fails." he said, opening up the door and placing two small devices at the bottom corners. They one by one glowed with Akaitora's aura. "And therein, I can find any flaws in my spellweaving."

He tossed the collar through to doorway, or rather, to the doorway, as it stopped as it reached the invisible wall. It fell to the ground, unable to break the barrier. "One success down, two more to go." He then picked it up with his hoof and tried to forcibly push it through. It refused to break through the blockade. "And there are the other two."

He then cast another series of spells, then tossed the collar to Fluttershy. "Put this on and try to take off." he commanded. Try as she might, she couldn't get any airtime at all. "Did you feel any pain?" he asked, genuinely wanting to know. Also, he wanted to keep his specimen alive, but that was the lesser of the two reasons.

"Oh, no. I'm fine. Just not used to having anything around my neck, I guess." She actually had felt a sharp pinch, but, since she didn't fly that much, that it wouldn't matter.

"Ah. good. If you'll excuse me then," he walked to the door with eight small machines, the ones he had used to create the barrier earlier. "I'll be right back." and with that, he closed the door.

It wasn't long before he was back, a cheerful grin on his face. He had buried the rods in the ground surrounding the castle, using a spell of his own design to create grass over it to not arouse suspicion. He now had a hidden barrier around the castle. "One final step, and I'll let you out of the cage!" he called to Fluttershy.

"Oh, good! I can't wait to help you succeed in your dream!" she said excitedly.

"Well, let's finish this mini-project then!" He levitated a lock over to Fluttershy and secured it it in place on the collar, rendering it irremovable without magic or the key. And since the key had been long since destroyed, probably, there was only one method of removing the lock. Fluttershy could no longer remove the collar without his consent, and was confined to the castle and a small portion of the surrounding area.

"You may come out now," Akaitora said, opening the cage. "You are free to explore the castle, with the exception of one room: the treasury. I'll show you where that is so you don't try to wander in there without meaning to." He walked to the door, which was left open, and led Fluttershy down the hall to a staircase that spiralled in both directions. He walked down two flights, coming to the deepest part of the keep. Three doors down, he stopped and turned to face Fluttershy.

"This room to my left is off-limits for reasons I can't tell you right now." Inside was his vast collection of florins. He didn't want Fluttershy to collapse like Twilight had.

"So what are these other rooms? What do you use them for?"

"Most are empty, But I an show you the rooms that hold a purpose," he said, trotting over to the staircase, but stopping when he reached the last door. "The door to my right leads into the greenhouse," he said as the door swung open. Fluttershy peered in.

Inside the room, it was as bright as the middle of day during the Summer Sun Celebration, a severe contrast to the rest of the castle. The room was lined with five stone paths, with four long patches of earth between them. Growing out of it was a tall, yellow grass-like plant, with bristles at the top, branching out in all directions. Beyond this, there was another patch of earth, this one laden with apple trees. They all seemed to be in bloom, despite Applebuck season being months away. Further yet was a waterfall along the back wall, running beneath the stone paths.

"I set this up so I would never have to leave if I needed food. The light was actually quite easy to find. One day I was looking through one of the few books left here when I found a reference to the effects of certain potions on certain ores. It mentioned that Malachite, after being refined, had the ability to glow a bright yellow if you simply rubbed a paste made of blurite gel and the roots of a kath plant across it, and would last for two months, usually."

"What sort of plant is this?" asked fluttershy, pointing at the yellow grass.

"Wheat. It's used to make flour, a key ingredient in breads and pasties. You've never seen wheat before?"

"No, most of our flour comes in white sacks, and goes directly to Sugarcube Corner."

"Remind me, one of these days, to show you how to make flour. It might make Sugarcube Corner more productive."

He turned to the door on the other side of the hall and swung it open, while simultaneously closing the greenhouse door. Fluttershy turned to face the new room.

"This room is where I do most of my alchemy and cooking," he said proudly. The room was smaller than the last one, the walls lined with ovens, like the ones Fluttershy had seen in the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner, and a series of tables in the center. By the far wall was a device that had a stone wheel, and a wooden pole extending out the other side. Not far from it was some glass instruments that she had seen in Twilight's lab, but had no idea what they were or what they were used for.

"This is a very nice setup, but I don't have any idea how to use any of this." She yawned, just in time for Akaitora to see it as he closed the door and turned to walk back up the stairs.

"Tired?"

"A bit, yes. But I imagine you would be more tired, having not slept in a few days and all." Akaitora stopped in his tracks, realizing in that moment that she was right. he hadn't slept in over a week.

"Very well, I'll show you to your room now."

Chapter 9: A Sliver of Fear

Chapter 9: A Sliver of Fear

Akaitora awoke, feeling refreshed. He had slept better in the past, seing as this time he had not slept in his usual bed. Having no guests was coupled with having no guest bed. he had simply taken a cushion and sheet, and slept in his workshop, while Fluttershy had been given his bed. He hoped that she had found it comfortable.

It was still about an hour til daylight, according to a contaption he had built that monitored the movements of the sun and moon. He decided to get something to eat and drink before leaving for the day. His spells weren't effective while he slept, so he was usually hungry when he woke up. He was almost always getting by on a few hours a week anyway, since he used a miniscule amount of energy when awake.

He trotted down the stairs, and noticed that the door to the room he had left Fluttershy in was open. He thought nothing of it, he sometimes left doors open when he wasn't paying attention. 'I'll close it on the way back up' he thought to himself.

He decided that a quick pastry was in order today, so he cut a bit of wheat, and plucked an apple from a tree, and walked across the hall to the kitchen and lit up an oven with a magical fire, and placed the apple down on a corner of the nearest table. he pulled the seeds from the stalk, and placed them in the millstone, which was hoof-operated, crushing the seeds, creating a fine powder after a few rounds.

He picked up a pitcher with his magic and walked back into the greenhouse, and collected some water from the waterfall, making sure to cap the pitcher, to keep it from spilling. He poured it into a wooden mixing bowl, along with the fresh flour he had milled moments ago. it didn't take long to create a nice, thick dough, kneading it with magic. He divided it into two long, flat strips, and lay them down on a metal slab he had pulled from a crate he kept under the table, after puffing a bit of the remaining flour on the pan to keep it from sticking.

He then turned his attention to the apple, ripping the skin off, not damaging the white, after years of practice. then the stem was removed, followed by the seeds, leaving only the white of the apple sitting in his steel-blue aura. He then crushed it, making a sort of mush that he spread across one slab of flour, then placed the other across the top, sealing the applesauce inside.

Grabbing a knife from the block by the wall, he began to cut the long strip of pastry into squares, the knife both cutting and resealing the breaded squares, keeping the center from oozing out during baking. he then cut tiny slits in the tops, to keep the pressure down.

Thankfully, these were quick to bake, allowing him time to enter the pantry down the hall and return with two bottles of apple juice. He pulled the pastries out, checking to make sure they were done, and placed them on the table, dividing them into two groups, and placed them onto plates. Setting one plate and bottle aside, he ate in solitude, and emptied the bottle of apple juice, following the pastries to end up in the same prison. He washed the plate and bottle, and left them to dry, now feeling very comfortable.

He levitated the other plate and bottle over to him, and carried them up the stairs. At the top of the first flight, he stopped climbing, and started down the hallway to his designated bedroom, putting down the bottle and plate on the table just inside the room. He poked in his head to see...

An empty bed. He stood for a few seconds, looking around the room. Where had his subject gone? Why was she not in the room? Had she at least left a notice? He looked around once more, searching the entire room, revealing nothing had been disturbed, save for the fact that his bed had been made.

He searched the entire floor, room by room. Was she in the storage room? No. The small library? Empty. The the room he used to grow fungi for his alchemy? Void of all fauna. Having searched all the rooms, he began to fear the worst. What if his spell had worn off? It would be easy to tell if that happened, the gem would have stopped glowing. But Fluttershy couldn't know that... Could she?

He thought about what might happen if she escaped and told everypony about how he had forcibly removed her from her home as he ran up another flight of stairs to search the next floor, the one with his workshop. 'What if they're on their way over right now? I'll have to get my notes together quickly. But what if they use one of my tracking spells against me? I'll have no time to sever them all! Why do I put myself in situations like this?'

Up one more flight of stairs, having found nothing, he raced into the gardens just inside the barrier he had set up last night. he raced around the outside, finding a set of hoofprints leading outside of the barrier headed in the direction of town. 'curse my rotten luck!' he yelled at himself inside his head 'I was so close, too... Well, time to get my emergency pack and flee for my life one more time...'

He kept a set of saddlebags in one of the rooms of the upper floor, under a stone panel that was hidden behind a throne. racing up the stairs, he repeatedly cursed himself under his breath for not putting a tracking spell on the collar itself, so he could find it at will. But by now, somepony would have removed it magically. Even with a tracking spell, it would have been worthless to try to track it. As he removed the stone from behind the throne, he heard voices in the distance. 'Well, goodbye, Ponysburg, or whatever your name was. I'm leaving. Don't expect me back.'

He turned, and looked out the window, saddlebags all loaded up and ready to go, but what he saw made him stop. There, right across from the room he was in, was Fluttershy. She still wore the collar, and it still glowed with the spells he had put on it earlier. She was talking to another pony. He was a unicorn, a sort of pale, copper color, with bright yellow eyes. his cutie mark was... a lockpick? No, it couldn't be... After all these years, how had he shown up here, of all places? Fluttershy was having a conversation with Akaitora's brother.

