Vesper was flying faster than he had in his entire life, the acrid sting of smoke biting at his lungs and scratching at his eyes. Below him, his city – once a beacon of peace and freedom – lay in waste. Flames licked the sky, the smoke painting it black, and the cries of his people rose above the roaring blaze.

As he zipped towards the keep, images of the invaders’ brutality flashed before his eyes. A filly clinging to her mother, an elder too slow to escape a blade.

Clenching his teeth, he forced his head up, despite their pleading cries. Although he hated the invaders for attacking the peaceful city, he hated not being able to help even more. A few minutes ago, his sword had completely shattered, leaving him completely defenseless. The best he could do was return to the keep and help defend it.

The keep was in sight now, but smoke obscured the area around Vesper. He despairingly looked around. Every single building was aflame, hurling smoke that hurt his lungs and stung his eyes. The only part of the city not on fire was the stone brick roads that spiderwebbed out from the keep. However, the roads were even more unsafe than the burning buildings, as they swarmed the streets.

The splintering of wood and the crackling of breaking stone broke him free of his thoughts, and he shot forward, just as a tower fell right where he would have been. The tough stone brick collapsed in on itself before hitting the ground, the sound ripping through the roaring flames.

Due to his high-speed maneuver, Vesper was moving too fast to stop before crashing into the keep. He aimed himself at a stained-glass window, then braced with his wings guarding his face.

CRASH

The thick glass window hurt, but it slowed Vesper enough to avoid any more injuries on the keep’s stone floor. He fell to the ground and rolled to a stop. He lay there for a second, before rising with a pained grunt. He raised his left wing and discovered that it had been snapped in the wrong direction.

“Great,” Vesper cursed, “This is just what I needed right now.”

“Prince Vesper!” A royal guard shouted, galloping towards the Alicorn. “The King and Queen urgently request your presence in the throne room!”

“I’ll go right away.” Vesper winced in pain as he trotted down the hall.

A mare with a red cross cutie mark ran beside him, and with the use of telekinesis, correctly aligned the bones in his wing.

“Gah!” Vesper grunted.

“Don’t be a crybaby.” The nurse said, “You’re lucky to have escaped with only a broken wing.” Vesper nodded as the nurse wrapped his wing tightly in bandages. “Get a doctor to look at that, and don’t even think about using it until then.” The Nurse then ran back to wherever she was before.

‘That was a damn good nurse,’ Vesper thought, running through the keep at a gallop. Using telekinesis, he violently blasted the heavy throne room doors open, blowing out several torches and knocking over a few armor stands.

“Father!” Vesper yelled, “What can we do?” Vesper’s parents stood alone in the throne room.

“There is nothing we can do, son.” His father said. His voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed him.

Vesper shook his head and stepped forward. “No. There must be a way. We-” Vesper choked on his words, unable to finish. He already knew how bad it was, he just didn’t want to hear it. Maybe, just maybe, he would wake up, and all of it would have just been a bad dream, a nightmare. Silver moonlight pierced through the damaged roof of the room.

“Your father and I have accepted our defeat, but they do not take prisoners. There is no escape for us.” Said the queen, with a strange fire in her eyes, one that the king’s matched.

“But there is an escape for you, my son.”

“What?” Vesper whispered.

“Yes, your mother and I have created a spell that will send you to a better place, one that needs you.” The King said.

“No!” Vesper shouted, “I won’t leave you!” His father shook his head.

“You cannot stay. It is my duty as a father to provide safety for my child, safety above mine own.” The King walked up and hugged Vesper, who clutched the king in his embrace.

“Just remember, we will always love you, no matter where we are, and no matter where you are,” His mother joined in on the hug, “Follow your heart, and do not be afraid to make the right choices.”

Vesper felt energy accumulating around him, and clutched his parents tighter, tears streaming down his face. “I love you, mom and dad.” His voice was broken up by his own sobbing.

“Go forth, my son, and change the world.” His father said, his own tears falling down his face. The king slipped a piece of paper into Vesper’s wing bandages.

The energy around him crackled, growing stronger by the second. “Goodbye, son” His parents said in unison. Vesper looked upon the faces of his parents one last time. Their smiles were calm, and their eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Vesper smiled back, failing to stifle his tears. A flash of light, and Vesper was gone.

When Vesper opened his eyes again, the air was still and untainted. Soothing lavender had replaced the harsh smoke. He blinked, the harsh sunlight blurring his vision. It was sunset here. At home it was midnight. Slowly, he realized the magnitude of the distance between him and his home. The truth felt like a punch to the gut.

He looked around. The swiveling chairs and fancy mirrors around him revealed that he was likely within some kind of boutique or salon. Most importantly though, he was alone. Action could wait a few hours.

Reaching around his body with a hoof, He retrieved the slip of paper from his bandages. Shakily, he unfolded it, and in his father’s handwriting, read ‘We love you son, always. – Mom and Dad.’ Vesper flipped the paper over, breath catching in his throat. There they were – his parents, cradling a baby Vesper. The throne room in the background was unmarred by flames, a happier day, frozen in time forever.

It was too much for him to handle, and he fell to the floor crying, photo clutched to his chest.

Author's Note

New story time! I accidentally made Aevum's character flat, boring, and kind of a Mary Sue in the last one. I will not make this mistake again. But yeah, it's safe to say that 'Aevum's guide to Magic and it's Uses' is discontinued for the foreseeable future. I'll write a new chapter soon!