Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 15: Dear, Sister...

Hi Aqua,

It’s been a little bit since I sent one of these. Other than the three I sent you this morning… Hopefully, you aren’t too annoyed about that. I just have so much to tell you about! And Free has me on a “doctor-ordered medical leave” until my hoof injury heals more. So other than reworking schematics of mine and poking around on my terminal, I’m limited on things I can do. Sky and Scarlet promised to keep an eye out for books while they buy supplies, so with any luck, I’ll have something new to read by this afternoon!

Or at least it feels like it. I’m sure we’ve both been busy. I have some doctor-ordered free time while I recover from a broken hoof, so it seems like the perfect time to catch you up on my Equestrian adventures! Wouldn’t it be amazing if someone used these messages to write my biography one day? That’d be so amazing.

My crazy quests have been up and down, though I’ve already told you most of what I can think of about those in my other messages… But it happens! Name one adventure story where things go how the main character expects them to. In a way, things were going exactly as expected since it’s expected things never go as you expect! But,

1: I’m a smart mare!
2: My friends are experienced wasteland survivors!
3: We’ve made lots of other new friends who we can get help from!
Whatever happens, we’ll rise above the challenges the cruel world throws at us and be stronger for it!

The wasteland has already taught me so much! It taught me that you can’t trust everyone, but you have to trust someone. And I trust my friends. My crew. I trust them to have my back and know they trusted me to do the same. But I also need to trust that they can help with my mission. Entrust them with not only my life but our people's lives. With your life. That part is harder. But I’m getting better!

Anyway, I have something pretty important to tell you, so I should probably get to it.

Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

*** *** ***

Father taught us the importance of music when we were very young. How it’s like its own form of magic, unique as it is powerful. Like how a certain song can foster hope and comfort in all who hear it, bringing joy into people's hearts even centuries after the composer has passed. It took nearly two decades and flying halfway across the world for me to truly understand what he meant. Seeing how the radio DJ could bring the wasteland together with nothing but his upbeat demeanour and a modest collection of tapes.

Music isn’t always happy. It can be sombre and depressing. A tool for the musician to convey a great inner sorrow that’s hard to express. It wasn’t until my late girlfriend Karma’s funeral that I understood the value of such sad ballads. When she died, I became numb. Disconnected from the world around me. Lost and alone. The music brought out emotions I didn’t know I locked away so I could start to grieve. While the elders play sad songs on their ocean flutes to usher the dead to a place of peace, it can bring peace to the living as well.

So as Prime himself sent the rotted, barely seaworthy boat of June Berries remains down river with me at his side, I knew what was missing. My voice wasn’t soft like confident like yours, sister, or always in key like mothers. That was ok. I closed my eyes and let my voice ring out across the river.

I put my heart into my voice. Every feeling I was holding onto took flight with my words, releasing the tension I’d been holding deep inside of me. Tears stung my eyes as I recited what little of the song I could remember. I didn’t realize it at the time, but one of the elders sang the same song at Karma’s funeral. I hope it brought them together in the next life.

The boat caught fire the moment I opened my eyes. Customarily a scrawl or elder would light the vessel on fire. With me being as close as we could manage, I carved a fire rune into its bow before it was sent off. It seemed fitting that the fire waited until my song ended to start. Next, her soul would ascend, and her ashes would become one with the waves. I never thought of myself as religious or spiritual, but the longer I’m away from home, the more I find comfort in my heritage.

That’s when I realized everyone was staring at me. I was so caught up in the funeral rites, I hadn’t felt it. Glistening eyes met mine as I turned to the small crowd behind me. My friends, Prime and Harmony, Snowflake and Caramel Kiss. To my surprise, even Orella and their partner Grace came to pay their respects. Jasmine and a few other guard ponies stood a ways back from the riverbank, keeping watch in case anything dangerous attempted to assault the two city leaders and their guests.

Or they were supposed to be. They were watching me too. All with mixed expressions of awe, surprise, and sadness. The attention made my cheeks burn, and my stomach clench. Before I could put up a wall of feathers between me and my friends, scared scarlet hooves wrapped around my neck. I gratefully nuzzled into Scarlet's cinnamon-scented coat. A pair of green forelegs wrapped around us both, adding the scent of antiseptic and cybernetic olive oil to the hug. Even Rumble did its best to join, tucking himself under my left wing. Lastly, the four of us were wrapped tightly in Midnight Skies' massive wings.