Chapter 10: The Unexpected Guest

Chapter 10: The Unexpected Guest

Akaitora took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He set down his pack back in the hidden compartment, and sealed it shut again. His day had just become interesting. he trotted down the steps,a quicker pace than he had intended. He made up for it, though, by advancing the adjacent stairway slower than he had wanted. At the top, he took three steps toward his audience and spoke, starting mere seconds after Fluttershy stopped talking.

"It really has been years, hasn't it?" Fluttershy turned to see Akaitora at the top of the stairs. The unicorn, on the other hoof, merely glanced upward. "I really must commend you, though. It was very helpful of you, reinforcing my visions."

"Do you two know each other?" asked Fluttershy, a bit confused.

"Indeed we do," said the light brown Unicorn. "This is Kai, my baby brother."

"Younger brother, if you don't mind." growled Akaitora. "I left colthood almost fifteen years ago. And that annoying nickname along with it. What did you come here for?"

"I came because I wanted to. Should I need a better reason than that?"

"Knowing you, Uru, there was a better reason. a reason as good as gold, if I may."

"Now who's using annoying nicknames? And what makes you think I didn't just want to see my little brother again?"

"Because I know you. You've been a thief for years. You can't walk by a locked door or chest without opening it."

"Oh, come now, You haven't seen me for several years. Mayhap I'm different now, in sharp contrast to who I was before."

"Very well. Prove it."

"Now how am I supposed to do that?"

"That's for you to figure out."

An awkward silence punctuated the air around them now. Akaitora stared into his brothers eyes, seeing only the care and wearing of several years in a warm home, away from the troubles of others. His gaze was returned, showing Usutora (for that was his name) a lifetime of torment, of weather wearing down the edges to sharp pints, topped with the scorn that accompanies betrayal. This silence was broken only by Fluttershy's growling stomach.

"Ah, yes, I had almost forgotten. Fluttershy, I left you some pastries in the bedchamber. You may have them if you like. I'm off to go take care of business in Poniesburg."

"You mean Ponyville?" Fluttershy asked, pausing at the top of the stairs.

"Ah, yes. Sorry, new in town and all that. Keep an eye on HIM while I'm gone," he said, pointing a hoof accusingly at Usutora.

"That won't be necesary," said Usutora.

"And why is that?"

"Because you made it clear that I'm not wanted. So I'll just take my note and leave." He turned, readied himself to gallop off, but stopped at the sound of Akaitora's voice.

"Wait, wait, wait." He said, rubbing his forehead with a hoof. "What's this note you've got?"

"Well, it is for you, so I guess I should tell you, but seeing as you don't trust me enough--"

"And with good reason..."

"Then I guess I shouldn't give it to you. And it contained important information, too... Oh well..."

"Hold... Hold for a moment." The next words tasted terrible in Akaitora's mouth as he wrenched them from his mind, dropping them into his lungs, then spitting them out of his mouth. It reminded him of the bile that rose from one's stomach after eating rotten food. as they passed over his tongue and out of his lips, he couldn't help but feel that he had made a huge mistake. "You may stay if you like, under your terms, with the only stipulations being that you may not remove this," he pointed at the collar around Fluttershy's neck, "And you may not take anything out of the castle."

The feeling of illness passed after a few seconds, and he sighed a breath of what seemed to be made of both relief and remorse.

"That seems a bit unfair towards me." Usutora finally managed to say with a smirk.

"My home, my rules." Akaitora reasoned. "Besides, that's more rights than I gave Fluttershy, and she's practically an invited guest."

"You never were one for having guests, Kai."

Akaitora quickly explained to Fluttershy about the pastries and juice he had left her as he finished attaching the permanent spells to the gem, wiping the temporary ones off as well, and said that he would be back before sundown. With a final nod toward the two, he wrapped his cape around his neck, and sped off into the trees. daylight was about an hour old at this time, which meant he was running a bit late, even going at top speed, he would be a bit behind where he was yesterday, meaning less time for history gathering with Twilight.

Which reminded him, he had to ask what she meant when she said that spikes were wonderful on her back...

He arrived at the cottage, finding the place strangely deserted. Hadn't Twilight said to meet her here at dawn? The sun was forty-five minutes into the sky now. He shrugged it off for the time being, and got to work on his 'chores.' Thankfully, some of them only needed to be done every other day, so there was less to do this time, not to mention that the house was cleaned of his previous exploits, his worries put to rest, and there wasn't a collapsed unicorn to deal with.

Just as he finished his first task, he asw a rainbow break out across the sky. 'That doesn't add up' he thought to himself, 'There was no rain today, the air is way to dry.' The multichromatic streak then turned, having been going in a straight line up to this point, and began moving directly toward him. 'Please either let this be a joke or a hallucination...'

The rainbow stopped just before hitting the ground, and the creator made herself known from the cloud she had been holding, as it dispersed back into the atmosphere, unable to hold it's form through the change in air pressure.

"Hey Akaitora. Twilight here yet?" asked Rainbow, shaking some of the moisture from her coat, with a jingling sound emanating from her saddlebags.

"Not yet, I was wondering where she was, myself. She said dawn last evening, right?"

"That's what I heard. She's usually so punctual, too." She set down her bags against the side of the house. "I'm going to have a look from above, and see if I can find her." And with that, Rainbow soared into the sky, eyes scanning the streets, looking for any sign of the violet mare. After about a minute, she called out, worry resounding in her voice.

"Over there! She needs our help! Come on!" she said, speeding off. Akaitora knew he couldn't keep up if he tried, so he latched the quickest tracking spell on her he could, then sped off as fast as he could muster. So much for a simple day with less work to do...

Authors notes:

Due to the comments I've been receiving, I'm trying to increase my word count and tell more of the story in each chapter. Not drastic changes, as one of you likes to recommend, but slowly, my average word count is going up.

Anyway, I've got the ending to the story in my head, and I know how I'm going to approach it, as well as everything else. The only trouble I'm having is word count. The only problem with that is, if I increase my word count, I have to decrease my number of chapters, or slow down the pacing for the story development, which means better character development. I don't want to over-develop my characters, though, as that makes for bad reading.

Also, any questions you have about the characters are welcome. I have them fully developed in my mind, even the ones you won't know about for another 24 hours (unless you're reading this after I finished the story, in which case, all the chapters are published, and you'll meet them in a few minutes).

Anyway, Here's wishing whatever holiday you celebrate on the 25th of December went well, be it Christmas, Pigglemas, or whatever the Flying Spaghetti Monster followers believe (They're valid).

Chapter 11: Smells Like Victory

Chapter 11: Smells Like Victory

Akaitora had never run quite this fast before. Gravity was effecting his motions, causing him to kick up dust during wide turns, and on a more narrow turn, thrust him onto the wall of the building, running at top speed just beneath the window frame. Passerby cheered, or tried to stand back up while holding their breakfasts down, depending on how close he had gotten to them. But Akaitora couldn't see or hear them. All he saw was the speck of light he had marked Rainbow with, who was speeding through the air just faster than him, and all he heard was the throbbing of his heart as at raced, trying to keep from imagining exactly what sort of situation Twilight had found herself in.

He reached the alleyway Rainbow had stopped at, and skidded to a stop, his tracking spell worn off. He looked into the alley, and saw Twilight, cowering inside of what looked like an anti-magic field, on the other side of a wall made of three other ponies, all stallions, two unicorns of blue and white, and a red pegasus, and surrounding them was a normal barrier, not one of the complex, mechanized barriers that Akaitora had set up. One of these was impenetrable by anything that tried to break through it.

"We heard you had florins," said the pegasus. "We'll be taking those off your hands now."

Akaitora couldn't believe his ears. He knew how valuable florins were, and a pony that had one wouldn't go around without a bit of protection. Twilight didn't have any florins, though. Only he had any left, outside of the collectors. But these thugs didn't know that. They were picking on a librarian who had very little money, if any. But this was not what struck Akaitora the most. What struck him the most was that he recognized the voice.

"Hey, Bloodstain," said the blue unicorn, looking back behind them. "We got us some spectators."

"Well, we'll deal with them later." said Bloodstain. "Right now I just want those florins. Keep the barrier up, they can't breach it. Nothing can."

"You wanna bet!?" shouted rainbow, crashing against the barrier, making a thudding noise with every hit. "You... Let... Her... Go!" she shouted with every strike.

"Rainbow, Stop!" shouted Twilight. "It's impenetrable!"

"I don't care! I'm not leaving you in there with those thugs!"

"You don't have to," shouted Akaitora, magically pulling a chunk of metal from his cape pocket and magically throwing it at the barrier. Upon hitting the barrier, it froze in place, the barrier fading around it, then coming back as the blue unicorn pushed the barrier back together with his magic, but to no avail. He ran out of energy, and the barrier fell. "You should have paid better attention in school, Frostbite! Bronze is a magical insulator!"

Rainbow, no longer hindered by the barrier, dove at Frostbite, knocking him off his hooves. His body struck the ground, unconscious after expending most of his energy.

