Adventures in the TARDIS

Feather Wind and Stern Wing rest peacefully up in the sky within an adjacent pair of makeshift cloud-sleeping bags that he forged. From there, they both gaze up at the sparkling night sky in what is, so far, a vain attempt to fall asleep.

“Um . . . Stern Wing?” Feather broaches trepidatiously.

“Yeah?” she answers slowly.

“Are you asleep yet?” Feather asks her timidly.

There is a noticeable pause before she answers sarcastically, “Why yes, Feather. Yes I am. I am talking to you right now in my sleep. How are you?”

Feather snorts in amusement but immediately tries to hide it. He covers his mouth with a hoof and giggles quietly. His strict father taught him restraint and reserved behavior ages ago. Snorting would definitely win him a stern frown of disapproval back when he was a foal.

“You don't have to hide anything from me,” Stern assures. “I won't judge you like your father did.”

“In a way, that's part of my point,” Feather expresses after he calms back down, lowers his hoof from his mouth, then pulls up the edge of his cloud-sleeping bag closer to the edge of his neck with both of his hooves. He gazes up at the stars as his yellow eyes sparkle with wonder. “I think I'm still not accustomed to having so much freedom. So much of my old habits still linger.”

“I left you alone in nature for eight moons straight, Feather,” Stern barks back a little forcefully. “That wasn't enough for you? You got away from anypony's judgment. More so than even I was comfortable with back then.”

“I know, and . . . that helped but . . .” He sighs. “Old habits die hard, especially the ones firmly pressed on me. Part of me still expects I'll wake up in my father's mansion tomorrow morning, especially compared to how incredibly ridiculous reality has been lately. I mean, look where we are, Stern,” he invites with a grand wave of a sky-blue hoof above him. “Floating up here in the sky above a remote village in the ancient past of our world. Traveling through time and the stars and-and . . .” He trails off with a sigh while pulling his cloud-bag up again. “I just . . . I don't know how to process all of this lately. Even if our circumstances are good, like they have been lately, I still find it difficult to accept sometimes.” After a short pause he asks, “You know how it is . . . don't you?”

“It has been pretty remarkable lately,” Stern Wing admits. “According to my habits, I like to stay grounded. Resolute. Certain of who I am and my surroundings . . . but lately I will admit that has been quite the challenge.”

“Thank you for joining me up here, Stern,” Feather tells her gratefully. “I know I can hoofle myself alone as I have done in nature in what now feels like a dozen moons ago. Still . . . I'm grateful to you for keeping me compony tonight.”

“Don't mention it,” Stern says with casual dismissal as she turns to her side, closes her eyes, and snuggles in her bag. “I know you're still not accustomed to hanging around thick crowds. You used to grow up in a mansion surrounded by iron gates and armed guards after all.” She chuckles a bit before teasing, “Sometimes I wonder if you'll ever taste anything else other than that silver spoon in your mouth.”

“I might have to eventually while traveling out here,” Feather argues seriously. “Tonight we have a reprieve but someday we might not have a choice, or at least I won't.”

“No. We won't. You were right the first time,” Stern argues back. “I go wherever you go. I'm not letting you far out of my sight again if I can help it.”

“Thanks, Stern. I mean it,” Feather tells her warmly. “I know you want to protect me because you care so much.”

Feeling a little uncomfortable for some reason she can't identify, Stern Wing decides to change the subject by asking, “Do you really think Commander Viraxis is a Time Lord too?”

“I don't know that for certain but I'd say the evidence is mounting,” Feather replies. “Think back, Stern. You saw the way those other ponies among Those Above acted. The Commander stuck out like a sore hoof up there. It's amazing how much he was different compared to them.”

“Is that your only evidence?” Stern asks cautiously.

Feather pauses for a moment before asking her in return, “Why are you so reluctant to believe he is?”

“Well . . . for one thing, I don't want to run the risk of accusing a pony of something he might be innocent of,” Stern answers as she returns to lying on her back and gazes up at the stars again. “And secondly, I just respect the guy. I do believe there is something noble about putting an emphasis on self-defense. About trying to be prepared for danger.”

“Even if that preparation involves creating monsters to fabricate an excuse to recruit ponies into his forces?” Feather checks.

Stern sighs irritably before replying, “No, Feather. That is where I draw the line. Training others to be prepared for danger is one thing, but actually creating that danger is something else. I hate bullies, Feather. You know that. I can't excuse him if he really is putting pony lives in danger just to make a point or to, more or less, scare others to join his army under false pretenses.

“I just . . . I . . .” She sighs. “I guess I'm hoping he is innocent because I think he's onto something that's important. The other ponies up there were so lackadaisy about their personal defense. It just bothers me that they don't care about something I regard as that important. To me, that's a recipe for disaster eventually. We can't rely upon technology to solve our problems all the time, but if we could, that bothers me too because there goes a major motivation for growth.”

They are silent for a moment in deep thought until Stern breaks it again.