My anxiety calmed as my friends held me, a wall between myself and the terrifying reality of the wasteland. Despite the pain and stress I had to endure, I was glad to be there. At that moment I knew my friends truly had my back. That as long as I was with them, they’d do whatever they could to protect me and reassure me. For just a moment they saw my wounded heart in that song. They loved me anyway.

After the ceremony I sat quietly by the river bed, smiling as I watched and listened to the calming waves. It was just like I’d do at home, by the docks. My Pips Geiger counter even clicked when I got hit by the spray, though equestrian water is more contaminated than ours. My blue sprite-bot rumbled vigilantly nearby, keeping an eye on things while I relaxed. The water had the same calming effect on me as flying. My natural elements, I suppose. Waves of cool energy rolled past me, matching the rate of the toiling river itself. Like a water talisman, but uncontained and carefree. It didn’t have to deal with the expectation of keeping countless ponies, plants and creatures alive after an impossible conflict. It only had to exist.

Orella and Grace were the first ones to come speak with me after June Berries was sent off. They would have stayed longer, but they had to open the shop. “Ain’t no rest for the wicked,” Grace explained with a sly grin and a wink that I had no idea how to process.

Orella came to compliment me on my singing before they left. Many attendees already had, but their complement was less direct in nature. “It was a beautiful ceremony, Captain. I think you’ve done your ancestors proud.”

The expected zebra strangeness made me giggle. Even after growing up around the species back home I never quite got used to it. Naturally, the strangeness of the compliment didn’t keep me from getting flustered. “I didn’t plan for it or anything, it just… felt right to do,” I explained sheepishly, digging at the warm sand with my talon.

“That’s what makes it beautiful, Aella Breeze. It came from your heart.” The best I could describe the smile they gave me would probably be proud mother, though I couldn’t be sure. Meanwhile, Grace stood behind her well-read partner, fixing me with her far less wholesome predatory gaze. “We best get going. Do let yourself rest before you go searching for more trouble.”

Before they could leave I surprised them with a tight hug. Orella chuckled expectantly, and gratefully returned the embrace. Grace was thrown off for a moment but quickly nuzzled into the soft fur and feather-filled hug. I hadn’t known them long, but I was glad to consider them my friends. The fact that they came meant the world to me. Content with my hug, the couple headed back into town.

The energetic foal named Snowflake was far less composed when she and her mother came to wish me well. She tried to take me to the ground with her earth pony strength just like she did over a day before, but this time I came out on top! The filly giggled and hollered in vain as I knocked the pony to her back and ticked her stomach with my wingtips. The pure joy of a fillies laughter drew smiles and laughter from everyone in earshot, especially me.

I panted and wheezed as the tickle fight ceased, and I helped Snowflake to her hooves. My lungs hurt from the laughter and activity, but I didn’t mind at all. Being in a bit of pain from fun was 1000 times better than being in pain because of some near-death experience.

Snowflake's smile faded as she stood, suddenly remembering why we were gathered outside. “I’m really sorry about your friend, Miss Captain Aella Breeze… but the funeral was super pretty. Prime is gonna have a big funeral for all the ponies that were down there tomorrow.”

Rather than fight the sadness her words brought up, I allowed myself to sit with it. That was a large part of what funerals were for, after all. “Yeah… It’s ok, I knew she was dead a long time ago. I’m just glad I got to do this for her.” The little filly nodded knowingly. Despite her clean appearance and innocent demeanour, she was still a child of the wasteland. I had no doubt she’d seen more suffering and loss than any child should. She was remarkably strong.

Caramel and Snowflake pulled me into a tight embrace. “We need to get back to the inn. You know where we live if we can ever do anything.” The larger mare explained with a smile.

Snowflake wiggled excitedly and nodded. “Yeah! And you have to come back and tell us about your adventures! The radio is good, but you always tell it better.”

I ruffled the foal's mane as her words melted my heart. “Of course, I will. You two take care of each other.” And they were off, leaving me by the riverbank. I got the feeling Harmony wanted to come over and chat with me, but she had to leave with Prime. Probably to work out how to use their basement for the rest of the town. By late afternoon everyone but my friends were long gone, and I finally felt ready to plan our next move.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Hi again, Aqua.

So Prime couldn’t wait to spread the news of the city's newest source of energy and scrap. He held a public address the very next day. The city listened in awe as he regaled them about how my friends and I “heroically descended into the toxic depths, risking life and limb so the good people of Vision could prosper.” The buck's unnatural charisma and uncomfortably precise word choice had the citizens hanging on every word.