Akaitora, on the other hoof, drove himself toward the white Unicorn. "It's time to drop the charade, Tundra!" He yelled, swinging his hooves at the unicorn Tundra avoided most of the swings, and pulled a knife out of his vest pocket, swinging that instead of hooves or his horn. Akaitora leaped out of the way, avoiding the swings as Tundra turned back toward Twilight.

Rainbow, having given up on beating the unicorn to a pulp, turned her attention to the pegasus speeding at her. He had taken the opportunity to gain some air for a strike at the blue mare half his size. Just in the nick of time, Rainbow dashed out from underneath, only to be blown away with the force of the impact. She righted herself, staring him down for a brief lapse in time, then charging, full force. Bloodstain merely chuckled, and planted his hooves firmly on the ground. Rainbow leaped into the air, turning her body to prepare for a kick. She went flying past him though, and into the wall as he dematerialized in a white light.

The flash was enough to temporarily blind Akaitora, who felt his skin open as the knife glinted across it with him unable to avoid it. They weren't deep cuts, just enough to cause his footing to falter. When the light wore down and his vision cleared, he was on the ground, and only Rainbow and Twilight could be seen, the former of which was stuck with her rear hooves planted in a wall, and the latter of which was lying on the ground, with no anti-magical field surrounding her. A voice called out form one of the nearby rooftops, drawing their attention.

"It seems we can't stay any longer. It's been fun. You can keep your florins for now, but we'll be back later. Won't we, Akaitora?" with those last few words, Bloodstain looked directly at Akaitora, and smiled. In the next instant, another flash of light from Tundra's horn, and the three stallions disappeared into thin air.

"What the hay did he mean by that?" Rainbow asked, managing to pull herself from the wall. "And why did they trapyou, of all ponies, Twilight?"

"I don't know," said Twilight, pulling herself to her hooves. "They just pushed me into this alley and demanded that I hand over all my florins, or the bits I had received for them. I think they were looking for you, Akaitora."

"That still doesn't answer my other question. What did he mean when he said he'd be back, and why did he mention your name, specifically?"

"Well," Akaitora began, "Several years ago, I was classmates with two of them. Frostbite may be weak with spells, but he's good with a lock." He limped over to where Twilight was, trying to stay off of his right rear leg. "As for Tundra, he was always one of the most powerful spellcasters anyone in the neighborhood had ever seen, even at a young age. He never talks, though, and he never experimented with spells, at least that's how it was last time I saw him."

"And the Pegasus? What about him?" asked Rainbow, landing over by Akaitora and Twilight. "He knew your name, so there's got to be a connection there."

"Actually, I've never met him, but the name and voice sound familiar. I'll have to think on that."

"Then how did he know your name?"

"I'm not sure. I know someone who might though, and I intend to get an answer on that tonight."

Chapter 12: Tell Me, Dear Brother...

Chapter 12: Tell Me, Dear Brother...

Akaitora began back home about an hour after midday. With Twilight going through the shock of being mugged, he had sent her home, telling her that she should get some rest, and that they could pick up where they left off tomorrow. Luckily, he had been able to hide his wounds beneath his cape, driving off any worry that may have manifested in her mind about his well-being.

He walked back to the castle slowly. The crude wrappings he had used were only meant to hold back the blood flow for a short ime, and these had been held all day. He refrained from moving more than he needed to, to keep the pain down. It had subsided quite a bit, but still burned with every step. He cursed himself for not knowing any healing magic. He made a note to study it on his list of things to do.

He was greeted at the door by Fluttershy, who,after one look at him, grew a lok of horror across her face. "Oh no, what happened?" she yelled, taking down his cape and tossing it aside to more clearly see the wrappings.

"I'm fine, they're just light wounds, and there are only three. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal!? You're bleeding! We've got to get these wrapped better before they have a chance to get infected!"

"Fine." he said, reaching into one of the pockets on his cape. He pulled out of it a small roll of clothand handed it to Fluttershy. "You probably have more experience than I do."

Fluttershy blushed a bit. She did, in fact have quite a bit of experience in the subject, having helped her animal friends recover from injuries over the years. She had even helped Nurse Redheart from time to time when it was needed. But how could Akaitora know that?

"Just hold still. First, we have to get these old bandages off..."

After about ten minutes, Akaitora was patched up and ready to get back to work. Fluttershy was a fast worker, he had to give her that.

"Now don't go and strain yourself. The last thing we need is those reopening."

"Will do. Now where did you leave Usutora? I need to have a word with him before I get back to work."

"He should be in your workshop. He was looking over some of your notes on lock design."

"Figures..." He groaned. As he started down the steps, he noticed that Fluttershy was holing up his cape. He then saw a handful if tears in it, presumably from the fight he had been in.

"I can stitch this up for you, if you like." she said, pointing a hoof at the hole. "If you have a needle and thread, I can make it look like there never was a hole at all."

"Fine. All the necessary components are in the bedchamber I gave you last night. But you don't have to make it look like the hole was never there. I only need it to not have a hole. I'll meet you down there in a bit, I have to have a word with my brother, first." And with that, he strode off down the stairs, and toward his workshop.

"Interesting design you have here," Said Usutora, as the door swung open behind him. "I daresay there's only one flaw in it."

"And what would that be?"

"You need a three-pronged key to open it."

"That's the point. You'd need three lockpicks to break this lock, all moving perfectly in time with one another. Only the key will unlock the door."

"In that case, well done."

"Thank you, but now we must move on to more important things."

"Like what?"

"Does the name Bloodstain ring any bells?"

Usutora set down the scroll he was reading. It quickly rolled itself back up as he released it, going back to being rolled up, as was its custom. Usutora turned to face his younger brother, a look of confusion crossing his face. "Yeah, but I cut all ties with him and his friends two years ago. Instead of doing big jobs and balancing out the economy, they had begun to do petty thievery. I wanted no part in it, so I left. Why do you ask?"

"I ran into him today. He was attacking a librarian, demanding that she hand over all her florins."

"A librarian gets paid in florins!? Screw this, I'm taking over that job!"

"No! She had no florins, she hadn't even seen one up close until a few days back."

"Then why did they suspect that she had florins?"

"They probably saw her giving a few to Rainbow Dash yesterday."

"I thought you said she didn't have any."

"She didn't. They were mine."

"I'd sooner believe Princess Celestia was really just a pegasus before I believe that you had any florins left."

Akaitora chuckled to himself. "Very well. If you'll follow me." He started toward the stairs. "There's something you might want to see."

Usutora's reaction was about the same as Twilight's at seeing the large chest packed to the brim with golden coins. Not wanting to have another huge problem on his hands, he floated Usutora up to his workshop again, setting him down on the cushion he had brought out for himself the previous night. "I'll be back in half an hour," he said, levitating a quill, inkwell, and small bundle of scrolls over to him and closing the door.

He decided that now was a good time to check up on Fluttershy's progress. It had been about fifteen minutes since he had given her the go ahead to repair his cape. He wondered how far she had gotten. He wagered about halfway to three-quarters.

"So how's it coming along Flutters--" was all he got out before he gasped. Not only had Fluttershy completely repaired the hole, and made it seamless, she had fixed the frayed hem at the bottom, repaired the small rip in the collar, and made the pockets on the inside hardly noticeable on the outside.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just going to repair the hole, but then I started thinking about your hospitality towards me, and about your injuries, and I wanted to help, and before I knew it, I was fixing little details here and there. I din't mean to change it so much. Please don't be mad." Fluttershy backed away slowly, and closed her eyes as she backed into the wall, making a feeble attempt to hide her face with her hair.

Akaitora floated it closer, and inspected it for a minute or two. He couldn't find a single flaw in the stitching. And she was right about the hole. there wasn't a single trace of it. What was most impressive, though, is that she hadn't even shifted the contents of the pockets. "Fluttershy, this..." he started, not knowing exactly what to say. "This is amazing!" he finally managed to say. It was true, too. Never before had he seen such fine work.

"Oh, it's nothing, really. Rarity's work is so much better."

"Well, I'll have to meet this Rarity some day. Meanwhile, Now that everything's in order, let's get back to where we were two nights ago. Would you mind coming over here and extending your wing?"

Chapter 13: Renewing Interest

Chapter 13: Renewing Interest

The rest of the day was almost solely dedicated to research on the muscle patterns for flight. With Fluttershy being grounded, her wingbeats did nothing to arouse Akaitora's suspicion of her trying to escape. He studied her skeletal structure that held the wings in place, and the muscles that moved when she opened and closed her wings, he was able to match some movements using his own muscles, but others he had marked to be worked on. He was so engrossed with his work that he didn't notice how late it was getting until he heard a noise from beneath him.

"It seems there's someone in the kitchen," he said, standing up from where he had been sitting.

"That doesn't surprise me. I'm getting a bit hungry myself." said Fluttershy. She too, stood, trotting over to the door.

They walked to the kitchen below, Akaitora leading the way, as a series of metallic clangs rang out from the small room. Peering inside before entering, he saw only Usutora, frantically tossing things around, paying no heed to where they went.

"Is it possible to not destroy my home?" he asked, pushing the door wide open. Usutora stopped, and looked at Akaitora. a look that combined anger and confusion was splayed across his face, and it resounded in his voice.

"Where's all your food!?" he shouted out, causing Fluttershy to timidly back away from the door, trying to not get caught up in the conflict.

"Nothing's ready yet. It has to be cooked first." he chuckled. 'Does he not know that food has to be made before you can eat it?' he thought to himself. 'Surely he must know that'

"Well, what are you going to make then?"

