Leap of Faith: Wolokai Vs. Life

"Ego Amare...my dear Wolokai..."

Ponyville - Four and half months after The Battle of Manehatten - 1:40 P.M.

May in Ponyville was what many a pony would call 'true peace in Equestria'. Birds flew and flocked from tree to tree, filling the air with their beautiful, harmonic singing. Small woodland creatures pranced about the fields outside of the blissful town, while several other ponies took to relaxing in the park or playing games in the flower fields. All around the town, activity could be seen and heard in every street, and in every building. Everywhere...except one place.

It was quiet inside the small home in which Octavia and Vinyl Scratch resided. It was a simple home, complete with the usual furnishings. Along the walls of the main hallway, just behind the front door, hung several framed pictures. These included the fun and silly times that Vinyl Scratch always seemed to have with Octavia, including fun trips to the park, scenes from their performances at various events they attended and were invited to, and the quiet life they had at home. All the pictures were dedicated to them, save one. A cracked frame hung limp from one of two hooks just under the last picture of Vinyl Scratch scraping a burnt omelet off their stove. The picture inside was gone, the shards of glass that littered the floor already cleaned up from yesterday.

It was with delicate and quick hooves that the weary colt passed out in the guest bedroom used to assassinate the picture frame, being careful to come up with an excuse as to why this happened...knowing full well Octavia would be on the hunt for answers if (and when...) she found out. The colt in question was still snoozing from the early morning, his light snores quietly rasping through his slightly open mouth. His wings were fully erect under his body, the tips of the feathery appendages gracing the wall and nightstand that took up the sides of his bed. The Pegasus looked miserable, his face contorted into one of displeasure, pain even. His mane was a ruffled mess and there was sure to be red cracks of tiredness etched into the whites of his poor eyes. He shifted his weight uncomfortably on the lumpy mattress, and let out a small whimper, turning his head towards the far wall. 1:41 P.M. ticked by slowly, the murderous red numbers on the digital clock blaring their grim color with an evil light. For the colt laying in bed, time was nothing, neither was reality. Nightmares had priority this day, and were hell bent on once again plaguing the poor pony as he failed yet again to acquire the good night's sleep he had only imagined in passing day dreams at the College.

1:42 P.M.

"OH GODS ABOVE, RUN!!!!"

"Is it them?! Oh Celestia save us it's THEM!!!"

"Run!!!! They're coming up the street!!!"

Wolokai opened his eyes and blinked rapidly, taking in sharp, ragged breaths and coughing immediately after as his lungs filled with heated smoke. The smell of burning wood was thick in the air, and the screams of many ponies filled his ears. The Pegasus stared up at the black sky with terror in his eyes, the sounds of destruction and chaos crashing about around him. He was immobile, paralyzed and stuck to the ground on his back. He could feel his left wing twitching beside him, his right one unresponsive. He heard whispers to his right, light, ethereal whispers that turned his head towards the sound. His eyes were wide and filled with terror, his form and heart shivering in horror as he beheld his dismembered right wing twitching near his body. This was only a minor fright compared to the one he saw further down the street.

A dark, shadowy creature was striding up the street slowly, its murderous red eyes boring right into the petrified colt's. Its paws made light 'thuds' in the dirt street, driving anypony nearby into frantic hysterics. It stopped about thirty feet away from the Pegasus, its blasphemous gaze striking pure, raw fear into every nerve and fiber of his body.

Wolokai could tell there were ponies behind the creature, formed into a straight line and blocking off the entire street. He could not tell who they were, or what they looked like as his gaze was still focused on the creature that had now resumed its approach towards him. Closer and closer it came...drool leaking from its disgusting maw. Its teeth were as black as night, and as sharp as the most deadly of knives. Twenty-five feet...twenty...closer it came. Just as the creature was about to reach the horrified colt, however, a blinding white light shone out before his eyes, sending the dark creature back several feet. The light gleamed with great intensity as the echoes of a siren rose up from somewhere in Ponyville. The light receded after a moment, revealing the form of what looked like a pony. Its fur was a shining white, and it wore what looked like a set of snowy robes, even whiter then its fur. Wolokai could only just start to move his eyes upwards when a soft, tender voice whispered in his mind:

"Not...yet..."

~*~

Wolokai woke up with a gasp, sitting up quickly and taking in deep gulps of air. His right wing ached as badly as his head did, and his blaring alarm clock was not doing him any favors by being a down right noisy bastard. A well-placed hit of his hoof shut off the alarm, the time only just reaching 2:23 P.M.. As the alarm shut off, the automatic-radio function clicked on, the voice of an all too familiar colt shouting out from the speakers. Wolokai put his face in his hooves and sighed as the colt spoke "Well good afternoon Ponyville! DJ Shake n' Bake here, giving you all the latest shindig and news right here on the Cage Corral Radio Network! Vinyl Scratch has just checked out for today, which means it's time for badum-ba-da...news!!!!

