Red Sky At Dawn

Red Sky At Dawn.

Spinoff of Steadfast Sky.

Chapter 7: Loose Ends

Decay

Sometimes, it feels like there's an emptiness within my mind. An unfilled void, that begs for voice and remains unfulfilled. If only I knew more about my race, my people and their abilities! Then maybe I could unravel the mystery of my life, and find a purpose.

I came close once. A librarian took me in as a pale unicorn, granting me access to rows and rows of books, any one of which could have been about Changelings. Unfortunately, that librarian was cleverer than she let on, and I was discovered in a matter of days, forced from the town and left without answers.

What is my nature? Are my people hated for a reason? Can I ever be loved honestly, and if so, how far would I go to be loved honestly?

Those were the questions I asked myself as the cart containing my friends took to the air, Serenity's face peering from between the bars. Was I really prepared to put myself in  this much danger?

Yes. I had to, for my friends. Using the last of my energy, I took the form of a songbird and flitted up towards the cart. Transformations of this size took a lot out of me, but there was no other way, this was the only form suitable.

I landed atop the airborne cart, perching on the wood then clinging as the speed increased.

Traveling to where?

Wherever.

Astral

The faded blue pony, his robes gliding with every step, led us into the inner sanctums if the chapel. Leading us into danger or safety?

Zee stuck to me like a shadow as we walked, his strides mimicking mine, and I realised for the first time the way the Zebra idolised me. He looked up for reassurance and I gave him such, smiling in return.

We entered a grand library, and the blue pony led us to a table in the centre. Cloaked ponies worked silently around us, reading from the old books, and writing upon parchment. What was this? Since when did a chapel need a library of this size?

The old pony stood at the head of the table, and cleared his throat as we sat down. He then spoke in a weary, yet puzzled voice, "Who are you, and what business do you have with the elements of harmony?"

Do I tell the truth? Is he safe?

As if sensing my internal conflict, the old pony spoke kindly. "Do not worry young ones, I bear you no harm!"

I looked down at my hooves, before speaking. "We... we're here to find the element of loyalty. It should be here in the tomb of..."

"General Hurricane." the old pony finished sadly. "I'm sorry child, but that element has already been claimed."

I felt disappointment fill me, and I lay my head on the firm oak table. "Really?"

"Yes. It was claimed not long ago, by one not much older than you"

"It's gone!!?" Zee employed loudly, turning the heads of those reading and writing.

"So, which ones haven't been taken?" I asked carefully, trying to keep the disappointment from my voice.

The old pony looked down at me for some time, before muttering to himself. By now, our conversation had gathered a small crowd of cloaked ponies who were looking intently at us.

"I'm afraid that the other elements have already been claimed..." the old pony announced suddenly. "Figuratively, that is. The prophecies have already dictated that fact I'm afraid..."

"Prophecies? Figuratively? What do you mean?"

He sighed once again. "While the other elements may not have been claimed physically yet, it is only a matter if time before those destined to wield them shall."

"Maybe I'm destined!" I blurted, angered at the turn of events. "And even if I'm not in your prophecies, what's stopping me from claiming an element anyway?"

The crowd gasped in horror, and the old pony reeled back from where he stood. "No! You must not! If you were to interfere, and somehow claim

an element, then you could disrupt everything!" he softened a little. "I... I have no idea how you know of these artefacts, nor how you fit into this... Your presence is..." he struggled to find a word, and I finished his sentence blankly.

"Unwanted."

"No! Not unwanted, just... unexpected!"

I turned away from him. "Why should it matter?"

"I'm sorry. There simply isn't any way for you to fit into this. Go back to your family."

This time, I looked the blue pony straight in the eye. "My parents are dead. He killed them." I turned, and trotted away. "I'm going to kill him."

Zee followed me as I left, and none of the chapel ponies made any attempt to stop us.

Prophecy? I didn't care.

This was personal.

Serenity

I kicked at my shackles, feeling the cold metal against my hooves. How was I expected to walk like this? Any where was I, some prison? The surroundings were coated in black cobble, and darkness seemed to shroud the streets I was led down.