"Probably just some bread, I don't feel like doing anything big tonight."

"How long will that take?"

"Oh, about an hour." he said, turning around to face the greenhouse door. "Give or take a few minutes to let it cool.

"That's too long to wait, I'm hungry now!" whined Usutora.

Akaitora turned to Fluttershy. "Up to you, then," he said with a sigh. "What do you want to do?"

"Me?" she asked after turning her head both ways.

"Is there anyone else in that general direction?"

"I guess not..." she said, staring at the floor. "I suppose... we could just... all have an apple?" she suggested.

"There aren't any fresh apples this time of year, though!" complained Usutora. "Where are we going to get Apples that aren't dried up?"

Akaitora chuckled to himself. "Dear brother, you may be older than me, but you have a lot to learn." He opened the large wooden door to the greenhouse, and a brilliant light illuminated the hallway. The room seemed bigger than Fluttershy remembered it, but that may have been attributed to the small patch of dirt where wheat grew this morning. A steel-blue aura grasped some apples at the back of the room, and drew them in close to the trio standing in the hallway. Almost instantly, a bloom sprouted up where an apple had been plucked, assuring a swift regrowth.

The apples were set down on the nearest table, save for one, which remained in Akaitora's aura. "Guten appetit," he declared, closing the greenhouse door and biting into his apple, on his way up the stairs. Meanwhile Fluttershy was slowly eating her apple, trying to keep it from dripping onto the table. She looked over at Usutora, who hadn't moved from where he stood when Akaitora opened the door, dumbfounded.

"You get used to it after a while," she reassured him, snapping him back to his senses. It might just take some time to get there."

"Uh huh..." he stood up and walked over to the table. "So how long have you been here?"

"About two days. But I've had my share of experience with unicorns before."

"I've been around unicorns all my life, but I've never seen anything like that before."

"Oh, that's just one of the spells I've seen him usee that seem to come out of nowhere. I think he's done more studying than my friend Twilight. Which makes sense, I guess. he is older, but I just figured he worked on his machines the whole time."

"Well, he was always one to dabble in magic, recording his findings, finding what effects one spell had on another, and all manner of other things. His dabbling got him thrown out of so many schools..."

"I thought he was only held back a few times?"

"That was for his life's work, not for his small projects leading into it."

"What was so bad about the other things he worked on?"

"Well, he liked to experiment a lot, which had some rather damaging side effects."

"but they paid off in the end, right?"

"Most of them. It shouldn't surprise me that he has such a vast knowledge of spells that no one else knows." Usutora finished his Apple, and his story. "It's about sunset, I think. I'm going to go out for a breath of fresh air before it gets too cold. I bid you good night, Fluttershy." And with that, he walked out the door and up the stairs.

Fluttershy finished her apple and left about two minutes later. She hadn't dripped on the table or floor, and her hooves weren't sticky, so she was quite pleased with herself. As she walked back to her bedchamber, she saw a blue light flickering under the door across from where her room was. The door was closed, so she decided not to disturb her host, and to just quietly wait in the room they were working in before leaving for the kitchen.

It wasn't long before the door swung open, and Akaitora strode back in. "Sorry to take so long, I had a small task that needed doing while you two were eating." Fluttershy noticed that his limp was gone, as well as the bandages. But it seemed that the cuts had healed entirely, leaving no noticeable scars.Just what had he been doing in the other room, and why didn't he take care of it ahead of time?

He draped his cape around his neck, admiring the comfort that he felt now that he couldn't remember feeling before. even though is was a little more breezy around the ankles. Looking back, he found it was because it no longer dragged along the ground. Indeed, Fluttershy had magical hooves when it came to stitching. A wonder that she didn't go into making these for a living.

"Now, I'm just about finished for the night, and I'll let you get some rest." As if in approval of this, Fluttershy yawned. "And it shouldn't be too long until you can go back to the life you had before this whole ordeal."

"That would be wonderful. I hope you can finish your project soon."

"As do I. Nothing would bring me greater joy than flying through the air, and not having to worry about how high I go. Now would you mind flapping your wing a few times, as if you were flying forward?"

Chapter 14: Old Friend Turned Foe Turned Friend

Chapter 14: Old Friend Turned Foe Turned Friend

True to his word, Akaitora finished the notes session quickly. He only had a few more to take, before he would be ready to attach the contraptions to his back, allowing him to fly as freely as the Pegasi. It was after sundown, though, so he decided to leave her to rest and prepare a second room for Usutora to stay in, at least for the night.

The castle had numerous empty rooms, he had cleared them out instead of leaving them in disarray. most of what he had found had been reused early on, the wood being torn apart to make his torches that littered the walls, and the metal melted down to scrap and stored in other rooms, as well as what cloth was salvageable.

It didn't take long to set up a room, he simply brought in some cushions and blankets, and the walls were already littered with torches, and he hadn't set foot in here in a while, so the power sources should be adequate. It was time to show Usutora to his room, whether he accepted or not.

He walked back up to the main floor of the castle, with most of the walls consisting of pillars, the windows topped with pointed arches, some still holding bits of stained glass. He had to admit that the stone masons were some of the best artists in the world, especially with them being few and far between.

Usutora was sitting at one of these windows, a contented look in his eyes as he gazed out over the western landscape. Canterlot was only just visible on the cliffside it sat on, as the lights from the capitol dimmed in some places, while brightening in others.

"I've always enjoyed the night air," said Usutora, as he heard hoofsteps approaching. "The chill of the wind, the crisp feeling, and the higher humidity were always things I looked forward to."

"I simply enjoy the darkness night brings. It encompasses the world in a softer view of ones surroundings."

"Indeed. That's one of the reasons I could never get a day job."

"The other being your criminal past?"

"That too." They shared a short chuckle. "You've really grown up since you left us. I was a bit worried, myself."

"Well, when you live alone, and no one's ever there to help you with anything, your only options are either learn to take care of yourself, or rot in a gutter. Guess which one I chose?"

"I'm sorry Bloodstain never showed up to take you under his wing. No pun intended."

"Well, now that I've met him, I think I'm glad he never showed up. I might have become a petty thief under his supervision."

"Can't argue with you on that point."

They both stared out the windows for another few minutes before either of them spoke.

"So how did you manage to find me?" asked Akaitora, still curious. "You just showed up this morning out f nowhere."

"Well, in truth, I've been wandering about out here for months now. I've been living under the alias 'Turnkey,' as a freelance locksmith. Living in a tent somewhere between Hoofington and Ponyville, I've been switching back and forth between the two. I saw you in town the other day, leaving Fluttershy's cottage. I was aout to head off for the night, but I decided that the pony I saw might be you. So I followed you in here. I lost you about two hundred yards from here, so I decided to start looking around. Last night I found this roo, and decided to stay here. Fluttershy found me about two minutes before you did."

"Had you spent any time with her before that? While you were in Ponyville, I mean?"

"Once. I installed a lock on her door a few months ago."

"Ah. I saw the one you mention. You might have told her it's only good if she sets it to the 'locked' position."

Another brief silence ensued. a few minutes passed, followed by a ball of green fire shot through the air in front of them, coming from Ponyville on it's way to Canterlot. Though their interpretations of it varied, they both knew it was casual, and weren't concerned much either way about it. A few more minutes passed.

"Your room is ready, by the way." mentioned Akaitora. The sudden speech caught Usutora off-guard, and pulled him out of his thoughts.

"What? What'd you say?" was all he could muster, being distracted from his thoughts.

"I said I've prepared a room for you. You may stay in it tonight, if you wish. Would you like me to show you now, or after I make my adjustments?"

"Adjustments?"

"To my life's work? The wing's I've been dreaming of having since I was a colt? I've almost finished them. Now I just need to attach them and test them."

"Oh, right, those. Have you given some thought as to how you're going to attach them?"

"I've been going over that recently. With Fluttershy's help, I've managed to get my notes back for attaching them to the living tissue in the back of the subjuct, as well as the proper placement."

"You sound like Twilight during one of her sessions of explaining magic to the younger unicorns who fall behind in school. I wonder if she knows that half of what she says goes right over their heads?"

"You might find this a little hard to swallow, but I actually managed to amaze her with some of my more minor spells."

"Really? And here I thought that she was the most well-learned unicorn in this section of Equestria."

"Well, I have my past to back me up in that. You know how I loved to experiment. But we're getting off subject. Would you like to go to your room now?"

"Oh, yes, please."

"Follow me, then." Akaitora walked off, his trust in Usutora restored. Usutora followed, glad that his younger brother had almost finished what he had spent the better part of fifteen years, he assumed. Though neither said it, they were glad to be back on good terms with one another.

"Here we are. I hope it's to your liking."

Usutora stepped into the room. It was simple, nothing too fancy, but, they were underground. Not a whole lot you could do with the place. A hoofful of tapestries hung from the walls, most of them tattered, due to time, but it was barely noticeable. Two very large cushions lay splayed out in the middle of the floor, one slightly overlapping the other. At one end, leading about halfway up, there was a pale copper blanket, tucking in under the sides. the torches were lit dimly, giving a cool, peaceful light to the room,

"Looks comfortable. So I'll see you in the morning then?"

"Most likely not. I'm going to go take care of Fluttershy's animals tomorrow, and I'm leaving early. Before sunrise, even."