"Shit..." Wolokai groaned, turning off the radio-clock with a light tap of his hoof and pushing himself out of bed. His eyes were indeed bloodshot, but as bad as previously thought. He lumbered forward, his head down and his wings limp at his side. He moved by his computer desk and quickly tapped the power button that rested on the front of his high-powered machine before heading towards the door. He pushed himself out of his bedroom and quickly made his way to the bathroom, his morning business calling for him.

After a refreshing brush of his teeth and a warm splash of water on his face, the weary Pegasus moved to the living room, taking a quick moment to tap the red button on the answering machine that blinked with a bright light. Wolokai moved into the kitchen as the speakers crackled for a moment, Vinyl's voice finally coming through.

"Yo yo yo! You've reached The house of the awesome and very talented Vinyl Scratch ("Oh really...Vinyl could you try any harder to make EVERYTHING an ego trip?!") ...and Octavia, as well as our resident, bad-ass roommate Wolokai! Obviously we're not answering the phone because we either don't know you, think you're creepy, or we're too busy partying like wild animals ("Honestly...why do I bother..."), so go ahead and leave us a message! Let us know who the message is for after the beep so we can sort em out! Wouldn't want to catch any dirty secrets on the messages would we? ("You're such a brute Vinyl...I swear") Toodles!"

Wolokai rolled his eyes and opened the fridge door with his teeth as the machine let out its usual 'BEEP'. He pulled out a large gallon-jug of milk as the first of the messages started "Hello, this message is for Miss Sharpe. This is the the Office of Public Affairs down at City Hall, politely asking you to once again remind Miss Scratch that the fountain in Trottington Park is for VIEWING, not for DRINKING! Thank you."

The Pegasus let out a slight, humorous scoff as he pulled a bowl out of the cupboards above the sink and listened to the next message. "Yo, Vinyl, it's Blazer. Why you gotta be avoiding me girl!? Don't you know that you're the only one for me?! That Octavi-bitch girl don't know what's good for you! Come chill with me baby-doll, I'll show you how a REAL pony works some lovin'!"

"Seriously? ANOTHER message from that idiot?" A voice shouted from the kitchen entrance, making Wolokai jump slightly and turn his head towards the sound. He let out a tense breath as Vinyl Scratch slowly walked into the kitchen, her mane haggled and her eyes weary and tired. "Sup bro?" She yawned, opening the fridge with her magic and pulling out a bottle of Apple Cider.

"Nothing much...go easy on that" Wolokai responded, his voice slightly hoarse. He turned his attention back to the box of Cheerileeos he had on the counter, tipping it forward and letting the brown donut-shaped treats trickle into the bowl.

"It's just one bottle. Trust me it takes like maybe three or four of these to even start hammering." Vinyl responded, turning back towards the kitchen entrance and walking out as she took a sip. "Heading to bed, I got another night shift tonight. Night dude."

Wolokai finished pouring the milk in, his eyes unmoving from the cereal mix as he said back "Night Vin." He put away the milk and cereal quickly as the next message came around...this one driving a deep, aggravated sigh out of his lungs.

"Hey Wolokai...it's Juniper. Look, I'm not really good at this type of stuff, so I'll just keep it brief. I don't think our relationship is going in the direction I'd like it to. It's just...not working. I'm sorry, and I hope you have good fortune in finding a mare...more suited for you. Good luck and have fun in life Wolokai...goodbye. Wolokai simply shrugged, slurping as quietly as he could out of the bowl before him and savoring the cinnamon taste of his Cheerileeos.

"Whatever...bitch." he whispered, leaning back in his chair at the kitchen table. Another marefriend gone...whatever. His fourteenth attempt at love, ending up in utter failure. Too be honest, he hadn't really tried with this one, the point of it all starting to get lost on him. Love? Who needed it? Sure he was happy for Vinyl and Octavia, but he figured that it was because they were both mares, mares who shared the same feelings and interests for their gender. Not that he had anything against it, but Wolokai just didn't swing that way. No Love, No Pain is the motto he had thought and mulled over in his head several times when staring at his computer screen, tapping and typing down whatever his imagination decided to bring out. "The Single Life...hello old friend" Wolokai muttered, growling and taking another mouthful of cereal in his mouth.

The next and final message beeped as Wolokai chewed on the cereal "Kurr, it's Sykes. You're not doing anything right? Fan-fucking-tastic! GET YOUR ASS DOWN TO THE OFFICE, NOW! June just called in sick and I need an afternoon and an evening route filled in! It's a three P.M. shift, so GET ON IT KURR!!!"