He also exaggerated the details, making us sound far more capable and brave than I could ever hope to be. The lie was harmless but tainted with the calculated deception that serve as Prime's primary weapon. Apparently, the town having close ties with a prolific wasteland hero was good for morale, so the Visionaries sought to protect and elevate my notoriety. The buck invited me to stand and speak with him, but I respectfully declined. I lacked the energy to try and be personable and charismatic, and the confidence to act like the hero he sold me as. Rather than try and convince me, (Something I have no doubt he could do easily) he understood.

Then he told me he hoped I’d decline! He wasn’t positive if I’d say the right things in the right way! Without me there to make a mistake, he was in control of the information he presented. He was all about control.

A few hours later he held the funeral for the lives lost trying to take the bunker all those years ago. None of us bothered going. You know how terrible I am at small talk. Not to mention having to exist in a crowd of people who just sat through a speech about how smart and strong I am. At least he got the smart part right…

While the town took part in the festivities of the strange funeral/party fusion the Visionaries planned, I was facing a new challenge the likes of which I’d never seen. One of the few challenges no amount of friendship or magic could hope to solve. All I could rely on was my iron will. That, and a memory of you, actually.

Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

*** *** ***

“This is ridiculous!” Scarlet snapped. Her hooves came down on the floorboards hard in what I hoped was a cathartic stomp. “What goddesses shoe did I piss on to deserve this!”

It was the most trying evening I ever had aboard the Skystar V. Flashing lights, aggravated nickering, and all-new levels of obscenities from my normally composed unicorn friend. It was a frustrating, hoof-bitingly stressful affair that neither of us was equipped for. But we didn’t stand a chance if we failed.

We were on the top deck of the airship, bathed in the soft orange glow of the setting sun. It brought out Scarlet's colours really well! On the other claw, it made me look like a pinkish, purply blob. “You said CORE can control all of this, so why do we need to learn it?” My first pony friend complained as she slumped against the starboard railing, looking out over the city of Vision.

I decided to teach my friends about the daily operation and maintenance of the airship. I was teaching them to sail! So they’d be able to manage the basics when I was below doing repairs or resting. Scarlet was having the hardest time picking it up, and I couldn’t make her understand it! It’s like… Well, it’s like trying to teach a unicorn to fly! Because that’s what I was doing! She didn’t have a connection to the wind and sky like the rest of us did, nor did she have navel training from the army or the ability to learn from me and Feather Free’s thoughts directly. Scarlet was used to being head mare. Used to having all the answers, whether it was wasteland survival or running a trade caravan. So seeing our friends pick everything up quickly while she continued to struggle was a spear right through the proud mare's heart.

“CORE is very advanced, but she isn’t always available. She has to put a lot of resources into compressing and encoding the data we send back to Mt. Aris. With how slow our transfer speeds are, it’ll take days to analyze and transmit the data we recovered from the pharmaceutical lab. That information could save lives. In the meantime, it means doing things the old-fashioned way.”

I draped a wing over the disheartened pony's shoulder and followed her gaze. Vision was beautiful at dusk. It cast a wonderful, soft glow across the buildings and creatures wandering around. The hustle and bustle of city life were overwhelming for me up close, but it was lovely to watch from a distance. So many different creatures go about their daily lives, despite the harshness of their world. I was going to miss it.

“You know… My sister had this same issue when we were taught how to sail. Father sat down with her and said, ‘If you focus on what you can’t do, you’ve never realized what you can do.’ Aqua is a unicorn, just like you. She couldn’t predict how the wind will shift, or instinctively know how to move her feathers in turn. So of course she couldn’t do things the way Father or I could! But there are things she can do with her magic that we couldn’t do, either! Let everyone else deal with adjusting sails and stuff. I already go to you for everything, so you can be my first mate! You’re in charge when I’m gone. You can read the instruments, and watch our heading. Give out orders to the boys, all that stuff.”

Speaking of boys, that’s when Free saw to land behind is with a soft flutter of wings. I turned just in time to see the buck wince as he put weight on his bad leg. While he tried his best to hide it, it was obvious he was getting worse. When I asked him about it he said he was busy going to repair Sky’s pistol for him? I was happy to hear they were getting along, but then it turned out he just went to sulk in his room! Free lied to me!