"Well, I commend you for doing her job while she's out here. I might even show up to give you a hoof."

"Fine, but if anyone asks, we're not related. The story I told everyone is that I have no siblings, and I live with my father, who is Fluttershy's Uncle. Our pet is ill."

"Clever. What do I call you?"

"My name didn't change in the story. You can still call me Akaitora. But not Kai. No nicknames, we only just met tomorrow. Right, Turnkey?"

"Alright. Keep past a secret from all but Fluttershy. Got it."

"Good. I"ll be in my Workshop for the rest of the night, if you need anything." And Akaitora left the room, closing the door. It wasn't five minutes before the hallway was permeated with the muffled snores coming from behind the closed door at the end of the hall.

Chapter 15: The Approaching Calm

Chapter 15: The Approaching Calm

Akaitora spent the rest of his night in his workshop. There were only a few adjustments to be made to his set of wings. First, he had to realign the cords intended to be used as tendons, then lock them into place to keep them fed through and in the correct order. a tug at each of them to make sure they were properly attached, and it seemed they were ready to go. Second, one of his springs used to keep the wing open had popped off, bringing half of the wing out of commission. He made a note to set up a barrier to keep this from happening in the future. After all, if they couldn't stay together while perfectly still, they wouldn't hold up during a vigorous flight.

The next day came all too soon, and about half an hour to sunrise, Akaitora marched through the doors of his castle, his mind ablaze with minuscule tasks left to be done. The biggest by far was to go visit the library and try to find books detailing flight patterns common of pegasi, as well as beginning flight, some interesting flips and tricks. Today was to be productive, to say the very least.

At dawn, he had already completed the first on Fluttershy's list of chores, he was becoming rather good at them by now. He was always a fast learner. the rest of the tasks flew by about as fast. after a mere three hours, as compared to the first days seven, he was done with every task Fluttershy had given.

He had decided at this point to go to Sugarcube Corner, the store he had walked into on accident two days prior. It had been a quick work day, with nothing out of the ordinary, aside from nothing out of the ordinary happening. He decided that, after brunch, he would go check to see that Twilight was okay, and maybe peruse her library a bit. She was bound to have some books on flight, and mayhap even some on mechanical works. At the very least, it was worth a shot.

He entered the establishment he had set his destination as, and walked up to the counter behind two other customers. The stallion at the front was a gray earth pony with a black mane and tail, blue eyes, and three clovers for his cutie mark, the mare behind him a purple unicorn with neon green streaks in her dark blue mane and tail, eyes the same amethyst as Rainbows, and drama masks as her cutie mark.

"There you are, Lucky. Two chocolate eclairs. That'll be four bits." The cashier said, the same stallion Akaitora had seen on his last visit. Lucky paid his four bits, thanked the cashier, and picked up the paper bag he had been given. The mare next in line said nothing as he approached the counter, only pulling out four bits herself. "Good to see you again, Scriptia!" was all the stallion said, producing a paper bag from beneath the counter. "Two long johns, ready to go!"

After the mare left, Akaitora walked up to the counter. The glass shelves that surrounded him were laden with all manner of sweets, some the result of baking, others the pieces of a confectioner, and some seemed to be works made entirely of frosting.

"I remember you." said the cashier with a jovial tone. "You came in here a few days ago."

"Yeah, sorry about coming in before you were open..."

"I blame myself, actually. I didn't check until later on that the sign read 'open for business'. So what can I get you?"

"Hmm, how about two of those bear claws?" said Akaitora, pointing a hoof at a large pastry with hashed icing glazing the top.

"Sure thing! Six bits." said the cashier, moving the pastries into a bag and setting them on the counter. Akaitora dropped the six bits onto the counter, and an extra two into a tip jar by the register before picking up his bag and making his way to the door. But before he could make it, a white unicorn called to him from one of the small tables nestled in the corner.

"Excuse me! Sir with the cape! Would you mind a quick word?"

"Well, if it's quick, why not?" he said, walking over to the table and setting his bag down. At the table were two ponies, both mares. The unicorn was white, with a spiraling purple mane and blue eyes, and the other, he couldn't ell if she was earth pony or unicorn, because a hat covered her head, was orange, with a yellow mane and green eyes.

"I assure you, it will be quick." she said, sipping from a small cup in front of her. "We were just wondering, Applejack and myself, where you found that adorable cloak you possess?"

"My cape?" asked Akaitora, sliding one of the semi-circular pastries out of his bag and biting off a small piece. "I've had it for years Twas made from some old drapes from my childhood bedroom."

"Really? Well, you're a wonder with a needle and thread. I wouldn't think something like that would last for years."

Akaitora took another bite of the bear claw. He had finished about half of it now. The butter pecan filling was absolutely wonderful when combined with the flavor of almonds. "Well, I recently had it gone over by a friend of mine, patched it right back up."

"Is it useful, though?" asked the orange pony. "It looks all well and good, but does it serve any other purpose?"

"Applejack, fashion is a purpose. Where would we be if we all looked like a bin of refuse?"

"Actually, yes, it does serve a purpose," interrupted Akaitora, not wanting to see any squabbling. "For you see, inside of it are a series of pockets, filled with all manner of objects, making it easier to carry things without having to carry around saddlebags all the time." He lifted up his cape to reveal the front two pockets, and showing them a few of the contents, before placing them back in and lowering the cape.

"That's quite ingenious. I'll have to make a line of clothing around that idea."

"Maybe you can combine that with you lie of summer wear, Rarity," said Applejack.

"Oh, so you're Rarity. Fluttershy mentioned that your work was wonderful," said Akaitora, popping the last of the first bear claw in his mouth. "I'll have to come see it before I leave."

"You know Fluttershy? I haven't seen her in a few days. Do you know what's become of her?" asked Rarity, setting down her aforementioned cup.

"Actually, she's been out of town for the last few days. She went to go visit a relative, and to take care of their sick pet. If all goes well, She'll be back in a few days. I'm taking care of her estate while she's gone."

"I see. Well, I'd better get back to work. Come along, Applejack." The two walked out the door together, with Rarity leading, and Applejack following. With no one left to impress, Akaitora finished the second bear claw quickly, and disposed of the empty bag in the trash can as he left. It was time to check in on Twilight, and see how she was doing. He knew she worked at the library, so he decided to try there first.

The route to the library was short, albeit longer than his first trip, due to the slower speed. One knock on the door, and it swung open. no one appeared to beat the door though, so he simply walked inside. The walls were lined with books, of all different colors and sizes. Near on of the walls, at the top of a very tall ladder, was a small purple dragon with green spines. 'That must be who I ran over the other day. If he recognizes me, I'll apologize, if not, no harm done.'

"Excuse me?" Akaitora asked the dragon at the top of the ladder. He looked down, but didn't stop his task of storing the books. "I'm looking for Ms. Twilight Sparkle. Is she here?"

"Yeah, but she looked like she was i a pretty bad way yesterday." he responded.

"I suppose I'm partially at fault for that. I'd like to check up on her, and see that she's okay."

"Alright. I'll go get her once I finish up here."

"Wonderful. I wonder, should you have any books on flight?"

"East wall, third column, rows four through eight."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Akaitora walked over to the designated area and pulled down a hoofful of books. he read through them quickly, jotting down important information on a notepad he had pulled from his pocket. He managed to go through six books before the dragon finished his task and slid down the ladder. He was putting away the seventh when he heard a shout from the top of the stairs, where the dragon had gone to collect Twilight.

Authors notes:

I'm finally getting my word count to raise up a bit. One thousand, five hundred ninety before this section of notes. I still want it to go up, but do't want to merge chapters. At least I'm near doubling the count from the first few chapters. That's progress. Even if it is slow.

I'll be honest, if it weren't for the last part, this would have been a filler chapter. Buying pastries, meeting two characters who aren't going to show up again, probably (I don't quite know at this point, but they're not major characters).I almost dropped this cliffhanger too, but I read the comments when I did that last. You'll just have to wait for it. But then again, you probably enjoy that, based on what you've made clear to me.

We're about to the depressant point, after which, there will be no buildup, only the climax, and a wind down. I even have the Epilogue written. I just have to write everything up to it.

Other than that, no problems. Glucklich Neu Jahr!

Chapter 16: The Darkest Storm.

Chapter 16: The Darkest Storm

Akaitora raced up the stairs, dropping his notepad on the floor. At the top, he met his quarry, shouting one word, elongated, over and over. Tears dropped one by one onto the bed spread, his hand dropping to reveal a note. Akaitora picked it up and read the words etched across it. As he read, his face grew pale, and his pupils widened to encircle his entire eye.

'We have taken this creature as our prize. We want the florins. If we don't have them by sundown on Friday, she's dead. You will bring all the florins to the alley behind the west grocery in Hoofington. You will come alone. If you call the guards, or fail to meet our conditions, she will be killed.

~Bloodstain'

He read it over four times, just to make sure he had read what he thought he had. His fears were only confirmed. They had taken Twilight, and they were going to ransom her back, for a price that would ease the financial status of the entire country with room to spare.

He rushed out of the library. There was only eight hours left of daylight left, and six of those would be spent getting to Hoofington. That left him only two hours to gather everything up, or formulate a plan to get her out. He had to do something. He couldn't just leave her to die.