Wolokai spit out his cereal all over the kitchen table, coughing loudly as he looked over towards the small clock that rested on the far wall...its taunting hands displaying the time 2:49 P.M. "SHIT!" he shrieked, bounding out of his seat and running through the house quickly. "Shit, shit, shit! Fucking fat bastard! Fucking asshole! FUCK!" he spat, rushing into his room and slipping on his black watch. He quickly picked up the rumpled mess that was his vest and slipped it on over his head and across his chest, resting it comfortably on his back. He quickly slid his P.Pad into his right vest pocket, making sure to carefully tuck in the ear buds in as well. With that, he made a mad dash out of the room and towards the front door, ripping it open and closing it quickly behind him.

The warm May air quickly wrapped itself around the hurried Pegasus as he shot out his wings and hammered them down, taking himself up into the air and across the street in front of him. The wind whistled in his ear as he rose up higher into the air for just a moment before banking to the left and sailing downwards past City Hall. From where he was in the air, Wolokai could see all the various townsfolk below tending to their business's or their casual agendas. Some shopped, some browsed, some played in the streets or talked over things during quiet lunches. Wolokai's path, however, took him away from all of this, moving from the Northern business, residential area to the Southern Industrial section of Ponyville. It was on this side of town that more of the gritty and physical side of work took place, including Construction, Electricity, and the Mail System in which Wolokai now turned his direction to.

He had just finished sailing over the Office of Construction when the Cloudsdale Official Letter Transportation (Or, C.O.L.T.) building came into view. It was a three story, brick building with faded windows and a neatly trimmed hedge surrounding the outside with beautiful red flowers dotting its leafy edges. Wolokai rolled his eyes up at the rusted C.O.L.T. sign that hung above the main double doors, always wondering exactly why it was labeled Cloudsdale and not Ponyville. This thought always ate at him whenever he came into work, and eat at him it did as he stared upwards towards the many open windows that saw several Pegasus ponies flying in and out of them, mail satchels over their backs.

Wolokai sighed and moved forward, pushing the double doors open to unleash the unrelenting roar of noise that seemed to be trapped within the soundproof building. Shouts and hollers could be heard from all across the building, the whole area sounding like an overcrowded cafeteria at lunch. Ponies moved about like a mad swarm of bees in a freshly bucked hive, papers and packages flying about every which way. It looked like some sort of sick, twisted war zone, one that didn't offer many survivors in the aftermath. The unicorn mare managing the front desk looked up for a moment, her peripherals catching sight of the door opening, and blinked as a panting Wolokai made his way towards her. "Afternoon Abigail..." he wheezed, his chest heaving for air "Clocking in for the three P.M. shift..."

The mare, Abigail, looked towards the clock on the far wall and saw that the minute hand was just now moving over onto the twelve, signaling the very start of 3 P.M. "Right on time" she spoke with a bored tone, her horn lighting up with reddish magic and pulling a time card out of its place on the wall. She levitated it into stamper nearby and pulled the lever, stamping Wolokai into work and putting it over into the 'IN' section on the other side of the clock. "You're in...June's bag is up in her cubicle, so get it and go before Sykes gets more pissed then he is already..."

Wolokai nodded, quickly turning and pushing his way through the maddening crowd of ponies that took up the lobby and most of the wooden staircases leading upwards. Most would find it too difficult to move through the overcrowded halls and stairs, but not for those of who were used to the walk and life of postage. Squeezing, ducking, and pushing past the crowds took its usual toll on the Pegasus, his grunts and light yelps of pain inaudible to the chaos going on around him. After a good five minutes, Wolokai finally managed to heave himself up onto the second floor of the building, making a beeline past all the cubicles to June's. Briefly stepping out of the way of a runaway mail cart, Wolokai poked his head into the cubicle and spotted the mail bag, as advertised...and the beautiful grey coat of a mare the colt knew all too well.

A mane of bright yellow, a flank of bubbles, and eyes of gleaming sunlight, Ditzy Doo was a pony known to many as the more 'interesting' of the bunch. Many couldn't understand her, whether it was her speech or how she behaved...but it was either by good fortune or a lot of patience that Wolokai could happily say he was one of those special few who could. "Hey Ditzy!" Wolokai shouted, a warm smile crossing his face. It was a sort of ritual they had, between the closest of friends. They'd always be sure to say hello as loud as they could to each other when their paths crossed, the volume depending on how strange the meeting place was. They had said hello in the back of a donut shop, a tree in the park, from the ceiling of a carriage, and even the time when Wolokai opened a mailbox to find Ditzy Doo staring back at him through a hole in the back of it.

Ditzy jumped slightly, her right eye looking off towards the ground while her left eye centered on Wolokai. She giggled and waved a hoof at him, shouting back "Hi Wolokai!!! You got me good this time!"

"Heh, yeah!" The colt spoke, raising an eyebrow after a moment as he asked "What you up to in here?"