…It was really worrying.

“Aella is right. We belong out here, working with our wings and hooves. You should be on the bridge, working with your annoying brain.” Free added with a smile.

A quiet “thank you,” from the mare's muzzle caught the ex-soldier off guard. He’d expected her to respond with snark or bitterness. Genuine gratitude was the last thing he expected. She looked over at me and sighed. “...Ok. Aella, can you teach me how the computer crap inside works? ”

So I lead my first mate inside to teach her the basics. 3D mapping, proximity alert, how to steer, (she got that one right away) and how to adjust altitude. Everything she needed to take control of the ship. She even agreed to have CORE walk her through using the more complex systems when they both had some downtime.

The mare still hadn’t gotten over the lack of weapons mounted on the Skystar V. She was annoyed to no end by my unwillingness to install turrets or canons on the vessel, but her desire to arm the airship fell on deaf ears. Even if I were willing to go back on my principles in arming the ship my family made for peaceful exploration, I also worried it would make us a larger target. Raiders didn’t normally have weapons that would damage the haul of the ship, but if the Enclave or Steel Rangers became interested in it, either group would easily take it from me.

The mare wasn’t as familiar with technology as I was, but in the short amount of time I let her poke and prod at the large table screen that was the central computer, she had most of the basic functions figured out. Meanwhile, I was preparing myself for an important conversation I had to have with her. I told myself I was giving her more time to get used to the ship's interface, but really… I was just giving myself more time to overthink it.

“Aella, is everything alright? You’re being really quiet, and… still. What’s going on?” That made my feathers twitch. Scarlet read me like a book! And I thought I was doing so well to keep my feelings hidden!

I rested my head on the glowing table and groaned. “No, not really. I’ve done a lot of thinking today, and… I don’t think I’ve been as there for my friends as you’ve all been for me.”

“You’re worried about Free,” Scarlet asked softly, making me wonder if she was the telepath of the group somehow. She always seemed to know what was going on. “I noticed it, too. His leg is getting worse, isn’t it?” All I could do was nod. “Free and I have our disagreements, but… He’s a good pony. Prime has the tech to fix up that cybernetic better than new, but…”

“But then we’d owe him a favour. No… We’ve dealt enough with Prime. We already handed him a superweapon on a silver platter. I don’t want to make a habit of working for him, even if he means well. We need someone else.”

The mare shot up in her chair and smirked. “I know someone we can ask.”

*** *** ***

“. . .A sprite-bot? Scarlet, it’s great, but we have a way cooler sprite-bot at home.” Scarlet took me to an outcropping outside Visions walls, not far from the building that housed Vision’s radiation-fueled generator. I love robots more than most sane creatures, but I was pretty sure they couldn’t do cyber surgery. The cute and energetic tune of March of the Parasprites its speaker-face played was nice to listen to, though.

Scarlet rolled her eyes at me. “The bot we have at home can’t do this. Trust me, I’ve tried.” She responded with a slightly annoyed nicker. “Watcher? I’m sure you’ve seen it, but I found Aella like you said I would. But I need your help again… We need your help. So please, if you’re listening…”

Scarlet chatting with a random bot confused me. It was completely normal for me to talk to random machines, plants, and even rocks. It was very out of character for my liberated friend, though. Not to mention I was pretty sure this wasn’t the kind of random thing you could speak to. It didn’t have any… spark, any light inside it. It didn’t feel present.

So imagine my surprise when the chipper music fell away to be replaced with a robotic, monotone voice. “Hello, Scarlet. I hear you and your new friends have been keeping busy. I wasn’t sure I’d hear from you again.” The bot turned towards me. “And it’s nice to see you’ve fallen in with a better crowd, Aella.”

Scarlet smiled at the robot. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to thank you for trying to push Aella and I together. Aella, this i-”

“You’re Watcher!” I squawked loudly, making Scarlet jump. “F-f-from the book of Little Pip! I wasn’t even sure you were real!” My wings fluttered, forcing the bot to speed up its own wings to fight the breeze I made. I was meeting an actual wasteland legend! “What kind of hardware do you need to be able to access such a massive and complex network? Can you use the individual bots as nodes to increase your capacity? Do you have a central coms array, or does each unit act as a rela-”

“Aella!” A firm whip of Scarlet's tail across my flank pulled me out of my tech-obsessed tangent. “You can nerd out later! We’re working.” The unicorn reminded me.