He galloped at a speed to rival Rainbow Dash, his cape tearing at his neck, begging to come off, but he either didn't notice, or didn't care. He pressed on, his mind aglow, trying to come up with something, anything, to save Twilight without giving in to their petty whims. It was unjust, and there had to be a way around it. Even if he couldn't see it...

By the time he'd arrived at the castle ruins he called home, the door was open. He thought it strange, but paid it no mind beyond, deciding that one of his guests must have left it open. He galloped past his workshop, down the stairs, to the very bottom of every flight, past the kitchen, greenhouse, and cellar, ramming the treasury door with his left shoulder, splintering it into innumerable tiny fragments that burst in every direction, the shards spraying unceremoniously across the ancient stone floor.

He turned to his left, then his right. His eyes widened at what he saw, or rather, what he didn't. His moderately sized chest, filled to the brim with gold coins was nowhere to be seen. He had nothing to give in return for Twilight. The only thing left in the room was a small scroll, bound in twine. He pulled it over to examine it. For the second time today, he couldn't believe what he read.

'I Trust that by now you've been to see Twilight. If so, good. I've taken the liberty of cleaning out this room. Don't worry, your coins are safe with us. However, since we had to get these ourselves, we will not accept them as payment. Now, we want blood. The blood of the one who betrayed us. You know where to find young Usutora, yes? Bring him, alive, to the location mentioned in the other missive. We'll not accept unless the terms are still met. See you at sundown.

~Bloodstain'

Several citizens of Ponyville stopped what they were doing and turned all around, looking to find the source of the profanity echoing off the buildings. Mothers quickly covered their children's ears, small animals ran and hid, and birds took off to the north, even at the approach of Winter. Some of the windows of buildings closer to the Everfree even shattered.

Fires blazed behind Akaitora's eyes as he stomped up the stairs, and down the hall to where he had left his brother. His face showed no other signs of emotion as he opened the door. If Usutora had left he castle grounds, there would be blood, and Usutora may not live to reach the meeting. The door burst open, and all blame for Usutora was released to the metaphorical wind. He even chuckled a bit at the situation before his eyes.

Hanging by his tail from one of the tapestries, surrounded in an anti-magical field, bound and gagged, was Usutora, a look of both pain and annoyance emanating from his face as he swung back and forth. He seemed to be emulating the thought, "Get me down from here, now." The field was only breakable by whomever, or whatever, held it in place, so all Akaitora could do was lower the tapestry, and untie him by hoof.

"Thanks for that. We need to get Tundra to drop this field if I'm to help you get Twilight back."

"How'd you know about that?"

"Let's leave it at this: Frostbite needs to learn to keep quiet."

"Is Fluttershy safe, at least?"

"No idea. I told her to go hide in the greenhouse as best she could the moment I heard voices coming down the stairs, with any luck, she's there now."

"You couldn't hold them off? I understand Tundra, He gave me quite the challenge yesterday, but Frostbite's a weakling."

"Three against one isn't a fair game. Not that I was expecting fair, but still..."

"Understood." By now, they had reached the greenhouse door, Akaitora opened it, half-expecting his assailants to be waiting on the other side. Thankfully, the room was empty, or so seemed to be. He called out to Fluttershy, who timidly poked her head out of the wheat field she had hid in.

"So what do they want?" Asked Usutora.

"You."

"Really? That begs the question, then, why didn't they take me when they had me?"

"I assume it's because they wanted me as well, to eliminate me so I can't stand against them, which is probably why they cut off my resources as one of the requirements for getting Twilight back."

"What happened to Twilight, is she okay?" asked Fluttershy, concern growing throughout her mind.

"She's been taken captive by common thugs. They want Mine and Usutora's lives in exchange for hers."

"I wouldn't put it past them to not hold up their end of that bargain if you go in there."

"Nor would I. That's why I need to work fast. If you'll both follow me to my workshop, I'll explain the plan."

Chapter 17: Here's Hoping

Chapter 17: Here's Hoping

Akaitora stepped into the alley first, followed closely by Usutora. They were in Hoofington, and mere minutes remained to dusk, yet the messengers of their misery were nowhere to be seen. The anti-magical aura still surrounded Usutora, though passerby simply attributed it to the unicorn travelling beside him. They waited, in the middle of the alley, eyes peeled, ears twitching at the slightest noise, for their contacts to reveal themselves.

"Do you think Fluttershy got home alright?" whispered Usutora under his breath.

"I hope so. Her job's the most important part." whispered Akaitora right back.

A few more minutes passed, and the sun set on the horizon. At that exact moment, three entities, all a bit large in stature, arose from the shadows. "Right on time, I see. And it seems you've even gone the extra mile and met all of my conditions. Well done." said the pegasus leading the pack.

"Hold, there," said Akaitora, planting his forelegs firmly into the gravel. "Before I hand him over, I must know that you've honored your end. Show me that Twilight is safe, else the deal is forfeit."

Bloodstain chuckled. "You're in no position to be bargaining. You see, we're the ones holding the cards. We have both Twilight, and your fortune. You have but the one bargaining chip, which we may as well have taken earlier. And might I remind you that we still hold that last piece in a position to where it can't be used?"

"You needn't remind me, I know these things. But might I remind you that I hold my own trump cards, and they may very well outweigh your own?"

Bloodstain thought it over for a moment, then broke into a cheeky grin. "Fine. I'll humor you, I've got enough of an advantage. Frostbite, our guest."

Frostbites horn lit up, casting a circle of light to surround the purple mare, trapped in an anti-magic field. No visible harm had come to her, but she wept, her head hung low, as she sat in the pool of blue light emanating from the horn of her captor.

"Now, send little Usu over, and Twilight may join you when he gets here."

"No. We trade at the same time. Usu leaves me as Twilight leaves you."

"You don't trust us?"

"With good reason."

"I suppose you're right. Smart, not to trust us. Very well, once more, we'll do things your way. Twilight," with these last words, he turned to Twilight, pulled her to her feet, and pushed her in Akaitora's direction. "You may go."

Usutora matched Twilight step for step, as their paths were slowly trodden. at the very center, Usu looked up, and as he passed, two words passed his lips. "I'm sorry." Both objects of trade finished their paths and turned around, looking to face the side they had recently left.

"Glad to see you listened to reason. I didn't want this to get ugly. Now, we must take our leave." Bloodstain turned, and lifted a hoof to step away, but was held back by the three words that breached his ears.

"Not so fast," called Akaitora. "Remove Twilight from this field you ut her in."

"And why should we do that? " said Bloodstain, turning back to face Akaitora. "It was never part of our deal to remove the field. You get what you've been given, and nothing more. It's not my problem if you're unhappy with your results."

"You forget that I, too, have a few tricks up my sleeve. I don't want to have to use them."

Bloodstain cracked up at this. "Well, now. I guess it's time to teach you to deal with the cards you're given, eh? Another field, Tundra."

As if it had simply happened, not just a cast of a spell, an anti-magical field surrounded Akaitora. However, instead of the usual reaction, being shock and horror, he chuckled, amused at the thought that crossed his mind.

"Something funny?" asked Bloodstain, pleased at his success, but confused at the reaction. "Spit it out."

"Oh, it's nothing really," Said Akaitora, wiping his eye with a hoof. "It's simply this. You've just cast a spell on me, to keep me from casting spells, but it will do you little good. I'm still able to perform magic, even though this field."

""What?" exclaimed Twilight, Bloodstain, Frostbite, and even Tundra in unison. Akaitor only nodded his head in response.

"You're bluffing, and it won't work." Said Frostbite. "Nopony can cast spells through a barrier, and nopony can override one of Tundra's spells, no matter what they do. And bronze only works on magic, not on Anti-magic."

"True, true, all of that information is correct, save for one piece." A wide smile crossed his face, and he tore his cape off, revealing his new wings. His eyes narrowed, and he crouched into an aggressive stance. "I wasn't bluffing."

With a leap, he burst from the ground, wobbling slightly with almost no practice, he had to keep his mind on the beats of his wings. His foes grew wide-eyed for a few seconds, each of them thinking the same thing. 'Impossible.' In this moment, Usutora set his job in motion. He tore at the band wrapped thrice around his leg, and swung it around Tundra's neck, effectively stopping the Anti-magic fields for a few moments.

Tundra was thus the first of the three to snap out of his trance, kicking at Usutora's chest, sending him flying backward into a wall, then tore the collar off his neck he cast once more a spell to keep Usutora from using any form of magic, followed by a barrier spell from Frostbite to hold him in place. This didn't last long though, for once again, the collar bounditself around tundra's neck, this time held securely with a padlock at the hooves of Akaitora, who was backed off into the air. The barrier faded as Frostbite began to activate the tumblers of the lock, trying to open it.

Bloodstain took to the skies, scanning the area for Akaitora, who seemed to have disappeared from the airspace. He spotted his quarry, flying low, going into another dark alleyway not too far from the previous. He seemed to be carrying something,large and purple. Twilight. Without a second thought, he sped down into the alley to confront his prey.

"Fluttershy should be at her house right now. Go there. If I don't make it back, she'll explain everything. I know this is a lot to take in, but I need you to keep a clear head through this. Can you do that for me?" Akaitora asked Twilight as they rounded a corner into a dark alley. A nod was all he got in response, before he set Twilight down, and she teleported herself out of town, to the path a short ways away, where she broke into a run, back toward Ponyville, teleporting herself from time to time to lessen the rip, and using what Kai had taught her to save energy.