"Where... where are we going?" I panted. We'd been walking for some time now, and my legs were starting to ache. To my surprise, the one of the griffins leading me responded, his voice seeming bored as opposed to cruel.

"To some special prison area. For some reason, you've been deemed important to one of the captains."

Why would that be? Was he going to interrogate me about the elements of harmony?

There came a sound from a nearby alley, a crashing sound that caused the surrounding guards to freeze. There was nopony else around... just us and...

That.

We all eyed the alley nervously, waiting for something to happen. There was nothing, only silence. I noticed, with a dagger of fear, that there wasn't even the sound of wind. The air was still, and hung over the shadowed street without an impact.

Eventually, one of the guards laughed, and the others soon followed leaving me with a feeling of both relief and dread. Suddenly, there was a loud rattling, and a dustbin rolled out from the alley, striking my captors with great force. I gracefully leapt over the oncoming bin, and turned to see the guards scattered along the ground. As they began to pick themselves up, a female voice called out from the alley.

"Run!"

I followed the voice, leaving the dazed griffins and galloped into the alleyway, my once proud stride held back by the shackles. There was somepony running ahead of me, a red pony who occasionally checked behind her, no doubt making sure that I was still following.

After an age of running, she slowed and then stopped in a tight courtyard, deserted and foggy.

"Who..." I began, trying to keep order and grace in my exhausted voice.

"My name's Mulbry! I saw you'd been captured, so I helped!" she answered happily, bouncing as she talked.

I had no idea how she even had the energy to bounce, let alone the motivation! We were in a shadowy city teeming with guards, how could anypony be happy?

As of sensing my distress, the smile faded from Mulbry's face, and she scouted around, checking our location's safety. "No guards in sight... but it won't stay that way for long. Follow me!"

"Wha..." I started to say, as she grabbed my hoof, and pulled me down another street.

We vanished into the shadows, and silence fell once again.

What was this place?

Crisis

I pelted bolts of energy at my target, each hitting with lethal force. My enemy lay unmoving upon the cold cobbles, and I took pleasure in the sight. Don't know why.

It was only a scarecrow.

Hype applauded. "Amazing Crisis! You've proven yourself to be quite the marksman." he walked to the burnt straw figure, and examined the damage before continuing, "Not to mention your skills in magic!"

I shrugged. "Piece of cake. Those assassins won't stand a chance!"

Hype beamed at this. "So you've left your rebellious tendencies behind? That's good news Crisis."

His statement shocked me a little. In all the excitement of training, I'd forgotten about my friends! Had I switched sides? I was being trained to kill children... children who were probably no different from Astral, Zee and Celestia.

My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of another straw mannequin, guards wearily dragging it into place. I locked my arm, preparing to fire bolts of plasma. It was a new technique and I wanted to hone it.

"Wait, Crisis."

I looked back to Hype expectantly, and the commander leered at me. "I've seen that attack already... why don't you show me a different one?"

A different attack? Since the training had started I'd been learning new attacks constantly, but there was one that I knew would impress Hype. I hadn't tried it yet, but the abilities were there, stored in my CPU.

I braced myself, then released low power energy into the air around me, its invisible presence spreading undetected by the griffins. Then, I fired a spiderweb of high powered electricity into the cloud, the impossibly thin sparks spreading in lines.

Then, with a crack, voids opened along the lines releasing tiny rocks into the air. The rocks floated along the spiderweb, drifting around me.

"Wha..." Hype croaked in wonder.

"Collision Chaos." I replied then, with a final spark, I allowed the rocks to fall. "I pull void dust into this universe by creating tiny fissures."

"That's... incredible..."

I laughed. "You should see a level two doing that. Whole boulders..."

Hype nodded, still staring at the dust around my feet and I sat on the cobbles, suddenly exhausted from the use of energy. Then I yawned.

Wait... yawned? That was weird. I must have just picked it up from my friends...