“Let me ask you something, Feather. In your personal opinion, which of these two societies would you prefer to live in if you had to pick one?”

“Wow.” Feather crosses his forelegs behind his neck as he continues to gaze up at the stars. “That is a toughy, Stern, because both have their value.”

“How so?” Stern asks in confusion which heavily implies disagreement.

“I know there are reasons why you might be uncomfortable and feel out of place among Those Above, Stern, but I see a bigger picture than that.”

Feather Wind takes a deep breath as he gathers his thoughts before saying, “There's nothing wrong with a life of peace and happiness, Stern, but they take it several steps further. They look up at the stars, like we are doing tonight, and think to themselves, 'I wonder what's up there?' And then they resolve themselves to find out. They invent a great telescope or, heck, probably even a spaceship in order to fly on up there and find out for themselves. They're driven by curiosity and scientific pursuits. They have very advanced mathematics, sacred geometry, arcane sigils and the whole nine yards. All of it to help them answer some of the most important questions in our lives such as, 'Who am I and what's my place in this universe? What even is the universe? How does it work exactly?'

“The thing I find most admirable about them, Stern, is that merely asking those questions isn't enough for them. Instead, they are proactive in their effort to uncover those answers. When they do, they keep records of their discoveries so they can pass on that knowledge to the next generation. As such, any discovery they make doesn't just benefit the individual pony but the race as a whole ever onward. It's permanent progress for the entire species. They just keep moving forward. Keep reaching ever higher and forthright about their beliefs that they can do it.”

Feather Wind shakes his head before he goes on to say, “Many scholars I know sometimes put subconscious limits on themselves or even conscious ones. Just a dismissive wave of a hoof and say things like, 'It can't be done' or 'That's impossible!' or 'Even if it could be done, we are not worthy to learn it.' Those Above push all of that nonsense aside and simply commit to their goals without restraint. Without restricting beliefs to bog them down, and yet they have a good moral compass on them too for the most part. I don't see any active attempt to do anything heinous among any of those that I saw. Even Commander Viraxis did not seem totally morally dark.”

Stern silently smirks slightly with a, “That's true,” kind of casual look.

“They are explorers, Stern,” Feather goes on in continued reference about Those Above. “And I deeply admire that they can do it in a relaxed way. They take their time and ease themselves in their journey, but they are never content to totally sit idle. 'What is out there?' is an obsessive question to them on some level, and it's a delight for me to see them have so many options to pursue that dream.”

“And the Earthbound?” Stern asks to shift the subject in line with the faction she personally identifies and is more interested with.

Once again Feather is momentarily quiet as his mind shifts gears and gathers information in a new direction before saying, “The Earthbound is very . . . authentic. Very true to themselves and that is why they are the first society we've ever encountered, ever since setting hoof on the TARDIS, to have cutie mark awakenings. They might have even got many steps beyond that.

“I respect and identify with the fact that they are willing to live so close to nature. There is wisdom and strength they gather in that. They are rooted and strong. They stand tall both inwardly and outwardly. They face adversity with quiet dignity. They gaze ever outward into things like the rising and setting of the sun, the waves of the ocean, the crackle of firelight in the night, or the twinkle of stars in the sky and believe, wholeheartedly, that they are gazing at something sacred. Deep in their eyes, I see the most mature souls I've ever encountered. Somehow seeming ancient and wise enough to make me feel like a foal again when I gaze upon them. What they lack in technology they make up for in spirit and there really is something to that. They see depth in reality around them unlike anything else I've encountered before. I can't help but deeply admire that.

“That's the way my soul has ever been pulled, Stern Wing. That's the way I want to live my life. Authentically and deeply. Strong with unshakable moral integrity. To take simple truths and turn it into something amazing. To relish in the simple joys of things like playing and laughing together. Sharpening their spears for a hunt then gaze out into the horizon with a focused and steady gaze. They'll hold those spears close to them as they inwardly feel inside them, 'Today, this is who I am. Another Mark shall be drawn on my Flesh. Let the Hunt begin.'

“So, to finally answer your initial question, Stern, I think my honest answer would be both societies. If I were to live in this world and time permanently then I'd want the freedom to drift back and forth between them as I choose. I'd want to live life on my own terms. To gather the best strengths of both societies and use them to enhance the other, or at least the quality of my personal life. The Middle Path is always where I felt at my strongest. A place where I have equal reach to all possibilities. Even if I have to trot that path alone, it is the only answer I can give where I can still be me.”

Stern Wing's eyes glaze with tears as she listens to her friend. That also makes her eyes sparkle as she continues to gaze up into the night sky. When he's done with this speech, she feels compelled to crawl up out of her cloud-sleeping bag enough to kiss his forehead on the side of his horn then cuddle her head beside his.

“I love you, Feather,” Stern says in a deeply admiring tone. “I deeply admire the depth in which you see reality. For that same reason, I think you're a lot closer to that which you admire too.”