Akaitora turned around, about to return to fight alongside his brother, when suddenly, a powerful sold mass struck his face, knocking him onto his back, sending a series of waves through his body, each one carrying vast amounts of pain. "You little Malequessant. Here I thought, 'Wow, how interesting, I think he'd make a fine addition to our team.' but you had to go and mess that up." A powerful kick to the stomach knocked all the wind out of Akaitora's lungs as he gasped for breath. "And you even come with wings. That would have given you quite the edge."

Akaitora bagan to roll away from his assaulter, to leave while still in one piece. He was almost to the lit area, he could almost see the street lamps, but a hoof came down halfway up his back, right between the wings. You almost got away with it too. A shame, really, that your story will never get out. Just know, you didn't have to die." Bloodstain raised his hooves, rearing back onto his back two legs, ready to strike Akaitora down, to finish the job.

Chapter 18: Fate Awaits

Chapter 18: Fate Awaits

Akaitora closed his eyes. It was hopeless to try to escape now. Bloodstain would certainly live up to his name, leaving a large pool surrounding Kai's broken body, and there was naught he could do to stop it. His luck had run out. The world seemed to slow around him. He could hear the air rushing around his assaulter's hooves as they barreled through the air toward him.

Out of nowhere, a loud crack was heard, similar to the sound of stone shattering. Akaitora's eyes burst open, and he observed his surroundings. Bloodstain was now in front of him, but was looking the other direction. beneath his forehooves, there were two spiderweb cracks, radiating from the point of impact directly below his feet. Just as he was contemplating exactly what had happened, a pale copper body landed in front of him, turned, and grabbed him off the ground, rushing back out of the alley and into the street.

"Start flying. His pride is too great; he'll chase you. Climb as high as you can, I'l bring him down," said Usutora under his breath.

"What of the other two?" he asked in response.

"Tundra's useless without his spells, and Frost'll never get that collar off."

"What of my cape? It has the key!"

"Held by a close friend of mine, I'll get you there later. Take off NOW!"

Akaitora took off, and Usu hid in the shadows.As predicted, as soon as Bloodstain had figured out where they went, he took off after Kai, so far the greatest threat to him in his entire life. He chased Akaitora, is peed being greater, after years of practice.

Kai, on the other hand, was having trouble. With almost his entire concentration on moving his wings, he couldn't focus any spells. He may have been a brilliant spellcaster, but his stamina was sub-par without his pieces to back him up. More than once he faltered, sometimes gratefully, as Bloodstain lunged at him causing him to need to regain his flight pattern.

Akaitora climbed higher and higher, losing energy and breathing heavily as the air grew ever thinner. It was more than a chore, now, it was a full-on battle of his willpower against the winds. Bloodstain carged once more, when suddenly, Akaitora received an epiphany that most pegasi already knew. In the nick of time, he spread his wings out, and let the wind carry him out of the way mere moments before the collision, allowing him enough time to concentrate just enough energy into one spell. He made a quick wish for luck, then cast the spell from his horn. A small ball of very dim light sped through the air, straight to his foe, now yards away, as Akaitora's body began to glow with the same dim light.

Usutora Looked up to check on his brother's progress. He was seemingly floating in the air, not flapping, but not falling, either. a dim light surrounded him, as another sped through the air away from him. For a moment, he felt extatic, that they just might make it out alive without the reinforcements. This didn't last long, though, as another light, sparking and red, leaving a thin, wispy trail behind it, sped toward his brother. "No!" he cried, releasing his own spell, sending it toward the missile hurtling through the air toward Kai.

Kai's pell successfully connected, and low required minimal concentration to keep it active. a red and orange Tendril burst from Bloodstains body, pointed directly at Kai. He accepted the Tendril, and could feel energy returning to his body. It may have been stolen energy, being a gift from his foe, but it was necessary. With renewed vigor, he flapped hard, gaining a few feet of air, when a loud whooshing sound seemed to come from beneath him, he looked town, straining to hold his own spell, to seean upside-down flame, sending small bouts of fire from the sky. he assumed it had been the handiwork of two spells colliding, he had seen it many times before when he was younger. In fact, he had caused it several times when he was younger. Not the same effects, but he hadn't tried every combination.

He turned his attention to Bloodstain, who flew now with the intent of removing all life and record of this blue alicorn that plagued him. It wasn't possible, in his mind for anyone so small and insignificant as Akaitora could be such a powerful threat to his plans. It was unspeakable, to have a great beast as Bloodstain defeated by a dainty spell-slinger. He roared, speeding through the air, aiming all of his hatred at his quarry.

Akaitora recognized the red mass speeding through the air toward him was a serious threat, and tried to move out of the way, but to no avail. Though his energy was being sapped, Bloodstain still had enough to grab hold of Akaitora's tail, and throw him, hurtling, toward the ground. Akaitora spiraled, unable to regain control of himself,and landed at a slant on one of the buildings. Thinking quickly, he pulled his legs out from underneath him and galloped across the roof, using primarily the force of Bloodstain's throw, but also using his own legs to propel himself a mere fraction of his previous height into the air. he glanced back, and saw what he had been intended to hit: a dumpster full of broken glass.

Bloodstain himself landed right next to it, drawing out a rather large, sharp piece, and holding it between his teeth, before flying once more at Akaitora, who hung in the air, holding on his face the second most fearful expression he had ever held. Only once before had he ever felt more fear than he had now, and this time, he had nothing to calm that fear. His mind raced to come up with some solution, some way he could survive this predicament, but none came to him.

Akaitora turned away, and flew as fast as he could, away from the murderous pegasus tailing him, and closing fast. He heard a grunt, and some hair from his tail was cut off, he flapped his wings ever harder, and the next swipe caught his leg, leaving a few shards inside as the glass pane broke a bit more. He was drawing out Bloodstains strength, but it wasn't enough. He saw his predator, flying alongside him, about to throw what would be a killing strike, should it hit.

At just the perfect moment, though, Akaitora banked to the left, and the pane only just clipped his neck. A few drips of his blood ran down the side, stopping when they reached Bloodstains lips. A blaze burned infernally behind his eyes, but he flashed a smile. He quickly drew it back in when he realized he had torn his own lips open. This gave Akaitora an idea. He pulled back as hard as he could, coming to a swift stop, hovering in the air. Bloodstain came to a stop a few yards down, hovering at the same height, glaring daggers at Akaitora.

'Dear Celestia, I hope this works' He sped toward his foe, trying to look brave, but his eyes revealed his fear. Bloodstain also began a headlong rush, pulling his weapon to the ready. They closed in on each other. Thre yards now, two, one... At the last second, Akaitora pulled himself into a momentary nosedive, just as Bloodstain swung. With a swift kick to Bloodstain's jaw, the glass pane between his teeth shattered, spraying shards throughout Bloodstain's mouth. More shards rained down on Akaitora, but most simply glanced off at the moment of contact.

Bloodstain began to contemplate the efficiency of carrying glass between his teeth as he spat out what few shards he could. most were embedded in his lips and tongue, but some had fled down his throat. Stories of Attila, a Cossack from ages passed, entered his mind. He knew at that moment the closeness and efficiency of his death. He would never again see the sun, he was bleeding into his lungs, with no way to stop it.

"Then I'll take you to hell with me!" he shouted, spraying blood over Akaitora with every word. With a bolt of speed, Akaitora burst into the sky, as fast as he could muster. He climbed higher and higher, amazed at Bloodstain's stamina. His energy was being drawn out, and yet he still had plenty to spare.

Chapter 19: The Final Link

Chapter 19: The Final Link

Akaitora climbed higher than he had before, now having more energy, but mostly out of need. He cut straight through a cloud, and still climbed. The clouds grew thinner, and thinner, until he could see the full moon before him. One of the benefits of not being a born pegasus was that the clouds had no solidity around him, and could breeze right through them, if he didn't mind getting a little wet, which he didn't.

Bloodstain, on the other hoof, was slowly making his way back through the clouds, having not climbed this high very often. The clouds were thick, tonight. the entire town would be shrouded in darkness if not for the street lamps. Akaitora used his momentary ceasefire to focus another spell, this one to cripple his foe in such a way that he wouldn't be capable of climbing back up.

It took mere moments for Bloodstain to burst from the clouds, being master of them, and he turned to face Akaitora, hovering int he air, his eyes shut tight. He sped toward his prey, forelegs outstretched, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth.

The world seemed to slow as Akaitora opened his eyes. He could see the beating wings of his foe as he flew toward him. He could trace the particles of the cloud that had recently been broken back to where they had been before the breach. He could trace back the blood running from Bloodstain's mouth back along his neck, some tracing to his shoulders. 'Just a few more seconds,' he thought. 'Come on, come on!'

Bloodstain was mere inches away when the spell was ready, and Akaitora had no time to aim, or dodge for that matter. He lost his concentration on the energy sapping spell; it didn't matter now. one of the two would be horribly crippled after this, and there would be no energy to transfer, or no one to transfer it too. His wings stopped beating, he would need to conserve any energy he had left if he was going to make it out alive. The spell cast, being almost impossible to miss at point blank, and hit its intended target, before the intended target hit him.