“Yes, please do get to the point. I can’t keep the signal dialled in for long.” The robot responded, wings flittering in the light of dusk.

Ahh, a network of relays then. Made sense! “R-right, I’m sorry. Our friend Free needs help. His cybernetic was installed wrong… I-it’s killing him. He never talks about it, but he’s been using more and more painkillers to deal with it. The connective tissue dying. Free already lost the loves of his life, he shouldn’t have to lose his leg a second time.”

The silence that followed was deafening. A pregnant pause that dragged on forever. Finally, it responded. “That is… unfortunate. There are several cybernetic experts in the wastes, but I fear they’re all quite expensive, and fairly far. However… I understand you're heading toward Eden, next. There’s a mechanic near there who can help Feather Free. He’s been quite charitable in the past towards injured miners. He lives in a hydroelectric plant at the edge of the Vanhoover. Just follow the outgoing lines.”

“Thank you, Watcher…” Scarlet and I said in unison.

“Be safe,” The cheerful music the sprite-bots were known for returned. The little sphere went on its way, apparently unaware that anything had changed in the first place.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

A day later, I still wonder how Watcher managed a complex feat like hacking into a giant network of data-collecting drones. The book of Little Pip didn’t have many details on how Watcher did what he did so far, only that he had.

So I wasn’t surprised when Watcher knew where we were headed next. More worried than anything. What if someone with more flexible morals got access to such a sophisticated network of information? If it was just The Watcher I wouldn’t worry, but it Isn’t an isolated instance. DJ-pon3 has access to a surveillance network just as good, if not better than the Sprite-bot cluster! He knows details about me and my friends that no one could know. With those facts and a bit of exaggeration, he’s spun me into some kind of wasteland legend. “The Captain,” flying around in her magical airship just in time to save innocent foals from radiation sickness, or free a newfound settlement from a crazed tyrant.

Still… I didn’t hate the title as much as did before. The longer I was in the wasteland, the less it felt like a lie. After years of living aboard the Skystar V, I finally felt like her captain. I found the confidence to guide both my ship and my newfound crew. My friends. Their trust in me gave me the courage to try and be the leader the radio said I was.

Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

*** *** ***

My friends were turning out to be an impressive crew. Sky and Free deftly worked the sails when they needed the adjustments, they kept an eye out for changes in wind current or hostile creatures. Meanwhile, Scarlet watched the airship's energy output and handled the navigation. We didn’t have the power to fly all the way to Eden, so my second was searching the digital maps so a safe and sunny place for us to land. While we hoofed it up the mountain, the ship could snack on some photons.

I even taught my friends some hippogriff sea shanties! Sky rolled his eyes at them and scoffed, but Scarlet and I had a lot of fun singing them, and Free enjoyed ranting about how useful they are to help maintain focus and boost morale.

With me teaching my friends to sail, they wanted to teach me in turn. Normally, I love to learn things! It’s part of why I love to read! But I like learning about magic, technology, and geography, the fun stuff!! So when Free suggested he and our friends teach me to fight I was less than excited. I knew it was something I’d need to learn if I ever wanted to stop relying on my friends, but it was still a terrifying prospect.

It started with a terrible wake-up call: An alicorn shouting in my head to “rise and shine.” After a delicious breakfast of fish and corn, Sky dragged me above deck to fly laps around the ship. My large wing span let me keep pace with the alicorn, but my stamina was expectedly poor. I barely managed three laps before the burn in my lungs forced me to the ground, braced against the mast as I caught my breath.

“Don’t worry, the point of this is to build up your stamina. A week or two out of your workshop every morning and you’ll fly circles around most raider asshats.” Sky assured me as he hovered nearby. Each beat of his wings blew a cool breeze past me as well as keeping him airborne, in an impressive display of weather control. In theory, I was able to generate air currents and manipulate weather, but it wasn’t a skill I ever learned.

“You know I’m not good with my horn, but I kick ass with pegasus magic.” He explained when we finally returned to flying laps, nearly twenty minutes later. “I make clouds, charge them with lightning, and can make a decent drizzle.” Sky did a few small, rapid circles in the air. Before my eyes a tuff of cloud formed at the center, much to the stallion's satisfaction. In an annoying show of effortless speed, the alicorn caught back up to me as I continued to fly my laps. “Of course, one pegasus (or alicorn) isn’t enough to get much done on their own. But together, we could even make tornados funnelling water into the sky!” His eyes sparkled as he spoke. The sparkle in his eyes and passion in his voice rivalled my own love for arcane technology. “Me and a few of my sisters played a game where we’d generate wind streams towards each other, to see who was strongest.”