The friends that I was saving, yet betraying. Was I a good guy or a bad guy?

I just couldn't tell anymore.

Astral

There was no place for me. I lay on the steps outside the chapel, sobbing while Zee lay alongside me, tears of sympathy rather than sadness upon his face. This was my dream! But I was not written into the future, and therefore I couldn't help.

No. I was going to gather the elements, the remaining ones, whether or not it effected the future. I wasn't going to stand back on the words of a prophecy, I was going to help!

"Come on Zee. Let's go get Crisis."

The Zebra nodded, but still seemed uncertain. "What about serenity?"

"There... there's nothing we can do for her." I answered, standing shakily on my hooves. As much as that idea hurt, it was true. Serenity was in too deep for us to rescue.

We trotted through the empty streets of Hock, heading for the hill where Crisis waited.

Or not.

"Crisis? Where are you?!" I called out to the empty grassland. There was no reply, only the sound of grass in the wind.

"Did the griffuns get him?" Zee asked childishly, and I nodded in reply tears trickling from my eyes. It was only us now, us against the world. I couldn't get support from my friends, nor from the others gathering elements.

"What now?" Zee asked, sounding defeated.

I stood up strong, staring intently into the swirling grey clouds, my voice full of confidence. "Now we find the other elements!"

Zee nodded enthusiastically, a huge naive smile of his striped face. That hurt me, to see him so happy when there was so much misery both around us, and ahead of us. Would he still be smiling after weeks of walking? Without his playmate? Without the care and kindness of Serenity?

I hoped so.

I really hoped so.

Decay

Damn it, floored by a bin! The shock from that nearly shook of my griffin disguise in front of the other guards, but I held my ground as Serenity ran into the shadows of the alley. I had to follow her!

I also had to shake off the other guards!

I was the first one up, and I tried to become a bird again, only for nothing to happen. I didn't have enough energy for a transformation of that level, and I'd have to do this as a griffin.

Part of me considered taking my natural form, but I pushed that thought aside. At least as a griffin, I could remain undiscovered. Instead of transforming, I chased Serenity into the alleyway, my new body feeling easier, and more natural than my previous transformations. I could run and I did so, moving closer and closer towards my friend. Then I lost her.

"What!?" I cried aloud in anguish. Where had she gone? There were about thirty side alleys to choose from, and any one of them could have been the escape route. I took my chances with the central street, and pelted down it at full speed.

"Serenity!" I called out in Crisis' voice, hoping that she'd recognise it. "Serenity!"

There was no answer, I'd lost her. I stood alone in the cramped side street, shivering at the cold. I felt hungry...

But all my friends were gone. I had to find Serenity, for her sake and for mine.

I continued to run through the darkened street, calling her name.

"Serenity!"

Crisis

"You've passed the training programme," announced captain Scool bitterly. "Well done Crisis, this means that you can finally move on to your first mission." he turned to once again stare out of the office window. "You will be flown near to their predicted location, and then you're on your own. We still have your friend..."

"Serenity." I whispered sadly.

"Her name is unimportant. What is important, is that your targets are removed successfully. Two unicorns..."

"And a Draconequus." I finished.

"You must retrieve the artefacts without damage, and bring them to us."

"Yes sir."

"Clamp him." Scool muttered to a nearby guard. A luminescent blue ring was placed around my arm, and it began to pulse upon contact.

"That is a tracking ring. Removal of the ring will paralyse you, allowing us to capture you. It will also update us with your location, so no running."

I scratched at the ring, irritated by its presence. It was emitting some energy that made my arm tingle.

Scool turned back to me. "Your mission starts now Crisis," he gestured to the guards, who began to leave the office.

I followed them from the room, and then into the courtyard, where a cart awaited.

Awaited to take me to my enemies, children no different from my friends. But the worst part was...

My arms were itching to test their new attacks.

On a living target.

Author's notes

Yeah, short chapter today... The next one will be longer though. I'll start writing after the next chapter of steadfast sky is released in order to stay in keeping with the host story. So yeah, comment!