Bloodstain embraced Akaitora, and hurtled down toward the town, flapping his wings to pick up as much speed as possible. "I've said it before, I'll say it now! You didn't have to die! Now, you will!"Akaitora writhed inside of Bloodstains forelegs, trying to escape, but to no avail. The ground was drawing ever closer. Fifty yards, forty, thirty. At roughly fifteen yards, Bloodstain Released Akaitora and tried to pull up. Now free of his grasp, Akaitora shut his eyes and waited to make contact with the pavement...

But it never happened. He had heard a loud thud, of a body hitting pavement, but it wasn't his own. He opened his eyes, and looked out behind him A rainbow trail sped out behind him, coming from the mare that had caught him, and saved him from his fall. She stopped, and he rolled off onto his hooves. They were incredibly sore, especially his right flank, which still held a few shards of broken glass. He leaned against a nearby building for support, still amidst the back alleys.

"Where'd you learn to fly?" joked Rainbow, not having seen his wings yet. He had kept them tucked in, to save space, and protect them from damage. now they helped support him, having taken the least damage from the airtime fight.

"I guess you could say that study is no substitute for experience..." huffed Akaitora. "Come on, we need to go check on a few of the other ponies." Akaitora limped along the path he had just come down, staying in the shadows as much as possible to avoid being seen. at the very end, he ran out of darkness, and the alley gave way to a street lamp. He slid down the wall, the pain in his leg excruciating. "Rainbow?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you go find... Turnkey, and tell him to bring my cape here?"

"Turnkey? The locksmith? What makes you think he'll be here, and not in Ponyville? And why would he have your cape? And why would having your cape make any difference?"

"Rainbow, please. I'll explain when you get back, it's urgent."

"Okay, I'll see if I can't find him..." she took off, heading out of town.

"Rainbow!" she turned around. "He's here in town, and he's in the other direction. He should be near the grocer."

Rainbow scratched her head, and took off once more, this time the other direction. Akaitora turned his attention to his leg. It was difficult to concentrate while in pain, and this was no exception. Earlier, his life had depended on what he could muster, now the need was gone, replaced with want. There was no way for him to eliminate the pain, but at least he could stop the bleeding, until he got to see a doctor, or some other healer. He slowly pulled the glass shards from his leg. they were tiny, but they burned as the inferno upon release. He breathed heavily through his teeth, as one by one, they met the ground beside him. a small pool of bloody froth had formed next to him, and dripped into a storm drain. after about a minute, that felt like an hour, he had removed all the shards from his leg, and waited for Rainbow to come back. He didn't have long to wait.

"Found 'im! Here's you ca--" she held out his cape in one hoof, but what caught her eyes was the small pool of Kai's blood. "Oh my gosh, you're bleeding." she stated.

"That's one of the reasons I had you get my cape." was all Kai said as he pulled it over and fished out a cloth bandage, one he used when he cut himself working with the sharp metals of the castle grounds. Though recently, it had more purpose than in the past. He didn't say it, but the other reason he wanted his cape was to hide his wings once more.

"Fluttershy got back today. She said you needed help with something in Hoofington, but refused to say what. I never knew you needed this much help."

'Well done, Fluttershy. Now, if you'll just explain to Twilight...' "There, that should do it, for now." He threw his cape back over his shoulders and tied it back on. His leg was now fully wrapped, and the profuse bleeding stopped. a small amount still trickled out with each step, but it was minimal, and wouldn't cause any major harm. He went back to limping down the street, still a bit unsteady, but coping with his pain he was almost used to it by the time he made it back to Bloodstain, who lay on his stomach, barely breathing, and coughing up blood.

"I didn't want this... I only acted in self-defense. I'm truly sorry for this."

"No... don't give me your pity. I don't need you looking down on me... Just leave me to die here."

"If you had stayed on your noble path, this wouldn't have happened. I used to look up to you, you know. Usu couldn't stop raving about how good you were at what you did, and how just your cause was. You could have stayed there, and lived comfortably. But yu turned. That is why I now look down on you."

"Leave me be..."

"Fine. Just giving you something to think about before the end." Akaitora trotted off, as Bloodstain was left, alone, in his own rot.

It didn't take long to get back to the alley where Frostbite was still struggling at the lock around Tundra's neck. Tundra had lay down on the gravel, and looked out into the street. "You're back," he said, standing up and trotting slowly to where Akaitora and Rainbow were standing. "I take it then, that Bloodstain is..."

"Dead." finished Usutora, stepping out of the shadows behind Rainbow. "Drowned in his own blood, from the glass shards in his mouth and throat. His death was of his own accord."

"Headstrong fool," muttered Tundra. "From this point forth, my loyalties lie with you. What would you ask of me?"

"First, I need my chest back. Where is it?"

"Tis here, behind me. I'll bring it right back to where we found it, if you'll remove this collar."

"Yes, please!" chimed in Frostbite. "I can't get the accursed thing open."

Akaitora pulled a small, three-pronged key from one of his pockets. he slid it into the lock, and the tumblers clicked open, and the collar slid off. A soft glow encompassed Tundra's horn, and the chest behind him glowed. in a flash, it was gone. "It is done." said Tundra.

"Good. Now, I turn you over to Usu, and he is your new charge."

"It will be so. Would you and your friend like a faster journey home, though? I must offer you this before I leave your service."

"Very well." said Akaitora, ans a soft light engulfed himself, Rainbow, and Tundra's horn.

"I'll see you around, Kai," said Usutora, waving. A split second later, Kai and Rainbow dash arrived in Ponyville.

Epilogue: A New Beginning

Epilogue: A New Beginning

"Fluttershy... here ya go!" said the grey pegasus, handing Fluttershy a small box, topped with a letter. Fluttershy opened the letter up immediately. The only time she ever got mail was when someone wanted her to help care for a sick animal, and she just couldn't leave them knowing they were ill. But this letter was strange. It had no return adress, nor did the package. She unfolded the letter. She was glad to read that is wasn't about a sick pet.

Dear Fluttershy,

Firstly, I wish to thank you. I never did get the chance when we finished our project. I rushed out in such a hurry that I forgot. I only remembered a few days ago, that I had forgotten to do so five years ago, and I want to now, because without your help, it would have been a failure. Thank you so much for putting up with all the hell I must've put you through, and I'm very sorry if I caused you any stress.

You may have noticed that this package has no return address. I'm currently in hiding again. You can probably understand why, given the nature of my work, and the prejudices against them. However, I know that you don't support those prejudices, and therefore, I'll tell you how to find me. Back at the castle, in the workshop, is one of my torches. It's held in place by a spell I put down, stopping anyone not wearing the collar that I left on your Kitchen table the day I left, from getting near it. Use any tracking spell on it, and it will lead you to me.

Now, if you haven't opened the package, do so now. Enclosed is a trinket that will allow you to cast spells, like the unicorns do. It's the least I can give you for the wings you gave me. Also enclosed are a few of my notes on some spells I had made from scratch. I want you to give those to Twilight. She has real potential as a spellcaster, And I want her to succeed in that. You may also feel free to use them, once you garner enough magical prowess. I'd ask Twilight to teach you.

It seems my time in public grows short, people are starting to stare at the lump underneath my cape. I hope to see you again, someday.

~Akaitora

Fluttershy smiled. She opened the package, and four books and a small chain adorned with a topaz surrounded by golden bands fell out. Fluttershy looked closely at the topaz, and saw a small 'F' etched into the back. she brought it up around her neck, and secured the clasp in place. It looked lovely.

She set the books down on her patio table, and quickly finished her chores.Upon completion, she gathered her books and set off for the library. On her way, thoughts of Kai's last night in Ponyville crossed her mind. He had left for Hoofington, She'd sent Rainbow Dash, Twilight showed up at her door, and the next morning, Kai was simply gone. There was no one at the castle. The only life inside was the greenhouse, which still thrived. The only torch not gone sat in the middle of his workshop, but it seemed unreachable through the barrier surrounding it. Not even bronze had been any good to pull it down. The only thing he left was a small collar, and a note sying to hold on to the collar, and more would be explained later.

She walked into the library, to be greeted by Twilight with a jovial smile. "Good afternoon, Fluttershy! What brings you here today?"

"Well, A friend of ours wanted me to give you these," said Fluttershy, handing the books over. "He said that they're personal notes on some new spells."

"New spells?" asked Twilight, pulling them over and flipping through the pages a bit. About halfway through the first, she stopped. She looked up at Fluttershy, a hopeful look on her face. "You saw him again!?"

"Well, no, he sent me this letter." she held up the letter, which Twilight began reading through quickly. "Also, Twilight? Could you, um... If it's not too much trouble... teach me some spells?"

Twilight finished the letter, then looked back at Fluttershy, eyeing the necklace in particular. "Is that the trinket?" she asked, pointing at it. Fluttershy nodded in response. "Then I guess I'll have to tutor you. Come with me please." She began toward the door to the basement lab, then stopped and called to Spike. "I'll be downstairs. Call me if something comes up, but no guests, understand?"

Spike gave the Salute, and Twilight began her walk down the stairs, to where she first met Kai, with Fluttershy right behind her. "So what do you already know about magic?" asked Twilight as the door closed behind them.

Author's notes:

I know I'm adding these about two weeks late, but for my readers who are too good to read the comments, the sequel is here. Enjoy it.