After an hour of running and flying, Free switched places with Sky. His job was to teach me basic fighting techniques. They were more involved than shooting lessons Scarlet would improvise for me, first going over common kicks and hoof strikes ponies may use, then how to counter them. It was a lot of work that left every muscle in my body aching by the time we finished.

“I spent every afternoon for months doing training like this when I enlisted, though it was much harsher in basic,” Free explained between activities over water and (for me,) a beautifully creamy cup of coffee. “It’s to train your mind as much as your body. The idea is that you’ll react instinctively if a raider or ghoul comes at you in a way that’s familiar.”

“I’ve read a lot of war stories. As bad as the characters always thought basic was, it always prepared them for real fighting… And a lot of the time they had help from those who cared about them.” I take a long drink of my coffee, carefully considering how or if I’d ask my next question. I was pretty sure I knew the answer, but I had to ask. “You met your herd in basic, didn’t you?”

The question stung, but the pain in his eyes mixed with nostalgia. “Yeah… I did. Clear Skies and Steel Wing. We were different ponies back then. I was enlisting to help my family back home and to help wounded soldiers. Clear and Steel were pressured into it. Both had parents and grandparents who served. Steel Wing wanted glory, Clear Skies wanted respect. We helped each other get through basic and then ended up on the same squad with Steel as our sergeant. They were happier times, but… I’m glad they’re over. The enclave wasn’t the good ponies I thought they were. Now I can finally serve under a captain I respect.” I blushed as he eyed me with a grin.

“Now come on. Twenty more minutes of drills, then the real training starts.”

*** *** ***

This was my kind of training. The cool air whipping past my wings, the warm rays of sun on my face, and concise rules and expectations! The billowing of sails and screams of my friends failed to distract me as I swung my wing forward with all I had. The ball shot toward the deck below.

Free flapped with everything he had but failed to intercept. The pegasus couldn’t change direction quickly enough. It tore past him into the ground below. Just when I thought it was over, Sky dove in front of it. A blast of telekinetic force and a blast of air from his wings deflected with annoying ease and sent it rocketing toward Scarlet.

My other horned friend grimaced as she channelled as much magic into her horn as she could. Despite everything we’d faced together, she didn’t have the arcane prowess to do it. Her magic faltered and fizzled out. The ball struck the ground hard and bounced passed her.

“That’s another point for us, Scar!” The alicorn pointed out gleefully.

“Dammit!” Scarlet roared, stomping down on the improvised court Free setup during lunch. “I can’t stop or redirect it when it has all of that momentum, how am I supposed to hit it back!?”

Our foes on the other side of the crudely tied net rolled their eyes at her outburst, sharing the same shit-eating grin. Free landed next to Sky to share a ‘feather five’. The sudden weight on Free’s cybernetic made him wince, but he hid it well. I wouldn’t have seen it if I wasn’t looking for it.

“You need to grab it with your magic sooner. The minute it crosses the net you’re allowed to use your magic on it. Slow it down first so then you can use levitation to bat it back.” Sky acted it out as he explained, slowly moving backwards as he pretended to hit a ball with his hoof.

Scarlet nickered and waved her hoof dismissively. “These teams aren’t even fair! An alicorn and a pegasi soldier, vs a magically stunted unicorn and Aella Wheeze?” I panted hard as I landed next to her, inadvertently proving her point.

“It isn’t supposed to be. This is just as much about having fun as it is building up your magic and Aella’s flying.” Free reminded her for the fifth time.

Sky shrugged and stretched out his wings, the alicorn currently grounded as per the game's rules. “I don’t mind changing it up next round. It’ll be fun! See how we can all mix our skills to try and kick the other team's flanks. You should know that whatever team I’m on will win, though.”

“Like hell.” Scarlet snapped. “I will kick your flank all over this game!” She levitated the ball over, signalling the rest of us to get ready for the next round.

We spent most of the afternoon playing the improvised pegasus-unicorn team tennis Free had come up with, only taking breaks to drink or adjust the sails. It was so much fun, I hardly realized we were training! Scarlet and Sky ended up in fierce competition, each trying to beat and one up the other.