At this, Ditzy frowned and looked back towards June's desk, growling with frustration "I've been searching for my Super-Stapler Muffinator 3000!!! I know I put it in my Muffin chest but I can't locate it everywhere!"

Wolokai let out a slight chuckle and held out a hoof, speaking gently to her "Maybe that's because you're looking in JUNE'S cubicle...not yours. You work four down and two back, remember?"

Ditzy blinked, a confused expression passing over her face before a wave of realization passed down over her. She burst out laughing, shaking her head and trotting towards the entrance as she exclaimed "I'm a silly pastry, of course! I'm in the wrong bakery!!! I'll go look in the Muffin Store. Say..." she stopped, standing in the small hallway outside the cubicle and turning to face Wolokai "You should come float upside down later at the Doctor's place! He's doing this cool thing with strawberries and ice cream that he says is going to be Muffin-RIFIC!!!! You gotta! Please please please pleaaaaase!?!?"

Wolokai sighed, smiling towards his best friend with a throb of warmth in his heart. She'd always win these kind of arguments. Whether it was the soft batting of her yellow eyes, or the way she gave him the 'pouty lips', or simply the way she used her bubbly, happy personality to get him to tag along in all of her silly adventures. He had always cared about Ditzy Doo, the years of their friendship always near the front-most part of his mind, and it was these he thought about as he nodded and said "Of course! I get off my shift at eight, so meet you there?"

Ditzy nodded her head rapidly, turning and bouncing away happily as she hummed and sang loudly "In the Muffin Factory!!! Where not a single dough gets through!"

Wolokai chuckled, shaking his head and turning to move into June's cubicle. He quickly scooped up the bag, flipping it on his back and heading towards one of the many wide, opened windows that rested along the walls. He stepped up to the sill, pulling out the ear buds of his P-Pad and sticking them in his left ear only. With a careful hoof, he selcted one of his all time favorites and looked down towards the ground as the rock music started. His eyes narrowed in determination and his wings unfurled, carrying him outside and downwards with a furious burst of speed. The song gave him a good beat which allowed him to time the beats of his wings perfectly, giving him the best amount of speed and direction possible. He soared over the house-tops of Ponyville, banking and diving, even going as far as a barrel roll to get his adrenaline up.

He had studied June's route many a time, as well as the routes of several others he worked with in the mail chain he operated in. This was mandatory of course, if somepony got hurt or sick, any other could take their place no problem and without difficulty. This route was fairly easy enough, being as it was just two long, straight lines and a solid curve of houses, followed by package duty back at the warehouse. The lucky thing about this shift was, June ALWAYS liked to keep the letters strictly organized, having her bags prepared at least a day in advance. Every address in order, every house and letter lined up perfectly so she wouldn't have to waste time rummaging around her bag for them.

As Wolokai approached the first house, he hoisted the mail-bag in front of him and opened the front flap, taking the first few letters in his hoof carefully. As he flew through the street, he whipped his hooves about and sent the letters sailing towards the doorsteps of each house, singing along as the main chorus of the song burst out in his ears

"All you'll ever be, is a fading memory of a bully!!!!! Make another joke while they hang another rope, so lonely!!!! Push em to the dirt till the words don't hurt, can you hear me!!!!? Nopony's gonna cry, on the very day you DIE, you're a bully!!!!

He whipped his hooves about left and right as he soared up the street, each letter landing perfectly on each doorstep and giving the cheering ponies in the street a good show as he went into a spiral , letters flying out from his blurred form and finding themselves stuck in mailboxes or the mail slots of doors.

However...it was not just the residents below that had their eyes on him at this particular moment. To the cliffs in the east, on a narrow, jutted edge...a pony stood. He was an average height for a stallion, although his appearance...was not. He wore a large set of dark blue and black robes, the shimmering of a similarly colored armor lying just underneath. The robes were simple in design, with a hood and bandana to match. The hood was up and the Bandana rested around the front of his snout, obscuring his face from view...but not his eyes. His eyes were a gleaming sapphire, and were glaring towards the flying Pegasus as he flung letters like deadly knives from his bag. A voice from behind him whispered quietly, the tinges of fear clearly audible in his voice "L...Lord? Sh...shall we follow h-"

"No..." hissed the stallion, a portion of his robes moving aside to reveal the dark chest piece that made up his armor. On the very front was an odd looking symbol, carved with blueish colored paint. Underneath the symbol rested several tally-marks of a bloody color, with a single one etched to the very top right of the symbol

He stared towards the flying Pegasus, growling as he turned and walked away from the edge, his cape blowing and whipping about behind him as he hissed "No...there is a process. There was always a process. Nothing we can do to speed it up or slow it down. The process must not be hindered, nor must it be bothered. As it happened before, it will happen again...now come...

"We have a lot of work to do..."

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