Years as a slave and using only a spear spell granted Scarlet amazing accuracy with her magic. She’d add spin at the last possible second, or shift it slightly so it’d bounce off a wing. Sky came out ahead when it came to deflecting or throwing the ball, though. He’d spend his time post-unity learning tricks to make use of his weaker-than-average magic. In this case, the racket he formed with levitation magic was made up of interwoven strands of energy, each incredibly weak and requiring almost no magic to maintain, but together being quite strong and flexible.

On the other wing, I had very little chance to beat Free wing to wing. He had to me beat in experience, speed and stamina. I’d send a ball soaring past his flank, only for him to twist his body around and bat it back. I tried going over his head where his wings couldn’t reach only for him to fly back to meet it with a barrel roll! My only saving grace was my larger wingspan and more dexterous forelimbs.

We ended up keeping the teams as they were, with Scarlet and I losing 5 of the six games. Still, the one game we did win left us grinning ear to ear for the rest of the day. It proved to us that we could still beat them despite being slower and weaker. It was proof that we were already improving.

As my friends got the net gleaned up and stowed away, I found myself watching from the sidelines, beaming. It reminded me of all the times I’d been on the sidelines as a fledgling. Back then though, I was watching other creatures have fun. When I tried to join I always ended up getting hurt and ruining the fun. Now, I was welcomed and encouraged to join in with them. For the first time in my life, I belonged. I rushed to where my friends were folding up the improvised net, or more accurately where they were bickering about how best to do so.

“We should untie all the rope and put it away, we might need it later.” Scarlet reasoned, to the annoyed groans from the winged stallions next to her.

“Then we have to remake it next time we want to play. It took me forty-five minutes!” Free nickered, lifting up his skillful ropework with the tip of his wing. “This is hard to do with hooves!”

Scarlet rolled her eyes. “I can set it up next time! With Sky’s help, we’ll have it put together in 10 seconds flat. It’s really no bi-Ahh!”

A trio of shocked screams cut her off as I tackled the bickering horses into a group hug. Their light-hearted argument gave way to a fit of giggles and nuzzling as they tried to discern why they were suddenly ensnared in purple feathers.

“W-whoa! Aella, are you alright?” Free asked through his own snorting chuckle.

I sniffled in response and pulled my friends closer. The scents of cinnamon, olive oil, and eucalyptus filled my lungs. “M-mhm… I just… I never had friends like this before. I spent most of my childhood watching other creatures have fun. I felt like I just got in the way… Even with my marefriend, I always worried I was taking time away from her training to join the repo team. I’m just… really happy.”

Scarlet nuzzled against my neck. “I understand what you mean… I feel safe with you all. Free is a feather brain, you’re socially blind, and Sky is emotionally stunted, but… You’re all my friends.”

“The closest bonds are forged by the fires of war. We may not be an army, but we’ve been through some shit together. Hell, even the alicorn is growing on me…”

Sky rolled his eyes and snickered at the playful jabs. “We’re all here for you, Captain. And for each other.”

The hug continued for another minute before Scarlet pushed us to break it up. “We’ll be landing soon, we need to get ready for that. Then we should all get some rest… It’ll be a long few days on our hooves.”

Everyone nodded. “Right… Scarlet, on the bridge. Sky, Free, once everything is away meet me back here. We’ll need to lower and secure the sails.”

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

So Aqua, all of this is to say…

I know you’ve been worrying about me, but you don’t need to. You need to focus on yourself, and your job. People rely on you, and if someone dies because you're worrying about me, we’ll both have to carry that.

I also just wanted you to know that I’m in a better mental state than when I left. My friends give me a strong support system. It’s easier to deal with things around them, my old trauma, and the trauma from my wasteland adventures.

I’m sure by now you’ve heard about what happened on my mission: Why I had to head home early. And I’m sure you’ll have a hard time believing it, but… It’s all true. Or most of it, I don’t really know what exactly the reports say. I’m not ready to talk about it, but I promise I will. I’ll write you my side of the story soon. I love you sister.

Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

Footnotes:
The real XP is the adventures we had along the way...?

Author's Note

Sorry this one took so long to write it. The chapter itself has been done for months, but it took more energy then I expected to finish the editing and revisions. Hopefully, it's enjoyable! I figured some downtime for Aella was well deserved, and have been annoyed that she hasn't had time to send any messages to Aqua. So I figured out a neat chapter to kill two griffs with one stone!

Not Boulder. I'd never throw him. I'm not a monster.